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The second round of the FCS playoffs Saturday provided plenty of offensive fireworks and record-setting performances.
Old Dominion quarterback Taylor Heinicke set a new FCS playoff record with 542 yards of total offense and tied a playoff record with six touchdown passes.
Georgia Southern quarterback Jerick McKinnon rushed for 316 yards, second in FCS playoff history behind former school legend Adrian Peterson and his 333- yard performance in 1999.
Wofford fullback Eric Breitenstein, who holds the Southern Conference regular- season single-game rushing record with 321 yards on Sept. 29, rushed for 247 yards and three touchdowns, carrying his team to victory in the second round.
Illinois State quarterback Matt Brown threw for five touchdowns in his team's one-point overtime victory at "The Rock" versus Appalachian State.
Perhaps the most overlooked aspect in the second round, however, was the role of special teams.
Montana State used three Rory Perez field goals to beat Stony Brook, 16-10. Wagner stayed alive in its 29-19 loss versus Eastern Washington with four David Lopez field goals.
And then there was Sam Houston State and Appalachian State. SHSU needed a critical blocked punt, which rolled out of the end zone for a safety, and three Miguel Antonio field goals to survive Cal Poly, 18-16, while Appalachian State realized just how vital special teams are as Illinois State's Shelby Harris blocked an extra point in overtime to give his team a 38-37 victory.
For all the promise in its teams, some things can never be ignored.
Whether it be scores, statistics or standout performances, the numbers never lie.
Here are some important figures from Week 14 of the 2012 FCS season - the second round of the playoffs - that should not be overlooked:
McKinnon rushed for 316 yards on 34 carries and totaled three touchdowns - two rushing and one passing - in the Eagles' 24-16 second-round victory over Central Arkansas. It was the second-highest total in school history, just 17 yards behind Peterson's 333 rushing yards against Massachusetts (1999), also in the FCS playoffs. It was the third-highest single-game rushing total in the 2012 season. He averaged 9.3 yards per carry.
Breitenstein rushed for 247 yards on 22 carries and scored three touchdowns in a 23-7 victory over New Hampshire. The senior now has 5,595 career rushing yards and 65 career rushing touchdowns, which leads the FCS for active career marks. In 12 games, he's rushed for 1,900 yards and 19 touchdowns and leads the FCS in rushing with 158 yards per game.
Stony Brook entered Saturday's second-round playoff matchup, averaging 288 yards per game on the ground, good for No. 5 in the FCS. However, the Seawolves were held to just 123 rushing yards on 37 carries, in the team's 16-10 defeat.
Montana State held SBU to just 4-of-13 on third down conversions and now rank fourth in the FCS in that category, holding teams to 29 percent on third downs this season.
Eastern Washington totaled 411 yards of offense in its 29-19 victory over Wagner. The team passed for 327 yards and rushed for just 84 yards, but running back Demitrius Bronson scored two key rushing touchdowns on 76 yards in the win. Receiver Brandon Kaufman caught 10 passes for 174 yards and averaged 17.4 yards per reception.
Wagner finished its season with just one turnover in its last 10 games. The Seahawks rank first in the FCS with just six turnovers lost in 13 games.
Quarterback Nick Doscher threw just one interception this season - in the opener versus Florida Atlantic - and threw 231 straight passes without an interception.
North Dakota State has now held 11 of its last 13 opponents to under 250 yards of total offense, dating back to the 2011 FCS championship game victory over Sam Houston State. The Bison limited South Dakota State to just 217 total yards in their 28-3 second-round victory Saturday.
In two contests versus NDSU this season, SDSU running back Zach Zenner, who ranks second in the FCS with 157 rushing yards per game, managed only 43 and 46 rushing yards, respectively.
Sam Houston State scored one offensive touchdown in its 18-16 victory over Cal Poly. Antonio nailed three field goals and the Bearkats forced a team safety to account for 11 of their 18 points. Quarterback Brian Bell threw for 88 yards and one touchdown, an 18-yard pass to Keshawn Hill in the third quarter, which provided SHSU with its only offensive touchdown of the game.
Sam Houston State gave up 224 rushing yards in its victory, allowing an FCS team to cross the 100-yard rushing mark for just the second time this season. The only other times a team has rushed for more than 100 yards came against FBS foes Baylor (232 yards) and Texas A&M (157 yards), and Southland Conference member Southeastern Louisiana (105 yards).
Old Dominion's Heinicke added to his historic season by setting an FCS playoff record with 542 yards of offense in his team's 63-35 victory over Coastal Carolina. He threw for 497 yards and tied an FCS playoff record with six passing touchdowns and rushed for 45 yards in the win. He has now thrown for 4,655 yards in 12 games this season and is just 208 yards behind Steve McNair (1994) for the FCS single-season passing record.
Illinois State's Brown threw for 322 yards and five touchdowns in the Redbirds' 38-37 overtime victory versus Appalachian State. Receivers Tyrone Walker and James O'Shaughnessy both caught two touchdown passes and finished with 176 and 78 receiving yards, respectively.


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'Harry's Law' (NBC)
Midseason Drama Premise: A show about Fate bringing people together. In this case, resulting in a law practice being started up in a shoe store. Stars: Kathy Bates ("The Office," "Misery"), Nate Corddry ("Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip"), Aml Ameen ("Kidulthood"), Brittany Snow ("American Dreams," "Nip/Tuck"), Jenna Backstrom and Beatrice Rosen ("Dark Knight") Production Team: David E. Kelley ("Boston Legal," "The Practice") and Bill D'Elia ("Boston Legal," "The Practice") Related: 'Harry's Law' video clips
Copyright © 2018, Orlando Sentinel

subset: commoncrawl


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First it was flogging the backless thong, then a search for seasoned w*nkers, now online sex toy outfit LoveHoney has successfully found its way onto El Reg for the third time with its new initiative - the Orgasm Army.
Yes, we know we shouldn't be giving LoveHoney any more exposure, but its PR stunts have a kind of irresistible silliness about them which makes a pleasant change from blade servers, 24 meg broadband and VoIP.
The latest piece of tomfoolery involves recruiting the aforementioned Orgasm Army - an initiative looking to "build the UK's biggest library of sex toy reviews so girls and guys can find out which vibrators, condoms and lubes are the best a man and woman can get".
As the blurb puts it:
Will you put your orgasms on the line for Queen and country? Then the LoveHoney Orgasm Army wants you! Enlist today and you could get free sex toys in return for sharing your sex toy experiences on the Orgasm Army Web site.
There are, mercifully, a few conditions. You have to be over 18, of sound mind and body and agree to the Orgasm Army terms and conditions. Be warned that you may not submit content which:
- may adversely affect the functionality of any computer software and/or hardware
- is untrue, inaccurate, misleading, defamatory, offensive or malicious
- is in breach of any intellectual property rights of any third party
- if published by LoveHoney Limited would be illegal, unlawful, contrary to public opinion or would be reasonably likely to cause loss or damage to LoveHoney Limited.
Crikey. So, if your explosive climaxes have in the past crashed web browsers, or caused motherboards to melt down, keep 'em to yourself. Likewise, if your orgasmic excesses are contrary to public opinion - and by this we assume they mean a blow-by-blow account of torrid rumpy-pumpy with Tory temptress Anne Widdicombe, for example - then save it for the tabloids.
Otherwise, carry on. ®
Sponsored: Minds Mastering Machines - Call for papers now open


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Friedrich Hayek, who died on March 23, 1992 at age 92, was arguably the greatest social scientist of the twentieth century. By the time of his death, his fundamental way of thought had supplanted the system of John Maynard Keynes -- his chief intellectual rival of the century -- in the battle since the 1930s for the minds of economists and the policies of governments.
Hayeks ideas, which won him a Nobel prize in 1974, influenced Ronald Reagans supply-side policy and Margaret Thatchers privatization program. He (along with Milton Friedman) is now the most-respected economist in Eastern Europe. Most important, his ideas have been confirmed by events. His analyses of socialist as well as non-socialist societies have been proven astonishingly correct by the breakup of communist Eastern Europe.
Hayeks influence has gone far beyond economics, however. During the past few decades, his system of thought -- building upon the ideas of David Hume, Adam Smith, and other Scottish thinkers of the eighteenth century -- has seeped pervasively into scholarly writings. He has influenced not only contemporary economics, political science, and philosophy, but also sociology, psychology, and anthropology. And this influence grows larger each year.
In the 1940s and 1950s, Freud and Keynes were the names to conjure with -- literally. No mainstream scholar doubted the basic validity of their systems. Those few writers who argued that the Keynesian or Freudian ideas are theoretically flawed, or lack validation by empirical test, were considered cranks. It then seemed unthinkable that by the 1980s either Freud or Keynes would be largely discredited. Yet that turnaround has occurred.
Hayeks great work all flows from the fundamental vision of classical economics and political science which Hayek terms "spontaneous order." This evolutionary principle (originally enunciated in 1705 by Bernard Mandeville) ascribes the development of society and economy to what Adam Ferguson -- colleague of David Hume and Adam Smith -- called "human action but not human design," but more commonly known as Smiths "invisible hand."
Hayek flexibly and pragmatically adapted this principle to various conditions of modern everyday life. And he derived from this principle the corollary that because every set of circumstances is different, setting general policies from afar is usually inferior to decisions made on the spot by interested parties. On these insights, together with his rock-bottom value of personal liberty under law, Hayek consistently builds his system of politics and economics.
Hayeks central point with respect to policy is that economic activity cannot be effectively planned and coordinated from a central bureau. Socialism inevitably founders on the impossibility of even the largest computers effectively collecting and analyzing data about individual and group preferences, abilities, and perceptions of their circumstances. Only a system of decentralized decision-making and exchange-induced cooperation -- the "invisible hand" -- is feasible for a modern complex economy.
Hayek taught that progress arises from an evolutionary process of "discovery" wherein diverse firms and consumers experiment with a variety of profit-seeking activities. Most innovators fail in the marketplace, to their private cost. But some succeed, to the benefit of the public.
Journalists routinely applied the label "conservative" to Hayek. But one of his most trenchant writings is entitled "Why I Am Not a Conservative." He said that conservatives oppose change and promote authority, but not he. Instead, he -- like Milton Friedman -- preferred the label "liberal," with the connotations it had in Great Britain in the early nineteenth century.
Hayek was pragmatic and undogmatic, and his judgments were generally moderate. The main exception was his assertion that a country cannot be "just a little bit" socialist, and that there is no "middle way" between socialism and free enterprise. He believed that any element of socialism tends to spread its tentacles until it entirely corrupts a society.
Hayeks judgment proved sound in most respects. His 1930s assessment of socialisms prospects has proven exactly correct. Luckily, Hayek lived long enough to see this confirmation of his analysis in Eastern Europe.
A difficult element in Hayeks thinking is his apparent condemnation of planned policy change. But Hayek was not against all self-conscious social change. Indeed, he considered the framing of broad-ranging, even-handed, law-based rules for human conduct to be perhaps the most important and challenging task in a society. He simply wanted us to be leery of making social changes until we have done our level best to determine whether there are subtle hidden benefits from apparently dysfunctional or irrelevant customs or systems.
Following Hume, Hayek told us that we can never know why many valuable and important customs and systems evolved. Hence he hoped that we give vestigial practices the benefit of our doubt, and perhaps a bit more. His view may be summed up in a phrase attributed to Robert Frost: Never pull down a fence until you know why it was put up.
A typical bit of Hayekiana to close: After receiving the Nobel prize Hayek wrote that the prize should not be awarded in economics. His reason? Once a person receives the prize, he or she is inevitably asked by journalists about subjects outside his or her special knowledge. And too often the laureate responds to such questions. The answers have a good chance of causing damage because they are taken as statements of expert knowledge even though they are nothing more than uninformed opinions. Hayeks personal modesty, reflected in this view of the Nobel prize, is part-and-parcel of his abhorrence of the "fatal conceit" -- the title of his final book -- that the reasoning powers of clever people are capable of successfully remaking society at will.
|Julian L. Simon (1932-1998) was a Research Fellow and Member of the Board of Advisors at the Independent Institute and Professor of Business at the University of Maryland.


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You're forgetting about the other side of the equation: the liabilities. The bottom line that you should be interested in is Assets - Liabilities. This represents the net sum of the Fed's holdings, and is only $56 billion.The "Vanishing assets" the Fed purchased? According to their latest report http://www.federalreserve.gov/releas...urrent/h41.htm the Federal Reserve holds $2.5 trillion in total securities with $1.65 trillion of those being US Treasury notes. I cannot see where you are getting a $54 billion figure from.
Think about it this way. If the Fed wanted to, would it be able to sell its assets and contract the monetary base back to 0? Clearly not. That means that the Fed has taken a net loss over the past 100 years, and that loss, naturally, was someone else's profit. (Whether that be the bankers or recipients of government funds)
I don't think you're understanding my point. I'm actually not talking about the Federal Reserve's profits. I'm more specifically talking about their net loss, over the past 100 years.Profits? The Federal Reserve returns all profits (minus their expenses) to the Treasury. They did not lose $2 trillion but instead earned some $80 billion and turned $77 billion over to the US Treasury. Last year the amount was even higher. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/11/bu...-treasury.html
For example, since you brought up this point, if you were to look at the Federal Reserve as a normal (for-profit) corporation, it is not accurate to say that the Federal Reserve returns all profits to the Treasury. In the context of this point, it would be better stated as an operating cost, and the Fed's profit is 0. In that sense, the Fed isn't returning all profits to the Treasury, but is simply not making any profits at all because of this "operating cost."
This cost, that the Fed sends to the Treasury, the government obviously turns around and spends. So this goes back to what I was saying earlier, there are only two possible profiteers of the "poofed" money, and that is, 1) bankers, and 2) recipients of government funds. The government itself clearly hasn't profited from this money, because it is deeply in debt. They just received the money and sent it out flying in random directions.
Again, back to the original point, the Fed has bought $2.15 trillion worth of assets but only has $56 billion in net assets. That means, over the past 100 years, it has lost $2.1 trillion into the economy (and that's just M0.. the M2 is obviously much higher). Yes, much of that went to the Treasury, but some of it was also lost to the bankers. You said it yourself, the Fed only hands over to the Treasury its Profits minus Expenses. Those expenses obviously include a banker profit component (or the Fed wouldn't have anybody to trade with - bankers don't work for free).
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Does ISQL has anything to do with error 404? I am able to set up ISQL on my local machine last week, and everything's works fine. This morning i have swicthed my JDK from 1.3.4 to 1.2.2 both from SUN flavor. After than my ISQL was not able to start at all. In the IE it says error 404: file not found. Does anyone has any clue?
All the conf as fine, and apache started fine as well.
Thanks in advanced for any hint.


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- Lotus
Hulkenberg turns down option to finish season at Lotus
Nico Hulkenberg turned down an offer to stand in for Kimi Raikkonen at Lotus for the final two races of the season, according to his manager Werner Heinz.
Raikkonen revealed over the weekend that he will skip the US and Brazilian Grands Prix to undergo surgery on his back, leaving Lotus with a cockpit to fill for the final two races. Hulkenberg is in the running for a 2014 drive at the team but currently racing at Sauber, which may have created contractual issues for a late-season switch.
"We had an offer from Lotus and we have discussed it," Heinz told Bild. "We decided that Nico will drive the last two races with Sauber."
Lotus has yet to announce who will stand in for Raikkonen, with the media day for the US Grand Prix set to get underway on Thursday and first practice on Friday. Reports in Finland say Heikki Kovalainen has secured the drive, while Lotus reserve Davide Valsecchi remains a strong candidate if a more experienced driver cannot be pinned down.


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Haven't been posting much lately, but still reading all the on goings.
I get the general sense of panic in Steeler Nation. I totally see why. We're losing guys by the dozens. Old guys, young guys, and many guys in between. Tomlin/Colbert haven't been draft power couple by any means. We're filling gaps with recycled parts. And most seem to feel like we need to hit on every draft pick this year in order to have any chance to be competitive. Because as usual, Matt Spaeth and Willie Gay are as good as FA gets around these parts.
Nonetheless, the young guys won't get to play until the end of their first contract when we'll likely risk losing them. And we've got an entire team lacking in leadership. The locker room is a mess. The more I read about this team, I feel like I'm reading about the Pirates of the last 22 seasons.
Is it really that bad? I don't think so. I just think back to what's transpired every time another Lombardi ends up in Pittsburgh. We get inspired QB and Defensive play. So the big question is can Tomlin and company sprinkle a little bit of that pixie dust on this team and get the mojo going in the right direction quickly.
I think that can be answered by one simple question - Can Ben and Troy stay healthy for the season? Sure, football's a team game, yadda yinzer. But we've still got 2 guys that are bigger than the game.
On offense we have a QB that cannot be defended if he's healthy. How many times could he hang out behind the worst Oline in football with some of the slowest receivers of all time and just wait for them to get open. Think back to the days of Cedrick Wilson where he'd do his electrifying start stop move that couldn't get him separation from most of our grandmas and Ben would move around waiting and waiting and waiting for him to do it several times before the CB finally decided the play must be over then Ben hits him down the seam for 20 yards.
Defensively, we have the guy Tomlin was thinking of when he said we need to defend every blade of grass. Dick Lebeau does a nice job with his system, but Troy makes it a better system than the rankings when he can stay healthy and play at the top of his game.
Do we need a little help for these guys? Sure. But keeping them healthy is 90% of our season's potential. The biggest concern for Ben is an Oline to protect him. Gotta say, I'm a little nervous not having Max. That could kill our season more than anything else.
On defense, we need the supporting cast to help get pressure on the QB. No Harrison and out of shape Woodley hurt. The declining production of the DLine is problematic. We just need some young guys to step up - Worilds, Timmons, Ziggy, Heyward along with getting Woodley back and with the improved DB play, I think this D can improve by leaps and bounds over last year with healthy Troy.
So I'm not so worried going into the draft. WRs, RBs, ILBs, Gs, etc. These positions we need are a bunch of dime a dozen positions. What we really need are a LT, NT, and ROLB. None of which we really have. Those are the positions that will best support a healthy Troy and Ben.
Everything else like a big redzone target WR/TE or a legit RB or CB or S are all nice to haves. But Ben and Troy are talented enough to do just fine without them.
And when I look at this realistically, I wonder if Casey, James, and Max become the new Charlie Batch who we just bring back to fill a gap if and when we need them? No matter how you slice it, those 3 positions are gonna be hard to fill from the current roster or through the draft in the short term.
The rest will be fine as long as our 2 remaining superstars stay healthy.


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CARL KASELL: From NPR and WBEZ-Chicago, this is WAIT WAIT...DON'T TELL ME!, the NPR News quiz. I'm Carl Kasell. We're playing his week with Firoozeh Dumas, Paula Poundstone and Luke Burbank. And, here again is your host, at the Chase Bank Auditorium in downtown Chicago, Peter Sagal.
Thank you, Carl.
SAGAL: Thanks everybody. Right now, it's time for the WAIT WAIT...DON'T TELL ME! Bluff the Listener game. Call 1-888-Wait-Wait to play our game on the air. Hi, you're on WAIT WAIT...DON'T TELL ME!
HEATHER WEIBERG: Hi.
SAGAL: Hi, who's this?
WEIBERG: My name is Heather.
SAGAL: Hello, Heather. Where are you calling from?
WEIBERG: I'm actually calling from Gravette, Arkansas.
SAGAL: Gravette, Arkansas?
PAULA POUNDSTONE: Oh, wow.
WEIBERG: Yeah, I'm close to Bentonville, which is the home office for Walmart.
SAGAL: Heard of them.
LUKE BURBANK: Oh, sure.
SAGAL: And what do you do there?
WEIBERG: Right now, I'm a domestic engineer.
SAGAL: I see. Well, good for you.
WEIBERG: And I also am a part time student at our local community college.
SAGAL: Well, that's great. What are you studying?
WEIBERG: I'm trying to become a phlebotomist.
SAGAL: A what?
WEIBERG: Phlebotomist. One that draws blood.
SAGAL: Oh.
POUNDSTONE: All right.
SAGAL: I didn't know there was a name for that business.
WEIBERG: Yes.
SAGAL: I thought that was the nurse who hurts me. I didn't know that had a title.
SAGAL: Well, good luck in the phlebotomy front. It's very nice to have you with us, Heather. You're going to play our game in which you must try to tell truth from fiction. Carl, what is Heather's topic?
KASELL: There's a reason it's called the Paper of Record.
SAGAL: The New York Times has long prided itself on being the most fair, balanced, factual, and anally retentive newspaper in journalism history. And this week our panelists are going to read you three stories of the gray lady going to absurd lengths to maintain that reputation for accuracy. Guess the true story and you'll win Carl's voice on your home-answering machine or voicemail. Ready to play?
WEIBERG: Yes.
SAGAL: First, let's hear from Luke Burbank.
BURBANK: As a couple, Jacob Siegel Wasserman and Lauren Wells Heffernan seemed to have it all: good jobs, good educations, the right kind of families. And so it seemed only natural that when they decided to get married the New York Times got wind, and featured them in its "Vows" section. Things started to crumble, though, for the Siegel Wasserman-Wells Heffernans.
BURBANK: They both took each other's names while keeping their own - when the Times' fact-checking interns started making some calls.
Jacob, it turned out, had not graduated top of his class at Harvard, as he'd always told people, but rather had finished decidedly in the middle of the graduating class of the Cambridge Bartending School Class of '97. Meanwhile, Lauren's family, it turned out, hadn't made its money from her father's work on early versions of the Jarvic heart, but rather his invention of the Sham-Wow, absorbent cloth.
BURBANK: Quite accidentally, it turned out, while trying to clean up spilled beer at the family's trailer home in Sandusky.
BURBANK: Upon the paper's publication and seeing the mistruths exposed by the Times' fact checking, Jacob and Lauren quickly realized they were not so much in love with each other as the idea of each other and promptly split.
SAGAL: Fact checking a vows column breaks up a relationship. Your next story proving print isn't dead, it's just sleeping, comes from Firoozeh Dumas.
FIROOZEH DUMAS: After the attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, the New York Times dispatched its brave correspondents to find one of the men thought to be responsible: Ahmed Abu Khattala.
They found him on a hotel veranda, scoffing at threats from the American and Libyan governments, bragging and sipping what the Times identified as, quote, "mango juice." Not so fast, Paper of Record. A few days after the original story, the Times issued a correction. It wasn't mango juice; it was a strawberry frappe.
DUMAS: How did the reporter confuse a flat orange drink usually served in a short glass with a pinkish red frothy thirst quencher usually served in a tall glass with a bendy straw and mini umbrella?
DUMAS: This watered down coverage begs the question: what's next, confusing a candidate's half caf pumpkin spice latte with 2% percent milk with a soy chi latte with no foam?
SAGAL: The Times correcting the record when it comes to an alleged terrorist's beverage. And your last story of the New York Times pursuant of excellence at any cost comes from Paula Poundstone.
POUNDSTONE: Not since Lois Lane has a reported gone to such extremes to get a story and, remember, she was never really in danger. She had Superman.
When New York Times reporter Zahir Raab became privy to allegations of bullying and a "look the other way" policy on the part of administrators at Patton Elementary School in Fishkill, New York, he enrolled. That's right he enrolled. Although he is 25 years old, Raab is wiry, short and apparently capable enough of passing for a second grader.
POUNDSTONE: "I didn't like what I found," says Raab, "the culture of bullying ran quite deep. From day one, my beard and mustache drew unwarranted snickering."
POUNDSTONE: "And kids pulling my tie became as common as raising their hands to ask to go the bathroom. The English teacher never liked me, which may have been because I corrected her grammar, but still."
POUNDSTONE: "As I read aloud my essay on what I want to do when I grow up, I'm sure heard her derisive laugh the loudest, amidst the cacophonous uproar when I came to the part about my retirement plan."
SAGAL: A New York Times reporter goes undercover in an elementary school. That was from Paula. Your other two choices were from Luke Burbank, fact checking a Vows entry shows that the engaged couple weren't quite telling the truth. And from Firoozeh, a story about how the Times absolutely had to get all of the details right about an alleged terrorist, including his choice of beverage. Which of these is the real story about the Times doing what it does best?
WEIBERG: Oh, that's going to be a hard one, but I'm going to go with the second one.
SAGAL: That was Firoozeh's story?
WEIBERG: Yes.
SAGAL: Yes.
SAGAL: All right, you're chosen that story. Well, we spoke to somebody who's familiar with the story.
JOE COSCARELLI: I think strawberry frappe is more ridiculous than mango juice, mostly because of the word frappe, but also it shows such an intense dedication to the truth by the New York Times.
SAGAL: That was John Coscarelli. He is the assistant editor for the New York Magazine Daily Intel, talking about the smoothie correction. Congratulations, you got it right. Firoozeh was telling the truth.
SAGAL: And so was the Times. You've earned a point for Firoozeh, her first in this game, and you've won our prize: Carl's voice on whatever device you happen to want him to record it on. Well done, is my point.
WEIBERG: Thank you.
SAGAL: Well done. Thanks for playing.
WEIBERG: Thank you.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.


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Grab-A-Seat 2
Usman M. Bajwa 5/13/2010 12:46:00 AMThe digital darkroom version.... #1268241
Barbara Waldoch 5/14/2010 4:41:33 AMExcellent find and capture, Usman! #8610767
Joy Rector 5/14/2010 5:23:06 AMlove the patterns #8610872
Patti Coblentz 5/14/2010 5:36:45 AMGreat lines in this...love that they are not all perfectly in line..gives it a twist!
Patti #8610904
Dr Silly 5/14/2010 6:32:22 AMLike the yellow, way better. :O) #8611027
James Fike 5/14/2010 12:28:24 PMThis is an excellent capture, love the angle and colors. I really like both versions. Just very well done abstract. #8611727
Claudia Kuhn 5/15/2010 4:31:11 PMCool patterns and color! #8613871
Evy Johansen 5/15/2010 7:04:58 PMWonderful image, Usman!! #8614152
Randy D. Dinkins 5/16/2010 12:49:16 PMGreat EOD shot, very cool. #8615561
Usman M. Bajwa 5/17/2010 2:40:48 AMThanks for your time and kind comments which are very much appreciated!!
Karen E. Baumann 5/17/2010 6:15:24 AMLove the directional flow of the seats, especially like the yellow version, and the red one is interesting too! Wonderful EOD image, Usman! #8617180
Anita Hogue 5/17/2010 2:55:43 PMWOW, I love them both, Usman! Beautiful colors and design! #8618032
Salim Al-Harthy 5/25/2010 8:38:24 PMThe pattern is just perfect #8642713
Craig W. Myers 6/6/2010 1:50:12 PMGreat eye, Usman. #8669626
Nancyj E. Hovey 6/7/2010 2:43:42 PMC O N G R A T U L A T I O N S
Patti Coblentz 6/7/2010 2:53:52 PMWoo hoo...love this one, UB...congratulations on your finalist!
Patti #8672343
Renee Doyle 6/7/2010 4:50:46 PMExcellent!!!! Congratulations Usman!! #8673503
Debra R. Harder 6/7/2010 5:26:33 PMWOW...this is truly brilliant, Usman! Congratulations on another superb finalist! Deb #8673876
Lydia Williams 6/7/2010 5:33:16 PMGreat capture, Usman. Congratulations on this finalist also! #8673968
Jeana Clark 6/7/2010 6:49:22 PM
Salim Al-Harthy 6/7/2010 8:38:52 PManother one I had a feeling, see my comment above, its just perfect, well done Uthman and good luck #8675748
Melissa G. Meiselman 6/7/2010 9:13:50 PMBig congratulations on this most deserving finalist!! WTG #8675940
Sharon Sawyer 6/7/2010 10:23:54 PMWTG, Usman!!! HUGE congratulations on your stunning and well deserved finalist!!! #8676318
Stefania Barbier 6/7/2010 11:35:00 PMcongratulations, it's a wonderful finalist!!! #8676726
Usman M. Bajwa 6/7/2010 11:52:45 PMThanks everyone for your time and felicitations!!
Bojan Bencic 6/7/2010 11:53:06 PMCongratulations on your finalists, Usman. #8676846
Naomi Weiser 6/8/2010 1:20:33 AMcongrats! #8677143
Katarina Mansson 6/8/2010 6:51:14 AMCongratulations on your fantastic finalist! Love the colors and pattern. #8678122
Karen Celella 6/8/2010 7:03:06 AMCongratulations on another of your wonderful finalist, Usman! #8678204
Boyd L. Alexander 6/8/2010 7:11:26 AMAnother CONGRATULATIONS on another Wonderful Finalist Usman!! #8678250
Courtenay Vanderbilt 6/8/2010 11:51:26 AMCool design, Usman! Big Congrats! #8679206
JO ANN CLEVELAND 6/8/2010 1:04:06 PMBig congratulations on this awesome finalist Usman!
jo ann c. #8679427
Dr Silly 6/8/2010 1:25:38 PMCongratulations UB on your Finalist. :O) #8679526
Phyllis H. Burchett 6/8/2010 4:15:44 PMCongrats Usman! #8680089
Erica Murphy 6/8/2010 7:19:32 PMCongratulations on your finalist Usman! #8680762
Usman M. Bajwa 6/8/2010 9:49:53 PMThanks to each one of you for your time and kind comments!
Mitch Spence 6/9/2010 8:53:46 AMHooray for yellow and hooray for this shot, Usman. Congratulations to you. #8682222
Jessica Jenney 6/9/2010 4:01:53 PMCongratulations, Usman on your terrific win! #8683095
Patti Coblentz 6/9/2010 4:02:55 PMYea, UB...big congratulations on your win!!
Patti #8683103
Susan Fox 6/9/2010 4:11:57 PMCongratulations Usman on your win! #8683155
Leslie McLain 6/9/2010 4:17:58 PMCongrats on your wonderful winner, Usman. #8683179
Lydia Williams 6/9/2010 4:24:01 PMCongratulations on your golden winner! #8683227
Patrick Rouzes 6/9/2010 4:25:45 PMCONGRATULATIONS on this incredible WINNER, Usman!WTG! #8683237
Linda D. Lester 6/9/2010 4:32:34 PMCongratulations on your awesome 2nd place win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #8683283
Courtenay Vanderbilt 6/9/2010 5:21:50 PMWonderful win, Usman! #8683489
Debra R. Harder 6/9/2010 5:31:22 PMWTG, Usman!! Huge congratulations on your brilliant GOLD WINNER! Deb #8683542
Phyllis H. Burchett 6/9/2010 5:35:08 PMBig Congrats to you Usman!! #8683567
Renee Doyle 6/9/2010 5:47:04 PMBig congratulations on this excellent winner Usman!!!! #8683663
Deborah C. Lewinson 6/9/2010 5:48:17 PMCongratulations on your win, Usman!
Debby #8683676
Val Feldman 6/9/2010 6:10:24 PMWonderful work, wonderful capture and an excellent Gold Win! Huge congratulations to you, Usman! ~Val #8683779
Donna La Mattino Pagakis 6/9/2010 6:11:23 PMNicely done Usman. A super golden image. Congratulations!!! #8683787
Sam Britt 6/9/2010 6:11:50 PMBig Congrats on this second place winner, Usman! #8683790
Evy Johansen 6/9/2010 6:22:49 PMCongratulations on your wonderful win, Usman! #8683867
Rolando Rosito 6/9/2010 6:26:51 PMGreat Win Usman! Congratulations!!! #8683887
Kim Andelkovic 6/9/2010 6:31:00 PMCongrats on your great win UB....well done #8683906
Ken Smith 6/9/2010 6:44:39 PMExcellent, Usman...congrats on your gold!! #8684006
ROLAN NARMAN 6/9/2010 7:08:49 PMHuge Congrats on this fantastic winner Usman! #8684085
Rona L. Schwarz 6/9/2010 7:16:12 PMThis is so marvelous, Usman!! Spectacular patterns, angles, and lines make for a wonderful composition! Great work and a terrific Winner! HUGE CONGRATULATIONS!! #8684104
Amy M. Wilson 6/9/2010 7:26:56 PMHuge congratulations on this outstanding Gold winner, Usman!!! WTG #8684153
Maria Coulson 6/9/2010 7:45:17 PMUsman, congratulations! A terrific capture. #8684235
Jeana Clark 6/9/2010 7:54:26 PM
Graham Robards 6/9/2010 8:04:14 PMHuge congratulations Usman! ~Pat #8684301
Bunny Snow 6/9/2010 8:07:12 PMThe gold worked for you, Usman!!
Usman M. Bajwa 6/9/2010 8:41:20 PMMany thanks to you all for your supportive and kind comments and the judges for selecting this shot!
Corinne M. Thompson 6/9/2010 9:21:14 PMCongrats on your win Usman, wonderful elements capture! #8684547
frank w. degenhardt 6/9/2010 9:33:39 PMFantastic work done here my friend. Congratulations on the Second Place Win my friend. #8684586
Jennifer L. Alder 6/9/2010 9:37:26 PMA fabulous eye you have, UB! Big congrats on your win :) #8684594
Stefania Barbier 6/9/2010 10:58:40 PMgorgeous winner, congratulations! #8684675
Katarina Mansson 6/9/2010 11:09:13 PMCongratulations on your superb winner Usman! #8684707
Bojan Bencic 6/10/2010 1:24:40 AMCongratulations on you winner, Usman. #8684826
Nadia Paul 6/10/2010 1:34:09 AMCongrats on your wonderful winner Usman! #8684852
Ujjwal Mukherjee 6/10/2010 2:13:16 AMHUGE congratulations,Usman!!!! #8684928
Sandra Anderson 6/10/2010 3:21:05 AMExcellent vision Usman. Congratulations. #8685047
Cheryl Schneider 6/10/2010 3:47:34 AMCongratulations, Usman! #8685089
Jean-Pierre Ducondi 6/10/2010 3:54:08 AMFantastic work Usman. Big congrats on your win.
Anita Hogue 6/10/2010 4:13:36 AMWarmest CONGRATULATIONS! #8685181
Claudia Kuhn 6/10/2010 4:16:58 AMCongratulations Usman, wonderful winner! #8685197
Mitch Spence 6/10/2010 6:21:37 AMGold for a golden shot, Usman. Way to go! #8685529
Kay Beausoleil 6/10/2010 7:50:16 AMCongratulations, Usman, on your win for this wonderfully designed image! #8685720
Daniella Puente 6/10/2010 8:03:06 AMBig congrats on the gold for this fabulous photo Usman!!! #8685758
JO ANN CLEVELAND 6/10/2010 8:16:54 AMBig congratulations on your awesom Gold 2nd Place Win Usman, very well deserved too!!!
jo ann c. #8685818
Mark Dodge 6/10/2010 9:00:12 AMExcellent job on this, Usman. Well done! Congratualtions on your gold :o) #8685948
Alan Hurite 6/10/2010 10:12:49 AMUsman, congratulations on your win. Great shot!! #8686076
Mike Clime 6/10/2010 12:41:37 PMCongratulations on this great winner! #8686328
Dr Silly 6/10/2010 1:05:39 PMCongratulations UB on your Gold. :O) #8686350
R. J. Laudenbacher 6/10/2010 4:04:11 PMCongratulatioins UB on your winner. Oustanding! #8686657
Marcel J. Fernandez 6/10/2010 4:06:27 PMCongratulations, Usman on your teriffic Winner! #8686662
Debra Booth 6/10/2010 5:01:37 PMBig congrats to you Usman! Such a unique point of view. I really had to look to figure it out. #8686801
Ellen Hodges 6/10/2010 6:40:54 PMHuge congrats on this fabulous win, Usman!! #8687180
Mary K. Robison 6/10/2010 7:39:34 PMLove the "enhanced" version of your well-captured winner, Usman! Congratulations on outstanding work! #8687311
Erica Murphy 6/10/2010 9:34:19 PMCongratulations on your win Usman!! #8687491
Usman M. Bajwa 6/10/2010 10:12:04 PMI appreciate all your kind comments and the time you took to write these!
Mary K. Robison 6/11/2010 12:55:37 AMCongrats again, Usman ~ this time it's for having this become a POTD!! #8687648
Susie Peek-Swint 6/11/2010 1:00:41 AMMany congrats on your winner and POTD Usman ~ well done! #8687655
Michael Lynch 6/11/2010 2:01:28 AMBIG CONGRATULATIONS Usman; well-deserved! #8687672
Michelle Alton 6/11/2010 2:25:42 AMThis shot has wings,Usman! Another congratulations for the very apt POTD. Gold and Gold! #8687687
Kate Jackson 6/11/2010 2:49:55 AMMany congratulations Usman on your amazing POTD and Win!!! #8687708
Abdulmajeed S. Al-Eisa 6/11/2010 3:18:21 AMNice work Usman ..
(: #8687759
Robert Mann 6/11/2010 3:18:39 AMGreat design elements, color and composition, UB! Big congrats on your POTD! #8687760
William C. Raco 6/11/2010 3:21:50 AMVery nice, Usman
Janet McNeil 6/11/2010 3:46:34 AMBeautiful design!! Congrats on your POTD!! #8687825
Anita Hogue 6/11/2010 3:47:14 AMA big congratulations on your win and your POTD, Usman! #8687827
David Phalen 6/11/2010 3:48:36 AMBIG Congrats on a spectacular POTD!! #8687829
Lisa J. Boulden 6/11/2010 3:49:03 AMWonderfully seen and captured!
Alan L. Borror 6/11/2010 3:56:07 AMCongratulations on this wonderful winner, Usman! #8687847
Deborah C. Lewinson 6/11/2010 4:01:02 AMCongratulations, Usman, on your POTD award for this marvelous image!
Debby #8687857
Katarina Mansson 6/11/2010 4:01:58 AMA second yellow badge for this yellow masterpiece - congratulations again Usman! #8687862
Usman M. Bajwa 6/11/2010 4:05:30 AMThank you all for your time and kind support and thank you judges for picking it as POTD image. I feel honored and encouraged!
Kathryn Wesserling 6/11/2010 4:10:00 AMIf ever there was a true "Element of Design", this is it! Congratulations for every award it gets. #8687886
Jeff Robinson 6/11/2010 4:15:37 AMOutstanding!! Congrats Usman on your Win and POTD!! Jeff #8687906
Joy Rector 6/11/2010 4:16:26 AMcongrats on the POTD #8687908
Patricia A. Casey 6/11/2010 4:31:01 AMCongratulations on the win & the potd for a wonderful shot! Cheers #8687947
Leslie McLain 6/11/2010 4:34:15 AMCongrats on your terrific POTD, Usman. #8687961
Cindy Bendush 6/11/2010 4:36:23 AMA very cool EOD winner and POTD Usman! Big congratulations on your double achievement! #8687971
Anna Diederich 6/11/2010 4:43:21 AMCongratulations on your win and your POTD, Usman! #8688006
Bunny Snow 6/11/2010 5:00:20 AMApparently the judges really liked your design element, Usman. Not only did they give you a second place winner with your Element of Design, but a featured POTD, as well. Congratulations on your double achievement!!!
We all need to remember when all capturing images, even portraits, that the judges look at everything.
Carol Flisak 6/11/2010 5:03:50 AMGreat abstract image, Usman... I like both versions. Huge congrats on your winner and POTD! #8688092
Courtenay Vanderbilt 6/11/2010 5:09:18 AMBig Congrats again, Usman, for this splendid POTD! #8688100
Stefania Barbier 6/11/2010 5:12:24 AMWTG congrats on you double win and POTD! #8688104
Robyn A. Terrell 6/11/2010 5:20:48 AMLooks like a double congrats is in order...way to go, Usman@ #8688129
Christine Czernin 6/11/2010 5:33:18 AMA great double win. Many congrats Usman. #8688170
Lydia Williams 6/11/2010 5:34:24 AMYes! Awesome..double congratulations...POTD! Well Deserved. #8688174
Anthony L. Mancuso 6/11/2010 5:34:25 AMCongrats on your Winner/POTD UB! #8688175
Jean-Pierre Ducondi 6/11/2010 5:39:55 AMSo cool - WTG Usman - Big congrats.
Linda D. Lester 6/11/2010 5:50:48 AMCongrats on your double gold...Congratulations!! #8688204
Kitty R. Rodehorst-Hanna 6/11/2010 6:02:05 AMWHOA!!! WTG on this awesome POTD, Usman! :-) k #8688251
Tiia Vissak 6/11/2010 6:24:48 AMCongratulations! #8688342
Robert Jensen 6/11/2010 6:31:49 AMGreat comp and color and perfect lighting - congratulations #8688362
Don Christiana 6/11/2010 6:47:00 AMCongrats Usman, great image, a true winner. #8688389
Patti Coblentz 6/11/2010 7:16:57 AMWTG, UB!! Congratulations on this fantastic POTD!
Patti #8688440
Melinda F. Schneider 6/11/2010 7:22:19 AMAwesome, UB!! Winner AND POTD!! You rock!! #8688455
Debra Booth 6/11/2010 7:29:50 AMCongrats on this wonderful image again, Usman! WTG! #8688472
Dianna Murphy 6/11/2010 7:32:18 AMCongratulations
Bojan Bencic 6/11/2010 7:35:00 AMTwo gold badges on one photo! Well done, Usman. #8688486
Yulianto Soeroso 6/11/2010 7:37:46 AMwoW woW woW woW woW woW woW woW woW woW woW woW woW woW woW woW woW woW woW woW woW woW woW woW woW woW woW hihihi conggratulation Usman #8688491
Teri Klinger 6/11/2010 8:00:25 AMCONGRATS on your POTD and win!!!!! cool shot!! :) #8688538
Christine Pentecost 6/11/2010 8:13:30 AMThis is an awesome photo!! Congrats on your POTD and your 2nd place. Truly a winner! #8688579
Debra R. Harder 6/11/2010 8:13:52 AMWTG, Usman!! Huge congratulations on your brilliant POTD!! This is truly AWESOME!! Deb #8688583
Jessica Jenney 6/11/2010 8:53:42 AMCongratulations, Usman on your terrific win and POTD! #8688635
Karen Engelbreth 6/11/2010 9:07:19 AMA big congrats on your POTD, Usman... #8688652
Usman M. Bajwa 6/11/2010 9:12:28 AMThanks to each one of you, your generous felicitations and support are very much valued!
ROLAN NARMAN 6/11/2010 9:47:07 AMCongrats on your fantastic POTD Usman! #8688706
Amanda D. Austwick 6/11/2010 10:13:47 AMLove the EOD of this photo Usman, Congratulations on your double Win!!! #8688737
Mitch Spence 6/11/2010 10:52:05 AMTwo golds for you now, Usman. Way to go! #8688813
Christopher Budny 6/11/2010 10:56:09 AMCongratulations on the gold, Usman! Your stadium visit produced some great images! #8688831
Kathleen Brennan 6/11/2010 11:06:35 AMA wonderful and unique image! Congrats on you POTD and gold! #8688850
Toni Riggs 6/11/2010 11:07:17 AMGreat design, congrats! #8688852
Maria Coulson 6/11/2010 12:15:51 PMHi Usman, congratulations again!! It is not often when we see the same picture twice in the a week. Love the color and patter. WTG!! #8688985
Renee Doyle 6/11/2010 12:58:44 PMAnd now a well deserved POTD!!!!!! BIG congratulations Usman!! #8689061
Rony Sagy 6/11/2010 1:56:09 PMCongratulations on this fantastic win, Usman. #8689141
Julianne Bradford 6/11/2010 2:17:20 PMWhat wonderful composition Usman. So well seen,captured and presented :-) A very deserving gold winner, congratulations! #8689169
Maria Morrow 6/11/2010 2:38:56 PMCongratulations on this excellent winner! #8689200
Donna La Mattino Pagakis 6/11/2010 3:45:03 PMHow exciting Usman. Congratulations again!! What a super POTD! #8689287
MELODIE C. ROBERTS 6/11/2010 4:51:12 PMI would have gotten here sooner but it took all day to get to the bottom of the thread
Congratulations Usman!! #8689436
Laura E. Swan 6/11/2010 5:04:53 PMAmazing POV and DDR work here, Usman.
HUGE congrats on your big GOLD WIN!
-Laura #8689461
Cesar J. La Rosa 6/11/2010 5:34:29 PMWONDERFUL photograph; the composition, the patterns, the colors and that amazing POV... This image really deserves all the GOLD it has been given. CONGRATULATIONS on those two GOLD badges, Usman!!!
Nadia Paul 6/11/2010 6:06:51 PMCongrats on a wonderful POTD Usman! #8689637
Sabrina Ryan 6/11/2010 6:47:38 PMCONGRATULATIONS on this Awesome image & all your well deserved recognition, Usman! #8689794
Cathy Barrows 6/11/2010 6:54:43 PMCongrats on your winner and POTD...very cool image #8689811
Dr Silly 6/12/2010 3:05:44 AMCongrats UB on your BP POTD. :O) #8690236
Richard D. Love 6/12/2010 5:27:31 AMCongratulations, Usman. Excellent patterns, lines, and angles. Well done.
Rick #8690376
Karen E. Baumann 6/12/2010 6:11:13 AMUsman, Congratulations on this fine EOD image!!! I am glad you showed us both versions... I have to say the yellow one is the one for me, and, apparently the judges! The GOLD win is so exciting, and the POTD is perfect to kick off the new BP classes! Well done, nicely presented and a happy day for you!!! #8690416
Usman M. Bajwa 6/12/2010 7:57:01 AMAppreciate your kind words, thanks!
Susana Ms Heide 6/12/2010 8:05:10 AMWOW!!! STRIKING elements!!!! Perfect POTD choice for the kick off day of the World Cup!! CONGRATZ Usman!!! #8690675
Salim Al-Harthy 6/12/2010 8:00:52 PMcongratulation Usman, this really deserves the recognition, I knew it the very first I saw it my friend. Sorry for the late respond as I was away on a trip. Well done and more to come I am sure #8691342
Michael G. Marshall 6/13/2010 9:30:31 AMWonderful image, Usman! Congratulations on your terrific POTD! Michael #8691977
Phyllis H. Burchett 6/13/2010 4:47:52 PMCONGRATULATIONS on your POTD Usman! #8692541
Mukesh Srivastava 6/13/2010 7:12:05 PMStunning EOD capture!!!!!! Huge congrats for double GOLD, Usman!!!!! #8692754
Tommy E. Burgess 6/13/2010 11:08:41 PMHuge congratulations on your outstanding and well deserved winner Usman!! #8693020
Karen Celella 6/14/2010 7:19:41 AMHuge congratulations on another gold award, Usman!! #8693839
Guy D. Biechele 6/14/2010 10:43:40 AMCongratulations on your Win and your POTD! Wonderful image!! #8694288
Renata Gusciora 6/14/2010 11:45:34 AMBig congratulations on your fabulous winner,Usman!!!:-) #8694365
Usman M. Bajwa 6/14/2010 9:29:10 PMThank you all for your continued support and time!
Michael Umbreit 6/14/2010 10:17:24 PMUB - Congratulations on the double gold!! - Mike #8695338
Usman M. Bajwa 6/15/2010 9:34:54 PMThanks Mike!
Marisol Pastor 6/16/2010 9:31:13 AMIncredibly good image! Congratulations on the win + POTD! #8698860
Mick Burkey 6/16/2010 12:58:55 PMCongratulations on your win, Usman! Nicely done!! #8699172
Mary Beth Aiello 6/16/2010 2:58:21 PMDpuble congrats, Usman, on your POTD and the Gold winner. Way to go! #8699333
Ujjwal Mukherjee 6/16/2010 11:54:11 PMHUGE congratulations,Usman,yet again!!! #8699990
Usman M. Bajwa 6/16/2010 11:57:03 PMThanks a bunch Marisol, Mick, May Beth and Ujjwal!
Boyd L. Alexander 6/17/2010 8:16:08 AMCONGRATULATIONS on your well earned POTD and your Gold win,USMAN!! Very well done!! #8700823
Dominick M. Dimacale 6/18/2010 12:11:23 AMCongratulations Usman on your Winand POTD award!
Dominick #8702164
Usman M. Bajwa 6/18/2010 12:26:49 AMThank you Boyd and Dominick!
Nikki McDonald 6/18/2010 9:09:56 PMJust back from vacation to find this in my in box, Usman.
Anne McKinnell 6/19/2010 8:54:48 AMUsman, congratulations on your tremendous winner and POTD. wow!! #8704731
Robert K. Bemus 6/21/2010 12:36:00 AMCongratulations on your Win and POTD, Usman!! #8707552
Deepinder S. RANGER 6/21/2010 5:10:43 AMHuge congrats on your double gold ! #8708029
Nancyj E. Hovey 6/28/2010 6:26:47 AMC O N G R A T U L A T I O N S
Kathy L. Clark 7/9/2010 5:46:56 AMWow Usman, huge congrats on your winner and POTD. Very awesome image. #8744216
Elsa Gary 8/1/2010 7:34:30 AMWonderful image! just the kind I aspire to making! My preference is definitely the yellow. Congrats on your win. #8798959
Debbie E. Payne 8/21/2010 9:04:15 AMYes, Usman, I would definitely select the yellow over the red. This way you basically got a triple gold thing going on: the seats, the Finalist and the POTD! Congratulations. #8852701
adrifil 9/24/2010 6:44:21 AMA mostly well-deserved double winner.
Stanley C. Sims 5/3/2011 4:21:32 PMI like both of them, but the yellow one is more vibrant. Great work Usman. You have a really outstanding gallery. I will be visiting often. #9387387
Jill Odice 5/25/2011 8:58:21 PMCongrats on both awards for this great image! #9428765
Another view of the Stadium seats in the Islamabad Sports Complex.
CATEGORY: Elements of Design
A digitally enhanced version of the same image is placed below in the thread.
Exif: F Number: 13, Exposure Bias Value: -0.67, ExposureTime: 1/320 seconds, Flash: did not fire., ISO: 200, White balance: Manual white balance, FocalLength: 160.00 mm, Model: NIKON D40
Uploaded on 5/13/2010 12:43:00 AM
Camera: Nikon D40 Digital SLR Camera
Copyright for this gallery photo belongs solely to Usman M. Bajwa. Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed, written permission of the photographer.
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text:
Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2010 Announced
Earlier today, the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame announced the Class of 2010. This 7th class for the Hall will be officially inducted during a ceremony which will take place on Thursday, November 11. 2010. These chosen athletes have had exceptional careers in their particular sport, either with a Philadelphia team or having grown up in the Philadelphia area and gone on to an outstand sports career elsewhere.
Here are the inductees:
Several inductees were present at the press conference and spoke with the media. Closer Tug McGraw played 10 years with the Phillies and is best known for recording the final out of the 1980 World Series.
Sadly, McGraw passed away in 2004 from a brain tumor. His son, Mark McGraw, who currently works as an actor, was there to speak on his behalf.
Mark McGraw said, "Well I think you all know how much my Dad loved the city of Philadelphia and especially the fans. And to be honored into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame is an honor for our family, it's an honor for our Tug McGraw Foundation and Team McGraw which continues on Tug's legacy and (pause), excuse me, it's a bit emotional for me, and a very proud moment for Tug if he was here. And we're very excited to be honored and representing our father and Tug McGraw into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame and we thank them very much."
Former Philadelphia Eagles receiver, Mike Quick, also spoke at the press conference. Quick played 9 seasons for the Eagles and still lives in the area. He noted that he has been in Philadelphia for 30 years now, which is longer than his time in North Carolina where he grew up. "To me now, this (Philadelphia) is really home," Quick said, "My kids grew up here, I became a man here and I am very pleased that the Hall of Fame had decided to invite me as one of the inductees."
Phil Jasner is a writer for the Philadelphia Daily News and currently covers the 76ers. He is to be awarded the "Legacy of Excellence" award and induction into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame for an outstanding career as a sports journalist. Jasner also grew up in the area and graduated from Temple University. Always entertaining, Jasner did not disappoint today saying, "I asked Marcia, my life partner, if she'd still love me when I'm old and miserable. And she said, 'Of course I do.'"
But the real highlight of the day for me personally was having the opportunity to speak with former Phillie, Dick Allen. Allen played for the Phillies from 1963-1969 and 1975-1976. He earned the NL "Rookie of the Year" award in 1964 and was a 3-time All-Star with the Phillies. His early career in Philadelphia was marred by several personal incidents.
Allen played during a time when racism was still prominent in America and certainly, in baseball. Allen was subjected to racial slurs and taunting by both fans and fellow players. In 1965, he got into a fight with a white teammate, Frank Thomas. Thomas hit Allen in the shoulder with a bat and was released the next day. Fans blamed Allen for the dismissal of Thomas and his problems were only exasperated by his own temper and demeanor, which were often seen as negative.
However, when I spoke with Allen today after the press conference, I saw a kind, gentle human being with a great sense of humor. Allen asked if I was going to take his picture and I told him I would.
He then pinched me on the arm, winked and told me, "You are such a pretty girl, I should be taking your picture." Ok, so I'll take flattery wherever I can get it. But that aside, Allen stayed to speak with reporters for an extended time after the press conference and was gracious and forthcoming with everyone he spoke to.
When asked about his difficulties back in the 60's, Allen said, "Mother sat me down and had a long talk with me," and went on to say his mother also taught him about the importance of forgiveness. Another question arose about the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Many think Allen should be in the Hall, but may have been snubbed because of his earlier temperament. Allen's numbers certainly warrant a bid to the Hall. Allen's career stats include a batting average of .292, a slugging % of .534, and his on-base % was 378.
When asked about a possible bid for the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Allen said, "I don't even know how that works. Maybe politics or something like that. I don't know. I think everything speaks for itself. Possibly had I been a little kinder to some of the writers or maybe the right persons along the way, I don't know." But ultimately, he said has always been at peace with everything. Allen stated, "I played it all and gave it my heart so I am particularly enjoying this," referring to his Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame induction.
I particularly enjoyed meeting and speaking with Mr. Allen. I would like to thank him for taking the time to talk to me. I would also like to thank all the other attendees and especially the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame for inviting me to the press conference. Congratulations to all the inductees!
For more information on the PSHOF, visit www.phillyhall.org.
Here is the full Photo Album from the press conference.
Photosby Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin' Phils Phorum in the My Team Rivals network*


text:
With spring right around the corner, ESPNHS has begun its search for the nation's top high school baseball player, regardless of school year and based solely on on-field performance.
Every two weeks, we'll rank the nine players in order in The Starting Nine. And at the end of the season, whoever is in the top spot will be crowned The Diamond Gem, our award given to the nation's most outstanding player.
So to kick it off, we give you our preseason Starting Nine. Leading the way is Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.) senior Lucas Giolito, the nation's top right-handed pitcher who dominated opposing hitters last season and has looked very much like an early first-round pick in the early going this year.
The Starting Nine: Preseason
1. Lucas Giolito, Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.)
RHP, Senior
Why he's here: The nation's top right-hander, Giolito went 9-0 last year with a 1.00 ERA with 78 strikeouts in 70.1 innings. He also pitched four complete games, three of which were shutouts.
2. Joey Gallo, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)
1B/3B/RHP, Senior
Why he's here: The top player on the top team in the POWERADE FAB 50, Gallo hit .471 last year with 25 homers and 78 RBIs while leading Gorman to its sixth straight state title. He also was 3-1 on the bump with a 1.12 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 18.2 innings.
3. Byron Buxton, Appling County (Baxley, Ga.)
OF, Senior
Why he's here: The nation's top outfielder and potential top 10 pick in June's MLB draft flirted with the .600 mark last season (he finished hitting .594) and clubbed 10 homers while driving in 48 runs.
4. Lance McCullers Jr., Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.)
RHP/SS, Senior
Why he's here: The hard-throwing right-hander (he's hit 100 mph on the radar gun) went 5-2 with a 1.71 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 45 innings last season for the Class 4A state runner-up. He also hit .422 with seven homers and 24 RBIs.
5. Kayden Porter, Spanish Fork (Utah)
RHP/OF, Senior
Why he's here: Porter picked up ESPNHS National Junior of the Year honors last year after leading Spanish Fork to its third straight state title. He went 9-1 with 85 strikeouts in 59 innings and hit .570 with 14 homers and 50 RBIs.
6. Gavin Cecchini, Barbe (Lake Charles, La.)
SS, Senior
Why he's here: Leader of Louisiana powerhouse picked up Gatorade State Player of the Year honors last season after hitting .548 with 10 homers, 41 RBIs and 32 stolen bases.
7. Max Fried, Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.)
LHP, Senior
Why he's here: The nation's top lefty, Fried went 7-3 with a 1.31 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 69.2 innings at Montclair Prep (Van Nuys, Calif.). He transferred to Harvard-Westlake after Montclair Prep cut its athletics program.
8. Kyle Carter, Columbus (Ga.)
OF/LHP, Senior
Why he's here: Carter, who starred on the Columbus team that won the 2006 Little League World Series, set a single-season school record with 22 homers last season to help Columbus earn its second straight state title and 11th overall. He also hit .467 with 47 RBIs and went 9-4 on the mound with a 2.33 ERA.
9. Courtney Hawkins, Carroll (Corpus Christi, Texas)
RHP/OF, Senior
Why he's here: The leader of the No. 4 team in the POWERADE FAB 50, Hawkins led Carroll to a state title as a sophomore and the state semifinals last season. As a junior, he hit .410 with 15 homers, 49 RBIs and 22 stolen bases and was 10-2 with a 2.35 ERA and 81 strikeouts.
Another 25 players we're tracking to begin the 2012 season
OF Albert Almora, Mater Academy (Hialeah Gardens, Fla.), Sr.
RHP Freddy Avis, Menlo School (Atherton, Calif.), Sr.
1B Keon Barnum, King (Tampa, Fla.), Sr.
RHP Ryan Burr, Highlands Ranch (Colo.), Sr.
C Zach Collins, American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), Jr.
C Clint Coulter, Union (Camas, Wash.), Sr.
OF David Dahl, Oak Mountain (Birmingham, Ala.), Sr.
RHP Ty Hensley, Santa Fe (Edmond, Okla.), Sr.
3B/RHP Carson Kelly, Westview (Portland, Ore.), Sr.
LHP Nathan Kirby, James River (Midlothian, Va.), Sr.
C Jeremy Martinez, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), Jr.
C/SS/RHP Wyatt Mathisen, Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas), Sr.
OF/RHP Ty Moore, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), Sr.
3B/OF Mitch Nay, Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), Sr.
1B/RHP Matt Olson, Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.), Sr.
3B Rio Ruiz, Bishop Amat (La Puente, Calif.), Sr.
SS Addison Russell, Pace (Fla.), Sr.
RHP Lucas Sims, Brookwood (Snellville, Ga.), Sr.
LHP Matt Smoral, Solon (Ohio), Sr.
1B/RHP Jake Thompson, Rockwall-Heath (Heath, Texas), Sr.
RHP/OF Keegan Thompson, Cullman (Ala.), Jr.
C Stryker Trahan, Acadiana (Lafayette, La.), Sr.
LHP Hunter Virant, Camarillo (Calif.), Sr.
RHP Walker Weickel, Olympia (Orlando, Fla.), Sr.
OF/LHP Jesse Winker, Olympia (Orlando, Fla.), Sr.


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NCR Corp., which makes ATMs and self-service checkout machines, said Wednesday that it will buy Retalix Ltd., a maker of software for grocery stores, in a deal worth about $660 million.
NCR, based in Duluth, Ga., agreed to buy Retalix for $30 per share. That's a premium of 37 percent based on the Tuesday closing price of Retalix shares. NCR said the purchase will strengthen its position in the retail industry and increase its offerings of profitable software and services.
Retalix shares jumped $7.60, or 34.7 percent, to close at $29.50 on Wednesday. They reached an all-time high of $30.39 earlier in the session. NCR shares fell 21 cents to close at $23.75.
NCR reported $4.09 billion in revenue over the first three quarters of 2012. Retalix had about $204 million in revenue in that period.
NCR expects to complete the deal in the first quarter of 2013. It has entered into voting agreements with Retalix's two largest shareholders, Alpha Group and Ronex, which combined own about 38 percent of the company's shares.
Retalix is headquartered in Israel with North American operations based in Plano, Texas.


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It took less than 10 seconds for Northern Illinois coach Rod Carey to shoot down the idea that the recruiting class of 2013 was "his class."
Before he spoke about individual recruits and answered questions from the media Wednesday at the Yordon Center, Carey said this class was the product of the hard work of his staff, not just him.
Carey is right: It wasn't his class. This was Dave Doeren's class.
Ten players off the 24-recruit class were verbally committed to NIU before Doeren left DeKalb for North Carolina State in early December. While NIU would not clarify who is on scholarship and who are walk-ons, it's safe to say all 10 of those recruits filled scholarship spots, taking up a majority of the 14 scholarships NIU had available for this recruiting cycle.
But Carey's recruiting efforts over the past two months weren't solely focused on this year's class. He was looking even further into the future.
"You're going to recruit ahead, that's just how we do it today," Carey said. "I still have a strong belief that you go and you're recruiting seniors this time of year. You're recruiting those guys, you're looking forward to 2014. ... Did we get out in 2014 and recruit? You bet we did."
And that set of recruits – the class of 2014 – could prove to be a defining group for the program. With more scholarships available and Carey fully entrenched as NIU's coach, that will be the first time he puts his mark on the future of NIU football.
This year, the Huskies were able to capitalize a little off the national attention that NIU's Orange Bowl appearance brought to the program, but, as shown by NIU's class, many of the nation's recruits already had verbally committed to schools.
Moving forward, NIU's success no longer will be a secret to any football prospect starting the recruiting process. The Orange Bowl appearance, consecutive Mid-American Conference championships and finishing the season in The Associated Press' Top 25 are notable accomplishments that speak to recruits.
The achievements of quarterbacks Jordan Lynch and Chandler Harnish, who have thrived in NIU's spread offense, make NIU an even more attractive option for dual-threat signal-callers.
"It's still tough for them to take a player away from the Big Ten," NCSA recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said. "But battling other MAC schools, having the success at quarterback really helps them and puts them among the elite schools, quarterback-wise, in the conference."
NIU fans can learn a little from recent history. Former coach Jerry Kill was hired in December of 2008 and his first recruiting class, signed two months later, produced only a few players of note in Sean Progar, Jason Schepler and Rashaan Melvin, all of whom originally were walk-ons. To be fair, NIU also was coming off a 2-10 season.
But Kill's next class in 2009 laid the foundation for NIU's Orange Bowl season, featuring a group of playmakers such as Martel Moore, Perez Ashford, Nabal Jefferson, Tyrone Clark and Alan Baxter. Oh, and the guy who finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting this season.
Carey found himself in the same circumstances as Kill did five seasons ago, having to spend much energy persuading committed recruits to stay. But Carey comes into a program that has made huge strides in recent years, making his sales pitch to recruits much easier than what Kill had in the early stages of his coaching tenure with the Huskies.
NIU has even started putting together its class of 2014 already, gaining a verbal commitment from Sycamore receiver Ben Niemann late last year.
The class of 2013 could very well exceed expectations. But the class of 2014 is the one to focus on.
That will be Carey's first class. And it could be the one that leads NIU back to a prominent bowl.
• Ross Jacobson is the sports editor of the Daily Chronicle. He can be reached via e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.com or follow him on Twitter @RossJacobson.


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I am going against the grain here. These kids are 17 and 18 years old? I would only offer my phone number if the parents want to contact me.
Quote from: Zilla on April 18, 2013, 08:52:43 AMI am going against the grain here. These kids are 17 and 18 years old? I would only offer my phone number if the parents want to contact me.This is what my neighbor suggested as well. I think I will have my DD give out our number and my e-mail address to the group. I *would* like to have a phone number for a parent/emergency contact for everyone though, I think. I don't anticipate any problems as my DD tends to hang out with kids who are "rule followers" like she is, but you never know.One of the PP asked if I have enough towels - unfortunately yes! LOL Re: sleeping bags - they are going to drop their stuff off at our house when they come over to do pictures before prom.
I think the note makes plans and expectations clear to both prom goers and parents. That seems valuable. If what you envision conflicts with their plans, they have time to make other arrangements.As far as alcohol at parties for kids this.age, it is downrigjt illegal here. If adult hosts chose to furnish it anyway they and their guests would be risking legal consequences. Sneaking it in opposition to clearly expressed house rules seems so ungracious and like such a clear example of immaturity regarding alcohol.
Although as some parent are more liberal, it may be worth adding that its an alcohol free party and anyone found to have brought any will be delivered home.
Quite frankly the other parents should be contacting you!
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CEDAR RAPIDS (AP) — When Iowa farmers were done harvesting this year's drought-stunted 2012 corn crop this fall, many of them didn't stop there.
They returned to the fields to chop and rake the dried cornstalks into round bales that, at first glance, don't look much different from hay bales.
The material is known as corn stover. Experts say farmers began harvesting more of it in the last few years of rising hay and grain prices, and harvested a lot more of it this year as the 2012 drought drove hay prices to record levels.
Corn stover is different from silage, a livestock feed typically made by chopping up green corn plants and storing the material in a silo for partial fermentation. It is dry and course, but cattle will eat it, particularly when they have nothing better.
"It's really not much more than filler," said Erle Driscoll of Waldrige Farms near Williamsburg, which produces organic corn and breeds Angus cattle.
Driscoll said corn stover doesn't do much more than satisfy the animal's appetite unless it's mixed with other ingredients. Waldrige Farms mixes it with high-quality hay, vitamins and minerals, to stretch the volume of feed from its hay output every year.
Iowa State University Extension Beef Specialist Denise Schwab is among the livestock production experts who are seeing an increase in reliance on corn stover. She said many farmers were using corn stover for livestock bedding, and converting the corn stover into livestock feed adds little complexity to the process.
Farmers need to know the right mix of vitamins and minerals to add to the stover to feed their cattle, Schwab said. They often chop the stover in a tub grinder to make it easier for cattle to digest.
Demand for corn stover is high enough that some livestock producers who don't grow enough themselves buy it from their neighbors, and it occasionally makes it to hay auctions.


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Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Why Vanderbilt?
Nope, none of these. The reason Michigan will be hosting Vanderbilt on September 2nd is because ESPN promised to broadcast one of the Commodores' women's basketball games. According to SI.com's John Walters, Vanderbilt vice chancellor (they don't have an AD in Nashville) Dave Williams wouldn't commit to the trip to Ann Arbor until ESPN vice president of programming and acquisitions Dave Brown offered up the broadcast for the women hoopsters. So a Vanderbilt vice chancellor and the ESPN VP of programming and acquisitions have as much, or more, say in the Michigan football schedule as Bill Martin does.
The article shows one of the more seedy sides of college football - the scheduling world, "A world in which the sanctity of a contract means little." So if the Wolverines blow a 4th quarter lead in that opener, we'll have someone new to blame. Not Ron English, but, rather, the Lady Commodores.
4 comments:
- surrounded in columbus said...
maybe it's my bad timing, but it appears that SI either has a problem w/ their site or has removed that post/report.
if someone has a copy or a working link, please pass it along. i'd like to read it.
- April 18, 2006 10:54 AM
- Benny Friedman said...
Thanks Surrounded. I don't know if I put in the wrong link or they changed it, but it's working now.
- April 18, 2006 10:59 AM
- The King said...
You're telling me that to Vanderbilt, getting coverage of a non-sport like women's basketball is worth having your football team gets trounced on national TV?
That's really poorly thought out. Vanderbilt had a great season last year, and they're about to have a top 15 draft pick. And yet they would compromise this solid foundation-building so that the tens of slow, uncoordinated Lady Commodores fans can get their fix?
- April 18, 2006 11:39 AM
- surrounded in columbus said...
it does work now- probably a glitch in their site this a.m.
it's really odd to think of ESPN brokering/scheduling games for schools, instead of schools working directly w/ each other.
- April 18, 2006 2:57 PM


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Wrath of the Lich King: The pros
Our boring, two-button rotation was replaced with a dynamic priority system, completed nicely with the excellent Maelstrom Weapon. Windfury/Windfury was replaced by the newly enhanced Windfury/Flametongue, which scaled with our spellpower and now gave us a passive boost to that stat. Spell hit rating/melee hit rating (and their critical rating counterparts) were rolled into one stat, so that we would be able to feasibly hit the spell hit cap at 17% without sacrificing melee hit. With the coming of Wrath of the Lich King, the entire game was restructured to allow melee/spell caster hybrids to actually work.
Totem twisting was forever removed from the game. While it was unfortunate in some ways (there was nothing cooler than pugging a raid -- yes, we did that in BC, too -- and having the rogues in the group get excited over Vent to see you twisting totems), totem twisting was replaced by having abilities in our priority that actually allowed us to deal damage. Most totems and Bloodlust went raid-wide, allowing us to reach even more people with our excellent buffs. We remained the premiere melee buff class, bringing a strength/agility buff, 20% melee haste, and 10% attack power.
These were just the gifts we received at the beginning of Wrath. Throughout the expansion, we received other useful changes. Earth Shock, which previously had to be left out of our rotation on any fight that required interrupting, was replaced by Wind Shear, the most powerful interrupt in World of Warcraft. In response to our total lack of AOE DPS, we were given Fire Nova; when we got it in patch 3.3, we considered it a good deal. Shamanistic Rage had its cooldown reduced to 1 minute, making recovering from death a significantly easier prospect.
While the end of Wrath of the Lich King left most enhancement shaman bitter and dejected, that isn't the way any of us started out the expansion. During the first patch of Wrath, enhancement shaman were the best hybrid DPS class in the game and competed for the top spot of best DPS spec, period. Our use of agility/intellect mail finally made sense, as both agility and intellect gave us attack power on a 1:1 basis. We had a viable DPS cooldown in Feral Spirit, and patch 3.0.8 gave us Fire Elemental Totem as a useful cooldown, as well.
By the beginning of patch 3.1, we started to slip off the top spot of DPS meters, but it really wasn't until the end of 3.2 that we became the absolute worst DPS spec in the game. The problem was that after 3.2 came 3.3 and Icecrown Citadel, a nearly year-long patch that highlighted every one of our issues and made playing World of Warcraft feel like a death race.
The downsides of playing enhancement in Icecrown Citadel were the stuff of legend. Our phenomenally complex priority system rivaled that of the feral druid, with none of the incredible DPS that came with being a feral druid. Our abilities, though we had a lot of them, all did relatively small amounts of damage per button press. The majority of our damage actually came from passive weapon strikes, like Windfury Weapon, Flametongue Weapon, Static Shock, and Maelstrom Weapon procs. Magma Totem was an annoying part of our priority, a small damage over time ability whose only saving grace was that it did more damage than Searing Totem.
We relied on Fire Elemental as a DPS cooldown, which made us lose ridiculous amounts of DPS potential on any fight longer than 2 minutes or any attempts made while FE was on cooldown. This was in addition to Feral Spirit, a high-damage DPS cooldown that comprised too much of our overall damage. While Feral Spirit was up, our DPS was competitive with every other class. During the 2 minutes and 15 seconds of downtime it had, it wasn't.
Even our survivability had problems. Our main survival cooldown, Shamanistic Rage, was also our only way of returning mana. Coupled with the tier 10 two-piece bonus, it also was used on cooldown for a 12% damage bonus. With SR being used on cooldown for DPS, we no longer had an ability to mitigate spikes of damage from bosses.
Our most glaring issue, however, was movement. We had absolutely no way of closing the gap between us and the boss. On fights like Professor Putricide, this issue was particularly prominent. Our inability to maximize time on target in any fight that required much moving (Lady Deathwhisper, Putricide, Blood Prince Council, to name a few) meant that our already low DPS hit absolute rock bottom. This was such a glaring issue that many enhancement shaman picked up engineering as a profession simply for Nitro Boosts, giving us a gap closer on a 3-minute cooldown.
Of course, Cataclysm has its issues. As I've detailed before, our AOE system is beyond awful. We still have scaling issues, and our reliance on spellpower means that spellpower weapons are still viable options in specific situations. We still could possibly use an execute mechanic, both for helping score kills in PVP and to keep us competitive in the execute phases of bosses.
What I'd like to emphasize is that, while we have always had issues, we're not the neglected, downtrodden class that many forum posters would have you believe. We're not the redheaded stepchildren of WoW, whom Blizzard has never buffed and has no understanding of. When looking at the actual history of the game and class design, it becomes easy to see that Blizzard has addressed a plethora of enhancement issues. It's just a matter of perspective.
I'm not saying to lay down and accept what's given to us or to not enumerate and explain the issues we're faced with. That's feedback -- and without feedback, Blizzard could not have made enhancement shaman the spec they are today.
Show your totemic mastery by reading Totem Talk: Enhancement every week. We've got enhancement-specific advice on rep gear, heroic gear, and raiding gear, plus tips on maximizing your utility skills and tactics for raiding Blackwing Descent.


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VANCOUVER — Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis stated Tuesday the team hasn't given up on underachieving winger Mason Raymond but the real proof will come by June 25, the deadline to make impending restricted free agent Raymond a qualifying offer.
The qualifying offer — equal to the same $2.55 million Raymond earned in 2011-12 — would enable Gillis to retain Raymond's rights but, of course, Raymond could also take it and become an expensive fourth liner. It's a conundrum for the GM.
"If you are asking me 'are we going to give up on Mason Raymond?', the answer is no," Gillis told a packed news conference at Rogers Arena. "But Mason is going to have to make a step now that he wasn't able to make this year returning from that [back] injury. He knows it and we know it and he'll be evaluated on that basis moving forward."
Raymond, of course, suffered a devastating vertebrae compression fracture in last June's Stanley Cup final and wasn't able to train properly during the summer. He finally returned to the lineup Dec. 4 after missing the first 25 games of the season. He managed just 10 goals and 20 points in 55 appearances. He added one assist in the playoffs.
While Gillis did appear to endorse Raymond, he didn't declare he would absolutely tender a qualifying offer.
"I'm not going to talk about that yet," Gillis said. "I haven't even had a chance to think about it."
If no qualifying offer is made, Raymond would automatically become an unrestricted free agent. The 26-year-old has been a Canuck for five seasons.
"I'm an RFA so much of that is out of my hands," Raymond said. "The season has been over for two days. As it does every other year, that stuff takes care of itself and I'll take it as it comes.
"I still think I'm a guy who can contribute. I'm still in the prime of my career where I can do some good things."
SAMMY UNCERTAIN: Rental centre Sammy Pahlsson, acquired at the trade deadline from the Columbus Blue Jackets, said Tuesday he is uncertain about his hockey-playing future. He is an unrestricted free agent after completing a contract that saw him make $2.65 million this past season.
"I've enjoyed it here but I don't have a clue what I'm going to do or anything," explained the 34-year-old Swede. "I don't even know if I am going to stay in the NHL. That's where we're at right now. Nothing was fun in Columbus. We were losing and firing coaches and no one likes that. Then I came here and had a good experience until we lost. So I'll think about what I want to do, talk to my family and get everything figured out."
MAN O MANNY: Faceoff specialist Manny Malhotra has one year remaining on his contract and sounded Tuesday like a man who intends to not only return but return to form.
Malhotra, 31, had a disappointing season due mainly to the terrible eye injury he suffered March 16, 2011. He couldn't train properly last summer and eventually settled into the fourth-line left-winger spot after being a third-line centre prior to his injury. He finished the 2011-12 season with 18 points and a team-worst minus-11.
Malhotra is slated to make $2.5 million but there is also the chance the team could buy him out (at two-thirds of his salary) and use his cap space and roster spot on another player.
"I definitely feel confident in my ability and I'm definitely looking forward to getting back into shape and being ready for the start of the season as supposed to playing a little bit of catch-up as I did this year," Malhotra said. "As a player, you have to believe in yourself and I know it's still in me. It's just a matter of putting in the work and getting back to that level that I expect of myself."
Gillis was reluctant to discuss Malhotra's future and spoke only in vague generalities.
"We have the luxury of time on our side to see how things go over the next couple of months," Gillis said. "We'll make all the decisions somewhere down the road. I certainly haven't made them today and I wouldn't say if I had."
QUOTABLE: "I hadn't heard that Jimmy Howard was added so maybe that's a 'no' then. And it's a tough spot not having a contract so there are some risks involved. " — Goalie Cory Schneider on whether he might join Team USA for the upcoming world hockey championship.
On Twitter: Twitter.com/elliottpap


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BOSTON (AP) — By not forgetting last year, Gracie Gold did something very memorable in these U.S. Championships.
Gold easily skated off with the women's short program Thursday night with a career-high 72.12 points. Her sensational performance built on strong jumps, improved presentation and a rapport with the audience put her more than five points ahead of 15-year-old Polina Edmunds and nearly seven points ahead of a resurgent Mirai Nagasu.
Two-time defending champion Ashley Wagner was fourth.
The top three women will go to the Sochi Olympics. She might settle for Gracie Silver or Gracie Bronze there, but for now, the 18-year-old with roots in both Springfield, Mo. and Springfield, Ill. is on top, erasing bitter memories of her flop in the short program at the 2013 nationals.
"It was one of my best shorts," Gold said. "I feel a little bit different standing here than being in ninth.
"I was able to skate the way I trained. I'm so glad I was able to breathe and bend my knees. I just trusted my training."
She works with renowned coach Frank Carroll, who helped Evan Lysacek win gold at Vancouver.
It worked so well that with a repeat of her superb and victorious free skate from last year, Gold will be a lock for the Olympic team. The long program will be Saturday night following the pairs free skate.
Earlier, hometown favorites Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir ignored all the pressure of carrying the hopes of friends and family in the crowd to run away with the pairs short program.
The defending champs staked themselves to a huge lead of 6.63 points.
Gold's triple lutz-triple toe loop combination got her off to a strong start, and the program to "Piano Concerto" kept on building. She earned the highest possible level on all her other elements.
Her performance was no surprise given that Gold is one of the favorites here to claim an Olympic spot. But Edmunds, the 2013 U.S. junior champion, stunned most everyone with her routine as the final skater of the night.
She matched Gold's combination jumps and made her bubbly program look almost easy — as if she knew she belonged in the top echelon.
"It couldn't have been much better," she said. "I shouldn't be surprised. I have all the elements. I just went out and did them."
Wagner didn't test herself the same way, and it cost her. A relatively conservative program also had too many errors, such as a shaky landing on her combination jump, which was only a triple-double. She simply didn't attack the way the top three did.
"I decided to play it safe rather than be sorry," she said. "I could have gone for the triple after the flip, but knew it wouldn't be a good one and it was risky. I decided to just leave it at that."
And that left her fourth, behind Nagasu, who pretty much has struggled ever since finishing fourth in the Vancouver Olympics.
"I feel like I have a full door of opportunity available to me," Nagasu said.
Clearly, so do Castelli and Shnapir.
"We do little exhibitions at our home club, Skating Club of Boston, and those are some of the most nerve-racking performances for us," Shnapir said. "There's almost this feeling of expectation that we have to do well. It's definitely challenging. But as soon as we hit our spot, as soon as we heard our names called, we felt that energy."
Castelli's jaw dropped when their mark of 73.13 points was announced.
"I was in shock at first; I was not expecting that," she said. "I like to try to calculate it in my head. I would have been happy with 66 or 67, so it was just insane."
The crowd was screaming for them from the moment they took the ice to warm up for their performance, the last of the afternoon.
The roars swelled as they skated to "Black Magic Woman" and "Smooth" by Carlos Santana. Their speed on the ice and the height of their jumps were on another level from the rest of the competition, and when Castelli, 23, smoothly landed a big throw triple salchow, Shnapir, 26, might have thought from the reaction that his beloved Bruins had just scored a goal at TD Garden.
"Props to the crowd — that was more than we could have asked for," Shnapir said. "The energy in the house was enormous and it really helped us. It was kind of humbling to know how many people are supporting us and were cheering us on."
The real competition Saturday could be for the United States' second Olympic spot. Felicia Zhang and Nathan Bartholomay lead third-place DeeDee Leng and Timothy LeDuc by 0.1 points.
Caydee Denney and John Coughlin, the 2012 champs, returned after missing last year's nationals as he recovered from hip surgery, and were fourth.
AP Sports Writers Rachel Cohen and Jimmy Golen contributed to this report.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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In Bangui, Father Sells Tea To Support His Displaced Family
In the Central African Republic, WFP is providing food assistance to thousands of people who have fled the renewed violence in December. Distributions are taking place in hospitals, orphanages, churches and mosques - wherever people take refuge. Wilfred Feizoure, a father of two, was one recent recipient. But he is far from passive. He is doing what he can to support his family in this chaotic time.
Bangui, Central African Republic - Wilfred Feizoure's life has been turned upside down. But the father-of-two is trying to restore some order to his personal chaos by selling much-needed cups of tea in a church compound, where he was forced to flee with his family at the beginning of December.
"At about 3 o'clock in the morning, I heard some gunshots. I thought it was not a big deal because this happens very often these days. But then I heard people crying in a compound next to mine," the 28-year-old, from the Doloko neighbourhood in the capital Bangui, said.
That was 5 December when armed gangs went on the rampage in Bangui, killing around 1,000 people, according to Human Rights Watch, and displacing more than 200,000 people.
Feizoure soon realized he was witnessing a new round of horror in a country where violence has intensified in recent weeks.
"I saw armed men knocking at the doors, one after another, beating people, looting houses and shops, and killing young men. As I tried to figure out what was going on, I saw three people shot dead in front of our compound. That forced me to leave the area at once," said Feizoure.
He and his family sought refuge in the Saint Joseph Mukasa church, two kms south of Bangui's international airport and now home to around 12,000 people. Feizoure left his home with very little as most of the family's goods were looted by the attackers.
In a bid to provide for his children, and offer some comfort to other families forced to seek shelter in the church grounds, Feizoure, who had been a student at the Technical Centre for Rural Development, decided to sell tea and coffee.
He still had a cooking pot, a small wooden table and a few tea cups. He also had 750 Central African CFA francs (about US$ 2) and with that he bought a handful of green tea leaves and one kg of sugar.
Cupful of Warmth
As the sun climbed into the sky on a recent Wednesday, people queued in front of his table to buy the sweet, warm tea.
"These men and women have been sleeping all night in the open air with little protection from dust and cold. I am offering them a cup of hot tea and coffee to warm them up," said Feizoure.
However, the money he earns is still not enough to secure food for his children in a city divided by armed gangs, even if he did feel confident enough to leave the relative safety of the church compound. Across CAR, food prices are high and volatile because of the disruption to markets.
The very next day, Feizoure was among thousands of people at the church compound who received food rations from WFP, which is working to distribute assistance across this fractured city under very tense and complex security conditions.
At the Mukasa site, WFP distributed maize meal, split peas and vegetable oil to cover families' immediate needs for 10 days. So far in December, WFP and its partners have distributed nearly 500 tons of food to more than 118,000 people in Bangui.
WFP is scaling up its emergency response to provide more than 1 million people with life-saving food support over the next six months. WFP assists refugees and internally displaced persons, and also carries out nutrition activities for women, children and people affected by HIV, as well as school meals programmes and livelihood projects. It also provides safety nets for the most vulnerable.
Feizoure prays day-and-night for peace and stability to be restored so that he can return home and resume his studies.


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With Northfield's school year coming to an end, the school held an awards ceremony to honor the students' academic achievements throughout this school year.
Art Department
The Banner award for 7th grade goes to Brittany Bussard and Trinity Johnson. The Banner award for 8th grade goes to Attie Schuler, Ellie Schuler and Madison Nevil. Wabash County Art Show for 7th grade was Alyssa Balay, Emily Clendenon, Daniel Driscoll, Trinity Johnson, Ally Keaffaber, Mallory Grizzle, Cara Kowalczuk, Liz Moore (3), Macie Sears, Ciara Peterson, Karlie Poland, Brayden Rudy, and Jacob Truman. The Wabash County Art Show for 8th grade was Braelyn Deeter, Joe Halderman, Mariah Kirtlan, Brionna Lee, Lily Myers, Madison Nevil, Attie Schuler, Indi Shear, Ava Smith, and Jared Vigar.
Physical Education Department
The National Presidential Physical Fitness Award for 7th grade was Melanie Beery, Bailey Burcroff, Daniel Driscoll, Libby Haupert, Caleigh Holmes, Alexis Hyden, Liz Moore, Jared Peas, Logan Peas, Sidney Prater, and Kelcie Thompson. The National President Physical Fitnees award for 8th grade was Kailen Carpenter, Matt Coe, Braelyn Deeter, Blake Harner, Noah Hicks, AJ Hunt, Michelle Hunt, Sarah Johnston, Kade Kennedy, Macauley Miller, Mariah Kirtlan, Natasha Leland, Emily Miner, Madison Nevil, Katy Pefley, Ellie Schuler, Indi Shear, Madison Snyder, and Jared Vigar. The Presidental Physical Fitness Award for 7th grade was Brittany Bussard, Ariel Dale, Ally Keaffaber, Karlie Poland, Erin Proebstle, Abbey Ross, and Hope Unger. The Presidental Physical Fitness award for 8th grade was Attie Schuler and Shelby Ward. Outstanding 7th grade students were Ally Keaffaber and Logan Peas. Outstanding 8th grade students were Indi Shear and Jared Vigar.
English Department
The outstanding 7th grade student was Emily Clendenon. Top RC Winners were Liz Moore in first place, Libby Haupert in second place, and Emily Clendenon in third place. The outstanding 8th grade student was Ellie Schuler. The Anne Sullivan Award winner was Hallie Schuler. Battle of the Books Team Members were Anna Driscoll, Stormi Garriott, Leah Gatchel, Madison Lester, Lilly Myers, Katy Pefley (captain), Amira Siddiqui, and Hallie Zolman.
Mathematics Department
Wabash County Math Contest ribbon winners were Anna Driscoll, John Schuler, Ellie Schuler, Liz Moore, Mallory Grizzle, Brennen Vigar, Emily Clendenon, and Cole Rosen. The Wabash County Math Contest gift card winner was Jacob Truman. The outstanding performers in 7th grade Math were Alyssa Balay, Cassidy Carter, Treyver Lehman, Dalton McKinney, Blake Parrett, and Kelcie Thomson, with the outstanding performer in Accelerated Math 7 being Emily Clendenon. The outstanding performers in 8th grade Math were Kiana Kendall, Madison Nevil, Alina Reed, and Indi Shear.
The outstanding performers in Algebra 8 were Anna Driscoll and Jared Vigar.
Science Department
The outstanding 7th grade students were Brennen Vigar and Emily Clendenon. The outstanding 8th grade students were Anna Driscoll, Joe Halderman, Lilly Myers, Madison Nevil, Attie Schuler, Ellie Schuler, John Schuler, India Shear, Madison Snyder, and Jared Vigar.
Social Studies Department
The outstanding 7th grade students were Melanie Beery, Daniel Driscoll, Jacob Truman, Erin Whetstone, and Brennen Vigar. The outstanding 8th grade students were India Shear and John Schuler.
Special Awards
Key Club: Amira Siddiqui
All A Honor Roll
7th grade
Melanie Beery, Emily Clendenon, Elizabeth Haupert, Ally Keaffaber, Elizabeth Moore, Jared Peas, Abigayle Ross, Erin Whetstone
8th grade
Anna Driscoll, Jacob Fulkerson, Natasha Leland, Lilly Myers, Attie Schuler, Ellie Schuler, John Schuler, India Shear, Madison Snyder, Jared Vigar
All A & B Honor Roll
7th grade
Brittany Bussard, Cassidy Carter, Brooklyn Crum, Ariel Dale, Jasper Donaldson, Nate Drancik, Daniel Driscoll, Peyton Frye, Madison Garrett, Stormi Garriott, Mallory Grizzle, Chance Hartman, Caleigh Holmes, Cara Kowalczuk, Madison Lester, Blake Parrett, Logan Peas, Sidney Prater, Erin Proebstle, Cole Rosen, Braden Rudy, Macie Sears, Kelcie Thomson, Jacob Truman, Hope Unger, Brennen Vigar, Blake Wynn
8th grade
Braelyn Deeter, Leah Gatchel, Joe Halderman, Sarah Johnston, Kiana Kendall, Mariah Kirtlan, Matt Montel, Madison Nevil, Kathryn Pefley, Amira Siddiqui, Ava Smith, Hallie Zolman
Perfect Attendance (0 absences, 0 tardies)
TJ Layne, Elizabeth Moore, Jared Vigar
Outstanding Attendance (Fewer than 3 period absences and 5 tardies)
Alyssa Balay, David Balay, Melanie Beery, Natasha Leland, Erin Whetstone
Northfield also named the recipients of the Scholar-Athlete Award. These students must have earned an 8.0 (B) GPA or better during the first semester of this school year and successfully completed their full sport season or is a member of a spring sport athletic team on the date of recognition.
7th Grade
Melanie Beery, Bailey Burcroff, Brittany Bussard, Alexis Case, Ariel Dale, Jasper Donaldson, Nathaniel Drancik, Daniel Driscoll, Evan Eckelbarger, Peyton Frye, Paxton Fulmer, Madison Garrett, Chance Hartman, Elizabeth Haupert, Ash Heitz, Trinity Johnson, Ally Keaffaber, Cara Kowalczuk, Treyver Lehman, Madison Lester, Elizabeth Moore, Jared Peas, Logan Peas, Karli Poland, Sidney Prater, Erin Proebstle, Cole Rosen, Abigayle Ross, Macie Sears, Kelcie Thomson, Jacob Truman, Hope Unger, Kylie Webb, Blake Wynn
8th Grade
Brittany Burnworth, Hunter Cox, Braelyn Deeter, Anna Driscoll, Michael Ford, Jacob Fulkerson, Hannah Griffith, Joe Halderman, Emily Howenstine, Kayleigh Huss, Sarah Johnston, Kiana Kendall, Mariah Kirtlan, Natasha Leland, Emily Miner, Madison Nevil, Rachel Orpurt, Katy Pefley, Alina Reed, Attie Schuler, Ellie Schuler, John Schuler, India Shear, Ava Smith, Madison Snyder, Mackenzie Thornsbury, Victor Treska, Jared Vigar, Hallie Zolman
Rhonda Shaw Award Sidney Prater
Jonathan Snyder Award
Jared Vigar
Norse Honor Students of the Year
Jacob Fulkerson and Elizabeth Moore


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PopDose — There's no way around this: Tone Lōc's 1989 debut, Lōc-ed After Dark, is COMPLETELY ADORABLE. The elementary, dubious and occasionally tortured rhyme scheme ("lax-adaiscal' with "that's the way to go," "night" with, uh, "tonight")! The sustained reports about how skilled a rapper one can be without actually rapping anything! The neurotic reliance employment of the first four break-beats in the history of the world! Lōc-ed After Dark may be the only album with the word "motherfucker" in it you sort of feel like you could play for your kids.
The full review, via the extremely good people over at PopDose.