text:
OMAHA, Neb. — UCLA has won a record 108 national championships in team sports. Baseball, however, is not among those.
That will change this week if the Bruins beat Mississippi State in the best-of-three College World Series finals that start tonight.
UCLA coach John Savage said Sunday there is no shame in his school's dearth of baseball titles. Of the 66 national championships that have been won in baseball, eight schools account for 44.
The Pac-12 has won the most, with 16, and USC has 12 of those.
"It's not like they hand them out. Let's be clear on that," Savage said. "You have to earn it."
The Bruins are in the CWS for the fifth time and are 7-9 in Omaha. The closest they have come to a national title was in 2010, when they were swept by South Carolina in the finals.
"A national championship is always going to hang over any program that's an elite program that hasn't won one," Savage said.
Mississippi State is looking for its first title in any team sport. The Bulldogs thought they might win one in baseball in 1985 with future All-Stars Will Clark, Rafael Palmeiro, Jeff Brantley and Bobby Thigpen, but they went 2-2 in Omaha.
"To have the opportunity to do what we're going to do starting Monday is something that's special," Bulldogs pitcher Kendall Graveman said. "It really resonates with Starkville and the people of Starkville."
First baseman Wes Rae said one of his friends back home told him how closely Mississippians are following the Bulldogs' run at the CWS. Rea's friend and co-workers at a corn seed company listened to every pitch of the Bulldogs' 4-1 win over Oregon State on the radio.
"He called me after we won the game the other day and said he looked across the corn field and everybody was jumping around, going crazy," Rea said. "So that is the kind of thing people are doing back home. It's just small-town type living, and they haven't been able to say we have a national championship to claim."
CULTURE CLASH: Mississippi State and UCLA players engaged in a fun give-and-take at Sunday's news conference about the cultural differences between Mississippi and California.
"I don't know how much deer hunting or bass fishing they do in Los Angeles, so off the field is probably going to be a little bit different," Bulldogs first baseman Wes Rea said.
UCLA pitcher Adam Plutko responded with a smile.
"We do the bass fishing on the video games, and big-game hunting and all that kind of stuff, so it's pretty similar there," he said. "Where you're from doesn't matter. The major leagues prove that. Guys from the Dominican that have nothing or guys from here that have everything, it's just baseball when it comes down to it."
Shortstop Pat Valaika said the teams come from "totally different worlds."
"LA is a big city," he said. "You have the beach and a lot of things to do. Starkville is Starkville. I mean, I can't say I've ever visited. But some bass fishing does sound pretty good, so maybe after the season ends I'll hit up Starkville."
COHEN THE PLAYER AND COACH: Mississippi State coach John Cohen was an outfielder on the 1990 Bulldogs' team that made it to the CWS, and now he is back as the team's head coach.
"I've told our players it was obvious that it was a thrill then, but everything about Omaha has become exponential — the stadium, the national media, every part of it has just gotten better and better," Cohen said.
"As a player, nothing seems to be as big a deal because you don't have anything to reflect upon your experiences. When you're older, you don't take as many things for granted."
Baseball missing among UCLA's record 108 titles
OMAHA, Neb. — UCLA has won a record 108 national championships in team sports. Baseball, however, is not among those.


text:
You can't escape Photoshop…it's everywhere you go – billboard signs, magazine covers, major motion pictures, even the logo on the coffee cup you drink out of every morning have all likely been touched by Photoshop. The software that redefined creativity in the digital age, turns 20 on February 19. Celebrations are happening all around the world.
Tonight, the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) will be hosting a special Photoshop 20th Anniversary celebration for over a thousand attendees in San Francisco at the Palace of the Fine Arts Theater. The event will feature vice president of Photoshop Product Management, Kevin Connor, Photoshop co-creator Thomas Knoll and famed Adobe creative director and Photoshop evangelist, Russell Brown. To be a part of this celebration and view the live Webcast, visit: http://www.photoshopuser.com/photoshop20th. The festivities continue overseas in Japan, Southeast Asia and throughout Europe. In honor of the 20th anniversary, Adobe Germany will host a special 20-hour online marathon, featuring over 15 local Photoshop "gurus" demonstrating their favorite tips and tricks live for Photoshop fans. In India and France, digital imaging contests will be held to showcase the work of Photoshop users.
The Photoshop community is also sharing their favorite stories online, with the product and its over 400,000 fan-strong Facebook page, the hub for a worldwide look at the product's impact. A new "Celebrate" tab directs users to a 20th anniversary logo, which many have already personalized with Photoshop and used as a replacement for their profile image. Connect with the Photoshop team at www.facebook.com/Photoshop or http://twitter.com/photoshop, and add the tag #PS20 to tweets about the anniversary.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Work on El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron has wrapped up, and Ignition's in-house development studio has closed. But according to Ignition's Shane Bettenhausen, that won't stop them from working together on future projects, including "extensions" to the series.
"The dev team wrapped up full development at the end of March, and Sawaki has his own company so he was a contractor the whole time," Bettenhausen told the PlayStation Blog. "We definitely would like to do future El Shaddai brand extensions, and I would love of course to work with all the guys from the original game on those, but right now... nothing new to announce on El Shaddai. But we'd definitely love to bring all those guys back."
Studio closures after a game's completion is pretty standard for the industry, so hearing that the contractors weren't entirely cut loose is a nice change of pace. Like most franchises, a sequel will likely rely on the success of this first game.
Bettenhausen also mentioned that the game's lead platform was the PlayStation 3, due to its focus in Japan, and he promised that it's "always 60 FPS on PS3." And if you want to play with some homage to the Japanese origins in-place, you can use the Japanese voiceovers with English subtitles.
A demo is currently available for the PS3 and Xbox 360, and the game will hit on July 26.


text:
Sesame Workshop Initiatives India (SWIP) has appointed Pari Jhaveri as its first chief operating officer, in an attempt to expand its footprint in India. Jhaveri will report to Sashwati Banerjee, managing director, SWIP.
SWIP produces content focusing on education (mainly preschool education) for television channels. However, in India, the company is looking at many other social initiatives as well. In India, the multimedia company will also focus on imparting education to the underprivileged kids and providing audio visual assistance for the same.
Jhaveri's primary mandate will include day-to-day management and exploration of growth opportunities. She will also create and increase visibility of the brand, and integrate and align all business strategies of the workshop in India.
Read the full report


text:
He will be a top 5 pick.
Star Latulelei
I was watching his tape. This guys is a monster in the middle. We need to consider a replacement for Pouha who was subpar last year and Ellis is still raw. Plugging this guy in the middle with Coples and Wilkerson would shore up a blue chip line for years to come.
He is strong enough to play a 3-4 nose and can play in the middle of a 4-3. He is also deceptively quick and can get to the backfield...he had 5 sacks last year.
IMO this is the guy I'd pick then I would address my offense with a playmaking runningback in the 2nd and a QB in the 3rd.
He will be a top 5 pick.
Draft Countdown has him going #3. We'd have to trade up and are not in a position to do so.
Don't think he will be there at 9. Take the best pass-rushing OLB, the best Olineman or trade down to add picks.
Got to love when someone starts a thread saying they want a top 5 player....at 9.
I wanted Luck last year with our 1st....
Agreed that he will be long gone by 9. I want warmack - hands down!
He is indeed rated in the top 5 however that can always change, after the senior bowl there is often a shuffling and after the combine there is always a shuffling. I would have no problem with that pick at 9.
Interior d-lineman in the 1st round would be a tough sell after going DL in the 1st round in 2010 and 2011
Here's one man's opinion. The qb's, as usual, will hold the key. This would be a sweet position for the Jets.
As we've seen, it's never a guarantee that a player goes top 5. Especially a guy who has to prove he can pass rush. Nobody wants a 2 down player that early in the draft, and he doesn't do much for us considering Coples and Wilkerson are going to be rushing the passer from the middle as well on passing downs.
If we pick a guard at 9 this dude better be a pro bowler from year 1 till year 10 and had better to be able to not only be a great run blocker but be a fantastic pass blocker as well. It would be terrible if the board fell that way for us and we missed out on one of the olb/De's.


text:
I have a few reminders for you this week, and then a few opportunities you should all consider.
So, first, I will remind you that PeopleSoft has been inaccessible this week and will continue to be so through the weekend. Starting on Monday, you will again be allowed to submit your hours. Keep track of your hours until then!
I have said this before, but I think it is worth repeating. If you have a full schedule, and are unable to accommodate any more students for campus-wide appointments, please let me know. If I don't have the ability to change anything, you will continue to receive requests. That leads to frustrated tutors, overwhelmed with emails, and disappointed students. None of that is good. Let me know if we need to make those changes!
I have three great opportunities for tutors this week. Take a look at them, and if you are interested in any of them, let me know
- First, I have been contacted by a local parent, with a 16 year-old son. He has difficulty with his study skills, and he is particularly challenged by trigonometry and AP Music Theory. This would be a private tutoring opportunity, which you would work out yourselves with the parents. If interested, send me an email.
- Second, I am looking to hire an SI leader for the Spring semester to work with Professor Summa's EC 040: Economics of Globalization. I am looking for an experienced tutor who has taken EC 040, gotten at least a B+ in it, and can work closely with Professor Summa. The SI leader position includes attending the lectures (MWF, 10:40-11:30), hosting two office hours every week to assist students, and also lead two prepared, one-hour sessions of group work, reviewing some of the course material. If interested in this position, complete the standard subject area tutor application and under the courses section, put "SI: EC 040". If you have any questions about it, don't hesitate to ask me. Interviews will be held starting immediately.
- Third, I am also looking to hire a new Training Coordinator. Many (and perhaps, very nearly, all) of you have been trained by Jennifer Swasey. As she approaches graduation, I will need to prepare her replacement for next year. Training for this position would begin next semester, and interviews will be held in December. This position requires a student enrolled at UVM through at least May of 2014, a great deal of organization, strong communication, and reliability. It offers some great professional development opportunities. Experienced tutors are preferred. If interested, complete the attached application and return it to me, either by email or drop it off to me in my office.
As usual, many thanks to all of you and your hard work. I hope everyone is doing well!


text:
We're disappointed – but not surprised – that Office Depot chose Florida over Illinois for its corporate headquarters.
The office supply retailer based in Boca Raton, Fla., merged last month with OfficeMax under the Office Depot name. OfficeMax was based in Naperville.
The company said it chose Florida because it thinks it can be more profitable there. Given Illinois' tax climate, no one should be surprised.
OfficeMax has more than 2,000 corporate employees in Illinois, of whom 1,600 are based in Naperville. Office Depot plans to relocate some portion of those jobs to Florida, but did not say how many.
Before making its decision, the new company sought tax incentives from both states. A tax incentive bill passed the Illinois Senate, but did not get a vote in the House.
Regardless, we do not support a piecemeal approach to luring new businesses or keeping current ones in Illinois.
As we've said in the past, these business-by-business negotiated deals are unfair to other businesses, particularly small businesses, which represent a large part of the economy. Continuing to give some big employers major tax breaks while not doing the same for others is not a viable long-term solution for Illinois' poor business climate.
For Illinois to really compete with other states – and countries – for jobs, it must take a hard look at real tax reform.
Compared to other U.S. states, Illinois ranks 47th in corporate taxes, 33rd in sales taxes, 43rd in unemployment insurance and 44th in property taxes.
Translation? Our taxes are too high.
Combine that with an incompetent General Assembly and ineffective governor, and it's no wonder we're losing businesses to other states.
With a watered-down pension reform legislation behind us, perhaps 2014 will be the year for tax reform.
We won't hold our breath.


text:
When I told family/friends I was moving to the Midwest, a friend sent me "A Texan Moves North." It's one of those crude/funny Internet things. You can Google it.
After moving, this transplanted Texan is enchanted to see a pristine blanket of powdery white snow covering everything around his new home. How beautiful.
On Day 2, "a city snowplow came along and accidentally covered up our driveway with compacted snow from the street. The driver smiled and waved. I waved back and shoveled it again."
Within days, the guy has devolved into Jack Nicholson at the end of "The Shining," and his only goal was to mortally wound the snowplow driver.
We're all familiar with clearing compacted berms of snow, and occasionally people get nasty, but generally, they understand.
Still, given the severity of this winter, now seems like a good time to check up on the folks keeping local civilization functioning: snowplow drivers.
On Wednesday, Nathan Schwartz, DeKalb County engineer, and Mark Espy, assistant director of DeKalb's public works department, took time to chat with me. Usually I develop a list of questions for interviews, but this time, I just wanted to know how drivers are holding up.
Given the circumstances, things are going remarkably well, both men said. More on that in a moment.
The reason I was concerned is because of the circumstances.
According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, fully equipped plow trucks weigh as much as 15 times more than an average car. A single-axle plow (one set of wheels in back) can weigh up to 50,000 pounds loaded. A tandem-axle plow (two sets of wheels in back) can weigh more than 70,000 pounds loaded. One mistake and a vehicle like that could plow through your house like a bowling ball through wet toilet paper.
That's only the driving part. As Espy noted, the drivers who are plowing today are also fixing traffic signals and repairing water main breaks, like last weekend.
"In fact, it's sometimes like a chess game," he said, to determine what gets fixed in what order.
Then there's the cleanup after the plowing. Espy said DeKalb has 122 cul-de-sacs and many municipal lots that must be cleared, resulting in removing thousands of cubic yards of snow.
Then there's toll taken driving these trucks.
"It wears on you physically and mentally, drains you socially," Espy said. "People have guests come to town and drivers [sometimes] can't stay and visit."
Schwartz said when drivers get home after a long shift, they're "wired for hours."
"Really, you aren't getting very much sleep and it makes for a potentially dangerous situation if you have to do that too many days in a row," he said. "It can be physically tiring and mentally hard on them and their families."
Snowplow drivers are unlike commercial pilots or truckers in that snowplows are considered emergency vehicles, Espy said. That means the drivers sometimes have to work longer.
"But we still try to keep in mind fatigue and hours of the day," he said. "If they get fatigued, [they] get out of the truck."
Also, drivers have to be mindful of dwindling supplies of salt, and where and when to spread it.
In spite of all that, "Drivers are holding up very well especially for the number of hours and days they have worked in a row," Schwartz said.
"I think the guys are performing exceptionally well," Espy agreed.
• Jason Akst teaches journalism and public relations at Northern Illinois University. He also serves as a board member for the Northern Illinois Newspaper Association, www.ninaonline.org. You can reach him at firstname.lastname@example.com or follow him on Twitter (@jasonakst).


text:
Bill Would Declare Your Blog a Weapon
Sweet, the right to a blog would be protected by both the first and second amendments!
All I want to know is who the hell is this Bill, and why does he hate my blog so much?
No, I couldn't be bothered to read more than the headline. Thanks for asking.
I will say now and I have always said it, this is an adult's world. I am tired of our elected officials, and these parent groups trying to turn the real world into some giant fucking playpen. I love how politicians upon election catch a tick that forces them to compulsively think of the children and try to legislate away our rights so that we can protect snot nosed little assholes. I'm sorry, your kid may be cute to you, your kid may be your pride and joy but they are also becoming an obstacle to the ideals of this country. Look at what is being done all over the United States to shelter kids from the air everyone else breathes. Phys Ed is started to take on a "no loser" policy where everyone must engage in an activity where there are no losers and everyone is a winner because of some need not to make a child feel bad. Do people honestly think that is in the child's best interest. Look at parent groups like the PTC trying to take anything and everything that aren't mindless programming off the air because a kid might see it. Now we have this cyberbulling bullshit because some kid(s) with emotional problems offed themselves.
Every generation of adults look at the world around them and realize that it is the same shitty world their parents inherited (just with newer technology) and thinks that if they shelter their children, they will grow up to create a perfect world. Doesn't seem to work like that. You keep a kid away from the feelings of losing, sadness, stress, and fear and when those feelings finally hit you have just created a generation of mal-adjusted assholes. Being a child is not some magic state that becomes undone on somebody's 18th birthday. A kid is just an adult in training and we (society AND parents) should keep that in mind. Having said that, fuck your children, they are your problem. I won't go out of my way to harm a child but I am also not going to curtail my rights and liberties because some kid might cry.
It's easier, better, and more effective in both the long and short run to world-proof a child than it is to child-proof the world. I agree with you 100%.
Intrigued, I went and read that law.
It actually says that it is criminal to lie about the sandwich in an effort to disrupt the trade of said sandwich.
You can insult it, if it is true.
http://www.state.co.us/gov_dir/leg_dir/olls/sl1994/sl_176.htm [state.co.us]
It is unlawful for any person...knowingly to make any materially false statement, for the purpose of maintaining prices or establishing higher prices for the same, or for the purpose of limiting or diminishing the quantity thereof available for market, or for the purpose of procuring, or aiding in procuring, or establishing, or maintaining a monopoly in such articles or products, or for the purpose of in any manner restraining trade, any fruits, vegetables, grain, meats, or other articles or products ordinarily grown, raised, produced, or used in any manner or to any extent as food for human beings or for domestic animals.
I think this might make a food critic's job harder, but that is ok because their job is too damn easy anyways.
Umm, what if someone decides that your blog is "severe" enough. Severe is a subjective word with no definition, which is exactly the problem with this. Severe is akin to "I don't like you, thus I find your content objectionable" and suddenly you committed a felony.
Slashdot headlines can be a bit over the top, but I wouldn't assume that any blog is magically not objectionable even if there are no swear words or hostile phrases.
"I don't like you, thus I find your content objectionable" and suddenly you committed a felony.
Why not? That's how sexual harassment works.
because congress needs to repeatedly validate their existence by passing new laws instead of merely modifying existing ones or writing ones that are good enough to be properly enforced.
Kinda like how we need repeateded attempts at new gun control laws so that only those attempting to follow the law are confused.
The criminals don't care, they've already proven that by being criminals.
To be clear, I've not formed an opinion one way or the other as to the merits of this bill. I'm inclined to think it's more bad than good; an emotionally-driven response to a specific case that probably casts to wide a net to make prosecuting specific actions "easier". BUT, your question was why defamation laws wouldn't arleady apply. Well...
It would be libel rather than slander. But judging from the reference to the Maier case, it seems this law is meant to address cases where libel can't be applied. (Prosecutors in that case struggled to find an applicable law, and eventually decided to abuse an old anti-hacking law. They got mixed results and IMO did considerable harm while failing to address the core issue. But that's another discussion...)
An example of the difference: I can pretty much make a libel suit impossible by clearly framing every statement I make as my opinion, rather than as fact. As far as I can tell, this bill doesn't appear to care whether the speech was presented as fact or opinion.
Libel is about the harm done to the reputation of the speech's subject (indirect harm due to the effect of the speech on third parties). This bill is about the harm done to the emotional state of the speech's subject (direct harm; the effect of the speech on the subject).
You should have read more than the headline because frankly, the headline sucks. This bill strives to make "severe, repeated, and hostile" speech used in cyberbullying a criminal offense. Since MY blog doesn't have any of that stuff, this bill would not be able to declare my blog a weapon. By no means am I supporting this bill, but also by no means do I consider this alarmist headline to have any validity.
Does someone really have to trot out the tired old "At first they came for..." list for the risks to be evident?
You should have read more than the headline because frankly, the headline sucks. This bill strives to make "severe, repeated, and hostile" speech used in cyberbullying a criminal offense. Since MY blog doesn't have any of that stuff, this bill would not be able to declare my blog a weapon. By no means am I supporting this bill, but also by no means do I consider this alarmist headline to have any validity.
The summary had it right. The emphasis is mine:
The bill is called The Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act, and if passed into law (and if it survives constitutional challenge) it looks almost certain to be misused."
When are you and the population in general going to learn that that's the whole point? Almost all politicians are lawyers; it's not like they don't understand the implications of a law and can't foresee its abuses. So, why would someone be perfectly capable of knowing that this will be abused and support it anyway? Because that's exactly what they want. What we call "abuse" they might call "consolidation of power." It doesn't even require some smoky-back-room conspiracy, all it requires is the understanding that people who love power want more of it and are willing to take measures in order to obtain it. What did you expect, exactly? Do you suppose that the Hitlers of the world obtain power by going out in public and delivering speeches which say "I want to rule all of you under an evil totalitarian police state that will cause much misery and suffering, so vote for me!" No, they don't. They have to be subtle and they have to have plausible deniability at each step.
Really, the level of naivete and downright stupidity on the part of the ruled (not the governed) regarding these basic things is pathetic and shameful. Even public education and all of the indoctrination and the snuffing out of natural intuitive brightness that goes along with it does not adequately explain how badly, how desperately, many of you want to believe that these hollow and soul-less mockeries of human beings (that is, our rulers) somehow have our best interests at heart. It is self-destructive and completely without excuse. Does that sound harsh? Is this Flamebait because you don't like to hear it? Consider that the widespread stupidity of the general public is materially damaging my life and the life of anyone else who does not wish to live in a totalitarian police state. Then tell me whether my response is so harsh or whether it's incredibly civil. Then talk to me about what you don't like to hear.
Fortunately, I do all my cyberbullying from a sockpuppet blog.
It only protects you while its in place. They can remove those 2 amendments.
That is what they are trying to do in effect with this.
No, they're not trying to remove the First Amendment. It's still there, and if this bill conflicts with the First Amendment (and I can't see how any reasonable person could say otherwise), its clear legally that the bill would be tossed out as unconstitutional.
I wish we had a "three strikes" law for politicans. If you propose or sponsor Constitutionally illegal laws more than twice in your career, you get immediately shit-canned.
Actually, you are almost correct.
The U.S. President swears to "...preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States...."
Whereas Senators, Representatives and other Federal officials (not judges) only swear to "... support and defend the Constitution of the United States...."
So, of the above mentioned office holders, only the President swears to "protect" the Constitution.
And frankly, from what I have seen since I attained voting age 29 years ago, Senators and Representatives don't really give a crap if the laws they pass could pass Constitutional muster or not. If the majority of them did care, probably more than 3/4ths of the laws passed in the last, roughly, 80 years, would have not been passed by either the House or Senate.
It's a good start, but lets try to get ALL the amendments!
Next up: the third amendment. You know, because calling a blog a weapon isn't much more logical than saying being forced not to blog is the same as being forced to quarter the armed forces. The fourth amendment, search and seizure shouldn't be as much of a leap. Getting it to qualify under the 5th is going to be the first real challenge.
I think we should stop at the 12th though. Don't really see how dates of presidential elections can be applied
Getting it to qualify under the 5th is going to be the first real challenge.
You have the right to an empty blog. Anything you blog about can and will be used against you.
Sweet, the right to a blog would be protected by both the first and second amendments!
He was not only a Founding Father and signer of The Declaration of Indepence and the Constitution . . . he was the first US American blogger. He not only wrote wacky and insightful stuff . . . he printed it himself as well!
If he were alive today, he would be writing a blog . . . and working at CERN . . . functioning as an ambassador . . . and doing Buckaroo Banzai stuff on the side.
That is, unless you call someone names until you make them cry.
'to cause substantial emotional distress through "severe, repeated, and hostile" speech.
This law will further criminalize every teenager in America.
> This law will further criminalize every teenager in America.
A: "What were you two convicted of?"
G1: "Well... I took a nude picture of myself and sent it to my boyfriend."
A: "And how about you?"
G2: "I kept telling her she was an idiot for taking a nude picture of herself. I made her cry."
I'm pretty sure this law would shut down Encyclopedia Dramatica, and most of 4chan in a heartbeat.
That said, nothing of value was lost.
That said, nothing of value was lost.
Aside from our freedom of speech, that is.
That said, nothing of value was lost.
Aside from our freedom of speech, that is.
And lolcats.
I sumbit that our children don't want their free speech rights to be taken away. We need to protect the first amendment "for the children" who will someday be bloggers themselves. In fact many of them already are.
Until Apple find your criticism of the iPhone hostile.
its not an attempt to shut down a blog i agree, its a direct attack on ones ability to speak in a public forum unless its 'approved' by the government.
If you think its just an 'innocent clarification' you are sadly mistaken and naive.
On my website I directly attack those in the public eye--especially local politicians--using my standard colorful language choice, I link to a video of an interview where I appeared on a local public access TV show and was accused of being too harsh in my tone and language when I directly attack these people for wasting millions of taxpayer dollars [lazylightning.org].
Being that this proposed law mentions nothing of the right of the people to directly attack public officials (protected speech, not harassment regardless of how many times I choose to talk about their poor choices at my expense) means that I could be held liable for this and imprisoned. How cute.
You specifically mention that this type of behavior towards the general public (not public officials) is already defined by preexisting harassment law. IOW, there is absolutely no need for this bill to be presented, discussed or passed. Why must politicians create unnecessary laws? Hey you fucking douchebags, stop wasting your time and our tax dollars formulating and discussing unnecessary legislation just so you can look better in the public eye. Assholes.
Yes, I purposefully used the language I did to make a point--I would be arrested and imprisoned under that proposed legislation for posting what I just did. I hope I made my point.
If someone is obviously and intentionally harassing someone else, I have no problem with them having legal recourse.
Oh really? Define "obviously and intentionally harassing" in a legalistic manner that is so clear cut that it cannot be abused, misused, or given an extremely broad interpretation? If I post a scathing blog indicting the Ku Klux Klan and a Klan member finds it harassing, can my blog be shut down? Last year, the Canadian government prosecuted someone for "hate speech" because they were critical of Islam, and some Muslims found it offensive. Do you really want to start down this road?
Folks like you scare me. You think just because *you* can easily define things like "harassment" that everybody else conforms to your definition of the word. You don't think beyond your own idea of the concept, and you're willing to trade First Amendment protections because of it. Frightening. Truly frightening.
Write your congresscritters. If you fail to do so, you're complicit in whatever happens.
That said, it's a stupid bill.
.....make it a federal felony to use your blog, social media like MySpace and Facebook, or any other Web media 'to cause substantial emotional distress through "severe, repeated, and hostile" speech.' Rep. Sanchez and colleagues want to make it easier to prosecute any objectionable speech.....
Rep. Sanchez is a dick.
Rep. Sanchez is a dick.
Rep. Sanchez is a dick.
Rep. Sanchez is a dick.
Rep. Sanchez is a dick.
Rep. Sanchez is a dick.
Rep. Sanchez is a dick.
Rep. Sanchez is a dick.
Rep. Sanchez is a dick.
Rep. Sanchez is a dick.
Rep. Sanchez is a dick.
Rep. Sanchez is a dick.
Rep. Sanchez is a dick.
Rep. Sanchez is a dick.
Rep. Sanchez is a dick.
Rep. Sanchez is a dick.
Rep. Sanchez is a dick.
Hostile enough for ya?
If you don't like the things I say in my blog, wouldn't the most rational reaction be to simply don't fucking read it???
This comment sorta reminds me of a story some researchers did a while back about Howard Stern. Their findings came to two intresting conclusions; the average listner who enjoyed his show, would listen for around 20 minutes a day; the average person who hated his show and couldn't stand him, would listen for roughly 45 minutes a day (granted my numbers may be a bit off, but i'm fairly certain they are pretty damn close).
police state! It's time to stand up for what we believe in. It's time for our voices to be heard. We can't be passive citizens anymore. As each week passes we loose more and more of our rights as American Citizens.
I think we should seriously design an underground internet, just in case we need it.
I'm going to a "tea party" gathering on July 4th.
The word repressive was created to describe statutes like this. It's so stupid an unconstitutional that it's laughable. That woman is an enemy of liberty!
Looks like a congressperson wanted to get her name in the paper.
What usually happens with these kinds of unconstitutional laws is they are rammed through with the authors knowing full well they won't stand up to a constitutional challenge. Think about certain aspects of the Patriot Act, the laws regarding civil asset forfiture, and the Lautenberg amendment to the Brady Bill (AKA the Domestic Violence Offender Gun Ban [wikipedia.org] where you are denied 2nd amendment rights forever after having a restraining order lodged against you or being merely accused of a crime, even in absence of a conviction thereof).
What happens is the courts pile on the charges so high that defendants are forced to settle for a plea bargain, which is how 95% of all trials are resolved. Thus laws which blatantly violate the constitution are allowed to sit on the books forever with no effective challenge against them, generating eternal revenues for the state and ensuring that a long line of semi-innocents head off to the hotel-with-barred-windows for violating some petty legal technicality. The Branch Davidians were gassed and incinerated alive for nothing more serious than an unpaid tax or unfilled-out form regarding certain firearms laws.
The same nasty precedent set by the previous examples will be precisely how it plays out here. Not only will this law pass but it will be misused and abused left and right, and nobody will cut it off because that would stop the gravy train.
instead of reducing the number of rights people have, we increase the responsibility that they must take for exercising those rights?
You want to cyber bully some one, go for it. But if that person commits suicide due to your actions, we'll hold you accountable for it.
Same with gun laws. You want a full auto machine gun? Go for it! You screw up with a gun, and we'll destroy your life.
Instead of teaching people not to do things, we should be teaching them that there are repercussions to the acts that they take. You have the freedom to f' up. But with that freedom comes the personal responsibility to not f'up.
"You want to cyber bully some one, go for it. But if that person commits suicide due to your actions, we'll hold you accountable for it."
So if I write that X is an unstable idiot, and X then commits suicide, I'm to blame for X's mental instability??!
How are you going to prove that X wrote what I read? Even then, how are you going to prove that what I wrote drove X over the edge? What if EVERYONE who writes about X says the same thing?? which of us do you put on trial??
This is just codifying passing-the-blame, and freedom from responsibility for your OWN actions.
Similarly, it follows from this law that if X reads your blog, then commits a crime, X can disclaim responsibility for his actions via "But reading this blog made me do it!"
this is what happened to meier: she was mentally and emotionally unstable. she was a minor. an adult, over an extended period of time, purposefully targetted her and assassinated her confidence with false friends and false romantic interests and outright suggesting she kill herself. then she committed suicide
obviously, no one here supports that. at the same time, those rightfully outraged about what happened to meier are proposing limitations on free speech which are too broad. what you need to do is take what motivates them and REDIRECT their free speech limiting efforts to not be so broad. just laughing and riciculing their efforts doesn't satisfy their motivations. and their motivations are real and vlaid, so you have to address them:
you can say anything you want online. unless you: 1. target one individual, 2. over an extended period of time, 3. who is a minor (nad you are an adult), 4. who is mentally unstable
those who want to fight bullying would agree with this. you, defenders of free speech, would agree to this. so stop just shouting down and ridiculing those who are fighting cyberbullying. just redirect their passions. what motivates them is real and valid: a teenage girl was hounded to commit suicide. there is a valid reason to protect her. there is a valid legal space in which new speech laws can exist that, again:
1. stand against targetting one individual
2. over an extended period of time
3. who is a minor (and the bully is an adult)
4. who is mentally unstable
the most hardcore free speech zealot understands why you cant shout fire in a crowded theatre. therefore, everyone recognizes that yes, there actually ARE limits to free speech. so take what motivates those who are angry at the meier case, and HELP them channel their anger into a SPECIFIC limit on online speech of the form of the 4 limitations above
you have to respect the legitimacy of what motivates those who are upset about what happened to meier. just laughing at or ridiculing their overarching efforts doesn't stop them from trying to right the injustive that happened to meier. you can HELP them, and HELP to retain your free speech principles by tailoring and redirecting their passions to a specifically worded area of what is obviously heinous cyberbullying and does not infringe on your free speech rights
imagine that, compromise, rather than a bunch of kneejerk zealotry like you find in other comments here, without any recognition that waht motivates those who are righfully outraged about wehat happened to meier
for those of you who care about your free speech rights: how do you protect the meiers of the world? you need to address that. if you don't, there will be continued attacks on free speech forever, because what motivates those who want to protect the meiers of the world is just as valid an impulse as those who want to protect free speech
sure, some of you could say the meiers of the world need to just toughen up. fuck them, people are cruel, get used to it
by the same token, i could say to you that some assholes want to limit your free speech so tough luck, just shut up about some of what you want to say... this statement is bullshit, i'm just demonstrating that if you don't show any sensitivity to valid concerns about cruelty to others, why do expect anyone to have sympathy for your concerns about free speech?
because, in the end, the principles and passions that support free speech are the same principles and passions that seek to protect the meiers of this world. you protect the rights and liberties of the weak in this world, or you merely help create a world of cruelty, in which limits of free speech are inevitable. limits on free speech are really just a form of cruelty that this cyberbully demonstrated when manipulating meier
his is what happened to meier: she was mentally and emotionally unstable
Instead of stopping anyone's free speech, perhaps the courts should appoint a protector for mentally unstable minors. That protector could be call something like a "Guardian", or "Parent".
someone hits my kid with a car. the existence of me, the parent/ guardian, was supposed to protect my kid from being hit by a car?
are you suggesting that just because someone has a parent/ guardian they are protected from cyberbullying? the wisest parenting, in fact, suggests that teenage children need their own private social space in which to develop their own identity. that, as a rule of good parenting, a good parent should butt out of micromanaging a child's online social life
i really don't und
1. stand against targetting one individual
What if it's against two people? A-OK, or close enough?
2. over an extended period of time
Define "extended".
3. who is a minor (and the bully is an adult)
If a minor does it to a minor, can he/she be charged "as an adult"?
If an adult does it to an adult, can the prosecution claim that the victim has a "child-like" mentality?
4. who is mentally unstable
There are so many loopholes in those criteria. I'd prefer that we just stick to the 1st Amendment, thank you very much.
I blew off the republican's stand against the federal government as a way to shore up support for the Republican party, and as a registered democrat, I do see some validity in their point. Am I trolling? No. My point is, this is a FEDERAL crime they're speaking of. This is definitely something that can be handled and prosecuted at the state level. This has zero effect on national security or interstate commerce. The fact that this is being handled at the Federal level indicates it's just a Bush-era grab for additional surveillance. Put on your tin foil hat everyone, this isn't just fantasy, this sort of bill passing is a weekly occurrence in England. Stop this crap from coming to our borders. The new fight isn't against communist Russia, it's Orwellian England.
...or at least one of them [myspace.com].
Highlights include the fact that Jack Lord could smell into the future, that Poutine is grown from seeds, that you can kill French people by carefully mispronouncing the French language in their presence, and that Lee Majors can travel through time.
Clearly I'm batshit insane, so thank God for bills like the one proposed, since I cause so much anguish to so many. I really need to be stopped.
ZOMFGWTFBBQ!!1!!! Damn Republicans! Them and their middle-of-the-country Bible Belt politics always trying to take away our rights! It really.....
Just a moment.....
I was just handed this note that Rep. Linda T. Sanchez is actually a Democrat from California.
Seriously, had a Republican from Oklahoma proposed this, what do you think the odds that the <cough>editors </cough> would have taken the time to add the "(R-OK)" to that story.
Come on Slashdot - how about just being consistent - ALWAYS add the party and state affiliation to any US politicians name, and ideally do the same for politicians from other lands as well.
If the Founding Fathers had access to the 'Net and the same technology we do today, is there any doubt that they would have been blogging their dissenting opinions and activities? They would have been using the 'Net to organize "flash mobs" like the Boston Tea Party. Is there any doubt that TPTB of the day would have declared their blogs "hostile"?
The only thing new here is the medium. Only control-freak idiots would dare try to treat the activity different because of the medium.
Who gets to decide what is "severe, repeated, and hostile"? I don't think I want to trust that sort of nonobjective ambiguous judgement to either Congressmen or juries.
Blogs ARE a weapon of sorts, in any case: the best ones are used to attack groupthink and dogma and make people think and reconsider their cherished pork.
There has been a disturbing shift in congress that has happened over the past oh, century or so. Though, I am not naive enough to think its only recent. Its just that now, it is rampant.
There was a time when congress acted responsibly, and I mean by that that they cared about the laws they passed. They worried about things like constitutionality, and if they had the authority to even pass such laws. But circa WWII, I've noticed a change that in mentality that says "let the courts sort it out". While it is is in the jurisdiction of the courts to sort it out, the courts are meant to be our last line of defense from oppressive laws. Not the first. The legislative branches have turned into bill factories pushing out bills as fast as they can be voted on them. The measure of government isn't how many bills it can pass.
I cannot believe that a member of congress, who believes in the constitution, would ever introduce legislation so patently contradictory to any right in the Bill of Rights. This should be grounds for impeachment as far as I am concerned...
first, Congress shall make no law [...] abridging the freedom of speech [...].
Severe, repeated, and/or hostile speech is free.
Sorry congress, You shall make NO LAW ABRIDGING THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH!
Figures a twit like Sanchez would pull something like this after engineering her own election. But I digress.
To blame a blog for Megan Meier's death is no different than blaming a bar owned for a drunk driver's death. Nobody forced her to read it. Nobody forced her to keep reading it. Quite frankly, I blame the parents for being that frackin' clueless about their daughter.
But as with most far-reaching legislation, protecting the poster-child is not the goal. The goal is to increase power and control over people. With gun-control, "protecting the innocent children" is the misdirection when the real goal is all out disarming of the people who will then be easily controlled. The Nazi's first started with registration. Once everyone dutifully followed the law and registered, they knew exactly where they were and who had them so they could confiscate them once private ownership of guns was outlawed. Remember, boys and girls, Adolf Hitler was ELECTED by the people of Germany. There wasn't a coup or similar blunt tactic. Witness Hugo Chavez cleverly guaranteeing that he will be in power for life. "Oh, but they'll just vote him out." Yeah right. In recent memory, there were cases of opposition votes against dictators being thrown in the trash. "Look! He won by a landslide." "What are all these ballots in this warehouse?" *blam* "Unidentified opposition supporters were horribly burned to death in a warehouse fire. The fire is reported to have been due to natural causes."
Here we have a bill that purports to protect the children yet has the power to imprison ANY speech 'they' (that would be the royal 'they') deem dangerous or subversive. The sheep will say "oh, that's good idea...we have to keep another Megan Meier from happening." And then they'll find themselves dragged off in the middle of the night to a gulag because they spoke ill of Obama and years later they will wonder how it all happened. (source: a relative who grew up in Stalinist Russia and witnessed it firsthand).
If nothing else, remember this: The Second Amendment is the last hope for protecting all of the others.
Loose bits sink chips.


text:
| Extensions of Positive Definite Functions on Amenable Groups
Bakonyi, M.; Timotin, D.
Let $S$ be a subset of an amenable group $G$ such that $e\in S$ and $S^{-1}=S$. The main result of this paper states that if the Cayley graph of $G$ with respect to $S$ has a certain combinatorial property, then every positive definite operator-valued function on $S$ can be extended to a positive definite function on $G$. Several known extension results are obtained as corollaries. New applications are also presented.
| Homotopy and the Kestelman-Borwein-Ditor Theorem
Bingham, N. H.; Ostaszewski, A. J.
The Kestelman--Borwein--Ditor Theorem, on embedding a null sequence by translation in (measure/category) ``large'' sets has two generalizations. Miller replaces the translated sequence by a ``sequence homotopic to the identity''. The authors, in a previous paper, replace points by functions: a uniform functional null sequence replaces the null sequence, and translation receives a functional form. We give a unified approach to results of this kind. In particular, we show that (i) Miller's homotopy version follows from the functional version, and (ii) the pointwise instance of the functional version follows from Miller's homotopy version.
| Generalized D-symmetric Operators II
Bouali, S.; Ech-chad, M.
Let $H$ be a separable, infinite-dimensional, complex Hilbert space and let $A, B\in{\mathcal L }(H)$, where ${\mathcal L}(H)$ is the algebra of all bounded linear operators on $H$. Let $\delta_{AB}\colon {\mathcal L}(H)\rightarrow {\mathcal L}(H)$ denote the generalized derivation $\delta_{AB}(X)=AX-XB$. This note will initiate a study on the class of pairs $(A,B)$ such that $\overline{{\mathcal R}(\delta_{AB})}= \overline{{\mathcal R}(\delta_{A^{\ast}B^{\ast}})}$.
| Generalized Solution of the Photon Transport Problem
Chang, Yu-Hsien; Hong, Cheng-Hong
The purpose of this paper is to show the existence of a generalized solution of the photon transport problem. By means of the theory of equicontinuous $C_{0}$-semigroup on a sequentially complete locally convex topological vector space we show that the perturbed abstract Cauchy problem has a unique solution when the perturbation operator and the forcing term function satisfy certain conditions. A consequence of the abstract result is that it can be directly applied to obtain a generalized solution of the photon transport problem.
| Elements in a Numerical Semigroup with Factorizations of the Same Length
Chapman, S. T.; García-Sánchez, P. A.; Llena, D.; Marshall, J.
Questions concerning the lengths of factorizations into irreducible elements in numerical monoids have gained much attention in the recent literature. In this note, we show that a numerical monoid has an element with two different irreducible factorizations of the same length if and only if its embedding dimension is greater than two. We find formulas in embedding dimension three for the smallest element with two different irreducible factorizations of the same length and the largest element whose different irreducible factorizations all have distinct lengths. We show that these formulas do not naturally extend to higher embedding dimensions.
| Star-Shapedness and $K$-Orbits in Complex Semisimple Lie Algebras
Cheung, Wai-Shun; Tam, Tin-Yau
Given a complex semisimple Lie algebra $\mathfrak{g}=\mathfrak{k}+i\mathfrak{k}$ ($\mathfrak{k}$ is a compact real form of $\mathfrak{g}$), let $\pi\colon\mathfrak{g}\to \mathfrak{h}$ be the orthogonal projection (with respect to the Killing form) onto the Cartan subalgebra $\mathfrak{h}:=\mathfrak{t}+i\mathfrak{t}$, where $\mathfrak{t}$ is a maximal abelian subalgebra of $\mathfrak{k}$. Given $x\in \mathfrak{g}$, we consider $\pi(\mathop{\textrm{Ad}}(K) x)$, where $K$ is the analytic subgroup $G$ corresponding to $\mathfrak{k}$, and show that it is star-shaped. The result extends a result of Tsing. We also consider the generalized numerical range $f(\mathop{\textrm{Ad}}(K)x)$, where $f$ is a linear functional on $\mathfrak{g}$. We establish the star-shapedness of $f(\mathop{\textrm{Ad}}(K)x)$ for simple Lie algebras of type $B$.
| Characteristic Varieties for a Class of Line Arrangements
Dinh, Thi Anh Thu
Let $\mathcal{A}$ be a line arrangement in the complex projective plane $\mathbb{P}^2$, having the points of multiplicity $\geq 3$ situated on two lines in $\mathcal{A}$, say $H_0$ and $H_{\infty}$. Then we show that the non-local irreducible components of the first resonance variety $\mathcal{R}_1(\mathcal{A})$ are 2-dimensional and correspond to parallelograms $\mathcal{P}$ in $\mathbb{C}^2=\mathbb{P}^2 \setminus H_{\infty}$ whose sides are in $\mathcal{A}$ and for which $H_0$ is a diagonal.
| Non-splitting in Kirchberg's Ideal-related $KK$-Theory
Eilers, Søren; Restorff, Gunnar; Ruiz, Efren
A. Bonkat obtained a universal coefficient theorem in the setting of Kirchberg's ideal-related $KK$-theory in the fundamental case of a $C^*$-algebra with one specified ideal. The universal coefficient sequence was shown to split, unnaturally, under certain conditions. Employing certain $K$-theoretical information derivable from the given operator algebras using a method introduced here, we shall demonstrate that Bonkat's UCT does not split in general. Related methods lead to information on the complexity of the $K$-theory which must be used to classify $*$-isomorphisms for purely infinite $C^*$-algebras with one non-trivial ideal.
| Lefschetz Numbers for $C^*$-Algebras
Emerson, Heath
Using Poincar\'e duality, we obtain a formula of Lefschetz type that computes the Lefschetz number of an endomorphism of a separable nuclear $C^*$-algebra satisfying Poincar\'e duality and the Kunneth theorem. (The Lefschetz number of an endomorphism is the graded trace of the induced map on $\textrm{K}$-theory tensored with $\mathbb{C}$, as in the classical case.) We then examine endomorphisms of Cuntz--Krieger algebras $O_A$. An endomorphism has an invariant, which is a permutation of an infinite set, and the contracting and expanding behavior of this permutation describes the Lefschetz number of the endomorphism. Using this description, we derive a closed polynomial formula for the Lefschetz number depending on the matrix $A$ and the presentation of the endomorphism.
| On the Generalized Marcinkiewicz Integral Operators with Rough Kernels
Fan, Dashan; Wu, Huoxiong
A class of generalized Marcinkiewicz integral operators is introduced, and, under rather weak conditions on the integral kernels, the boundedness of such operators on $L^p$ and Triebel--Lizorkin spaces is established.
| On the Norm of the Beurling-Ahlfors Operator in Several Dimensions
Hytönen, Tuomas P.
The generalized Beurling-Ahlfors operator $S$ on $L^p(\mathbb{R}^n;\Lambda)$, where $\Lambda:=\Lambda(\mathbb{R}^n)$ is the exterior algebra with its natural Hilbert space norm, satisfies the estimate $$\|S\|_{\mathcal{L}(L^p(\mathbb{R}^n;\Lambda))}\leq(n/2+1)(p^*-1),\quad p^*:=\max\{p,p'\}$$ This improves on earlier results in all dimensions $n\geq 3$. The proof is based on the heat extension and relies at the bottom on Burkholder's sharp inequality for martingale transforms.
| Fundamental Solutions of Kohn Sub-Laplacians on Anisotropic Heisenberg Groups and H-type Groups
Jin, Yongyang; Zhang, Genkai
We prove that the fundamental solutions of Kohn sub-Laplacians $\Delta + i\alpha \partial_t$ on the anisotropic Heisenberg groups are tempered distributions and have meromorphic continuation in $\alpha$ with simple poles. We compute the residues and find the partial fundamental solutions at the poles. We also find formulas for the fundamental solutions for some matrix-valued Kohn type sub-Laplacians on H-type groups.
| Linear Maps on $C^*$-Algebras Preserving the Set of Operators that are Invertible in $\mathcal{A}/\mathcal{I}$
Kim, Sang Og; Park, Choonkil
For $C^*$-algebras $\mathcal{A}$ of real rank zero, we describe linear maps $\phi$ on $\mathcal{A}$ that are surjective up to ideals $\mathcal{I}$, and $\pi(A)$ is invertible in $\mathcal{A}/\mathcal{I}$ if and only if $\pi(\phi(A))$ is invertible in $\mathcal{A}/\mathcal{I}$, where $A\in\mathcal{A}$ and $\pi:\mathcal{A}\to\mathcal{A}/\mathcal{I}$ is the quotient map. We also consider similar linear maps preserving zero products on the Calkin algebra.
| Generalized Quandle Polynomials
Nelson, Sam
We define a family of generalizations of the two-variable quandle polynomial. These polynomial invariants generalize in a natural way to eight-variable polynomial invariants of finite biquandles. We use these polynomials to define a family of link invariants that further generalize the quandle counting invariant.
| Hardy Inequalities on the Real Line
Sababheh, Mohammad
We prove that some inequalities, which are considered to be generalizations of Hardy's inequality on the circle, can be modified and proved to be true for functions integrable on the real line. In fact we would like to show that some constructions that were used to prove the Littlewood conjecture can be used similarly to produce real Hardy-type inequalities. This discussion will lead to many questions concerning the relationship between Hardy-type inequalities on the circle and those on the real line.
| Measures with Fourier Transforms in $L^2$ of a Half-space
Shayya, Bassam
We prove that if the Fourier transform of a compactly supported measure is in $L^2$ of a half-space, then the measure is absolutely continuous to Lebesgue measure. We then show how this result can be used to translate information about the dimensionality of a measure and the decay of its Fourier transform into geometric information about its support.
| Additive Families of Low Borel Classes and Borel Measurable Selectors
Spurný, J.; Zelený, M.
An important conjecture in the theory of Borel sets in non-separable metric spaces is whether any point-countable Borel-additive family in a complete metric space has a $\sigma$-discrete refinement. We confirm the conjecture for point-countable $\mathbf\Pi_3^0$-additive families, thus generalizing results of R. W. Hansell and the first author. We apply this result to the existence of Borel measurable selectors for multivalued mappings of low Borel complexity, thus answering in the affirmative a particular version of a question of J. Kaniewski and R. Pol.


text:
The L.A Kings got their home season under way in what was expected to be a classic tie against the New York Rangers on Monday night.
The two sides boast the best goaltenders in the game in Jonathan Quick and Henrik Lundqvist.
However, the night will be remembered for the former's misfortunes as he conceded one of the softest goals ever witnessed in the NHL.
With New York Rangers hanging on to a narrow 2-1 lead in the third quarter, Ryan McDonagh made a defensive clearance following a successful defensive-zone draw.
With the puck going well wide, Quick went to meet it but dropped his stick. After hitting his shot-blocker, the puck deflected in to the empty net.
The goal proved to be the final of the game with the Rangers holding on for a 3-1 win.
"My stick fell out of my hand," he said to reporters. "I tried to stop it with my blocker and it hit my blocker." And took a sharp left turn and crept into the vacant net.
Do YOU want to write for GiveMeSport? Get started today by signing-up and submitting an article HERE: https://www.givemesport.com/writeforgms


text: Select2D.js is an object that transforms an HTML <select> into a 2D table. It can automatically layout the table with a configurable number of columns or rows. Users can select multiple options by using the Ctrl key or Shift and click and dragging over the options in the table. By default the original form select input is hidden but it may be made visible for debugging purposes.


text:
July 26, 2011 > National Night Out at the lake
Lake and Rosemont Area Residents Association would like announce our upcoming event in honor of Neighborhood Night Out / Ice Cream Social. Our particular neighborhood began this event unofficially five years ago on one of our courts in the neighborhood and it grew so large that we moved it to the Boathouse location at Lakeshore Park.Last year nearly 500 members of our neighborhood attended; the Dreyers Foundation supplied the Ice Cream and the Boy Scouts served it up. Newark CERT manned an informational table, the Newark Police Dept. highlighted a vehicle tour, and the mayor is always in attendance. This year we are adding the ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Services) Group to set up a display table.We made the decision to permanently host this event on the Neighborhood Night Out because when neighbors become more familiar with each other, crime goes down and safety goes up. We employ the same motto that NNO uses: "Give Crime a Going Away Party."National Night Out at Lakeshore ParkTuesday Aug 26 p.m. - 8 p.m.Lakeshore Park Boathouse, Newark(Chelsea Drive off of Edgewater Drive)(510) 797-2317


text:
Drugs in Sports?
- Posts
Stark: Braun's successful appeal clears nobody
Yesterday the National Leagues MVP, Ryan Braun overturned his 50-game PED suspension originally given to him for testing positive on his drug test. Since day one Braun says that he didn't use PED's and the reason for his results was another method he has been practicing which is legal and allowed in the Major leagues. Being of fan of his I believe his statements and I think he has found a fare way to get around not using PED's and still enhancing his body and performance. Its controversial because he is the first player to ever overturn a drug related suspension in the Major League. I'm just curious on other peoples opinion on how you think this overturned suspension may change other players perspective of getting enhanced physically and possibly hearing arguments that former players who tested positive for PED's may come out and possibly give similar arguments.


text:
More stimulus needed for energy conservation in China
In November 2008, the State Council (China's highest decision-making body) decided to invest four trillion RMB – approximately 586 billion US dollars – to bolster the country's economy from the global financial crisis. As in March China's National Congress will adopt the 12th Five-Year Plan, the main policy tool driving economic and social development in China, this study offers an important reference on how to direct future investments.
The report recommends that China increase investments in energy conservation, including stricter approval standards for energy-intensive projects and disincentives for those using inefficient technologies. China also needs to take full advantage of the country's renewable energy potential and upgrade the energy grids.
Carbon footprint accounts for 54% of China's total ecological footprint, according to a WWF report published in November 2010, so promoting a low-carbon economy will be crucial for China's environmental sustainability.


text:
Loveland resident Mary Bahus-Meyer likes that she can work out in colorful costumes and big jewelry every week that she comes to a Loveland Belly Belles lesson.
"I like the idea of getting exercise with a great group of women," Bahus-Meyer said.
The Loveland Belly Belles formed in 2008 to offer weekly lessons in belly dancing, a type of dance that has different forms and regional influences, and to give to charitable organizations that support women and children.
The belly-dancing group, which has 20 to 50 members at any one time, meets for a one-hour lesson at 7 p.m. every Wednesday.
Earlier this month, the group, which has danced in an empty business, an event center and even a downtown alley, moved the lessons from an open space on Fourth Street to the Odd Fellows Lodge ballroom for a more permanent location, Schreiner said.
"I love that it's a big generous room, so there's no pillars to run into," Bahus-Meyer said. "The lighting is nice and it has great wood floors."
Belly Dancing for Exercise
With access to the ballroom, Schreiner has more space to teach the women and girls who show up for a lesson that doubles as good exercise.
"I teach it from a fitness perspective, not dance," said Janet Schreiner, the instructor for the Loveland Belly Belles.
The belly dancing moves involve the hips, back, shoulders, ankles and wrists in circular movements with the knees bent, Schreiner said.
"People tend to feel better when they move those areas of the body," Schreiner said. "We move on straight planes. Belly dancing moves on circular planes at every angle."
Belly dancing builds strength, increases circulation and improves flexibility, Schreiner said.
The exercise also is low impact, said Janet Stephens, a member of the Belly Belles committee.
"You can kick it up a notch if you want to," Stephens said.
Belly Belles member Michele Van Hare likes that for one night a week she feels beautiful and exotic.
"You're using all these muscles. You're using it in a way that's graceful and fun," Van Hare said.
Rose Anne Wheeler appreciates the fluid movements of belly dancing.
"It's almost like yoga, but you don't have to hang upside down," Wheeler said.
Basic Steps, then Choreography
The belly dancing class is noncompetitive and open to everyone, Schreiner said.
The first half-hour of the class is dedicated to basic steps and the second for choreographed dancing. Those who take a class can come for the lessons only or can choose to also perform with the rest of the group during Friday Night on the Town and other local events.
The basic steps are in traditional belly dancing, using the fluid movements of Egyptian, Lebanese and Turkish belly dancing.
"In my opinion, it's the best of how a woman moves. It's compatible with our anatomy," Schreiner said.
Another type of belly dancing is tribal, an American form that combines different forms of the dance and involves heavier darker fabrics and more rigid movements.
The Belly Belles use the fusion form to engage fluid movements and wear light colorful chiffon costumes. The fusion costume includes pants with a skirt, a long-sleeved choli top and various veils.
"You want to look like a colorful group. You don't want any one person to stick out," Schreiner said.
The cost to dance is a $5 donation. After the cost of instruction and studio costs are covered, the remainder is donated to charities.
"We're a giving group under the guise of belly dancing, so it's get your shimmy on and pay it forward," Schreiner said.
Shelley Widhalm can be reached at 669-5050, ext. 531, or firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Ted Lutz
More than 75 came out on a cold rainy night to participate in the annual Thanksgiving Service sponsored by the Kane Area Ministerial Association.The event, which included hymns, prayers and a sermon, was held at the newly-renovated St. Callistus Catholic Church along Chase Street.Pastors who participated in the hour-long program included the Rev. Chad Troup, pastor at the First Church of God; the Rev. Philip Pinczewski, pastor at St. Callistus; the Rev. David Pflieger, the chaplain at the Lutheran Home at Kane and the interim pastor at St. John's Episcopal Church; the Rev. William Waterman, pastor at the Tabor Lutheran Church; the Rev. William LaVelle Jr., pastor at the First United Methodist Church; and the Rev. Rebecca Taylor, pastor at the Presbyterian Church of Kane and the main speaker at the program.In her sermon entitled "Holy Rebellion," Rev. Taylor stressed the importance of the phrase "thank you" and its link with Jesus, "the Savior of the world.""Thank you-- two words that are always just right when they dish up genuine and perfect praise," Rev. Taylor said. She said the phrase "puts the brakes on all that leads us away from the Savior that we may find ourselves healed and whole."See full article by purchasing the Nov. 23 edition of The Kane Republican.


text:
Sleeping on the Job Should Totally Be Allowed, Right? [VIDEO, POLL]
"Sleeping on the job" is a phrase that is not positive. It's often preceded by "He was fired for" and can make you the butt of jokes for years to come. But maybe it shouldn't be such a bad thing.


text:
Giorgio Morandi: Lines of Poetry
Some people say it with flowers, but Giorgio Morandi (1890-1964) only ever needed the vase. He did depict blooms, of roses or zinnias, but they seem to have drooped and withered somewhat under the undoubted hours of intense scrutiny, while his assembled bottles, jars and sugar pots stand proud and permanent like miniature modern skyscrapers or ancient architectural wonders.
The small Italian institution in Islington has marked the fifteenth anniversary of its founding by showing an Italian artist known almost exclusively for such singularly specific and small arrangements of still lifes. It's at pains to point out that Morandi also studied and absorbed the futurism and cubism of his contemporaries, before setting off on his lonely, object-strewn path. Yet his anomalous response to the feverish rush of twentieth century society is what sets him apart and what we celebrate him for. Morandi's subdued palette and subject matter is probably also what makes him so phenomenally popular – he's a tasteful, unchallenging antidote to the messy struggles of modern art.
All of which still does Morandi a disservice. Fellow artist Giorgio de Chirico described his friend's work as encapsulating 'the metaphysics of the commonplace' and much, again unhelpfully, has been written on the unfathomable and mysterious nature of Morandi's art. Focusing on his prints and drawings, as this show does, allows a closer look at what really makes Morandi special.
Even from the earliest landscapes of his native Bologna, it's clear Morandi was on a mission to narrow down and hone his vision to ever-smaller target areas. Views of a bridge or a hillside soon give way to a single house, a tennis court or a clutch of chimneys. His tabletops also veer between near overpopulation, with half a dozen vessels struggling to hold their spot, to the later, more sparse compositions of only two or three cups or pitchers.
This abridgement had a practical reason, in that the painstaking cross-hatching became too hard for the ageing etcher's arm, but it also reveals an artist who managed to coax incredible richness from progressively fewer and simpler objects. He seemed to prefer the moment when the lines began to waver into one another, when the certainty of their forms gave way to abstraction and atmosphere. For further proof, don't leave this gem-like display without seeing the one oil work on long-term loan to the collection upstairs. It's a 1962 milk jug seemingly morphed with two coffee cups to create a cave, a body or a face. Morandi wasn't so much a man of mystery or monastic dedication, as an alchemist, spinning gold from clay or making heroic the dowdiest of water pitchers and wine bottles.
|Event phone:
|020 7704 9522
|Event website:


text:
September 18, 2009 Newsletter Archive In this issue: Community Forums , Grant Workshop , Micro Credit Workshop, South Florida Cultural Consortium, Free Fridays -Museum Admission
A Community Forum Meeting will be held both on Wednesday, October 7 and Thursday October 8 , in order to gather input from the general public for their vision of the arts and culture over the next ten years. The October 7 meeting will take place from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at the African American Research Library and Cultural Center (AARLC), 2650 W Sistrunk Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; and the October 8 meeting will take place from 6 - 8 p.m., at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts, 2855 Coral Springs Dr, Coral Springs.
In addition to these forums, there are focus group meetings, one-on-one meetings, online surveys and random sample telephone surveys. The end result will be the 2020 Community Cultural Plan which will be the guiding blueprint for the arts and culture over the next ten years.
These Community Forum Meetings will be held in conjunction with a national Creative Conversations agenda - a grassroots movement across the country geared to elevate the profile of arts in America during National Arts & Humanities Month every October.
For additional information on the 2020 Community Cultural Plan contact Tom Adams at 954-357-7321. Click here to RSVP
Broward Cultural Division offers a grant writing workshop for the Regional Organization Program (ROP) AND Major Cultural Institution Program (MCI) on Wednesday, October 14, 2009, at 2 p.m. in the Main Library, Room 6E ( gallery area ), 100 S. Andrews Avenue, Fort Lauderdale. Both workshops are designed for ongoing applicants and for new and prospective applicants to the ROP and the MCI Programs.
The purpose of the Regional Organization Grant Program is to assist eligible South Florida-based, not-for-profit cultural organizations, that have been operational in their cultural disciplines for a minimum of three years immediately preceding the date of application, in meeting general operating expenses associated with the presentation and/or production of a regular season of exhibitions, programs, events or performances open to the general public in Broward County.
For both the Regional Organization and Major Cultural Institution programs, the application deadline is November 15, 2009 for fiscal year 2011 funding. New applicants must be designated by the Broward Cultural Council, as either a ROP or MCI organization in order to be eligible to apply. There is no fee for the workshops.For additional information, or to schedule an appointment, contact Adriane Clarke, grants specialist at 953-357-7530. Click here to RSVP
An informational clinic and workshop will be held to assist applicants for the Artist Micro Credit Program on Thursday, September 24, 2009, 6 - 8 p.m. at ArtServe, 1350 E. Sunrise Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. This workshop is for prospective Broward-based artists to become familiar with the program's policies and guidelines.
The Artist Micro Credit Program is a community-based, revolving loan program created to respond to a broad range of artists' needs, i.e: purchasing equipment, completing a project, or taking advantage of an opportunity. Designed to assist Broward-based practicing, professionals, and emerging artists (of all disciplines) to advance their work and careers, these loans may help with projects that are not capable of being funded from other conventional sources.
Attendance at the workshop is highly recommended for Broward-based artists and alumni of the Artists as an Entrepreneur Institute . There is no fee for this workshop. For additional information, contact James Shermer, grants administrator, Broward Cultural Division at 954-357-7502. Click here to RSVP
Winners of the 2009 South Florida Cultural Consortium currently have their artwork exhibited at the University Galleries, School of the Arts, Florida Atlantic University , Boca Raton now through October 30, 2009.
The Broward County winners of the South Florida Cultural Consortium Fellowship ( SFCC) award for visual and media artists, Colby Katz, Samantha Salzinger and Nancy Spielman, were recently named to receive this esteemed, five-county artist fellowship award. This year's selection is from a group of more than 300 applicants. The South Florida Cultural Consortium, an alliance of the local arts agencies of Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, assists visual and media artists through cash awards solely on the basis of creative excellence to foster artistic development and encourage career advancement.
Click here to learn more and about theSouth Florida Cultural Consortium or these fellowship winners
Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services has partnered with the Museum of Discovery and Science to bring Free Ford Fridays to the Museum on September 11, 18, & 25, 2009. Families will receive free exhibit admission to the museum where they can spend a day exploring hundreds of hands-on exhibits.
The museum is open from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. every Friday. This offer is not applicable for schools or groups. The Museum is open seven days a week, 365 days a year ; Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from Noon to 6 p.m. with extended IMAX® hours on most evenings. For more information about the Museum, please call 954.467.MODS (6637)
Visit the Museum of Discovery and Science
If you would like to have the E-News delivered directly to your email please sign up here.
Purchase of this specialty license plate will support Broward County arts, please visit your local auto tag agency.


text: "I have never used this service before, but I must say, within 3 days of registering, I believe I have found the perfect nanny for my children! I had to write a note to thank you for the terrific service. The website was easy to use and the matching system is ideal. Thanks again!"


text:
Coyotes may have played final game in Glendale
While it is not exactly Ebbetts Field or the Polo Grounds (circa 1957 when the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants left for California), the Phoenix Coyotes played their last home game of the season Friday at Jobing.com Arena.
It could have been the last Coyotes game ever in Phoenix and the Glendale arena if the National Hockey League-owned franchise ends up being sold and moved to another market such as Quebec City or another city.
Or it could just be the last home game with the Coyotes being owned and run by the NHL. An ownership group that wants to keep the team in Glendale could still buy the team and keep hockey in the desert after what is approaching a four-year ownership saga.
The Coyotes game Friday against the Colorado Avalanche had zero playoff implications. Neither team will be in the postseason. The game went to overtime and then shootout with the Avs winning 5-4.
The extra time was a fitting conclusion to the Coyotes season considering the team's ownership saga which has dragged on and on since 2009.
The NHL bought the team out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy for $140 million back in the 2009. The league has owned the team since with arena management payments from the city of Glendale. Several attempts to sell the Coyotes have fallen short.
Coyotes COO Mike Nealy voiced confidence the franchise would be back in Glendale next season.
"This is a hockey town. You guys make it a hockey town," said an emotional Nealy during the first period of the game. "The NHL belongs here. See you next year."
Still, the Coyotes were selling all merchandise at arena shops for 40 percent off and have let their in-store stock of jerseys run out. Arena ushers, staff and fans were all wondering whether it is the last game for this year's NHL season or the end of the franchise's tenure in Arizona.
The team does have season ticket prices listed for the 2013-14 season if the team stays in Phoenix.
So what happens next?
In 2011, the Atlanta Thrashers were sold on May 31 to a group that moved the team over the summer to Winnipeg. That sale came just as the Stanley Cup Finals started. It also gave the group time to gear up operations in Winnipeg and for the league to get its schedule for the next season in order. Atlanta also lost a franchise to Calgary in 1980.
The NHL playoffs are starting later this season because of the lockout but the May 31 and June 1 dates are likely key public benchmarks in the Coyotes sale.
But behind the scenes the NHL had been talking for sometime to the group that bought the Thrashers and moved them. The NHL had also talked to that group, True North Sports and Entertainment, about buying the Coyotes.
Darren Dregor, a commentator for Canadian sports network TSN, said in late March the NHL could decide by April 30 on whether the Coyotes were staying or going. The NHL has insisted it will not operate the Phoenix franchise another season but wants to keep the team here.
Ownership hopes
There are groups, new and old, still interested in keeping the Coyotes at Jobing.com Arena. Previous Coyotes bidders Ice Edge Holdings and Chicago investment executive Matthew Hulsizer could still be part of a purchase of the team.
The names Chicago Bulls and Whites Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf and business partner John Kaites, a Phoenix attorney and lobbyist, also still come up even though they have made and later withdrawn previous bids for the team.
The newest names in the Coyotes discussions are wealthy Canadian energy and investment executive George Gosbee and Southern California investment executive Darin Pastor.
Those new bidders, especially Gosbee, could also team with previous suitors such as Hulsizer or Ice Edge executive Anthony LeBlanc and Daryl Jones on a purchase bid.
The Coyotes lost an estimated $21 million last year, according to Forbes. Previous bidders have run into trouble securing financing and bringing and keeping investors because of those losses.
The team did see improved attendance and television ratings this season after three straight Stanley Cup Playoff appearances. Phoenix is missing the playoffs this season.
Jobing.com Arena
While past and failed Coyotes bids have hinged on arena management fees from the city of Glendale to help get a deal done, the city has hired a Massachusetts-based sports investment firm Beacon Sports Capital Partners to accept bids from potential Jobing.com Arena managers.
The deadline for arena management bids and ideas is May 24. The fate of the Coyotes future could be well cemented before that deadline. Arena managers could include Coyotes ownership groups or the city-owned arena could be managed by a third party.
The Glendale City Council approved a big arena deal last year for Greg Jamison's failed bid to buy the team. That deal averaged $15 million over 20 years.
More recent Glendale budget documents have used a $6 million arena management fee as a placeholder figure. Documents in the arena RFP expect the arena to end this fiscal year with just over $6.9 million in revenue and just under $12.5 million in expenses. That translates into a $5.5 million shortfall.
Bidders for the arena RFP are asked to outline their management fees and any unique revenue or financial or marketing ideas they have. Jobing.com Arena is almost 10 years old and could face a future either without the Coyotes its main tenant or with a new local owner of the team offering the franchise and facility some stability.
Quebec City
If the Coyotes end up moving, Quebec City is one of the favorites to land the franchise. A new $400 million, 18,500-seat arena is being built in the Canadian city. It will open in 2015. Quebec businessman Pierre Karl Peladeau stepped down from day-to-day executive duties with communications giant Quebecor Inc. in March. The Financial Post newspaper reported Peladeau is looking at buying an NHL team.
Quebecor Inc. also has an ownership stake in the arena along with the city of Quebec.
All that puts Quebec at the top of the list despite it being a smaller market, The French Canadian city has a regional population of 1.1 million versus 4.3 million in the Phoenix area.
Other markets
The NHL may have some other options beyond Quebec City. An ownership is trying to buy the National Basketball Association's Sacramento Kings and move them to Seattle.
That could bring about efforts to buy the Coyotes as well, but the timing window might be tight for that effort. There also are some U.S. markets without hockey or basketball teams such as Kansas City and Las Vegas or those with NBA team but not the NHL that could have Coyotes bidders. That list might include Oklahoma City and Portland.
There also are development plans for a hockey arena in suburban Toronto and talk of a second franchise in Canada's largest market.
A Coyotes move to an Eastern market would complicate proposed realignment plans. There also is the wild card chance the NHL could disband the Phoenix franchise, disperse its players and then pick an expansion franchise in another market.


text:
The World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum will celebrate Presidents Day Weekend with a series of events and giveaways including a Hawaii golf vacation, and the debut of "The Last Reef 3D" in the World Golf Hall of Fame IMAX Theater.
In honor of President Eisenhower signing Hawaii in as the 50th state in 1959, the first person to hit a hole-in-one at the 150-yard Challenge Hole will win a Hawaiian dream golf vacation.
The first 50 shots each day from Friday, Feb. 15 through Sunday, Feb. 17 will be eligible for the contest. Participants will pay $5 for two shots (or $10 for five shots), and the first person to make a hole-in-one on their first shot wins the grand prize. The vacation is an eight-day, seven-night trip that includes an oceanfront room, golf and airfare for two to the Hapuna Beach Golf Resort in Hawaii.
From Feb. 15-18, visitors to the Hall of Fame will have another chance to win a golf vacation by taking a special scavenger hunt through the museum.
Participants will be entered to win a Presidential Treatment Weekend at World Golf Village that includes an overnight stay in the Presidential Suite at the Renaissance World Golf Village Resort, golf and a VIP tour of the Hall of Fame.
In addition to the scavenger hunt, guests can learn about Presidents Bush and Eisenhower, and take their photo with the Presidents Cup trophy. Active and former military receive $10 admission to the Museum and children under 12 are free.
In addition to the activities at the Hall of Fame, the World Golf Hall of Fame IMAX Theater is welcoming another acclaimed documentary film to the lineup - "The Last Reef 3D" premieres on Feb. 15 - which takes audiences on a journey to magnificent ocean reefs around the world.
Local author and ocean conservationist Frank Gromling will be at the IMAX Theater on opening night for a meet-and-greet and book signing from 6 to 7 p.m. Feb. 15. He will introduce both films as well. Guests also will enjoy "A Taste of the South Pacific," with a sampling of Polynesian-inspired appetizers from 6:30 to 7 p.m.
From noon to 3 p.m. Feb. 16, the public is invited to learn about marine conservation efforts on the First Coast, courtesy of Jacksonville University's Marine Science Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and Sea Grant.
The family-friendly event will offer a bounce house, a drawing for a family four-pack of tickets to the Florida Aquarium, and a two-night stay at the Mainsail Suites in Tampa (no purchase necessary).
The IMAX Theater will have a special offer for Presidents Day weekend, giving guests the chance to see two documentaries for $10.
"Flight of the Butterflies 3D" and "To The Arctic 3D" also will be on screen. The offer is good from 3 p.m. Feb. 15 through the last film on Monday, Feb. 18. Tickets must be purchased at the box office.
For showtimes, go to www.worldgolfimax.com or call 940-4133.


text:
2008 Men's Soccer
2008 Men's Soccer Recruits
Bluffton announces 2008 Men's Soccer recruits
May 13, 2008
Steve Rucki - Forward/MidfielderSteve Rucki has committed to play soccer for Bluffton University for the fall of 2008. Steve, the son of Rob and Bunny Rucki, is from Killbuck, Ohio, and will be graduating from West Holmes High School. While at West Holmes, Steve earned second team All-Ohio Cardinal Conference honors his junior and senior years. He also earned second team Northeast District his senior year. Steve was the leading goal scorer for the team both his junior (10 goals and 6 assists) and senior seasons (12 goals and 6 assists). During his high school career, Steve lettered in soccer three years, tennis four years, and basketball two years. As a basketball player Steve earned honorable mention All-OCC. Coach Smucker states, "Steve brings quickness and a great work ethic along with the skills that will make him a great asset to the soccer program at Bluffton. We are excited to have him as a part of our program."
Justin has committed to play soccer for Bluffton University in the fall of 2008. Justin, the son of Mark and Lori Ryerson, was a standout player for Perrysburg High School, earning several honors. As a junior, Justin started in the midfield and was named second team Northern Lakes League and NOW All-District honorable mention. During his junior year the team won the OHSAA Division I district tournament championship. As a senior, Justin started in the midfield but moved to sweeper because that's where the team needed him. He earned first team NLL and was named Perrysburg High School Defensive Player of the Year. He was also a captain his senior year.
In addition to his high school experience, Justin played two years of club soccer for the Toledo Celtics and one year for the Pacesetters. In 2006 the Celtics were the Ft. Wayne Invitational Champs.Justin is a tremendously skilled player with a very nice touch. His speed, quickness, and strength make him a complete player. But what really makes Justin a special player is his poise with the ball and his vision of the field. He can play fast without looking panicked or rushed which always brings a calming effect to a team. He has demonstrated that he is a team player and a leader by moving away from his natural position (center mid) to play sweeper for the sake of the team. Justin will do very well at the college level. We look for him to step in and contribute right away.
Dan has committed to playing college soccer for Bluffton University in 2008. Dan,
the son of Doug and April Saville, is graduating from Central Catholic High School
in Toledo, Ohio. At Central Catholic, Dan earned honorable mention honors for NWOHSSL.
Dan played in the Senior Bowl and earned Defensive Player of the Game honors. A solid
goalkeeper with good technical skills, Dan also plays club soccer for Glass City Soccer.
He does a great job of commanding the box and leading from the back. We look for Dan
to come in and challenge for a starting spot as a freshmen. With his great attitude
and work ethic, Dan will adjust to the college game very quickly. We are excited to
have him as part of the team.
Ryan has committed to play soccer for Bluffton University in the fall of 2008. Ryan, the son of Robert and Tammy Nollen, is a four-time scholar athlete who earned academic and athletic honors at Lebanon High School in Lebanon, Ohio. Academic honors included Superintendent's Success Award, while his athletic achievements include second team All-Conference his junior year, first team All-Conference and third team All-Miami Valley his senior year. Ryan, a four-year letterman, was selected Mr. Utility his junior year and Mr. Defense his senior year. His senior year he scored three goals and had 11 assists while serving as team captain. Ryan played club soccer for Adidas Thunder United Premier and Thunder United Metro Premier which both competed in the Buckeye Premier League and the Ohio State Cup.Ryan is a tough, unselfish, versatile player that brings a great work ethic to the field. Ryan can play multiple positions which is something coaches are always looking for in a player. He also has the attitude that we are looking for. As an athlete and a student in general, he will be a great asset to the team and the campus. Ryan will also play baseball for the Beavers.
Kelly has committed to play soccer for the men's soccer team at Bluffton University. Kelly, the son of Julie and Carl Barnes, is graduating from Toledo Christian High School. Kelly has been an important part of the varsity team at Toledo Christian since his sophomore year when he earned honorable mention All-Toledo Area Athletic Conference. He earned first team NWOHSSL his junior and senior years and first team All-TAAC his senior year.Kelly played sweeper for his high school team and did a great job of controlling the back line. His speed and strength made him a tough defender to beat. Physically, Kelly is the type of defender that every college coach wants. He will have no problem adjusting to the speed and the physical nature of the college game. Kelly played in back throughout his high school career and yet still managed to get 11 assists over two years which shows that he is capable of contributing to the attack as well. We think Kelly is capable of contributing right away his first year and maybe even earning a starting spot.
Jacob has committed to play soccer for Bluffton University for the fall of 2008. Jacob, the son of Terry and Susie Alexander from Hillboro, Ohio, was a standout player for Fairfield High School. During his high school career, Jacob amassed 44 goals and 33 assists. He is a four-year letterman. His junior year, Jacob earned All-Southern Hills League honors as well as second team All-District. Following his senior campaign, Jacob earned All-SHL, first team All-District and second team All-Ohio Division 3.
Jacob also excels in the classroom. His academic honors include National Honor Society (two years), Academy of Scholars (four years), Honor Roll (four years), and the Senior Academic Award from OSSCA for the Fall of 2007. Jacob is also involved with High School Music, Drama, Student Council, and he is the President of his 4-H club.Jacob brings many positive things to the team on and off the field. He has shown that he has a penchant for scoring goals and finding open teammates, but he's more than just a soccer player. He's a student-athlete in every sense of the term. The team will enjoy having him on the field and the professors will be impressed with him in the classroom. We look forward to everything Jacob can contribute to the program and Bluffton University.
Recruit bio's are supplied by the student athlete, their family, and coaches. Any inaccuracies will be corrected if brought to our attention.