text:
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
A DPS Cap?
I was following a discussion on Glyphs. The Healers were pointing out that they liked Glyphs because they could pick and choose from them. And this is true. Holy Paladins alone can choose from Glyph of Beacon of Light, Seal of Wisdom, Seal of Light, Holy Light, and Flash of Light. But DPS, on the other hand is much more restricted. As Gurgthock of EJ wrote, "The system doesn't work too well for DPS, though, just because generally DPS is a math problem and there is a right answer."
That's when it struck me: What if there wasn't one right answer?
The right answer is whatever combination yields the single highest DPS. But let's imagine a game where DPS is capped. You simply cannot do more than X damage-per-second. Any extra damage just disappears. Any solution which produces more DPS than the cap is a correct solution.
What would such a game look like? So long as you could reach the cap, DPS would have a lot more freedom in how they played, or glyphed. There's still an incentive to do more damage, because more DPS increases the number of free Global Cooldowns you have to do other stuff. But it's not as extreme an incentive as it is now.
Heh, maybe DPS players would start using stamina gems.
In WoW, the cap could go up as gear levels increased. Or it could be restricted by Tier. I.e. In Naxx, the cap is always 3000 DPS, in Ulduar 5000 DPS, etc.
It's an interesting thought experiment. But I wonder if DPS players would really like it. Would a new weapon be more interesting if it didn't make any appreciable difference? Would we miss being able to overpower older content? Would it make life harder as a good DPS player couldn't compensate for a poorer player?
20 comments:
It would make the game fairly boring for the majority of players. Not just the DPS either - if there is a DPS cap then the tanks know they only need a certain amount of threat to hold aggro too. There also becomes no real incentive to be good at playing your class, just to be adequate, and would make everything feel extremely homogeneous and generally uninteresting. Boss encounters would always be exactly the same, with the boss dying in exactly the same way at exactly the same time assuming all DPS is at or above cap.ReplyDelete
I don't see any real positive gain for the idea.
Not necessarily. A lot more emphasis would be put on survival and execution of special mechanics.ReplyDelete
I'm not saying that the cap should be excessively low that anything goes is acceptable. But it should be low enough that multiple playstyles or options will reach the cap.
For example, take mages. Suppose the cap was low enough that Frostfire Bolt spec reached it. So would Arcane or Fire. Those builds might use different points or glyphs on playstyle effects.
This is the greatest idea of managing DPS I've ever heard.ReplyDelete
However it's very much not "casual friendly". If people would demand DPS capped players the same way they demand def capped tanks, 80% of the playerbase would be excluded from any form of group play.
- Anonymous11:31 PM, April 07, 2010
The big problem is that it removes a lot of incentive to get better at playing after a certain point. In a sense, you can think of it as being like the defense or hit cap: you hit the cap and suddenly any more progress is completely worthless to your performance. I doubt that this is a good idea, especially if you want DPS to have a fully realized gradient of skill, instead of sucking to averaged to capped and done.ReplyDelete
Seems like it would make the game really boring. For one there would be no more dps race bosses. All boss encounters would have to be redesigned.ReplyDelete
Once you reached the cap what incentive is there to get new gear?
It's the healers job to keep you alive, so perhaps they introduce new damage mechanics in boss fights and damage reduction talents for players, but to be honest that's not the game I want to play.
I assume you're sort-of comparing this to the "healing cap", that you can't heal more damage than the boss is inflicting.ReplyDelete
But even that is a bit different.. if your healers are hitting the cap, sure, they can't heal any more - as a team. But they CAN have one of the healers respec to dps.
Capping DPS wouldn't stop there being a right answer. Instead the defintion of "right" would change from "Does most DPS" to something like "Does at least X DPS AND has lowest mana consumption".ReplyDelete
However, a DPS cap would make having that right spec less important. So mana consumption might not be important for all fights.
Also, there's a strong argument that the game designers should have a cap in mind, and use the nerf bat if anyone gets above it.
- Anonymous4:31 AM, April 08, 2010
I think its a great idea. People have commented that they think it would be boring, but i disagree. Imagine being able to play the dps spec you want and it being viable. The variety in itself would be awesome.ReplyDelete
I don't think a DPS cap would even work to remove having optimal specs. DPS over a five minute fight isn't exactly a straight line from start to finish. Cooldown usage, both personal and raid, boss health and procs have a large impact on dps. So where do you put the cap. If you put it too low, you make cooldown usage useless. If you put it high enough that cooldowns are useful, you will have some specs that are better than others because they can stay close to the cap for a larger period of time.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous6:05 AM, April 08, 2010
The dps cap would be nice change for dps'rs who would enjoy bringing more to the table and using more of the "fun" abilities alloted to them.ReplyDelete
And yes there will always be a spec that is marginally better taking into consideration cd usage,procs,buffs, and debuffs, but if the cap lessened the gap between the specs a player would contribute w/o the "big" hit in numbers playing the spec they enjoy.
Interesting idea but it would make the game much less interesting for good players.ReplyDelete
Good dps now already maximise their dps and decurse/heal/snare etc. while managing resource usage (some classes anyway) so all that would happen is the pressure comes off.
The lame duck dps will reach the dps cap eventually and still wont be effective at anything else. So what will change?
How about OverDPS as something to watch out for? Rather than one boss, have a few dozen, all highly resistant to AoE, so the DPS must focus each one down, but coordinate it and watch which spell they use, because if they start doing thousands of damage more per 'boss' than is needed, they're wasting time and mana and risking an enrage or OOM.ReplyDelete
@Gevlon: On your own blog you claimed that the average is at good as they have to be, so easy content produces unskilled players and hard content produces skilled player. Certainly some won't make the cut, but if we're currently in unskilled content, wouldn't it fit that most players would appear unskilled?
- Anonymous7:21 AM, April 08, 2010
If you think back to vanilla days when most guilds hadn't even gotten out of MC yet, this cap was pretty much the case. Blizzard had pretty good control over how much each class could dps by way of abilities. Your gear changed so seldom that you were essentially capped for quite a while.ReplyDelete
There's a certain sense in which a DPS cap exists already.ReplyDelete
Some bosses are DPS checks. Either you can do enough DPS to down those bosses, or you can't. Anything else is basically vanity or compensating for other people (both of which are entirely available to Healers as well).
The idea that more DPS is always better is mostly a cultural one. Often the fights that put the most demand on the DPSers are the ones where they do the least damage.
- Anonymous8:37 AM, April 08, 2010
@ Aaron JacksonReplyDelete
What would change is that "good" dps'rs would get to play the spec they enjoy rather than bring the spec that maximises their dps for the sake of the raid i.e. fotm spec.
for example...how many mm/sv hunters with wolves do you have running around currently. i dont play a hunter but it would be nice to see a hunter bring in a "Big Red" strider(ostrich) every once in a while.
Variety is the spice of life :)
While I agree that making a change that would allow DPS'ers more choice in their specs and glyphs would be nice, I don't think a DPS cap is a way to do it. What would you do with all those extra GCDs? Part of the challenge for DPS is to be able to stay alive, move out of bad stuff, deal with fight mechanics while continuing to pump out as much damage as possible. Taking this away so we only have to focus on one thing at a time would take away any semblance of challenge and make the game very boring.ReplyDelete
If we are talking about glyphs... not every dps class is as stringent as say an arcane mage. Alot of times which glyph is best depends on the situation at hand... and I don't see how that is a bad thing.ReplyDelete
Capping dps may bring about more variety in specs and utility... but ultimately what is it for? Once you hit the cap as a mage.. you can't all of a sudden start healing or tanking.
The thing is... right now there is no such thing as wasted dps. The more you do the faster the boss dies and the more room for error you have in the encounter. Putting a cap on dps just makes the fights static and boring. You may as well just multibox 15 arcane mages because you can easily hit the cap and anything extra is pointless.
I'd rather just see a larger number of glyphs that provide the same DPS bonus but give different flavor. Same with gear. Same with talents.ReplyDelete
I don't think healers have as much choice in glyphs as suggested. Depending on role, the best glyphs are well known and expected.
- Anonymous6:04 PM, April 08, 2010
Figuring out where to place the cap for any given 'tier' might be a tough one. Does Blizz place the cap assuming that everyone will reach it with minimal gearing, or place it high and assume people won't hit the cap until they've spent some while gearing up and seeing some of the later bosses in that tier?ReplyDelete
The former basically takes DPS (gear) checks of any kind off the table: the devs almost has to assume that the better groups will have most/all of their DPS at-cap shortly after setting foot into a new raid.
The latter means that until groups gear enough to hit the gap, there will still be pressure for DPS classes to bring an 'optimum' spec. Also, if Blizz is relying on 'gear checks' to slow progression, groups that are clever enough to hit the cap early could easily throw the encounter tuning out of whack.
Wouldn't work. From a player's perspective, once you hit your "DPS cap", you have virtually no reason to keep playing. Execution and memorizing mechanics will always happen in due time, regardless of the encounter. In fact, sleepwalking through a fight is usually the first thing to happen when raiding every week. Therefore, you can only put so much emphasis on the boss fight: it will eventually be memorized and no longer considered as an essential part of the encounter (much like how you've memorized where all your buttons are and likely have the GCD rhythm embedded into your hand-eye coordination; it's so second nature you hardly think about it). So obtaining new gear and causing more damage is the only thing driving DPS. Take that ability away, and you push PvE even further into the realm of being able to "faceroll" through content. Better gear will drop, it'll be easier and faster to hit that ceiling, rendering more and more of your play completely negligible. Eventually you'll only need 10-15 people in a 25-man raid.ReplyDelete
From a developer's point of view, it pretty much shuts creativity down completely. At first you might think, "Well if they can simply assume all DPS will be hitting that magical cap, then they can focus on making a boss encounter really great!" But actually, the reverse is true. Assuming everyone will be doing the same DPS removes the need for enrage timers, burn phases, compensating for buffs, debuffs, etc. If everyone is doing the same DPS and everyone is executing the fight mechanics properly (which always inevitably happens), then all you have left is trying to draw out the fight for the sole purpose of making it not seem short and cheap. This is why Blizzard removed so many of the "phase" mechanics in current 5-mans: it wasn't challenging having to smash a boss in the face with your great skill and gear only to have it take three times longer than it should. Like Ghostcrawler said, they could make Anomalus have 30 Chaotic Rift phases, but that wouldn't be challenging. It would be boring.
DPS is one of the few unpredictable and unquantifiable variable of raiding (the others being healing output and to a lesser extent, tank survivability). Plus, having a DPS cap would mean there would be a tank threat cap, which would make tanking even MORE boring than it is now. The chain effect of a DPS cap would be negative across the board.
Think of it this way: If you made every car in the world only able to go 30mph (DPS) and only able to take one certain path (the fight mechanics), would you even care about driving anymore? Much less like it?


text:
Hi all,
Just a quick note to let you all know that Ancestry.com is allowing free access to 40million+ records in their military collection from New Zealand, Australia, US, UK, and Canada.
The free access is available from 22nd to 26th April, 2011.
Go to the following link to begin your research.
Happy Hunting.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Golddigger Slap in the Face
Is there any wonder why Heather Mills is universally despised? Heather Mills threw water on Fiona Shackleton in court yesterday. Shackleton is Paul McCartney's divorce attorney.
WATER. She threw water. In court. And she finds it hard to believe she's hard to believe???
Still…it was Shackleton and of course Sir Paul who had the last laugh. Because the judge found Heather hard to believe too. Which is why he basically called her a fantasist in his official judgement. And also a loose cannon. And a liar. And yes… even a golddigger, though he was a little more subtle about the last two.
The judgment itself is super long. Too long to read while you're at work. Later on though, when you have the time, click here for the full PDF and enjoy. Now we know why she wanted it withheld – not because, as she claimed, it compromises her daughter's privacy, but because the contents are so damaging… even MORE damaging perhaps than her now legendary appearance on GMTV. Well no wonder she's hired Gloria Allred.
Thanks to C for excerpting the most intriguing parts.
Is there any question Heather Mills was exploiting a widower and his bank account? Consider the detailed play-by-play below. In short, she tried to extract $1 million from him to pay for a series of imaginary loans…
On 2 November 2005 the wife e-mailed Mr Paul Winn, MPL's finance director, in respect of the property at Thames Reach that "the amount outstanding on the mortgage is £480,000" and "please pay it in the following account and I will deal with the closure of it". The account was a NatWest bank account in the name of the wife. On 5 November the wife e-mailed Mr Winn that "there are 4 loans with different companies on the property totalling £480,000 …". Mr Winn pressed for full details on each loan. In February 2006 the wife again e-mailed Mr Winn about the loans and on 28 February instructed him to pay £450,000 into her account "so that I can settle this situation". On 1 March Mr Winn told the wife in an e-mail that he would not pay any sum "without proof that the loans exist or some protection secured on the property at Thames Reach".
140. In her Replies to Questionnaire dated 6 February 2007, in response to a question to annotate the wife's bank accounts showing discharge of the 4 loans and indicating the recipient of each payment, it was said "the wife did not have any loans".
141. The wife in her cross-examination accepted that Thames Reach was bought mortgage free and never had a mortgage on it. But she said that at the time of the e-mails referred to above she believed that there were loans secured on the property.
142. Mr Mostyn put to her that that was a fraudulent attempt to extract money from the husband.
143. In my judgment it is unnecessary to go so far as to characterise what the wife attempted as fraudulent. However, it is not an episode that does her any credit whatsoever. Either she knew or must have known that there were no loans on Thames Reach, yet she tried to suggest that there were and thereby obtain monies by underhand means.
144. Her attempts when cross-examined to suggest that she may have got in a muddle and confused this property with others, to my mind, had a hollow ring. In the light of the husband's generosity towards her, as I have set out, I find the wife's behaviour distinctly distasteful. In any event, as Mr Mostyn rightly submitted, it damages her overall credibility.
Then there's the spending:
"£30,000 p.a. for equestrian activities (she no longer rides), £39,000 p.a. for wine (she does not drink alcohol)"
Finally… the judge's assessment of her character:
I accept that since April 2006 the wife has had a bad press. She is entitled to feel that she has been ridiculed even vilified. To some extent she is her own worst enemy.
She has an explosive and volatile character. She cannot have done herself any good in the eyes of potential purchasers of her services as a TV presenter, public speaker and a model, by her outbursts in her TV interviews in October and November 2007.
Her evidence there that she had turned down huge amounts of work is quite inconsistent with her assertion that her earning capacity is zero.
Do you LOVE it or do you LOOOOVE it???
Click here for more (it's a PDF) - enjoy!


text:
You know how sometimes you're looking for a lease on a new car and you think "oh yeah I could probably go for some eggs, too, from a chicken, with this car?" No? That's too bad, because Ling's Cars can provide both, and it's probably the most hilarious leasing company in the world at the same time.
You would think that giving away eggs "fresh from the ass of my free range chickens" with leases is a bizarre sales strategy, but apparently it works. Ling's Cars has actually been around for a few years now, and its proprietor, Ling Valentine, has actually appeared on the BBC twice to talk about her amazingly advertised business.
On her first appearance on an episode of the show Dragon's Den, she tried to get investors to take an equity stake in her company, but they didn't buy in because of messy financials. The second time around, she showed up in an enormous bright yellow armored personnel carrier to show them just what they missed out on:
Ling is whip-smart, hilarious, and remarkably self-aware, and her site is just an extension of that, with £40,000,000 worth of cars being leased through it in 2011. There's been some dispute over how much of that is profit, but it appears safe to say the business is chugging along nicely, eggs being deposited out of strange parts of chickens aside.
That being said, if all you want is some chicks, Ling goes and checks on the chickens twice a day, at 7:15 AM and 6:30 PM GMT, which you can watch with her new chicken-cam. And then you can win one of those eggs, somehow, though it's UK-only at the moment. So there's that.
I think Ling's Cars is eggscellent! Har har har.
I'll show myself out now.


text:
Item Description
Letter, S. G. Hubbard to Capt. John Brown
Author: Hubbard, S. G.
Date: March 9, 1857
According to S. G. Hubbard who wrote Brown on March 9, 1857, "arrangements for the Hall have fallen through" in his city of New Haven, and Brown might have to settle for "a private conference," if he was interested in this alternative.
Location of Original: KSHS Call Number: John Brown Collection, #299, Box 1, Folder 21
Item Number: 102593 Number of images: 2
Keywords: Brown, John, 1800-1859; Hubbard, S. G.; New Haven, Connecticut; Political parties; Speeches, addresses, etc.
pg. 1
pg. 2


text:
Mike Mostyn's 2019 South Puget Sound Waterfront Property Report
|Case Inlet
|Hood Canal South
|Hood Canal Middle
|Hood Canal North
|Pickering Passage
|Hammersley (Shelton)
|Harstine Island
|Key Peninsula
|Bainbridge Island
|Bremerton East
|Bremerton West
|Port Orchard
|Fox Island
|Henderson Bay
|Gig Harbor
West Bremerton (Silverdale to Illahee)
Beach homes separated by no more than 20 miles on Puget Sound can be $1,000,000 apart. It's always seemed amazing to me so every year, I chart these differences just to understand this unique market. One afternoon, I showed my charts to a client who asked why I didn't publish this data on the Net for everyone. Having no good reason, #BelfairWindermere.com was born.
This information is taken directly from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS) sales data for 2018 - no editing. To make the charts more accurate for single-family residential homes, NOT INCLUDED are manufactured homes, condominiums and land sales. I hope you find it as interesting as I do.
How to read the activity chart
Each dot on this chart is an actual 2018 waterfront home sale – placed on the chart by its price verses its square footage. The line on the charts is a mathematic average calculated from these dots. It shows the average sale price at every given size. By comparing like-size homes in different areas, you get a sense of the prices of homes in each area.
DO NOT DETERMINE THE POTENTIAL SELLING PRICE OF YOUR HOME WITH THIS ACTIVITY CHART. MUCH more goes into a "price to sell" than just cost per square foot. Among the largest variables are the amount of waterfront, tideland rights, the proximity and access to the water, the home's condition & lot size. Price per square foot is just an appraiser's approach to comparing area values.
Why is there such a variation of prices? Some of these beaches are less than 20 miles apart. Some have closer and have easier access, closer shopping, schools and walkability. Is it worth the investment? It depends. Some areas have docks while others don't. Interestingly, less expensive areas generally have more privacy, larger lots and less taxes. You decide.
REMEMBER – Newer Puget Sound waterfront homes aren't necessarily better. Puget Sound waterfront set-backs have increased dramatically over the years. It is difficult to get a building permit to build a home today closer than 75 feet from the water when in the late 80's, 25 feet or closer was standard. Newer homes are generally further from the water, smaller in square footage, sit on smaller lots with higher banks and tend to have less privacy. Again, you decide.
When do buyers buy waterfront property?
Each dot on this chart is an actual sale - marked by the month it "sold" and its price. REMEMBER: The time it takes to sell includes escrow (45 days or so) for a sale to be completed. A home "sold" in June probably was negotiated and approved in April or May. Generally, higher the price, the more time it takes to sell.
Sellers – When to sell?
I'm asked this a lot – When is the best time to sell? Try calculating the best time by using sales data. First, look at your area's buying pattern – when buyers purchase waterfront homes in your area? Then, move back the listing date the average "Days before Sold" in your area and you are close to the best time put your home on the market. This will account for the time required for escrow (45 or so days) and the average period you will need to show your home before you receive an acceptable offer.
The "Average Sold Price" reported on this chart is also a good way to compare areas but not really. Homes are generally smaller on Hood Canal because there are more vacation properties. Full-time residents require larger homes which are more expensive.
How active was the market?
I call this the "Odds of Selling". By knowing how many homes were for sale compared with how many actually sold, you get a sense of overall demand. On Fox Island for example, a higher percentage of homes offered for sale are not sold. Perhaps the price on Fox Island is too high for the demand. Yes, there's more to it than availability but there is value in knowing this relationship.
Mike Mostyn, CRS
Washington State Listing Broker License # 106564
If you need more personal help such as pricing your waterfront home, feel free to contact me at Windermere Peninsula Properties in Belfair. I service Hood Canal - Union to Tahuya, Victor to Allyn, Stretch, Treasure and Harstine Islands as well as Grapeview & Pickering Passage however, I would happy to send you new listing alerts for any Puget Sound area. Good luck and thank you for visiting BelfairWindermere.com


text:
The Balvenie whisky distiller rolls through Denver with tasting, visits furniture makers
The Balvenie, a Scottish whisky distiller, rolls into Denver next week for a tasting, as well as a leg in its nationwide tour – using the car in the picture above – of artisans and craftsmen. In Denver, the roadshow visits Fin Art, a company that makes furniture out of all sorts of recycled things – walnut flooring, gas pipes, airplane wings.
On September 11, whisky ambassador and kinda' famous bagpiper (probably the only kinda' famous bagpiper) Lorne Cousin – also called "Scottish Piper to the Stars" (Madonna, Stella McCartney, etc.) hosts the tasting at Mile High Station, at 7:30 p.m. Cousin will sling whiskys from the Balvenie catalogue, including the new DoubleWood 17 Year Old, which launches this month.
Interested? If you are one of the first 100 readers who responds to email@example.com, you've got a ticket. Once the free spots are reserved, the event is closed.


text:
Skip to Main Content »
Be the first to review this product
Availability: In stock
Double click on above image to view full picture
Use spaces to separate tags. Use single quotes (') for phrases.
You have no items to compare.
You have no items in your shopping cart.
Sailology LLC/Bugwheel.com. All Rights Reserved. bugwheel.com


text:
Immediate Cover You are protected immediately with DNA Insurance, so you can start driving straightaway.
Flexible Payment Options DNA help you pay for cover in the best way for you – letting you plan your expenses in advance so you are comfortable with making payments
24 Hour Claims Helpline An accident can happen anytime and at DNA we know it is important that stay on the road, which is why we have a claims team available 24 hours a day. 7 days a week
Legal Expenses If something does happen, have peace of mind that your legal expenses are covered by DNA Insurance
Replacement Vehicle for Non-Fault Claims If the accident wasn't your fault, receive a replacement vehicle to keep you on the road
Protecting you and your passengers is vital, whether it is for personal, charity or educational use. Choose the right level of cover for you with the help of our experts, who can talk you through the optional extras too. DNA Insurance provides immediate cover for any use at all, so that you can travel with complete peace of mind.


text:
|Concord, Mass.
|High School:
|Earth and Planetary Sciences
2012-13: Overall record: 44-31...NFC record: 22-8...ranked 22nd at the NCAA Northeast Regional (3/10)...finished fifth at the New England Championship (2/23) after winning the "C" pool with a ledger of 12-0...captured seventh place at The Big One Invitational (11/3)...swept Wellesley, won both of her bouts against UMass and New Hampshire, and posted 2-1 totals versus Brandeis, Sacred Heart, and Boston University in her NFC debut (11/17)...went 2-1 against Brown and Yale and picked up wins over St. John's and Cornell at the Brandeis Invitational (12/2)...blanked Vassar, defeated both of her foes from Dartmouth, went 2-1 against Tufts, and tacked on victories over Boston College and Brown at the final NFC competition of the year (1/26)...swept Hunter and Yeshiva, turned in 2-1 performances versus NYU and Haverford, and earned wins against Penn and Stevens en route to a 12-6 record at the Eric Sollee Invitational (2/3)...went 4-5 at the Beanpot (2/12) as she had 2-1 tallies versus Boston College and Brandeis.
Off the Fencing Strip at MIT: Majoring in earth and planetary sciences.
High School: A 2012 graduate of Concord-Carlisle High School...captain...four-time varsity letterwinner...2011 state champion...2010 Bay State Games champion...finished eighth in the Division II National Championship...valedictorian...National Honor Society...band vice-president...National Merit Finalist.


text:
Carlene Mitchell, who has spent the past 10 seasons at Rutgers with the previous three as associate head coach, was named UC Santa Barbara's new head women's basketball coach, Director of Athletics Mark W. Massari announced on Thursday.
Mitchell becomes the fifth head coach in Gaucho history, replacing Lindsay Gottlieb who was hired last month in the same position at Cal. Mitchell, who hails from DeWitt, Ark. takes over a program that has played in the postseason in 15 of the last 16 seasons.
"We are very excited to add a coach of Carlene's pedigree to UCSB," Massari said. "With what she has accomplished in her career to this point, I have no doubt that she will be able to carry on the legacy that has been established at this great university. She is a tremendous choice to represent UCSB, on and off the court, and we are very pleased to add her to the Gaucho family."
In the first head coaching job in a distinguished career on the sidelines, Mitchell inherits a Gaucho squad that has won 14 Big West regular-season titles in the past 16 years.
"I look forward to the opportunity to coach at an institution that has so much history and continue the legacy of Gaucho basketball," Mitchell said. "This is obviously a very special place and I am thrilled to be a part of it. After meeting the team I am excited to get on the court with this group and carry on the tradition of excellence that is UCSB basketball."
Mitchell served as Rutgers' recruiting coordinator since 2004 and consistently landed some of the best talent in the nation including four top-15 recruiting classes and the nation's top-ranked class in 2006-07. In her time at Rutgers, coaching alongside Hall of Famer C. Vivian Stringer, Mitchell helped lead the Scarlet Knights to nine straight NCAA postseason berths and a spot in the NCAA Regional Semifinals in five of the past seven seasons.
"On behalf of our entire campus community, I am honored and thrilled to welcome Carlene Mitchell as the new head coach for our proud women's basketball team," said Chancellor Henry T. Yang. "Carlene's coaching career has been on a sharp and steadily rising trajectory of success. She is an outstanding choice for UC Santa Barbara. My wife, Dilling, and I look forward to joining all of our Gaucho fans and supporters at the games to cheer for Coach Mitchell, our coaching staff, and our outstanding student athletes."
In addition to her recruiting efforts, Mitchell helped teach and mentor several former and current WNBA players, including Chelsea Newton, Cappie Pondexter, Matee Ajavon, Essence Carson and Epiphanny Prince.
UCSB, meanwhile, has produced the second-most WNBA draft picks in the west after Mekia Valentine was drafted by the New York Liberty last month.
While at Rutgers, Mitchell had an extremely supportive fan base – the Scarlet Knights averaged more than 3,000 fans last season – and will find a similar amount of passionate followers at UCSB which leads the Big West in attendance on a yearly basis.
Before joining Rutgers, Mitchell spent the 2000-01 season as the top assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Oklahoma State University. She was responsible for both preseason and off-season conditioning, coaching the guards during practices, developing a defensive game plan for each of Oklahoma State's opponents and working with the program's summer camps.
Prior to her time in Stillwater, Mitchell coached for two seasons at Western Illinois University. While in?Macomb, Ill., she helped the Westerwinds make a remarkable turnaround from a 7-19 record to an 18-11 mark the following season.
Mitchell started her coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1997. Her responsibilities with the Kangaroos included implementing strength and conditioning programs, creating opponent scouting reports and organizing all team travel.
Mitchell was the starting point guard as a senior at Kansas State University during the 1995-96 season. She received a bachelor's degree in social science from the school in 1996.
Mitchell also attended Allen County (Kan.) and Trinity Valley (Texas) Community Colleges. She helped lead Trinity to the first of their five unprecedented NJCAA National Championships in 1994. Named All-Conference and selected to the NJCAA All-Tournament Team, Mitchell still holds the single season assist record (337) and assists in a game (17) mark in the Lady Cardinals record book. She joined the school's Cardinal Hall of Fame this past October, as a member of the Class of 2010.


text:
While proponents of immigration reform are bracing for a tough fight this summer, most have remained generally optimistic that the political climate is finally right for the passage of a comprehensive bill.
The American electorate as a whole? Not so much.
A new poll from Quinnipiac University shows that seven in ten registered voters think that Republicans and Democrats in Congress will not be able to work together to pass an immigration bill this year.
Hispanics and Democrats are slightly more optimistic, with about a third of each group saying that the bill will get to the president's desk. But only 24 percent of voters overall said they believe that Congress can pass the legislation.
But while voters are pessimistic about its passage, the poll also showed that a majority supports the compromise bill's foundational principle of a "path to citizenship." Fifty-four percent said undocumented immigrants living in the United States should be able to remain in the country and eventually apply for U.S. citizenship. Twelve percent said undocumented individuals should be able to stay but should not be eligible to become citizens; 29 percent believe undocumented immigrants should not be able to stay in the U.S. at all.
A bipartisan bill passed through the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this month by a 13-5 vote and will be taken up on the Senate floor in June. But the fate of various immigration measures in the Republican-controlled House is still unclear.
Voters overall in the Quinnipiac poll were evenly divided on the question of whether a candidate's support for a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants would make them more or less likely to support him or her, while 44 percent of voters said the candidate's position would not affect their support. But nearly half of Hispanics said a candidate's support for a path to citizenship would make them more likely to support that candidate.
The poll surveyed 1,419 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.6 percentage points.
This story was originally published on Fri May 31, 2013 10:33 AM EDT


text:
Interim UConn coach T.J. Weist has believers
Bill Curry didn't quite know what to make of the energetic walk-on from Bay City, Mich., when he assumed the reins of the Alabama football program in the late 1980s.
Invariably, the sure-handed overachiever would be among the first to hit the practice field and was almost always the last to leave, even though there was no guarantee he would ever suit up, nevermind catch on as a receiving option for the Crimson Tide.
"To walk on at Alabama and to come from Michigan, I think that makes a pretty bold statement," Curry said. "I remember asking him, 'What are you doing all the way down here?' He said, 'This is a place I wanted to play.' He has very high ambition; very determined and very smart. He picked things up quickly and being around him in later years when I was at ESPN and he had been at Michigan ... I saw him and thought he was a very focused guy and very persistent.
"Nothing came easy to T.J. He wasn't handed anything. He didn't have a scholarship, but I liked him so I found him a job (as a graduate assistant). He has done everything to be ready for this kind of a challenge."
'This kind of a challenge' is putting it mildly.
Less than nine months after arriving at UConn as the offensive coordinator, Weist finds himself running the program after head coach Paul Pasqualoni and offensive line coach George DeLeone were shown the door following an 0-4 start and 10-18 record since their arrival in Storrs.
Other than reading reports of Weist's passionate manner and seeing clips from the press conference naming the 48-year-old the interim coach, even the most ardent UConn fan doesn't know a heck of a lot about the football program's new leader.
His coaching career began with graduate assistant gigs at two of the most tradition-rich programs in college football history. A two-year stint at Alabama working with the receivers was followed by the same position at Michigan from 1990-93. After two seasons on the Southern Illinois staff and one at Tulsa, he headed to Indiana for five seasons before beginning an eight-year run at Western Kentucky. Jack Harbaugh, the father of current NFL head coaches Jim and John, led the Hilltoppers to the 2002 Division I-AA national title in Weist's first season on the WKU staff.
"It was one of the great coaching years of my life," Weist said. "I was coaching the running backs and the receivers, the meeting room was in the weight room and we had nothing. We won the national championship that year, and I had great influence from coach Harbaugh."
His successful run at Western Kentucky was not lost on a coaching rival. Although Central Michigan never played Western Kentucky in Butch Jones' seven seasons as a CMU assistant or three seasons as the head coach, he was well aware of Weist's potential. He didn't hesitate in hiring Weist as the wide receivers coach when he took over at Cincinnati in 2010.
"I always followed him and I always had the utmost respect for him," Jones said. "I was a receiver coach, he was a receiver coach and I followed his career from the University of Michigan to Indiana to Western Kentucky. So in our profession he was one of those individuals that I always respected. I respected the way his position group played. They played with great effort, they played with great energy, they have great technique and they always did the small details, the small things, exceptionally well.
"He is a great individual. He has a great family, he is a family man and an individual of the highest character. He is extremely competitive and very detailed. He is detail-orientated in everything that he does. The other thing is he genuinely cares about the kids. Academics are important; the way he charts their progress, holds them accountable."
When Jones was hired away by Tennessee, Weist was given the play-calling responsibilities in the Belk Bowl. All the Bearcats did was pile up 554 yards in a 48-34 win over Duke.
"I think he handles it pretty well," Cincinnati wide receiver Anthony McClung said of Weist's play-calling ability. "I haven't really watched any UConn games, but at the bowl game last year he was calling great plays. Whatever play he felt was going to work in certain situations, he called it. He is very confident and we came through for him."
There is a significant difference between having three weeks to prepare before calling plays for an explosive Cincinnati offense and having two weeks before leading an 0-4 UConn team against South Florida. However, those who have hired him believe Weist has what it takes to make the best of a difficult situation.
"I think it is incredibly difficult," said Curry, who won 93 games as a collegiate coach and was a three-time conference coach of the year. "I have seen a lot of good coaches go down the tubes because of a situation like that. I hope he gets a chance to prove what he can do."
Weist's initial inclination was to pass on becoming the interim coach out of respect for Pasqualoni, before agreeing to take over the program. Jones was not surprised that Weist thought long and hard before taking over.
"I know he has a tremendous amount of respect for coach Pasqualoni and what he has been able to do," Jones said. "I know it has been extremely difficult for him, but if there is one person who can handle that situation, it is T.J. Weist. He was basically in that situation last year at Cincinnati, having to run the offense and not having an offensive staff.
"It is a difficult situation, but also it is a tremendous opportunity as well and it is a challenge. If you are a competitor, you love great challenges. I think the thing that T.J. brings is he will be able to connect with the players. I think they will buy into everything that is going on. I know he will embrace that challenge and I know he is looking forward to it. It is a great opportunity to take a football team over in a relatively early stage of the season. I think he will benefit from the bye week and be able to go, so I think he will add a lot to that football program."
Weist doubled as the receivers coach in addition to being the offensive coordinator when he was hired by Pasqualoni. Starting receivers Geremy Davis and Shakim Phillips rave about his teaching ability and his incredible passion for coaching.
"He brings fire to that position," Davis said. "He played that position. He is a fundamental guy and he is going to bring that to a team as a whole. He brings fire and he is a player's coach, so we are going to show his mentality."
His passion is not limited to the football field. He was the recruiting coordinator at times during stops at Indiana and Cincinnati. Shortly after being hired at UConn he was able to secure a commitment from Brian Lemelle, the all-time leading receiver in Pennsylvania high school football history.
"He showed me what he can do when he was at Cincinnati, and with him at Connecticut, it made it a lot easier," Lemelle said.
McClung, a native of Indianapolis, was considered to be one of the top 15 players in the state of Indiana, and Weist had a major role in luring him to Cincinnati.
"He came to my high school and he was kind of sizing me up," McClung said. "He was a cool guy, but he was kind of more business-like, so he was kind of intimidating. But he is a great coach and I love him to death. He told me that he really liked my film and he really wanted me to be a Bearcat. ... He is really one of the main reasons why I came (to Cincinnati). I believe he is a great recruiter because he recruited a lot of players in my class."
Weist said UConn is honoring its verbal commitments and that he planned on using the bye week to get some additional recruiting work done so the program doesn't suffer due to the coaching change.
"Right now we're honoring the commits that we have," Weist said. "We're going to call them and talk to them to let them know that there is stability. We want our commits and the current players we're recruiting to know that there is stability and know the direction of the program. That will be one of the first things we talk about as a staff. We need to understand how we're going to handle the players and their questions. We're not going to ignore it. We're going to tell them what and how we're doing it. We're going to keep recruiting."
As high as recruiting is on Weist's priority list, it is not at the very top. That is reserved for trying to breathe some life into an offense that is last among 123 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in rushing offense and 119th in total offense.
"It breaks your heart because we put our heart and soul into this," Weist said. "We put everything we have into this program. It's not just a job or career to us. It's our life. It's a family. These players become our family. This is our family for us, for me. This football team is our family. I think that we will create a family situation and we will make it everything to us."


text:
This is no ordinary camp, though participants will spend time outdoors learning valuable skills. No merit badges here - just personal growth and the honor of serving people in need.
The youth are participating in a massive volunteer effort, July 7-11, doing home repairs for residents of the Navajo Reservation, Westwater, Blanding, White Mesa and Monticello. The program, now in its ninth year, is sponsored by the state Division of Housing & Community Development together with the national Group Workcamps Foundation.
An estimated 319 youths from 13 states will travel to Utah for the experience, at their expense. They'll log more than 12,000 hours on 46 home improvement projects, including: building wheelchair ramps, replacing roofs, painting, repairing walls and siding and constructing decks, porches and steps.
"These kids spend all year fundraising and preparing for this trip. When they get there they practically work non-stop. I'm not sure which is more gratifying, seeing the smiles on their faces or the smiles of the home owners we've helped," said Mike Johnson, manager of Utah's Weatherization Assistance Program.
The Weatherization Program was created in 1976 by the U.S. Department of Energy in response to the national energy crisis. The program pays for home improvements aimed at helping low-income households reduce their energy consumption.
"The repairs we do help home owners maintain their homes, save money on utilities and live more comfortably. But we nearly always have a waiting list for services," said Johnson. "Partnering with Group Workcamps helps us leverage our weatherization dollars."
The Group Workcamps Foundation, based in Loveland, Colo. was created in 1976. The non-profit organizes dozens of domestic and international service "missions" annually for youth church groups. For more info, go to www.groupworkcamps.com


text:
American Diving
We are a world-renowned scuba diving center born from that high-adventure spirit which leads you from the office door to the hot sandy beaches of the Mexican border. You can share this excitement with other divers and snorkelers in the deep blue, unspoiled waters of the "Texas Riviera", territory of the Spanish Galleons and home to pirates of the Devil's Elbow.
Come see our state-of-the-art training facilities. Dive and snorkel from our USCG documented and inspected vessels.
DIVE The Texas Clipper and The Iron Reefs
Reefed on November 17, 2007, The Texas Clipper is the premier dive site in Texas and American Diving is your Clipper Connection. Enjoy 2 and 3 tank dive trips to the Clipper aboard our 60 ft dive boat the Diver I. Outfitted with air-conditioned cabin, spacious deck, and a dive platform inches above the water, for ease of entry and exits, your diving experience will be one without compare.
We now offer Nitrox Course, Deep Diver Course, and External Wreck Survey Course for only $350 and that includes your dive on the Texas Clipper. Call today to start your dive adventure. (956) 761-2030 or Email [email protected]


text:
September 1, 2019
Governing in a Cynical Age
Public servants should work to restore people's faith in government.
August 14, 2019
Government Purchasers Could Do Far More to Help Minority-Owned Businesses
They need to correct the long history of discrimination baked into the system.
July 11, 2019
The GovLove Generation: How Millennials Are Redefining Public Service
They're beginning to reshape local government in a big way.
June 26, 2019
Activist Auditors Are Making Their Mark
A new crop is redefining the role.
May 1, 2019
This Republican Has a Good Point About Going Green
For sustainability to be successful, it must also be affordable. Spokane, Wash.'s mayor thinks it can be.
April 16, 2019
A Performance Innovation That Actually Works
The "theory of constraints" can help governments address the core of practically any problem.
March 14, 2019
The Key to Nebraska's Water Conservation Success
Other places should emulate the state's model.
February 1, 2019
How Governments Can Keep Their Employees Happy
As a Tennessee agency has shown, employee engagement isn't unattainable.
January 31, 2019
'Mobility' Is Starting to Get the Attention It Deserves
Housing, jobs and health care depend on it. Pittsburgh has become a national leader in setting clear, intuitive transportation goals.
December 17, 2018
In Poverty Fight, Philadelphia Mayor Takes a New Tactic
Jim Kenney is focused on rebuilding public spaces that everyone uses as a way to address the highest poverty rate of any big U.S. city.
December 3, 2018
Why We Need to See the Grisly Reality of Gun Carnage
Graphic images galvanized the civil-rights movement and opposition to the Vietnam War. That's what we need to get serious about gun control.
November 15, 2018
In Government, There's a Big Difference Between Power and Leadership
Anyone can learn to lead. Not everyone has the courage to do it.
November 1, 2018
Giving More Women the Choice Not to Get Pregnant
We're not making the use we should of forms of contraception that can dramatically reduce unplanned pregnancies and infant mortality.
October 17, 2018
Want to Be a Good Leader? Rely On a Little Help From Your Friends.
Communities can't address the big issues without collaboration.
September 14, 2018
Racial Justice Can't Be Achieved Without This
Civic leaders must reclaim racial integration as a policy goal.
September 1, 2018
Houses, Not Shelters
Mattie Quinn's feature in this issue examines another variant in the increases in homelessness that cities are struggling with, in this case a surge in the number of people living in their cars.
August 2, 2018
How to Take Government Budgets Off Autopilot
To shape effective policy and keep their promises, politicians need to focus on outcomes.
August 1, 2018
Deluges and Dollars
As Governing's Mike Maciag writes in this issue, many areas of the country are seeing significant residential and commercial development on flood-prone land.
July 1, 2018
Bridging a Growing Gap
The concept of "maximum feasible participation," which was written into the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 -- legislation unofficially known as the War on Poverty -- captured one of the central, enduring problems in governance: how to balance administrative expertise and effective community involvement.
July 1, 2018
When's the Next Recession? Ask Medicaid Directors.
Health care costs can tell officials a lot about a state's fiscal temperature.
June 4, 2018
The Truth About Racial Equity That Most White Leaders Don't See
Sometimes the morally right thing to do is also the economically smart thing to do.
June 1, 2018
The Real Housing Issue
Despite what you might think given recent media coverage, the U.S. city with the worst affordable housing problem is not San Francisco.
May 15, 2018
What People Get Wrong About 'Political Will'
It's not some innate quality -- good leaders must create it.
May 1, 2018
Stadium Fantasies
An honest conversation about public funding for stadiums would reflect the fact that what is really at stake is civic pride and recognition, not economics.
April 13, 2018
Job Licensing Requirements Need Serious Scrutiny
Should you really need a license to teach hair braiding?
April 1, 2018
Is That Really a P3?
What Anaheim has been doing to keep Disney happy is mischaracterized as a public-private partnership.
March 8, 2018
The Least Understood Job in Politics
Everyone thinks they know what a mayor does, but the role of a city leader varies greatly from one place to the next.
March 1, 2018
Decency's Rewards
It's worth considering whether elected leadership and other policymakers can learn from EMAC about how to better manage other shared problems.
February 15, 2018
How to Reduce the Opioid Epidemic's Stigma
Framing is key. Empathy is not.
February 1, 2018
Injustice and Health
It's hard to overstate the importance of geography in health outcomes.
January 19, 2018
5 Ways to Measure a Mayor's Success
In local government, success is defined by what you leave behind.
January 1, 2018
Jobs Without Bribes
There's one other issue I wish would get more attention from legislators: curbing the use of tax incentives and other giveaways for economic development.
December 13, 2017
Homelessness Will Never End, But It Can Be Better Managed
The way we talk about the issue makes it more difficult to do what needs to be done.
December 1, 2017
The Stakes of Service
In this issue, we are honoring nine of the best public servants in the nation: a governor, a mayor, a cabinet secretary, a sheriff, a chief information officer, two state legislators, a county administrator and a city health commissioner.
November 14, 2017
Governments Need to Start Preparing Budgets for Climate Change
It's important to get the money in order before the next disaster strikes. A few places already are.
November 1, 2017
Rising Waters
One of the things that we like to do at Governing is to take a problem that is relatively common to state or local governments and find a jurisdiction doing unusually well at addressing it.
October 11, 2017
How Technology Can Help Police Departments Address Racial Bias and Be More Effective
Institutionalized racism can result in misdirected resources that do little to solve serious crimes.
October 1, 2017
The Most Important Work
As near as I can recall, I've been reading Governing since the first issue appeared in October 1987.
September 25, 2017
How the 'Theory of Constraints' Applies to Government
The management paradigm could help rebuild our sense of community.
September 1, 2017
The Case for Density
In this issue, J.B. Wogan gives thoughtful consideration to an idea that most people accept uncritically in discussions of cities: that population growth equals success.
August 1, 2017
The Costs We Will Bear
In the real world of government, the idea of cost can be summarized in a single plain truth: Pay now or pay later.
August 1, 2017
Throwing Money at Businesses Has Been a Bad Idea Since the Start
It's time to abandon corporate tax breaks. Just look at their history.
July 28, 2017
How to Create Good Jobs
The default strategy for many government officials isn't working. Better policies could accomplish a lot.
July 1, 2017
The Really Hard Stuff
Governing does about 40 live events a year, and my favorite has always been our annual Public Officials of the Year dinner, where we honor outstanding contributions to public service.
June 7, 2017
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Double-Loop Government
The basketball player's early career illustrates a learning strategy that produces conflict -- and innovation.
June 1, 2017
Where Decency Resides
Daniel C. Vock's feature this month on the refugee crisis in Twin Falls, Idaho, is about the basic decency of Americans in places that the coastal elites rarely visit.
May 16, 2017
Managing the Evil That Institutions Do
Guarding against evil poses a dilemma for government managers, but it can be done.
May 1, 2017
Government's Plumbers
When I served as the auditor of Kansas City, Mo., I saw my role as that of a craftsman, like a carpenter or a plumber.
April 13, 2017
New Hope for College Towns
Cities and universities may finally be learning to work together.
April 1, 2017
The Pension Hammer
In this issue's profile of John Arnold, the billionaire philanthropist who has become obsessed with public employee pensions, reporter Liz Farmer writes that he is "a mathematics whiz whose remarkable skill with numbers" is the basis of his fortune.
March 21, 2017
The Complexity of Simplicity in Government
It isn't easy to achieve, but simplicity should be a vital goal when serving the public.
March 1, 2017
The New Old Right
Splintering and fracturing are dominant forces in today's social and political life.
February 7, 2017
Why America Should Redefine Political Losers
Success in public life is often defined by winning elections instead of making positive change.
February 1, 2017
Women and Power
My wife used to be a doula and childbirth educator.
January 24, 2017
The Problem With Evidence-Based Government
There's a big challenge that advocates need to recognize.
January 1, 2017
A Strategy for Conflict
I used to play tournament chess, and the best players would deploy strategies with names like "the Spanish Opening" or "the Sicilian Defense."
December 15, 2016
Words of Wisdom for Public Officials Trying to Connect With Citizens
For one, realize that you have the "curse of knowledge."
December 1, 2016
Getting It Done
Reading the profiles of Governing's 2016 Public Officials of the Year, I was reminded of a phrase that Patrick Foye, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, used at one of our recent events: "horses for courses."
November 7, 2016
America's 20-Year Winter
Some economists say the country goes through two-decade-long seasons, each requiring its own kind of leader.
October 12, 2016
D.C.'s Metro and the Power of a P3
If the District of Columbia's transit system was a public-private partnership, some say it wouldn't be falling apart right now.
October 1, 2016
The Innovation Equation
In his book Diffusion of Innovations, Everett Rogers writes that innovation "presents an individual or an organization with a new alternative or alternatives, with new means of solving problems."
September 8, 2016
Just Catch the Killers
Solving homicide cases is the best way to prevent future ones.
September 4, 2016
The Innovation Equation
Working with Living Cities, Governing has identified a set of seven elements that constitute a framework for fostering the innovation cities need.
September 1, 2016
One Book's Legacy
In this issue's cover story, John Buntin takes a retrospective look at the impact of the 1992 book Reinventing Government: How the Entrepreneurial Spirit Is Transforming the Public Sector.
August 10, 2016
Can Depression Make Someone a Better Politician?
Maybe, but the stigma of mental health problems keeps public officials from talking about it.
August 1, 2016
The Rural Have-Nots
A couple of decades ago, many people thought technology would allow everybody to live and work wherever they wanted.
July 1, 2016
The Lifeblood of a City
This issue's feature by Liz Farmer on Chicago's city treasurer asks an important question: Is Kurt Summers Chicago's future?
July 1, 2016
A Veteran Cop's Ideas for Solving Systemic Police Problems
In his two books, Norm Stamper offers recommendations for change.
June 1, 2016
Why We Regulate
There is a role for government regulation that allows for disruptive new business models without stifling innovation.
June 1, 2016
A Mayor's Real Job
Running a city is mostly about building community -- and that's never easy.
May 10, 2016
When Women Have Power
They're more likely to use the tools of government in new ways. Just look at Kym Worthy in Detroit or Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Supreme Court.
May 1, 2016
Pension Realities
Public employee pensions have been under fire from the right for decades, and that war intensified with the onset of the Great Recession.
April 1, 2016
The Customer's View
The people who manage our public transportation systems, says Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack in Daniel C. Vock's profile of her in this issue, tend to see the data they gather in terms of operations and efficiency.
April 1, 2016
An Older, Poorer America Is Coming
As more aging Americans slip into poverty, governments need to be ready.
March 1, 2016
Bought and Sold
The three basic functions of government administration are human resources, procurement and financial management.
March 1, 2016
The Poisoning of Our Politics: Partisan Elections
It's time to take elections back from the parties and organizations that have given us the broken system of governance we now have.
February 1, 2016
Homes for the Homeless
Cities are being confronted with a problem they simply cannot manage effectively on their own.
February 1, 2016
Patriotism and the Power of Public Spaces
Parks and other shared spaces can strengthen the bonds of citizenship, so why are they so underused?
January 1, 2016
A Better Way to Attack Inequality Than Redistributing Wealth
Everyone talks about taxing the rich to give to the poor, but doing so would only have a small impact. There are ways to have a larger one.
December 1, 2015
A Homework Assignment for the People Running Public Universities
To boost America's support for higher education, faculties and administrations need to remember why we have it.
December 1, 2015
The Leaders Who Inspire
Every day on Governing.com and every month in the magazine, we document the challenges facing America's states and localities and the ways in which public officials are working to meet them and seize opportunities.
November 1, 2015
What Costco Can Teach the Public Sector
Organizations that invest in their workers reap the biggest gains.
November 1, 2015
Our Inverting Cities
The central idea of Alan Ehrenhalt's 2012 book The Great Inversion and the Future of the American City is expressed in the title: the concept of a major demographic flip.
October 1, 2015
Our Demographic Bind
As I read Alan Greenblatt's cover story in this month's issue about the profound demographic changes that have occurred in Nevada -- and that are coming, inevitably and quickly, to the rest of the nation -- I thought of an incident a few months ago.
October 1, 2015
The Real Purpose of Government
At its heart, it's about saving capitalism from itself.
September 1, 2015
People Who Prove Broken Government Can Work
Laws and regulations make it increasingly difficult for public officials to get anything done. But that doesn't mean it's impossible.
September 1, 2015
Pay Now or Pay Later
One way or another, somebody is going to pay.
August 1, 2015
The Impact That Government Auditing Could Have (and Doesn't)
Auditors are irrelevant in most places. Two things could change that.
August 1, 2015
The Test of Time
At first glance, this month's feature articles may not seem to have much to do with one another.
July 1, 2015
When the Numbers Lie
It's not a surprise that most of the people cited in this issue's cover story by Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene on the problems states have with missing or inaccurate data are government auditors.
July 1, 2015
Problems Only Government Can Solve
Foundations are important, but they have their limits.
June 1, 2015
Why the Fiscal Issue That Matters Most Isn't Pensions
It's infrastructure, yet pensions get more of policymakers' attention.
June 1, 2015
The Hacks We Need
Without Frank Munsey and George Perkins, there would have been no Bull Moose Party.
May 1, 2015
The Fantasy World of Financial Reporting
The rules that governments work under have little to do with reality.
May 1, 2015
The Search for Sync
The role of government and the will of the people are constantly evolving and often at odds. It's public officials' job to make them converge.
April 30, 2015
A Mayor's Advice for Avoiding Another Baltimore
Mark Funkhouser, Governing publisher and former mayor, has three suggestions for preventing riots in other cities and minimizing the violence if they ignite.
April 1, 2015
The Most Important Question in Government
While politicians easily offer policy prescriptions, they often fail to ask how they will be paid for.
March 1, 2015
States Recognizing the Value of New Americans
Legal immigrants are some of the nation's biggest job creators, which is why more cities are viewing them as a key to economic revival.
February 1, 2015
The Benefits of a Better Town-and-Gown Relationship
Perhaps the next big thing in local government ought to be a "higher education relations officer" who leverages universities' assets to benefit the cities they're in.
January 1, 2015
The 3 Flavors of Corruption
What seems like a growing trend of overdiagnosing corruption has negative consequences for not only public officials but the people they serve.
January 1, 2015
The Effective Partisans
Last fall, in his first speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate -- a controlled rant that was equal parts astonishing and inspiring -- Republican Ben Sasse of Nebraska blasted his colleagues over the pointless partisanship that has paralyzed Congress.
December 1, 2014
Why Loneliness Should Matter to Governments
How the public sector can use data and analytics to help knit communities back together.
November 1, 2014
With Big Data Comes Bigger Goals
Today's performance management tools eliminate the old ways of thinking about what government can and can't do.
October 1, 2014
Lessons from the Grateful Dead on Replacing Workers with Technology
If managers don't know when technology should replace people, they can destroy the product they're trying to create.
September 1, 2014
Want More Crime with That Burger?
Good jobs are proven to reduce crime, yet much of the economy's recent growth is due to dead-end jobs with low wages and no benefits.
August 1, 2014
How to Get Public Workers to Care About Their Jobs
A book by a government HR expert explains what drives public-sector workers and how that differs from the private sector.
July 1, 2014
The Real Threat to Democracy: Money Problems
Prudent fiscal stewardship is essential to self-government.
June 1, 2014
A Better Way to Save Jobs: Employee Stock Ownership Plans
ESOPs give employees part ownership of their companies and prevent major job losses when owners retire. But only two states support them.
May 1, 2014
South Korea's Street-Level Transparency
The country removes the anonymousness of government by publicly identifying the people responsible for particular projects on street signs. It's an anti-corruption approach that has lots of possibilities for U.S. governments.
April 1, 2014
Will Financial Reporting Finally Make Sense?
Paul Volcker and Richard Ravitch's State Budget Crisis Task Force recommends ways government can make reporting cleaner, clearer and simpler.
March 1, 2014
A Better Way to Link Policy Analysis and Performance Management
Results-based accountability measures results in the real world.
February 3, 2014
The People Who Will Give Americans the Government They Want
Trust in government is at historic lows. That will change, but it will happen from the bottom up.
February 1, 2014
Why Governments Need to Treat Labor Unions with Respect
For one town, dealing honestly with its unions paid off.
January 27, 2014
Advice for New Mayors: Watch Your Mouth
It's tempting to plunge in and try to fix everything right away. But in trying to do too much too soon, it's easy to say something dumb and get into trouble.
January 21, 2014
The Reforms That Public Pensions Really Need
As two experts demonstrate, there's more to the problems faced by state and local retirement systems than mere political shenanigans.
January 13, 2014
Florida Lawmakers and the Thwarted Will of the People
The state's voters want to reform redistricting, but the legislature has paid little attention.
January 6, 2014
The Failure and the Promise of Public Participation
Outdated laws and overly formal procedures for public meetings are eroding trust in government. There are better ways than three minutes at the microphone.
January 1, 2014
All Things Fall Apart (Even Governments)
That's why organizations need constant renewal to survive.
December 16, 2013
Diane Ravitch and the Angry Rebellion Against Common Core
Wielding her influential blog as a weapon, this 75-year-old activist has created a powerful network united by revulsion against top-down, elite policymaking.
December 6, 2013
Learning to Love the Numbers of Government
Governments' financial statements may seem intimidating to those without number-crunching expertise. But these documents contain important information that public officials need to know. Here's how to find it.
November 30, 2013
'Operator Perry Loves You!'
Governments really are in a competition. A lot is at stake.
November 25, 2013
How to Stop the Economic Development Wars
Tax incentives and other giveaways to business don't create prosperity. It's time for a federal law to stop the bribery and make better use of capitalism's strengths.
November 1, 2013
Why the 3 Fundamentals of Governance Are So Important
Bridgeport, Conn., illustrates why governance, debt and demographics are so crucial for a healthy functioning city.
October 21, 2013
Reducing Economic Inequality: It's About Wealth, Not Jobs
Increasing family wealth is a much better public policy goal than the standard economic development mantra of "jobs, jobs, jobs." And effective strategies won't come from Washington.
October 15, 2013
California, Fiscal Reform and the Elusive 'Policy Window'
Can the state ever find a way out of its structural budget problems? A new book might suggest a path for places wrestling with policy dilemmas.
October 1, 2013
The Enemy of Good Management
A new book has it right: We need to change the way we budget.
September 30, 2013
Accountability, Transparency and the Uncertain Future of GASB
The standards-setting board for government financial reporting has been embroiled in one controversy after another, but the latest fight could result in the gutting of GASB's influence.
September 9, 2013
When the Government Workspace Is Dirty and Dangerous
It's tough to find the money and political support to provide public workers with safe, clean places to do their jobs. Tennessee went the privatization route, and the results look promising.
September 1, 2013
The Public Safety Tipping Point: When Saving Money Loses Lives
You can only tell you're not spending enough on public safety when it's too late.
August 26, 2013
Municipal Securities and the Exploding Demand for Transparency
Wary investors and analysts not only want more information than ever, they want better information and they want it all now. Giving it to them could be a good deal for governments.
August 12, 2013
Why Detroit and Its Neighbors Need Each Other
Regime change is coming to Detroit. The next mayor will have an opportunity to heal the long dysfunctional marriage between the city and its suburbs.
August 1, 2013
IRS Scandal Shows What Happens When Bureaucracy is Pushed Too Far
Bureaucracy allows us to do big things. But like every tool, it needs to be maintained and wielded with care and control.
July 29, 2013
Job Creation and the Snake Oil of Tax Incentives
The pressure to give away the public's money for economic development is as strong as ever, but the pushback is growing.
July 22, 2013
A Genuine Effort to Reinvent Detroit
Emergency manager Kevyn Orr and Gov. Rick Snyder say they want the city to emerge from bankruptcy as a livable, sustainable city. It looks like they really mean it.
July 11, 2013
Innovating in the Crucible of Local Government
A New York county manager who made the jump to elective office is looking to fundamentally change how local government operates.
July 1, 2013
Why the Federal Budget Crisis Won't be Solved Inside the Beltway
Washington can't fix the broken structure that it built. The key is for state and local officials to channel an aroused citizenry.
June 28, 2013
Raleigh & Oakland Overdoing Hands-On Government
In these cities, as in many more across the country, elected council members have confused governing with administering.
June 24, 2013
The Wrong Place to Look for Fiscal Transparency
In charging Harrisburg with securities fraud based partly on a former mayor's state-of-the-city speech, the SEC is taking a path it shouldn't.
May 30, 2013
How to Bring Citizens' Voices to the Table
It's vital that we begin restoring the public's trust in government. A recently published book amounts to a detailed manual for officials who want to take on that challenge.
May 30, 2013
L.A. Leads the Way in Police Auditing
After a police scandal involving illegal and unethical behavior, Los Angeles started the nation's first school designed to train people to audit cops.
May 13, 2013
Creating a Culture of Community Health
From jails to factories to streets to schools, the winning programs in a foundation's competition stretch the boundaries of what we normally think of as public health.
May 6, 2013
Appreciating Public Servants in an Age of Cynicism
In the aftermath of the Boston bombings, something interesting and unusual happened: People applauded their public employees.
April 30, 2013
Governing for a Rainy Day
Healthy reserve funds allow governments to be careful and smart.
April 24, 2013
A Powerful Measure of Urban Health: Strollers
Cities compete for residents and tax base. Nothing defines urban livability more than a city that's kid-friendly.
April 18, 2013
Our Dangerous, Expensive System of Childbirth
Countries that rely heavily on midwives and home births have lower infant and maternal death rates than we do, and our numbers are getting worse. Isn't it time to rethink our reliance on hospitals and surgical interventions?
April 8, 2013
Sharing the Burdens of a Broken City
We're going to see more cities like Stockton. We need better ways to deal with the downward fiscal spiral.
April 1, 2013
What's Really Needed to Save Detroit: Democracy
Certainly spending must be cut and services must be restored, but it's essential that the voices of the loyal Detroiters who have stayed be heard.
March 29, 2013
How to Insult Government Workers
There are lots of problems with pay for performance, but one of the most salient is that it implies that employees are slackers.
March 28, 2013
How Four Students Solved a Difficult Mental-Health Service Problem
The winners of this year's National Public Policy Challenge had a guiding principle: Think big, start small.
March 21, 2013
A Transplant from Queens in the Heart of the Confederacy
Stephen Benjamin, the mayor of Columbia, S.C., has ambitious goals for his city. He's off to a strong start.
March 11, 2013
The Tools We Need to Help Poor Neighborhoods
The Community Reinvestment Act doesn't always get at underlying economic issues. It's time to redesign it.
February 28, 2013
A Transportation Funding Power Shift
States are moving into the void left by Washington's paralysis.
February 28, 2013
A Small-Town Mayor in the National Arena
Clarence Anthony, the National League of Cities' new executive director, wants the NLC to be a strike force for cities at a time when our federal system is undergoing profound changes.
February 25, 2013
Giving Citizens Numbers They Can Understand
'Citizen-centric' financial reporting is a way for governments to improve transparency and accountability. It isn't hard, so why aren't more jurisdictions doing it?
February 21, 2013
Municipal Securities and the Waiting Game
Federal law gives the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board the authority to protect issuers, but it can't do that job until the SEC gives it a tool it needs.
February 7, 2013
Our Ebbing Urge to Incarcerate
California seems to be finding a way out of its prison-overcrowding problems. Have we decided that locking up so many people isn't the best way to keep the public safe?
January 31, 2013
The Emerging Power of China's Auditors
Cracking down on corruption is critical to China's growth.
January 31, 2013
The Real Role of Cities
As one thoughtful city manager see it, in our focus on service delivery we're lost sight of a fundamental purpose of government.
January 28, 2013
Can You Run a Government on $9.90 an Hour?
There are signs that the pendulum is swinging away from the anti-public-employee rhetoric of recent years. That's good for governments and for the people they serve.
January 23, 2013
Bringing a 'Green Tint' to Sacramento
Mayor Kevin Johnson has big ideas for California's capital. Will the drive that made him an NBA star serve him as he tries to remake his city?
January 16, 2013
Lincoln and the Dirty Business of Politics
Appealing to rightness and reason is rarely enough to achieve big things. Politics requires dealing with human beings, and human beings are flawed.
January 10, 2013
Michelle Rhee, Education and the Inputs-Outcomes Trap
Her rankings of states' education policies look at things from the wrong direction. It's a discussion we do need to have, but first we need to tone down the rhetoric.
January 7, 2013
The Political Future of a Browning America
People of color now account for most of the country's population growth. That has profound implications for the way elections are won and the nation is governed.
January 3, 2013
Can a 'Millennial Mayor' Turn a Factory Town Around?
Things are beginning to look up for Fitchburg, Mass., under Lisa Wong's leadership. It hasn't been easy.
December 28, 2012
The Secret to Massachusetts' High Credit Rating
Massachusetts has the highest credit rating it's ever had. Its secret? Discipline.
December 20, 2012
A Fraudster's Nightmare Called 'Bubba'
Tennessee's Arthur Hayes has had a major impact on the world of government auditing. Don't get him started on "gray areas."
December 13, 2012
Childhood Obesity and the Medicaid Squeeze
We're beginning to turn this serious health problem around. That is very good news for efforts to get our health-care costs under control.
December 10, 2012
Community Health and the Competition for Jobs
Community health is about more than quality of life. Increasingly, companies are basing their location decisions on the availability of a healthy workforce.
December 6, 2012
Barking Dogs and the Potluck Model of Government
A city in California is working to move beyond the customer-service approach to government and engage citizens as problem-solvers.
December 3, 2012
Houston's Mayor and the Imperative to Compete
For Annise Parker, competing globally is about a lot more than delivering services efficiently.
November 30, 2012
The Fiscal Future That Won't Happen
Arithmetic always triumphs; our unsustainable trends will stop. What matters is how.
November 29, 2012
The Need for Data with Meaning
Community-indicator projects are popping up all over. They are serving an important function for regions that must compete on a global scale.
November 19, 2012
The Real Story of Public Pensions
An important new book provides insights far beyond the conventional wisdom and the political arguments.
November 15, 2012
A Crucial Player in Effective Governance
To see how much impact an auditor can have in improving the way government is run, look no further than California's Elaine Howle.
November 8, 2012
You Won the Election. Now Go Meet Your Auditor.
Auditors can flush out government's fat rabbits and lurking demons. But they can do a lot more than that: They can help you govern effectively.
November 5, 2012
What the Schools Can Learn from the Cops
The way law enforcement has been transformed points the way to fixing out broken public-education system.
November 1, 2012
When the Press Asks Uncomfortable Questions
Public officials should pay attention, as a town in Missouri learned the hard way. If an economic-development deal seems too good to be true, maybe it is.
October 31, 2012
Can California Fix Its Budget Problems?
Changes in its political system may point the way for it to meet financial challenges.
October 29, 2012
The Very Plugged-In Mayor of Long Beach
Bob Foster is a former energy-company president, but expertise in that subject isn't the only thing he brings to his city.
October 25, 2012
Weaving Innovation into the Fabric of Government
Can the search for new ideas be institutionalized? Some people think so, and what they're doing could be just what government needs.
October 22, 2012
The Mayor Who's Determined to Bring Flint Back
Dayne Walling came back to his hometown intent on turning it around. Don't bet against him.
October 18, 2012
Fraud, Waste, Abuse and Big Scary Numbers
Drawing distinctions is important for better policy responses. That doesn't happen very often.
October 11, 2012
Government and the Big Unknowns
We don't know what kind of huge, transformation events are coming, but one thing is certain: Governments will have to be ready to deal with them.
October 4, 2012
Why 'Politics' Shouldn't Be a Dirty Word
It's the way we get things done as a society. We seem to have lost sight of that.
October 1, 2012
Bicycles, Beer and the Factory Jobs that Aren't Coming Back
Manufacturing is going the way of agriculture, which technology has reshaped to employ ever-fewer workers. But traditional manufacturing isn't the only game in town.
September 28, 2012
Cities, Counties and the Urge to Merge
Consolidating governments is hard to do, but the idea keeps coming up.
September 27, 2012
When the Music Stops
A lot of our symphony orchestras are in trouble, and the changing nature of cities is part of the problem. But Buck Owens may have some lessons for Beethoven.
September 24, 2012
Essential Values and the American Character
We're better than we think we are, and so are our leaders. Just ask Tony Blair.
September 20, 2012
The Bottom-Line Benefit of a Healthier Public Workforce
Some approaches to employee wellness programs have more of a track record than others. But they clearly can save a lot of money.
September 17, 2012
The Subtle Slide into Municipal Bankruptcy
The insolvency that leads to local-government bankruptcy unfolds gradually. Public officials need to monitor and heed the early warnings.
September 13, 2012
The Inexorable Pressure to Say Something Dumb
The 24-hour news cycle makes it all too easy for public officials to react too quickly. They would do better to "think gray."
September 10, 2012
Riots, Rebellions and the Importance of Social Order
Effective government is critical to the stability we need for society to function. These days, that stability is threatened.
August 31, 2012
What We Need Our Auditors to Do
It's more crucial than ever to know whether government programs are effective.
August 29, 2012
Cops, Cutbacks and Crime
It's clear that more police, strategically deployed, reduce crime. Cities that are cutting their police forces are risking more than public safety.
August 27, 2012
Government's Big Bags of Money
Many jurisdictions lack good internal controls for handling the money their employees collect. A treasurers' group can help fix that.
August 23, 2012
The Qualities an Auditor Really Needs
Being a CPA isn't necessarily one of them. Independence, courage and leadership are more important.
August 20, 2012
When the Public's Money Disappears
A team from the SEC has a message for public treasurers: If something "seems weird," give us a call.
August 16, 2012
Can a Very Determined Mayor Save Gary, Indiana?
The declining industrial city has tried all the usual economic-development approaches. Mayor Freeman-Wilson has other ideas.
August 13, 2012
Why the State Budget Crisis is Real
According to two new reports, states' fiscal situation is either (a) looking better or (b) looking worse. Pay attention to (b).
August 9, 2012
Why Ethics Training is a Waste
It won't stop the worst abuses. Making everybody in government sit through it is like fishing for minnows, but it's the sharks that are the problem.
August 6, 2012
Government and the Making of Our Markets
A new book argues that markets are political creations -- not natural occurrences -- that we can shape to increase prosperity.
August 2, 2012
Regular Folks and the People in Charge
The mainstream public and the political class have very different ideas about what government should do. It's a gap that is broadening and deepening.
July 30, 2012
Never Having to Say You're Sorry
To err is human. Public officials shouldn't be reluctant to admit mistakes and to apologize for them.
July 26, 2012
Our Deadly Health-Care Disconnect
Despite the billions we spend on programs like Medicaid, some desperately ill patients fall through the cracks.
July 16, 2012
The Secrets of Sioux Falls' Success
While other cities flounder in fiscal distress, the South Dakota city thrives. Its long-term commitment to prudence keeps paying off.
July 12, 2012
Productivity and the Value of a Public Worker
We focus too much on how much government employees are paid. The real question we should be asking is what a good public worker is worth.
July 9, 2012
Why Honest Numbers Are Good for Public Pensions
The new pension-accounting standards for governments were bitterly opposed by unions and many pension administrators, but they are good for governments, their employees and their taxpayers.
July 2, 2012
John Roberts and the Defiance of the Tribe
In choosing a courageous path in the health-care ruling, the chief justice acted to protect and strengthen institutions that are in a very fragile place.
June 28, 2012
The Myth That We Lack Good Leaders
There are as many of them as there ever have been. Sometimes, though, it takes us a while to recognize them.
June 25, 2012
Dogtown and the Dirtiest City in America
Santa Monica and Chattanooga were in trouble a few decades ago. They placed their bets on sustainability, and today it's paying off.
June 21, 2012
Our Brewing Federal Fiscal Calamity
We can't keep borrowing to pay for the basic operating costs of government.
June 18, 2012
Why Our Unions Need to Leave Politics Behind
A strong labor movement is good for the country. Unions should stop doling out campaign cash and focus on organizing.
June 14, 2012
America's Looming Pension Shock
After decades of gains, millions of Americans are slipping into poverty just as they near retirement age. The result will be a crisis for governments — one that they should be thinking about now.
June 11, 2012
The Question Our Auditors Don't Answer: Is This Program Working?
Ferreting out waste and mismanagement is important, but what we really need from our watchdogs is work that improves the public's trust in government.
June 7, 2012
Cities and the Coming Walmart Invasion
The world's biggest retailer wants to build stores in urban areas. That's good for cities, but they need to be careful.
June 4, 2012
Why We Shouldn't Be Cutting Higher Ed
Reducing our investments in public colleges and universities — one of our great engines of economic development — may cost more than it saves.
May 31, 2012
Human Services and Our Obsession with Fraud
Sometimes it seems as if all we care about in delivering benefits is making sure the wrong people don't get them. There are more important things to worry about.
May 24, 2012
The Real Costs of Infrastructure
It's hard to find trillions of dollars to fix our infrastructure. But not fixing our roads and bridges and ports is also expensive — and not just in dollars.
May 21, 2012
When Citizens Understand the Cost of Government
There's more to engaging the public in governance — making them part of decisions about paying for the services they value — than simply 'educating' them.
May 17, 2012
Random Idiots and Useless Blowhard Gasbags
Bad things happen, and the media amplifies them. But they are not the indicators of the decline of our culture that some would have us believe.
May 14, 2012
Why We Shouldn't Fear a Shrinking Labor Force
It's good for our communities when toiling for a paycheck isn't the only thing people do.
May 10, 2012
Public Service in an Age of Corrosive Cynicism
As disdain for government grows, it's more important than ever to recognize those who do outstanding work.
May 7, 2012
Counties and the Revenue Crisis that Won't Go Away
Saddled with antiquated revenue structures, county governments don't have the flexibility they need to meet modern expectations for service delivery.
May 3, 2012
One City's Comeback from the Fiscal Brink
The Kansas community of Junction City got itself into serious financial trouble. Now, without emergency managers or threats of bankruptcy, it's getting itself out.
April 30, 2012
How We're Losing the War on Corruption
Increasingly, we're trivializing ethics and falling short on financial accountability. The citizens deserve better.
April 26, 2012
Public Pay and the Cost of Transparency
Many public officials don't want their compensation posted online for all to see. That's understandable. But making government workers' pay public is probably inevitable, and it raises some difficult questions.
April 23, 2012
The Expensive Folly of Tax Incentives
There is little evidence that giving away the taxpayers' money for economic development works. Only the market can create jobs.
April 19, 2012
Leading from the Middle
Organizational change, the mantra goes, must come from the top. Not necessarily.
April 16, 2012
Five Reasons for Hope and Optimism
Amid all the gloom and doom, with our constant focus on what's wrong, there are some hopeful things happening.
April 12, 2012
Charles Dickens' Fiscal Lessons for Government
Managing the taxpayers' money wisely is about more than balancing the books. The daily lives of ordinary people are at stake.
April 9, 2012
The Wastebusters that Government Needs
The scandal at the General Services Administration illustrates the value of inspectors general. Trust in government is at stake, so why are so many federal IG positions vacant?
April 5, 2012
The Big Mistake that Unions Are Making
Accepting wage and benefit cuts to preserve jobs is bad for unions, and it's bad for the rest of us.
April 2, 2012
Public Pensions and the Infrastructure We Need
It's going to cost a lot of money to bring our infrastructure systems up to snuff. Public pensions could have a big role to play.
March 29, 2012
A Competition for Ideas in Public Policy
An event coming up in Philadelphia promises to go a long way toward matching the challenges government faces with ideas coming out of some of the top schools of public policy.
March 26, 2012
The Incalculable Things that Define Us
As we try to measure everything that moves, we need to remember that some of the most important things about us can't be measured.
March 22, 2012
Our Misguided Love Affair with Political Consensus
It's the polarizers, not the consensus-seekers, who get the big things done.
March 19, 2012
The Numbers that Tell the Real Story
We rely too much on aggregate data about our cities and states. It's the differences among the numbers that are truly important.
March 15, 2012
The Inherent Tensions of Regulation
None of us are angels. Government regulatory and inspection programs are a crucial way of making up for that.
March 12, 2012
Bridges and the Inexorable Laws of Physics
Structurally deficient bridges will fall. The only question is when. We need to be thinking about risks like those, and about what to do about them.
March 8, 2012
Collaboration and the Outcomes We Need
Competition in government service delivery is powerful, but it isn't sufficient. The best leaders are recognizing that.
March 5, 2012
How Not to Protect Kids from Sexual Assault
Only a few states have complied with a federal law requiring sex-offender registration and notification. The rest have good reasons for holding out.
February 29, 2012
Getting the Fiscal Fundamentals Wrong
Stockton's fiscal meltdown isn't the result of a dumb idea or corruption. That's why it's particularly scary.
December 23, 2011
The Once and Future City
The head of the Governing Institute found a couple of surprises when he looked at population trends in a number of U.S. cities. Populations in big and small cities are bouncing back.
December 19, 2011
The Postal Ties That Bind
The Governing Insitute's director explains that in thousands of small towns and cities across the country, the local post office is seen as the heart and soul of the community.
December 12, 2011
Advice For New City Mayors
New mayors stepped up to the rigors of campaigning and succeeded in getting themselves elected. Now, they begin the hard part.
November 17, 2011
Opinion: Let's Stop Taking the People's Money to the Casino
In light of recent events involving Solyndra, Governing Institute head Mark Funkhouser explains how government can have a role in job creation without being venture capitalists.
October 11, 2011
Finding Our Way Out of a Nobel-Caliber Economic Mess
"Regular people" still struggle even as economists interpret their behavior for policymakers.
August 31, 2011
The Other 20 Words That Make a Great Promise Real
Reflections on a lesser-known part of the Declaration of Independence remind us that good government is needed to secure our unalienable rights.


text:
1. Jingle & Mingle: We had a blast during the Pop-In Jingle & Mingle store events last week. See a few highlights from NYC's 5th Ave. store bash! (Featuring @drewjessupp and ELLE.com's @ruthiefrieds)
2. Street style: Missed the Art Basel scene? Peruse through the chicest (and most colorful) outfits around Miami Beach's coolest galleries over the weekend.
3. Holiday makeover: Carol Lim and Humberto Leon of Opening Ceremony takeover (and makeover) the White House by sprucing up the library for the holidays. Read the story on the NYTimes and don't forget our #FossilxOC collection launches mid-January.
4. Two(-tone) to tango: For the first time ever, Pantone's 2016 Color of the Year blends two shades—Rose Quartz and Serenity—to create a decidedly cool gender-neutral hue.
5. Do you speak 2016? Say goodbye to "LOL," and hello to "LDL" (taken directly from corporate legal jargon "let's discuss live").
6. Ready for adventure: Going somewhere? Check out these 15 bucket-list destinations entirely doable on a budget.


text:
The wrap-around cover of the Address Book shows a detail from an illustration by Albert Charles Cooke of Melbourne in 1882.
The outcome is a jewel – a beautiful 60 page A5 book with plenty of space to write names, addresses, email addresses or other notes. The alphabet is tabbed down the right hand side and it is spiral bound meaning it falls open easily. The Address Book is a beautiful gift. You can order the book directly from the RHSV office or we could post the book as a gift to friend for you. The book is $30.00 plus p&p.
Orders can be made over the phone 9326 9288 or by mailing your cheque to 239 A'Beckett Street, Melbourne.


text: Cum here and watch the most incredible and definitely the best of all teen ass clips you have ever checked up in your life. Here you would have such a great opportunity of meeting so many beautiful teenage hotties who not only look incredible but certainly know what is what in bringing dudes at cloud seven from enjoyment! Examine these amazing babes just demonstrating most intimate and alluring forms of theirs, playing with sex toys, relaxing with each other and with boyfriends of theirs. You would not ever regret about this pastime!


text:
Welcome AllIwantforChristmasisU
Welcome AllIwantforChristmasisU
I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas
welcome as I hope you enjoy.
Welcome AllIwantforChristmasisU
My Christmas Blogs:
- My most popular Christmas blog: KrisKringleForSingles dot blogspot dot com
- HolidaySingleGirldot blogspot dot com
- SilverandGoldChristmas dot blogspot dot com
Hello, it's me, but you probably knew that.
I was The Mole, but have now changed my name to the more informal Moley.
So let the raucous sleigh bells jingle,
Hail our dear old friend kris kringle,
Driving his reindeer across the sky.
Don't stand underneath when they fly by.
Hi Moley - love the new name
I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas


text:
It Might Be Better To Skip The Starter Home --Here's Why
The typical advice for first time home buyers is to purchase a starter home --that is, the home that's one step away from their larger "forever" home. But is that always the best route to go? With just about 45 million millennials entering the real estate buying age, that's something that's on our minds too.
Potential Problems with a Start Home
There are two significant problems on the horizon for first-time home buyers in the market for a starter home, and both have to do with demand. As we said, there's a lot of first-time buyers all entering the market at the same time. With so many looking for the same thing, properties that fit the bill will be scarce.
The other event that puts a strain on the availability of homes is that many of the starter homes that were purchased 5-6 years ago were turned into rental properties. Great news for those investors but not-so-great news for today's homebuyers.
With such competition, you might want to skip the starter home and jump right into your forever home.
Here are more reasons to consider a forever home instead of a starter home:
- It saves you the time and cost of having to move again You'll grow "into" your home instead of "growing out" of it
- There are more homes available at this level
- Mentally and emotionally, it's nice to think that you can finally "settle down roots" instead of thinking that your current home is temporary
- You can make changes to your home to whatever style you want, not necessarily what will future buyers want
- Your home would be in a community you want to invest in for the long term
With so much competition for starter homes and bidding wars commonplace, the cost of a starter home may actually be close to that of a larger home. The cost of repairing a home also adds up.
So with low down-payment options more available than ever and the cost of a starter home near the price of a forever home, is a starter home really worth it?
Let's see some of the benefits of buying a starter home:
- Even if only slightly less expensive, a few hundred dollars less per mortgage payment can mean a lot
- It's easier to qualify for a lesser mortgage amount
- Smaller homes often lower utility bills
- Smaller mortgage payment means you can save money for other things like retirement
- Smaller starter homes are generally easier and faster to sell
- You can rent it out later if you want
There are significant benefits to each, and it mostly depends on your goals and financial situation. The only way to make an educated decision about what's best for you and your family is to have all the information you need. And that begins with us!
Call us today for an obligation free consultation and let us guide you through your home buying options.


text:
Adonit has stolen my idea again! …and by "stolen" I mean that they've come up with a similar idea completely independently of me.1 Whatever the case I both feel robbed of of the opportunity I was never going to take (cause I lacked the manufacturing, or technical know how in this case), and validated cause […]
Posts Tagged 'evernote'
Messiah Stylus!
30 Sep 2013 at 01:27