text:
How Journalists Data-Mined the Wikileaks Docs 59
Worked miracles after I've gotten around the ugly HTML format they use to release all those INFORMATIONS. Still, there was very little new or worthwhile in the heap of those news clips and rumour aggregations. Frankly, the more I grep it, the less it looks like the "largest leak in history", and the more it seems like "the largest controlled release of information" in history.
/ takes off conspiracy theory hat
/ takes off conspiracy theory hat
Never take off the hat, that is how they get you!
Worked miracles after I've gotten around the ugly HTML format they use to release all those INFORMATIONS. Still, there was very little new or worthwhile in the heap of those news clips and rumour aggregations. Frankly, the more I grep it, the less it looks like the "largest leak in history", and the more it seems like "the largest controlled release of information" in history.
/ takes off conspiracy theory hat
When you use grep you have to know what you grep for. You can not stumble upon a search keyword with grep.
Clustering allows that, if you let it build the clusters itself. Perhaps you are missing out on the interesting bits.
If you don't know what you're looking for in a pile of documents assembled by less than gifted embassy staff by retelling newspaper clips and general gossip, you have no business being a journalist in the first place. There was nothing else but local newspaper clips and gossip in the Wikileaks embassy leak.
If you know what's in the documents, then life gets easy of course. The trouble is that usually you do not know what's in the documents without reading them. And if there's nothing new, that's a pity. But anyway the fact that one could say "there is nothing but local newspaper clips and gossip" in a set of documents indicates that they actually went through them all.
And for sure with the WikiLeaks documents there's a lot of noise in it. The same will be with the Palin e-mail trove. And finding the interesting bits out of that enormous noise that's what journalists are for, and what those interesting bits are no journalist will know beforehand - which is exactly why they are interesting.
If the contextualized (or perhaps editorialized, depending on your point of view) information was the only kind available, then yes that is an issue. But with Wikileaks, the data is there for anyone who wants to parse it.
If memory serves, and I'm not missing something in my quick re-read of the Wikipedia page, the leaked cables were not all made available to everyone. They were distributed to five major news organizations so more than one editorial staff could reasonably decide which material was newsworthy
From the video (I only watched 5 minutes before getting bored, though) I am not sure he even used his own algorithm/s. It does appear that he used Gephi and its built-in or 3rd party algorithms (plugins) to display the data in a way that made associations not immediately apparent... apparent. The tanker truck incident cluster is an example of this, and about when I stopped watching.
In a world where one source of information has 10 times the weight of others, the impact of that source's bias is 10 times the impact of the others. In other words, for every NY Times article which claims we have to invade Iraq, you would have to read 10 local Springfield Shopper article
Over the last five years you people were so good, over tax cuts, WMD intelligence, the effect of global warming. We Americans didn't want to know, and you had the courtesy not to try to find out. Those were good times, as far as we knew.
But, listen, let's review the rules. Here's how it works. The President makes decisions. He's the decider. The press secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Just put 'em through a spell check and go home. Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration? You know, fiction!
I think there is far more danger to be had in a news media that passively accepts presented facts (Iraqi WMDs, Saddam's ties to al Qaeda, ect) and narratives (invasion of Iraq is necessary) than one that editorializes a bit but doesn't simply act as a mouthpiece for whoever is currently in power. And I disagree
And I disagree with the notion that all bias needs to be balanced out by other bias. That smacks of "teaching the controversy" to me.
The parent wasn't saying the bias needs to be balanced out by other bias; he was saying that if the people at the top lie, it takes ten voices of truth at the bottom to reach the same audience.
In the form
I wonder what this program would do to my extensive volume of email.
I've got thousands of emails going back over a decade.
Would love to see where the correlations are.
Terrorists and foreign intelligence services will also be doing this to use against the United States and its allies, not just journalists. Wikileaks has provided the raw material for data mining to find things the US doesn't even realize about itself, or its allies. There is no surprise that Bradley Manning has been charged with aiding the enemy [dailymail.co.uk].
The fallout continues, hopefully it won't be literally. [telegraph.co.uk]
Al-Qaeda Already Using Wikileaks Material Against Us [pajamasmedia.com]
Taliban Study WikiLeaks to Hunt Informants [nytimes.com]
Wikileaks: [telegraph.co.uk]
The Columbian drug cartels have been doing this sort of thing for years [freerepublic.com].
Life's a bitch. Perhaps the US shouldn't be doing things that it has to keep so secret. That's just a consequence of empire-building. Preach one value to the masses, do something else in practice.
Is it more important to prop up the current system to keep a few agents of the empire safe from harm or is it more important to try to bring some sanity to the whole entire thing and do some longer-term good by shedding light on things people are afraid of showing to even our own public?
Whether one agrees with the
we're doing some rather unsettling things that I don't want to be associated with
And that's why you're not some sort of government agent doing those things. This attitude bothers me for the same reason the "No blood for oil" types bother me. You don't get how important that sort of thing is. No blood for oil? Then what will you shed blood for? Losing oil supplies will so vastly change your way of life that you would argue it impossible if someone accurately showed you. If you think shady goings-on are an endeavor unique to America, you need to wake up. Every country (EVERY countr
No blood for oil? Then what will you shed blood for?
So you do actually believe it's fine to kill foreigners so you can keep your higher standard of living? That sounds an absurd question to ask anyone, but I can't see how your post doesn't imply that you do believe it's fine. It's not ethical, though.
Another thing that bothers "foreigners" (i.e. the approximately 6.7 billion, or over 95% of the human race, who are not citizens of the USA) is the inconsistency of a government that loudly insists that all people are equal, while working as hard as it can to ma
I'm not saying it's fine to kill foreigners to keep a higher standard of living, I'm just saying that it's silly and hypocritical for people to make the kind of arguments I mentioned. The response after yours puts it more accurately; it's very Faustian, but it is in fact the way the world works. See my response to that for more.
This is a Faustian bargain though. It seems that you are saying, "If you want to have nice things we have to kill people to get them." You sound a lot like Col. Jessep telling us we can't handle the truth.
I don't deny that you are accurately describing the current dynamic. It is the way it is, and yet people wonder why the world is such a violent and chaotic place and why we can't have "peace". Well this dynamic is partly why the world is the way it is. We can accept the way it is, but not agree that i
Well this dynamic is partly why the world is the way it is.
The word dynamic here is perfect to describe this; the equilibrium of the world is such that if any entity (country, state, politician, military force, etc) won't take unfair or aggressive advantage of something, there will be another equal entity to fill that void. That's why it's silly to point out any one country for doing this kind of thing, because even if a country isn't, given the chance or risk:reward ratio, it would.
We can accept the way it is, but not agree that it should be that way.
But that attitude means it will never change. Sure, no blood for oil! I'm agains
The word dynamic here is perfect to describe this; the equilibrium of the world is such that if any entity (country, state, politician, military force, etc) won't take unfair or aggressive advantage of something, there will be another equal entity to fill that void. That's why it's silly to point out any one country for doing this kind of thing, because even if a country isn't, given the chance or risk:reward ratio, it would.
That still sounds to me like an excuse to take unfair advantage. If I don't do it someone else will. I would like to see my country's foreign and domestic policy be a bit more equitable than that. A pipe dream, I know.
But that attitude means it will never change. Sure, no blood for oil! I'm against foreign wars! Oh, but I'll also blame the government or big business or whomever if gas prices rise any higher. If you're against something, be against it. I'm in the military, so if someone gives me an order I don't like, I can either deal with it and follow the order, or I can decide I can't follow the order legally or in good conscience and refuse, but like everyone else I'd have to pay the consequences.
Yeah, but some things I just have to accept. I can't fight all the battles, and I can't make everyting the way I think it should be (the rest of you should probably be glad about that). I can accept what I can't (or won't) change, but still not like that it goes on. I admit I am not w
Perhaps the US shouldn't be doing things that it has to keep so secret. That's just a consequence of empire-building. Preach one value to the masses, do something else in practice.
Is it the duty of the United States government to serve the interests of the United States, as opposed to say, Iran? Is it the duty of the United States government to care for and protect its people, as opposed to say, the people of Venezuela? If so, then it must differentiate between different sets of interests, American, and those of others.
If American citizens have been taken prisoner unlawfully by pirates, the United States government could try to negotiate with the pirates. If the pirates want $1,000,000, but the US is willing to pay $20,000,000, should the government go in and up front announce the maximum amount they are willing to pay instead of try to pay the least amount? Wouldn't that be a fundamentally stupid bargaining tactic? But to do that, they would need to keep secrets from the pirates. Well, not just pirates, they would need to keep it secret from the media, since there are many media outlets that would gladly publish it, and force the US to pay $20,000,000 instead of $1,000,000. So, do you think the US should keep the maximum bid a secret and serve American interests, or announce it and server pirate interests by undermining the government's own negotiating position?
Let's say negotiations with the pirates are going badly, they heard in media that the government is willing to pay $20,000,000 but they got greedy and now think they can get $50,000,000. The US Government isn't willing to pay that much, decides to use a commando raid to rescue the hostages while stalling in negotiations. Military actions are generally at least twice as effective over short periods of time when the attacking force attains surprise. Even if the pirates think it is possible, they don't really know if, when, how, who, or where they will come from. Should the US Government announce to the pirates that it has given up negotiations, and that it is going to use military force to free its citizens? If not, that would mean keeping a secret from the pirates - do you oppose that? Of course, it will also have to keep the rescue plan secret from the media as well or it will be published, the pirates will see it, and will be prepared to defeat it. Should the government tell the next of kin that it is going to try a military rescue? They might tell the media, or their kin being held by the pirates, and either the media or the prisoners might tell the pirates. So, it looks like we can't tell the pirates, the media, or the next of kin. What about other people in the United States? Same problem.
As part of the planning for the rescue mission, it appears that it would be really helpful to refuel some aircraft in a country near where the pirates are holding the American captives. This third country has a government that is friendly to the United States, but much of the population is hostile as they are being influenced by religious extremists from outside their country. The government of this third country agrees to the refueling operation at one of their island military bases, but demand that it be kept secret to avoid agitating their citizens. Since it helps the mission of recovering Americans help hostage, shouldn't the US make use of the island for refueling? What about the request to keep it secret? Should the US stir up problems in the country by making it known, despite the request of the government? If the use of the island is revealed, it could hurt diplomatic relations, and perhaps even generate civil unrest, getting people killed. Shouldn't this be kept a secret? From the pirates? From the media?
During the flight to the pirate locations, and on the ground, US forces will be using radios for command and control, and various flight operations. Should the US inform the pirates about the radio frequencies it uses? What about the media, who might listen in? Suppose a
It is exactly because the US needs to serve US interests that we cannot have government secrecy. Without accountability, we cannot ensure that our government is serving our interests.
So are you claiming the US should have publicised that they were pretty sure where Osama bin Laden was instead of keeping it secret until they acted on it? Or that they shouldn't have been looking?
Are you claiming the US should call the Chinese Government right now and tell them the names and locations of every Chinese dissident they know about? Or that they shouldn't know on the first place or provide any assistance?
Are you claiming the US should just publicise and, maybe run some training seminars on, ho
The fact that there's a media narrative is hardly news. The purpose is to provide ratings. Anything that will lead to scandal, corruption, or supporting national politics is the name of the game. Fox does this to support Republicans, all the others support the Democrats. I suppose this is news to those that don't already know this however. And this "taking sides" of the national media is nothing new at all. Very old hat in American history.
Ask any budding journalist as to why they want to be in this industry. Sometimes, you will hear a common theme of "To change the world for a better place". Generally that implies a motive with bias. No, their job to REPORT the news in its purest form. I'll tell ya, that can both end wars and create them. But oh no, we can't have that now can we? They should report the good, the bad, and the ugly with impartiality. BBC is the closest as it comes to doing that. Perhaps I'm giving them too much credit however.
BBC is the closest as it comes to doing that. Perhaps I'm giving them too much credit however.
Although it is a venerable institution, the BBC has struggled with bias over the years.
BBC had "massive bias to left:" director general [breitbart.com]
The director general of the BBC admitted Thursday that his organisation had been guilty of a "massive bias to the left" but said "a completely different generation" of journalists now works at the broadcaster.
Mark Thompson told the right-of-centre Spectator magazine that there was an institutional bias when he joined the organisation, reinforcing the findings of a 2007 int
The BBC certainly is massively biased (in an institutional way). It's less a matter of overt censorship than of a pervasive worldview that makes censorship unnecessary. Presumably they don't even hire people who might be members of the "awkward squad", or who don't appear to share the standard politically correct establishment values.
As a result, I think it's very inaccurate to describe the BBC's bias as "left wing". I would call it "establishment", which of course does beg the question of whether the Briti
The visualisations look like they were generated using Gephi. Interesting use. I wonder if the search for "search terms" was initially refined by graphing the raw data and continuing from there.
Mark Twain summed up the central problem of journalism with his epigram, "Get your facts first... then you can distort 'em as much as you please". But, amusing as it is, this completely misses the point! In the very process of "getting your facts" you have the opportunity - indeed, the obligation - of selecting them from among the infinite number of facts that you could choose. Having selected the facts that you think are most important, there is no longer the slightest need to distort them. The work is already done.
Suppose you are the New York Times, and you are reporting on events in Afghanistan. You have a certain amount of space, so do you write up the IED explosion which killed a couple of NATO soldiers and put a few more in hospital - or do you describe the NATO helicopter raid that killed a dozen villagers and wounded another few dozen? Well, your readers are far more interested in the fate of NATO people (especially if they are from the USA); moreover, they don't particularly want to read about how their glorious forces have accidentally (or otherwise) killed a lot of civilians. So it's a no-brainer - you write up the IED event. After a few years of such a policy, consistently followed, readers get the idea that all that happens in Afghanistan is that NATO soldiers occasionally get blown up. Yes the NYT has accurately reported the facts. It hasn't reported all of them, but its editors could argue that such an attempt would be physically impossible. The only practical way of giving a more balanced impression would be to read, as well as the NYT, a newspaper that takes an anti-NATO, pro-Afghan point of view. But no such newspaper can survive commercially in the US market, because it wouldn't sell enough copies (even if it were allowed to go on operating for long).
Indeed, the Wikileaks documents currently under discussion are subject to such a filtering effect too. Remember, all those documents were written by American officials, for US government consumption. You won't find many mentions in there of atrocities by our forces - even if the US authorities in Afghanistan or Washington were aware of such atrocities, they wouldn't put them into messages with such a low level of security. What you can expect to find is a fairly high level of unguarded opinions - either honest or carefully angled to make a particular desired impression.
"This type of data mining holds great potential for investigative revelation — and great potential for journalistic abuse"
I don't think so
Is this a link to (presumably) the submitter's blog, rather than the actual presentation available here.
Given that the submitter meckdevil's associated email address is email@example.com and the link to TFA is on johnmecklin.wordpress.com, I would say yes. The linked page contains no content and readers should just use the link in the parent post. The submitter is nothing more than a link whore and if the editors were doing their jobs this wouldn't happen.
Is this a link to (presumably) the submitter's blog, rather than the actual presentation available here: http://curiositycounts.com/post/6455747293/jonathan-stray-of-the-associated-press-on [curiositycounts.com]
You can skip this site also. The presentation can be found here [vimeo.com] on vimeo.
Is this a link to (presumably) the submitter's blog, rather than the actual presentation available here: http://curiositycounts.com/post/6455747293/jonathan-stray-of-the-associated-press-on [curiositycounts.com]
You can skip this site also. The presentation and the related discussion is in the original post [jonathanstray.com].
"By choosing the parameters under which documents will be considered similar enough to pay attention to, journalist-programmers actually choose the frame in which a story will be told."
Journalists already choose the frame in which a story will be told. They always have. That's not new.
Today is a good day for information-gathering. Read someone else's mail file.


text: ok I've found a vendor up here in Canada who has some of these in stock for $89 + $15 shipping. Not sure if there'll be duties to ship to america but the shipping rate is a flat rate to Canada or the States. I've asked him how many he has in stock and waiting for the answer but any and all who said "I'm in" please post it again to this post so I can get a count and find out how many we have here. To any who haven't been involved in the discussion it's a few posts down named "1K Red Brick" where there's a couple links to reviews done by K-Fed and Dave

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I've been putting together a little Joomla site – which is not at all influenced by Pinterest – and I've ended up paring it down to the point that I'm using maybe 5% of the underlying template, not to mention Joomla itself. I've reached a point where the template is more of a hindrance than a help, except for providing a pretty brilliant and smooth-acting mooMasonry foundation. The site has become so straightforward – though the underlying framework may not be trivial – that I'd like to recreate it either on a pretty simple masonry-based Joomla framework (if there is such a thing) or, better still, outside of Joomla entirely.
Aside from running into a few roadblocks in the template, in K2 and in available plugins, the design is pretty close to done. I'd just like to reproduce it in a lightweight form that will generate very lean pages and tweak it a little more. I'm not expecting anybody to put this together for me – unless you'll do that for $100 – but is there some ready-made basic framework that could be adapted to act pretty much like what I have now? I'm really not using more than a few of Joomla's features, and I'd be fine with adapting PHP and JavaScript and just editing content directly, but if this were built outside Joomla or Drupal I wouldn't have a clue how to build it all from scratch. This would however be a good project to get up to speed on that.
The critical feature would be a masonry foundation that will keep track of browser width, adjust the number and width of columns and dynamically arrange equal-width blocks within those columns, displaying all the items from a particular category, ideally displaying each block as soon as it's loaded. For full page content, it would need to keep track of browser height as well, to adjust the size of a Flash player and a Google Map, and maybe some sort of photo gallery. Aside from that, it would need to switch from a regular top menu to a mobile-format menu when the regular menu is about to overflow, and the width for that switch could he hard-coded. No users, no front-end editing or anything like that.
So is there a basic framework available to do that sort of thing in the form of just HTML, PHP, CSS and JavaScript, or barring that a really lean skeleton template for some CMS?
Thanks for any leads,


text:
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Home / Latest News /
Obama warns against another debt-ceiling fight
By The Associated Press
This article was published December 5, 2012 at 11:13 a.m.
- Comments (37)
- aAFont Size
WASHINGTON President Barack Obama warned Republicans on Wednesday against picking another fight over the nation's debt ceiling, telling business leaders that it's "not a game that I will play."
Obama said in remarks to the Business Roundtable that he was aware of reports that Republicans may be willing to agree to higher tax rates on the wealthy as a way to avert the looming "fiscal cliff" and then come back next year with more leverage to extract spending cuts from the White House in exchange for raising the government's borrowing limit.
"That is a bad strategy for America, it's a bad strategy for your businesses, and it's not a game that I will play," Obama said, recalling the "catastrophe that happened in August of 2011."
The president cited the prolonged and deeply partisan standoff over raising the U.S. debt limit last year that led the nation to the brink of default for the first time in its history.
If Congress and the White House don't reach a budget deal, about $1.2 trillion in spending cuts and tax increases will automatically kick in starting Jan. 2, a scenario that's been dubbed the "fiscal cliff" because it is likely to send the economy back into recession and drive up unemployment.
Meantime, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Republican leaders said Wednesday — prior to Obama's remarks — that the White House had failed to offer a "balanced approach" that had a chance of clearing either chamber of Congress. "We can't negotiate with ourselves," Boehner said.
Read tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
Comments on: Obama warns against another debt-ceiling fight
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 37 total commentsJump to last page >>
HOTDEMN says... December 5, 2012 at 12:10 p.m.
This obstructionist platform the the Republicans have been using to cripple and scare America has already cost them the Presidency and the Senate. If they keep it up they can count on loosing the House in the mid-terms. And Arkansas has once again let itself be tricked into letting the foxes guard what's left of the hen house that the last foxes didn't get. It's no suprise that Fox "News" led the assault.
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LB_in_Searcy says... December 5, 2012 at 12:27 p.m.
The continued Tax and Spend of the Democratic party may buy them more votes, but it's sending our country into an economic tailspin. The obstructions are on the side of a president who refuses to negotiate a compromise. It's "his way" or nothing... and that's what we will have... nothing....
And why should anyone want to work? The folks that don't work are being rewarded. Those who do work are paying more taxes and fines and fees next year. "Big Daddy Government" will take care of us all... free everything!
Welcome to America - downgrading itself to a third world country!
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SRBROTHERINLAW says... December 5, 2012 at 12:30 p.m.
Not a game he will play???? I wasn't aware that our present state of economics was a game.
What a loser of a president...He should never have been elected to start with. He is such a putz. We have got to quit spending our economy cannot survive at the rate the government isspending and "giving" away money we don't have.
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toddm76 says... December 5, 2012 at 1:31 p.m.
IRAQ IS a waste....weapons of mass destruction.....what a waste of funds and HUMAN LIFES...
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mamawof9 says... December 5, 2012 at 2:06 p.m.
Who decided it was the taxpayers responsibility to pay everyones bills? I am not referring to SS or Medicare. Most of the people receiving these funds have paid into it for years. I am also not refering to highways , education, etc. I am referring to paying the bills of people who have consistantly made poor choices; the choice not to take advantage to a free education, training, retraining, all funded by the taxpayers, the choice not to put their child/childrens needs before their own pleasures, addictions, and habbits, etc. Until there is more individual responsibility and less "it takes a village", I see no way for the economy to get better. Stop making excuses for poor choices, man up, and do what is needed to improve your individual situation. Stop blaming it on the man/woman who was smart enough to succeed and work on your own success. Our ecomony can improve, one individual at a time.
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Jjackk says... December 5, 2012 at 2:09 p.m.
Please, any puppets out there tell me one Republican that has EVER cut the budget or came close to balance one? Makes all you look pretty ignorant when you act like they are fiscally responsible or even gives a crap what concerns you. You people are just the peons they con with their morality issues to vote for wall street greed. Two parties, one system, no change.
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Packman says... December 5, 2012 at 3:09 p.m.
Hey Jjackk (Mr. Meoff) - At the risk of accepting your "puppet" premise, have you ever heard of the Contract With America and Newt Gingrich? Bill Clinton likes to take credit, but it was Newt and friends that made it happen. I do feel GW Bush capitulated to liberal demorats on budget issues and he should have allowed the federal government to shutdown anytime the idiots on the other side of the aisle refused to entertain his budget proposals. GW was too nice and tried too hard to please the liberal tax and spenders, and it cost him and us dearly.
I vote we go over the mythological fiscal cliff and stay there through the mid-terms and let the voters sort things out. Who know, maybe after a couple of years taxpayers come to like it.
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T6 says... December 5, 2012 at 3:32 p.m.
Oh this President's such a joker! Did I mention he's also a LIAR?
youtu. be/8Pp2HaiGh_U
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RonalFos says... December 5, 2012 at 4:40 p.m.
Republicans want their cake and eat it too. They want big cuts but don't want to take responsibility for them with the public.
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DontDrinkDatKoolAid says... December 5, 2012 at 6:15 p.m.
Obama wants his cake and eat it himself. He doesn't want to cut spending while taking in more taxes, as with not taking any responsibility for the out come from the public.
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text:
george O'Connor, Journey into Mohawk Country
These are the style sheets I made for the three main characters of Journey into Mohawk Country as I began working on the book. The first is a "before" shot, depicting Harmen, Jeronimus and Willem at the outset of their journey. The second is an "after", with the three Dutchmen showing all the wears and tears of their winter trek through what is now New York State. They've lost some things, and gained some others. These shots are the alpha and omega. Artwise, I gradually brought them from the clean cut image in the before shot to the ragged, but wiser, final image.


text:
Local family copes with child's epilepsy
When Barbara Ann Cooper was pregnant with her two-year-old daughter, David Emmanuelle, doctors told her things did not look good for the baby. They listed a host of potential diagnoses, from Down's syndrome to heart disease. Barbara was told it was likely her daughter would be stillborn. But she never gave up. Even when she could feel her child trembling inside her womb, she refused to believe all was lost.
"I knew something was wrong with my pregnancy," Barbara said. "When she was supposed to start kicking, she didn't. The doctor told me to tell him when she started kicking. Instead, she started trembling, but he did not believe me. He said every pregnancy is different. Then, he started sending me to a doctor in Houston. Every time I went in there, that doctor told me there was something else wrong with my baby.
"I thought I was going to have a boy, so I was going to name her David, her dad's name," Barbara continued with a hint of amusement. "Then, we thought we would have to come up with another name. We went to Barnes & Noble and started looking through books of names. One book said David meant 'beloved warrior.' Another said it meant 'warrior.' I told David (the baby's father), 'Well, we may as well keep the name because she's going to have to be a warrior.'"
Later, she said she settled on the middle name Emmanuelle because it means, "God is with us."
"I thought, 'God is going to have to be with her if she is going to make it,'" Barbara related.
After David's birth, doctors still failed to properly diagnose her condition.
"I noticed something was wrong during the delivery in the operating room," said Barbara, who had to have an emergency C-section when giving birth to David. "She wasn't crying at first. Eventually, she did start crying but I did not get to hold her for eight and a half hours."
Doctors told Barbara her baby was "having some trembles" and was not able to maintain her body temperature on her own. They were keeping her in an incubator. Five days passed and Barbara said she became very concerned because David was losing weight, 14 ounces since her birth. Barbara became frustrated with the hospital staff because they were treating David as though she were anemic rather than investigating further.
"After five days, I was ready to go home and to take my baby home," Barbara said.
A short time after bringing David home, Barbara said her daughter seemed to be improving. That image was shattered when Barbara bathed David for the first time.
"As soon as I took her out of her bath and laid her on her baby bed, I turned around to get some lotion and a diaper. I turned back around and my baby had foam coming out of her mouth and her eyes were rolling into the back of her head. I had only seen a person have a seizure on TV up until then."
Barbara rushed her infant daughter to the emergency room where she was treated, but still there was no diagnosis. Weeks went by and finally Barbara found out what had been causing her baby so much trouble.
"David was diagnosed with Dravet syndrome," she remembered.
According to www.dravet.org and www.dravetfoundation.org, Dravet syndrome, also known as Severe Myoclonic Epilepsy of Infancy (SMEI), is a rare and catastrophic form of intractable epilepsy that begins in infancy. Dravet spectrum disorders describe a group of related epilepsies having a similar genetic cause. Initial seizures are most often prolonged events and in the second year of life, other seizure types begin to emerge. Individuals with Dravet syndrome face a higher incidence of SDEP (sudden unexplained death in epilepsy) and have associated conditions that also need to be properly treated and managed. Symptoms include behavioral and developmental delays, movement and balance issues, orthopedic conditions, delayed language and speech issues, growth and nutrition issues, sleeping difficulties, chronic infections, sensory integration disorders, and disruptions of the autonomic nervous system, which regulates things such as body temperature and sweating.
Barbara was told David would likely not make it to 2 years old, but she is almost there.
"David turns 2 on Thanksgiving Day this year," Barbara said. "After seeing all the different types of issues my baby had and how she had to fight, I know nothing but God is sustaining my baby. For her to be 2 on Thanksgiving Day, to me that is a sign He is watching her."
There is no specific treatment for Dravet syndrome, and symptoms vary from patient to patient. Doctors must be careful when assigning medications because anticonvulsants used to treat other forms of epilepsy could be dangerous for sufferers of Dravet.
"I took David to the emergency room once right after she was diagnosed," Barbara related. "They wanted to give her medication, but I knew she could not take just any type of medicine for her seizures. I said, 'No, you can't give her that.' They almost called CPS because they said I was refusing treatment for her. I was fumbling for my papers. I finally found the paperwork the doctor gave me about Dravet syndrome and explained that was what she had, so they could not use the same medications they would for some epileptic seizures. They told me they had never heard of it."
During National Epilepsy Awareness Month, Barbara thought there would be no better time to share her daughter's story to raise awareness of epilepsy and Dravet syndrome specifically. Research indicates that approximately one in 30,000 infants suffer from Dravet.
"Nobody knows what this is," Barbara said of the rare condition. "I have videos and a journal to keep track of David day to day. It's hard, especially because nobody knows about it. Not only that, but there is no one to connect with locally like a support group. I don't have that familiar support of people who know what I am going through here. I never used Facebook before, but I am the Facebook queen now. All of my help and support come from online communities. I am connecting with people in the Netherlands, Canada, Oklahoma, West Virginia. We don't have much in common except that our kids have Dravet syndrome. There are just so few cases worldwide. I just want to spread awareness."
Barbara said this Thanksgiving Day, her family will have a special gathering to celebrate the holiday and David's miraculous second birthday. Barbara said she has a lot to be thankful for.
"I am so blessed to have David," Barbara said. "I look at her and I see the face of an angel."


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YAKIMA – Shrugging off a sluggish start, the Mabton Viking boys basketball team used a third quarter surge to defeat White Swan during last Saturday's Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic at the SunDome.
Mabton trailed 22-17 at the half, tallying just six points in the second quarter.
"Playing in the Dome (site of the 1A state tournament) is always different and it is good to get the kids exposed to that atmosphere," Mabton Coach Brock Ledgerwood said. "We definitely had dome eyes offensively as we struggled to put the ball in the hoop, especially in the first half."
That included knocking down free throws, as in the first half Mabton missed all nine of its attempts.
Thanks to a swarming defense, the Vikes scored 10 unanswered points early in the third quarter to take the lead for good on the way to a 54-44 victory.
Mabton also found its shooting touch, knocking down 7-of-10 free throw tries in the second half.
Roy Zavala paced the Vikes with 21 points to go with six rebounds and six steals. Alex Espinoza also tallied in double figures for Mabton with 13 points. Luis Ruiz added 8 points, seven rebounds and five steals for the Vikings.
Luis Garza was strong in the paint for Mabton with a team-high 10 boards, leading the Vikes to a 44-33 rebounding advantage.
As a team, Mabton recorded an eye-popping 18 steals against White Swan ball handlers.
"Our defense kept us in the game in the first half until our offense could finally get going," says Ledgerwood. "We always talk about our defense always being a must, especially when we struggle to score."
The coach also praised post players AJ Sanchez, Nico Pina and Luis Galarza for boxing out and helping Mabton to a large rebounding advantage.
Mabton will look to keep its momentum going at Kiona-Benton tomorrow, Tuesday.
Ledgerwood says the 2013-14 season might be special for his Vikings.
"We have a long way to go, but I like what I see from this group so far," he said. "We are working hard in practice and getting better every day. If we continue to work hard and take care of the classroom, we have the potential to surprise a lot of people."
- John Fannin can be reached at 509-837-4500 or by e-mail at email@example.com.
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Almost from its inception, the federal government's options backdating case against executives of Broadcom Corp. reeked of cheap melodrama more than it gleamed with truth-seeking about corporate accounting and corporate pay.
You can count Bill Ruehle, the Irvine high-tech company's chief financial officer during the period at issue, as one of the victims of the game. You should also know that Ruehle, 70, escaped with his reputation intact, and has lived to tell the whole story his way.
Ruehle was indicted in June 2008 on charges he defrauded Broadcom and its shareholders by failing to account properly for millions in stock option grants to company employees and executives. His fellow defendant was Broadcom co-founder Henry Nicholas, who was simultaneously but separately charged with a raft of lubricious misdeeds — drug use, hiring of prostitutes on a majestic scale, consumption of pot in such volume that the pilot of his personal plane supposedly had to wear an oxygen mask to keep straight.
The public and the press (including, truth be told, The Times), ate it up — right up until December 2009, when federal Judge Cormac J. Carney of Santa Ana tossed it all out for prosecutorial misconduct, also on a majestic scale.


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The Vacaville Skating Center was transformed into a wintry wonderland this weekend, comprised of a "forest" of Christmas trees hung with traditional red and green, purple, or the Oakland Raider's silver and black and every "theme" in between, dozens of trees were decked in preparation for this week's annual Festival of Trees.
Tonight's Festival of Trees Gala kicks off the three-day festival and silent auction, and is the largest fundraiser of the year for Vacaville's homeless shelter, Opportunity House.
Amid the mass of those scurrying about, elf-like, in preparation of the gala, were members of the Wild Horse Wranglers horse club.
For Gail Barnett, who was working to put the finishing touches on the group's John Wayne-theme tree, participating in the event was a first, she said.
Hung with boots, reindeer, horses, photos depicting "The Duke" printed on canvass and transformed into hand crafted ornaments and other odds and ends, the tree exuded Christmas spirit -- with an old West spin.
"We wanted to depict the wild horse spirit," she explained of the group's choice, noting that few things epitomize the cowboy image as well as John Wayne.
Like other participants, the group had been hard at work setting the tree up since 9 a.m. -- to say nothing of the days of preparation that went into creating the many hand-made ornaments carefully hanging from the branches.
Barnett said they planned to give everything -- Duke-decked pillows included -- a once over this morning, the last day contestants were allowed to make final tweaks.
The fact that the funds raised by the auction are going to the Opportunity House, Barnett said, was a primary factor in the group's involvement.
"They're a great organization," she said, adding that the Wild Horse Wranglers have been long-time donors to the shelter.
"They really help not just individuals, but families," she said. "I feel so fortunate to have a good job and a roof over my head and not have to worry about it."
However, because of the poor economy, families that would have merely had to tighten their belts a few years ago are finding themselves homeless, Barnett said. Opportunity House helps get "them restarted" and most importantly, she said, "It's giving right back to our community."
Nearby, Kelly Alexander circled "Kolby's Escape," her family's frosted tree decked out with gold, rust- and brown-colored ornaments.
Armed with a glittery, leopard-print ornament, she finally selected the perfect spot on the tree, which was dedicated to the memory of her son-in-law, Kolby Lankford, who was killed in a tragic snowboarding accident in 2009. His death left Alexander's daughter, Ashley, 9-months pregnant with the couple's first child, Claire.
A number of the ornaments, including Alexander's most recent leopard-print addition, she said, were handmade by Lankford's mom in Oaklahoma, and shipped to Vacaville for the festival.
"It's just a way we can honor Kolby's memory," Ashley said and she made a few adjustments of her own to the tree.
Since her husband's death, decorating the tree has become a family tradition, often including the help of a few close friends.
"It's generations," said Alexander, noting that her own mother was there helping. "Usually someone has a vision (of what the theme should be)."
This year, the inspiration was drawn from the hand-made leopard ornaments made by Kolby's mom, she explained.
"This was her year," she added.
Although Claire, now 3, never had the chance to meet her father, Alexander said decorating the tree is "one of the ways for her to know him."
"It's a tree of love. And it's a tree of hope," she said.
Tickets for the gala are $75 per person, or $1,000 to reserve a table for 10. Following dinner and desert, attendees are invited to attend a dinner buffet featuring tasty treats and an array of wines from local wineries, followed by dessert an an opportunity to bid on four trees decorated exclusively for the gala.
For more information, visit VacavilleFestivalOfTrees.com or call 446-7811 for tickets.
Follow Staff Writer Catherine Bowen at Twitter.com/cbowen4.


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Submission + - UK using helicopter UAVs to surveil and arrest (dailymail.co.uk)
cyberfringe writes: A helicopter UAV equipped with infra-red cameras has been used for the first time in the UK to make an arrest. Thermal imaging transmitted to the officer operating the UAV enabled police to find a suspected car thief hiding in bushes in a thick fog. The UAV was originally designed for military reconnaissance but has been used in the UK for two years for search and rescue and to "crack down on anti-social behaviour". The drones are near silent and can hover or "perch" for hours. The UK already has more CCTV per capita than any other country, and now these mobile platforms are adding to its reputation as the "surveillance state".


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The personal learning network for educators
Early Childhood Educators working together to provide young children with the early learning experiences that will enable them to meet academic standards throughout elementary and secondary school and empower them with the tools for future success.
Location: Saint Joseph, MO
Members: 31
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Early Childhood Educators understand that children thrive in environments where student expectations are clear and classroom routines are predictable. The Missouri Early Childhood Standards state…Continue
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Love to be part of this group as it can form a common group for both the Parents and carers to share the responsibility for their own and other children in the group, to watch and learn from them, to learn with other parents/carers, and to support each other.
I'm new here. Can't quite see if there's an official place to "join" this group, but I'd like to be part of your discussions, at least listen in! My first question is: What is your favorite source for professional development? OK, now I'll listen. Many thanks.
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John Sutton says he and Adam Reynolds wasted last chance to push for State of Origin berth
Captain John Sutton conceded he and his South Sydney halves partner Adam Reynolds missed a valuable opportunity to press for NSW State of Origin claims in the Rabbitohs' Friday night loss to Melbourne.
Ahead of round 10 of the NRL, Blues coach Laurie Daley had publicly stated he was still weighing up his halves combinations for the Origin opener on May 28 following incumbent halfback Mitchell Pearce's Kings Cross antics.
Up against the Storm and Queensland 'big three' in Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater, Sutton and Reynolds could have made a compelling statement.
But it wasn't to be as Smith, Cronk and Slater were instrumental as the Storm surged away to a 27-14 win on the back of a 20-4 halftime lead.
Sutton was beaten to a bench spot by Canterbury playmaker Josh Reynolds for Origin I last year and didn't feature for the rest of the series.
He managed some impressive charges to bring Souths back into the contest and is likely to be strongly considered for a utility position when Daley names his side on Tuesday for the interstate opener, but he and Reynolds probably haven't done enough to usurp Pearce and his Sydney Roosters teammate James Maloney as NSW No.7 and No.6.
"We definitely didn't execute tonight so it was very disappointing," Sutton said.
"We just didn't build any pressure. The Melbourne Storm did that; Cooper Cronk's kicks were on the money.
"My kicks and Adam's kicks were way off and didn't build any pressure and we made it hard on ourselves.
"I was disappointed with my kicks. I didn't get them on the money - it let the Storm off the hook.
"Me and Adam had a word about it and we are definitely going to work hard on it and hopefully get better."


text: Set on a post-apocalyptic Earth, this fantasy adventure follows the story of Avatar, the kindly, eccentric sorcerer-ruler of Montagar, a rainbow paradise inhabited by elves and fairies. Avatar's evil brother, Blackwolf, dominates Scortch, a bleak land of goblins and wraiths. When the power-hungry Blackwolf attacks Montagar, Avatar, accompanied only by a spirited young woman and a courageous elf, must enter the darkness of Scortch to save his world.


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The ground underneath Lyle Cole's feet wasn't special, really.
It's the flora typical of Alaska, penetrated by an occasional weed, dandelion or tree stump. Of course there are headstones, too.
Six feet underneath those variously shaped and constructed resting place markers are 700 to 800 people buried across four acres.
The 80-year-old Cole has worked above them summer after summer for the last 49 years.
"I built that concrete cover over there because I liked that lady," he said Friday motioning to a grave covering as the sun breached the tree line and chased away the cool morning air. "She died of cancer at 40 and she had four kids, you know. Terrible."
Other than caskets and memories of the deceased, Cole contends cemeteries like his — the Spruce Grove Memorial Park about 20 minutes south of Kenai — really contain only one thing.
He's proud of the work and years of upkeep he did on the land, he said.
"What would it be like if I didn't do it?" he said, looking down toward his feet. "Nobody would do it, I don't think."
For nearly a half century he has kept the encroaching wilderness from overtaking the cemetery and kept the headstones clear of the weeds.
"People don't do anything and they go back to nature," he said of cemeteries lacking maintenance. "They go right back into the woods and you can't even find 'em, some of them."
The pay wasn't much. But, Cole's sense of obligation was more.
"Like that," he said reaching over to yank a yellow-flowered intruder from the earth. "I have just about eliminated them. I declared war on the dandelions four years ago and you won't find many here."
At the start of this summer, however, Cole did something he'd never done before. He decided he would rather not keep up the cemetery anymore.
"I didn't care about the money, I wanted to get out of here," he said. "I wanted the work to end."
In a letter to the editor of the Peninsula Clarion, Cole reached out for help.
"I've learned a lot in 50 years, but now I feel like a dummy," he wrote in his letter published July 1. "I had a boss who used to say, 'Don't be somebody's goat.' I feel that's what I've been."
Enter 33-year-old Isaac Walker, who read the letter and looked Cole up in the phone book.
"It sounded like he wanted a vacation and it sounded like a job opportunity that would stick around," he said.
Now the weeds belong to Walker, a Soldotna resident.
Cole, who was born in the area, moved to Southern California only to come back in 1949. He started maintaining the cemetery in 1962 almost by accident.
Like most cemetery business, it started with a death.
"My uncle died," he said. "I thought the world of that guy and so when we buried him here, I took an interest in the place because he was here.
"Then, I started attending those meetings with all those people and that's how I got started. I kept going and ain't anybody else did anything. We had a few people help out, but very few."
Over the years, Cole contends his greatest help — aside from the occasional community-run clean up day — were the secretaries. He remembers each one, from JoAnn Lahndt to Lorraine Blake, Della Kizer, Dolly Christl and now Jan See.
"They were all very devoted secretaries," he said. "It's a thankless job. People would agree to meet here and they wouldn't be on time. It would be in the winter time, you know, and they have got to wait and wait an then the people want to walk all over the cemetery looking for one grave, you know. They do an awful lot with very little pay."
The cemetery was founded in the mid 1950s on land received by the Kasilof-Cohoe Cemetery Association through a territorial grant, Cole said.
The McLane family founded it, he said, and its first resident was Grandma Fellers, who was buried in 1954.
"That used to be a chapel," Cole said looking at a small white building located near the oldest section of graves. "So on rainy days they used to have the service in there. But that was long ago. They quit doing that. We sold our own caskets here. Yeah, you could bury within 48 hours without any embalming."
Cole cleared three acres of brush to the north by himself to make room for more occupants. He also plucked 200 beetle-killed trees out of the cemetery one by one, careful not to damage the headstones.
He never married. But, he did work in a cannery for 17 years and the money was "good enough."
"I've waded through fish up to my waist," he said.
Cole has an automobile shop that keeps him busy during the winter months.
"I hate the summer and now I like the winter," he said. "People like it the other way around, I know. But, I've got to work all summer, so I don't like it."
But, after years of pouring himself in the land's upkeep, Cole said he isn't putting any pressure on Walker regarding its upkeep.
"I said, 'You do it your way, I don't care,'" he said. "I've just got to get out of here. I've only got a few years left."
Walker is a man of many skills and professions — a life philosophy developed through the advice of his stepfather. He contends he's ready to take the job without missing a beat.
"I like old fashioned cemeteries," he said. "Each one you look at has a personality to it, whereas with the new ones, you don't know who that person was or anything about them. All the new ones are is just a name and a date, if that."
His new place of work has plenty of personality, he contends.
"There's one guy over there that likes baseball and so his old glove and baseball bat is in there," he said. "Another one over there really liked cigarettes and vodka and Kit Kat bars. They've got a whole bag there and a couple shots of vodka and a couple cigarettes."
Walker doesn't need any training.
"He knows everything," Cole said.
"Here you can start when you want and quit when you want and that's the beauty of it," he continued. "You're free here."
When asked if he developed an emotional connection to the land he was charged with for more than half of his life, Cole had a quick answer.
"Well, I get paid," he said.
After pausing a moment, he explained.
"I just take pride in whatever I do — that's my dad's teaching," he said. "Whatever you do, do it right."
Cole continued to walk around the cemetery, picking up weeds whenever he spotted them. His navy blue coveralls showed a bit of wear, but he's still spry for 80.
"Ask me how I feel, though," he said with a laugh.
Now, he's got the summer off. He's free to go anywhere and do whatever he wants, he said. But leisure time isn't on the to-do list.
"Oh, well I've got to paint my house," he said.
An old friend of his once said something regarding his cemetery work that stuck with him.
"He said, 'If you keep working here in this nice fresh air, you'll live forever,'" he said smiling.
But, Cole has a plan if that doesn't turn out to be the case.
"Right where he is standing, that'll be my grave," he said.
The patch of land he pointed to — a few feet from his uncle's grave —was covered in the same flora as much of the rest of the cemetery. Weeds, too.
"Look at these little devils," he said, plucking another invader from the ground. "Aren't they pretty?"


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Did you read today's front page stories & breaking news?
From the Wires
Black Diamond Group Limited Reports Results for the Third Quarter Ended September 30, 2012
By: Marketwired .
Nov. 5, 2012 05:26 PM
CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwire) -- 11/05/12 -- (TSX:BDI) Black Diamond Group Limited ("Black Diamond" or the "Company") is pleased to announce its financial and operational results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012.
Third Quarter 2012 Highlights
Revenue generation in the third quarter of 2012 was $74.9 million with EBITDA of $31.2 million for the period, compared to revenue of $63.1 million and EBITDA of $25.2 million for the same period in 2011.
Rental revenue generated of $29.3 million was 44% higher than the prior year's comparable period due to the increase in the rental fleet of the Company as well as utilization and rental rate increases for many of the asset classes and branch operations of the Company. Non-rental revenue of $30.5 million represented a slight increase from the prior year. Lodging revenue was $15.1 million, a slight increase from the prior year.
EBITDA margins of 42% for the quarter were up from the 40% generated in the prior year. This was due to increasing gross margins as a result of a higher percentage of revenues coming from rental activity. Highlights from each of the operating divisions for the quarter are as follows:
The division ended the quarter with 2,652 units representing approximately 10,815 accommodation beds in the rental fleet which averaged 93% utilization for the period. The division generated $25.5 million in revenue compared to $19.3 million in the same quarter of 2011. Rental revenues increased by 59% over the second quarter of 2011 to $17.3 million as a result of the larger fleet of assets and rental rate increases. Non-rental revenues decreased slightly in the quarter due to a decline in the volume of sales of newly manufactured products in the quarter. EBITDA generated in the quarter was $16.2 million or 32% higher than that generated in the same period last year.
The division ended the quarter with 2,641 beds in the operated camps, which were fully utilized during the period. Lodging revenues from these operated camps for the period were $15.1 million, an 8% increase from the third quarter of 2011. Operational revenues saw a 376% increase as compared to the third quarter of 2011 due to the initial operational activity associated with the deployment of several substantial projects requiring transportation and installation. EBITDA generated in the quarter was $7.8 million or 30% higher than that generated in the same period last year.
BOXX Modular:
The division ended the quarter with 3,024 units in the rental fleet which averaged 75% utilization for the period. The division generated $13.2 million in revenue compared to $18.1 million in the same quarter of 2011. The decrease in revenues was due to fewer sales of custom product. Rental revenue was 36% higher year over year as a result of an increased rental fleet. The EBITDA for the quarter was $5.7 million, a small increase from the prior year third quarter EBITDA of $5.6 million.
Energy Services:
The division ended the quarter with 2,328 units in the surface rental fleet which averaged 46% utilization for the period and 269 pieces of drilling accommodations fleet representing 954 accommodation beds which averaged 67% utilization during the quarter. The division generated $9.2 million in revenue, a minimal change from the same quarter of 2011. There was a slight increase in rental revenue for the current quarter as compared with the third quarter of 2011. The increase in rental revenue was offset by a decrease in non-rental revenue. Non-rental revenue for the period was $4.1 million compared with $4.8 million. As such, the EBITDA generated by this division for the quarter was $3.6 million, an increase from $3.4 million from the same period of 2011.
Balance Sheet
The Company ended the period with net debt of $25.1 million, comprised of $25 million drawn on its capital facility, senior secured notes of $61.3 million, net of amortized set up costs, and a working capital surplus of $61.2 million.
The current number of common shares outstanding is 41.1 million, with 3.4 million common shares reserved for issuance pursuant to the exercise of options which have been granted pursuant to the share option plan.
The Company paid dividends of $0.06 for July, August, and September (equivalent to $0.72 per share when annualized) resulting in a payout ratio for the period of 24%, comparable with the same period in 2011. The Board of Directors of Black Diamond is confident that the cash generated from operations will be sufficient to meet the dividend obligations.
The third quarter of 2012 has delivered both record revenue and EBITDA generation. The strong results are related to the Company's continued capital program coupled with strong utilization. Field level operations related to the installation of new facilities were also very strong in the quarter. Management expects similar strength in Q4 and anticipates results to be generally in line with the current quarter.
The resource industry continues to have very strong demand for workforce lodging and temporary workspace. This demand is being generated from oilsands development projects, unconventional oil and gas development, resource related infrastructure projects and mining developments. Black Diamond is also experiencing steady demand for drilling and completions support equipment and wellsite accommodation assets. The ongoing demand from all three of our asset-based operating divisions has lead to the approval of an initial 2013 capital expenditure budget of $90 million. This compares to $135 million of capital expenditures approved and committed in 2012. Management anticipates that the 2013 capex will be allocated in the typical non-speculative manner followed in previous years with roughly the same weighting between business units. It is expected that this capital program will translate into revenue and EBITDA growth as corresponding operations and rental revenues build.
Continued high utilization, fleet growth and strong pricing will characterize both our Camps and Logistics divisions over the next several quarters. The operated lodges' revenue will be similar or slightly lower in Q4 as the Sunday Creek Lodge is being retrofitted with two-storey dormitory complexes. Lodging revenue is expected to rise in 2013 after the retrofit of Sunday Creek is completed and additional facilities have been brought on stream. The space rentals business is expected to continue to grow in western Canada with continued strong demand. Eastern Canada and the US are expected to generate similar revenue as the current quarter through to 2013. And, the Energy Services division will experience strengthened rental and operations revenue as we enter the higher activity winter drilling months and continue to assets to the fleet.
Our balance sheet continues to have significant capacity to meet current and anticipated market demand for fleet additions as well as potential strategic opportunities.
Summary Financial Statements
The following is a summary of the Company's unaudited condensed consolidated interim statement of financial position as at September 30, 2012 and the audited consolidated statement of financial position as at December 31, 2011 and the Company's unaudited condensed consolidated interim statements of net income and cash flows for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012 and 2011. These summary statements should be read in conjunction with the Company's unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements including the accompanying notes for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012 and 2011 as filed on SEDAR.
Black Diamond Group Limited
(Expressed in thousands) September 30, 2012 December 31, 2011 As at ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- $ $ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ASSETS Current Cash and cash equivalents 18,989 22,990 Trade and accrued receivables 70,280 47,641 Due from related parties - 1,313 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 11,908 7,978 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 101,177 79,922 Non-Current Long term receivables 4,504 - Property and equipment 387,197 301,073 Intangible assets and other non- current assets 9,946 10,778 Goodwill 34,525 34,657 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 537,349 426,430 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY Current Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 38,509 24,708 Due to related parties 973 1,415 Dividends payable 2,469 1,771 Income taxes payable 7,157 44 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 49,108 27,938 Non-Current Long-term debt 86,300 86,130 Deferred revenue 65 80 Risk management liability 1,498 2,074 Asset retirement obligations 1,945 1,907 Deferred income taxes 43,235 38,892 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 182,151 157,021 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shareholders' equity Share capital 308,439 240,350 Non-controlling interest 4,442 1,359 Contributed surplus 3,688 4,778 Accumulated other comprehensive income (3,909) (2,889) Retained earnings 42,538 25,811 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 355,198 269,409 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 537,349 426,430 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Black Diamond Group Limited
(Expressed in thousands, except per share amounts) Three month period ended Nine month period ended September September September September 30, 2012 30, 2011 30, 2012 30, 2011 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- $ $ $ $ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revenue 74,901 63,070 195,832 175,602 Direct costs 35,497 31,582 88,530 87,607 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gross Profit 39,404 31,488 107,302 87,995 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Expenses Administrative expenses 9,176 6,802 25,550 20,796 Depreciation of property and equipment 9,412 6,912 24,621 19,567 Amortization of intangible assets 219 375 659 1,138 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18,807 14,089 50,830 41,501 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Operating profit 20,597 17,399 56,472 46,494 Finance costs 1,426 1,466 4,171 3,507 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Income before income taxes 19,171 15,933 52,301 42,987 Income tax Current 2,377 12 7,114 48 Deferred 2,230 3,724 5,622 10,517 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4,607 3,736 12,736 10,565 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net income 14,564 12,197 39,565 32,422 Net income attributable to non-controlling interest 1,582 1,186 2,564 2,131 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net income attributable to Black Diamond Group Limited 12,982 11,011 37,001 30,291 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net income per share Basic 0.32 0.30 0.96 0.84 Diluted 0.32 0.29 0.94 0.82 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Black Diamond Group Limited
Three month period Nine month period (Expressed in thousands) ended ended September September September September 30, 2012 30, 2011 30, 2012 30, 2011 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- $ $ $ $ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Operating activities Net income attributable to Black Diamond Group Limited 12,982 11,011 37,001 30,291 Add (deduct) non-cash items: Depreciation of property and equipment 9,412 6,912 24,621 19,567 Amortization of intangible assets 219 375 659 1,138 Net income attributable to non- controlling interest 1,582 1,186 2,564 2,131 Unrealized foreign exchange (gain)/loss 15 (9) (27) (13) Finance costs 1,426 1,466 4,171 3,507 Deferred income taxes 2,230 3,724 5,622 10,517 Share-based compensation expense 967 489 2,423 1,390 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 28,833 25,154 77,034 68,528 Book value of used fleet sales in operating activities 1,968 7,727 5,426 11,125 Long term trade receivables (4,504) - (4,504) - Change in non-cash working capital related to operating activities (1,046) (14,080) (9,465) (51,095) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net cash from/ (used in) operating activities 25,251 18,801 68,491 28,558 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Investing activities Purchase of property and equipment (49,407) (17,551) (117,012) (66,084) Change in non-cash working capital related to investing activities (1,993) 4,015 4,965 10,301 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net cash used in investing activities (51,400) (13,536) (112,047) (55,783) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Financing activities Proceeds from long-term debt - 40,072 - 86,072 Repayment of long-term debt - (16,969) - (66,000) Sale of shares held in trust - - 100 - Repayment of finance lease - (157) - (504) Interest in period (1,365) (1,447) (3,962) (3,453) Net proceeds from issuance of shares 57,465 (117) 57,465 48,772 Dividend payments (7,230) (5,304) (19,576) (14,830) Distribution to non-controlling interests - (557) (393) (1,483) Purchase of shares in trust - - (993) (74) Share options exercised 1,072 286 7,146 1,555 Advances/(repayment) of operating facility (4,239) (5,036) - (6,776) Change in non-cash working capital related to financing activities (555) - (174) - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net cash from/(used in) financing activites 45,148 10,771 39,613 43,279 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Increase/ (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 18,999 16,036 (3,943) 16,054 Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period - - 22,990 - Effect of foreign currency rate changes on cash and cash equivalents (10) 13 (58) (5) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cash and cash equivalents, end of period 18,989 16,049 18,989 16,049 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Additional Information
A copy of the Company's unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012 and 2011 and related management's discussion and analysis have been filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities and may be accessed through the SEDAR website (www.sedar.com).
Conference Call
Black Diamond will host a conference call for analysts, investors and interested parties to discuss its financial and operational results at 4:00 p.m. MST on November 5, 2012. Trevor Haynes, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Michael Burnyeat, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will be in attendance. The call can be accessed by calling 416-340-8530 or toll free 1-877-240-9772 prior to the scheduled start time. Digital playback of the conference call will be available under the investor relations tab on the Company's website at www.blackdiamondlimited.com.
About Black Diamond
Founded in 2003, Black Diamond Group Limited is one of North America's fastest growing remote lodging, modular building and energy services companies. With its corporate head office located in Calgary, Black Diamond provides world-class services to a full spectrum of industries including oil and gas, mining, power, construction, engineering, military, government and education.
Through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Black Diamond Limited Partnership, BOXX Modular Inc. and through its 50% equity participation in the Black Diamond Dene Limited Partnership, Black Diamond West Moberly Limited Partnership, and Black Diamond Nehiyawak Limited Partnership, Black Diamond operates four complementary divisions in thirteen strategic locations across Canada and the USA.
Black Diamond Camps rents and sells remote workforce housing and provides associated services; Black Diamond Logistics provides turnkey lodging services, remote facility management and supply chain solutions; BOXX Modular specializes in renting and selling a broad range of modular work space solutions and Black Diamond Energy Services rents and sells a complement of oilfield equipment and services.
Reader Advisory
Certain information in this news release contains forward-looking statements including management's assessment of future plans and operations of Black Diamond including, without limitation, statements relating to utilization rates, fleet size, revenue, EBITDA, margins, cash flows, capital expenditures, further deployment of equipment, demand from existing and new customers and future dividends. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond Black Diamond's control including, without limitation, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions, fluctuation of commodity prices, fluctuation of exchange rates, environmental risks, industry competition, availability of qualified personnel and management, stock market volatility, timely and cost effective access to sufficient capital from internal and external sources. As a consequence, actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that the forgoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Additional information on these and other factors that could affect Black Diamond's operations and financial results are included in reports on file with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and may be accessed through the SEDAR website (www.sedar.com) and at Black Diamond's website (www.blackdiamondlimited.com). Furthermore, the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as at the date of this news release and Black Diamond does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws.
In this news release, the following terms have been referenced: EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortization), gross profit margin and payout ratio. Readers are cautioned that these measures are not defined under Generally Accepted accounting Principles ("GAAP"). Readers are cautioned that these non-GAAP measures are not alternatives to measures under GAAP and should not, on their own, be construed as an indicator of the Company's performance or cash flows, a measure of liquidity or as a measure of actual return on the common shares of the Company. These Non-GAAP measures should only be used in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements of the Company. A reconciliation between these measures and measures defined under GAAP is included in management's discussion and analysis for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012 filed on SEDAR.
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Just putting a price on a product and sticking it on a shelf is so old school.
And with consumers buying more each year online, brick-and-mortar retailers are working harder to add entertainment to their mix — from American Girl's scavenger hunts to Chip's Chocolate Factory's fudge-making tours to the Art of Shaving's product demonstrations.
These experiences are something consumers can't get from online shopping, so they drive traffic to the stores and keep customers there longer.
They also build brand loyalty.
"You can buy a product just about everywhere. They are trying to add a different element so it is not just about the product," said Wendy Liebmann, chief executive officer of WSL/Strategic Retail, retail strategists and futurists based in New York. "They are giving people a reason to play — like Converse, where you can customize your sneaker — making it worth it to go into the store. A sense of place and a place to stay."Retailers have been using entertainment to attract shoppers for years, from mall carousels to the Great Mall of America's whole amusement park. But with advances in technology and growing pressure from online competition, more retailers are adding interactive attractions inside their stores.
Involving shoppers
Savvy retailers engage customers with entertainment options, from watching to fully participating.
For 40 years, Bass Pro Shops has stayed open on Thanksgiving Day, drawing customers out after they have downed their Thanksgiving dinner for family-friendly attractions — free photos in Santa's Wonderland, aquariums that re-create scenes from a local lake and free rides. Or as one customer put it, a "few free hours of entertainment." And the shops hold free special events year-round.
Bass Pro Shops customers enter through a turnstile, just as they do for attractions.
"We're the Disney World of outdoor stores a natural history museum of the area they are in, an aquarium, an art gallery with all the beautiful murals, antiques and conservation education. And oh, by the way, we do retail," said Larry Whiteley, spokesman for Bass Pro Shops, which has stores in Independence and Olathe.
Outdoor retail rival Cabela's, which has a store near Kansas Speedway, knows the game, too. It promotes its museum-quality animal displays and aquariums, along with special events and promotions each weekend.
And another sporting goods competitor, Scheels, has made a mark with its entertaining stores, which it likens to Disneyland. Since the stores, one of which was confirmed Monday for a 2015 opening in Overland Park, added attractions such as Ferris wheels, the company says the average customer stay has increased substantially.
Build-A-Bear Workshop was one of the innovators in "experiential" mall retailing 15 years ago, having children choose and name their bears — and later other animals — as the huggable toys were put together and stuffed. Now it is starting to roll out new designs with several new interactive experiences, including putting the stuffed animals at children's height so they can touch and play with them, and digital screens where children can add more personalized sounds and music to their stuffed toys. Five Build-A-Bear stores have been converted to the new concept, and one new store has opened.
Interactive experiences are a key way American Girl sets its 14 stores apart from other toy stores.
"In terms of the retail environment, it's what we've come to be known for," said Stephanie Spanos, spokeswoman for American Girl. "At American Girl, it doesn't just start and end with just a purchase."
The American Girl events — some free, others with a fee — create memories and build brand loyalties with its young customers.
On Jan. 1, for instance, it will have interactive events to introduce its 2013 Girl of the Year doll, the name a closely guarded secret until it is announced in late December.
Girls will get to go on a scavenger hunt through the store, visiting an area for a free craft and getting a gift to take home. Past gifts have included a poster of the Doll of the Year. This year's gift is a surprise.
A dozen of the American Girl stores have cafes where customers can dine with their dolls sitting in a "Treat Seat" with their own tiny cup and saucer. They also have little interactive Table Talkers, conversation starters that the girls can use to start discussions with their mothers and grandmothers: What's your favorite movie? Favorite memory from childhood?
Some consumers might be trying Microsoft products for the very first time when they walk into one of its 60 stores. But they need not be nervous. Microsoft employees are on hand to make the introductions to new products, let them try them out on site and help them work through any technical issues.
"Technology can be very intimidating for some people, so we try to tear down those barriers," said Microsoft spokesman Lief Knutson. "When they leave and realize they've made the right decision, that builds a lot of repeat business."
Customers of the Oak Park Mall Sephora store can touch an interactive screen to select fragrances. The store also has a makeup counter with a self-guiding tutorial.
Some of the Art of Shaving stores have barber spas for straight-razor shaves and haircuts. Though the Country Club Plaza store has a barbershop chair, shaving demonstrations probably won't be added until next year. Still, the shop's shaving experts will take customers through the process for a "perfect shave." That makes a more intimate connection than if they just bought a can of shaving cream off the shelf at their local discount store.
"When they can see that shaving brush in action, the rich warm lather, the sensation of the aftershave balm, the aromas of the gloves, the peppers — it lends to the interactive experience as well," said Cari White, regional director at the Art of Shaving.
Sweet display
Cliff Smith already has his audience at the mention of the word "fudge," but he holds it with his showmanship — from throwing fudge nearly to the ceiling to his goofy jokes.
Smith has been making fudge professionally for nearly two decades and conducts fudge-making demonstrations at Chip's Chocolate Factory in Crown Center.
"The fudge that falls on the floor is dirt cheap," he tells a giggling group of home-schooled students. "I think we have enough for everyone. Or do we need more?"
"More," the children shout.
Or as one child said, "This is one of the coolest field trips we have ever done."
Several of the parents bought more treats on the way out and planned to return, even those who lived in the suburbs and rarely make the trip downtown.
Mike Herman, co-owner of the shop, said Crown Center traffic is picking up with the addition of other attractions such as Legoland and the Sea Life Kansas City Aquarium. Fees for the fudge demonstration are $5 a person. The shop asks that a minimum of 10 participate.
But even when fudge demonstrations aren't scheduled, customers are entertained with videos of the Food Network's feature on Chip's, as well as video on production of its other products.
"When you see someone who has passion for what he does, I think it resonates with you," Herman said. "It's not just a product you pick up off the shelf. It means something to you."


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The media frenzy over the Veterans Administration scandal and the resignation of the VA secretary has spotlighted slightly sleazy, hyperbolic rants from politicians, Democrats and Republicans, demanding to know why the dysfunction at the agency that treats our vets wasn�t discovered and acted upon sooner.
These pols seem to have conveniently forgotten that the last VA scandal broke open just last year, when it was widely reported that authorization of medical disability claims had reached a new level of dysfunction � a backlog of more than 1 million vets endured waits of more than one year.
Yet, Capitol Hill could not muster a sustained response and eventually the 24/7 news media moved on.
That first scandal affected injured veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars living all over the country. Almost exactly one year ago I wrote a news story about Dave Denhardt of Shelby Township, an Army National Guard infantryman who narrowly survived a rocket attack on his base in Afghanistan.
Denhardt suffered severe head and brain injuries that led to seizures, memory loss, headaches, hearing loss and numbness in his left arm. Forced to use a wheelchair, Denhardt was told by the VA that he would need a service dog to assist him, but it would take four to six years for the VA to acquire a dog. He was also told by the Army that his application for a full medical retirement would take 405 days.
For the vets who have battled with the VA bureaucracy repeatedly, the lack of prompt service goes beyond red tape � it�s more like red razor wire that is impenetrable.
Yet, congressional Republicans, constantly irked by the federal government�s involvement in health care, spent the past five years shooting in the wrong direction.
Instead of taking on the second-largest federal bureaucracy, a VA system that operates very much in the mold of European-style socialism, they flailed away at an Obamacare system that provides a private-sector marketplace and individual tax breaks to make health coverage more affordable for the uninsured.
Investigation-minded Republicans should take a look at mid-level bureaucrats within Veteran�s Affairs who decided that new standards for patients� wait times were impossible to meet. They developed a method of cheating, creating phony wait lists. And the result was an estimated 40 deaths of untreated vets. In some cases, this cruel deception, practiced at VA facilities nationwide, was motivated by bonus pay granted to middle-managers if they documented prompt care for vets.
Yes, this is disgraceful, as all of our political leaders seem to agree. But what�s also disgraceful is that the health care system supplied to our wounded warriors has been a failure for decades.
Military observers who have no interest in scoring political points have noted that disturbing reports about VA incompetence have circulated periodically since the Eisenhower administration. Numerous documents warned of severe problems within the VA�s sclerotic bureaucracy but each time, the outrage eventually faded.
Internal reports in 2001 and 2011 revealed that the VA wait times could prove medically dangerous for neglected vets. The scandal in 2007 at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington showed, in shocking detail, that even the �crown jewel� of the VA system, was mismanaged badly.
According to Congresswoman Candice Miller, a Harrison Township Republican whose husband is a former Selfridge base commander, the problem plaguing the VA is not a lack of money.
VA funding has tripled since the pre-9/11 period, Miller said, including a 40 percent increase over the past three years. As much as $1.6 billion for medical care has gone unspent by the VA in some years.
If it�s true that more VA funding hasn�t solved the problem, then an intense nuts-and-bolts effort to revamp the entire agency may be needed. And the Republicans are just the ones to do it.
This is not a Nixon-to-China moment but the GOP has traditionally been viewed as more in-tune with the troops and the veterans organizations than many Democrats. A Republican select committee could dig deep, propose wholesale reforms, and withstand criticism from vets who protest the changes.
After all, many GOP lawmakers who like to wear green military jackets when visiting the troops also feel at home wearing green eyeshades when fly-specking a budget.
In addition, Democrats point out that Republicans were the most outspoken supporters of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars that produced so many of these broken bodies that need VA assistance.
The first goal might be replacing the VA�s archaic data management process. Relying upon paper documents and utilizing computers with decades-old technology, the VA�s ways actually make the embarrassing 6-week glitch at the healthcare.gov exchange seem like a minor blip.
At the same time, the massive agency needs a structural overhaul. That could mean switching to a hybrid system, with VA facilities and specialists handling injuries directly related to combat, such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, traumatic brain injuries and the loss of limbs.
Routine medical matters, including old wartime injuries that became a nagging problem during old age, could be handled by a privatized VA system that would finance a vet�s chosen health insurance. Miller and others in Congress point out that it makes little sense that a vet awaits an appointment at a VA facility 80 miles away when first-rate health care is available where they live.
Harvard�s Kennedy School of Government recommens scrapping the entire system of VA applications. The feds eventually approve about 90 percent of claims from newly returning veterans, so why wouldn�t it be more efficient to approve them all and then audit a representative sample, retroactively, in order to reduce fraud?
President Obama, who has demonstrated a disturbing lack of alertness, a lack of attentiveness, over the past year, has clearly failed to create the �21st Century VA� he promised as a presidential candidate.
Maybe the White House should put the GOP�s hard-nosed �repeal and replace� attitude directed at Obamacare to work on the laundry list of problems at VA hospitals.
The Veteran�s Affairs maladies, after lingering for many years, hadn�t crystalized in the same way that the bumbling rollout of Obamacare focused the GOP mind on riding the healthcare reform issue for all it�s worth.
Well, that ride may be ending but duty calls in another facet of American healthcare.
To be sure, there is a substantial difference between a long wait for online insurance that may not be used for months and waiting for hands-on treatment of a chronic, debilitating medical condition.
This job will require more than dozens of meaningless House votes and a few political slogans. This will require solid solutions.
No death panels at work here.
But it is a life-and-death situation.


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Forum:Missions Not Appearing - GTA IV
I've been playing GTA IV for nearly a month. I tried the first Dwayne mission, didn't do well. Now, I've gotten through the first UL Paper, Ray, and third Packie and the Dwayne mission icon has disappeared. I've tried calling him at different point throughout the day. The same thing happened with Little Jacob.
Any ideas?- JustPhil 22:36, 27 July 2008 (UTC)
- No idea if it would work, but go to the messages in your phone, see if the message still exists from when you failed Dwanes mission and if so, reply it to enter the mission. Biggest gta fan ever 09:45, 30 July 2008 (UTC)


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Clemson Athletics Wednesday announced changes to the responsibilities of its radio broadcast talent in a press release.
Pete Yanity is out after 11 seasons serving as Clemson's play-by-play broadcaster for both football and men's basketball, the school announced Wednesday.
Don Munson, the university's play-by-play voice for baseball in addition to being director of creative media services, will take over for Yanity in broadcasting football games. Munson will also host weekly football and basketball coaches' shows and work with various departments in creating video and written features. He has spent the past four years working full time within the athletic department and has been with the Clemson radio network for the past 16 years.
Clemson will seek a new basketball play-by-play voice while longtime football color analyst Will Merritt is expected to stay on.
"Having an experienced broadcaster like Don on staff, it's great to be able to use his talents throughout the year," athletic director Dan Radakovich said in a release. "Pete always represented Clemson in a first-class and professional manner and never strayed from his endeavor as a consummate broadcaster. We wanted Pete to stay on board with the men's basketball program and other football broadcast opportunities, but understand his commitment to WSPA and his over 20 years of experience there."
Yanity didn't make himself available for an interview with the Herald-Journal, but released a statement Wednesday afternoon that read, in part:
"As noted in an earlier release from Clemson athletics, a decision was made by the athletic director to move in a different direction. What a wonderful run it's been. I had the pleasure of starting with the network in 2001 and then did my very best to at least hold the torch raised by the late, great Jim Phillips. I am so grateful for the opportunity I had.
"On each broadcast, I worked with a close-knit group of individuals and over the years we became brothers. In the past decade-and-a-half, I also gained another family. The Clemson family. And I am so much the better for it."
Yanity called his first Clemson football game, initially on an interim basis, at Georgia Tech on Sept. 20, 2003, after the Sept. 9 death of Phillips from an aneurysm of the aorta. Phillips had been the popular "Voice of the Tigers" for 36 years. Yanity has been the WSPA-TV sports director and main anchor since October of 1990 and has served as sideline reporter for the Carolina Panthers Pre-Season Television Network since 2001.
Munson, a 1984 graduate of Appalachian State, called games at his alma mater for eight years and also had stints Western Carolina and UNC Asheville.
He first joined Clemson's network in 1994 as host of the football pregame, halftime and "Fifth Quarter Show" productions before moving full time to affiliate relations manager and on-air host the following year. After Phillips' death, Munson took over as host of "Tiger Calls" and did play-by-play for baseball and women's basketball.
"It's a pretty humbling experience, first and foremost, especially when you consider those that have come before me," Munson said in a phone interview. "I've got huge shoes to fill as far as that. There are not many programs like this in the country and I realize the enormity of being able to call football for Clemson is an opportunity that doesn't come along in everybody's life. I just feel blessed that Mr. Radakovich has seen fit that he can kind of hand the reins over to me.
"(Phillips) was a living legend. You mentioned him and automatically thought of Clemson athletics. That situation where Pete stepped in to fill the void after Jim's sudden death, you don't wish that upon anybody. Especially with somebody that had been in the forefront as much as Jim had.
"When Pete stepped on board he did a magnificent job and rightfully so was given the opportunity to continue on, and what he did was outstanding. I'm not foolish enough to think this isn't going to be something that maybe stirs the water a little bit in the transition, but I think of the way Mr. Radakovich has done things previously at other universities. (Such as) Wes Durham at Georgia Tech. A guy in-house that he brought in, someone that could do a lot of different things for him in addition to just radio work. There are my thoughts on that."
When asked about all the homework and preparation involved in making the transition to football play-by-play this fall, Munson said his close proximity to football coach Dabo Swinney and the football program as a whole will help make the change more seamless.
"When coach Swinney brought me on board here in July of 2010 (as director of creative media services), it was one of those situations having worked at the network and even doing his call-in show and knowing him, I often tell people that you think that you know a lot, but until you get here inside the building and you start working with the head coach and the assistant coaches, the support personnel and the players, you realize that you don't know squat until you really start working inside here. I've been very blessed in having been able to do that.
"Obviously the guys who will be stepping foot onto the field next year for the Tigers playing football, I know most of them backwards and forwards and up and down. The only players I don't know are the freshmen who will be showing up here in June, but again the advantage I'll have is being around them the entire month of July and through camp in August. I get to be at every practice and be in team meetings and things like that, so I'll have a little bit different perspective than what most play-by-play guys get unless they're actually employed by the university. Most now come from an outside source."
Munson said he hadn't spoken to Merritt since the change was made official, "but I hope he continues on with the network because he brings a lot to it that would be difficult for me to replace, that's for sure."
Swinney said in a release, "This is a great opportunity and role for Don and I'm extremely happy for him. I enjoyed working with and getting to know Pete Yanity and respect his professionalism throughout his time broadcasting our games."