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Two big surprises were on the sideline for the South Carolina-UCF matchup Saturday as recruits took their usual spots along the sideline during pregame warm-ups.
One of the state's top remaining offensive line prospects Marcus Applefield (6-foot-6, 280-pounds) of Weeki Wachee made a big presence among the rest of the more than 50 recruits that lined the field before kickoff.
Applefield has more than 19 offers and is thought to be leaning to either Rutgers, Vanderbilt, Purdue, West Virginia or Virginia. UCF could nose into the mix with a good impression today.
Another shocking appearance was Apopka DE-LB Isaiah Buehler (6-3, 229), the No. 18 ranked prospect in the Sentinel's 2014 Central Florida Super60. Apopka head coach Coach Rick Darlington said Thursday he did not think any of his players were going to be in attendance.
Top 2015 offensive line prospect Martez Ivey (6-6, 277), an Apopka teammate of Buehler's, had said he was going to try to get a ticket from the UCF athletic department, but he was not in attendance unless he was in the stands with the rest of the more than 47,000 ticket-purchasing fans.
Another 2015 lineman who was considering attending was Mike Arnold (6-5, 295), a two-way player at Winter Haven, did not show, opting instead to stay closer to home and he attended the Miami at USF game in Tampa.
UCF has offered Ivey, who also has offers from the likes of Florida, Alabama, Ohio State, South Carolina, Miami and Florida State, but Buehler is still waiting for the Knights to pull the trigger. That could happen today.
Several players who are already committed to the Knights 2014 recruiting class were in attendance with Oviedo's ATH Chris Davis Jr. chaperoning a strong contingent of Lions teammates with 2015 RB Jurell Green, WR Malcolm Bryant, DB Jarvis Green, and sophomore DB Michael Davis.
Other 2014 UCF commits spotted in attendance were: C.J. Jones (5-11, 180) of Port Orange Atlantic, Tre'Quan Smith (6-2, 175) of Delray Beach Village Academy, Wyatt Miller (6-6, 280) of Coffee County, Ga., OT Chavis Dickey (6-4, 297) of Fort Valley, Ga.
The Oak Ridge football team had plenty of representation with rising star 2015 WR Nyqwan 'Noonie' Murray and 2015 CB Deangelo Antoine headlining. Other Pioneers joining their teammates were 2015 WR Marc Aristide, who is sitting out this season after transferring too late from Lake Nona, 2016 LB Jonathan Jones, 2016 ATH Cycobi Burch and 2016 WR Xavier Walker.
Eustis LB-DL Jaylon Graham was in the Bright House sizing up the atmosphere. He's very interested in the Knights and said Friday he was using this trip to get a feel for the game-time experience, talk to coaches and meet people.
Graham also has offers from Arizona, Louisville, Kentucky, Memphis, Marshall, FAU and Indiana. UCF has offered the 6-foot-3, 240-pounder as a defensive end. He's gotten much bigger this season than what he played at last year and Eusits coach Mike Hay has been using him at defensive tackle quite often.
UCF had several quarterbacks here Saturday, with local record-breaking junior Tucker Israel (2015, 5-11, 195) of Lake Nona, the cousin of former UCF QB Kyle Israel, joining fellow QBs in Trey Congdon (2014, 6-3, 195) of Lakeland Lake Gibson , Brad Mayes (2015, 6-2, 192) of Tampa's Berkeley Prep, and highly touted junior Christian Alexander (2015, 6-3, 205) of Lakeland Christian.
Bradenton IMG Academy, in its first year of football, had four players in attendance with S Shane Dixon (6-3, 190), CB Vosean Crumbie (6-1, 195), ATH Matthew Boateng (5-11, 180) and WR-DB Casey Gunderson (6-0, 174).
2015 basketball commit Alex Owens (6-8, 220) of Orlando Oak Ridge also took in the festivities as did fellow Orlando hoops prospect Fletcher Magee (2015, 6-4, 187), a shooting guard at First Academy.
Others in attendance (we will add to this list as more get confirmed):
2014 S Amani Oruwariye, 6-1, 190, Tampa Gaither
2015 OT Christian Pellage, 6-7, 295, Brooksville Nature Coast
2015 ATH Wesley Michel, 6-0, 205, Delray Beach Village Academy
2014 TE-DE Hiram Matos, 6-1, 180, Weeki Wachee
2014 ATH Tyler Wiley, 6-3, 175, Weeki Wachee
2014 DT Chris Nelson, 6-2, 295, Lakeland Victory Christian (Louisville commit)
2014 RB-LB Kevin Coy, 5-10, 225, Lakeland Victory Christian
2014 OL Jake Sanders, 6-6, 320, Carrollton, Ga.
Chris Hays is the Sentinel's recruiting coverage coordinator and can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow us on Twitter at @Os_Recruiting and Facebook at Orlando Sentinel Recruiting, Instagram at os_recruiting and on Pinterest at Orlando Recruiting.


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Investors Call for More Tech Startups
Simon Squibb of NEST tells the WSJ's Deborah Kan why more people should step outside of the box and start their own company.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... I don't I am looking to get a shake up that that will decide Simon squint CEO of net investment ... do ... you put money into startups right basically and so ... I wouldn't hear from you what attractive see what type of innovation are you looking for ... well we the take an unusual first investment and the first thing we look as though the light the but the individual ... sweet looks so people that have Taps bio befall understand what's involved in building a company in growing it company ... and him once we know that identified the person has what it takes ... a week salmon the idea that we invest in the idea and on Twitter ... any trends coming around these days I mean from people are coming way is one thing more dominant than the other ... one of Cole's tech ... he's he's that big ... I'm ... opportunity ... is global ... a state of also the dish to relate it ... ICDs them and ... I think what's that coming trend is figuring out how to make offline and online what's given ... and so the of the business is the stuffing to see that way it when investing in ... combining traditional ... products like print even surprisingly ... no one but this isn't a was running away from something run towards imprint is an interesting opportunity ... Matt Stephanie with the sun online opportunities that are here working for the lost a bet on a date it's a case of ... the way you look for and the company at what you what type of company I'll what kind of qualities to them that catches your eye ... again we ... are we take a ... unique approach to what we are full of business is the sole problems ... I'm and that they'll be is no unique what's unique I think is our vision on how the business will grow ... so we look ... at how markets Hong Kong is the text bits ... so we look to see ... if we can make it work in Hong Kong in Hong Kong has achieved a manner that best culture ... to contest if it tops the south with some new and different types of cultures ... all we didn't decide to come visit ... to Hong Kong market ... and if they won't cost of testing on Kong we look to take them global in scale them that way ... and ... that you obviously are from the UK here here in Hong Kong now I'm seeing a lot of different types of innovators ... how is it different from the West is there a distinction between what's happening out here vs with ... well I think the it's very similar more similar than people realize I've I've been in Hong Kong fifteen years ... and when I realize is that this human beings in Hong Kong just as human beings is the combatting ... App ambitions they have ... talent they have a intellects ... and I think with the global information at this time around the people know of in China how ... easy these to be a successful launch and also any ... of the Donohoe's is how possible is and how is an option as as much as building looking for Banco going to ... be on the way a cool professions but equally ... all good opportunities that we knew we'd nuts a trend where I think a lot of people going season gets paid to ... come back to want to make their home state Hong Kong China ... mice with a crepe is this the ice with extended business ... and as business he's done just have to work in China ... this business can look in your Christie's can walk in ... America and take some of the ... unknown leases skill set in China and ankle tricks this isn't transmitted to America ... just as that of combating that some mismatched transferred its culture and its experiences in China and a there you have it someone who has the money giving in that now you know if they wanted the that I'd ever con for The Wall Street Journal

subset: commoncrawl


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This is a Guest Post by Mike Anderson
If you're looking for a way to separate your online store from the competition you should consider writing a blog aimed at the type of customer that you're selling products to.
I've spent the last four years building a content driven website called The Resurgence. Our online store portion of the site is bult on Shopify and we currently sell books, DVDs and music. It started out small and now regularly gets more than 30,000 visits in a day. We've won the trust of a lot of folks because of our content—and it actually becomes more fun and fulfilling to create products and services for the people in your newly created tribe than it is to just find customers.
1. Great Content Builds TrustIt was once location, location, location. It's now trust, trust, trust. People love brands they trust. They'll pay more money to get shoes from Zappos or Nordstrom because they trust that if they have a problem it'll get taken care of. Small online boutiques on Shopify can earn the same amount of trust! Great writing in an online store allows a customer to interact with you and get to know your values. If you can write articles that are helpful, entertaining, or emotionally compelling to your customers you will gain trust.
2. Great Content Invites Readers into the TribeConsider Jeffrey Zeldman's A List Apart. Over the years they've published hundreds of helpful articles and in the process created a tribe of people who identify with their brand. Recently they created a publishing line with a Shopify online store—every web developer I know seems to have at least one of the A Book Apart books sitting next to their desk. A List Apart has used content to build a tribe, and now they have a large group of people just waiting to buy whatever great new book they come out with.
3. Great Content gets SharedIf you write something great that would appeal to your customers they're going to share it with their friends. For a hundred years Macy's has put up elaborate Christmas displays in the windows after Thanksgiving. They do this to get people near their cash registers and to get people to talk about them—it seems to work pretty well. Content is similar. You will benefit when you can get people on to your domain and talking about you.
4. Great Content gets FoundWhen you write content for your readers you end up using words that they'd be searching for if they're looking for your product. If it's really good content people are linking to it, sharing it, and reading it—Google pays attention, and they send folks who search for terms similar to what's in your content to your site. Just think about how much Adwords costs—a good content strategy can sometimes pay off just by displacing your dependance on paid search advertising.
Check out The Resurence's online store here. Follow them on Twitter and Facebook. Also, check out Mike Anderson's personal website here.
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4 comments
April 09 2012, 07:33PM
To your point, great content helps to establish the personality of your business—the thing that makes you unique from your competitors in the eyes of your customers.
As you map out your content strategy, think about what it is that attracts you to other Ecommerce sites and blogs. What do you like about them? What makes them unique, interesting, and memorable? Jot down some best practices that you can refer to later.
Great content doesn't happen overnight. It might take you a while to find your unique "voice" and the topics that resonate best with your specific audience but don't give up. Keep experimenting until you hit your stride.
May 21 2014, 01:57AM
I'd also add that for all of the above: quality goes over quantity.
One can dish out fresh but dull content every day, but it's better to create one piece than twenty and put enough thought in it.
Show a common issue from a different angle, get some interesting numbers in and so on.
This one has a better chance of sharing and building up attention.
July 17 2014, 05:47AM
Google panda was supposed to make capital out of good expert advice on your niche goods or services. So we put that on each first landing page on each of our categories,but several months later , no movement up the ranks is noticeable.What is there to stop so called experts doing blogging farming like was done with linking ?
Now there are many very poor large sites at the top of all ranking so the big stores and supermarkets online dominate the first pages of Google,which shows us that quality and specialists are not given prominence.
April 29 2016, 01:14PM
very interesting information that will ads me to build my store Thank !!!


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what more can i say, this is such a steal for the rockets
The prospect of playing alongside high school star Dwight Howard and an easier road to the playoffs were enough to persuade Houston Rockets guard Steve Francis to drop his objections to a trade that would send him to the Orlando Magic for NBA leading scorer Tracy McGrady, according to his agent.
The Magic is expected to announce the trade, which was held up a week after Francis balked at playing for the last-place team, on Wednesday, according to a source with knowledge of the deal. Francis, a three-time all-star, is flying to Orlando today to meet with the Magic's management, including President John Weisbrod, the man who persuaded Francis to move to Orlando.
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]


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Ping S56 Irons
From Golf Magazine (April 2011)
Category: Tour Irons
We tested: 3-PW with True Temper Dynamic Gold steel shaft; 3-PW with FST KBS Tour steel shaft
Key Technologies: "Stabilizer bars" in the cavity are narrower in long irons for a higher ball flight (and faster ball speeds) and wider in short irons, for a lower flight. Varying the depth of the tungsten toe weight— shallower in long irons, deeper in short irons—has a similar effect on ball flight.
OUR TESTERS SAY: Pretty good combination of performance and feel, despite a look that's quite different from traditional Ping irons.
PLAYABILITY: Testers have success maneuvering shots; some rave about control on knockdown shots.
ACCURACY/FORGIVENESS: Help is available directionally and distance-wise on mis-hits; a distinct lack of sidespin.
DISTANCE CONTROL: Comparable distance output (and control) compared to testers' current sets.
FEEL: Forged-like feel on solid contact, with "cast-like" forgiving feel on off-center hits.
LOOK: Inspiring blade-like appearance with thin topline.
Some testers tend to hit too many thin shots; a few find that the light heads require an adjustment period.
From Sports Illustrated Golf + (February 7, 2011)
The blade-style S56 appeals to players who put a premium on shot control. The steel-body design has variable tungsten toe weighting that positions the center of gravity for higher-launching long irons and more penetrating trajectories in the short irons. The patent-pending Stabilizing Bar Technology varies in width throughout the set to optimize each iron's center of gravity. The machined face and grooves ensure consistent performance and precise control.
From The Shop Blog (June 15, 2010)
During the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February, several Ping staff players had a chance to see and try clubs the company plans to release later this year. Hunter Mahan liked the company's yet-to-be-released S56 irons so much he said that he'd put them in his bag that week. Unfortunately, the S56 irons hadn't been approved for play by the USGA at that time, and Ping was not ready to release the clubs to the world, so Mahan (who won that week at TPC Scottsdale) and other Ping pros had to wait … until now.
Ping brought several sets of S56 irons to Pebble Beach this week; the clubs are an updated-version of Mahan's beloved Ping S57 irons and feature several of the same design features.
The S56 irons have a compact head, minimal offset and only a touch of perimeter weighting. A weight cartridge nestled behind the face absorbs vibrations and allows Ping to adjust the swing weight of each club to match a golfer's preferences.
And like the S57, the S56 irons also feature a tungsten weight in the toe area to extend the sweet spot that direction. To help maintain balance, Ping lengthened the hosel of the S56 (thereby adding weight to the heel area), which also broadens the sweet spot in that direction too. The result is a slightly more forgiving blade that will still allow better golfers to carve and shape their shots.
According to Matt Rollins, a PGA Tour rep for Ping golf, the sole of the S56 has been designed to work more effectively through the turf — a feature that tour players who hit the irons in February all noticed and liked.
Don't look for the S56 to add yards to your game. Like other iron sets designed with accomplished players in mind, they were built with an emphasis on consistency and accuracy instead of power.
Have you tried this club? Tell us what you think here.
$899, steel
• Buy Ping S56 irons | Buy Ping clubs
• The Shop blog: Ping pros and clubs
• More on the Ping S56 irons: ping.com


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Mayor Don Wesely and the Lincoln-Lancaster County Public Building Commission today invited the public to the activities surrounding the official opening of the Lancaster County-City of Lincoln Government Center May 5 and 6. The Center includes the County-City Building at 555 South 10th and the Justice and Law Enforcement Center at 575 South 10th.
"These are the public's buildings, and this will be an excellent opportunity for area residents to see where we conduct the public's business," said Mayor Don Wesely. "While some of the areas have been occupied for some time, we felt it was appropriate to have an official opening for both buildings to mark the progress that has been made."
The grand opening ceremony and ribbon cutting are set for 1:30 p.m. Friday May 5 at the east entrance of the Justice and Law Enforcement Center. The ceremony will include remarks by officials, a color guard from the Nebraska National Guard and a performance by the Voices of Destiny choral group from Lincoln High School. In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held inside the building. Public tours of both buildings will be conducted from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 6.


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Bob Sampayan
Term Expires January 2021
(707) 648-4377
Pippin Dew-Costa
Vice Mayor
Term Expires January 2023
(707) 648-4132
Hakeem Brown
Term Expires January 2023
(707) 648-4131
Robert H. McConnell
Council Member
Term Expires January 2021
(707) 648-4135
Katy Miessner
Term Expires January 2023
(707) 648-4133
Hermie Sunga
Term Expires January 2021
(707) 648-5437
Rozzana Verder-Aliga, EdD
Term Expires January 2021
(707) 648-4134
View Meeting Calendar
Regular City Council meetings are held on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month. Special meetings are held on the other Tuesdays of the month as necessary.
You may contact the City Manager with inquiries regarding the City Council, or mail your inquiries to City of Vallejo, 555 Santa Clara Street, Vallejo, California 94590.
For assistance with contacting a City Council member please contact the City Manager's Office at (707) 648-4576.
The Vallejo City Council consists of six Councilmembers elected at large and a separately elected Mayor. City Council members are not full-time City officials and retain their positions in private industry, business, other professions, or personal enterprise. The Council appoints a City Manager to be responsible for carrying out the policies of the City Council and to manage the City's departments and program activities.
Council Members are voted in by the public to serve as representatives of the City for 4-year terms and are able to serve a maximum of two consecutive 4-year terms. The seat of the Vice Mayor rotates annually and is voted upon by the City Council.


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2007-01-31 / Columnists
Pets, Pets, Pets
In rescue- when it rains, it pours, and no breed is spared the flood waters. Animal hoarders are everywhere, and their "taste" is eclectic. Many are repeat offenders. Last month a Pennsylvania shelter asked breed clubs for help after seizing 60+ severely neglected dogs, including 18 Afghan Hounds and other high maintenance breeds, from a couple who pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges just 4 years ago. The purebred rescues sprang into action. Through the shelter's and clubs' tireless efforts, these dogs will ultimately go from rags to riches, but chances are these homegrown puppy millers will be back in business creating more heartache soon.
In January the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter in Chambersburg (west of Gettysburg) was overwhelmed by the horrid sighthound scene, strewn also with Collies, Shelties, Irish Setters, Sheepdogs, St. Bernards, Aussies, Cockers, Pekes, Golden Retrievers, and mixes found outdoors in freezing temperatures and unsanitary pens. First agents rescued 33, then 30 more- on this second trip discovering an Afghan tied to an overturned boat and a trio of 8 week old Afghan puppiesall from a makeshift kennel owned by Timothy and Cindy Keller of Hamilton Township, now facing 139 new counts of cruelty. The rescue occurred while a nearby Harrisburg "sanctuary" is being charged in another huge confiscation of filthy dogs and cats.
Cumberland Valley (CVAS), with room for only 80 dogs/cats total, could not hold such a large influx of malnourished, matted dogs. A seizure of this size taxes the space and resources of any shelter, and impacts the adoption possibilities of the existing dog population. Jennifer Vanderau at CVAS has prepared an informative article about what to expect when adopting a dog so neglected and undersocialized. She says that Cumberland Valley is still in need of supplies and funds. For more about the PA shelter, see www.cvas-pets.org.
Local vets housed and groomed some dogs from the raid, while regional and national breed clubs responded immediately. Since the former owners, who allegedly still have some Toy mixes (unlucky bargaining chips), signed the outdoor dogs over, all of the Afghans, except one euthanized for humane reasons, all the Cockers, and many of the other purebreds are now fosters via breed clubs. Jennifer said she "doesn't know what they would have done without the purebred rescues".
This hoarder case, though out of state, touches me so because Afghans have been my beloved breed for the last 27 years. First unconfirmed counts-145 dogs, reported here 2 weeks ago- were wrong. I learned of Chambersburg from Anna Stromberg (who rescued my Beauty Queen a few years ago) while she was on her way home from picking up emaciated Scarlet. The Afghan trio was probably her latest litter. (When our SPCA took 33 Yorkies and Cavaliers from the Lindenhurst home in '03, we couldn't determine which dog was the mother of the puppies because some of the adults had not survived, and none had enough nourishment to produce milk.) Later Anna grabbed 2 of the Afghan puppies. One- Pippi- appears to have a severe leg deformity and will be seeing a specialist soon. (Please don't tell my husband yet how much I want her.)
Afghan Hound Rescue mobilized locally and nationally. PA contacts Ivy Logue and Stir Greer are coordinating the effort. Transport came from all over, and the Afghans are now fostered from Ohio to New England. Ivy has the third puppy plus "Mack" the sweet matted male tied to the boat. Condition varies dog to dog, including malnutrition, dehydration, parasites, Lyme, urine scalds, untreated broken bones, ear infections, tooth abscesses, lack of socialization, and severe mats. Most have been stripped down with a surgical blade- the Afghan way of starting over. These dogs are now learning the joys and rules of living inside homes.
Ve t - erinary bills, including spay/neuter before placement, on these Afghans will be staggering for a national breed rescue already drained by a rescue of about 30 California Afghans, many heartworm positive, from a different chronic collector. Afghan fanciers are pitching in with fund raisers and auctions to benefit the foster dogs on each coast. The Chambersburg Afghans have a detailed website- ://www.mosso.net/ch.htm- " www.mosso.net/ch.htm- with photos and click-on descriptions of each dog, online adoption applications, a Pay Pal donation account, and the EBay items that I keep getting outbid on.
Unfortunately, our justice system often fails animal victims when prosecuting these hoarders-defined by humane societies as-"someone who has more animals than he/she can properly care for and fails to grasp the impact of his/her neglect". Although this is their second cruelty litigation, the Kellers (with 2 kids at this same home) don't face any jail timemerely $8,600 in fines.
Even when the perpetrator is convicted, the recidivism rate for collectors is quite high. Some move or change their names to start over. The Chambersburg Public Opinion cites a '99 Public Health study that claims between 700- 2,000 hoarding cases are reported in the US each year, and 60% are repeat offenders. It's time the state courts set up a national data base so we can start tracking abusive animal collectors as we do sex offenders.
Back on Long Island, we interrupt our usually scheduled Babylon Town Shelter poster pet photos this week to bring you pictures of the needy Chambersburg Afghans….but, remember Babylon Shelter (643-9270) on Lamar St. W. Babylon has an assortment of deserving dogs and cats. Plenty of their pictures are available on the Babylon Petfinder site. Here's a sampling: +Dogs: a purebred male German Shepherd in Cage 7; a white Mini- Poodle in Cage 37; "Panda"- my longtime favorite in Cage 47; an older female Mini Schnauzer in Cage 53. +Cats: "Jan & Dean" in C-5- a pair of 6 month kittens that grew up at the shelter, and then foster care. We just had them neutered and returned with rabies shots. "Jan" is "Dalmatian" patterned and "Dean" is solid black. Also "Tiara" in C-2, the gorgeous odd eye Turkish angora style kitten.


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So far I have not figured out the reset trick with rts - (My max232 chip doesnt have the connection for that) - but I don't think I need to in my case?
If you are going to wander around carrying the programming Arduino, why not use something like this? ...http://www.gammon.com.au/forum/?id=11638Put the updated sketch on the SD card, connect it up to the ICSP header, and program it. My sketch on that page has a serial interface. You could carry a laptop around to "talk" to it, or revamp a bit and use a button to start the programming process and a couple of LEDs to indicate progress.I made the whole thing up onto one fairly compact board like this:
Anyway you have created yet another great arduino application with this project that really expands ones ablity to support arduino boards independently of the IDE.
Is it my idea or has your project actually evolved a lot in the last half year or so?


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Join us as we welcome three African poets, from the Western, Southern, and Northern regions of the continent for a special poetry reading titled Meet Africa: North, South, and West at the Palmer Museum of Art on Thursday, July 18, at 12:10 p.m.
Patricia Jabbeh Wesley, Associate Professor of English at Penn State Altoona, and Gabeba Baderoon, assistant professor of Women's studies and African studies, will read along with El Habib Louai, a poet, translator, and high school English teacher from Morocco, North Africa.
The Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State is located on Curtin Road and admission is free. Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 4:00 p.m. The museum is closed Mondays and some holidays.
For more information, please call 814-865-7672 or visit palmermuseum.psu.edu.


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Building San Antonio: Good design is good for us
'Until I met the men and women of the San Antonio chapter of the American Institute of Architects, it was Howard Roark, the individualist hero of Ayn Rand's 1940s novel "The Fountainhead," who was my image of an architect.
Like many of my generation, I first read the novel as a teenager and cheered as Roark blew up the apartment building he built in protest against a philistine bean counter who had altered its design just to save a few bucks. For a brief time, Howard Roark was my hero and a role model to be followed.
Fortunately, it didn't take long to figure out, even as a teenager, that "The Fountainhead" bore little relationship to the real world and that I was no Howard Roark. Being from Wisconsin, I was also much exposed to Frank Lloyd Wright, the brilliant individualist who did exist in the real world, marking much of it with his revolutionary buildings. While Taliesin, the Johnson Wax building, Wingspread and many homes in Chicago suburbs have dramatic flair and are beautiful to look at, their cramped, low-ceilinged rooms, uncomfortable furniture and silly decorating strongly suggested to me that architects value beauty over people.
Thus it came as a surprise to me that many of today's architects know and care about public health. How fortunate for San Antonio, a growing city, one that is seriously rebuilding itself. In the 19th and 20th centuries, intelligent design of and investment in housing, green spaces, drinking water and sewer systems were key components toward eliminating the infectious disease killers of the age: cholera, typhoid, malaria and tuberculosis.
In the 21st century, intelligent environmental design and investment are the key elements in addressing the most pressing health issue of our time: obesity. Two-thirds of us are overweight or obese because we eat poorly and exercise too little.
Heart disease, strokes, diabetes and other complications of obesity have swamped our medical system. Spending more money on medical care will not reverse the terrible trend; our only hope is prevention. For example, the New York City Active Design Guidelines suggest, "Architects can encourage exercise by designing prominent and attractive stairs. Stair use burns calories and can also have a direct impact on cardiovascular health. Stair climbing has also been shown to raise individuals' good cholesterol levels."
There is also evidence that redesigning worksites and neighborhoods with attention to land use mix, walkability, access to healthy foods, bicycling/alternative transportation, parks and open spaces can make a big difference in people's health and safety.
Through design and investment that promotes active living, we can build on the great work that has already been done. The dense housing and mixed-use development around the Pearl Brewery and San Antonio College is remaking the River North area.
Farther north, Rackspace has transformed a derelict shopping mall into a futuristic work space and is committed to revitalizing its surrounding neighborhood.
Just to the south of downtown, neighborhoods and commercial activity are also booming, being the starting off point for the San Antonio River Mission Reach, the linear parkway that, along with the northern Museum Reach section, connects neighborhoods to nature, history, art and culture. Hopefully, waterways on the city's East and West sides can be reimagined to catalyze similar connections.
On March 19, the City of San Antonio, AIA San Antonio and the UTSA College of Architecture will host "Public Health and the Built Environment" featuring Rick Bell, executive director of the New York Chapter AIA, who will present "Fit City and the New York City Active Design Guidelines." To register, visit: www.texaspha.org.


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OAKLAND — Los Angeles Clippers players staged their own type of quiet protest before Sunday's NBA playoff game at Oracle Arena with the Warriors, wearing their red warm-up shirts inside-out before the game.
The Clippers played their first game since tapes that are allegedly of owner Donald Sterling making racist comments surfaced.
The Clippers took the court for Game 4 of their first-round playoff series in their team jackets, huddled and removed them to reveal the plain red shirts, with no team identification visible, for their pregame warm-ups. Los Angeles players wore black socks and black arm bands as well. The Warriors went on to win the game 118-97 to even the seven-game series at 2-2.
For more on the Warriors, see the Inside the Warriors blog at ibabuzz.com/warriors.


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Blowing in the Wind
Long before people knew how to use steam, gas, or electricity for power, they used the wind. Today people use sailboats mostly for pleasure, but ancient seafaring people relied on the wind in their sails to carry them all over the world.
Hot air is lighter than cold air. If you put hot air in a balloon, it rises—and that's how hot-air balloonists float high in the sky. Birds like eagles and hawks soar high above the ground, too. They spread their great wings to catch warm air currents and rise in lazy circles above us. Airplanes called gliders are lifted high in the air in much the same way.
The seaside is a perfect place for flying kites, because the wind almost never stops blowing. The sand on the beach warms up faster than the ocean does. As the warm air over the land rises, cool winds blow in from the sea. The beach is a good place to try hang gliding, too—which is about as close to being a human kite as you can get!
Everyone has seen trees tossing in the wind. But the wind isn't just scattering leaves for you to rake as it passes through. It's also helping the trees—and bushes and grasses and flowers—scatter their seeds. Wind carries all kinds of seeds to new places, where they can take root and grow. Maple seeds, dandelions, and tumbleweeds are just a few of the plants that rely on the wind to help them spread their seeds.
All around us the wind is at work. It brings changes in the weather. It carries birds and airplanes and boats and seeds to the four corners of the world. And sometimes, wind just helps people have fun! With the wind in your sail, you can go almost anywhere—on water, on ice, on land, in the air.
The wind touches us all every day of our lives. Everywhere you look, things are blowing in the wind!
- Is wind a push force or a pull force?
[anno: Wind is a push force.]
- Wind lifts a seed into the air. What force brings the seed back down to the ground?
[anno: Gravity brings the seed back down to the ground.]
- How do birds use air currents?
[anno: Birds use the warm air currents by riding the warm air upwards.]
- How is the way the wind affects seeds different from the way the wind affects birds?
[anno: The difference between the way the wind affects seeds and birds is that seeds are pushed along by the wind, and birds push themselves through the wind.]


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Fred Acke, local New Zealander is the most unique
houseboater Houseboat Magazine has heard from. He and a young Fijian built his
houseboat out of local materials from Fiji
and New Zealand.
The boat is made out of four tons of mahogany and three tons of thatch. He built
the houseboat last year, and this was Fred's first houseboat ever. He finished
the boat in June 2011 and it took only three months to build. He lives the houseboater's
fantasy of houseboating in a beautiful, warm place like Fiji.
Fred has been at sea all his life and recently retired as a
captain of the 300ft schooner `Athena', Fred said, "I wanted to live a more
relaxed life away from demanding billionaires and houseboating is the best way
I know how." Fiji
has everything Fred needs; "it is the perfect group of islands in the world.
The people are friendly and it is a cheap place to live. It's only a nine hour
direct flight from LAX," he comments.
Fred built the aluminum hulls in New
Zealand to fit exactly into a 40 foot container and then
shipped the hulls, outboards, fridge, cooker, and solar panels to Fiji. The young
Fijian Fred hired, helped do all the heavy work and Fred designed the house. He
named the boat `Bongiwalu' because he liked the sound of the name. `Bongiwalu'
is a local name for an eight night wind that blows in Fiji sometimes.
He keeps the boat at Musket Cove on Malolo
Island which is directly off the west
coast on the main island
of Fiji. Fred and his
girlfriend Vanessa Schiff are on the houseboat a total of five months of the
year, including the southern winter, when there are no cyclones. They thoroughly
enjoy kite surfing and wind surfing off the back deck. They also love gliding
over the beautiful coral reefs and diving.
In the off season Fred lives in a small coastal village in
the Coromandel Peninsular in New Zealand
which is 1,100 miles away from Fiji.
The 43' houseboat weighs nine tons, has two Yamaha engines, and sleeps four.
All of the docks and house are made out of mahogany and the roof has a
galvanized steel sheet roof covered in tar and 1,000 bails of `Songa' grass. Fred
claims he will build anyone a houseboat just like his for $270,000.
Like what you read?
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Join our newsletter today!
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Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge said she had been fired for going on an unauthorised trip to a Spanish Aids conference and for criticising hospital conditions.
She said it was her duty to respond quickly to reports that babies were dying in a maternity hospital.
Her sacking has been condemned by Aids activists and the opposition as a setback in the fight against HIV.
Some 5.5m South Africans are HIV-positive - more than in any other country.
In her first comments since her sacking, Ms Madlala-Routledge also said it was a known fact that there had been differences of opinion between her and Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang.
Ms Madlala-Routledge said that she had criticised the minister's stance two years ago.
"She [Dr Tshabalala-Msimang] has said to me: 'I will fix you' and maybe she has fixed me," she told a news conference.
This has been denied by Dr Tshabalala-Msimang's office.
"No such statement was ever made," the department of health said.
BBC Southern Africa correspondent Peter Biles says Dr Tshabalala-Msimang is a close ally of the president.
Ms Madlala-Routledge denied local media reports that she had defied President Thabo Mbeki by going to Madrid with her son and a consultant, at a cost of 160,000 rand ($22,000).
"I acted in good faith in the belief that our president had approved the trip."
She said that in spite of her dismissal, she hoped to remain part of the campaign against HIV/Aids.
No official reason has been given for her sacking.
Most Popular Now | 56,514 people are reading stories on the site right now.";


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Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan + More Sing Merle Haggard on New Tribute Album
Jason Aldean has lent his voice to the Merle Haggard tribute album, 'Working Man's Poet: A Tribute to Merle Haggard.' While he sang two songs on the record, one is especially close to his heart.
Aldean took on 'Going Where the Lonely Go' and 'Are the Good Times Really Over (I Wish a Buck Was Still Silver) for the collection, which hit stores Tuesday (April 1). He admits that 'Going Where the Lonely Go,' a classic tearjerker, really resonates with him.
"It was always just one of my favorite Merle Haggard songs," Aldean explains to Radio.com. "My dad was a big Merle Haggard fan, and I just remember him playing this song a lot as a kid. So given a chance to in and be part of [this tribute], I wanted to do a song that meant a little something to me. And this was one that took me back to my days as a kid."
Listen to the song here.
Classic country fans will be glad to hear that Aldean stayed true to the arrangement, and the stripped-down version is an intimate side of the rocker that's sometimes forgotten. Other artists to appear on the album include Luke Bryan, Toby Keith and Garth Brooks.
In addition to a tribute record, Haggard will receive the Crystal Milestone Award at the ACMs on Sunday (April 6), celebrating his five decades in country music. Country stars Miranda Lambert and George Strait will take the stage to perform a tribute to Haggard during the awards show. Tune in at 8PM ET on CBS.


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Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
Brush sausages and onion slices with olive oil and place on the grill. Cook until browned on all sides.
Put the sausage and onion into a saute pan, add the wine and cook until the wine is completely reduced. While the wine is reducing, break up the sausage into small pieces. Add the spinach, 1/2 cup of water and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the spinach has wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the 2 tablespoons of the basil, 2 tablespoons of the parsley and the cheese and let cool slightly.
Heat the grill to high.
Brush the mushroom caps on both sides with the remaining oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the mushrooms on the grill, top side down and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the grill and place on a flat surface, cap side down. Fill the mushrooms with the sausage mixture and top each with a few slices of tomato. Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper and place on the grill, cap side down, close the cover and cook until the mushroom and filling have heated through, the cheese has melted and the tomatoes are soft, about 5 minutes. Remove to a platter and sprinkle tops with the remaining parsley and basil.


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Dana 60 Front & Dana 70 Rear End Axles - Man UpPosted in How To: Transmission Drivetrain on March 1, 2009
Today the big ticket item that separates the men from the boys on the trail is 1-ton axles. For those with the desire and the money, the dream of a bulletproof drivetrain is as easy as a phone call to any one of the many companies that specialize in custom differentials. For the rest of us, however, options are fewer. Wrecking yards typically have someone lined up to purchase all 1-ton axles that come in through the front gate. Usually these axles end up for sale online at a slightly higher price than you want to pay. Then there is the strategy of buying an old broken down 1-ton pickup, pulling the axles out and scrapping the body. Either way you have a situation where you have to tear apart the old axles and rebuild them with parts supplied from the aftermarket. Significant savings can be achieved going this route. However you have to have the storage space, tools, and time it takes to complete the project. Where a custom-built Dana 60 axle from a leading axle builder could cost upward of 5,000 bucks, a wrecking-yard Dana 60 might ring in at half as much.
If that still seems a little on the pricey side, consider this: hundreds of old '70s and '80s era 1-ton pickup trucks are out there rusting away in places most people never think to look-for instance, the back lot of the local school district or public services storage yard. That's where Dustin Chernoah of Ukiah, California, found his first prized Dana 60 front end. The '79 Chevy 3500 was long forgotten by school district officials and collecting cobwebs. We'd bet it would have remained that way for a very long time had Dustin not stopped by to offer the yard supervisor 500 bucks to haul it away. The deals are out there, you just have to look for them. Follow along now as we show off two relatively inexpensive routes to manhood for your 4x4.
|The Total Cost
|Front Dana 60
|Rear Dana 70


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Alaska Campus Linguistics and Languages Graduate Programs and Schools
For the student interested in a career-focused program within the field of liberal arts and humanities, with a passion for communication and languages, a Linguistics and Languages Graduate Program has the potential to open up different professional opportunities.
Linguistics itself is the scientific study of languages. There are different components such as language form, meaning and context. Over time, linguistics has broadened as a field of academics and this has led to the growth of psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics, and sociolinguistics. So, while someone can certainly approach this field by studying different languages, there are many other related areas of study. Majoring in linguistics, you might learn phonetics, syntax, semantics, and historical linguistics. You might also be encouraged to take courses in cognitive psychology anthropology or communication sciences. What you complement your education with will help you make your skills marketable for jobs in education, the computer industry, as a translator, researcher, writer or researcher.
Pursuing your education on a college campus can certainly be rewarding. You get a chance to learn as well as interact with professors and other students, building social networks that can last beyond school.
Ready to investigate a Campus-Based Linguistics Degree? GradSchools.com makes this process simple. You can begin with a location search; use the tabs to enter a city, state, or country to determine where accredited Linguistics Language Graduate Programs are offered.
You can also focus in on the exact program for you by performing a search in all the different program types – graduate certificate, master, and doctorate. Each search will yield different results to peruse. For instance, earn a Campus Graduate Certificate in Language and Communication Research or in Linguistics, a Campus Doctorate in
Linguistics or Campus Linguistics and Language Acquisition Doctorate, a Campus Master in Linguistics or Campus Master Computational Linguistics Degree.
So many options! Review all your choices for accredited Linguistics Language Graduate Programs and start earning your Linguistics Degree soon!
Sponsored Listings


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Drive Safely This Winter
The first snowfall of the year is one of the most dangerous times to be on the road, as motorists struggle to remember how to drive in wet, slick conditions. Although Old Man Winter hasn't hit Cars.com's Chicago headquarters just yet, it's never too early to start getting prepared for driving on the slick stuff.
Snow, ice and cold temperatures bring out the most difficult road conditions and planning ahead could save lives. Use the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's check list below to make sure you're ready.
Plan Ahead
- It might be a little late for this one, but before winter starts, it's good to get your vehicle serviced by a mechanic to check for leaks, bad hoses or other repairs
- Have a mechanic check that your battery has sufficient voltage
- Make sure battery cable connections are secure, and have your charging system and belts inspected, too
- Make sure there is enough coolant in your car
- Completely fill your windshield washer reservoir with fluid before the first snow hits
- Spend the extra dollars for a high-quality "no-freeze" washer fluid
- Keep an extra bottle of washer fluid handy in your trunk
- Make sure your wipers are working properly with no streaking; if they are, replace them
Take Precautions
- Check the weather. Don't hit the road if it's too treacherous to depart
- If you absolutely need to go outside, plan to leave earlier or arrive later than usual
- Keep your gas tank at least half-full. If you get stuck in a traffic jam, you might need more fuel just to stay warm
- Pack a shovel, broom, ice scrapper, flashlight, jumper cables and warning markers or flares
- Have an abrasive material, such as kitty litter or sand, ready to help with traction
- Have a blanket, cell phone, some water, food and any necessary medicine (for longer trips through rural areas) On the Road
- Always wear your seat belt (This really should go without saying)
- Wear winter outerwear, and make sure your passengers, especially children, are bundled up for the snowy conditions
- Do not text or engage in distracting activities while driving
Stranded in the Cold
- Stay in your car, and don't overexert yourself
- Make yourself easy to find by keeping your interior light turned on and removing the cover from the dome light, if possible
- Put bright markers or reflective material on your antenna or windows
- Avoid carbon monoxide buildup by avoiding long stretches of idling with the windows up. If you have to keep the car running, make sure the exhaust pipe is clear of snow, and keep the engine running just long enough to stay warm
How to Drive Safely on Snow and Ice
Winter Brings on 'Peephole' Driving
More Safety News on Cars.com
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It's little wonder why Bryant was such a legendary coach. Everyone
wants to win, but relatively speaking, very few people are willing
or able to sacrifice the time and resources to make sure winning
"happens". Far too many pro sports owners believe money
or simply wanting to win a championship should be enough to get
their teams into the Super Bowl. Being willing to spend and knowing
where to spend money are two completely different things in sports,
for it takes a great scouting and personnel department to recognize
the talent, the right coaches to mold it and enough of the right
leaders in the locker room to make sure each player is on the
same page with them.
Fortunately in fantasy football, we are only required to speculate
on the results of the aforementioned ingredients of football success.
But just because we are mere spectators doesn't give us the right
not to prepare ourselves for the upcoming season as well. It has
been said that if you don't vote, you have no right to complain.
Fantasy football isn't much different in the sense that if you
don't prepare over the summer and have a pretty good stance on
each "candidate" that you may draft, you have no right
to complain when your teams hang around mediocrity all season
A good part of the preparation process every summer is trying
to figure out just how much impact rookies can have in fantasy
for the upcoming season. In most cases, running backs steal the
show when it comes to immediate contributions, although that notion
has been challenged in recent years by the rookie campaigns of
players such as Matt Ryan or Eddie Royal. However, any fantasy
owner need ask themselves only a few questions to get started
when it comes to rookie evaluation for fantasy purposes:
Certainly, there are more questions that can be asked, but to
establish a baseline on a rookie, I think this gives us a pretty
good start. To that end, over the next two weeks, I hope to provide
each of you my initial thoughts on the incoming class before I
really buckle down on player evaluations next month with the release
of the first round of PSAs. To whet your appetite, I will focus
on the bottom half of the top 20 rookies this week before wrapping
it up with the players I feel are the best bets for fantasy success
in 2009, just over two months before the start of the season.
Note: The rankings below are for the 2009 season only and
are ranked in order of likelihood of fantasy impact. (For example,
QBs like Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez may accrue more fantasy
points given their position, but the chances of them impacting
a fantasy team are slimmer than say, a potential fantasy WR3 in
a three-WR league, because the WR could be an every-week starter.)
Rookies Who Just Missed The Cut:
Sammie Stroughter, WR Bucs; Mohamed Massaquoi, WR Browns; Chase
Coffman, TE Bengals (could easily skyrocket if he is fully healed
and in shape in time for training camp).
20. Austin
Collie, WR Colts
If the path was completely clear for Collie, it would be very
easy to place him among the top 5-10 fantasy rookies and attach
a line fairly similar to Anthony
Gonzalez's rookie year. Colts GM Bill Polian paid his the
BYU product a nice compliment last month by saying he reminded
the boss of former Colt Brandon Stokley, who seemingly began fantasy
owners' fascination with Colts' slot receivers with his precise
route running, good hands and above-average quickness. However,
the path to a regular appearance in the slot is not as clear as
it may appear at first glance. The oft-injured Roy
Hall - all 6-5 of him - gives the WR corps the kind of size
that the Colts just don't have otherwise. But the most likely
WR3 in Indy this season appears to be second-year WR Pierre
Garcon, who Polian has referred to as his choice for the player
most likely to "break out" on more than one occasion this offseason.
As if that were not enough, the Colts regularly line TE Dallas
Clark in the slot when they want to go three-wide. Indianapolis
also has no problem sticking Reggie
Wayne there as well when they want to ensure a free release
off the line of scrimmage for their top receiver. Furthermore,
Gonzalez is quite adept moving inside as well having spent each
of his first two years working mostly out of the slot. While an
injury to any of the aforementioned veterans could give Collie
a fair boost in playing time, there are enough reasons to let
Collie just sit on the waiver wire initially except in the deepest
of leagues.
Fearless Mid-June Prediction:
30 catches, 340 yards, 2 TDs
19. Darius
Heyward-Bey, WR Raiders
Most of us can agree that Michael Crabtree is a better WR prospect
than DHB, but what we need to know as fantasy owners is whether
the ex-Terp is a better fit in Oakland than one of the most prolific
receivers in college history. After all, would we prefer to see
Crabtree chasing down the overthrows of JaMarcus
Russell or DHB? Let's just suffice it to say that team owner
Al Davis has always been a proponent of the vertical game (why
try to string together a long drive when a team can score in 1-2
plays?), completion percentage and offensive consistency be damned.
Another factor Heyward-Bey has going for him is an immediate opening
in the starting lineup (unless he totally falls on his face);
Crabtree will have to quickly get in shape after he fully recovers
from his pre-draft foot surgery and fight off both Isaac Bruce
and Josh Morgan. The most interesting areas to keep an eye on
before and during the preseason regarding DHB will be whether
he: 1) disproves his doubters by showing off better hands than
his critics gave him credit for during the draft process and 2)
will not disappear for long stretches - another point of contention
that may be an unfair label given the unorthodox offensive attack
he played in at Maryland. As for his immediate pro prospects,
bear in mind that he will need to learn the nuances of the position
- including learning how to get off press coverage - and that
the leading WR from the Raiders a season ago had 22 catches! For
a team that will probably try to run the ball at least 55% of
the time, it doesn't look all that exciting from a fantasy owner's
prospective. This, of course, will cue all the DHB doubters to
slam the Raiders for another first-round reach, but that doesn't
mean he won't eventually come close to living up to his draft
position. Unlike the Anquan Boldins and Eddie Royals of the league,
Heyward-Bey has a sharp learning curve ahead of him and will likely
need a full 3-4 years before we can rightfully judge his place
among this year's crop of receivers.
Fearless Mid-June Prediction: 27 catches, 400 yards, 3 TDs
18. Travis
Beckum, TE Giants
Perhaps the most surprising rookie to be included on this list.
But if Beckum can avoid further injury (and fully recover from
the broken leg he suffered last season), he could possibly be
the Giants' answer to the Colts' - and his brother's TE - Dallas
Clark. Much like Beckum, Clark wasn't much of a blocker out of
Iowa in 2003 but both were quite proficient at catching the ball
in the college game. For anyone who hasn�t seen Beckum when
he is healthy, he is a super-athletic �rocked-up�
WR who can�t block a lick but is amazing in the passing
game. As a result, the Giants are wisely planning at using Beckum
only as an H-back, at least until they figure out just how much
of a liability he is as a blocker. Where I really like his fantasy
value is in the red zone, where I believe either he or fellow
rookie Ramses Barten will be on the receiving end on a handful
of scores as both will have a significant size (Barten) or athletic
advantage (Beckum) over most of the defenders that will be covering
them. I like the former Wisconsin Badger just a bit more as he
figures to see the field on a more regular basis and will not
struggle initially to create the separation from linebackers and
safeties that I fear Barten will from cornerbacks. Figure that
Beckum will steal roughly two-thirds of starting TE Kevin Boss'
33 receptions from last season while adding a few of his own and
allow Boss to do what he does best, which is sealing the edge
with his blocking prowess in the run and pass game.
Fearless Mid-June Prediction: 32 catches, 300 yards, 3 TDs
17. Pat
White, QB Dolphins
In my humble opinion, I see White as a more accurate passer than
Michael Vick who is a bit lighter and about a tenth of a second
slower than the QB I would compare him with. I find it amazing
that in eight years, a player of comparable talent to Vick would
go from no-brainer No. 1 overall pick to mid-second round, especially
in the now-Wildcat-obsessed world of the NFL. Don't get me wrong,
I never had Vick pegged as the best fit in pro football (much
less a West Coast offense), but few could argue he was as exciting
of a player as there has been in the NFL in some time. And that
is exactly what I expect White to be. With that said, I also believe
that unless Miami is somehow able to operate out of the Wildcat
successfully at least 40% of its snaps - a highly unlikely proposition
- White will be someone who defensive coordinators will have to
worry about much more than fantasy owners. While he is far from
a polished passer, the former West Virginia standout has a higher
ceiling in that area than Vick ever did, so there is potential
for him to be on the fantasy radar down the road although he will
be hard-pressed to ever match fellow backup Chad
Henne as a traditional pro-style QB. Interestingly enough,
White could still be useful as a desperation bye-week play this
season against some of the weaker run defenses on the Dolphins'
schedule, against whom he may be able to break off a 20-yard scoring
run after a play breaks down. With that said, he will only qualify
as a QB in fantasy leagues, so his fantasy value will be limited
because of his position he plays even though he stands a good
chance to register a higher fantasy point total than a few of
the players who are ranked higher than him.
Fearless Mid-June Prediction: 20-35, 300 yards, 3 TDs; 60 rushes,
325 yards, 2 TDs
16. Hakeem
Nicks, WR Giants
Hakeem Nicks: Will see the field in three-and-four
WR sets.
Based solely on his Meineke Car Care Bowl-game performance, I
can at least entertain all the praise that was heaped upon Nicks
for his stellar 2008 campaign, including his college coach's (Butch
Davis) comparison to Michael Irvin. That game highlighted all
of his best qualities, including a highlight catch or two and
the ability to carry a passing game by himself on occasion with
his run-after-catch abilities. But even though Nicks doesn't enter
camp against "name" competition, the Giants don't lack for options
at WR. Expect second-year veteran Mario
Manningham to take the next step as a regular contributor,
but Nicks' biggest hurdle to instant fantasy stardom figures to
be Domenik
Hixon, who figures to start the season out as the Giants�
split end. Given Hixon�s rapport with Eli
Manning, New York will not need to rush the rookie into the
lineup until he clearly emerges as the better option � something
that may not happen until 2010. Nicks� ceiling is pretty high,
though, so he will see the field a lot in three-and-four-wide
sets. I could easily see Nicks stringing together one or two strong
performances together this season that will drive fantasy owners
crazy for his services on the waiver wire, but until he is named
the starter, I don't think the Giants' run-based offense can support
the fantasy values of three receivers. As much as I like him,
I will probably opt to let him find a home on someone else�s roster
or on the waiver wire.
Fearless Mid-June Prediction: 33 catches, 410 yards, 3 TDs
15. Deon
Butler, WR Seahawks
Last week, I made a brief mention of Butler being one of the
few members of the Seahawks' offense this season that won't be
recovering from some kind of major injury. This week, I am going
to suggest he may be able to crack the starting lineup if his
competition is not at the top of their game. T.J. Houshmandzadeh
appears locked in at flanker and is the only guaranteed starter
at WR. But at split end, Nate Burleson, Deion Branch and Butler
appear to be engaged in a competition to start opposite their
prized free agent signing. The most likely scenario has Branch
securing the job with Butler appearing in three-wide packages
and Burleson focusing mainly on returns so long as he can regain
his explosion following reconstructive knee surgery. But Branch
isn�t likely to be the same receiver we have come to know
him as after two surgeries on his left knee over a 13-month period
and Burleson can�t be counted upon either given the severity
of his injury. Thus, Butler could win by default because he has
the speed and explosion that none of the 'Hawks other wideouts
have. Furthermore, his coaches have raved about his hands, route
running and intelligence to the point where some are suggesting
Branch may be on the block. We'll see if this praise carries over
into training camp, but Butler will see the field regardless because
he does possess big-play ability. For the time being, though,
there is little reason to draft him until he officially claims
the starting job, and even then, he will be the No. 3 option in
the passing game behind Houshmandzadeh and TE John Carlson on
a team that will try to focus on the running game.
Fearless Mid-June Prediction: 32 catches, 465 yards, 2 TDs
14. Jeremy
Maclin, WR Eagles
Jeremy Maclin: A volatile stock on the
fantasy market.
Depending on your stance of Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg�s
play-calling, the Eagles are either diversifying the way they
are attacking offenses or just looking for another reason to air
it out even more by bringing Maclin aboard. The easy assumption
is that Philly will stick him in the slot and use him on a few
reverses, maybe even lining him up in the backfield on occasion.
But with DeSean
Jackson entrenched as the flanker and the team very high on
Jason Avant
in the slot, I'm not sure the Eagles themselves know what they
want to do with him at this point. At their first organized team
activity, they lined him up at split end, where Kevin
Curtis usually resides. At the next OTA, they rotated him
at all three spots. Since it wouldn't make much sense to showcase
his running and receiving versatility in the preseason, we really
may not know what Maclin will mean to the Eagles� offense until
after the start of the season. As such, his stock on the fantasy
market will be highly volatile. I suspect when Maclin�s fantasy
owners look back at the 2009 season, they will come away slightly
disappointed if each of the aforementioned WRs stay healthy. But
it also would not be all that surprising to see the rookie make
himself irreplaceable if any one of the three veterans were to
get hurt because, like Jackson, he already has the quickness and
ability to separate in his repertoire. And there within lies the
rub: Maclin is quite possibly the biggest wildcard in this draft
class for fantasy owners. Is he going to step in for an injured
Jackson in Week 2 and replicate his production or will all the
WRs stay healthy, leading to a Hank
Baskett-like role? With all that in mind, I see Maclin as
a gadget-play type of wideout in 2009 who will return kicks until
one of the vets goes down.
Fearless Mid-June Prediction: 36 catches, 440 yards, 3 TDs; 2
Return TDs
12b. Kenny
Britt, WR Titans
As with any rookie, training camp is going to have a large say
in how productive Britt will be immediately. However, it really
is only a matter of time before Britt turns free agent acquisition
Nate Washington
back into a part-time deep threat and Justin
Gage into a complementary receiver, thus becoming QB Kerry
Collins' go-to guy. The unfortunate thing for Britt fans is
that I would count on that passing of the torch coming in 2010,
not 2009. The ex-Scarlet Knight is unlike anyone the Titans have
drafted in some time (maybe a pre-injury Tyrone Calico is the
closest Titans comparison?), so it would come as little surprise
if Britt started out in Washington's role with the Steelers before
overtaking him in the lineup sometime around midseason. Although
Gage has shown flashes when given the chance, he is prone to injury.
And I get the feeling the Titans are just itching to get Britt
going because the last time the Titans had a consistent, go-to
WR threat was Derrick Mason, who left for the Ravens following
the 2004 season. But just like with Crabtree, keep expectations
for the Titans' rookie fairly low even though Kerry Collins will
be quarterbacking this club for the foreseeable future. Why? Tennessee
will be a power running team for as long as HC Jeff Fisher is
in charge and OC Mike Heimerdinger is calling the shots. The Titans
are not concerned with lighting up the scoreboard and trust their
defense implicitly, so asking this offense to provide more than
one usable fantasy WR - which figures to be Gage once again -
is probably asking too much. Keeper and dynasty league owners
will want to keep tabs on Britt, who certainly should settle into
fantasy lineups regularly starting sometime in 2010. But for the
upcoming season, expect the typical inconsistency one typically
expects with a rookie WR in a run-based offense.
Fearless Mid-June Prediction: 42 catches, 660 yards, 3 TDs
12a. Michael
Crabtree, WR 49ers
There doesn't seem to be much argument that Crabtree will be
a standout WR at some point in his career. After all, with his
Andre Johnson-like build and incredible college production, it
appears a foregone conclusion their bay-area rivals missed a chance
to end their struggles at the position by opting for a size-speed
specimen with limited polish like Darius Heyward-Bey. What is
up for some debate is whether Crabtree's numbers are going to
look all that much different than Heyward-Bey's at the end of
this season despite the former Red Raider's polish. The reasons
for this startling revelation are several: while Shaun
Hill is probably a better QB at this point than JaMarcus Russell,
both offenses are going to lean heavily on the run and feature
TEs who could easily lead their team in receptions. In San Francisco's
case, Crabtree will also have to fight Isaac Bruce and Josh Morgan
for Hill's attention (and that's assuming another WR, the talented
Jason Hill,
doesn't have a breakout camp). Certainly, Crabtree figures to
eventually emerge from the pack, but will it be in time for fantasy
owners in 2009? I tend to believe the Niners' top pick should
be a late-round selection at best in fantasy drafts this summer
and will be frustrating to own for most of his rookie season (although
he is a no-brainer pick in keeper and dynasty leagues). But by
the end of the season, he should start showing why he will be
a highly coveted fantasy property for 2010.
Fearless Mid-June Prediction: 45 catches, 600 yards, 4 TDs
11. Brandon
Pettigrew, TE Lions
Unlike most rookie TEs that have come out in recent years, Pettigrew
is not a specialist, which will not only endear him to his coaches,
but keep him on the field all game long. While that fact alone
won't necessarily make him a starting TE in fantasy leagues, he
will certainly be worth drafting in the later rounds. New OC Scott
Linehan has shown he is willing to include the TE in the offense
as has QB Daunte
Culpepper (remember Jermaine Wiggins?) and 2009 overall No.
1 pick Matthew
Stafford (Martrez Milner, the one decent TE he had in his
Bulldog career, tied for the team lead with 30 catches in Stafford's
freshman season at Georgia). For every bit of credit Pettigrew
gets for being an above-average blocker, he is at least that good
in the short-to-intermediate passing game. As such, Pettigrew
should enter the season as the third-best option in the Lions'
passing game behind WRs Calvin and Bryant
Johnson, with the possibility of moving in front of the latter
before the season is over. Detroit will be better on offense this
season than most people think, which leads me to project fairly
healthy numbers for Pettigrew.
Fearless Mid-June Prediction: 44 catches, 475 yards, 4 TDs
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text: AGCO: SpraCoupe Production Ends in Mid-2013 January 11, 2013 11:00 PM Tweet Manufacturing of SpraCoupe self-propelled sprayers from AGCO will end in 2013, though parts will remain available. © AGCO TAGS: Marketing, Overseas December 18, 2014 By Nate Birt Top Producer Managing Editor Email AGCO will discontinue production of its SpraCoupe self-propelled sprayer at the end of May 2013. The high cost of Tier 4 Final compliance and the shrinking popularity of smaller-capacity sprayers factored heavily into the decision. "Every manufacturer that has an engine is being taxed with complying with Tier 4 emissions," says Greg Milstead, director of sales for AGCO's application equipment division. It was a very difficult decision to make, he says. But in order to install AGCO Power engines in future SpraCoupe models, the company would have needed to change the design of the machine significantly, driving up engineering and manufacturing costs. SpraCoupe represents the smallest of AGCO's three sprayer brands, with 4000 Series (400 gallons) and 7000 Series (700 gallons) models. The larger RoGator and TerraGator brands will continue to be manufactured at the company's Jackson, Minn., plant. AGCO acquired SpraCoupe in 1998. The brand celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2012, and Milstead points out that the brand still fits well in certain niche areas. A number of cotton producers use SpraCoupes for their crops, though the equipment is used throughout the U.S. The shrinking market space for small-scale sprayers became the line in the sand that drove this business decision, Milstead says. A majority of SpraCoupes had been manufactured with 400-gallon capacity. Across the industry, sprayers of that size have held a flat market share of 5% to 7% over the last three to four years, he says. AGCO expects that market to drop significantly by 2016. By contrast, larger-capacity sprayers with capacities of 1,200 gallons and up are expected to command upwards of 30% of the total market by 2016, Milstead says. That's up from under 5% in 2002. Additionally it is projected that machines with over 800 gallon capacities will represent almost 90% of the sprayer market by 2016. "Demand for larger machines is staggering," Milstead says. "It's really a great business to be in right now where the industry remains very strong." The ramped-up demand reflects the changing landscape of agriculture. Acreage is growing on individual farms, and producers are demanding higher-capacity machines to cover more space in less time. Additionally, farmers are purchasing bigger sprayers once used primarily by commercial applicators. The same is true for tractors and combines, he says. No more orders will be taken for SpraCoupe sprayers because the production is full and additional orders would prevent AGCO from meeting Tier 4 compliance, Milstead says. Manufacturing of SpraCoupes will stop around the end of May 2013. AGCO will continue to manufacture SpraCoupe parts, which will remain available to customers along with professional service support from their current SpraCoupe dealers, Milstead says. AGCO did not cancel any SpraCoupe contracts when it decided to discontinue the brand later this year. That means farmers who need repairs can continue to get service as long as parts are available. "It's important for everybody to note that we didn't cancel any SpraCoupe dealers," he says. In line with industry trends showing a growing market for larger-scale sprayers for farmers, RoGator and TerraGator sprayers will continue to be manufactured. The company intends to manufacture more of them in the future than it does today to satisfy that growing demand, Milstead says. AGCO is operating on a five-year strategic plan for its sprayer brands. No manufacturing jobs will be lost as a result of the transition, Milstead says. The company is looking to hire additional workers at its Jackson facility, he says, and that is a great example of how agriculture continues to help grow the overall economy, mainly in rural America. SpraCoupe celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2012, and Milstead points out that the brand still fits well in certain niche areas. A number of cotton producers use SpraCoupes for their crops, though the equipment is used throughout the U.S. Back to news


text:
Tagged: ESPN
Baseball's shame, so who do we blame?
Farewell to the Prince of New York.
I was reading his blog and apparently he's upset because he feels he writes an intelligent blog and for some reason his blog stopped getting front page love.
So he's switched to his own blogging platform. He had been a blogger here at MLBLogs.com for the last couple of years.
The man writes a decent blog, way to many NY details for me but still an interesting read.
It's obvious that he pissed someone off. I should know, I've been known to tap dance on the line. I've come to the conclusion that I don't want any front page coverage. I see the same blogs getting mentioned all the time and I'm fine with that, they're good blogs.
Here's the deal, the Rockpile Rant will remain in the top ten blogs despite no extra attention and I'm ok with that.
When it's my turn for the number one spot I'll have a special dedication to everyone who helped me along the way.
I just hope I haven't P'd off too many people in the right positions. (You know I love you all).
I'm hoping for a little publicity when the MBU is in down in Tucson. All I can do is hope for the best and try to be nice.
This is my year and whether I get help/exposure or not, doesn't matter.
I'm in Tucson for the fan that can't make it down there. You like my point of view because I make the game seem real. I appreciate that my readers get that from me.
If you don't get that from me, why are you here wasting your time? Go away.
Did your hear that ESPN suspended Scott Van Pelt for verbally attacking Bud Selig on the radio. He called Selig a pimp..lol.
Think about what a pimp does and then think about what Bud's job is. I'm just saying…
That gleaming dome Van Pelt has makes a good point.
17.5 million a year for the Commissioner, yep that's outrageously insane. If you asked me what I would have guessed his salary was I would have guessed a couple of million plus travel expenses and all the balls he can play with.
For that kind of money I want Bud's real signature on every ball used in professional baseball. He's getting over on us with that pre-printed autograph crap they use now.
I take that back, I don't want Selig anywhere near my balls 🙂
17.5 million is almost $50,000 a day. He makes more in one day than I make in a year. Granted that not just anybody can graduate to Selig's position but come on.
A fitting end to Selig's reign would be him getting laid off (no severance) and replaced with someone half his age at 1/10 his current salary.
It happens all the time in America and it's always a sad story.
Now if that actually transpired, I wouldn't feel sorry for Bud at all…Sorry dude, but your not worth 17.5 million don't kid yourself.
I think your getting over on all of baseball. Your salary is a flagrant disgrace to baseball fans and ticket purchasers everywhere.
The position of "Commissioner of Baseball" needs a salary cap instituted, immediately.
$50,000 a day, weekends too…get the F*ck out of here. For some reason knowing Selig makes that much money makes me feel insignificant and poor.
I suffered through A-Rods admission of guilt today and I've made a decision. I'll always be a baseball guy, but statistics from 1990-2005 mean nothing to me anymore. I'm sorry for all the non-juicers who get no credit but hey…you guys knew and you didn't say sheet.
It has to be that way, I have no idea what's real and what isn't during that particular era, so I've chosen to forget those 15 years worth of statistics.
A decade and a half of lying, cheating and degradation of our beautiful sport.
Cycling as a sport has no trouble stripping it's athletes of their title's. Maybe baseball should consider that bold move. That would definately send a message.
That's not going to happen, stuff like that scares the sheet out of Selig. Lets have a clean fresh start to this season with no more steroid shockers.
The top dog has fallen, does anybody even care who falls next?
My next blog entry will be about "Baseball in 2050" ..Check back for it…D


text:
Welcome to the Asia Stocks live blog, a running account of what the region's share markets are doing, along with other news. Today, while equities struggle under the weight of Wall Street losses, it\'s also the busiest Asia news day of the week, with China\'s industrial and retail-sales data and a policy decision from the Bank of Japan.
- Sort by:
- Oldest
- Newest
- 7:49 pm
- China data: Credit goes mainstream
- by Michael Kitchen
- Add a Comment
China is loosening up its credit again, but this time the lending is coming out of the shadows.
In data out yesterday afternoon, we learned that Chinese bank loans surged last month, with new, yuan-denominated lending rising to 871 billion yuan ($140 billion) from April's 775 billion yuan, and well above the Bloomberg survey consensus for a drop to 750 billion yuan.
Since bank lending in China is very much under the thumb of the government, it would seem that Beijing is seeking to boost the economy by pumping fresh funds back in.
And yet it turns out that "total social financing" — that uniquely Chinese measure of all credit, both on and off banks' balance sheets — slowed its growth to about 1.4 trillion yuan in May from 1.55 trillion yuan the previous month.
The divergent directions for the two data points is due to the "mainstreaming" of China's credit system: According to Barclays, Chinese off-balance-sheet lending slowed to less than half the average seen in the first quarter, "reflecting continued regulatory tightening of the shadow-banking sector and concerns around potential trust defaults."
Capital Economics China economist Julian Evans-Pritchard says the shift is linked to targeted-lending policies set out recently by the government.
"Policy makers' efforts to channel bank lending to chosen parts of the economy are helping to support loan growth, even as controls on shadow banking continue to bite," he wrote in a note out Thursday.
But, says Evans-Pritchard, "with credit still growing faster than nominal GDP and employment tight … we see no great need or desire among policy makers to drive a marked rebound in broad credit growth."
- 8:32 pm
- Japan stocks: Trudging lower
- by Michael Kitchen
- Add a Comment
As the week draws to a close, we find Tokyo making another move southward, with the Nikkei Average down 0.7% in the early minutes, extending yesterday's 0.6% loss. The Topix isn't faring much better, quoted 0.5% lower.
While Wall Street's overnight losses are a contributing factor, this morning's retreat seems to be very much about the rising yen, with the dollar dropping all the way to ¥101.65, down from around ¥102 at Thursday's Japan stock close.
The pair has since recovered some ground, however, with the dollar currently back up to ¥101.78. (For what it's worth, BK Asset Management doesn't see too much more downside, tipping a ¥100.75 to ¥103 range for the time being.)
The forex action is taking its toll on the usual suspects of exporters and other globally exposed names: Olympus is down 1.2%, Kyocera is down 1%, Fuji Electric is down 1.1%, Fast Retailing (of Uniqlo fame) is down 1,5%, and in the autos, Toyota is down 1%, and Honda is down 1.7%, though Nissan is down a mere 0.3%, perhaps helped by news its newest factory in Thailand is due to come on line next month, earlier than scheduled.
But the overall soft tone to the market isn't stopping some names from advancing. Aiful is up 5.1% after a Nikkei news report that the consumer lender has secured refinancing for most of its $1.6 billion in debt.
Advantest, meanwhile, is bopping 3.1% higher on a separate Nikkei report saying the tech major has hiked its operating-margin target for the current fiscal year to 10% from the 7% forecast in April.
And then there's Nintendo: The up-again-down-again stock is trading 0.9% higher after its latest presentation at the E3 conference in Los Angeles. The company is seeking to boost its console sales with reboots of some popular franchises, including "Mario Maker" which allows players to create their own game with the celebrated Nintendo character.
Meanwhile, shares of videogame rival Sony are inching up 0.1%.
Looking ahead, a Bank of Japan decision is due out later today, likely during the market's midday break, though no new policy announcements are expected. (See post in yesterday's Asia Stocks live blog.)
But Chinese data on retail sales, industrial production and fixed-asset investment are all slated for release in the afternoon, which could in turn move Japanese shares in the final hour of trade.
- 8:45 pm
- Markets check -- 9:45 a.m. in Tokyo
- Add a Comment
Tokyo (Nikkei Average) down 0.8%
Sydney (S&P/ASX 200) down 0.7%
Seoul (Kospi) down 0.8%
- 9:15 pm
- Australia stocks feeling weak
- by Michael Kitchen
- Add a Comment
They're trading lower in Sydney this morning, as losses for many of the miners and financials overwhelm gains for gold producers and some energy names.
An hour into the Friday session, and the ASX 200 is down 0.8%, extending yesterday's 0.5% retreat.
With iron-ore prices dropping to below $92 a metric ton, we have Fortescue Metals down 4.4%, Mount Gibson Iron down 7%, Atlas Iron down 2.4%, and among the big diversified players, BHP Billiton is down 1.2%, and Rio Tinto is lower by 2.2%.
Likewise, a pullback in the U.S. markets overnight is helping grease losses for the big banks, with Westpac down 1.1%, NAB down 0.9%, CBA down 0.7%, and ANZ down 0.4%, while broker Macquarie is off by 0.9%.
On the upside, gains for gold futures have Newcrest up 2.6%, Evolution up 4.3%, and St. Barbara up a hefty 10.7%.
Likewise, a military advance by Iraqi rebels is pushing up the oil price, helping send Woodside Petroleum up 2.1%, Santos up 0.9%, Oil Search up 0.5%, and Karoon Gas Australia up 2.7%.
Of course, rising crude oil spells trouble for the airlines, and Qantas is currently trading with a 3% loss, though rival Virgin Australia is managing a gain of 1.2%.
Later today, China is due to release its final batch of major economic data for May (including retail sales and industrial production), and a surprise in either direction could very likely impact Australia's stocks and currency alike.
- 9:39 pm
- Seek but you shall not find
- by Michael Kitchen
- Add a Comment
Australia is still solidly lower, with the ASX 200 now down 0.9%.
While much of the action was covered in the previous post on today's blog, it's also worth a mention that shares of Seek Ltd. are down 4.6%.
This, despite the fact that Chinese firm Zhaopin, of which Seek owns a majority, rose 1% in its New York trading debut, followed by another 1% gain in the U.S. after-hours session.
Likely contributing to the decline is the fact that Credit Suisse has dropped Seek from its model Australia portfolio, according to Dow Jones Newswires.
- 10:01 pm
- China stocks: Waiting game
- by Michael Kitchen
- Add a Comment
The Hong Kong and Shanghai stocks markets are swinging between red and green, with the Hang Seng Index up 0.2% after a lower open, and the Shanghai Composite flat after brief early losses of its own.
This, as the market awaits the last big slab o' data for May from China's National Bureau of Statistics. The two highlights will be retail sales (the Reuters consensus is for a gain of 12.1% from a year earlier vs. April's 11.9% rise) and industrial production (Reuters tips an 8.8% increase, just above April's 8.7% growth).
In the meantime, many of the key Hong Kong stock sectors are mixed, including real estate (New World down 0.7%, Wharf down 0.2%, Hang Lung Properties up 1.1%, China Resources Land up 0.3%), and financials (HSBC down 0.1%, Agricultural Bank down 0.5%, ICBC up 0.6%, Bank of China flat).
Computer maker Lenovo finds itself among the advancers today, up 0.9% after U.S. chip major Intel hiked its quarterly and annual outlooks, citing strong business demand for PCs.
Meanwhile, advances for Iraqi rebel groups are lifting oil prices to multi-month highs, sending energy shares upward (PetroChina up 0.5%, Cnooc up 1.5%, Sinopec/China Petroleum & Chemical up 1.2%) and airline shares downward (Air China down 0.4%, China Southern down 2%, China Eastern down 1.2%, Cathay Pacific down 0.3%).
- 10:07 pm
- Markets check -- 10:07 a.m. in Hong Kong
- Add a Comment
Tokyo (Nikkei Average) down 0.6%
Hong Kong (Hang Seng Index) up 0.1%
Shanghai (Shanghai Composite Index) flat
Sydney (S&P/ASX 200) down 0.8%
Seoul (Kospi) down 1%
Taipei (Taiex) down 0.4%
- 10:57 pm
- Bank of Japan: Nothing!
- by Michael Kitchen
- Add a Comment
Much like the 1990s U.S. sitcom "Seinfeld" (pictured here), the Bank of Japan's decision today was a show about nothing.
There was no change to policy, as expected, and the statement was almost identically worded with the last missive on May 21. The only obvious change was in the language to describe overseas economies, which went to "are recovering" from last month's "are starting to recover."
And what did the yen and the stock market do? Yes, you guessed it: The dollar is buying ¥101.81, more or less unchanged from its level ahead of the announcement. And while the stock market is still on its midday break, any movement at the afternoon open may likely be unrelated to the central bank's inaction.
Some — though certainly not all — economists had thought earlier this year that the central bank might jump in with some monetary easing to goose the system, so as to counter to the April 1 consumption-tax hike.
But with each passing month, and each bullish word on the economy from BOJ Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda, the chance of imminent policy moves seems a little less likely. The conventional wisdom is that the policy board is now in "wait and see" mode.
So that's it. See you next month, BOJ watchers!
- 11:33 pm
- Markets check -- 12:33 p.m. in Tokyo
- Add a Comment
Tokyo (Nikkei Average) down 0.4%
Hong Kong (Hang Seng Index) up 0.6%
Shanghai (Shanghai Composite Index) up 0.9% (at break)
Sydney (S&P/ASX 200) down 0.6%
Seoul (Kospi) down 1.2%
Taipei (Taiex) down 0.2%
- 12:20 am
- What's up next week in Asia...
- by Michael Kitchen
- Add a Comment
Here's a look at some of next week's important events in Asia:
Monday: China May foreign direct investment
Wednesday: Japan May trade data, China May home prices
Thursday: Sony's annual shareholder meeting scheduled
- 12:47 am
- Markets check -- 1:47 p.m. in Tokyo
- Add a Comment
Tokyo (Nikkei Average) up 0.3%
Hong Kong (Hang Seng Index) up 0.6%
Shanghai (Shanghai Composite Index) up 0.9%
Sydney (S&P/ASX 200) down 0.6%
Seoul (Kospi) down 1.2%
Mumbai (Sensex) up 0.1%
Taipei (Taiex) down 0.1%
- 2:20 am
- China May factory output accelerates, matching forecasts
- by Laura He
- Add a Comment
China's industrial production grew 8.8% in May from a year earlier, slightly up from 8.7% in April, while retail-sales growth also accelerated to 12.5% from April's 11.9%, the National Bureau of Statistics said Friday.
The year-on-year growth in industrial production matched the forecasts of a group of economists polled by Reuters, while the rise in retail sales exceeded an estimated 12.1% increase in the Reuters survey.
Compared with April, the industrial output slightly rose 0.1%.
Among other data, urban fixed-asset investment (FAI) climbed 17.2% for the first five months of year, down 0.1 percentage point from the January-to-April period.
The markets showed little reaction to the data immediately after the release. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index held its 0.7% gain, while the Shanghai Composite Index slightly widened its gains to 0.8%.
The Australian dollar, which is often sensitive to economic news from China, remained weak against the U.S. dollar, buying 94.19 U.S. cents from 94.17 U.S. cents seen ahead of the data release. On Monday, the Aussie was buying 94.26 U.S. cents.
- 3:48 am
- China's economy is stabilizing, analysts say
- by Laura He
- Add a Comment
China's May economic data came in as expected, or slightly higher, fuelling hopes that the world's second-largest economy is stabilizing.
"The latest Chinese economic data is encouraging," said Craig James, chief economist for CommSec Research, emphasizing that the 12.5% year-on-year rise in retail sales, 8.8% increase in industrial output and 17.2% gain in fixed-asset investment are "solid growth rates."
"Observers in other parts of the world should take the view that the Chinese economy continues to expand at a healthy pace and that the outlook remains positive," James said.
The improvement in May's economic data was mainly due to the mini-stimulus package carried out by the Beijing government in the past couple of months, including targeted reserve ratio (RRR) cuts for banks and central bank relending, said Lu Ting, Merrill Lynch's China economist, in a note on Friday.
He expected China's GDP to rebound to a seasonally adjusted 1.8% in the second quarter of this year, and to grow 7.4% or 7.5% for the year of 2014.
TD Securities also maintained its forecast of 7.4% for China's GDP growth in 2014, saying today's "hard data", combined with recently released manufacturing PMI reports, suggest a steady trend of growth for the Chinese economy. The securities firm estimated that China would grow at a more modest pace of 7% for 2015.
Looking ahead, analysts expect more policy-easing measures to come as China tries to meet the official 7.5% growth target.
"Due to base effect, the year-on-year growth could moderate again in the second quarter," Lu Ting said, "As we believe the Chinese government has been getting more serious about the 'around 7.5%' growth target, we expect Beijing to roll out additional targeted measures in coming months."
- 5:49 am
- Closing levels
- Add a Comment
Tokyo (Nikkei Average) up 0.8% at 15,097.84 (closed)
Hong Kong (Hang Seng Index) up 0.6% at 23,319.17 (closed)
Shanghai (Shanghai Composite Index) up 0.9% at 2,070.71 (closed)
Sydney (S&P/ASX 200) down 0.4% at 5,405.10 (closed)
Seoul (Kospi) down 1% at 1,990.85 (closed)
Taipei (Taiex) down 0.1% at 9,196.39 (closed)


text:
One of the best things about Houseboatmagazine.com is the forum. There is an amazing group of people who meet online to discuss our favorite topics, houseboats! Between the members, there is not one thing they can't help you with or that they don't have any experience with. One of our moderators is Pirate (a.k.a. Ed). Here are some of this thoughts on houseboating.1. What kind of boat do you currently own? size, year, manufacturer, cool amenities.
I have just sold a 1997 63' ft Hilburn Coastal Houseboat. It was loaded with forward stateroom and cuddy cabin plus full master two heads and showers one with tub, washer dryer, central heat and air fly bridge and full galley. Pretty well loaded.
2. What is your favorite thing about houseboating?
Sites, traveling the rivers and the people you meet. Most boaters are helpful and courteous. They stick together like glue.
3. What is your dream boat?
I have just worked a deal on my dream boat a 61 ft. Chris/Craft Commander with Detroit12v71Ns has an 18 ft beam, it has three private state rooms plus captains quarters. Master stateroom is 18x 16 has huge head with tub and shower. it has three full heads each with a type II electrosan, intercom thru- out, stand up engine room, two 15 KW Kohler gensets, built in bar behind the pilot house with wet bar ice maker etc Huge aft deck, 6 marine heat and air units. Boat is like a tank weighs over 80,000 ibs . Has huge main salon with a hide abed and will sleep 12 altogether. I was a Chris dealer in the 70's and did not know this boat existed as they only made 8 of them. I am also going to get a 50 ft Gibson for inland excursions.
4. Share a fun/exciting boating memory:
Winning the houseboat races on Old Hickory Lake in TN and going up to Cordell Hull in my 50 ft Gibson, we had a ball up there, nice friendly people and total fun.
5. What is your favorite meal to cook while houseboating?
T-bone steaks charcoaled on the grill.
6. How long have you been houseboating?
40 years
7. Where do you dock your boat?
My marina on the Tenn- Tom waterway, Pirate's Marina Cove
8. Who do you houseboat with?
Buddy Utterback, Martha Farr and Dolly Cheatham
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