text:
This RP77065SS is square shaped escutcheon that is designed for a six function diverter. This escutcheon is designed to cover the internal pluming in your wall to give your shower a more aesthetically pleasing look. It features a square shaped design with round beveled edges for an unforgettable look. The Delta RP77065SS escutcheon is meant to replace your out of date or broken shower handle escutcheons. This escutcheon comes with an illustrious stainless steel finish and is a limited lifetime warranty that protects against manufacturing defects and tarnish. This Delta RP77065SS escutcheon is only one of the many amazing products made by the Delta Company that you can purchase from PlumbersStock.com, which is the perfect place when completing any residential or commercial project.
|Parts and Accessories
|Mpn #
|Shipping Dimensions
|7.0" x 11.0" x 3.3"
|0.35 lbs.
|Shipping Dimensional Weight
|1.42 lbs.
4.5 out of 5 rating is our rating for PlumbersStock, we got that rating because we have lots of experience and great people with expertise in plumbing. BUT WE WANT YOUR HELP. This product doesn't have any reviews yet, and we don't want to write our own reviews. It is more valuable to us that the customers get to share their experience with our products. Please, if you have any experience with this product, take a moment to share and help someone else who is trying to make a decision. Thank you!


text:
Harbor master's boat again source of friction
Updated 10:03 pm, Wednesday, November 28, 2012
The town harbor master is crying foul after he was told the town wants to beach his boat for the winter.
Ian MacMillan said he was informed this week in an email from Selectman Dave Theis that the boat, which is owned by the town but provided to MacMillan, a state appointee, should be put ashore for the winter.
"It is a very difficult turn of events," MacMillan said. "They didn't consult me on it and they didn't ask me for my opinion."
Theis, who said he wrote the email in response to one from MacMillan, said the town's position is the boat should be stored on land.
"For safety and liability reasons, we don't want him alone out on the water in the winter," said Theis, who expressed a concern about MacMillan falling overboard with no one around. "We don't feel it is really necessary for him to be out there all winter by himself."
First Selectman Peter Tesei agreed with Theis about the safety and liability issues. He said the harbor master's boat is being treated the same as any other town-owned boat.
"All town boats are taken out of the water during this period," Tesei said. "It's when necessary maintenance is done, and this boat is no different."
Democratic Selectman Drew Marzullo said that he agrees with his Republican counterparts that safety and liability issues are paramount.
"Ian's safety is paramount," he said. "I don't think you have any choice, but to agree with the decision."
Marzullo praised MacMillan for his "zeal and zest" in wanting to continue working, especially in a position that pays him $500 a year.
MacMillan said there is still work for him during the winter months, including checking moorings.
Theis said MacMillan could make use of the marine police boat if necessary during the winter, noting that Greenwich Police Chief James Heavey agreed with that suggestion. Heavey said police would make the boat available, with police operating it, if MacMillan needs to go out on the water for a specific job.
MacMillan questioned whether that would be a good use of taxpayer dollars. He also said it may be difficult to coordinate schedules with marine police.
It's not the first time the boat has caused friction between MacMillan and selectmen. Most recently, MacMillan was told to move the boat to a town-owned marina after he had docked it at the private Delamar Hotel in Greenwich Harbor.
MacMillan said he docked it there, instead of across the harbor at the Grass Island marina, because he needed around-the-clock access to it, something he was denied when the town closed the marina for Hurricane Sandy.
The board didn't agree and told him at its Nov. 15 meeting to remove the boat from the Delamar Hotel because of liability concerns. MacMillan did move it, but to the private Greenwich Boat and Yacht Club on Grass Island. The club leases the site from the town.
MacMillan also received a public dressing-down from Town Administrator John Crary earlier this year at a selectmen's meeting. Crary took exception to MacMillan submitting bills for work done on the boat instead of first receiving town approval for the work.
Reflecting on his dealings with town officials, MacMillan said he has not received the support he expected and believes he deserves.
"I find this to be a very difficult watch," he said. "I didn't get the support I should have received from the town administration."
Tesei said the town has worked hard to accommodate MacMillan.
"We have provided above and beyond what other communities have done," he said.
Theis agreed with Tesei, saying the town has to draw the line at some point.
"We have worked with him every way we can. It is never quite right and it is never enough, and at some point it has to be enough," Theis said. "We have done everything we could to meet his every wish. He is a state employee and we don't have to give him a boat, and we do and we have."
MacMillan is mulling over another option.
"I suppose I could lease another boat and charge the town for my expenses, but I am reluctant to do that," he said.
Tesei said MacMillan is always free to make requests, but that the town reserves the right to make decisions.
"He can bring forth whatever ideas he has, and those have to be met with approval of the requisite bodies," he said.
Tesei said he plans to write the state Department of Transportation to see if it will provide "alternate means of transportation" to MacMillan, who reports to the department.
email@example.com; 203-625-4434

subset: commoncrawl


text:
LA Chamber Orch's Discover Concert: Kahane Conduct
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Saturday, February 23, 2013
8:00 pm
LA Chamber Orch's Discover Concert: Kahane Conduct
Ambassador Auditorium
131 South Saint John Avenue
Pasadena, CA
Music Director Jeffrey Kahane serves as musical "tour guide" for an exploration of Beethoven's seminal masterwork, Piano Concerto No. 4, Op. 58, at the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra's annual "Discover" concert on Saturday, February 23, 2013, 8 pm, at Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena. The special one-night-only evening is designed to allow audiences to hear a major work with "new ears" leading to a deeper understanding and appreciation of this pinnacle of the piano literature. Kahane begins by illustrating with the Orchestra on stage and at the ready how Beethoven's innovative tour de force revolutionized the concerto form, then delves into Greek mythology to describe the composer's possible portrayal of Orpheus taming the Furies in the second movement. After intermission, Kahane conducts the Orchestra from the piano in a performance of the full work, followed by a question and answer segment with the audience.
According to a review of a previous "Discover" concert in LA Opening Nights, "Some conductors are born educators, and Jeffrey Kahane is one of them."
Tickets ($25-$110) are on sale now and may be purchased online at laco.org, by calling LACO at 213 622 7001, or at the venue box office on the night of the concert, if tickets remain. Student rush tickets ($10), based on availability, may be purchased at the box office the day of the concert.


text:
Tom Reifer on Al Jazeera America
Al Jazeera America -- A few weeks ago we were at the brink of war with Syria. Decades ago people wanted peace. The government was one day going to have to get out the way and let them have it. There was a peace resolution in U.S., Britain and Iran. Do you feel a threat of force played a role in this?
With us is Tom Reifer, professor of sociology at the University of san Diego who has written about the Middle East and is an associate fellow based in Amsterdam.
Melissa Olesen
(619) 260-4659


text:
Service providers should supply clear, simple documentation.
Although some positive steps are being made to help improve New Zealanders' financial literacy, the finance industry can be doing far more to provide clearer and more straightforward information about their services and products.
The term financial literacy describes an individual's ability to understand financial information.
Around half of New Zealand adults are likely to have literacy and/or numeracy gaps that affect their financial literacy, many highly literate and tertiary educated people also can find it difficult to understand complex and unfamiliar financial information.
There has been considerable focus on building adults' and children's financial skills but New Zealand's financial service providers create high financial literacy demands for people because their products and services are unnecessarily complex - just as has been the case with telecommunication services.
There are a plethora of financial products with little difference between them, which makes it very difficult to compare what's on offer and make informed choices.
Financial services providers could also help New Zealanders make informed financial choices by making their fee structures more transparent rather than hiding fee information within documents.
It is likely to be time consuming and difficult to lift more than a million New Zealanders' financial literacy skills to the levels needed to competently engage with and understand the financial information as it currently exists.
A more sensible and cost-effective approach is for financial services providers to reduce product and service complexity, and to make information more accessible to their customers.
Six things financial services providers can do to help improve New Zealanders' financial literacy:
•Keep it simple. Simplify product and service offerings. Ensure fees are clearly stated alongside key product information. Provide clear information about what will happen if people are late in paying fees, interest, and so on. Make it easy for people to compare different products and services by providing a one-page summary sheet of key information.
•Repetition is good. Adults need 40 exposures to a new word before it becomes part of their vocabulary. Generally adults will struggle to understand a document unless 80 per cent of the words are high frequency words.
• Keep it short. People become overwhelmed and attention decreases when they are provided with too much information. Give the right amount of information for the stage in the financial process that someone is at.
•Don't judge a book by its cover. Avoid making assumptions about someone's financial knowledge even if they appear to have good general literacy skills.
•Make it easy for people. Help people to anticipate the next steps in a financial process. Give information in sequence.
•Check understanding. Encourage questions. Ask open-ended questions. For example, don't ask "do you understand?" because "yes" tends to be the default answer regardless of whether or someone understands. Instead say: 'tell me what you understand ..."
Katherine Percy is chief executive of Workbase.


text:
By Peggy Aulisio
By Peggy Aulisio
ACUSHNET — Voters approved a new police station by a 536 to 451 majority on Monday. The 13 percent turnout defied lower expectations earlier in the day, especially when the skies broke out in a prolonged downpour.
Voters okayed a $5.2 million bond borrowing for the $5.7 million station with the town contributing $500,000 from its own coffers.
The margin was closest at 155 'for' to 153 'against' in Precinct 1, which votes at the Council on Aging on South Main Street.
This precinct generally has older voters than the two precincts that vote at the Community Center on Middle Road, where the station is going and where new growth in town is concentrated.
The station won in Precinct 3 by 214 to 150. In Precinct 2, the station won by a smaller number, 167 to 148.
After casting his ballot at the COA Monday, Peter Koczera said he voted in favor, "Because I think it's something that's sorely needed for the safety of the public and the police as well."
Bill Murphy, a Marine Corps veteran, said, "I definitely think we need such a police station." Of the police quarters in the historic Parting Ways Building, he said, "It's obsolete, rundown and for a 'modern day town' we definitely need one."
A few who voted against the station at the COA did not want to be quoted by name. Two who were there for other activities said they were not planning to vote. One elderly man said it was too much money for a satellite station, then apologized when told it would be the main station.
"I'm not in favor of it," said a woman voter who was willing to be quoted but wouldn't give her name. The reason she gave was the added tax burden on the elderly.
"It's going to cost an awful lot after they get a station to maintain it," she said. She said a bigger station means more police officers will be hired, which means raising taxes again. "We can't afford it," she said. "We're on Social Security and that's the thing."
Expectations for turnout were really low at 10:30 a.m. as voters trickled in and poll workers sat looking bored. It was a very different atmosphere from the presidential election in November.
Predictions ranged from 180 voters for Precinct 1 to 500-700 overall by people with long experience overseeing the local polls.
At around 4 p.m., with four hours to go, fewer than 600 votes had been cast, said Town Clerk Pamela Labonte. "The weather didn't cooperate at all," she said at the time.
Ms. Labonte said then if 900 of 7,500 registered voters came to the polls by the end of the day, it would be a "good turnout" for an election with just one ballot question.
That expectation was ultimately surpassed with 987 votes cast by the time polls closed at 8 p.m.


text:
Supports chimney pipe and provides a positive connection between support box and chimney with a built-in twist lock. Supports up to 40' of DuraPlus HTC Chimney pipe.
DuraPlus HTC is a double-wall, all-fuel chimney system for Canada for use with wood stoves, fireplaces, and appliances using wood, oil, gas or coal. The insulation maintains a barrier that will not shift or settle and the wall keeps the exterior cool, while ensuring high temperatures for optimum draft performance on the inside.


text:
Hands On With Redbox Instant 64
adeelarshad82 writes "The three things any streaming service needs in order to be successful are: a good price, a massive content library, and a decent app that is available on as many devices as possible. Unfortunately the only thing Redbox Instant has going for it right now is the price. The digital library that comprises Redbox Instant at the moment is limited to a handful of comedies, budget horror flicks, and one or two blockbuster titles from the last year. However, there is hope that once the final version is launched, Verizon FiOS On Demand's massive libraries of current television shows will be made available on Redbox. As for the app itself: while it's well designed and offers filtering by search, genre and rating, its biggest drawback is that it's only available on iOS and Android devices. You can't even stream from the Redbox website."


text:
This limited production blend was carefully crafted using grapes from Napa Valley. 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22%Merlot and 25%Cabernet Franc.
With this wine, we have set our sights on excellence and are achieving our dream! Only 3 Case left.
Item was successfully added to your cart
View Cart
© Copyright 2018 Bourassa Vineyards


text:
Looks like a jacked up Camaro to me.
Leaked: Meet the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible (Possibly)
We think it's safe to say that if you were a fan of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray before, then get ready to fall in love all over again. Before we get into everything, however, we should preface this whole thing by saying General Motors has already claimed these "renderings"to be a false alarm. However, after some detective work, we've discovered that these photos originated on a forum claiming to be used as a template for suppliers. Even still, rendering or not, the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray convertible is stupefyingly gorgeous.Hot off its debut at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit earlier this week, the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray continues to be talked about. If the photo above ( and to the right) has anything to say about it, people will continue to do so for the time being. Airing on the side of caution, we'll go ahead and say these aren't the officially official C7 Corvette convertible photos, but we still think these are really close as to what to expect. If it turns up somewhere down the road that these photos, are in fact, the genuine article, we won't be disappointed, either. The C7 Corvette convertible features all of the same exterior styling cues sans, obviously, a roof so it's not impossible to think these photos are really close if not exactly what to expect. These two pictures show the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray in convertible form with smaller 18-inch wheels up front, 19-inch wheels in back, and a spoiler that's different than that of the Z51 seen on the hardtop variant. Even though GM has denied these photos are real, multiple reports are saying that these are the real deal and not some black magic performed in Photoshop. We're not going to plant a flag on these photos yet, but if it does come to light that this is, indeed, the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray convertible, color us very impressed and more anxious than ever to see how it drives.As for the hardtop C7 Corvette, it draws power from a redesigned 6.2-liter V-8 engine and is mated to a seven-speed manual transmission. If a manual transmission just isn't your thing, then you can opt for a six-speed automatic transmission instead. Then there's the redesigned exterior styling cues, and as News Director Keith Buglewicz states, the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray looks as if it went to European finishing school. The new Stingray badge, positioned right behind the front fender vents are a nice touch, too. Again, while GM has already come out and said these photos aren't the official ones, we still think they're pretty close. If it just so happens later on down the road that these are the real deal, we won't be upset. What say you Photoshop wizards? Is this the genuine article or just a really good rendering? Tell us your opinion in the comment section below.
Next Article
Happy Anniversary: Ford F-Series Celebrates 65 Years, 32 Million Trucks Sold
If you're into the pickup truck segment, then you know that it's hard to look anywhere on the road without...
Read more


text:
More than 100 local singers flocked to Southland Mall on Saturday to audition for the local version of "American Idol."
More than 100 local singers flocked to Southland Mall on Saturday to audition for the local version of "American Idol."
The hopefuls aimed to land one of 20 spots in Houma's 2013 CenterStage Singing Competition at 5 p.m. Aug. 24 at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center.
Winners were to be individually notified today.
CenterStage organizer Ann Duplantis said she started the competition years ago to give something back to the community. Proceeds benefit CASA of Terrebonne, a nonprofit that trains volunteers to help abused and neglected children navigate the court system.
Duplantis said the competition serves as a stepping stone for local singers wanting to advance their careers.
"It has been a help in aiding stage fright and has helped contestants feel more self-confident to where they feel like they can conquer the world," she said.
Two former contestants mad their way to the national stage.
Karen Gonzalez, a 2011 finalist played Bologna Barb in last year's movie "Pitch Perfect," and J'Leigh Chauvin, the 2012 winner, advanced to Hollywood Week on "American Idol."
Gonzalez is scheduled to sign autographs beginning at 3 p.m. on the day of the final.
Jules Tulliea, 59, of Thibodaux, auditioned because "it's just something you do when you get to be my age."
Tulliea sang in rock bands when he was a teen, but said he quit when the real world came calling.
After raising a family, Tulliea re-entered the music scene through karaoke bars before he teamed up with a friend to produce a gospel CD.
"It's not run of the mill 'I love Jesus' stuff, it's deeper than that. Thought-provoking stuff," he said.
Tulliea said he was apprehensive about auditioning, but not as much as he was when he was a teenager.
"I have confidence in what I'm doing," he said. "My voice is not at its best, but it's good enough to do the song I want to do."
Tulliea and other contestants had a number taped to their chest and performed behind closed doors for a panel of judges. Performers were given one to two minutes to sing a song of their choice and were rated on vocal ability, stage presence, creativity and overall impression.
Tulliea performed "I will endure," a song from his CD.
Contestants were encouraged to bring instruments to play with their songs and one of those that obliged was 13-year old Hannah Jane Guidry of Cut Off who brought her guitar.
"My mom had (my brother and I) in piano lessons since we were 5 and I liked the piano, but I always wanted to learn how to play the guitar. I finally got lessons, and I just fell in love with it," she said.
Guidry, who competed in the show a year ago, performed "Desperado" by the Eagles.
She has been singing since before she can remember and has competed in other talent shows, like the Farm Bureau Talent Contest and south Lafourche's Park Idol.
Guidry said she wasn't nervous about auditioning.
"You have to have confidence to perform," she said.
Emily Huddleston, 12, of Houma, is also auditioning for a second time. She sang "I See the Light," from the movie "Tangled."
Huddleston said she was a little nervous, but she's performed enough to where she's used to it.
"I have a habit of getting nervous, but not that much because I do a lot of competitions," she said.
Huddleston is on a patriotic streak as of late, performing the national anthem at rodeos and events held at the Government Tower and Civic Center.
Huddleston said she plans to continue singing to help people learn more about Jesus because she credits God for her talent.
"If I won I would probably thank God for helping me along the way and say thank you for the wonderful blessing that he gave me with this talent," she said. "Then I'd celebrate."
Some contestants came to compete and others came purely out of love for song.
Houma native, Becky Babin, 17, is one who auditioned because she loves to sing.
"Any competition with singing, I'm going to be in it," she said.
Babin, who is in the choir at H.L. Bourgeois High School in Gray, said she is "a little nervous" and registered early so she didn't have to wait long for her turn in front of the judges.
"If I win, I would probably pass out," she said.
The competition, originally titled "Hometown Stars," ended its first run in 2007, Duplantis said she worked with the mall to develop a bigger venue, production and format the show to her liking. Now the auditions are held at the mall, but the final is held at the Civic center.
At the competition, singers will perform in front of a live audience of more than 700.
Winners will get to record a two-song CD with Infinite Studios, will be booked to perform at local events and get other prizes.
Staff Write Jacob Batte can be reached at 448-7635 or firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Wigan manager Roberto Martinez admitted his frustration after defeat by West Brom
Wigan manager Roberto Martinez admitted his frustration after watching the Latics go down 2-1 at home to West Brom.
By Rob Parrish - Follow me on Twitter @skysportsrobp
Last Updated: 11/11/12 7:13am
West Brom took the lead in the 31st minute when James Morrison powered home a header from inside the six-yard box after Chris Brunt's cross from the left, and they doubled their advantage shortly before half-time when Gary Caldwell could only turn Billy Jones' cross-shot into his own net.
Arouna Kone immediately reduced the arrears ahead of the interval, tapping home from point-blank range at the far post following Jean Beausejour's dangerous low cross but it took a wonder-save from Ali Al-Habsi to deny Romelu Lukaku a third after the break.
Wigan went into the game following back-to-back victories over West Ham and Tottenham, but were unable to record a third successive Premier League triumph.
Martinez said: "I don't think we were as good as we can be today and that is very frustrating. We know that West Brom are a really strong unit who play with real confidence.
"To concede two goals early on in the game was really disappointing. When you are playing against a side like West Brom the priority is to score the first goal.
"Allowing them to have two goals gave them a real cushion. Our movement wasn't as sharp and our quality in the last third was affected by the two goals we conceded. We did get frustrated.
"We wanted to win so much after the two great results we had. We didn't expect to go two goals down and I don't think we could cope with that as well as we wanted to.
"It wasn't our day. I don't think we were lucky enough to get a positive result today."


text:
In Todd, Steelers finally trust
By Alan Robinson
Published: Saturday, August 3, 2013
As Ben Roethlisberger and Bruce Gradkowski toss footballs toward garbage cans at a lengthy distance a fun drill that often brings out the competitive side of the Steelers' quarterbacks offensive coordinator Todd Haley takes a few turns himself.
Haley puts a few balls close but doesn't sink any, and Roethlisberger lets him have it. Jokingly, of course, and certainly not with the same sense of frustration and tension that existed a year ago when Roethlisberger felt uncomfortable at times with the new offense imposed upon him. And following a late-season loss, he let his boss have it, though he apologized a couple of days later.
He's as competitive as they come, Haley said of Roethlisberger, the man who ultimately will determine whether Haley is judged as a success or failure. He doesn't want to see anybody listed ahead of him, whether it's throwing in buckets out here or Super Bowl rings or completion percentage.
Roethlisberger last week admitted to some disgruntlement among offensive regulars when forced a year ago to change so much of what they knew to fit Haley's system one that limited deep passes Roethlisberger likes, plus some of his improvisation, and created a new vernacular for them to learn.
Haley hasn't changed his tune the focus remains the same, and that includes keeping Roethlisberger upright and productive but he has rewritten the words. The familiar terminology of plays the Steelers ran for years has returned, and the quarterback is upbeat about the up-tempo style Haley wants to run, even if it's not entirely the no-huddle look Roethlisberger loves.
An 8-8 season, numerous offseason meetings with players and assistant coaches and self-evaluation caused Haley to refine his offense. To him, he's doing only what any good coach would do.
(I'm) no longer the one lone wolf, the new guy on the block, Haley said. As you get to know and communicate and a trust level is built between player and coach, it becomes much easier to talk and ask questions and offer suggestions, which I'm always open to. I think as last year went on, that evolution started, and it was a natural progression during the offseason.
Just get it right. That's always been my philosophy. It's not about my idea, my offense I've made it clear every time I've talked, this is not my offense. I think guys just understand that now. You're seeing a lot more give and take, and that's when you're able to succeed. It's not a my-way-or-the-highway-type deal.
Running back Isaac Redman said the players are impressed at how Haley not only listened to them but also reworked his system to make it more familiar.
He's willing to open up and take advice and take criticism. He said, If you don't like this, if you don't like anything, come to me, and we'll fix it,' Redman said. That says a lot, for him to stand up in front of the offense and say that. Just the relationship he has with the whole offense, you can tell it's a lot different from last year.
As a result, Redman said, The offense is just clicking for us.
Of course, it's only practice, at least until the preseason game Saturday against the Giants at Heinz Field.
Roethlisberger seems to be more relaxed than he was last season, when, despite running an offense that wasn't nearly as comfortable to him as Bruce Arians', he was headed for a career year statistically before getting hurt in November. Despite seeing those numbers slip following his return from an upper-body injury, Roethlisberger finished with 26 touchdown passes and eight interceptions a significant improvement from his 21 TDs and 14 interceptions in 2011.
No doubt that newfound comfort is partly because Haley made many of the alterations the quarterback suggested.
We're the two that have to have the greatest amount of trust, Haley said. When the bullets are flying on game day and he hears my voice, he's got to trust that I'm giving him the best chance to succeed. When I make a call, I've got to trust that what I'm giving him, he's going to make it work. And that only happens through time.
When you don't know somebody and you haven't had any kind of background or relationship, you're starting from ground zero, and you've got to just take the time to let things evolve and happen in any kind of relationship.
Haley and Roethlisberger have similar personalties. Both are competitive, a bit prone to agitation when criticized and, at times, hardheaded.
I've got a little of that in me, Haley said.
Each is learning to adapt.
While Haley incorporated much of what the players requested, the offense has a lot more of Haley in it, too. Most significant is a greater emphasis on zone blocking, which, in a simplistic definition, features multiple blockers moving in the same direction at the same time, often with the intent of double-teaming a defender. Previously, the Steelers were more inside driven.
They attempted to incorporate more zone blocking last season, but it didn't work well with Max Starks and Willie Colon along the line, especially after injuries began to hit. With Marcus Gilbert and Mike Adams at tackle, Ramon Foster and David DeCastro at guard and Maurkice Pouncey at center, Haley feels more comfortable with the blocking scheme being taught by new offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr.
It's something in Kansas City that we ran a bunch of when we led the league in rushing, said Haley, the former Chiefs head coach. It gives us a little more diversity in the run game, which will be great for us. (Last year) we had a little more of a road grader mentality and lacked some athleticism in spots. Now all of a sudden we've got a pretty athletic group from top to bottom. Everybody's bought in, most importantly.
So has the quarterback, who is looking forward to running an offense that is expected to be faster paced than the Steelers traditionally run. The more athletic offensive line is one reason Haley believes it will work.
You can be up-tempo and in and out of the huddle faster. We're a younger group across the board. I think we're in the best condition I've seen them, Haley said. Any time you've got highly conditioned guys at all positions, you can be up-tempo, whether you're huddling or not huddling. When you are the better-conditioned team, you have a chance to wear out defenses, and as the game goes on, you can gain a distinct advantage. If you can stay on the field and run a lot of plays, that's usually a good equation.
Roethlisberger seems convinced, too.
I firmly believe this will work, especially now with the changes that we've made, and we've gotten better, he said.
Most important is keeping the 31-year-old Roethlisberger on the field. Haley wants the quarterback to get the ball out quickly, throw to all of his receivers and, by doing so, stay out of harm's way. The last two seasons were disrupted by Roethlisberger injuries.
Every year that he gets older, that's something that's paramount to him, continuing to get better and continuing to be an elite quarterback in my opinion, he can be the best quarterback in the league, Haley said. He's got to be out there playing to do that, and for that to happen, we've got to keep hits off him, as many as we can. Some of that falls on his shoulders, too.
With a potential new running back in Le'Veon Bell and without playmaker Mike Wallace, the weight of the offense is on Roethlisberger's shoulders more than ever.
I'm excited about where we're at. I'm excited about where he's at he's got his mind set on what he wants to get done this year with this team, Haley said. Ultimately it's his team.
Especially now that Roethlisberger is running the Steelers' offense and not just Todd Haley's.
Ben was having his best year ever last year until he got hurt. I hope Ben and Haley continue to NOT get along!!!


text:
|Send News. Want a reply? Read this. More in the FAQ. News Forum - All Forums - Mobile - PDA - RSS Headlines Twitter
You may have noticed the first updates of the day have been going up a bit earlier lately: This is indeed intentional, but I can't promise I can keep on the same schedule going forward, simply based on an erratic history in this regard, but I will try.
Copyright © 1996-2018 Stephen Heaslip. All rights reserved.
All trademarks are properties of their respective owners.
Privacy Policy.
News CGI copyright © 1999-2018 James "furn" Furness &
Blue's News.
All rights reserved.
Chatbear v1.4.0/blue++: Page generated 24 May 2018, 14:08.
Chatbear Announcements.


text:
Results 11-14
Girls basketball
Lady Falcons down Eagles
Carah Ochs put up a game-high 23 points, and John Glenn held Andrijana Cvitkovic to eight as John Glenn earned its first win of the season while handing visiting Culver Girls Academy its first loss 72-60 at home at The Aerie Tuesday night.
Behind senior guard Ochs, sophomore Kyler Columbia put up 14 points for Glenn as the Lady Falcons' backcourt knocked down nine 3-pointers to trump the Eagles front line for the win.
Victoria Christlieb scored 20 points in a productive outing for the Eagles, and Jamie Madison and Alle Baker scored 11 and 10 points, respectively, but it wasn't enough to beat the balanced Falcons as Cvitkovic fouled out at the match-up between Sectional 19 rivals.
Glenn moves to 1-1 while CGA drops to 2-1.
The Falcons will take a week off before traveling to South Central next Tuesday for an 8 p.m. tipoff. The Eagles will be back in action at Bowman Academy Friday at 8 p.m.
At Walkerton
Score by quarters
Glenn: 13 32 52 72
CGA (60): Victoria Christlieb 20, Andrijana Cvitkovic 8, Saralana Barry 6, Jamie Madison 11, Alle Baker 10, Helen Weinberg 5; Totals: 22 15-22 60.
GLENN (72): Carah Ochs 23, Kyler Columbia 14, Natalie Shetler 8, Katie Dreessen 8, Hannah Strange 4, Loren Vukovits 8; Totals: 23 17-24 72.
3-point goals: Glenn 9 (Ochs 4, Columbia 3, Shetler 2), CGA 1 (Baker). Total fouls (fouled out): Glenn 20, CGA 18 (Cvitkovic).
Records: Glenn 1-1, CGA 2-1
JV score: Glenn 51, CGA 8.
Lady Cats rip Blackhawks
Class A No. 2 Oregon-Davis jumped out to a 26-4 first quarter lead and never looked back in an 88-29 romp over visiting Westville Tuesday at The Den.
Ashley Campbell and Alicia McIntosh each put up 22 points, while Jesse Avarone scored 18 and Haley Collings finished with 10 as four Lady Cats turned in double-digit production in the win.
O-D moves to 2-0 and will travel to South Bend St. Joseph's Thursday for a game scheduled to begin at 6:45 p.m. CT.
At Hamlet
Score by quarters
Westville: 4 12 18 29
Oregon-Davis: 26 56 82 88
WESTVILLE (29): Beth Piotrowski 11, Grethell Burckhardt 2, Ashley Harris 1, Michaela Shrader 1, Stephanie Popp 2, Megan Henrich 5, Amber Haack 2, Krysten Wilson 5; Totals: 10 8-13 29.
OREGON-DAVIS (88): Ashley Campbell 22, Alicia McIntosh 22, Jesse Avarone 18, Kendra Sauer 5, Haley Collings 10, Lexi Minix 3, Ashley Clark 6, Katie Marsh 2; Totals: 35 12-20 88.
3-point goals: Westville 1 (Piotrowski), O-D 6 (Campbell 2, McIntosh 2, Avarone 2). Total fouls (fouled out): Westville 17, O-D 11.
Records: Oregon-Davis 2-0, Westville 0-4.
Winamac hands Culver 1st loss
Winamac outscored Culver Community 28-12 in the second half, and the visiting Lady Warriors handed host Culver its first loss, 44-38, Tuesday.
Kayla Shaffer scored 17 points, and Tatum Schultz put up 10 points with four rebounds and two assists. Ali Overmyer dished out five assists, and Donna Zehner came down with 10 rebounds for the Lady Cavs in the loss.
Winamac saw balanced scoring with three players in double figures as Jessica Schramm, Bethany Brogdon and Stephanie Shorter scored 16, 14 and 12 points, respectively.
The Warriors moved to 2-0 while Culver dropped to 2-1.
The Cavs are back in action on the road at Marquette Catholic Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
At Culver
Score by quarters
Winamac: 8 16 29 44
Culver: 12 16 26 38
WINAMAC (44): Jessica Schramm 16, Megan Ruff 2, Bethany Brogdon 14, Stephanie Shorter 12; Totals: 12 16-17 44.
CULVER (38): Tatum Schultz 10, Mickella Hardy 6, Donna Zehner 5, Kayla Shaffer 17; Totals: 16 3-8 38.
3-point goals: Culver 3 (Shaffer 2, Schultz), Winamac 4 (Schramm 2, Brogdon 2). Total fouls: Winamac 10, Culver 18.
Records: Culver 2-1, Winamac 2-0
Girls swimming
Plymouth sees strong
performances in opening loss
Plymouth's girls swim team saw strong individual performances but fell 119-60 in the final team tally in the Lady Pilgrims' season-opener at Rochester Tuesday night.
Senior captain Megan Senter won both the 200 and 500 freestyle, while sophomore Layne Holloway took firsts in the 50 and 100 free with personal best times in both events. Sophomore Lauren Page won the 200 IM and was second in the 100 back. Junior Lexi Fetters was out-touched for first in the 100 fly and finished third in the 200 free. The quartet also combined to win the 400 free relay.
Other team members scoring points were Brianna Hayes in the Medley Relay and breast stroke, Katie Berg in the 50 free, Alison McGrory in the 100 free and Mariah Tepper in the 200 free relay and 100 back.
At Rochester
Complete results unavailable
Lady Lions lose opener at Concord
Bremen's girls swim team opened the season with a 117-68 loss to dominant Concord on the road in Elkhart Tuesday.
Katie Lafferty scored the Lady Lions their lone win in the 100 freestyle, and she finished second in the 200 free. Mattie Hershberger placed second both in the breast stroke and 500 free, and Jaclyn Lawmaster scored a second-place result in the diving competition.
At Elkhart
200 medley relay: 1. Concord (Laura Housman, Ashley Schrock, Peyton Miller, Kenzie Wright) 1:58.48, 2. Bremen, 2:10.03; 200 freestyle: 1. Ashley Schrock (C) 2:01.5, 2. Katie Lafferty (B) 2:01.61; 200 individual medley: 1. Avery Smith (C) 2:27.87, 2. Rachel Enright (C) 2:32.43; 50 freestyle: 1. Kenzie Wright (C) :25.88, 2. Peyton Miller (C) :26.8; Diving: 1. Cassie Leas (C) 165.15, 2. Jaclyn Lawmaster (B) 106.6; 100 butterfly: 1. Laura Housman (C) 1:07.09, 2. Rachel Enright (C) 1:11.06; 100 freestyle: 1. Katie Lafferty (B) :55.22, 2. Peyton Miller (C) :57.63; 500 freestyle: 1. Kenzie Wright (C) 5:42.35, 2. Mattie Hershberger (B) 6:08.45; 200 freestyle relay: 1. Concord (Rachel Enright, Mariah DeFreese, Peyton Miller, Avery Smith) 1:48.85, 2. Bremen, 2:09.66; 100 backstroke: 1. Ashley Schrock (C) 1:04.74, 2. Mariah DeFreese (C) 1:12.27; 100 breaststroke: 1. Laura Housman (C) 1:20.06, 2. Mattie Hershberger (B) 1:21.11; 400 freestyle relay: 1. Concord (Kenzie Wright, Heather Johnson, Avery Smith, Ashley Schrock) 4:08.71, 2. Bremen, 4:19.08.
Forfeits burn Culver as Knox wins opener
Knox won seven matches by forfeit, and the Redskins kicked off the 2012 wrestling season with a 39-28 win over visiting Culver Community Tuesday.
Jared Fawley also earned the home team a 5-2 decision at heavyweight.
Culver wrestlers claimed wins in four weight classes, three by pinfall and one by major decision in the team loss.
Austin Brisette earned a 47-second pinfall victory at 120 pounds. John Ahlenius scored an 18-4 major decision, and Mark Hurford earned a second-period pinfall at 170 pounds.
Matt Hurford, who is ranked second at 182 pounds by Indianamat.com after finishing last season in fifth place at the state finals, won his senior season opener with a 45-second pinfall at 195 pounds.
At Knox
106: Aerielle McIntire (K) won FF, 113: Jerrod Betts (CC) won FF, 120: Austin Brisette (CC) Fall Blake Byerman :47, 126: Double FF, 132: Double FF, 138: Jake Krause (K) won FF, 145: Eric Dan (K) won FF, 152: John Ahlenius (CC) Maj. Dec. over Kevin Land 18-4, 160: Jimmy Bone (K) won FF, 170: Mark Hurford (CC) Fall Nathan Lynch 3:15, 182: Cody Wielgos (K) won FF, 195: Matt Hurford (CC) Fall :45 Ben Darda, 220: Mike Sustaita (K) won FF, 285: Jared Fawley (K) Dec. Donny Clark 5-2.
6th grade basketball
Rockets stay unbeaten vs Culver
The Riverside Rockets sixth grade basketball teams earned a pair of wins over Culver at home Monday night.
The A team defeated Culver by a score of 61-5.
Larry Dragani and Chapman Yoder led the team with 12 points each. Cam Dennie, Cole Filson and Clay Hilliard each put up eight points, and Shaun Frantz and Brayson Leazenby scored four points apiece.
The A team remained unbeaten at 3-0 for the season.
The B team beat Culver 29-7.
Alex Baca and Mitch Rose paced the Riverside offense with six points each, while Caleb Gawronski and Devon Schoff each had four, and Hamza Yasin scored three points.
The B team also improved to 3-0 on the year.
The sixth grade Rockets play at home again next Tuesday against Bremen. The A team game starts at 4:30 p.m. with the B team game to follow.


text:
When the words innovative and sustainable are thrown together, minds can quickly cloud over and as ideas beyond our understanding are bandied about by people who clearly know far more than us.
Throw housing into the mix and pound signs immediately start to jump up and down in front of our eyes as you calculate just how much those solar panels are going to cost and if they're really worth all the bother. But sometimes it's the simplest things that can provide inspiration.
Celebrated garden designer Diarmuid Gavin recently visited the Building Research Establishment's Innovation Park in Watford, specifically the Prince's Natural House, a building designed as a simple, low-tech and easy-to-build alternative for volume housebuilders who are having to meet increasingly tough low carbon targets for new homes.
Building Research Establishment's Innovation Park in Watford
It aims to combine high energy efficiency with people's preference for traditionally designed buildings; after all, although not everyone wants to set up home in a futuristic-style property, many will jump at the opportunity to live in something that has period qualities but with a modern twist.
Constructed from natural materials including aerated clay block, lime based renders and plasters, and insulation using compressed wood fibre and sheep's wool, the BRE believes the shell of the house offers energy efficiency and good indoor air quality. Moreover, the simple design and potential quickness of build - faster than traditional brick and block - is designed to appeal to an increasingly eco-aware homebuyer.
All good you might think but what really makes the Prince's House so appealing is its versatility; the building can be adapted to suit specific requirements. For example, it could be subdivided to include a family home with a maisonette or a flat, which as the BRE says will "reflect changing demographics and people's needs over the long term".
Where does Diarmuid Gavin fit into this? Well, the one-time Gardeners' World presenter was naturally interested in the area around the house. Sustainability extends beyond the clay walls of the Prince's House and Gavin was highlighting the importance of outdoor space as part of the whole footprint. Vegetation has been chosen to fulfil specific tasks, such as hawthorn bushes planted around the front boundary to capture dust and air pollutants from the roads whilst at the same time providing sound insulation for the house. Simple but innovative.
"The House garden mimics the structure of surrounding woodland," Gavin says, "featuring native planting that works in synergy with natural cycles and the built environment. It has been designed to require minimal maintenance but yield maximum results."
The Prince's House is just one of eight at the BRE Innovation Park aimed at demonstrating how perceptions of housing can be challenged. Their popularity has reached beyond the UK with a deal signed earlier this year with China to create a park in Beijing similar to the Innovation Park. Just as the Watford site was developed seven years ago in response to "challenging" housing and community legislation, the Chinese are faced with the challenge of delivering 36 million affordable homes in the next five years.
The chief executive of BRE, Dr Peter Bonfield, recognised the double benefit of the deal: "Being involved with the Beijing Green Building Park gives our construction industry a fantastic opportunity to showcase their products and services in a housing market that has predicted growth on an unprecedented scale."
The Triangle development in Swindon
The UK also has housing issues, with some commentators thinking the problem runs deep. Design expert and TV presenter, Kevin McCloud, says that the country is facing "a great crisis in housing". In 2011, 14,000 people built their own homes but that was just scratching at the suface of the problem; in 2007 the then-government pledged to build three million new homes by 2020 with emphasis on affordability and sustainability. The current administration has similar ambitions but with only 105,000 homes built in 2010-11 - the lowest figure since the 1920s - there is much to do.
McCloud sees individuals building their own homes as part of the solution but even with land values dropping 17% over the past three years, the average price for a plot of land is still £212,000. As he explained recently, he believes communities coming together to pool finances in order to buy land at reduced rates is one option. In fact, community is a strong element of his philosophy for innovative and sustainable housing, demonstrated by his development project, HAB (Happiness, Architecture, Beauty), that works with other organisations to create neighbourhoods with forward-thinking housing that is also affordable.
These include the Triangle in Swindon, a 42-home development created in partnership with GreenSquare that provides affordable homes for renting and buying. As well as the sustainable aspects of the buildings themselves, each household is fitted with a Shimmy, a touchscreen panel that acts as a local noticeboard , providing information on home energy management, sustainable transport and community news and alerts - all designed to help save money and reduce environmental impact.
If the Triangle represents sustainable innovation that is affordable, a German manufacturer is offering visions of 21st century living at a far higher price range. Huf Haus provides a pre-built home system with houses based on modular design that allows a property to be placed on a plot virtually complete.
An example of a Huf Haus building
For many years, pre-fab was a pretty dirty word in the property world and those with deep pockets weren't the natural target market for ready-made construction. Huf Haus is one of the companies that has turned that idea on its head with each their houses triple-glazed, fully insulated and utilising renewable energy sources; the latest model has a full roof of photo voltaic panels so the house can feed electricity back into the national grid.
With prices starting at £500,000 Huf houses don't come cheap but with more affordable options - some pre-fabs cost as little as £20,000 - there are options available to most.


text:
Scooped by
David Connolly
onto Archaeology Articles and Books
Get Started for FREE
Sign up with Facebook Sign up with Twitter
I don't have a Facebook or a Twitter account
Your new post is loading...
Your new post is loading...
Dorian Q Fuller's curator insight, February 12, 2014 12:45 PM
Having accepted hook line and sinker that bottlegourds had come to the Americas with Palaeoindians, and were thus a Pleistocene plant domestication, this paper forces me to reject that hypothesis. Gourds did drift across and get domesticated in parallel. Still there are gourds in Jomon Japan and Neolithic China that like represent human translocation from Africa in the Pleistocene.
Dorian Q Fuller's curator insight, December 6, 2013 12:49 PM
Geoarchaeological evidence suggests agricultural landuse from the later First Millennium BC. This is only slightly older than current archaeobotanical evidence from the region; so is this poijting to a quite late introduction of cultivation in the hills region of east Africa? If so, it casts further questions on the reported early banana from Cameroun.
diana buja's curator insight, December 13, 2013 7:55 AM
Another great links and thoughts from Dorian Fuller. Thanks, Dorian!
Dorian Q Fuller's curator insight, July 16, 2013 2:03 AM
Looks like some promising methodological developments in this often problematic field, which can contribute to a more integrated view on past plant use


text:
The Bolton Refuge House is one of the local organizations that would have been affected, with officials saying they would have faced closing the transitional housing they run for domestic abuse victims.
Director Jerry Wilkie says taxing small non-profits would hurt the community more than the additional income would help.
"Those needs are still going to be there so (the community is) going to get those costs on another end at higher levels, so the end result would not have been a windfall for those communities," said Wilkie.
The Assembly passed the bill 90-9 early Friday morning, and the Senate had high numbers earlier this week when they passed the bill 32-1.
The legislature has a study group planned for this summer to determine whether some of the organizations initially targeted in the court case should be required to pay property taxes in the future.


text:
and I think you are grossly overstating sanders when you say he has shown flashes of greatness.
I was a huge SANDERS fan until last season and his 2 costly fumbles (especially the Ravens game). I started to question his BIG TIME/BIG GAME ability in light of his "Flashes of greatness"
Here We Go Steelers, Here We Go...
Here We Go Steelers, Here We Go...
Here We Go Steelers, Here We Go...!!!
For Chadman- and this is opinion only based on rumours & media reporting- The FO wanted Bruce Arians gone in 2011. Tomlin went in to bat for him, and pulled a rabbit out of the hat in order to keep Arians around. Why the FO wanted Arians out in 2011 is not decided, but there was plenty of speculation that it was the case. Was it because of the whole "Ben is getting bigger than the team" theory, and the FO thought that by removing Arians, they might control Ben & his ego/locker room power easier? Perhaps. But we won't know for sure, ever. It was also being widely reported that Rooney wanted a stronger reliance on the run game in Pittsburgh.
In 2012, the "Arians issue" came up again, and this time Arians was removed, much the the mostly aknowledged chagrin of Ben, but also the rumoured/reported chagrin of Tomlin, who didn't want him gone. Let's face it, at the sign-off of the 2011 season, Tomlin said to the media he didn't forsee ANY changes to his coaching staff, even after reporters asked him directly about Arians.
Todd Haley is brought in- a renowned confrontationalist- presumably to 'keep Ben in line'. Now, for Chadman- Haley is about as innocent a victim as we are likely to see. He's walked into a team that didn't want the old OC gone, and now looks to be facing not only a QB who isn't happy with him, but possibly a HC as well. Add to that what appeared to be a few other key Offensive players not buying the system, for whatever reasons.
During 2012 we had a few concerning issues- the Wallace non-contract, and the subsequent signing of Antonio Brown- arguably a direct FU to Wallace for not signing what the FO thought was reasonable (after all, Brown wasn't even an UFA or RFA at that point). Ben was continually talking to the papers about Haley's offense- not necessarily attacking it, but always bringing it up- making it an issue. The lack of ball control on the field spoke volumes to the level of dedication from the players. The "Cleveland Fumble-a-thon Debacle" was the pinnacle of our Steelers lack of dedication in 2012, and in what is STILL a confusing, head-scratching decision, the team elects to 'rest' (read- punish) Rashard Mendenhall (2 fumbles vs Browns) in the next game, but lets other offenders- Antonio Brown, Jonathan Dwyer, Issac Redman, Manny Sanders & Chris Rainey- off without any sort of 'rest' (punishment). Then we have an 'unnamed source' bagging Woodley's conditioning. Then we have Ryan Clark calling out the 'unnamed source'. Then poster-boy Brown tells the media the locker-room is fractured, only for his GM Kevin Colbert to then tell the media that Brown is wrong.
Guys that Tomlin brought in & relied on- Wallace, Mendenahall, Lewis- are let go in FA without an offer extended to them by the Steelers. And now with Sanders potentially leaving, we have poster-boy coming out to the media, essentially telling everyone Sanders is gone because he isn't doing things the way the Steelers like players to do things. Nice way to tip the hat to every other club.
Chadman thinks Flippy is right- there is something not right between the FO & Coaches, and that is filtering down throughout the rest of the team. Maybe Old Man Rooney can sort it out, because like Crashiggy, chadman has doubts about the younger Rooney's ability to let football men make football decisions.
Early Addition Mock (3 Round Version)
Fix the Run Defence Mode:
1. DaRon Payne
2. Josey Jewell
3 Kerryon Johnson
IMHO, Chadman, Flippy, Crashiggy, et al, are drumming up drama where there is none. The FO is at odds with Tomlin? Art is taking over the football operations? The only reason we're hearing this kind of stuff is because the team went 8-8 and missed the playoffs (well, we'd likely hear it from Crashiggy regardless).
Arians was shipped out because the O was underperforming. It was time for a change. Tomlin himself said he was down with the decision. I don't think he's a liar. Jury is out as to whether Haley will do any better than BA, but he gets one more season to prove himself.
agree with your thoughts on Ben... still doesn't excuse the piss poor decision making late in the year that cost us a shot in the playoffs. We should get more production/better decision making in those situations out of a 9 year vet.
Was not making any comparisions on the turnover to touch ratio... simply stating that they are all prone to turnovers.


text:
Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli has apologised for the actions in the weekend defeat to Arsenal that led to Roberto Mancini claiming that the Italian would be sold at the end of the season.
Balotelli was at his temperamental worst as City were beaten 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium, and was sent off in the closing stages for a second bookable offence.
The 21-year-old could also face further sanction from the Football Association after a horrendous challenge on Alex Song went unpunished during the first-half.
Sunday's red card was effectively Balotelli's third of the season, and the manner in which it happened prompted Mancini to say he would 'probably' sell the young forward.
Balotelli, though, has attempted to rebuild bridges with his manager and with City fans by saying sorry for his conduct in north London at the weekend.
The Italy international also hopes to speak with the club in order to clear the air and, perhaps, halt any potential summer sale.
"At the end of the season I will speak with the club and we'll see," Balotelli said in a statement provided by his agent to Italian news agency Ansa.
"I'm very sorry for what happened and for the disappointment caused to City."
Do YOU want to write for GiveMeSport? Get started today by signing-up and submitting an article HERE: https://www.givemesport.com/writeforgms


text:
Last month, we ran Part 1 of our interview with Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan and guitarist Jeff Schroeder, featuring guitar talk about the band's choice Les Pauls. This month, we continue with Part 2, offering a glimpse into what Corgan was looking for in a guitarist when he brought Schroeder into the fold and how to get that classic Smashing Pumpkins tone. Check out the interview below, and go here to read Part 1 of our chat.
Smashing Pumpkins' current album, Oceania, is available now.
Jeff, you joined the Smashing Pumpkins about six years ago. How were you introduced to Billy and the band?
Schroeder: What happened was that a friend of a friend who was interning at the management company was asked, "Hey, if you know of anybody you could recommend for the band, they're getting back together, but they need a guitarist and a bass player." I hadn't ever tried out for a band before, so I didn't have a bio or a photo or anything like that, so I put something together and sent it off, and six years later, here I am. But I didn't know Billy at all. I was a complete stranger.
Billy, what were you looking for in a guitarist when you found Jeff?
Corgan: Even though the Pumpkins' music, on the whole, isn't as technical as, say, if you play Megadeth, our stylistic blend of '80s shoegazer influences from the U.K. mixed with '70s hard rock and '60s psychedelia, that mixture of influences is super rare. It's not like there are thousands of people who play like that. So Jeff, just personally, was into that kind of stuff and had seen the band back in the day and kind of understood it in a way that came from him. It's funny, because I've been in the situation of auditioning people a few times, and you can meet people who are really highly skilled, but if they don't have a particular taste in their playing, I don't really know how to judge how they are as a musician. So, it was really easy in the beginning to judge that Jeff was a really good musician. But even then, it took us a long time to synergize the way he plays with how I play, because at the end of the day, the band is also about adapting to the people in the band and creating harmony in the way we play together.
Jeff, what did you want to bring to the sound of the Smashing Pumpkins and, specifically, Oceania?
I don't think it was that much of a personal thing, because we had been playing together for a while before recording Oceania. We'd spent many, many hours playing together and working on new material, so it wasn't like one day I said, "Oh, I want to play like this on the record." It's something that evolved over time. I think, basically, my goal or my role in the band is to be a complementary voice to not only Billy's guitar playing but his vocals. Just finding another melodic counterpoint to go along with what's already there. I think that's how I see my role and how I fit in.
How do you get the characteristic Smashing Pumpkins tone?
Corgan: I think if you want to get the Gibson end of the Pumpkins sound, you take any amp that has a pretty good pre-amp in it, and the treble is probably not going to go any higher than about 3 o'clock. You want the treble on 2 or 3 o'clock. You don't want the highs too cranky. You want to scoop the mids a bit, so the mids are probably somewhere in the range of 10 o'clock, and then the bass is in the range of 3 o'clock. So, you want bass but not too much bass, you want treble but not too much treble and you want to scoop the mids, and that's pretty much where you start. And crank the pre-amp all the way up.
Schroeder: That's half of it, and then I know a lot of people with the Pumpkins get really caught up with, "What pedal is it? What distortion is it?" But from being an outsider and having to learn the material and get it to sound right, I would say a lot of it is honestly the construction of the riffs themselves. It's how Billy plays and writes. That's 50% of the sound. You could get the right guitar and the right amp and still not have the same sound. It's a very unique style of guitar playing that, even though I was very familiar with the band and liked the band and thought I could play some of the songs… if you really want to play it right and get it to sound like Smashing Pumpkins, it's a very unique style of guitar playing. It's very difficult to emulate, which I think why you can't find a lot of bands who can just easily sound like the Smashing Pumpkins, because it's a guitar style that you can't just figure out easily.
What's next for the Smashing Pumpkins?
Corgan: We're planning to start writing a new album. We're also trying to find new ways to be creative. As we see the disintegration of the record business and maybe the rise of the band business, how are bands going to survive and thrive in the 21st century? So we have a lot of work to do as far as how to take the Smashing Pumpkins into the future and not be enslaved by a business, which is basically dying.
To give props to Gibson, Gibson is an American company, and it's based around quality. And I don't think that's any different than how we look at it all. We're an American company, and our future is based on whether or not we can deliver a level of quality that is unique. What Jeff was saying is right, in that anybody can say, "Oh, I built a guitar that sounds just like a Les Paul" or a "Les Paul-like guitar," but there's something magical when the people who know how to do it really do it, and I think that's the way we look at what we do. There are few bands playing who can really do what we do. We know it's not for everyone, but in a way, that almost encourages us to do it more, because that's the only thing that keeps us going. There are 900 bands now that all sound the same, and nobody knows their names, and we don't understand that culture that sort of celebrates ubiquity. We look at it like we just have to be more of who we are. The old record business almost asks you to be less of who you are to fit in, and I think those days are over.
Photo: Anne Erickson


text:
The 15th annual Mayor's Masters Reception will feature Craig Stadler as the honored guest, reception chairman Wayne Hawkins said.
Stadler won the Masters Tournament in 1982 on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff against Dan Pohl.
The reception, which is open to the public, will be held April 8 at 6 p.m. at the Augusta Common. The ceremony featuring Stadler will begin at 6:30 p.m.
The reception costs $1 as a donation, with proceeds going toward charities. Hawkins said there will be signs at the gate informing guests which charities the donations will be given to.
Food samples from area businesses and restaurants will be available.


text:
Manufacturer/Publisher: Aspen Entertainment (Release Date: 1/30/2013*)
Writer: David Wohl • Artist: Alex Lei
Orders of back issues (comics older than 31 days) are eligible for pick-up at any of our three Manhattan locations. Just put the items in your cart and proceed to checkout. Under "shipping method" you'll be able to select the store where you'd like to pick up your back issues. After you complete checkout, you'll receive an email, usually in a couple of days, letting you know when the items are ready for pick up. Please make sure to bring a photo ID and the credit card you used for purchase!
Iris is back, but will she make it through the - Executive Extinction! The 'Executive Extinction' crossover reaches a deadly turning point as Iris encounters an ALL NEW Executive Assistant--Jasmine-and the results are perilous! With her employer already kidnapped and held by the Russian Mafia, Iris makes a shocking decision that could end with her own death! EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT IRIS creator David Wohl is joined by newcomer Alex Lei and series vet Teo Gonzalez, to bring you the thrilling third volume as the 'Executive Extinction' crossover event continues!
Item #: 1236862 • Diamond code: NOV120883 • UPC: 75318272725700211
Share this
Our Stores
Grand Central
Times Square
Customer Service
In-Store Pick-Up
Live Chat
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Shipping Information


text:
London to get EV charging post network
Recharge units to be sited in former filling stations
'Leccy Tech Californian company Evoasis has announced that it's going to build a network of electric vehicle charging stations in and around the central London.
The charging stations – called UpStarts - will all be placed on the sites of disused petrol stations, the first being a 12-bay layout destined for Grosvenor Road in Pimlico, SW1. It and five others will be up and running be the end of the year, according to Evoasis, with another six following soon after - which should bring a warm glow to the hearts of the capitol's electric motorists.
Evoasis' charging post: 'leccy out, not mail in
Currently, Westminster City Council currently has 60 charge points in central London: 48 in car parks and 12 on street. That's quite a few less than Paris, a city that has recently posted the locations of its entire EV charging system on the web.
Evoasis said it is having talks with WCC about upping that number. It's also talking to Tesco about putting charge posts in shop car parks.
The company said that it would want about £2 of your hard earned to charge a vehicle like a G-Wiz or Th!nk City, and that the charging time will be in the order of 20 minutes, which suggests some pretty serious amperage.
The charging posts themselves will be able to work out the model type and battery capacity of cars plugged into them and will be painted post-box red, presumably in order to tie in with the general US tourist's belief that London still looks like it did in 1940.
Stansted Airport Evoasis' re-charging site
Each post will also have a built in 360° LCD screen to bombard users with advertising while they get their 20-minute juice fix.
The stations themselves are altogether more modern looking, having been designed by one Richard Barrett of EPR Architects to look like a modern airport lounge. With luck they will come with free Wi-Fi and coffee!
Certainly, other services will be available besides recharging, including on-site auto diagnostics, battery chemistry testing and content delivery for on-board MP3-based entertainment systems.
Come the winter, Reg Hardware will pop down Pimlico way to see how much of this is actually true. ®
Sponsored: Minds Mastering Machines - Call for papers now open


text: you could start to adapt to the least expensive products but with utmost(a) high quality?it is possible to browsing all of misses dropped gowns by means of distinct categories. together ahead(p) wholesaler around the globe, tbdress means that you can discover the cheapest, most current, the majority of perfect items constantly along with at any time.bargain misses dropped gowns in jobber rates by tbdress, the leading middleman throughout the far east. using prestigious reputation, tbdress assures an individual excellent along with support.here i will discuss lots of best misses dropped gowns together with frail designing for every single purchaser. we have been giving shocks whilst.just view this page now and click on button to obtain it.


text:
The run behind Ralphie went smoothly.
It was an indication of things to come for the Colorado lacrosse team in its inaugural home game Saturday at Folsom Field against Regis.
The Buffs captured the lead just 30 seconds into a game in which they never trailed. Sarah Lautman, one of two sophomore's on the CU roster, scored her first goal of the season on an assist by Cali Castagnola and the Buffs were on their way to a 13-10 victory over Regis.
Lautman's goal as well as the other five first-half CU goals were celebrated loudly by a crowd of 812 fans including CU football coach Mike MacIntyre and most of his team seated in the east stands.
"It's exciting," CU coach Ann Elliott said. "In all honesty we're not too focused on winning or losing. We're focused on how we play and are we getting better? But it's a special day for these girls to be able to play on the field, run behind Ralphie and to win a game."
Lautman and her CU teammate Johnna Fusco finished the game with a hat trick. In addition to her three goals, Fusco was credited with two assists to lead the Buffs with five total points.
Both players scored unassisted goals during a decisive 3-minute stretch of the second half in which CU extended its lead from two goals to six.
With ESPN's GameDay program attracting a large crowd to the Coors Events Center where the lacrosse team is housed, Fusco said there were plenty of distractions Saturday leading up to the home opener.
"There was so much going on it was pretty hard to focus, but all in all I think we came together and got the win," Fusco said. "So that's all that matters."
The Buffs and Rangers battled back and forth throughout the first half. CU led by three goals on two occasions but couldn't completely take control of things. Elliott wanted to see her offense execute better than it did in a loss earlier in the week at No. 18 Denver where the Buffs were tentative at times, especially in the early going.
"We did better in spots, I think, all across the field," Elliott said. "We attacked hard. They definitely came out of the gates, they dodged hard, they pushed it in transition. Those are all positives for us. We've just got to continue to clean up the little mistakes and the turnovers that we cause ourselves."
Regis junior Hillary Duda led all scorers with four goals, including a nifty behind-the-back tally midway through the second half.
Tori Link, the first player to commit to play for CU when the program was formed two years ago, scored the first goal of her college career with 13 minutes, 17 seconds remaining. The score gave the Buffs a 13-6 advantage, but CU didn't close out the game in particularly strong fashion.
Regis scored the final four goals, by four different players, in the final 12 minutes to close the gap. Colorado out-shot Regis 28-21.
The Buffs have experienced most of the significant firsts in building a program. They are beyond the first practice, the first road trip, the first game, the first goal, the first win, the first loss and the first home game. They're settling into a long season that will span the next two months and take them from coast to coast for games.
"I think firsts are good though because it gives you some motivation," Lautman said. "You want to be able to go out there and prove something. You know, like it's our first game in Oregon or our first game everywhere. That's exciting. It's one of the most exciting parts about being here and being on this team."
Contact staff writer Kyle Ringo at email@example.com or twitter.com/kyleringo.


text:
David Rovics, noted American indie singer/songwriter and activist for peace and social justice, was our guest on Rag Radio, Friday, June 1, 2012, first broadcast on KOOP-FM, Austin's cooperatively-run all-volunteer community radio station, and streamed live to a worldwide Internet audience. The show included live performance.
You can listen to it here
David Rovics lives in Portland, Oregon, and tours regularly on four continents, performing at cafes, pubs, universities, churches, union halls, and protest rallies. His music has been featured on Democracy Now!, BBC, Al-Jazeera, and other major media outlets.
His essays have been published on CounterPunch and Truthout, and the 200-plus songs he makes available for free on the web have been downloaded more than a million times.
Rovics grew up in a family of classical musicians in Wilton, Connecticut. By the early 90's he was a full-time "busker," performing in the Boston subways, and by the mid-90's he was traveling the world as a "professional flat-picking rabble-rouser."
Amy Goodman called David Rovics "the musical version of Democracy Now!" And Andy Kershaw of the BBC said, "If the great Phil Ochs were to rise from the dead today, he would probably be hailed as the new Daivd Rovics."
On Rag Radio, Rovics discussed his career and his commitment to social activism, and the relationship between his politics and his art. Rovics, who became involved in the anti-nuclear movement when he was 12, says of his work: "I'm doing what songwriters have been doing for millenia -- which is writing songs about what's happening in the world."
We also covered subjects ranging from the power (and limitations) of computer technology (and why Rovics makes his work available online for free), why he doesn't call himself a "protest singer" ("a white guy with an acoustic guitar"), and the inherent politics of punk rock, which evolved as a response to the highly polished "guitar gods." (Punk was like rock and roll at its most basic, he said: "Three chords and the truth.")
And we talked about Rovics' recent trip to Europe where he toured from Scotland and Ireland to Germany and Scandanavia, playing before crowds ranging from the single digits to the hundreds, in venues with names like the Wee Folk Club and Filthy McNasty's, in school classrooms and at mass political rallies -- including the May Day festivities in Denmark.
In Belfast, he performed in an occupied bank building with legendary Irish singer and activist Tommy Sands, and he did a show with squatters in a dilapidated old building in Amsterdam. And he played at a protest against a coal mine in rural Cologne, where his contact, he laughs, was "a young man on a bicycle wearing a pink skirt."
Rovics, who played at more than 30 Occupy Wall Street camps around the country, says he thinks the Occupy Movement "changed the whole scope of the discussion in the mainstream media" about power and wealth in the country.
About the political scene today, Rovics, who calls himself a "libertarian socialist," told the Rag Radio audience that "both political parties are almost entirely bought and sold by the banks and oil companies. And the banks and oil companies are duking it out to figure out who can dominate the world." He says we face a choice "between a corrupt Democratic Party and an absolutely lunatic -- and corrupt -- Republican Party."
Rovics calls our current options "dismal," and says that our only real solution is to build a mass movement for social change outside the political system.
Find out more about David Rovics -- and download free music -- at DavidRovics.com.
Rag Radio, which has aired since September 2009 on KOOP 91.7-FM, a cooperatively-run all-volunteer community radio station in Austin, Texas, features hour-long in-depth interviews and discussion about issues of progressive politics, culture, and history.


text:
Almost all veterinarians admit diabetes is under-reported and could affect as many as one in 50 of our pets. The Mission of Defeat Diabetes Foundation's Pet Diabetes Awareness and Prevention Program is the prevention, early identification and management of pet diabetes.
We know a lot about diabetes here at Defeat Diabetes Foundation and we LOVE our pets. What could be better than to apply our expertise to help inform pet lovers on how to take care of this vital family member? There are differences between human and pet diabetes and you can learn these differences.
For more information on the symptoms.
For more information on diagnosing pet diabetes.
For more information on the complications of pet diabetes.
For more information on the treatment of your pet.
For more information on diabetes testing and supplies.


text:
Forum:Vehicle Modifications for GTA SA
This is a vehicle modification for GTA San Andreas forum.
- Here is a links to upload a mods:
I don't know how to make a vehicle mods.
- Anyone can make and upload mods for these vehicles that I suggested:
Cars that I needed
- Volkswagen Standard Beetle
- 1986 Peugeot 205 T16 Evo2 Rally car
- Audi Sport Quattro S1 Group B Rally car
- Cadillac Cien
- MG Metro 6R4 Rally car
You must have permission for making and upload a mod. But remember, if you find any bug, fix and update a mod. Once the modification is completed and fixed a bug, upload them on GTAInside.com, GTAWorldmods.de or GTAGaming.com.
- Sorry for my bad English, I'm Malaysian. --Videogamer13 10:03, September 26, 2010 (UTC)
These vehicles modifications that I already downloaded:
- 1986 Ford RS200 rally car
- Citroen Xsara rally car
- Volkswagen Golf GTI
- 1986 Lancia Delta S4 Rally car
Can anyone make a vehicle mod for 1986 Peugeot 205 T16 Evo2 rally car for GTA SA? --Videogamer13 16:45, September 28, 2010 (UTC)


text:
Romney is the right choice
November 2, 2012
Before casting your vote in the election for president, ask yourself two questions: First, is the United States better off today than four years ago? Even more important, will you be better off four......
No comments posted for this article.
Post a Comment
You must first login before you can comment.


text: Sr.ROSSVILLE Thomas A. Langley Sr., 84, crossed over to be with the Lord at his home on Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013.He was born and raised in Oakdale, Tenn., to the late J. Everett and Minnie Langley. He moved to Chattanooga to work for the Southern Railway for 30 years. During which time, he also served with the Marine Corps in the Korean War, receiving a Purple Heart. He was involved with Child Evangelism and the Juvenile Detention Unit for many years back in the 1960s and 1970s. Later he and his wife ran South Gate Reality off of Battlefield Parkway. For the past 11 years he kept up the AARP Tax Aide site in Fort Oglethorpe. He was a member of Fort Oglethorpe United Methodist Church.He was preceded in death by his wife, Bobbie; sisters, Juanita Pierce and June Bowman.He is survived by his son, Tom Langley; sister, Artie Geeslin and his sweetheart, Betty Routt; and several nieces and nephews who loved him very much.Visit www.heritagefh.com to share condolences with the family and view the memorial tribute.Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Heritage Funeral Home with Rev. Tommy Messer and Rev. Janice Keebler officiating.Interment will be in Tennessee-Georgia Memorial Park.The family will receive friends from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. today, and 1-2 p.m. Saturday, at Heritage Funeral Home & Crematory, Battlefield Parkway.


text:
The lights are on
Dying Light is handling its marketing in a way gamers love: showing lots and lots of gameplay.
The latest long-form, nine-minte video showcasing the game demonstrates how dangerous things can get if the suns sets while you're out scavenging for supplies. It also shows how handy firecrackers can be for distracting the undead, and how sticking to the roofs is pretty much always your best bet.
Dying Light is coming to Xbox One and 360, PlayStation 3 and 4, and PC next year.
Email the author Kyle Hilliard, or follow on Twitter, Google+, Facebook, and Game Informer.
No one has commented on this article.


text:
The Masters: Stephen Gallacher all set for Augusta debut
Last Updated: 10/04/14 2:37pm
Ninety seven players were set to contest the 78th US Masters on Thursday, or in Stephen Gallacher's case the North Georgia Open.
Gallacher was making his debut at Augusta National after climbing into the world's top 50, primarily by successfully defending his Dubai Desert Classic title earlier this year.
And the 39-year-old Scot was given some interesting advice by putting coach Dave Stockton on how to cope with the pressure of playing in the year's first major championship.
"I was with him yesterday and he said remember it's just the North Georgia Open. Aye right, thanks Dave," Gallacher joked. "But he's right, you do have to try to treat it the same as any other tournament and try not to over-prepare because you know it's going to be a tough week, both mentally and physically.
"I've played four sets of nine holes with a couple of past champions (Jose Maria Olazabal and Sandy Lyle) so I can't do much more really to prepare.
"I played with Ollie and Miguel (Angel Jimenez) on Tuesday. Miguel has played 14 Masters and Ollie has obviously won it twice and played with Seve (Ballesteros) all his days so it was great to get a couple of good insights.
"The biggest advice I got was that the flag is irrelevant here, it's a part of the green that you're trying to hit to and not getting yourself out of position.
"That's why there's so much value in playing practice rounds with past champions around here. Jose said the more you play it the more you learn, same as St Andrews was for me.
"The first time I played the Old Course I was thinking what's happening here because you're going at flags and ending up 100 feet away. Then you learn that you've got to hit it into certain places."
Gallacher is one of 24 rookies at Augusta this year - the most since 1935 - and with many of the 18 professionals in the top 50 in the world, the chance of a first winning debutant since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 is a distinct possibility.
"I don't have any expectations, not one," added Gallacher, whose best finish in any major is a share of 18th in the 2010 US PGA Championship. "I'm just going to see what happens and try to stay patient because that is the key around here.
"All you can do is just try to get in contention, set your game plan out and hopefully execute it then see what happens. Thorbjorn Olesen made his debut last year and finished sixth having started with a 78."


text:
Custom Web and mobile apps, once the exclusive purview of large companies with vast resources, have become a common hallmark of successful small and mid-sized businesses. Externally, apps can offer deeper engagement with customers through online and mobile access to useful tools and information. Internally, they can help workers communicate more effectively with highly customized real-time data on their desktop and mobile screens. But reaching the promised land of apps and money can be daunting, and not every app development adventure ends in success.
If you want to put a custom app to work for your business, you'll first need to make one critical decision: Should you outsource it, or try coding it in-house? This decision is so fundamental that many people overlook it entirely without even realizing they have options here. And failing to consider it carefully can cost your company dearly in both opportunities and money. We'll examine some of the most significant factors to help you make the best decision for your business, and give you a sense of what you'll experience if you decide to go the DIY route.
Assess your business's app needs
Does your business really need a completely new app, or will you get more benefit from an existing package that can be tweaked to meet your needs? The answer to this question depends largely on what you're looking to accomplish. If, for instance, you just want to add blogging or social media feeds to your website, you can get the job done with any number of free, easy-to-configure options. Or if your goal is to improve internal communication about customer accounts, you'd almost certainly be better served by a proven customer relationship management (CRM) package than by a homegrown database app.
If, however, your idea is more novel, like, oh... let's say you wanted to crank up customer engagement at your landscaping business with an app that lets customers submit sketches and pictures of their yards, then you'll probably have to go totally custom (or at least build your solution out of a variety of existing components).
Do you need your app to work on a specific platform, such as iOS, Android, or Windows? Do you need cross-platform functionality? The question of whether to create a native app that runs on a specific platform or a responsive Web app that can run on any device with a browser shouldn't be taken lightly. The answer will depend on how the app will be used, as well as your budget and development time. Native apps typically require more development time than Web apps, and if you need the app to work on multiple platforms, going the native route can double or triple your up-front costs and add considerable expense and complexity to the maintenance of your apps.
Naturally, the importance of the app and the data it will manage are essential considerations, too. Regardless of whether your app is totally original or built from an off-the-shelf platform, apps that will handle sensitive data or that are critical to the functioning of the business can demand a different level of investment and diligence than apps that are merely nice to have. For sensitive, business-critical apps, it's usually advisable to put development in the hands of the most proven, experienced dev team you can get to ensure the data is handled securely and the app is optimized for performance and reliability--for the overwhelming majority small and mid-sized companies, that means an outsourced team.
Time is also key factor: Do you need this app launched with full functionality within a few weeks, or can you afford to give it more time, launch with a small set of features, and then iterate? If you need the whole thing working at launch time and don't have months to spare, outsourcing is likely again the best option. But bear in mind that even outsourcing development can take longer than many people expect. Development timelines are one of the most contentious issues between dev consultants and their clients, and business people are often shocked to discover that what they thought would be a quick, simple process is bound to take several weeks longer and many thousands of dollars more in development costs than they expected.
The pros and cons of outsourcing development
Handing your dev work over to an outside contractor can seem like a no-brainer for a business with substantial resource constraints. And in truth, there are plenty of benefits to relying on outside talent. But there are also some downsides to entrusting important dev work to outsiders. Here's a quick list of pros and cons.
The biggest benefit you'll get from an outside dev contractor is peace of mind. Assuming you vet your contractor thoroughly beforehand and scrutinize their references and examples of past work, you can enjoy some assurance that you're dealing with someone with a proven track record of shipping high quality apps in a timely fashion. Experienced dev consultants can counsel you to avoid potential pitfalls, narrow the scope of your app's functionality in ways that will benefit your users (the importance of this cannot be overestimated), and plot a development strategy to build the best possible app for your needs.
Experienced developers will also save you a lot of time on the front end. Not only will they most likely already have the required technical knowledge to build your app, but they'll probably also have already built something similar. So you can get often get your app up and running within several weeks rather than several months.
At the same time, these benefits often come with some potentially frustrating complications. Experienced developers are in high demand everywhere, and they command high consulting fees. Those fees don't stop once the app ships, either, since bug fixes and security updates will require additional work on an ongoing basis. There's no such thing as a totally finished, bug-free app. Budget accordingly, and hope your contractor sticks around to help with the maintenance.
Communicating with outside development teams can be surprisingly challenging for many in the business world. Business people often underestimate the complexity that goes into coding even a relatively simple app, and software developers often lack important insight into a client's business structure, team dynamics, and objectives. Miscommunication with an outside dev team can cost you time and money, so be sure to appoint a talented project manager from within your organization to ensure smooth communication with the developer.
Be especially vigilant to resist what developers call "scope creep." This potentially project-wrecking phenomenon occurs when clients fail to express important feature requests early in the process, assume that a common or popular feature will be included even though it hasn't been explicitly discussed, or decide they want to add new functionality after development has begun. Adding new features changes the scope of the project, and that typically translates to more money and time. Because of this, misunderstandings over project scope can damage relationships between clients and developers in ways that ultimately undermine the quality of the final product.
The best way to avoid scope creep is to diligently itemize every feature you want to see in the final product before any work begins. If you want to be able to search your customer database by hair color, make sure that feature is clearly accounted for in writing early on. It's also worth heeding your developer's advice on this front: Experienced developers can help you spot extraneous feature requests early in the process, and you may be grateful for the resulting savings in time, dev costs, and reduced complexity, even if it means your pet feature has to die in the womb.
Perhaps the biggest downside to outsourcing is the missed opportunity to build institutional knowledge about the app itself. As data becomes increasingly critical to business operations, it's good to have staff on hand who really know the ins and outs of the software that drives the business. Custom apps built by outside contractors present a unique problem for IT teams, because ongoing support generally depends on the availability and affordability of the contractor who built the software, and switching developers can be difficult and costly for highly customized apps.
The DIY approach
Tackling Web and app development in-house can offer some distinct advantages over outsourcing, but there are significant barriers to entry and some ongoing challenges as well. Here's a short list of the most striking pros and cons.
It's worth noting here that, for the time being, I'm deliberately ignoring the prospect of just going out and hiring an experienced programmer to join your team. Doing so can, obviously, help overcome many of the cons on this list, but it also comes at considerably greater expense than either of the options we're discussing in this article, since experienced programmers command salaries well above the six-figure mark.
The most urgent fact to focus on when considering cultivating in-house development talent is that the learning curve for software development can be immense. It's not excessively trite to say that some people just aren't cut out for it. Learning to code requires a highly analytical mind with a penchant for abstract thinking and incredible attention to detail, as well as a serious investment of time and mental focus. Those who succeed at it generally bring a single-mindedness to the work that eclipses their ability to focus on other things. (And make no mistake: Tackling custom app development will absolutely limit the candidate's ability to work on other projects.)
DIY development only really makes sense when you've got someone on your team whose background and interests already align with the task. Good prospects include IT staffers who've built some websites already or done some software customization or scripting in the past, or otherwise highly analytical types who enjoy delving into deep, thorny tasks and don't lose their cool in the face of apparently unsolvable problems. (Apparently unsolvable problems are a daily occurrence in the life of a developer, and the thrill of solving them is like crack to a good coder. So pick a tenacious geek and give him or her plenty of support and latitude to learn, explore, and create.)
A warning to sole proprietors and very small companies: Programming is massively time consuming, and development projects often require way more time and resources than we estimate on the front end (even for professional dev teams). If you can't afford to devote a full-time worker to nothing but programming for several months, you're better off outsourcing the project. If you're a sole proprietor thinking about doing your own dev work on the side, be prepared to sacrifice all of your nights and weekends for several months just to get started. I'm not saying it won't be worth it, but if you've got a family or a social life, you're in for quite a shock.
The right choice for your business
While it may be fair to say there's no right answer here, one approach clearly brings more risk than the other. Training and cultivating a new developer from within your own ranks is a tough proposition that offers no guarantee of a great app at the end of the process.
However, the cost of that risk can be surprisingly low in comparison to the cost of a development contractor. Sending a $60,000-a-year IT worker to dev training and giving him or her a few months to create an app can set you back less than $30,000. By contrast, a single fully customized, data-driven app built by an outside consultancy can easily cost you $30,000 to $50,000.
So if you've got time on your side and you'd like to build up some development talent within your organization, investing in in-house development resources can be a smart move over the long run. If, however, you need the assurance of rock-solid reliability and security within a shorter production cycle, you're better off enlisting the help of a proven development contractor.


text:
Arsene Wenger has rejected suggestions that he could leave Arsenal for German side Schalke, and insists he is completely committed to the Emirates Stadium club.
According to Goal.com, Wenger has been linked with a move to Schalke despite Jens Keller just two games into his tenure after replacing Huub Stevens as the club's manager only last month.
But Wenger, who has a contract with Arsenal until 2014, has brushed off the rumours of Schalke's interested, and will honour his deal with the Gunners.
Wenger told his Friday press conference: "I am totally committed to this club [Arsenal]."
Arsenal and Schalke recently met in the group stages of the Champions League, with the Bundesliga side claiming a 2-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium and later drawing 2-2 on Gelsenkirchen.
Both sides qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League with Schalke topping Group B to set up a clash with Galatasaray, and Arsenal earning a tie with Bayern Munich after their second-placed finish.
Do YOU want to write for GiveMeSport? Get started today by signing-up and submitting an article HERE: https://www.givemesport.com/writeforgms


text:
The Dolphins will not sell out this Sunday's game in which the St. Louis Rams will visit Sun Life Stadium. That is a virtual fact already given the thousands of tickets that remain unsold as of this writing and the thousands more tickets (often going below market value for seats in better locations) that are available through the secondary market.
That's the problem the Dolphins face this week and have been facing for some time as they continue to weigh whether to -- gulp -- buy their own tickets and lift the TV blackout in the local market.
We know that so far the Dolphins have bought up remaining tickets to ensure the lifting of the TV blackout. I have a guess as to what the Dolphins will do today at the deadline but because it is only a guess and major dollars are at stake for other folks based on what I might write I don't want to share it here.
We'll know soon enough if the Dolphins dig into their own pockets and pay the bill that fans normally pay to make sure the game is televised. Or if the deadline comes and the team allows the blackout to stand.
But what I do want to do today is explain to you the dilemma the team faces in making the decision whether to continue buying its own product (tickets) in hopes that eventually fans will return to the fold and do the buying instead.
Here's the dilemma:
If the Dolphins were playing hardball and not caring whether you fans see the game on television or not, they would simply let Thursday's deadline come and pass and announce the sufficient number of tickets were not sold.
Remember, this is a low threshold. The Dolphins this year are needing to sell 15 percent fewer tickets for a sellout to be granted and yet fans aren't even doing that for this game.
The team could say, "If you want to see the game, South Florida, you have to purchase a ticket and come out to the stadium."
The club is perfectly within its right to do this.
The problem is the Dolphins are on something of a roll of late. They have a chance to even their record at 3-3 on Sunday. The team has been competitive so far this season. By all accounts the decade-long struggle to find a good young quarterback finally seems on the road to being solved.
So the team wants to continue riding that wave of goo feelings. The club wants please its fans and its fans have universally requested that all the games be on local TV. And the last three weeks, in two overtime losses and a victory over Cincinnati, the TV ratings have reflected a significant uptick in fan interest.
On the other hand, the Dolphins are also a private business. And it is a bad business model to buy your own product and then give it away free on television. (Sounds remotely similar to what newspapers do, but that's another story.)
At some point, the team must and will put its proverbial cleat down and say, "No more free rides. If games aren't sold out, they're not televised."
But is that time now?
Is that time in the middle of this so-called roll I just described above? Are the Dolphins in a position of sufficient strength to tell their fans that they must be at the stadium to see the game or otherwise they won't see the game?
The Tampa Bay Bucs made that call a couple of years ago. You know what the Tampa Bay fans did?
They didn't buy tickets to the games to see the team play. And they stopped watching on television also.
So what the Dolphins have going on is a high wire act.
And this is where you come in ...
The Miami Dolphins read this blog. That is not bragging. It is simply true. Folks at all levels of the organization read this blog from the very top on down. And they read your comments.
So here is the question of this day as the blackout deadline looms and the team makes the delicate decision whether to buy its own tickets and televise the game, or allow the facts of the current market to be the facts of the current market and black out the game:
As fans would you blame the Dolphins if they stop buying their own tickets and the game is blacked out?
Or do you put the responsibility of buying tickets on the actual ticket-buying public and blame fan apathy or a tough economy for the blackout?
And if the Dolphins make the hard decision of blacking out the game, would that decrease your overall excitement about this team? Would you blame the team for a bad public relations move? Or would you understand that business is business and this too shall pass?
This is your chance to tell the team what you, the fans, think ...
Show wisdom in your answers because they matter.