text:
NEW YORK — It was a familiar scene for Martha Stewart's day in court: photographers camped at the back and front entrances of a Manhattan courthouse, members of the news media lining up for seats, spectators buzzing about what she might say.
Nine years after being sentenced to prison for lying about a stock sale, Stewart took the stand Tuesday in New York state Supreme Court in a very different trial, this one concerning which retailers have the right to sell her sheets, towels, and other home goods.
Stewart, who never testified in her insider trading trial, seemed at ease on the stand. She presented cool, crisp testimony meant to support her attempt to sell her home merchandise not just through Macy's, with which she has an exclusive contract in some categories, but also through its rival J.C. Penney.
Stewart stayed on point and reinforced her brand during her four-hour testimony. Discussing her deal to sell goods at Kmart, starting in 1997, she said, ''I paid the price for going mass very early on: The garden club of Greenwich canceled my speaking engagement.''
She added, ''That was a very difficult deal for me to sign — I lived in a pretty house with a pretty garden; I wrote about upscale things.''
But, she said, the home products for the less affluent at the time were unappealing. ''They were buying polyester; they were buying designs that were really, really sad,'' she said. She recalled critics telling her, ''Oh, poor people don't do their laundry as often as rich people, so they don't want light colors,'' but the top-selling towel color her first year at Kmart was white.
The proceedings were part of lawsuits first brought by Macy's in 2012 against Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and J.C. Penney. The main allegation is that Stewart's company violated a contract with Macy's when it agreed to provide similar merchandise to Penney's.
Despite the declining financial picture at her company, which reported last month that it had lost $56 million in 2012 as revenue fell, Stewart seemed confident. "Why do you think the headlines are pitting me against J.C. Penney's and Macy's?'' she asked. ''They're fighting over something, and it's not just home. It is our amazing product.''
Macy's began selling Martha Stewart products in 2007; at the end of 2009, when her contract with Kmart expired, it was the only retailer to sell her products in categories like home decor, bedding, and bath.
Until Penney's came along. As part of an ambitious — and, so far, faltering — plan to turn the retailer around, its newly appointed chief executive, Ron Johnson, decided in 2011 to woo Stewart and devote big sections of Penney's stores to her product.
Stewart testified that she was ''flabbergasted'' by Macy's chief executive Terry J. Lundgren's reaction when she tried to tell him about the Penney's deal in a phone call.
"I don't know if I got through even half the points before he hung up,'' she said.
Stewart said Tuesday that she was ''disappointed'' with parts of the Macy's relationship: She had expected her products to sell $400 million a year there, and they are selling only $300 million.
She seemed sporting about the media attention — during a break, she took pictures of the courtroom with a small camera — but her comments about how this lawsuit had blown up recalled remarks from nine years ago.
"I've spent the entire episode of this lawsuit wondering what — it's a contract dispute, an understanding of what's written on the page,'' Stewart said Tuesday. ''It just boggles my mind that we're here sitting in front of you, judge. It's a real problem for a company like ours.''
In 2004, although she did not testify, she read a statement before the judge that similarly deplored the frenzy. ''A small personal matter'' became ''an almost fatal circus event of unprecedented proportions,'' she said then.


text:
Tournament fosters young shooters; door prizes and saving bonds to be awarded
KINSLEY -- On Saturday, Sept. 22, the Kinsley Gun Club will host its Annual Kids Klassic trap shooting tournament for high school and junior high students. Each youngster will fire at 100 targets. A $20 entry fee will include a custom T-shirt, dinner, and a chance to win a door prize, including a new Beretta shotgun or one of two Remington .22 rifles -- all provided by area businesses and the shooting fraternity. The entry fee does not include shells.
"Trap shooting is a safe, wholesome, lifetime sport that doesn't require a lot of size or athletic ability," says club secretary Frank O'Brien. "This event gives kids who like to shoot or hunt a chance to try trap shooting in a friendly competition designed for kids who are already shooting."
Shooters will compete for trophies, Olympic-style medallions, shotgun shells, and other prizes in four age groups for individuals and five-person teams. Ten $100 savings bonds will be awarded by drawing, so everyone has a chance to win. A trophy and prize will be reserved for the top girl shooter, as well.
While everyone is welcome to attend, participants who enter must be strong enough to handle a shotgun safely and are expected to know the basic rules and etiquette of trapshooting.
Entries (including T-shirt sizes and number of adults for lunch) must be received by September 17. To enter, receive an official program, receive more information, or find out where to practice close to home, phone O'Brien toll free at 1-888-324-5445, email mailto:email@example.com, or write to Frank O'Brien, P. O. Box 351, Lewis, KS 67552.
In addition to the youth event, the club will hold a shoot the following day in memory of long-time club members Ted, Herman, and Joe Schaller. This event is open to shooters of all ages competing for cash prizes in a number of categories.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
New Chapter on Greek Row
It's official! The Greek community at RIT has just gained anotherchapter on Greek Row. On Friday April 12th the Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity received their charter on the RIT campus, making them a recognized fraternity after a year of colonization. Last night Pi Kapp new initiates came together to celebrate their accomplishments along with friends, family, campus supporters, and Pi Kappa Phi Alumni fromsurrounding areas.
Pi Kappa Phi is now the largest fraternity on campus, with 36 members, the highest fraternity GPA, and supports Push America as their main philanthropy.
For more information regarding RIT Greek Life, or to check out the other chapters on campus go to http://ritgreek.com/chapter-profiles
Otherwise check out the photos from last night, and congratulate the new brothers!


text:
I have personally never used L.J. Chabert Medical Center, but I have friends and relatives who are patients. I have been visiting them and providing transportation for some of them for many years.
I have personally never used L.J. Chabert Medical Center, but I have friends and relatives who are patients. I have been visiting them and providing transportation for some of them for many years.
When people are sick or in pain or they have a sick child, many of them can become less than polite. When they have long waits in the E.R. or for appointments, it can be even worse. This can make it difficult for the patients and the staff too.
The entire staff is working under hectic and stressful conditions, as well as being understaffed and underfunded. Despite all of this, these are good people, and they do all they can do to help others. The solution to these problems is not more budget cuts. LJCMC needs increased funding, not cuts.
With increased cuts, waiting time for appointments and in the E.R. will increase. With fewer beds, people will be treated and sent home who should have been admitted because no beds will be available. The staff will be even more overworked. The patients will be even more impatient and impolite. Everybody will be more stressed out. As a result, there will be more suffering, and the quality of health care that the patients receive will deteriorate.
I have been a smoker for over 50 years, and like all smokers, every time the Feds increased the tobacco tax I griped and yelled that Washington will just waste the money anyway.
This is different though. This is about saving lives and easing suffering. A tax of 20 cents per pack or $2 a carton can raise a lot of money. I would happily pay that tax if every cent of the tax went to LJCMC.
I've discussed this with about 50 or more other people, both smokers and non-smokers, and every single one of them said they would vote for the tax, but only if there was a law that made sure Chabert Medical Center received all the money from the cigarette tax. If this were a state tax, the money would stay in Baton Rouge. However, if this were a Terrebonne and Lafourche Parish tax, the money could then be allocated to Chabert without everybody taking a little off the top before it gets there.
Over the years, I have sat at the hospital and talked with many different people, both patients and their families and friends. As a result, I have come to the conclusion that the majority of patients being treated at Chabert have smoking-related illnesses.


text:
We have put together a compilation of all the best crashes from the 2005 racing season at Oxford Plains . We are selling these DVD's for $20. IF you would like one at no cost to run on your station let me know. As allways sales of the show come back to us. The DVD's are tagged with our info at the end.
So give me a jingle at 743-7859 or email at firstname.lastname@example.com and we will get one out to you.
Steve G
Community Television
Association of Maine
516 Congress Street
Portland, ME 04101
Phone: (207) 775-2900 x210
E-Mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
CTAM's Google Groups
CTAM ME Public Access
CTAM ME Ed Access
CTAM ME Govt Access
On Facebook


text:
Fixed Gears & Road1
But the question arose as to whether fixed gear riders could actually perform that maneuver without snagging a pedal. Furthermore, there was some question of whether fixed gear riders should be turned away from the course. Personally, I'd prefer that we develop better cyclists through the BikeEd program, and that means educating the riders regarding both their personal limits and the limits of their machines. We educate cyclists, not their bicycles.
Have any of you been turned away from a BikeEd class because you rode a fixed gear?
I'd hesitate if a student unacquainted with fixed gears showed up for a class expecting to ride it for the skills course. I have thousands of hours on a fixed gear, and in all honesty, the instant turn is much more daunting when you cannot coast. After snagging a pedal in a sharp corner, I'm well aware of the risks.
Given the current popularity (some would say 'fad') of fixed gears, it's almost a certainty that some of us will have students arrive on one. Which is better - turning a student away because the instructor is unfamiliar with fixies and afraid of their handling characteristics, or providing a cyclist with the information and skills he needs to be a better, safer rider? I'd come down on the side of making the students better riders, regardless of the type of machine they choose.
We've all had students who were intimidated by the instant turn. Learning it pushed their limits as a rider. They learned about the limits of their machines as well. It's no different for recumbent or fixed gear riders. We educate cyclists, not their bicycles.
Counter-steering isn't a special skill, though it IS counter-intuitive to most people. I've told students that they already know how to do the quick turn. They just don't know that they know. They don't realize that they can deliberately initiate such a fast maneuver. Even some very experienced cyclists have trouble with counter-steering. But everyone who knows how to ride a bicycle already controls it via counter-steering, whether the rider is aware of it or not.
You may remember a book "Zen and the Art of Tennis" that said we over-intellectualize rather than rely on muscle memory. The idea is simply to think, "I want to go THERE!", focus on your destination, and your body will do it without further conscious thought.
I first heard of counter-steering in a study of motorcycle crashes long ago. When a motorcyclist (or a bicyclist, for that matter) tried to steer away from a car pulling out in front of him, he'd often drive right into it. The cyclist made a deliberate leftward turning motion that began a right turn and ended in a crash.
There's a mistaken perception that a fixed gear cyclist is less able to perform these maneuvers. I don't subscribe to that idea, but I'll state quite plainly that the instant turn is still difficult for me on a fixed gear, mainly because I'm afraid of snagging a pedal.
One or two said they'd turn away a student who showed up on fixed gear or even a BMX bike. To my way of thinking, that's simply wrong.


text:
Jan. 17, 2009
PHILADELPHIA, Penn. - In this season's Ivy opener, Yale fell to Penn, 181.475 to 184.900. However, Yalies won three out of four events, and senior Alina Liao placed first in the all-around. She also won bars, while fellow senior Lauren Tatsuno won beam and junior Brigitte Kivisto won floor.
The Bulldogs had a rough start on bars, where several injuries are hampering the team's ability to have a healthy line-up. However, Sarah Hughes had a beautiful routine that earned her a 9.25, placing third. Liao scored a 9.575 for the event's title.
Vault picked up. Tatsuno and Allison Mak tied for second place with a pair of 9.575s and Liao's 9.55 placed third. Sherry Yang earned a 9.225.
Yale then went to floor, in which the team outscored Penn by over two points - 47.125 to 44.25. Mak started the line-up with a 9.175. Yang and Hughes followed with powerful routines premiering new tumbling passes, and earned 9.475 and 9.35, respectively. Tatsuno added a 9.475, and Kivisto's 9.65 won the event. Tatsuno and Yang tied for third place.
On beam, the Bulldogs were forced to count some uncharacteristic falls from several members. Yang (8.6), Mak (8.775), and Liao (8.975) all struggled on Yale's best event. Kivisto was solid and her 9.6 earned third place. Tatsuno was nearly flawless, winning beam with a 9.7.
Liao won the all-around competition with a 37.125. Mak also competed in the all-around, totaling a 35.825.
Typically, each team puts up six routines on each event and five are counted towards the team score. But due to injuries and illnesses, the Bulldogs were only able to field a six women line-up on one event, meaning that on the other events, every score counted.
"When we have to count all five scores, there's no place for error," summarized head coach Barbara Tonry.
Next Saturday, Yale will travel to Bridgeport for a tri-meet with UNH. Competition starts at 1:00pm.
Report filed by Cathy Jan '09, Yale Sports Publicity


text:
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Reporters' Notebooks
Tucson Citizen: Who is the better team, USC or Louisiana State? After seeing both, LSU gets the vote.
Mike Hlas, Cedar Rapids Gazette: Where is Ron Dayne when you need him? Wisconsin ran for only 12 yards against Michigan (subscription, story is in comments).
Bryan Strickland, Durham Herald-Sun: Duke coach Ted Roof said his team shouldn't stare at the scoreboard in the middle of a game.
Gary Lambrecht, Baltimore Sun: Navy knows how to rebound. Over the past four seasons, the Midshipmen are 10-1 after a loss (registration).
Kyle Tucker, Virginian-Pilot: Teammates supported and coach Frank Beamer defended two suspended players.
1 comment:
Mike Hlas
Cedar Rapids Gazette
FIRST DOWNS 1. Nowhere to Run: Wisconsin favors rushing as its preferred mode of offense, but was held to 12 yards on 27 carries in its 27-13 loss at Michigan.
''One of our first goals was to run the football with persistence and power and we were not able to do that,'' said Badgers Coach Bret Bielema.
The Wolverines have allowed an average of 18.5 rushing yards per game. That's good. Best in the nation, actually.
''That's what brings a smile to everybody's face, seeing how many rushing yards a team has,'' said Michigan defensive tackle Alan Branch. ''I hate seeing teams that have over 100 yards rushing.''
2. Hungry to Win: Wake Forest had to wait out a two-hour delay to start its game at Mississippi Saturday because of a lightning storm.
''When it started to get to be after 6 o'clock our guys started getting hungry again,'' said Wake Forest Coach Jim Grobe. ''We were giving them Gatorade bars to try to give them something to keep their energy level up.
''The longer we sat in that locker room, the more I worried that we wouldn't have enough energy to come out and play the game.''
But Wake stayed awake, and mauled Ole Miss, 27-3. The Demon Deacons are 4-0 for the first time since 1987.
3. VI Tops IV: Two of college football's favorite mascots met when Colorado visited Georgia.
Colorado's Ralphie IV, a 900 pound buffalo, was hauled across two time zones to meet Georgia's Uga VI, a less-heavy bulldog.
Seated in the stands off to the right of the caged buffalo, the Georgia band chanted ''Bison Burger! Bison Burger!'' But Bulldog fans seemed to enjoy the buffalo in its live form when it ran on the field before the game and before the start of the second-half.
''I wish we got this kind of reception in Boulder,'' said Chris Cavanaugh, one of Ralphie's handlers.
''We've been greeted with open arms, Southern hospitality at its finest.''
If you were escorted by a 900 pound buffalo, you'd be treated well, too.
4. Terwilligermania: East Stroudsburg University's Jimmy Terwilliger threw four touchdown passes in a 41-34 victory over California (Pa.) University. He set an NCAA Division II career mark with his 123rd TD toss. But this item is here because the Hlist just likes saying ''Jimmy Terwilliger.''
FUMBLES 1. Wrong and Wronger: Minnesota had a 4th-and-5 at the Purdue 33 in the second-quarter, trailing 7-3. The Gophers could go for a first down or try to pin the Boilermakers deep with a pooch punt.
Coach Glen Mason instead chose Plan C, a 51-yard field goal try into a swirling wind. It was blocked, and Purdue used the momentum to go on a touchdown drive. Mason said the other two options ''never entered my mind.''
Minnesota had a first-and-goal at the Purdue 4 with 1:03 left in the first-half and no timeouts. It had enough time for one of its patented smash-mouth running plays. Gopher back Amir Pinnix did rush for 173 yards. But Mason tried a fade pass, then a quarterback draw that unfolded too slowly, and finally a second fade pass. That was a jumpball that was picked off in the end zone.
The Gophers went on to lose, 27-21. ''It is what it is,'' Mason said. ''We missed a ton of opportunities.'' Any questions why Minnesota is the only three-time Music City Bowl participant?
2. Cough, Cough: Michigan State's football program is a bit too familiar with choking.
MSU added to its oxygen-deprived history under John L. Smith by blowing a 37-21 fourth-quarter lead and losing to Notre Dame, 40-37.
One of Smith's many questionable choices was to not run 260 pound back Jehuu Caulcrick on a wet field in the game's last 10 minutes.
Caulcrick had eight carries for 111 yards, and carried Irish defenders with him on a 30-yard TD run.
''I'm not sitting there complaining about it,'' Caulcrick said. ''I don't have a headset on, so I don't know (why).''
Asked why his teams keep letting big games slip away, Smith replied, ''I'd rather not answer that.''
With good reason.
3. Pointless Attack: Utah State lost 38-0 at BYU. It has seven points in four games, thanks to an interception return for a touchdown in its first game.
''Everything that can happen to us has happened to us,'' moaned Aggies quarterback Leon Jackson III. Everything that doesn't involve kicking an extra point afterward, anyhow.
John L. Smith coached Utah State back in 1997, when the Aggies scored 35 points against BYU (and lost, 42-35).
Maybe he'll get to coach them again sometime soon.
4. Urban Miffed: Some Florida fans booed Gators quarterback Chris Leak during Florida's 26-7 win over Kentucky.
''I probably shouldn't comment on that,'' Gators Coach Urban Meyer said. ''I'm a little disappointed by it. Chris Leak played his rear end off, and we're 4-0.''
The fans like freshman QB Tim Tebow better. Tebow is a better runner than Leak, who set the school record for career completions Saturday.
Iowa fans who saw Leak's fine play in the Gators' Outback Bowl win over the Hawkeyes can conclude the following: Florida fans are flaky.
FROM THE PAPERS ''After three games and three losses — the latest being last night's 38-7 whipping by the more artistic hands of Utah — (former Iowa quarterback Chuck) Long has a team that not only isn't good, but dull, erratic and not nearly prepared to the point of defeating a halfway decent team.
''SDSU seemed lifeless, especially offensively, even soft and disinterested at times.'' — Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune
FINAL WORD ''We don't take our foot off the gas here. Because I've been on the other side of these. Believe me.'' — Rutgers Coach Greg Schiano.
Rutgers clubbed I-AA Howard, 56-7, to improve to 4-0 for the first time in 26 years. It was 1-11 under Schiano four years ago.


text:
Hello everyone.
I am new inside of it here, so I have a few questions.
Is Battlefield: Bad Company 2 hack safe enough to use.?
If you get the knowledge show it is will be found.?
So you can manage to stop using it, inside you will be ban.?
I regret my sårlig English.
Hope there are some who can explain to me how this works. Thank you.


text:
The Hinkley Lighting Marcellina 4401 is a traditional mini lamp shade available in finish.The traditional style is sure to complement any decor.
Hinkley Lighting Marcellina Shade 4401OW (HK/MAECELLINA/SHADE)
Finish: Tuscan White
Material: Fabric
Height: 152mm
Width: 152mm
Length: 152mm
If not in stock, please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.
Welcome to the Online Lighting web store.
Our aim is to be the supplier of choice for modern lighting in Australia. We believe we have something truly special to offer when it comes to delivering everything from minimalist dimmable LEDs to stunning chandeliers to homemakers, decorators and others with discerning taste- and at prices that remain affordable. Changing the lighting in your home or business premises can change everything from your electricity usage, to which features are highlighted, to the tone and mood of a whole room or outdoor area; we look forward to helping you transform spaces with the perfect lighting.
You can buy lighting products online here with confidence that you're getting the genuine article, which will be shipped securely to your door in just days- across Australia and overseas. It's easy- just find your perfect light, click 'add to cart', and follow the prompts to our secure encrypted checkout. Should you have any questions about a particular product or about the shopping process, a team of lighting professionals is just an email or phone call away; just click the 'Contact Us' tab above for details of how to get in touch.
Buy Hinkley lights at Online LightingUnder four generations of family leadership, Hinkley Lighting has transformed from a small outdoor lantern company to a global brand intent on bringing you the best in style, quality and value. Hinkley thrives on personal relationships, regional roots, inspiring design and a family atmosphere that is encouraged at every level of our company. If the past 90 years are any indication, it is with great pride and excitement that they set their sights on the horizon and extend our commitment to keeping your 'Life Aglow.'
Hinkley understands that your home is so much more than a physical place; it's an emotional place and an extension of your personal style. They are committed to creating lighting fixtures that blend design and function, adding that quiet sophistication to your home's décor while effortlessly updating each room.
Explore all of our brands and find the perfect style to fulfill your lighting needs. Each of our collections is available in a wide range of designs, from elegant and traditional to sleek and contemporary. We use only the highest quality materials and offer an extensive array of finishes to complement every style of interior and exterior design.


text:
Sorry for not being here as much as I used to be....!
My dad is very sick, and we go every 3 days to the hospital, taking turns with my sister & brother!
He got 90 in January and was still good for a man of that age!
So in February he left for Turkey for about one month; together with other elderly people. His sister & husband (88) also went!
But after 1 week it went wrong.... His sister found him on the floor of his bathroom twice! The second time he acted rather strange and was talking gibberish...
He was brought to the local hospital then.
We were told not to go there, so we didn't...
They told us many different stories, we didn't really know what was wrong.
After 2 weeks he was brought back to Belgium with a "medical flight": him, a doctor and a nurse.
We were so chocked when we finally saw him...!
It was obvious that he hadn't be washed all the time he was in hospital, he was dehydrated too, but wasn't allowed to drink anything before the doctors here were sure he could still swallow well.
His lips were covered with dried blood, and his mouth looked all red inside. Poor dad!!!
His whole body was "blue" and his arms was in such bad shape because of needles and other stuff.
After many tests, we finally learned that they gave him overdoses of bloodthinner (in Turkey), which caused his inner body bleed inside on really lots of places!!
We also are sure now that he got a seizure.
The worst though is that they found out here that his aorta (main artery) is in very bad shape; it is calcified completely, cholesterol too, and it has many very very thin places; Those can break anytime, which will cause an instant death...! I hope you can all understand what I am trying to describe, my English is not really great when talking about medical stuff...
All we can do now is going as often as possible (it's a 1 hour drive)
They are givng some excercises to get in better shape, because he cannot stand on his feet anymore. Of course they must be very careful , regarding that artery!!
He was till living on his own, but that won't be possible anymore....! So the hospital is trying to find a place for him in a home .
Please add him to your prayers, he needs it very much!! Thanks!!!


text:
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- In his third public address following a federal raid at Pilot Flying J headquarters, CEO Jimmy Haslam said he was embarrassed by parts of the investigation.
Several top sales people were put on indefinite leave, just part of a 5 point plan laid out by Haslam geared towards rebuilding the company's reputation following accusations of engaging in rebate fraud with customers.
The second part of the plan involves an internal audit, the third calls for the elimination of "manual transactions" the FBI said was turned in a rebate fraud program.
Step four of that plan calls for the creation of a new position within the company, a Chief Compliance Officer.
Step five involves the hiring of a private investigation, a person Haslam said we will all recognize once their name is released.
During Monday's news conference Haslam said he already started the process of reaching out to trucking companies to mend fences, starting with Morehouse.
Haslam said, "We had what I would describe as, it wasn't cordial but a very professional conversation. He said 'I just want you to pay me my damn money if you owe me any'. I understand we have a long way to go but we're approaching it humbly, hat in hand and we'll do what we can to regain the trust in the trucking companies."
Haslam said Pilot became the least trusted business among trucking companies.
Curt Morehouse, office manager of W.N. Morehouse Truck Line, told Local 8 News his faith in humanity was restored when Haslam called him on Saturday and Monday afternoon after the news conference.
"He said he had a team of people working on us as his priority to figure out if they did owe us anything, and if they did, how much it was," said Morehouse who was told he'd get a call on Tuesday.


text:
It is hard to pass by the corner in Sterling where Applebee's, the movie theaters, Menards, and several other well-frequented businesses are without noticing the aroma present. I am, of course, referring to the pig operation running there.
If any of you have not experienced this treat, just stand in the parking lot of Applebee's. There is nothing that can take your breath away quite like a pig farm.
I bear no malice for this operation, but there is substantial truth to the old saying "Happier than a pig in (you know what)," and these are very happy pigs that old farmer Koster is raising.
My guess is that there is something going on in the background that we sinus suffers are missing. Did farmer Koster receive a speeding ticket that rankled him? Is he mad at Applebee's or the Mobil station, or maybe he is upset with everyone in Sterling.
He obviously has an agenda, and he is mad. Why, oh why, did it have to be pigs?


text:
Saturday is no time for sentiment. No time to ponder finality, reflect on a career, or worry if Mom's going to cry.
Virginia Tech's football team has a championship to win and a rival to whup.
Yes, the noon contest against Virginia at Lane Stadium marks the last home appearance for 14 seniors, an accomplished bunch that's contributed to 39 victories. And no, we can't expect them to be heartless androids immune to the moment.
But Senior Day emotions have a way of backfiring. Players get too wired, or too tight, or too something.
The Hokies can't afford such foolishness.
Not when a victory wins the Coastal Division, sends them to the ACC title game and extends their domination of the Cavaliers. Not when Virginia is playing for bowl eligibility and has enough weapons — Clint Sintim, Cedric Peerman and Kevin Ogletree — to make Hokie Nation squirm.
Like most senior classes, Tech's runs the gamut. You have former walk-ons such as Devin Perez and Jonas Houseright, career backups such as Cory Holt and Demetrius Taylor, and a soon-to-be NFL draft choice in cornerback Macho Harris.
Unlike most stories about senior classes, this will not include quotes from many of the participants. Hokies coach Frank Beamer limited player interviews this week to senior defensive end Orion Martin and freshman receiver Danny Coale.
Beamer maintained that with so much at stake, he wanted to avoid distractions and any remarks that might rile up the Cavaliers. This is, of course, complete jive.
Tech has played, and won, far bigger games than this, and exposure to media during those weeks didn't infect the locker room or cause a rash of turnovers.
No, Beamer's rationale hinged on comments last week by linebacker Purnell Sturdivant that disparaged the Hokies' troubled offense. Beamer was torqued at Sturdivant for yapping and at media for reporting.
But enough inside politics. Of much greater import are the seniors, and those to watch Saturday are center Ryan Shuman and quarterback Sean Glennon — fifth-year veterans who graduated and represented the program well.
On an offensive line that can be charitably labeled a weak link, Shuman has earned a winning grade (80 percent or better) in 10 of 11 games. The son of Fork Union Military Academy postgraduate coach John Shuman, Ryan first started at Tech as a guard in 2005 before returning to his natural position.
Shuman missed 21/2 games last season with an ankle injury and, in his first game back, graded 90 percent against Miami. He underwent off-season knee surgery and returned at full strength, but missed time last week against Duke with an ankle ailment.
Has he recovered? Can he and his line mates protect Glennon and Tyrod Taylor from one of the ACC's better pass rushes?
Glennon relieved a rattled Taylor during the second quarter against Duke and threw for the Hokies' sole offensive touchdown, to Jarrett Boykin, the first this season for a Tech wide receiver. Taylor did not return, but Beamer said Monday that Taylor will start Saturday.
That's a shame. Chances are the Hokies will need Glennon's downfield passing, so why not acknowledge him with a farewell start?
Afraid of bruising Taylor's ego? Spare us. He is a consummate team player and would likely applaud the gesture.
Afraid the home crowd would boo? So what? If nothing else, Glennon has a thick hide.
He's proven it repeatedly. When fans pilloried him for the 2006 bowl giveaway to Georgia; when Beamer benched him two games into last season and one game into this year.
"From what I've seen, I think he's handled it pretty well," Virginia linebacker Clint Sintim said of Glennon. "I commend him."
Perhaps not coincidentally, Glennon was never better last season than when away from Lane Stadium. He threw for 296 yards and two scores in a victory at Georgia Tech, for 260 yards and a touchdown in a division-clinching win at Virginia.
In the ACC title game against Boston College, Glennon earned MVP honors with three touchdown passes.
Without question, Glennon's immobility and turnovers have ranged from damaging to untenable. But this is a young man who despite slights and demotions has rescued his team several times.
"I'd say he's pretty responsible for the fact that there's an ACC championship trophy down there in one of those trophy cases," Virginia coach Al Groh said.
"Not too many championships go to teams without a quarterback who's done a good job. …
"I would certainly say he was the MVP of the game here last year. … From our perspective, it's pretty easy to give him his props."
David Teel can be reached at 247-4636 or by e-mail at email@example.com. For more from Teel, read his blog at dailypress.com/teeltime.


text:
Cause-Effect Coaching
David uses a "cause-effect coaching" method. He shows teachers what they are doing or are not doing (the cause) and how it is related to what the students are learning or not learning (the effect).
The purpose is to show the teacher that the students may not be the cause of why the students are not learning.
The cause-effect concept was shown in the original work on classroom management by Jacob Kounin. He summarized his research from observing teachers and classrooms and concluded that it was "the behavior of the teacher and not the behavior of the students that resulted in student learning."
David says:
==> "School leaders and teachers must always examine how their actions or inactions may be creating barriers or creating enhancements to learning." <==
Via Mary Perfitt-Nelson, Gust MEES


text:
Jan. 29, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format
The Schedule
Friday, February 1, 7 p.m.
UCSB vs. No. 13 Hawai'i
Robertson Gymnasium
Radio: KCSB 91.9 FM
Online Broadcast: kcsb.org
Gametracker: UCSBGauchos.com
Saturday, February 2, 7 p.m.
UCSB vs. No. 13 Hawai'i
Robertson Gymnasium
Online Broadcast: kcsb.org
Gametracker: UCSBGauchos.com
Against Hawai'i
Last Meeting: 2/9/07 at UH
Result: UCSB 3, UH 1 (30-26, 19-30, 30-19, 30-20)
2007 Series: UCSB 2-0
All-Time Series Record: UH leads 39-24
Last UH Win: 1/14/06
Result: UH 3, UCSB 1 (36-34, 28-30, 30-28, 30-21)
Current Streak: UCSB two wins
Several Matches to be Broadcast by KCSB
Starting with the Jan. 25 tilt against Stanford, KCSB will begin live broadcasts of select matches. You can either tune in to 91.9 FM or listen to the online broadcast at KCSB.org. The double-header against Hawai'i Feb. 1-2 will be broadcast live by KCSB with the second match available online only. You can listen online to the Feb. 15 match vs. UC Santa Cruz and the Feb. 20 contest against UCLA will be on the radio as well as online. Other matches may be added in the future.
Track the Matches Online
For the first time ever, UCSB men's volleyball matches can be followed live online with Gametracker. All home matches and select road contests will be included. Just log on to UCSBGauchos.com, go to the men's volleyball schedule, and click on the Gametracker link for the match you're interested in. You can follow each point and even view player bios. Gametracker is free of charge and works on PCs and Macs. You just need to have Flash and Java installed and enabled.
`Chos Pick Up First MPSF Victory With Straight Set Win Over Pacific
UCSB finally got over the hump Jan. 26 and picked up its first MPSF victory with a three-game sweep over Pacific at Robertson Gym. Scores were 30-26, 30-21, and 30-22. The win upped UCSB's overall record to 2-6 and the Gauchos are now 1-4 in the MPSF. Pacific continued to struggle and fell to 0-8 overall and 0-6 in conference match-ups. UCSB was solid on the attack, posting a .346 hitting percentage to Pacific's .061. The Gaucho middles played a strong match, out-blocking the Tigers 11.5 to 5.0. For the first time this season, freshman Jeff Menzel did not lead the Gauchos in kills. That honor went to senior middle blocker Theo Brunner, who finished with a match-high 12 kills while hittng .478 (12-1-23). Menzel wasn't far behind as he posted 11 kills and added five blocks, a match co-high along with Sam Moisenco. Moisenco also had six kills and no errors in 11 swings for a .545 attack percentage. Mike Fisher led all players with 10 digs. For Pacific, Pekka Seppanen led with 10 kills, but he hit just .182 (10-6-22). Jason Borchin had nine kills and nine errors, while Blake Gentry and Jeff Hendershot each put down six kills. Seppanen had a team-best nine digs. It was the second time this season that the Gauchos topped the Tigers as they took a 3-1 victory during UCSB's annual Elephant Bar Restaurant Collegiate Invitational in early January. The two teams will meet in another MPSF tilt on Feb. 9 in Stockton.
Menzel's 21 Kills Not Enough as Gauchos Get Swept by Stanford
Jeff Menzel did his part by pounding a match-high 21 kills, but it wasn't enough as sixth-ranked Stanford swept the Gauchos in MPSF men's volleyball action last night at Robertson Gymnasium. Game scores were 30-28, 30-26, and 30-26. Santa Barbara dropped to 1-6 overall and remained winless in the MPSF at 0-4, while the Cardinal improved to 6-3 and 3-3. Stanford was defeated in straight sets at Cal State Northridge Thursday, and it used the loss as motivation to come out firing against the Gauchos. For the match, the Cardinal hit a blistering .414 as a team with 61 kills and just 13 errors in 116 attack attempts. Stanford hit .514 (22-4-35) in game three alone. Menzel hit .341 with six miscues in 44 swings. He also added a service ace, three digs, two blocks, and a match-best 23.5 points. Senior middle blocker Theo Brunner provided another bright spot for the Gauchos, posting eight kills with zero errors in 11 attempts (.727). As a team, UCSB swung at .280. Stanford had three players total 10 or more kills. Both Matt Ceran and Evan Romero had 17, while Jesse Meredith added 13. Meredith hit .522 and was followed closely by Ceran at .517. Defensively, Jarod Keller tallied a match-high 12 digs.
Menzel on the Move
True freshman Jeff Menzel has continued to lead the Gaucho offense this season. He has posted team-high kill and attempt totals in seven of eight matches. Originally slated to play outside, Menzel has now moved to opposite hitter. He currently leads the team in total kills, kills per game, and service aces. He's also second in total blocks. Senior Theo Brunner began the season at opposite, but was shifted back to his primary middle blocker spot for the Cal State Northridge match Jan. 19. Brunner is the only Gaucho to total more kills in a match than Menzel this season as he had 12 (Menzel had 11) against Pacific Jan. 26. Brunner was an AVCA First Team All-American at middle blocker last season.
Devany Will Not Redshirt the 2008 Season
Freshman setter Vince DeVany made his collegiate debut Jan. 26 against Pacific at Rob Gym. Originally scheduled to redshirt the 2008 season, Devany dressed against the Tigers and recorded his first career kill on his first career attempt. He also added four assists in the win. Devany and opposite Jeff Menzel are the only true freshman that have seen the floor so far for the Gauchos. Ben Douglas, Blaine Nielsen, Jordan Nuni, Jake Scalise, and Alex Williams are still scheduled to redshirt this year.
Fisher Back in the Rotation
Senior outside Mike Fisher has played in UCSB's last five matches (and started the last three) after missing the first four (including the exhibition against Alberta) with a right arm problem. His first action was at Pepperdine Jan. 9. Fish has already made an impact with multiple kills in all but one of the matches, including a season-high eight at USC. On Jan. 26, he posted a career-best 10 digs in a win over Pacific.
Preston Will Retire Following the 2008 Season
Ken Preston, easily the winningest coach in UCSB men's volleyball history and one of the winningest active coaches in the nation, will retire following the 2008 season, his 30th as head of the Gaucho program. Preston will remain a member of the UCSB Athletics Department through the end of 2008 and will assist in the search for his successor in the spring. Preston began his UCSB head coaching career in 1979. In his 29 seasons, he has compiled a 506-364 overall record for a winning percentage of .582. He has guided the program to 21 of its 29 seasons of .500 or better, including 19 winning seasons. His teams have qualified for 19 postseason appearances and in 1988, Preston's squad advanced to the NCAA Final Four and then the NCAA Championship match. In 2007, UCSB had one of its most successful seasons in several years with a 20-14 overall record and a 14-8 mark in the MPSF. The Gauchos, who climbed as high as No. 3 in the national rankings, posted a victory over visiting UCLA in the quarterfinals of the MPSF Tournament to cap the campaign. Preston recorded his 500th career win with a victory at IPFW in March. In addition, two players - Theo Brunner and Evan Patak - were named AVCA First Team All-Americans. Prior to coming to UCSB, Preston coached at Cal Poly, Wright State (Dayton, Ohio), and Westmont College in Santa Barbara. In addition to his collegiate experience, Preston has spent extensive time on the international circuit, serving in both head and assistant coach capacities at the Olympics, World Championships, Pan American Games, and the World University Games. A search for Preston's successor will take place in the spring. Preston will be a key member of the committee assigned to select the new coach.
New Mugs on the Coaching Staff
Head coach Ken Preston welcomes a pair new faces to his 2008 coaching staff. Most recently, Lee Nelson joined the Gauchos as associate head coach. Nelson replaced Aaron Mansfield, who left this summer to try out for the U.S. National Team as a libero. Nelson came from Fresno State, where he was the top assistant with the Bulldog women's program. He played at UCSB from 1985-89 and was also an assistant coach under Preston from 1997-99. Lee graduated from UCSB in 1991. He was raised in Santa Barbara and is a 1984 grad of Santa Barbara High School. Ricardo DoMonte was added to the staff during the summer of 2007. A native Brazilian, he coached the UCSB men's volleyball club team to a national championship in 2007. Since 2002, doMonte has served as the Volleyball Director for the Page Youth Center/Santa Barbara Boy's Volleyball Club. He has coached elite level players indoors and on the beach in both Brazil and United States, and has worked at several UCSB volleyball camps.
Gauchos Pick Up Four During Fall Signing Period
UCSB picked up four high school seniors during the 2007 fall signing period. Outside hitters Grant Goswiller, Mark Liebermann, and Matt Townsend, as well as middle blocker/opposite Jake Piva will don the blue and gold for the 2009 season. Goswiller, a 6-foot-3 outside, hails from Coto de Caza, Calif. and Tesoro High School. He has also played club ball for Balboa Bay and OC Riptides. Goswiller was an all-tournament selection at the 2007 Junior Olympics (17 Open) in Atlanta. Outside of volleyball, he was a member of the Lionsheart Community Service Club and the Invisible Children's Club. In the classroom, Goswiller was a three-year Presidential Honor Roll member. Liebermann is from Newport Beach, Calif. and Newport Harbor High School. The 6-foot-5 outside was part of a Balboa Bay Volleyball Club squad that took first place at the 2007 Holiday Classic. Piva, a 6-foot-8 middle/opposite, is from Valencia, Calif. and won a CIF title with Valencia High School, a perennial powerhouse in the Foothill League. With Santa Monica Beach Club, he won a 2007 title in the Open Division and has twice been named all-tourney at Junior Olympics. Townsend is from Granada Hills, Calif. and plays for Chaminade College Prep. A four-year letterwinner, the 6-foot-4 outside has garnered First Team All-Mission League honors. In 2007, he was a member of the Southern California Volleyball Association Regional Team that competed at the Slovenia Global Challenge. Townsend won gold at the 2007 Junior Olympics (17 Open) and silver at the 2006 JOs (16 Open).
-- UCSBGauchos.com --


text:
Hot Cider Recipe
Popular Videos
- 4 cups water
- 2 teaspoons ground allspice
- 1 cinnamon stick (3 inches)
- Dash ground cloves
- 1 gallon apple cider or unsweetened apple juice
- 1 can (12 ounces) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
- 3/4 cup orange juice
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 individual tea bag
- In a large stockpot, combine the water, allspice, cinnamon stick and cloves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Return just to a boil. Discard cinnamon stick and tea bag. Stir and serve warm. Yield: 18 servings (4-1/2 quarts).
Reviews forHot Cider
My Review
Average Rating
"This is by far the best Hot Cider recipe. I cut the recipe in half & added spiced rum to each cup. Next time I will add a handful of dried cranberries or golden raisins to each mug. The heat from the hot cider will plump them up, but have to remember to serve it with a little spoon so they can be spooned up?..! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe with us all."
"This is SO delicious! We make it all the time!"
"Have made this twice. Second time I made my own lemonade concentrate with fresh lemon juice, sugar and water--turned out great again!Soothing and warm drink."
"This recipe had so much flavor! My guests loved it! However, I think I would add less orange juice next time."
"This is a wonderful recipe. Great flavor and easy to make. My guests raved about this all night! I put spiced rum and southern comfort on the side for anyone to add if they chose. I am definitely keeping this recipe for entertaining!"


text:
The Tigers were led by two seniors in their final stand, by running back Cody Lechman and quarterback Brendan Diaz. The two led Sterling to 373 yards of offense in the swan song for the senior class.
Diaz was 8-for-24 in the passing attack for 144 yards and two touchdowns. He completed one pass to Avery Stutzman for six yards and a score, and one to Connor Carey for a touchdown. Carey caught six passes for 128 yards.
The passing attack opened up in no small part to the Reds having to focus on stopping Lechman. The senior carried the ball 24 times for 174 yards in the contest, scoring twice.
The Tigers went pace for pace with the Reds in the first half. Eaton struck first, making it a 7-0 game before Sterling made its way to the end zone, failing on the conversion to make it a 7-6 contest. But the Tigers came back strong in the second quarter, scoring twice. Two scores plus a two-point conversion from Ethan Rose had the Eaton lead down as low as two points. Sterling was within 11 at the half, 31-20.
In the second half, the Reds did what the Reds do and held Sterling to just one score while putting up three scores.
Sterling ends the season 3-6 overall and 2-5 in the Patriot League, the toughest 2A league in the state.
Sterling says goodbye to its seniors: kicker Truitt Parrish; safety Tristan Whited; wide receiver and linebacker Connor Carey; wideout and cornerback Kyle Weingardt; running back and outside linebacker Cody Lechman; guard and defensive tackle Travis Riddle; tackle and nose guard Lyle Koch; tackle and defensive end Matt McNear; offensive guard and defensive end Brian McLain; guard and defensive tackle James Carr; and quarterback and free safety Brendan Diaz.
Jonathan Seib: (970) 526-9285; firstname.lastname@example.com
Follow Jonathan on Twitter @SeibView


text:
STONE RIDGE — An Ulster County Legislature committee unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday calling for a repeal of most of the state's newly enacted gun restrictions.
STONE RIDGE — An Ulster County Legislature committee unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday calling for a repeal of most of the state's newly enacted gun restrictions.
Four Republicans and two Democrats signed off on the legislation, bringing a crowd of roughly 250 to their feet with whistles, cheers and applause.
"I was happy to see that democracy works at a local level," said Woodstock resident Terry Graham, who was at SUNY Ulster for the meeting.
Hundreds of gun rights advocates filled the Legislature chambers Jan. 22 to protest a resolution by two Ulster County Democrats — since pulled — calling for stronger federal gun control. The 42 speakers instead wanted a resolution condemning the gun control measures passed by the state.
The show of force worked. The entire GOP caucus sponsored such a resolution this month. Its first stop was a monthly meeting of the Law Enforcement and Public Safety Committee Tuesday.
"This (state) legislation effectively turns countless New York State law-abiding gun owners into criminals," read one clause of the resolution.
The 4�-page county resolution will next be taken up by the entire Legislature Feb. 19, where Republican control of 12 of 23 Legislature seats virtually guarantees its passage.
Legislature Chairman Terry Bernardo spoke for 17 minutes backing the county resolution.
She emphasized that restricting ammunition magazines from 10 to seven bullets will render nearly all semi-automatic weapons useless, since gun manufacturers won't make lower capacity magazines solely for New Yorkers.
"This constitutes a seizure of legally-owned personal property with no clause for compensation," Bernardo said.
The passage of the statewide gun restrictions got Rich Vizzini of Hurley involved politically for the first time in his life. He's helping organize a gun rights rally set for Feb. 28 in Albany.
The restrictions only harm law-abiding citizens engaged in self-protection, said Tim Sweet of Lake Katrine, since criminals won't abide by the law.
"My Glock is set to handle 15 bullets, and I can already be outgunned," Sweet said. "Our Second Amendment rights are being trampled on."


text:
Happy Holidays From White Hinterland and S. Carey!Posted by Eric on December 23rd, 2010
"Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" – S. Carey + White Hinterland from S. Carey on Vimeo.
To cap of their lovely US tour together this month and celebrate the season, White Hinterland and Jagjaguwar's S. Carey worked up this great improved version of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas." They just passed it along to us. And truly, it's just the perfect thing to send us off on our week-long winter break. Stand-up bass and mouth trombones from the S. Carey crew lay down a nice, loose jazz foundation for White Hinterlander Casey Dienel's lilting croon. Good year, gang.


text:
This thread will walk through the install of a Ford Thunderbird IRS into a F100 SWB pickup. This swap can be done on virtually any truck with a 34" wide frame. The process remains the same regardless of make. The IRS was put in 1989 - 1997 Ford Thunderbirds, Mercury Cougars and Lincoln Mark VIIIs. They are readily available in multiple configurations. They came with either disc or drum brakes and the Lincoln units came with an aluminum third member housing. They can be easily purchased used for between $150 & $400. I paid $125 for the unit used in this thread. These IRS units come completely mounted on a subframe that is mounted into the donor vehicle with 4 main mounting bolts. HD aftermarket sway bars and axle shafts are available. With the 8.8 third member almost any gear ratio you would desire is available along with locker units. If you have the fabrication skills required to do this installation you can easily fabricate an additional third member support as well. The bolt circle is 5x4.25 and can be swapped out using bearing units from Mustang IRS units for a 5x4.5 bolt circle. The 5x4.5 circle was only offered with disc brakes to my knowledge. The 5x4.25 came with either disc or drum brakes. I will be using a mount kit from Truck IRS. At the time of this article the mount kit cost was $395 plus shipping. The kit includes:(2) rear mounts(2) front mounts(6) gussets(4) upper shock mount ears(2) sleevesIn addition to the mount kit you will need to purchase:(1) 2x2x33.6875 steel tube(2) shock absorbers(2) standard to metric brake line adapters(1) U JointShock absorbers: The shocks are not being mounted as in the Thunderbird so shorter shocks are required. There are plenty of options available. I bought mine at Advance Auto. They are front shocks from a 1970-1982 Chevrolet Blazer. The Monroe shock built for Advance is part number is 59041. The Monroe part number is 33033. The Monroe shock built for Napa is part number 94005. If you would prefer something different you are looking for a shock with a compressed length of 10 1/8" & an extended length of 14 5/8". You want 1/2" eye type mounting on both ends.Brake line adapters: The brake lines in the Thunderbird are metric. The brake lines in the F100 are standard so an adapter is required. The adapters are Edelmann 271300 although any adapter with matching specifications will work.U Joint: As it turns out Ford for the most part uses 2 basic U Joints. A large and a small. The drive shaft in the pickup used the small version while the Thunderbird IRS uses the larger version. Any good parts store can find you the proper U Joint to mate your driveshaft to the Thunderbird IRS. I have seen this install done putting the old 9" yoke on the front of the 8.8. This pickup will be receiving a 460/C6 swap soon so a new driveshaft will be needed. At that time I will have it built using the Thunderbird U Joint on the rear. This will make servicing in the future easier as parts will be standard and not a blend of 2. I am not employed by Truck IRS nor have I ever been. I have no vested interest in Truck IRS. The pickup used in this thread is my personal pickup. I like the swap and wanted to share the process with others should they desire to do something like this to their pickup.
First remove the bed from the truck. Once the bed is removed you willwant to mark the centerline of the axle on both sides of the frame. At this point remove everything that will be in your way for a rear end swap. This will usually include the exhaust and possibly fuel tanks depending on configuration of the truck. The truck used here has the fuel tank in the cab so the only thing removal required was the tailpipes from the exhaust. New tailpipes will need to be built so you can throw the old ones away. Disconnect the brake lines from the brake hose and remove the brake hose from the original rear end. This hose was clamped off with vise grips to keep the brake fluid from leaking out. Disconnect the upper shock mounts fromt the frame. You can either take off the top of the shocks or I recommend just cutting the rivets out of the frame and taking the frame mount with the shocks. You will need to remove them later anyway. Disconnect the parking brake cables that run to each wheel. Remove the driveshaft. At this point the only thing holding the old rear end in place is the 4 spring mounts. Again you can unbolt these or just cut the mounting rivets and take the mounts with the springs. You will remove them later if you do not take them with the rear suspension. You should now be looking at a bare frame from the back of the cab to the tail of the frame. The rear end you removed should look something like this. It is now time to start the actual install. Measure back (toward the tail of the truck) from the axle centerline marks you made on the frame 14.5" and mark the frame. Now check from the tail of the frame that both new marks are the same distance from the end of the frame. If they are not double check your 14.5" dimension. If it is correct then split the difference from the tail and move the mark so that each side is identical. Example: You have a .5" difference between the sides with the left side being shorter than the right. Split the difference (.5" / 2 = .25") and move your mark on the left side .25" towards the front of the truck and the right side .25" towards the rear of the truck. The marks should now be identical from the tail of the frame. You are most likely working with an older truck. The bushings in teh original spring eyes may be completely worn away allowing the original rear end to move front to rear. This could cause the difference in your dimensions from the tail. For a Ford SWB pickup the dimensin from the tail of the frame should be 22.3125". At this point level the truck. Now from the marks made on the frame that are behind the centerline marks mark a vertical line up 1.75". A note on this dimension, you may need more or less depending on your frame configuration. You are creating a horizontal cut into the frame rail on each side that is level. It will also be as long as the rear mount as to provide a complete surface for the weld required. 1.75" is the dimension used on the pickup in this install. Now that you have your vertical line figured and in place mark a horizontal line from that point forward (towards the front of the truck) the length of the rear mount. With your outline in place cut along the vertical and horizontal lines removing this section of frame. This is where we will be installing our rear mounts. With the rear mounts bolted to the rear mounts of the subframe align the complete unit into the frame squared up and tack the rear mounts to your frame. Double check your location on each side and if all is well take the 2x2 square tubing and place it on top of the mounts, centered on the rear mount bolt holes, between the frame rails. With it clamped at each end to the mount and level weld the new crossmember (the 2x2) to the top of the rear mount and to the inside of each frame rail. At this time you can weld the 3 gussets on each side in place and finalize the welding of the rear mount to the frame rail. You should at this time look like this.
With the rear mounts in place you will notice that the mounting holes for the subframe are slotted allowing movement of the subframe to the front or the rear. Measuring forward from your rear vertical cut line 14.5" you now have the centerline to align the IRS to. Using a floor jack level the subframe. Then align it on the centerline marks on your frame. You are now positioned to tack the front mounts in place. Loosely mount the front mounts to each of the front mount points on the subframe. You will notice these holes are slotted allowing the mounts to be moved in and out. With the front mounts against the frame tack them in place. Verify you are level and if all is good go ahead and weld the front mounts to the frame. Passenger side front mount in place. Another view of the passenger side front mount. A view from the rear of the left side front mount. Another view of the left side front mount. A closeup of the left front mount. A closeup of the passenger side front mount.
You will notice in the previous pics the spring mounts are still in place on the frame. These are slated for removal. Passenger side with both spring perches removed. Cutting off the left front spring perch. It is now time to install the coil springs. We started with removing 1/2 coil from each spring for ride height. Up to 2 coils can be removed. I would recommend going slowly when cutting coils. We disconnected the rear mounts to drop the subframe down and installed the coils that way. You can just as easily disconnect the spindle and install the springs in that manner. Now a few pics with the coils in place. Putting the coil springs in. Left side view. Here is a shot from behind with both springs in place.
The wheels are on this morning for a look. Still need to do the shocks, brakes, driveshaft & a few odds and ends. In these shots the hoist is completely on the ground. The truck is sitting on it's suspension. Left side from the front. Right side from the rear. Right side from the front. From behind.
At this time it is time to do the tedious small things that make it a complete install. As stated in the beginning I aquired a blend U Joint to put the Thunderbird yoke adapter onto the end of my driveshaft.Now we have some pics of getting the brake lines ran. The original hose was replaced although it did not need to be. A tee could have been put in line at the point of the old hose and solid lines ran to the new hoses for each wheel. I bought new hoses for each wheel and it was determined the best mounting point was on the front mount. The new upper hose is mounted to an existing hole in the carriage that we tapped to accept a 5/16" bolt. Now just some pics of the lines installed. All that is left is bleeding the brakes out! We now have the driveshaft back in along with the brakes operational. We still need to mount the shocks but you are really close to the test drive.
Time to install the shocks. The 2 sleeves that were in your mount kit are for the lower mounts. The holes in the control arms are metric. They need to be bored out to .625". The sleeve can then be placed in the new hole allowing for usage .5" mounting hardware. The passenger shock getting lined up for the upper mounts to be put in. From the front view.Same side from the rear view. Passenger side upper mount. Drivers side upper mount Bed on, from the rear, still on the hoist. Under the truck, left side, from the front. Under the truck, right side, from the front.
Now the final product. A note concerning this particular truck. The front suspension is from a 2005 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor with 1.5" drop springs. I am 5'11" and the driprail of the truck is even with my throat.
Got some pics today to give an idea of scale. I am 5'11" tall.
good stuff right there!! Nice write up.
.World Wide Air Suspension StoreCustomConnectionLLC.comfacebook.com/customconnectiontwitter.com/bagitorelse270-860-1103
Thanks. Next on my list is replacing the 302/C4 with a 460/C6 combo. Then all new wiring and wheels/tires.
Pretty good size lathe in the background too!!
.World Wide Air Suspension StoreCustomConnectionLLC.comfacebook.com/customconnectiontwitter.com/bagitorelse270-860-1103
Yes it does crankshafts
Sorry for bringing this thread back from the dead... Great writeup elgemcdlf! Does anybody know if the IRS out of a Lincoln LSC will work on my 79' F100? Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Subscribe Today and Save up to 83%!
Subscribe to:
Truck TrendMagazine
Diesel PowerMagazine


text:
The Last of Us draws a lot from Naughty Dog's Uncharted series. Both are third-person cover shooters utilizing the same engine. And for a while, it did seem like The Last of Us would be merely "Uncharted in hardcore mode." (Thankfully, the end result was much more inspired.)
Neil Druckmann, lead designer of Uncharted 2 and creative director of The Last of Us, talked about how a cut idea from the Uncharted games led to the genesis of their survival horror world.
"When Bruce [Straley, game director] and I were working on Uncharted 2, we would brainstorm a lot of gameplay scenarios or story scenarios," Druckmann told VentureBeat, describing a scenario he called The Mute Girl. "We started to brainstorm how you would form a bond through gameplay, where you can't rely on dialogue. She would shake Drake awake in the middle of the night and motion for him to follow her... As you're climbing up on this rooftop of this building, you get to see a vista over this whole city as it's lit up. You hear gunfire and stuff in the distance, but it's this really beautiful moment that you get to share with this character, all through gameplay."
Although that scenario didn't make it into the Uncharted games, it led to the question that propelled the development of TLOU: "could you build an entire game around this concept of meeting a character really early on and forming a bond that would evolve and shift as you see all the facets that a deep relationship between two people can have?"


text:
200 rooms consisting of:
Breakfast6.30am - 10am(Monday to Friday)
6.30am - 10.30am(Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays)
Lunch11.30am - 2.30pm(Monday to Friday)
12noon - 2.30pm(Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays)
Afternoon Tea2.30pm – 4.30pm(Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays)
Dinner6pm - 9:30pm(Monday to Saturday)
6pm - 9pm(Sundays and Public Holidays)
Lunch11.30am - 2pm
Dinner5.30pm - 9.30pm (Monday to Saturday)
5.30pm - 9pm (Sundays and Public Holidays)
10am - 12midnight
Breakfast10am - 11.30am
Lunch11.30am - 1.30pm
Afternoon Tea2pm - 5.30pm(Monday to Friday)
1.30pm - 5.30pm(Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays)
Cocktail5.30pm - 12midnight(Monday to Thursday; Sundays and Public Holidays)
5.30pm - 1am(Friday, Saturday eve of Public Holidays)
Our fine reputation for personally escorting guests directly to and from Tokyo Station's platforms has been expanded to luxurious destinations across Japan via an Express Train from Narita Airport and Japan's famed bullet trains. Allow our gracious staff to escort you from the hotel lobby to your train as you take the silent and smooth ride to your destination. Our warm welcome and fond farewell forms just part of our renowned dedication to personal attention.
For guests arriving at Tokyo Station from either Narita or Haneda Airport or via Bullet Train (Shinkansen) from other parts of the country, please contact our 'Meet and Greet' service at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo is situated in an unparalleled location adjacent to Tokyo Station. The Imperial Palace and Gardens, one of the world's prime shopping districts in Ginza, and the renewed Marunouchi commercial district are all on the hotel's doorstep.
Marunouchi is one of Tokyo's oldest commercial districts and its business heart, with wide avenues and modern office buildings. After the great renovation of Tokyo Station and Marunouchi area, it has now become fashionable once again, with a growing number of restaurants, bars and shops.
On the Nihonbashi side of Marunouchi stands Takashimaya, one of the oldest-established department stores in Tokyo. This historical department store has a concierge service to assist customers and even provides a complimentary delivery service of purchased items for guests staying at Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo.
The world famous streets of Ginza are just a 10-minute walk away, or 5 minutes by taxi. Ginza is home to international brand-name boutiques, galleries and exclusive restaurants, while on its edge stands Kabuki-za, the famed home of Kabuki, a theatrical art form rich in showmanship.
About 15 minutes (walking) from the hotel, guests can reach the spiritual heart of Tokyo and Japan - the Imperial Palace. Built on the ruins of Edo Castle, it is now the residence of Japan's Emperor. Bordering the place is the Imperial Place East Garden, hosting a variety of seasonal local flowers to welcome guests on their visit.
About 15 minutes away by taxi are a range of landmark locations, such as Akihabara (the internationally famous town of animation and electronics), Asakusa (a temple town where Tokyo's oldest temple is located) and Tsukiji Fish Market (the largest fish wholesale market in the world).
Further afield, take a journey on the JR Yamanote line from Tokyo Station, to reach Harajuku and Omotesando, the mecca of Tokyo's stylish youth. Harajuku is also the location of Meiji Jingu Shrine, built to deify the Emperor and Empress Meiji in 1920.
Marunouchi Trust Tower Main, 1-8-3 Marunouchi Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 100-8283, Japan
Email This Hotel
Location Map
Enjoy easy booking, Mobile Check-In and Check-Out, redeeming rewards and more!
Download our new Mobile App and sign in now.


text:
You might have seen the dark black smoke at townhouses near Hancock Expressway and South Chelton Friday evening.
A townhouse unit is a complete loss after a fire overtook it. One witness described the flames as 20 feet high.
"I couldn't really even believe my eyes how big it was. We hear sirens all the time in the neighborhood and I didn't think anything of it until I saw how high the flames were. I couldn't believe it," said witness Mark Houston.
A neighbor says her kids were outside playing with other neighborhood kids when they saw the smoke.
Once she saw how dark it was she jumped into action. While her kids told one mother to get out and call 9-1-1, she went next door to make sure the other family's deaf teenager was okay.
"That was really my concern because I could hear from the outside as I'm knocking I could hear the smoke detector going off and that was our main concern making sure that daughter was not home,' said neighbor Tiffany Wooten.
That family was not home and the other mother and her two children made it out safely.
Fire crews say when they got on scene flames were shooting out the back patio and stretched up to the roof before it spread through the home and out the front.
"It was spreading pretty fast but these guys got on it really quick," said Houston.
That's thanks for a watchful fire crew, Engine 11.
"We were on our way back when we spotted the smoke. So we quickly pulled in and called out at the very same time that they were trying to call us," said Lt. Matthew Clark.
Because of their quick response, the two neighboring units were saved.
One suffered smoke damage, but the family should be able to move back in.
We talked to the mother and her two children who lived in that unit. They are keeping good spirits, and are hopeful that some of their stuff will be saved.
32 firefighters battled the scene and had the fire under control in under 20 minutes. Between the two families, 9 people were displaced.
The Red Cross is helping both families affected by the fire.
And a fire crew is staying on scene all night to make sure there are no flare ups.
Investigators cannot get into the house to find a cause of the fire until the morning, because it's too dark and unsafe for them to go inside.
Investigators tell us while the flames were coming out the back patio and caught the back yard on fire; they believe the fire started inside the townhouse.
You can count on 11 News to let you know the cause of the fire as soon as we learn it.


text:
Hi! I'm Face (well that's my nickname) and I just joined this forum and could really use some help from the Twilight community with a research paper I'm writing about the reading habits of Twilight readers. I've made a survey as part of my research that's only 7, multiple choice questions long and it's completely anonymous and I DESPERATELY need more people to take it since I seem to have gotten a pretty lukewarm response from other Twilight message boards and my draft is due pretty soon. You don't have to have read the books to take the survey- it's also for non-Twilight readers for comparative purposes, but I would especially like people who have read at least one of the books to take it. You will also recieve a package full of my eternal gratitude 6 business days later if you take the survey! Here's the link if you're interested in taking it:
http://www.kwiksurveys.com/online-surve ... K_3baf41ac
So please, please, PLEASE help a poor, tired undergrad out and take my survey! It's painless, I promise!
Anyways- introductory stuff if you're still interested after my spiel:
My screename is face10 b/c Face is my nickname and I spent basically an entire summer playing Phase 10 with the kids I nannied for. I read Twilight as a bet at first b/c vampires really aren't my thing but I lost the bet (and, consequently $20) b/c I ended up enjoying the books. New Moon is my favorite b/c I like Jacob the best out of the big 3 and he gets the most page time in that one. My favorite minor character is Alice and I live in Colorado where I like to hike and rock climb in the summer (I just hibernate during the winter). I'm an undergrad so you can probably guess a number for my age that's pretty close b/c I'm not a nontraditional student. Anyways, I hope you'll all take my survey and I'll see you around the forum!


text:
But seriously.....that was a BLESSING in disguise 'cause quite honestly, the Jets would've been ANNIHILATED in the first round had they BACKED-IN to the playoffs this year.
We HAVE NO QB.
end of story.
At least we have a high draft pick to do SOMETHING.....
What does it say to the talent level of the NFL, when the Jets are borderline playoff material? This team is absolutely atrocious, and any talk Goodell has of expanding the playoffs should end with exhibit A: The Jets
Who knows.
I know when the Jets lost that game I was pissed. I'm sure it demoralized the team as well. I gotta give Rex credit for keeping the team believing until Tenn
In any case it all doesn't matter now. Our season sucked.
This thread is freakin' hilarious. The lengths people will go to rationalize a bad season. If I didn't know any better I'd think people were talking about a tee-ball team of 6 year-olds, not a professional team of grown men playing a sport at the world's highest level.
Sanchez sucks, we know this. But when he gives the D a lead late in a game, they should be able to hold it. And they have blown it way too many times, really amazing when you think about it.
The fortunate schedule is the only thing that kept this season alive. The last 6 games were against the jokes of the NFL and all we did was pad our defensive stats against the scrubs.
The season was lost in a 2 week span in which the D blew it against the Patriots and then pulled the no-show against the Dolphins backup.
It doesn't matter what happened for 58 minutes if the team has a lead with 2 minutes to play, that's exactly what this team is built for, to make stops.
If the offense is terrible and have sucked all day long, but somehow they have a lead in the closing minutes, it's on the D to shut it down and get the W. Everything else up to that point is a wash.
The D has blown 10-7 leads and 26-23 leads. The score at the time of the blown lead is irrelevant, as are any game circumstances up to that point.
Last edited by TheMikeIsHot; 12-30-2012 at 11:17 PM.


text:
A week ago Monday evening the Cleburne Country Community Foundation hosted its annual patron appreciation celebration.
A week ago Monday evening the Cleburne Country Community Foundation hosted its annual patron appreciation celebration. The purpose of this event is to honor non-profit organizations and grant awards usually ranging from $1,000 to $1,500.
This year's event was special in a couple of ways. First, we gave recognition to Bill and Jo Wells and the work of the Christian Health Center. This health organization
has served over 3,600 individuals in the last decade and dispersed over 55,000 needed prescriptions. The patients served were those that fell between the cracks and not being helped by Medicare or Medicaid. With the leadership of Bill and Jo Wells and many volunteers these patients not only received medical care but counseling on life's problems and emphasis on the importance of quitting smoking.
In addition to the many hours devoted through this organization by both professionals and laypersons which cannot be measured in dollars, the Christian Health Center worked with major drug companies and have received with no cost about 12 million dollars of prescription drugs. Each drug company had its own specifications so considerable paper work was required to fulfill these requirements.
As a board member I have witnessed not only the volunteer work but the financial generosity of many individuals, organizations, churches and foundations. The list of those giving to the Christian Health Center is impressive. Many special events held in this community made the center the financial beneficiary. Bill and Jo Wells and the board always welcomed this support but because of this generosity fund raising was not a major problem.
Sadly, the activity of the Christian Health Center has come to a close. The last patients were seen during the month of March. Other non-profits are already benefiting from its closing. Furniture, computers and lab equipment have been given to a start-up facility in southern Africa. Prescription drugs have been given to another health center and plans are underway for the building itself to be moved and used for the Dream Center here in Cleburne County.
Dr. Bill Wells made an interesting comment in connection with receiving this special recognition. He indicated it shouldn't be bad news the clinic is closing as these patients should now receive medical assistance that cannot be given by the limited resources of the Christian Health Center.
Being somewhat a skeptic of the new healthcare act I do hope that Bill's wish will come about. Even if it does we cannot escape the fact the federal government will be burdened with the annual cost of millions of dollars in both professional services and prescriptions drugs that have been given at no cost to either the patients or a government entity.
The second special announcement at this year's event of the Community Foundation was that the Executive Director, Brenda Hill, will be retiring from this position. Well over a hundred people at this event thanked her for her outstanding work for the last decade.
Brenda came on board shortly after the Cleburne County Foundation came into existence about ten years ago. She has done an outstanding job of serving the community and herding the cats (otherwise know as the Foundation's Board of Directors) through their duties and responsibilities.
Brenda not only performs her duties with imagination, efficiency and good cheer, the guests Monday night witnessed her singing ability. All her accomplishments go forward even though she is battling a serious physical condition.
There are 27 different affiliates of the Arkansas Community Foundation (Cleburne County being one) and Brenda has been used by the state organization to help train and inspire other executive directors. Heather Larkin, the statewide leader of the Arkansas Foundation was in attendance and heaped praise on Brenda's contributions.
Although Brenda is leaving and as the old clique goes, "times they are a changing", there is good news galore for the Community Foundation. First Brenda is staying in this area and will continue to serve on the board of the local foundation. Her experience and abilities will be an important cog in the machinery of the foundation.
Secondly, we are indeed fortunate to have as Brenda's replacement our new Executive Director, Kathy Phillips. Kathy comes to us with an impressive resume of service in the non-profit field and has outstanding recommendations from all that have worked with her. She has lived and served in various communities in Arkansas and we are gratified she and her family have moved back to this community. She is well qualified to continue as an outstanding executive director.
Finally, although we will miss the great services provided by the Christian Health Center, there are many community wide charitable and educational organizations that go on continuously. I also know of others that are just starting up. One of those is known as "Peer Power" which is being formed to dramatically assist students who need help in effectively grasping basic mathematics, science and language skills. Mark Brugner is the driving force behind Peer Power and you will hear more about it in the near future.
The Beat Goes On.
(James Jackson's "A different perspective" columns are submitted as an opinion editorial and are not meant to represent an official view of The Sun-Times. He can be reached at email@example.com)


text:
Here are Paul Domowitch's grades for the Eagles-Jaguars game. Click here to make your grades and look for the results in Tuesday's Daily News.
RUN OFFENSE: The Eagles didn't run the ball a lot, but did a pretty good job when they did, particularly if you factor in Mike Vick, who had a nifty 17-yard TD run. LeSean McCoy averaged 5 yards per carry in the first three quarters, thanks mainly to an 18-yard run up the gut out of a three wide-receiver set. Mike Bell failed to pick up a first down on a pair of back-to-back short-yardage runs in the second quarter. Grade: B
PASS OFFENSE: Mike Vick recorded his third straight 100-plus passer rating, which is a career-first for him. His completion percentage (54.8) wasn't great, but he threw three touchdown passes, including 45- and 61-yarders to Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson, and no interceptions. The offensive line gave up three sacks, but did a much better overall job of pass-protection than the first 2 weeks. Grade: A-minus
RUN DEFENSE: With Stewart Bradley back in the middle and the Eagles getting penetration from their front four, Maurice Jones-Drew was held to 3.7 yards per carry in the first three quarters. He had a nice 17-yard cutback-run on his second carry and a 12-yarder in the second quarter, but was a non-factor the rest of the time. Grade: A
PASS DEFENSE: The Eagles sacked David Garrard six times, though three of them came in the fourth quarter after they were up 28-3. Garrard was under duress most of the game and completed 13 of 30 passes for just 105 yards and no touchdowns. It was the first time the Eagles held an opponent without a TD pass since Week 1 of last season.
Grade: A-plus
SPECIAL TEAMS: The only real blemish on the performance of the coverage teams was a 41-yard first-quarter punt return by Mike Thomas. Jorrick Calvin got his first opportunity to return punts and averaged 10.3 yards per return, doing an impressive job of making the first man miss. Ellis Hobbs had a 46-yard kick return. Punter Sav Rocca had three more 50-plus yard boots. Grade: B-plus
OVERALL: Eagles' defense withstood the heat, shut down Maurice Jones-Drew and put constant pressure on QB David Garrard, holding a team without a TD for the first time since Week 17 of the '08 season. Andy Reid's controversial decision to stick with Mike Vick looked pretty good after the QB recorded his third straight 100-plus passer rating and threw 3 touchdown passes and ran for another. Grade: A
To read our previous coverage of today's game, click here.


text:
From doing a search I know that Pearl has this diagnosis. I was just wondering if I could get some specific advice about it. Oscar was just diagnosed with this issue. Since I really haven't posted much lately (yes, Pinot's Mom, I'm trying to find time to fix that. ;) ), here's the background on Oscar. He was a stray that showed up a couple years ago at my parents house. He was added to the outside crew. Eventually he started limping. Off to the vet he went. Tons of money later and just short of an MRI, nothing could be found to be wrong with him. He was given some pain medicine and came to live in my garage in a large dog kennel for 6 weeks or so. He was assumed that he must have torn a ligament. After he was feeling better and couldn't stand to be in the garage any longer, he went back to Mom's house. A little while later the limp returned just as bad. My nieces were sure that he would be killed out there so they begged my brother in law and their uncle to let him move in with my sister and him. They live on property that connects with my parents land. That was about a year ago. He's decided my sister is his mom and follows her everywhere. The other 3 cats weren't thrilled with his arrival but learned to tolerate him for the most part. Eventually his limp healed and hasn't returned. They've recently acquired a puppy they found running down the road. The puppy and Oscar have been come best friends.
Now for the current situation. When I was visiting, I noticed that Oscar was drooling and had foul smelling breath. I asked them about it and they said that he had a snaggle tooth. I looked and noticed a large sore. Long story short, he went to the vet about 2 weeks ago. Of course, I'm the contact for all of these cats, so the vet called me to say that Oscar had a huge growth under his tongue. He couldn't tell by looking what it was and wanted to do a biopsy. Of course after having been through the mouth cancer with Morgan, none of us were very optimistic. When they went to pick Oscar up, the vet was much more positive. He said that the entire lump came out very easily and he was able to get a good margin all around it. He said that it was huge though and showed it to my mom. She said that it was at least an inch long. He put 25 stitches in Oscar's mouth, sent him home and the lump off to be biopsied. The results came back yesterday...eosinophilic granuloma complex. From what he said, this is basically caused by an allergy. He said it is very hard to find what exactly is causing the allergy and most times it is bacteria that forms in the mouth that causes it. He said the treatment is steroid shots when it flairs up. Eventually it gets so bad that they end up pulling all the cat's teeth and that usually ends the problem. Oscar had been recovering very well and was back wrestling with the puppy. But a few days ago, he lost interest in eating and started throwing up liquid. Back to the vet he went today. More blood tests and exams, and besides being dehydrated, Oscar was fine. They gave him fluids and a steroid shot. The vet assumes, because without doing a scope he can't be positive, that Oscar may have more of the granulomas in his intestines and that is causing the vomiting. He'd been eating dry food up until his surgery. Since his mouth was so sore, they'd been giving him canned. We don't know if that change affected the condition or not. I asked about an allergy to food, and he said that any food allergy is related to the kind of protein in the food rather than the carbs or dyes. He suggested finding the main protein in his dry food and looking for a canned food with a similar protein, since maybe the change in protein in the canned may have contributed to the intestinal trouble.
From what I read, Pearl is on a grain free diet and that keeps her EGC under control. Was that something suggested by her vet? Does anyone else have any experience with this? I am just starting to research online about it, but haven't come across the remove all the teeth treatment yet. Oscar's vet said that he has some cats that get a steroid treatment twice a year and others that get one every month. It just depends on how often it reoccurs. Any first hand information I can get would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!


text:
You are hereHome ›
Narrow Search
Now showing results 1-2 of 2
This video provides a glimpse into the snowfall research planned as part of the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission. GPM Deputy Project Scientist, Gail Skofronick-Jackson, reveals the capabilities of the satellite's new sensors, which,... (View More) through increased sensitivity, will help to overcome the challenges associated with measuring snowfall from space. (View Less)
Materials Cost: Free
This short video (02:48) profiles Steve Nesbitt, a scientist affiliated with NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission. Following a brief description of his career pathway, Nesbitt provides both an overview of the GPM mission as well as... (View More) insights into his work in validating and analyzing the GPM satellite data. (View Less)
Materials Cost: Free


text:
By Hal M. Bundrick
NEW YORK (MainStreet) Earnings season for publicly-traded companies garners a tremendous amount of media attention, but the financial health of privately-held companies often hides behind the headlines. Still, the news is good. PwC, the tax and advisory service, says the CEOs of leading U.S. private companies recently surveyed have raised their 12-month revenue forecasts to 9% in the third quarter, 15% from the 7.8% they projected in the second quarter and the highest revenue growth rates since the first quarter of 2012.
In spite of the recent federal debt debacle, optimism about the U.S. economy is holding firm. More than half of the CEOs surveyed (55%) say they have a favorable view of the domestic economy, just four percentage points below the prior quarter. Pessimists were a low 9%. Two-thirds (66%) of the chief executives surveyed said they believed the nation's economy was growing.
"Private companies' strong revenue projections indicate steady improvement in the US economy," says Ken Esch, a partner in PwC's Private Company Services practice. "While growth may be slower than we would like to see, this latest forecast is a positive sign. Certainly U.S. political and economic issues continue to be of concern. That said, private-company leaders have come to expect short-term political fixes and therefore aren't making strategic decisions on that basis. Most of their businesses haven't felt the long-term effects of sequestration, and so the recent economic debate in Washington hasn't kept them from pursuing their growth objectives."
The private sector is pumping up pay, as well. Average increases in hourly wages rose to 2.89%, a 12% increase from a year ago and the highest planned pay hike in five years, as more than one-quarter (27%) of companies surveyed say the struggle to hire qualified workers is a barrier to future growth.
"Lack of skilled labor is a significant headwind for private companies, compounded by the rapidly retiring workforce," says Esch. "Among our domestic-only manufacturing clients in particular, we see challenges in finding sufficiently skilled blue-collar workers such as welders and machine operators. But we're also seeing companies searching for people to fill white-collar roles, such as such as controllers and chief financial officers."
The prospect for long-term new job creation in the private sector is still relatively bright. C-suite execs forecast a 2.2% workforce expansion over the next 12 months, far higher than expectations of one year ago, but down from the previous quarter. Larger privately-held companies seem to be scaling back their hiring plans, but overall 57% of the companies surveyed are planning new hires. Just 4% expect to reduce headcount.
The report reveals the top two possible barriers to growth over the next year are lack of demand (63%) and legislative/regulatory pressures (52%), though the percentage of companies concerned about lack of demand is 11 points lower than a year ago.
--Written by Hal M. Bundrick for MainStreet


text:
As Minnesota U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann accused President Obama of fraud in his health plan and her Republican colleagues continued to vow to kill what they derisively call "Obamacare," two executives from Minneapolis came to the nation's capital last week to explain the inevitability of some form of health care reform.
Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Minnesota CEO Pat Geraghty and Mark Eustis, CEO of Fairview Health Services, said they aren't waiting to try new approaches. They talked about their partnership in a program that changes the way patients receive and insurers pay for health care.
The model increases payments for good clinical outcomes for groups of patients rather than reimbursing doctors for each procedure they perform. It allows patients to pick among several health plans, preserving some freedom of choice in selecting doctors. It includes cost-saving innovations, such as online consultations with doctors in lieu of office visits, menus of services patients can buy and encouragement of advance directives to reduce expensive end-of-life procedures.
"Whatever comes out of a legislative process, we'll have to work with," Geraghty said in an interview. "And it will probably be mostly focused on access. But we knew that going after improving quality and controlling cost was going to be valuable and important and something that had to happen."
Geraghty and Eustis spoke at a national gathering of health insurers and health care providers who discussed ways to implement the legislation that Republicans vow to destroy.
The two-day meeting, sponsored by the trade group America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), revealed the limits of political rhetoric that suggests health care reform could be repealed. The Senate already has rejected the House repeal bill. Obama will veto any attempt to completely overturn one of his signature policy initiatives.
Furthermore, the political posturing doesn't deal with what Geraghty told the AHIP conference in behalf of an insurance cooperative covering 2.7 million Minnesotans: "We're tired of defending a broken health system."
Eustis, who manages a care network with more than 2,000 physicians that includes both the University of Minnesota medical school faculty and a large swath of suburban doctors, agreed. "As far as repeal of the bill, I don't think that will happen," he said in an interview. "There'll be some changes within the scope of what's there. There will be some funding changes. But the bill itself will be retained."
Even if it isn't, no U.S. health care system will provide adequate, affordable care unless it covers virtually every American, Geraghty and Eustis said.
Conservative groups and some Republican governors have challenged the individual mandate in the current health reform bill because it forces Americans to buy coverage or pay a penalty. The mandate has been upheld in some federal courts but not in others.
Geraghty and Eustis spoke the day after the Obama administration filed an appeal of a Florida judge's decision that the entire reform bill could not be implemented because the mandate is unconstitutional. Legal experts expect that the U.S. Supreme Court will ultimately determine the matter.
Geraghty and Eustis said the U.S. health care system is not sustainable without some kind of universal coverage.
The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) expects national health expenditures to grow by an average of 6.1 percent per year from 2009 to 2019.
CMS says per person health care spending for Americans over 65 was $14,797 in 2004, "5.6 times higher than spending per child ($2,650) and 3.3 times spending per working-age person ($4,511)."
"In the picture we're looking at today, the mandate is an important component ... because it brings the healthier risks into the pool," Geraghty said. "What we need as a nation is a vehicle to get everybody covered .... At some point we're going to have to look at ourselves in the mirror and say, 'How are we going to bring health care to everyone?'
"If you don't have a mandate, you have to have other vehicles in place so you can create some balance and some equity in who's in the pool."
Added Eustis: "If you're not covered, you're not likely getting the services you need to improve your health. The people we see who aren't covered are using the emergency room, and we know that's not the best way."
That is why many in the insurance and care communities are skeptical of efforts to nix health reform and start over. Instead, many of those charged with implementing health care reform echo what Obama said in his State of the Union speech: Reform should and will be tweaked.
"Changes have got to occur," said Sam Crow, a physician who directs innovative care for Missouri-based Sisters of Mercy Health System, which operates more than 400 clinics and hospitals in the Midwest. "What we'll get is a hybrid."
What the country won't get, Crow predicted, is an outright repeal like the one the House of Representatives voted for.
Still, the repeal vote has caused confusion. At the AHIP conference, speakers from the government and the Congress could provide little detail on how insurers and care providers should apply regulations of the Affordable Care Act.
Geraghty and Eustis offered a model of reform that they said had been applied in Minnesota ahead of detailed government regulations. They believe the model will be adaptable to government health care reform, however it evolves.
It emphasizes preventive measures, such as reducing body mass index and quitting smoking. The program depends on a treatment team. Eustis projected a slide of a 70-year-old woman surrounded by her primary care doctor, a care coordinator, a social worker and her daughter.
"We're talking about a 20 percent reduction in cost in five years," Eustis said of the partnership with Minnesota Blue Cross/Blue Shield.
They're also talking about a major marketing effort.
Geraghty and Eustis see their collaboration, now used among privately insured patients, as an eventual solution for government-funded Medicare, which is threatening to bust the federal budget as baby boomers age. But as AARP government relations director Nora Super reminded, selling this plan to senior citizens who use Medicare could be as dicey as selling the individual mandate to the Tea Party.
"Remember the managed care backlash," she warned. "People thought something was being done to them," not for them.
Eustis said he can document an 80 percent reduction in hospital readmissions for certain patients because of the outcome-based approach. Still, he has yet to see satisfaction levels spike. They haven't gone down, he said, but they haven't gone up.
That's not necessarily bad Geraghty pointed out: "There's a classic change continuum that shows when you change something, typically you have a down trend in reaction and then you build from there," he said. "We haven't even seen a down trend. We've seen stability."
Jim Spencer • 202-408-2752
StarTribune.com welcomes and encourages readers to comment and engage in substantive, mutually respectful exchanges over news topics. Commenters must follow our Terms of Use.
- Keep it civil and stay on topic.
- No profanity, vulgarity, racial slurs or personal attacks.
- Comments with web links are not permitted.
- Comments that violate the above will be removed. Repeat violators may lose their commenting privileges on StarTribune.com.
Comments will be reviewed before being published.


text:
Burglary investigated
CARROLL VALLEY — Carroll Valley police are looking for information about a burglary that occurred Nov. 5 between 6:50 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. at 52 Mason Dixon Trail.
Jaime Buffington reported someone entered her home through a basement window and took at large number of items including a pink Dell Inspiron laptop with a 17-inch screen, a blue Hewitt Packard laptop with Windows 8, a brown fabric Coach purse tote, a Kodak Easy Share digital camera and black camera bag, a velour Juicy Couture purse — green and blue with a green bow and a large ring charm — and a large amount of assorted gold jewelry.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 334-8101 or Adams County Crime Solvers at 1-800-869-8057 or 334-8057; text "TIPACCS"; or go to http://www.adamscountypacrimestoppers.com/submit-tip.html.