Two sets of secret talks seeking a 'grand bargain' ? between Israelis and Palestinians and between Obama and the GOP on fiscal issues ? involve current and former US senators. Can that chamber's style bring solutions?
By the Monitor's Editorial Board / July 30, 2013
Secretary of State John Kerry, left, is seated with Israel's Justice Minister and chief negotiator Tzipi Livni, second right, Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat, right, and Yitzhak Molcho, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at an Iftar dinner, which celebrates the Muslim Ramadan, at the State Department in Washington, marking the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks July 29.
AP Photo
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In recent days, two different sets of secret talks have been under way in Washington. Each is aimed at achieving a ?grand bargain? between hardened opponents. Both are given little chance of success. Both involve either current senators or former ones. And, most important, the negotiations will succeed only if each side admits that the other?s ?core interests? are worthy of consideration.
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The more secret of the talks are those focused on avoiding a fiscal crisis if Congress does not raise the federal debt limit this fall. President Obama (a former senator) has tasked his chief of staff to negotiate with a group of Republican senators in hopes of finding a consensus on spending cuts and raising tax revenue.
The other negotiations are between Israeli and Palestinian officials. They were doggedly arranged by Mr. Obama?s secretary of State, John Kerry ? a former senator. He traveled to the Middle East six times in just six months ? far more than his predecessor, Hillary Rodham Clinton (a former senator). On Monday evening, he welcomed the Israeli and Palestinian negotiators for a casual dinner. Formal talks continued into Tuesday at the State Department.
For those talks, Mr. Kerry was able to achieve some concessions before they began. Israel released about 100 Palestinian prisoners. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas dropped a key condition for the talks (suspending expansion of Jewish settlements). In the fiscal talks, by contrast, there is reportedly only a minor consensus so far ? easy reforms of Social Security.
It is worth watching how these current and former senators tackle two of the most difficult issues of our times. What style of negotiating do they bring? How much were their tactics formed by the Senate being the more ?deliberative? chamber of Congress, one in which lawmakers are more respectful, able to think longer term, and often more willing to cross party lines to find compromise?
The two talks so far show many of the traditional marks of the Senate. They are private, without grandstanding or media leaks. The two sides form personal bonds that allow a degree of empathy toward the other side?s most heartfelt positions. They build trust with small concessions at first, then creatively bridge differences or come up with original solutions. Such moves help reduce the possibility that either side will say ?take it or leave it.?
Kerry has sweetened the Middle East talks by seeking $4 billion in investments for the Palestinian economy while asking a former US general to look at Israel?s security concerns in case of a deal. Those kinds of sweeteners are missing from the Obama-GOP talks.
In both talks, Obama is not yet directly at the table. He?s holding his political capital in reserve for later, when the toughest issues need a breakthrough by the person with the most clout.
Both these talks are hopeful signs that Washington, on both domestic and foreign issues, can still practice the delicate art of finding common ground between people who may not only differ on issues, but sometimes don?t even get along. Good negotiators play to history rather than the cameras. They are long on listening and short on yelling. They settle problems instead of scores.
St. Michael's reports second known case of patient developing synesthesia after brain injuryPublic release date: 30-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Leslie Shepherd shepherdl@smh.ca 416-864-6094 St. Michael's Hospital
Condition where people experience two or more senses at the same time
TORONTO, July 30, 2013-About nine months after suffering a stroke, the patient noticed that words written in a certain shade of blue evoked a strong feeling of disgust. Yellow was only slightly better. Raspberries, which he never used to eat very often, now tasted like blue and blue tasted like raspberries.
High-pitched brass instrumentsspecifically the brass theme from James Bond movieselicited feelings of ecstasy and light blue flashes in his peripheral vision and caused large parts of his brain to light up on an MRI. Music played by a euphonium, a tenor-pitched brass instrument, shut down those sensations.
The patient said he was initially frightened by the mixed messages his brain was sending him and the conflicting senses he was experiencing. He was so worried that something was seriously wrong with him that he raised it with a nurse only as he was leaving an appointment at St. Michael's Hospital in downtown Toronto.
Physicians and researchers immediately recognized he had synesthesia, a neurological condition in which people experience more than one sense at the same time. They may "see" words or numbers as colours, hear sounds in response to smells or feel something in response to sight.
Most synesthetes are born with the condition, and include some of the world's most famous authors and artists, including author Vladimir Nabakov, composer Franz Liszt, painter Vasily Kandinsky and singer-songwriter Billy Joel.
The Toronto patient is only the second known person to have acquired synesthesia as a result of a brain injury, in this case a stroke. His case was described in the August issue of the journal Neurology by Dr. Tom Schweizer, a neuroscientist and director of the Neuroscience Research Program at St. Michael's Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute.
Dr. Schweizer examined the patient's brain activity in a functional MRI and compared it to six men of similar age (45) and education (18 years) as each listened to the James Bond Theme and a euphonium solo.
When the James Bond Theme was played, large areas of the patient's brain lit up including the thalamus (the brain's information switchboard), the hippocampus (which deals with memory and spatial navigation) and the auditory cortex (which processes sound).
"The areas of the brain that lit up when he heard the James Bond Theme are completely different from the areas we would expect to see light up when people listen to music," Dr. Schweizer said. "Huge areas on both sides of the brain were activated that were not activated when he listened to other music or other auditory stimuli and were not activated in the control group."
The patient and members of the control group also viewed 10-second blocks of words presented in black (which elicits no emotional response in the patient), yellow (mild disgust response) and blue (intense disgust response).
Reading blue letters produced extensive activity in the parts of the patient's brain responsible for sensory information and processing emotional stimuli and similar but less intense responses for yellow letters. Control groups showed no heightened brain activity in response to the different coloured letters.
Dr. Schweizer said the fact that the patient had very targeted and specific responses to certain stimuli and that these responses were not experienced by the control group suggests that his synesthesia was caused as his brain tried to repair itself after his stroke and got cross-wired.
The patient's stroke occurred in the thalamus, the brain's central relay station. That's the same part of the brain affected by the only other reported case of acquired synesthesia.
###
Please note the patient is not identified by name in the paper and wishes to remain anonymous; however, we do have video available of him discussing his experience
For more information about the Neuroscience Research Program at St. Michael's, go to its website, http://www.stmichaelshospital.com/neuroscience.
About St. Michael's Hospital
St Michael's Hospital provides compassionate care to all who enter its doors. The hospital also provides outstanding medical education to future health care professionals in more than 23 academic disciplines. Critical care and trauma, heart disease, neurosurgery, diabetes, cancer care, care of the homeless and global health are among the Hospital's recognized areas of expertise. Through the Keenan Research Centre and the Li Ka Shing International Healthcare Education Centre, which make up the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, research and education at St. Michael's Hospital are recognized and make an impact around the world. Founded in 1892, the hospital is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.
For more information or to interview Dr. Schweizer, contact:
Leslie Shepherd
Manager, Media Strategy
Communications and Public Affairs Department
St. Michael's Hospital
416-864-6094
shepherdl@smh.ca
Inspired Care. Inspiring Science.
FAQ for synesthesia
1. What is synesthesia?
Synesthesia is a neurological condition in which one sense, such as hearing, is simultaneously perceived by one or more additional senses such as sight. The word synesthesia comes from two Greek words, syn (together) and aisthesis (perception); literally, "joined perception." People who report such experiences are known as synesthetes.
2. What are the symptoms?
Synesthesia can involve any of the senses. The most common form occurs when someone sees a certain color in response to a certain letter of the alphabet or number. For example, a synesthete might see the word "plane"as green or the number "4" as brown. Some synesthetes hear sounds in response to smell, who smell in response to touch or feel something in response to sight.
3. Who has it?
Most synesthetes are born with this condition. There has been only one previously reported case of someone acquiring synesthesia as a result of an accident or other medical condition such as a stroke. This is the first reported case of acquired synesthesia manifesting itself in multiple senses.
Some celebrated people who may have had developmental synesthesia (meaning they were born with it) include:
Russian author Vladimir Nabokov describes his relationship with letters and colours, which he called "coloured hearing," in his autobiography, Speak, Memory: "The long a of the English alphabet ... has for me the tint of weathered wood, but the French a evokes polished ebony. This black group also includes hard g (vulcanized rubber) and r (a sooty rag being ripped)."
British painter David Hockney, who perceives music as color, shape, and configuration, and who uses these perceptions when painting opera stage sets but not while creating his other artworks
Duke Ellington, who saw notes in colours and textures. Saxophonist Harry Carney playing D was dark blue burlap, while Johnny Hodge playing G was light blue satin
Billy Joel, who associates musical genres and letters -- particularly vowels -- with color. He has said that softer, more intimate songs such as "Lullaby (Goodnight My Angel)" and "And So It Goes," are blues or greens, while songs with a heavier beat and faster rhythm such as "It's Still Rock n Roll to Me" suggest the red-orange-yellow end of the spectrum.
The only previously reported case of acquired synesthesia was a 35-year-old American woman who felt tingling on her body in response to sounds after suffering a stroke.
4. What causes it?
Scientists believe that synesthesia results from "crossed-wiring" in the brain. They hypothesize that in synesthetes, neurons and synapses that are supposed to be contained within one sensory system cross to another sensory system.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
St. Michael's reports second known case of patient developing synesthesia after brain injuryPublic release date: 30-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Leslie Shepherd shepherdl@smh.ca 416-864-6094 St. Michael's Hospital
Condition where people experience two or more senses at the same time
TORONTO, July 30, 2013-About nine months after suffering a stroke, the patient noticed that words written in a certain shade of blue evoked a strong feeling of disgust. Yellow was only slightly better. Raspberries, which he never used to eat very often, now tasted like blue and blue tasted like raspberries.
High-pitched brass instrumentsspecifically the brass theme from James Bond movieselicited feelings of ecstasy and light blue flashes in his peripheral vision and caused large parts of his brain to light up on an MRI. Music played by a euphonium, a tenor-pitched brass instrument, shut down those sensations.
The patient said he was initially frightened by the mixed messages his brain was sending him and the conflicting senses he was experiencing. He was so worried that something was seriously wrong with him that he raised it with a nurse only as he was leaving an appointment at St. Michael's Hospital in downtown Toronto.
Physicians and researchers immediately recognized he had synesthesia, a neurological condition in which people experience more than one sense at the same time. They may "see" words or numbers as colours, hear sounds in response to smells or feel something in response to sight.
Most synesthetes are born with the condition, and include some of the world's most famous authors and artists, including author Vladimir Nabakov, composer Franz Liszt, painter Vasily Kandinsky and singer-songwriter Billy Joel.
The Toronto patient is only the second known person to have acquired synesthesia as a result of a brain injury, in this case a stroke. His case was described in the August issue of the journal Neurology by Dr. Tom Schweizer, a neuroscientist and director of the Neuroscience Research Program at St. Michael's Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute.
Dr. Schweizer examined the patient's brain activity in a functional MRI and compared it to six men of similar age (45) and education (18 years) as each listened to the James Bond Theme and a euphonium solo.
When the James Bond Theme was played, large areas of the patient's brain lit up including the thalamus (the brain's information switchboard), the hippocampus (which deals with memory and spatial navigation) and the auditory cortex (which processes sound).
"The areas of the brain that lit up when he heard the James Bond Theme are completely different from the areas we would expect to see light up when people listen to music," Dr. Schweizer said. "Huge areas on both sides of the brain were activated that were not activated when he listened to other music or other auditory stimuli and were not activated in the control group."
The patient and members of the control group also viewed 10-second blocks of words presented in black (which elicits no emotional response in the patient), yellow (mild disgust response) and blue (intense disgust response).
Reading blue letters produced extensive activity in the parts of the patient's brain responsible for sensory information and processing emotional stimuli and similar but less intense responses for yellow letters. Control groups showed no heightened brain activity in response to the different coloured letters.
Dr. Schweizer said the fact that the patient had very targeted and specific responses to certain stimuli and that these responses were not experienced by the control group suggests that his synesthesia was caused as his brain tried to repair itself after his stroke and got cross-wired.
The patient's stroke occurred in the thalamus, the brain's central relay station. That's the same part of the brain affected by the only other reported case of acquired synesthesia.
###
Please note the patient is not identified by name in the paper and wishes to remain anonymous; however, we do have video available of him discussing his experience
For more information about the Neuroscience Research Program at St. Michael's, go to its website, http://www.stmichaelshospital.com/neuroscience.
About St. Michael's Hospital
St Michael's Hospital provides compassionate care to all who enter its doors. The hospital also provides outstanding medical education to future health care professionals in more than 23 academic disciplines. Critical care and trauma, heart disease, neurosurgery, diabetes, cancer care, care of the homeless and global health are among the Hospital's recognized areas of expertise. Through the Keenan Research Centre and the Li Ka Shing International Healthcare Education Centre, which make up the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, research and education at St. Michael's Hospital are recognized and make an impact around the world. Founded in 1892, the hospital is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.
For more information or to interview Dr. Schweizer, contact:
Leslie Shepherd
Manager, Media Strategy
Communications and Public Affairs Department
St. Michael's Hospital
416-864-6094
shepherdl@smh.ca
Inspired Care. Inspiring Science.
FAQ for synesthesia
1. What is synesthesia?
Synesthesia is a neurological condition in which one sense, such as hearing, is simultaneously perceived by one or more additional senses such as sight. The word synesthesia comes from two Greek words, syn (together) and aisthesis (perception); literally, "joined perception." People who report such experiences are known as synesthetes.
2. What are the symptoms?
Synesthesia can involve any of the senses. The most common form occurs when someone sees a certain color in response to a certain letter of the alphabet or number. For example, a synesthete might see the word "plane"as green or the number "4" as brown. Some synesthetes hear sounds in response to smell, who smell in response to touch or feel something in response to sight.
3. Who has it?
Most synesthetes are born with this condition. There has been only one previously reported case of someone acquiring synesthesia as a result of an accident or other medical condition such as a stroke. This is the first reported case of acquired synesthesia manifesting itself in multiple senses.
Some celebrated people who may have had developmental synesthesia (meaning they were born with it) include:
Russian author Vladimir Nabokov describes his relationship with letters and colours, which he called "coloured hearing," in his autobiography, Speak, Memory: "The long a of the English alphabet ... has for me the tint of weathered wood, but the French a evokes polished ebony. This black group also includes hard g (vulcanized rubber) and r (a sooty rag being ripped)."
British painter David Hockney, who perceives music as color, shape, and configuration, and who uses these perceptions when painting opera stage sets but not while creating his other artworks
Duke Ellington, who saw notes in colours and textures. Saxophonist Harry Carney playing D was dark blue burlap, while Johnny Hodge playing G was light blue satin
Billy Joel, who associates musical genres and letters -- particularly vowels -- with color. He has said that softer, more intimate songs such as "Lullaby (Goodnight My Angel)" and "And So It Goes," are blues or greens, while songs with a heavier beat and faster rhythm such as "It's Still Rock n Roll to Me" suggest the red-orange-yellow end of the spectrum.
The only previously reported case of acquired synesthesia was a 35-year-old American woman who felt tingling on her body in response to sounds after suffering a stroke.
4. What causes it?
Scientists believe that synesthesia results from "crossed-wiring" in the brain. They hypothesize that in synesthetes, neurons and synapses that are supposed to be contained within one sensory system cross to another sensory system.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
So-called "lad mags" are currently sold like this on the shelves of Britain's Co-op stores. The chain now threatens to drop sale of the magazines entirely if the publishers do not cover the sexy covers with a "modesty bag"
Come on, lads! Cover up the sexy mag covers, please...
One of Britain's largest magazine retailers has ordered magazines with overt sexual imagery to cover up their front covers with "modesty bags" or risk being withdrawn from sale.
So-called "lads' mags" - publications marketed primarily to men - such as Zoo, FHM, Nuts and Loaded have been a staple on supermarket shelves for years and have become synonymous with the sexual content and glamour model photos displayed on their front covers.
Supermarket chain the Co-operative gave an ultimatum to publishers on Monday, telling them to deliver the magazines in pre-sealed bags designed to obscure the front cover.
(Read More: No porn please, we're British)
If they do not comply by September 9 then the Co-operative has threatened to cease selling the magazine at the 4,000-plus stores it currently operates.
"As a community-based retailer we have listened to the concerns of our customers and members, many of whom say they object to their children being able to see overt sexual images in our stores," Steve Murrells, the chief executive of retail for The Co-operative Group, said in a press release.
"Whilst we have tried to mitigate the likelihood of young children seeing the images with a number of measures in-store, the most effective way of doing this is for these magazines to be put in individual, sealed modesty bags."
(Read more: Web-based challenges for the porn industry)
Several U.S. chains already cover up racy magazine covers. Ten years ago, Wal-Mart, halted sales of Maxim, Stuff and FHM men's magazines.
As an interim measure, the Co-operative has introduced opaque screens on shelves to reinforce its existing policy limiting the display of such material.
Jo Swinson, a junior minister at the government's equalities office, welcomed the move and hoped other retailers will follow suit.
"Many parents aren't comfortable with the way that sexualized imagery has become like wallpaper - everywhere from the bus stop to the corner shop," she said.
"Adults should be left to make their own decisions about what legal sexual images they look at, but the place for these is not next to the sweets at children's eye-level."
The decision by the retailer is in line with recommendations from a parliamentary review two years ago which recommended a clampdown on sexualized "wallpaper" surrounding children. However, the move goes against existing guidelines for retailers which say that men's lifestyle magazines should not be placed next to children's' magazines or be at a child's eye level.
(Read More: UK Bank Co-op Confirms Requires Additional Capital)
A spokesman for Bauer Media, the publisher of Zoo magazine told CNBC that it was aware of the Co-operative's request for sealed modesty bags, but supported the existing best-practice guidelines for the display of men's magazines.
"We are sensitive to the mood of the public, to that end we have responded accordingly and have changed ZOO magazine's cover imagery and phrasing," it said.
"We already have agreements in place with all major retailers, including Co-op, to ensure Zoo magazine is displayed appropriately and we work closely with all our retailers to ensure they are adhered to."
Dr Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK?s chief executive, said: ?A clear success story in cancer research has been the drug cisplatin, which our scientists helped to develop.
"This is helping almost all men with testicular cancer to beat the disease and is a shining example of what we can achieve through dedicated research.?
He added: "For some types of cancer, the word cure is almost a reality.
?Ninety six per cent of men with testicular cancer are now cured. But it?s important we recognise the four per cent who aren?t surviving the disease, as well as the fact that we still need treatments to be kinder to patients in the future.
"It?s only by doing more research that we can bring forward the day when we are able to beat all types of cancer.?
The most common early symptom of testicular cancer is a lump or swelling in one of the testicles.
Martin Ledwick, head information nurse at Cancer Research UK, urged men not to ignore such warning signs.
"Although most lumps in the testicle won't turn out to be cancer, it's important you get symptoms checked out as early as possible as this gives the best chance of cure," he said.
Indian golfer SSP Chowrasia stayed consistent with a one-under 71 in the fourth and final round to finish at tied 32nd as the best Indian in the M2M Russian Open golf tournament in Moscow on Sunday.
Chowrasia, who had even par 72 in each of the first three rounds, had three birdies and two bogeys for a one-under 287 total for four days.
Jeev Milkha Singh slipped down from overnight 25th place to 42nd after a nightmarish four-over 40 on front nine. He carded three-over 75 and finished at one-over 289.
Anirban Lahiri (68) had his best round of the week at four-under with four birdies and an eagle against two bogeys. His second nine, the front side of the Tseleevo Golf Club, had three birdies and an eagle and no bogeys.
Lahiri, whose earlier rounds were 78, 70 and 76, finished in a tie for 55th spot, while Gaganjeet Bhullar (77) who slumped on the final day, signed off at tied 58th.
Meanwhile, Michael Hoey romped to a four shot victory as he sealed a fifth European Tour title. The Northern Irishman started the day with a four shot lead after a brilliant third round 65.
On the final day, a closing two-under 70 was enough to give Hoey a 16-under par total and four shot winning margin over France's Alexandre Kaleka (68) and England's Matthew Nixon (69).
Chowrasia, who has made eight cuts in 15 starts, said, "I am happy that I was consistent this week in that I did not go over par on any of the four days. That was despite a big number in each of the first three rounds, when I had two doubles and one triple. I feel I am getting closer to the form that I have been striving for."
Hoey, whose last win came at Trophee Hassan in 2012, said, "I have absolutely loved the golf course this week. It is a great Nicklaus design and one of the best we will play on Tour for the whole year. The greens are just so pure and when you have surfaces like that to putt on then you can make a lot of putts.
"The putting was the key for me this week. I have been working hard on that a lot recently and the improvement is really showing because I making a lot of birdies.
"It's pretty amazing to think that I have won five European Tour titles. It is a great feeling to win and every time you do it you just want more and more. Hopefully I can get at least another one before the end of the season."
The 34-year-old Hoey, who had not finished better than 25th on The European Tour this season and missed seven of his last ten cuts coming into the event, began his final round with six consecutive pars but birdies at the seventh and eighth saw him advance to 16 under par and turn five clear.
His only dropped shot of the day came at the 12th, and last year's winner Kaleka and Dane JB Hansen closed the gap to two before Hoey birdied the 17th, with both his nearest challengers dropping shots on the last.
Kaleka, who captured this title last year when it formed part of the Challenge Tour schedule, had five birdies before bogeying the 18th for a 68, while Nixon came home in 33 for a 69.
Hansen finished alone in fourth after dropping two shots on the 18th for a 68, with China's Liang Wen-chong, France's Gregory Havret and English pair James Morrison and Mark Foster a shot further back on ten under.
Photograph:?Ian Walton/Getty Images
? Copyright 2013 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. ? This is Indiana, and because of that, it's always IU basketball season, even in the middle of the summer.
With that in mind, Bob Kravitz sat down with IU coach Tom Crean for a wide-ranging interview that touched on several subjects, most notably the prospects for his young team next year.
Based on your limited exposure to your players this summer, who on your roster is going to make us go, "Wow, he's really come a long way?''
Crean: "Among the returners, Will (Sheehey) and Yogi (Ferrell) just got back (from the World University Games). I would think that we're definitely going to see more from them. The key is that they continue to play the way they have ? only better. Not try to change what they need to do but do what they do better. Yogi was a solid shooter; now he needs to be an even better shooter. Yogi was a very good decision-maker; now be a great decision-maker. Will Sheehey was a very good defender; now be one of the best in the country. Not that they have to reinvent their games because their games; just be better at what they do.
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"I think Jeremy Hollowell, there's going to be a difference there. It's just a matter of him being the highest level of competitor he can be day in and day out because his work ethic has really come to where he's become a 365-day guy, which he wasn't before. It took a little time. The guys who played with Will, with Victor (Oladipo), with Jordan (Hulls), they get it. They get what that gym does for you and what the extra work does for you. The young guys, it takes a little more for them to understand that it's not just about what everybody else is doing. They think they're working hard; everybody works hard. It's what you're willing to do extra above and beyond and what you're willing to absorb from what you do extra that begins to separate you.
"And I think Hanner (Perea) will be a different player as he figures out the game. Hanner and we're hoping Austin Etherington has the kind of season we expect he can have."
Can you talk more about Perea? Everybody is waiting to see what he's all about.
Crean: "Well, it wasn't just the time he missed because of the suspension, he also missed a lot of time health-wise. After he became eligible, he never had that chance to build consistency of effort. It's a matter of developing a feel for the game, being able to play in tight spaces. This year's team will have to try to create more offensive possessions off offensive rebounds and off defense more than we did last year. We could have more depth potentially, so that could give us a chance to be more of a pressure team. I think the more the game is wide open, the better it's going to be for Hanner, but he's got to learn to play in those tight spaces against double teams and people who might be bigger. He's got to be able to slow himself down in the post and I think he can do that. The trick is, can he play as well in the half-court as he can in an up-tempo game."
Is Peter Jurkin ready to take a next step and become a contributor?
Crean: "Well, he's still dealing with health issues. He still can't do a full workout, nor can Etherington. But Peter could transcend into a new position, a stretch 5 man for us, because he can really shoot the ball. He's done some half-court stuff where he comes out of nowhere and blocks shots. Now it's just a matter of him playing to his level of athleticism. But he can really shoot the ball."
Is coaching this team going to be a significantly different kind of challenge for you?
Crean: "Yes, a lot. We're young so we're not as physically strong as last year's team, and that's only going to come through repetition and hard work. We don't have the experience and don't have the understanding what the league and this level is all about. It doesn't happen all at once. You've got to incrementally build your role. Doc Rivers said you can't move on to another role until you've mastered the one you're in. It's a matter of players understanding it's not about the position you play but the position you can guard.
"There's a very youthful enthusiasm which gives us, especially me, a cautious optimism about where we can be. I think we can be a good team because we're going to get better. There's a lot of room for growth. But the bad news is, the reality is, four 1,300-plus point scorers are not out there, guys who not only scored the points but knew what it took to win."
As we sit here in late July, do you think you know who your starting five is or what your rotation is going to look like?
Crean: "I don't know yet. Really haven't given it much thought. The one thing I thought we'd have last year, and I mentioned this to you in Atlanta, I thought we'd have a consistency of depth. We just didn't have that last year. We've got to get there. Whether it was injuries or guys not working as hard to beat out other guys, we've got to have true competition not convenient competition.
"I think what happens sometimes when you get locked into where you're going to play and you know you're going to be able to do this regardless of whether you bring your best effort or not, sometimes that can trick you into thinking you're pretty good. We can't have that. We can't have convenient competitions. The work ethic of the young guys, they think they're working so hard now, that's not even close to where it's going to be. And that's their opportunity, their opportunity to separate, is what they do extra. It's not what we do as a group, everybody is working hard, it's the time you spend pushing yourself, your grit and your will that makes you special. Sheehey and Ferrell have developed that. Noah Vonleh is the youngest player in this program and Stanford Robinson, those two are in the same ballpark as where Victor and Will were when they walked in here.
"Vonleh, I haven't been around a lot of players his age who have the drive that he has. When Troy Williams figures this out, the sky's the limit. When Luke Fischer figures this out, the sky's the limit. When Devin Davis figures it out, the sky's the limit. Collin Hartman, that's going to be the difference."
MARCUS SMART: NBA draft decision
Can you give me a short synopsis of each of your freshmen and your other incoming players?
Crean: Noah Vonleh, incredible work ethic. He fits the exact culture of what this program has become, and that's a large part of the reason he came he. He's going to have an opportunity to leave (for the NBA) at a young age. He's got a drive but there's a humbleness about him. There's a real desire to get better. He knows what he doesn't know, and there's a real hunger to learn.
"Stanford Robinson has got to get better with both hands and shoulders, make plays not only in the halfcourt but in the open floor. But he's got a work ethic that I'm betting on him to be extremely successful here.
"(Collin) Hartman and (Devin) Davis have both dealt with some injury issues; they're very good players, but this is a whole different level here. And their ability to be in the gym and to work on their skill level, for them to get into the mix, it's going to have to be nonstop. It really is.
"Troy Williams, in my mind, is the best overall athlete to walk in here in our six years. He's like one of those NBA halftime acts, a contortionist, the way he uses his body and goes to the basket. He's got some unique abilities. I've also not been around that many who've improved more at the fundamental parts of the game once he dives into it. He's a great young guy who's just got to develop an extra-work mindset to go with that talent. But he can be a high-, high-level player here, and we're going to play him right away because he's too athletic not to use.
"Luke Fischer, we got a chance to see him recently, and we're starting to see what we saw during recruiting.
"As for (Evan) Gordon (the Arizona State transfer), he brings a lot to the table. There's a lot to his game we're going to try to bring out. There won't be any acceptance of him just being OK. He can improve his shooting, his ballhandling, driving, his pick-and-roll game, but he really understands the game. He's got to be instrumental for us not just because of his age, but because he understand how to play, how to win and how to move the ball. Now the question is whether he can drag some people along with him. We're going to put him in some leadership roles I'm not sure he's been in in the past. We have no choice. We've got two seniors. He instantly became the older player on our team the minute he got here."
It sounds like you'll be playing a lot of freshmen.
Crean: "Absolutely. No question about that. Real GM made a list of coaches and the percentage of freshmen they use. Obviously, John Calipari was at the head of the list. We were at 25 percent last year, but we're getting ready to grow that number, absolutely.''
Losing Oladipo, Cody Zeller, Hulls and Christian Watford, do you feel like you have to manage expectations?
Crean: "The thing I've learned here is we never try to get caught up in outside expectations. Because if we had coached this team in the beginning to the lack of expectations, I'm not sure we ever would have improved. Obviously, we didn't win many games. But if you were going by the common wisdom, you'd hardly show up for the game. Expectations should never be able to match up with the expectations you have for your own players.''
Do you think having Victor and Cody going Nos. 2 and 4 in the draft helps your program down the line?
Crean: "There's no question, and it helps the families of players we're recruiting know they can get both (an NBA opportunity and a degree). When we're recruiting, the 2 and 4 stand out, but the fact that one (Oladipo) graduated on his 21st birthday after three years, and the other one (Zeller) left just 35 hours short and would have graduated, that stands out, too.
"That's the kind of thing you can sell to a recruit and his family, that you can get the complete deal here. That's not saying we wouldn't recruit a one-and-done or a two-and-out; I don't think you put yourself in a box recruiting. But you come here, you can accomplish what you want to accomplish and walk out with a future after basketball."
LOUISVILLE VISITS WHITE HOUSE: 8 classy moments
With former Butler coach Brad Stevens having taken the Celtics job, have you thought about the NBA?
Crean: "Yeah, I had some opportunities as an NBA assistant at Marquette. I recently had a third party call me to ask if I'd be interested in talking to an NBA team's ownership group about a head coaching position. It took 10 minutes to say no. I think I have the best job in college basketball. I want to be at this for a long time. Hopefully it's the last job I ever have. I want to be here and have no desire not to be here. I look at this as a destination, the pinnacle of college basketball.''
Last thing, whenever your team loses, I hear the same things on talk radio or read it on Twitter or my email. Crean is a heck of a recruiter, but just an ordinary X's and O's game-day coach. Do you hear or see that? Does it get under your skin?
Crean: "Living in Milwaukee, we lived in a pro town. When you're at Indiana, the coverage for us is the same as the Pacers and Colts. People really care about the program. I don't feel judgment from that. The opinions that matter are the judgment of God and your family. Does that mean you like it? No. But my skin is a lot thicker than it was when I started and it better be. I've never felt I needed to defend myself. I read and study about other people in leadership positions, and all of them get criticized. It's not different when you're the coach of Indiana's basketball team. Honestly, it doesn't affect me.''
Bob Kravitz is a columnist for The Indianapolis Star, a Gannett company.
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