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In 20 years Terry Theye has turned ideas and energy -- the only assets he began with -- into an Inc. 100 company approaching $1 billion a year in sales. But thanks to an economy in which lasting value is getting harder and harder to achieve, he still isn't home free
Terry Theye displays a couple of large photos of golf-course scenes on the wall behind his desk. One is of the famed and treacherous 16th hole at Augusta, with the morning mist coming off the water hazard fronting the green. Theye is a trim, soft-spoken man of 50, as serene and self-possessed as the image on his wall. In a starched blue shirt, monogrammed at the cuff, he looks every bit the part of a successful corporate strategist, mulling his next move from the hushed fifth floor of Cincinnati's Bank One Tower, where his company's offices are located. Having shrewdly maneuvered through one shakeout after another in the brutish world of computer reselling, Theye has built himself an empire from which he can periodically jet off to one of those exotic golf spots glimpsed on his wall.
At least, that's how things seem. But appearances break down when Theye gazes wanly out the window on an austere winter's day and remarks, "I'd love to be down in West Palm Beach right now playing golf, but I can't. I have to be here." A thin smile creases his face. "Someday I'll get there."
For a decade now Theye has been offering himself similar words of comfort as he has continually reshaped his company, the Future Now Inc. (TFN), to withstand the hazards of a cutthroat industry. Five years ago there were 50 large national and regional computer resellers like TFN. Today there are 7, and within two years, almost everyone in the industry agrees, that number will boil down to no more than 3. Theye, of course, is betting that TFN will make its way into the elite group that ultimately triumphs. But for now he is just where he has been for too long: a step away from having created a company suffused with the kind of market-affirming megavalue that makes the entrepreneurial odyssey worthwhile.
In his tenure at TFN, Theye has sold the company, bought it back, taken it public, and merged it with a multibillion-dollar distributor -- all in an ongoing scramble to ensure the company's survival and create value for its long-suffering shareholders. Despite all the wheeling and dealing, TFN's stock was trading at just one-third its all-time high when the company announced its intended merger earlier this year.
"We've had a lot of wins but not much to show for it," admits Theye. "That doesn't leave me with a warm feeling."
With so many victories behind him, Theye should feel as warm as the Georgia sun in April, instead of enduring what must seem like an endless midwestern winter. After all, TFN earned the #51 spot on the Inc. 100 in 1993, rising from the 63rd slot the year before that; the company is also a graduate of the Inc. 500 ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies, having earned spots on the list in 1989 and 1990. But although TFN's sales have never been higher, its margins have never been lower. That Theye isn't free to head for the first tee says less about his company-building prowess than about the tedious task of trying to create lasting value in an economy in which its very definition seems to be forever changing.
Not so long ago an entrepreneur like Theye could set out to build a business, and if his idea was good enough, if he had enough energy, then he would likely succeed and create material rewards for himself and his shareholders. But nearly 20 years after founding his company -- and growing it to $800 million in sales -- Theye still struggles to build ongoing value. Prior to TFN's merger with computer distributor Intelligent Electronics (IE) -- announced in March -- Theye's stock options remained worthless because of the depressed stock price. He also owned 90,000 shares of TFN common stock, worth $6 apiece, down about 40% from their initial-public-offering price of $10.25 in July 1991. The stock market, meanwhile, valued TFN at just $45 million -- scarcely .05 times last year's revenues. Even IE paid no premium for the shares when the companies merged. Notes Dennis Hummel, TFN's senior vice-president of operations, "None of us had any idea it would be this difficult to preserve value in this company. It's been the hardest thing for us, particularly when you consider how much energy we've put into it all these years."
It used to be that businesspeople knew value when they saw it. It was fixed and lasting, contained in such reliable measures as mineral wealth, productive capacity, and the land people walked on. The computer industry, in which Theye has earned his daily bread for nearly a quarter century, is a signal example of that belief turned on its head. The price of what is tangible -- hardware -- keeps falling. The software that drives the machines becomes a proportionately greater store of value. But with software, the barrier to entry is so low and the mobility of vital intellectual power so great that value is left open to persistent attack.
The computer-reseller industry is as old as the personal computer itself. At 14 years old, the PC market operates with all the boisterous unpredictability of adolescence. The mood of the market shifts wildly, as do loyalties. Rebellion against whatever form the status quo takes is the norm.
Resellers get little respect because they operate in the food chain as "configurers" and integrators of computer equipment, customizing systems to meet clients' needs. They often buy from distributors, and so they constitute a second, seemingly redundant link in the chain of an industry moving fast toward commoditization. The typical customer is a business looking to squeeze greater use and efficiency out of computer technology, and to do that it must depend on the expertise of resellers like TFN. (About 80% of TFN's volume goes to Fortune 1,000 companies.) But the squeeze is on margins as well as the technology. In 1993 TFN netted just 1.3% in profits on $700 million in sales. Last year the company took a restructuring charge to find new efficiencies -- and to raise profitability.
TFN operates in a universe of $1-billion companies with strange, futuristic names such as Entex, Vanstar, and CompuCom. So far it has escaped fatal collision with those giants because, as Theye puts it, "we have a good business model." And what best defines that model is Theye's willingness to continually reconfigure TFN as if it were a computer system, acting swiftly and completely to meet a dynamic market. He has not grown wedded to his own ideas in the face of the constant need for change. "This is not an ego thing with Terry. He's not an entrepreneur who has built something up and must have his arms around it at all times," says Dick Sanford, chairman of IE, which has been a strategic partner with TFN and will soon be its parent company.
Theye has saved his company by periodically reinventing it. What follows is a look at some of those incarnations.
Phase One
Switching Products:
From Word Processing to a Shot at the Big Time
Back in 1986 Terry Theye still enjoyed a luxury he cannot imagine today: he could make a mistake. He could even laugh about it.
At the time, Theye and two partners were running a business they then called Cincinnati Word Processing (CWP). Theye recalls getting a call from a manufacturer entreating CWP to carry its surefire hit product. Theye demurred, later commenting to his partners with a scratch of his head, "Can you imagine someone naming their company 'Apple'?"
Parochial in scope and ambition, CWP sold one product, Wang Laboratories' word-processing equipment, out of offices in four midwestern cities: Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, and Louisville. CWP targeted customers that did a lot of typing and data entry, such as the legal community and the state government, and it grew smartly from zero in 1975 to about $5 million by 1985. The business generated gross margins of 25%. But then a novel device entered the business scene, something called the personal computer.
By late 1988 Theye had aggressively repositioned CWP, moving it away from peddling word-processing equipment to carrying PCs. To signify the shift in market emphasis, Theye changed the company's name to the Future Now, adopting that moniker from a company CWP had acquired earlier.
Theye's ability to abandon word processing -- before it abandoned him -- reflected more than his willingness to rectify his own mistakes. It also demonstrated a curious but ultimately necessary aspect of Theye's business behavior. To ensure TFN's survival, he has not allowed himself to become attached to any of the company's components. Early on, he even sold TFN to save it. Such detachment comes more naturally to Theye than to most company builders, for he is an accidental entrepreneur.
After 13 years at IBM Corp., Theye was recruited in 1973 to establish a midwestern market for Exxon Office Systems, a vendor of word-processing equipment. Two years later, with the energy crisis in full swing, the oil giant got out of the information business to concentrate on the rush to develop fresh reserves of oil and gas. Exxon offered to sell the division to Theye and two partners. The three took out second mortgages on their houses, and thus was born CWP, the company that would later become known as the Future Now, one of countless purveyors of personal computers.
The industry in those early years was wide open, drawing thinly capitalized entrepreneurs with the lure of exploding sales. Neatly hidden was the hook of collapsing margins. "We were soon running out of money," Theye notes.
He knew he had to put CWP on a sounder financial footing if it was to weather the inevitable shakeout, and in 1985 he found deliverance. He sold CWP to a local investor who owned a couple of soft-drink bottling plants, giving it a much-needed cash infusion. Theye stayed on as president, preferring to act as a hired hand with no equity rather than struggle along as a broke entrepreneur with a cash-starved business.
But Theye was also a dogged optimist. He figured if he stayed around, something might break his way.
It did. His buyer had actually purchased the company to give his son, returning from the West Coast, something to do. Two years later the young man headed west again. By then the bottler could no longer stomach the risk associated with such a fast-moving business and wanted to sell out. He helped Theye find a local investment banker willing to structure a leveraged buyout of the company. The banker would take an equity stake in the company while helping to find Theye a lender to finance the balance of the purchase, which meant dumping a load of debt on Theye's shoulders. "That was an emotional time," Theye recalls without a trace of emotion in his voice. "Now the risk was on my shoulders." And still, there was no money in his pocket.
Fourteen years after he'd founded the company, Theye's equity amounted to zero. Nonetheless he had grown a $20-million business, engineering its financial survival along the way. And now that he was back in control, he had the chance to get rich.
Phase Two:
Getting Big Fast:
Finding Hidden Value in Acquisitions
Terry Theye approaches his business the way the pros play pool. They can see the game being played out before them in time and space. If one shot is properly gauged and struck, it sets up ensuing ones that in turn create new possibilities. Without that ability to visualize, Theye would likely have made himself half a name as the fellow who sold a bundle of those obsolete word processors.
As Theye imagined it, his LBO of TFN was actually the first step toward transforming it into a public company with deeper pockets. It worked this way: With the proceeds from a planned IPO, Theye cashed out the merchant banker whose loan for the LBO had, in turn, cashed out Theye's earlier investor. On an operating level, the IPO provided vital working capital that allowed Theye to -- again -- change the business model.
What Theye saw before many of his competitors did was how fast the industry was consolidating, eroding margins and raising the need for cash. Now the company that began in 1975 as a sleepy little word-processing-equipment company would become an aggressive acquirer in the high-growth computer business. "In 1989 we were a $20-million company," recalls Theye. "We knew we needed to become a $100-million company in the next two years to survive."
Between May 1989 and September 1993 TFN went on an acquisitions binge, buying 11 other resellers. In the midst of that splurge, TFN went to the public markets twice, raising $20 million through an IPO in July 1991 and another $21 million in a secondary offering 18 months after that. Theye's hard years of labor had finally translated into something semitangible -- 90,000 shares of TFN stock, or 2.5% of the company. But he has sold none of that stake. For a time Theye was a paper millionaire as TFN shares rose to $18 in the spring of 1992, before sliding all the way back to $5 at the end of 1994. More to the point, Theye surpassed his $100-million, two-year target. In 1991 TFN revenues hit $139 million. Two years later they would soar to $702 million and produce a net profit of $9.3 million.
Theye's acquisition strategy was to scoop up viable competitors in cities throughout the Midwest to gain tighter market coverage and offset shrinking margins. The target area was rich with entrepreneurs who had jumped into the business, but with their sales and costs collapsing back on them, many lacked the will and the resources to continue the struggle. They were eager to gain a business partner with deeper pockets; several of them came aboard TFN as branch managers.
Theye knew he was buying more than market share and market coverage. In the good resellers, he saw hidden -- and hitherto undeveloped -- assets: people.
Even though computers were fast becoming a commodity, Theye and his managers believed that too much of a retailing mentality prevailed in the industry. As Dennis Hummel puts it, companies were content to let "pimply-faced kids earning $3.50 an hour" sell expensive, sophisticated equipment. Manufacturers drove that dynamic, he notes, going so far as to limit sourcing by awarding "authorized" dealers medallions, which would then be displayed in the dealers' store windows. Theye and Hummel, who concentrated on integrating TFN's acquisitions into the mother company, believed there was a bigger market in doing the opposite: sending sales and service people into the field. "It became evident to us that 'outbound' selling was more lucrative," says Hummel. Theye and Hummel realized they weren't going to get rich waiting for people to walk through the door and selling one computer at a time.
TFN's first major acquisition typified how Theye's vision conflicted with the status quo. In 1989 TFN bought the Thomas Brush Co., a $20-million reseller in Indianapolis. Hummel moved to Indianapolis for nine months to effect the transition at Thomas Brush, where he found a curious regimen. "Salesmen had to sign out to go make sales calls," says Hummel. "They even had to take turns vacuuming the store at the end of the day."
When obsolete merchandise came back from a customer, all ordering of new merchandise was halted until the sales force worked off that inventory. Company founder Thomas Brush, notes Hummel, had an obsession with inventory. "He worried about shrinkage. He moved all the inventory to his father's auto-repair shop and built these chicken-wire cages to keep it in," says Hummel. "This was two miles from the branch, and the sales reps had to keep running back and forth to get the stuff. You'd walk into that garage and there would be guys working on cars with the headers off. You couldn't hear yourself think."
Hummel went to Indianapolis and unlocked the asylum. He retrieved inventory from behind the chicken wire. He liberated the salespeople from the store and put them into the field to beat the bushes for customers. Out back, Hummel had pegged the technicians, casual in T-shirts and jeans, as "a very tight and talented crew." They knew a lot about computers. He made them dress up and put them out front, where they could talk to customers. By 1993 TFN had more than tripled Thomas Brush's volume, to $76 million, and that first big acquisition would prove a model for unlocking value from those that followed.
Still, Theye knew, volume alone could not sustain TFN. He had to find a way to keep adding value ahead of his competitors.
Phase Three
Going Corporate:
Targeting the Most Profitable Customers
Theye's spate of acquisitions set TFN up for its next revision of the business model. The company would progressively become a reseller to businesses -- big businesses, to be specific. Five years ago Fortune 1,000 companies accounted for 30% of TFN's volume. Today such companies account for 80% of sales, and that figure accurately reflects the TFN management's marketplace bias.
A troika of managers runs TFN: chairman Theye, along with president Lewis Miller and senior vice-president Hummel. Miller and Hummel, more voluble variants of Theye, focus on operations. Theye studies acquisitions, while the other two spend time pumping up the sales force and tracking daily developments. But all three are IBM veterans, and they share similarly buttoned-down beliefs.
One thing all three agreed on back in the late 1980s was the coming bifurcation of the industry, a growing split between the companies that served retail and the ones that served commercial customers. Although TFN's acquisitions orgy -- with its accretion of storefronts -- was bringing the company increasingly into the retail orbit, TFN knew it needed to get into the executive suite.
Faced with a similar choice, many competitors simply deferred it. Companies like MicroAge and ComputerLand (now Vanstar) built retailing empires while also pursuing commercial accounts. Theye, Miller, and Hummel chose to do one thing: serve the commercial market. They were corporate people. They knew how corporate people thought. They knew what corporate people wanted. "Retailing is an investment in brick, mortar, and glass," says Miller. "That's not who we are. We are not people running around in little orange vests." Although there might be money in retail, TFN's management knew the commercial market was wide open.
By the late 1980s corporate America had grown hungry for the efficiency that computers seemed to promise. Making the market even more attractive, says Hummel, was an undersupply of resellers ready to serve the corporate market in the way it wanted to be served. After all, no self-respecting corporate buyer would head down to the local mall and buy 200 machines from a teenage clerk. "Corporations were looking for someone to get off the retailing bandwagon and get on the professional motif," Miller says. "Their attitude was, 'We are used to talking to professional salespeople. Where are they?"
Theye, Hummel, and Miller would create them -- and would offer them up to the corporate client. TFN shut down retail outlets as fast as it acquired them. Disappearing from strip malls, those outlets resurfaced in upscale office-park complexes out along the interstates ringing the city sprawl. Their hours were now 8 to 5 instead of 9 to 9. TFN stores were reincarnated as "solution centers," well-appointed showrooms where corporate customers were welcomed by appointment only, where vendors were invited to come and demonstrate their latest wares. "It was a more businesslike atmosphere," says Hummel, "a demonstration area where you didn't have to fight your way past the knee nibblers and the tire kickers." The sales force called on corporate customers, drawing prospects into the solution centers to be dazzled by vendors' latest releases.
Showing its true colors -- Big Blue -- TFN's management also imposed a dress code. "We told them, 'Guys, it's white shirts and ties. Ladies, slacks are not appropriate in front of a customer," recalls Hummel. In November 1989 TFN opened its first solution center, in Indianapolis, sending out invitations to local businesses. The appointed evening arrived, and the weather was miserable, raw and rainy. Hummel looked gloomily out the window, wondering if anyone would show. Half an hour later the parking lot was full. "We had the place packed to the gills," he says.
The solution centers embodied TFN's central strategy for staying ahead of the competition. In the last five years, largely on the strength of that dedicated focus to the commercial market, TFN has grown its acquisitions at an average rate of 30% a year, taking the company from $80 million in sales to $800 million. A lot of money has been flowing through the company, but precious little of it has been sticking. Even as sales have been exploding, profitability has been declining.
Which means, of course, that Terry Theye has yet to strike it rich.
Phase Four
Finding a Financial Godfather:
Spreading the Risk
One of Terry Theye's strengths is the ability to leverage the skills of others when he needs them most. Just as he found a buyer and a banker to revive TFN from its earlier near-death experience, Theye recruited fellow IBM-ers Miller and Hummel to make the trains run on time as the organization grew and became more complex.
By 1992 Theye knew he needed somebody to see through the red ink to the soundness of his overall plan. TFN's basic problem was merely a hyperaccelerated version of the quandary Theye first encountered back when he was selling word processors to law firms in Cincinnati. As with any young and growing market, there was the potential for making big money in computers. Like a plane shifting altitudes to avoid turbulence, Theye kept moving to a higher level, hoping to settle at a spot where the air was smooth but not too thin. He knew he could get to that profitable altitude if he could rise above the industry fray. But TFN could not escape it. "We didn't think margins would collapse so fast in 1993 and 1994," admits Miller.
Margins, in fact, were coming down as fast as Theye could acquire struggling competitors and grow their sales. Five years ago TFN generated gross margins of 22% on hardware sales. Last year that number was 8%. Net margins, already thin, were growing anemic. From 2.2% in 1991, net profit was nearly halved, to 1.3% in 1993. Last year was especially brutal. The company took a $40-million write-down after all its acquisitions. "We had a lot of duplication in warehouses and distribution," explains Theye.
In the midst of its heavy acquisition phase, when it was dangerously close to draining its reserves, TFN had found a financial savior in Dick Sanford, the acknowledged godfather of the computer-reselling industry. Sanford is the founder and chairman of Intelligent Electronics, a $3.2-billion "master reseller," or distributor, of computers. At that time TFN bought nine stores from IE in exchange for stock. "It got us key financing so our business model would survive," says Theye.
Unlike its competitors -- virtually all of whom are under water or in the throes of restructuring -- IE sits above the fray with $140 million in cash on its balance sheet. Sanford has always been allergic to debt and dismissive of those who grow dependent on it. "We don't believe in banks," says Sanford. "Our company is driven toward not getting ourselves into a position where we have to go to them." Of his industry peers he says, "Most of these companies are way underfinanced. Only the organizations that are well financed and well connected will survive."
Sanford intends that TFN be well connected -- and that it survive. Last year Theye, faced with a cash crunch, turned to IE once more. "We had a liquidity problem," says Theye dryly. "Sanford solved it by helping little brother. He infused $40 million in cash into our business, and we gave him five of the nine stores back."
That $40 million proved to be just an ante. In March IE and TFN agreed to merge, in a swap of each other's stock.
The relationship between the Future Now and Intelligent Electronics reveals Theye's latest strategic maneuver in a turbulent marketplace -- vertical as well as horizontal consolidation. TFN will now buy most of its hardware from IE, making it, in effect, TFN's warehouse. That eliminates TFN's inventory risk. "There's no reason for Terry to carry inventory at 26 locations," says Sanford. "It's absurd. Why don't I hold it and ship it to him? He becomes over time the representative of services to manufacturers. He has outsourced a lot of his costs."
And that offers TFN a welcome flexibility in the fast-moving hardware market, in which technology turnover occurs every six months and, as Hummel notes, "product obsolescence is the grim reaper." In 1994 Hewlett-Packard introduced 65 new products, while Compaq and Apple each brought out 50, according to Carolyn Ruech, TFN's vice-president of marketing. Resellers dread getting stuck with obsolete inventory or, conversely, clearing out old inventory while not having the new machines on time. With IE as his big brother, Theye no longer has to worry about either predicament.
Furthermore, "Dick Sanford is so big that he's got the attention of the major manufacturers," says Hummel. As a result, manufacturers are not about to overstock inventory or let it get obsolete. That would clog a huge channel for new product offerings.
The IE-TFN combination promises big numbers. Sanford plans for IE to become a $10-billion company by the year 2000, with TFN, headed by Theye, as a $3-billion-plus subsidiary. Sanford and Theye hope their combined clout will give them the economies of scale they have been so desperately pursuing.
With the merger Theye will be able to count on IE to give him efficiencies on the hardware side. Too bad that's not where the profit is anymore.
Phase Five
Chasing Fat Margins:
Leaving Hardware Behind
What Dick Sanford, the godfather, has allowed Terry Theye to do is, in essence, offload all the risks associated with hardware. Theye's current business model embraces the opportunities that software and related services present, which is where future value lies.
To hear Theye tell it, TFN today is an $800-million company selling little more than air. Keeping that air rich with the oxygen of decent margins is the trick. "We need to stay at the leading edge of technology, and that really means staying at the leading edge of software and consulting services," says Theye. "The days of making money on hardware are long gone."
It was a good five years ago that Theye, with the millstone of hardware hanging heavy around his neck, began moving the company upstream into the consulting and software-services markets. Last year services accounted for 9% of sales but 40% of gross profit. Gross margins on professional services are 35% -- or more than four times greater than gross margins on hardware.
But within that promise there still lurks the same old hook of compressible margins. Hummel explains that TFN "needs to stay at the leading edge of the services envelope." In other words, high-skill services relating to integration and networks bring good profit because the demand for technical assistance currently outstrips the supply of technical assistants. More traditional "break-fix" services, says Hummel, "are break-even at best," down from 30% gross margins just five years ago. That creates new pressures.
To make the service end of the business flourish, says Theye, "we need high-level technology people." TFN's total payroll, at 1,450, has not changed in a year, yet it now has 650 people in services, 220 more than a year ago. That requires "sizing" the organization, as Miller puts it, reengineering jargon for hiring people with needed skills to replace those whose skills may not be applicable any longer.
In effect TFN is now trying to shift its mix of skilled people just as radically as it once moved from word processors to PCs or from retail customers to corporate buyers. But changing a company based on salespeople to one with greater need for technical people can't really be done through retraining. "It's very difficult to convert a product salesperson into a services consultant," says Mike Melenovsky, director of business-service strategies at International Data Corp. (IDC), a research firm. "It's like trying to take a used-car salesman and make him a management consultant."
Of course, as has been true throughout its profit-chasing life span, TFN isn't exactly boldly going where no competitors roam. The kinds of employees it wants to recruit are very much in demand. "This has always been a predatory industry when it comes to people," acknowledges Carolyn Ruech. In the past competitors lured away superstar salespeople who brought their customers with them. Now they home in on technical people.
But Theye is not exactly unfamiliar with that kind of fierce competition. No matter how his business model has shifted, he has shown no fear of crowds, whether in battling for PC customers or negotiating the switch to services. TFN and its competitors "face the same issues," says Traci Bair, senior analyst for IDC. "They have all been looking to carve out a niche in services, which in certain areas will be more competitive than hardware sales." According to Melenovsky, TFN's move into services will soon bring it into uncomfortably close proximity to such giants as EDS and Andersen Consulting. "The Future Now's greatest strength is that its management has a vision, but it still needs to identify its buyers," says Melenovsky.
For Theye that means only one thing: there's yet another business model on the horizon. And if he knows what it will look like, he's not telling. But he keeps the bigger picture resolutely in focus. With the IE merger, and mergers like it between other distributors and resellers, the industry has begun to consolidate yet again. Theye hopes that signals a threshold at which margins will begin to stabilize, the service business will find its niche, and IE will flood the pipeline with hardware. "That will be an end point," he says, sounding half-convinced.
Theye has now moved out from behind the big desk in his quiet and uncluttered office to sit at an oval-shaped table. He forms a portrait of composure that contrasts with the carnage in his industry. Ask him about all the uncertainty and he is not sad, not glad, not mad. He could just be numb.
He's only too aware of how Wall Street views his efforts. Kevin Morrow, an analyst with the Ohio Co., a regional brokerage in Columbus, is hardly dazzled by the IE deal. "There's nothing really to get excited about here," Morrow says flatly. He notes that TFN got a good deal -- with IE's backing, it can look beyond the next few quarters. "But for TFN shareholders this was not a good deal," Morrow adds. "IE paid no premium for the stock. TFN will gain strength by becoming a division of IE, but it will lose its public identity. Terry Theye obviously decided he'd rather be a survivor than a nonentity."
Surviving, it turns out, is what Terry Theye is all about. After all, for 20 years he's been struggling to build solid value into his creation. By now Theye ought to be confidently sitting back in his well-appointed office, recounting the big IE win, among others, and thinking of hitting the golf course. Instead, he can only laud his endurance skills. "We've survived so far," he says matter-of-factly, "but there's not a lot of time to sit back and congratulate ourselves."
The numbers are not pretty, but then the Future Now Inc. (TFN) operates in a less-than-glamorous environment. "The whole industry is ugly," says Kevin Morrow, an analyst with the Ohio Co., a regional brokerage based in Columbus. Still, Morrow expects TFN to survive, despite margins that could shrink by at least 25% this year. "TFN will make it," he explains. "It has a large customer base, it's growing its professional services quarterly, and the best thing it has going for it is its tie to Intelligent Electronics." Here's how the company has fared in recent years.
Revenues (in millions)
1991: $138.7
1994: $811.1
Net Income (in millions)
1991: $3
1994: ($41.5)
Net Margin
1991: 2.2%
1994: (5.1%)
Stock Price
12/31/91: $10.25
12/31/94: $4.50
Total Market Capitalization
1991: $30.4 million
1994: $34 million
NOTES: 1994 revenue, net-income, and net-margin figures are based on estimates by the Ohio Co. The 1994 net loss includes a $40-million restructuring charge, which TFN took in the second quarter of 1994. n -- Stephanie Gruner


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Minigore Zombies is a completely new game which takes a few steps out of the dual-stick shooter genre by introducing melee combat. Technically it's much more advanced than Minigore and allows us to do thing which aren't possible on 1st gen devices. It's our most ambitious project to date with many moving parts.
It's our most ambitious project to date with many moving parts and it's also gonna be our next big release now that Bike Baron is out. Hopefully we can reach a similar reception with it!
PS. My last estimate was way off for the MZ release and that's exactly why I don't want to do any release estimates until the game is AT LEAST submitted ;)
Please no "when it's coming out?" questions :)


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That's really cool. I'm either going to make self-replicating spiders made out of lego-like blocks and call them "Replicators", or make some sort of cyborg and call it "Skynet". But seriously, that's really cool.
^^ I was referring to management there, although come to think of it, they wouldn't know what you're talking about. That could be a good thing.


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The federal government has made it a priority to put much of its public information on the Web. This is good news, since you can often find key government publications, forms, statistics and regulatory data that can help you plan for your small business. Many government sites tend to be much richer in information than they appear to be. The government, for the most part, is very good at keeping archives of available data. There's often much more available than is listed on the home page. Be sure to use each site's "search" function to find the information you need. It may lead you to downloadable files available on an agency's FTP server, gopher, or elsewhere on its site. Also, you can't always be sure that the information you access from a government Web site is the most up to date. Treat any data you get from the Web -- especially information regarding specific laws and regulations -- as background, and be sure to confirm it with a representative of the appropriate agency. Your state government may also have a great deal of helpful information available online. To find out what's there, you might want to go through a directory search site such as Yahoo! and look for the site of the appropriate agency of your state. The following list includes some of the more useful Web sites for small business owners.
The IRS has put all its tax forms and tax booklets online, and you can download them directly from its Web site. You can not fill out the forms on your computer. Instead, you print the blank forms and fill them out conventionally. The tax forms are in PDF format, so you will need an Adobe Acrobat reader to print them out. If you need forms, think ahead; on the days immediately preceding a major tax due date (especially April 15), the site gets extremely busy and it's nearly impossible to download forms.
Every small business on the Web should be familiar with the SBA's site, but there are several features worth highlighting. First is its discussion of the SBA loan process, where you can get full explanations of each of the SBA's different loan programs. If you're looking for a loan, you might want to check out the SBA's annual list of small business-friendly banks, which is available in the Office of Advocacy area. Also, you can link from the site directly to ACE-Net, the SBA-sponsored angel investor matching service. Although the SBA site was recently redesigned, it is still sometimes difficult to navigate, so you might want to try the "search" function to get to the information hidden deeper in the site.
This is a catch-all electronic link designed to provide businesses with easy access to federal government information, services and transactions. While it doesn't have any information of its own, it does provide direct links to many other government sites. As such, it's useful for searching for the right government site that will likely have more information on the topic you're looking for. For example, the "Common Questions" section provides links to nearly all the common FAQ pages of the various government sites - from OSHA to Defense to the IRS. Unfortunately, this site is not updated as regularly as it should be, and some of the links are outdated (links to certain "recent" Department of Commerce press releases were as much as several years old). Still, it does get you to the right site, and you can navigate from there.
Copyright (c) 2010 Studio One Networks. All rights reserved.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2019 KUAM. All Rights Reserved. For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service, and Ad Choices.


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This farmer's market in City Heights offers an array of groceries and goodies. Featured items
include fresh fruits and vegetables, bakery, dry goods,prepared foods, and specialty treats. There are also imported items from Latin America, East Africa, and Southwest Asia. Come and shop!
Location: Wightman Street between 43rd Street and Fairmont Avenue
Website: http://www.sdfarmbureau.org
4300 Wightman Street
San Diego,


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Sandoval nominated for federal court seat
November 15, 2004
Attorney General Brian Sandoval, a top Nevada Republican viewed as a possible future candidate for governor or Congress, has been nominated for a U.S. District Court judgeship in Reno.
Sandoval, 41, the first Hispanic elected to a statewide constitutional office in Nevada, will accept the post if he's appointed by President Bush and endorsed by the U.S. Senate, spokesman Tom Sargent said Monday.
The nomination of Sandoval, chairman of the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign in Nevada, was made by U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., with the support of U.S. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., Ensign spokesman Jack Finn said.
If approved, Sandoval would take over the U.S. District Court seat now held by Howard McKibben. McKibben, 64, who has been a federal district court judge since 1984, is going on senior status in April.
Sandoval was in a state Pardons Board meeting and not immediately available for comment on the nomination.
On a political fast track, Sandoval was first elected to the state Assembly in 1994 and re-elected in 1996. That was followed by appointments to the governing board of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and to the Nevada Gaming Commission, where he served as chairman.
Recommended Stories For You
Sandoval left the Gaming Commission, to which he was appointed in 1998, to run for state attorney general in 2002. In that race, he was helped by endorsements from Gov. Kenny Guinn and most state police organizations and by backing from major gambling corporations.
As attorney general, he has headed Nevada's court efforts to block a national nuclear waste dump from being located at Yucca Mountain, northwest of Las Vegas. He also oversaw the investigation that has led to pending impeachment proceedings against Republican state Controller Kathy Augustine. Sandoval, representing Guinn, also opposed a federal court challenge of a state Assembly vote that sent a record $833 million tax plan to the Senate on a simple majority vote rather than a constitutionally required two-thirds vote.
Representing Secretary of State Dean Heller, Sandoval lost a legal battle over dual service by full-time government employees in Nevada's part-time Legislature. Sandoval petitioned for a ban on such service, but the court ruled against him in July.
Fans of Sandoval filed a certificate of candidacy to get him into a race against Reid earlier this year, but Sandoval said he wasn't interested. At the time he said he had no interest in seeking a Senate seat, adding that as attorney general until 2006, "I have a contract with the citizens of Nevada."
Sandoval graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno and from The Ohio State University College of Law. He lives in Reno with his wife, Kathleen, and their three children.


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moyer needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 104 designs submitted by 28 freelance designers.
Looking for an "eye-catching" logo for the product - AutoCal. The logo will be utilized independently, but will also be used on other pieces of equipment which AutoCal is compatible with.
We want to be able to promote this product which is a field calibration device for the industrial services industry. The product is new, and an upgrade to an existing product/service that is currently only provided at our on-site location. This product can be used by our customers at their own location and then returned to us.
We would like this logo to be one that could be used alone or with one or 2 words.
This product is a new product/sub product of EF Technologies.
We are looking to get "branding" recognition with this new logo for our specific product.
- Colors - red, bright yellow, black, gray.
- Need a simple, clean, clear -cut - technology focused design.
- A theme that promotes connectivity and compatability.
- A theme that promotes a process.
- A logo that promotes branding recognition.
- Item 1...
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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A reader contacted me last week seeking information about his great-great-great-grandparents, A. A. Porter and Mildred Porter, who lived and died in Holmes County, Mississippi. According to my contact, A. A. Porter (he believes his first name was "Allen") was born on February 20, 1816, in South Carolina and died on March 17, 1886 in Lexington, the county seat of Holmes County, Mississippi. Mildred M. Porter was born on January 1, 1823 and died on April 11, 1902. Both individuals are buried in Oregon Cemetery in rural Holmes County. My contact has found information that his great-great-great-grandfather was a Civil War veteran, serving in Co. B, Independent Cavalry, of the 1st Battalion MS Reserve Corp and/or Rebel Troop. A. A. Porter had at least two sons, John William Porter, born June 23, 1845, who died August 31, 1943, and Robert Porter, who served in Co. B (Red Rebels), 1st MS Sharpshooter Battalion. According to information provided by my contact, Robert was killed during the Civil War in the Battle of Peachtree. John William Porter was my contact's great-great-grandfather.
Researching my own Porter ancestry has been extremely difficult, primarily because male family members have been named and renamed John, James, William, and Robert since the late 1700s. Also, many of the individuals that I need more details about lived before 1850, the first year the U. S. Census enumerated all household members by name. Actually, I already knew about A. A. Porter, my contact's ancestor, since I had discovered his grave several years ago during a period of research in Holmes County. But I have never been able to connect this individual to my Porter line. Ironically, there was another A. A. Porter (Archibald) who lived in Attala County, adjacent to Holmes County, who possibly was a brother of my great-great-great-grandfather, Samuel Porter. According to family stories, after the death of Archibald Porter's first wife, Susanna Morrison, he traveled to Alabama, where he still had relatives, to seek a new wife. There he met and married Anne Trawick, daughter of Isabella and Burwell Trawick, and he and his new bride returned to Attala County where he owned land. Later, Anne and Archibald Porter became the parents of Susanna Porter, named for Archibald's late wife, and Isabella and Burwell Porter, named for Ann's parents. Less than ten years later, Anne Trawick Porter became a very young widow when Archibald died. Ann would soon remarry, to Boley J. Conner, and they became the parents of thirteen children that included three sets of twins. Many members of this large Attala County family are buried in the historic Conner Cemetery.
It seems that anyone named Porter who lived in Attala, Carroll, Chickasaw, Holmes, or Madison Counties should be related. But it doesn't seem to be an easy matter to go a generation beyond my great-great-grandfather, Samuel Porter. So I know just how my reader must feel: this Porter family puzzle is a difficult one.
It seems that anyone named Porter who lived in Attala, Carroll, Chickasaw, Holmes, or Madison Counties should be related. But it doesn't seem to be an easy matter to go a generation beyond my great-great-grandfather, Samuel Porter. So I know just how my reader must feel: this Porter family puzzle is a difficult one.


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Personalized Ruler Growth Chart for Girls - Height Chart for Girls
$ 23.99
Save 25%
$ 31.99
Personalized Ruler Growth Chart for Girls - Height Chart for Girls Description
Before you know it, she'll be all grown up! This personalized measure her height chart is durable and can be personalized with your baby girl name to have all the memories of her growing up throughout the years. What a great way to track that growth of your baby girl!
- Canvas measures 43 1/2" x 8 1/2" and comes ready to hang
- Measurement line starts at 24 inches and goes up to 60 inches
- Personalize with a name up to 10 characters, and est year
Shipping Information
Most orders will ship in 2-4 business days. Candles and favors will ship in 4-5 business days. Shipments originate from Medina, MN. Delivery times will vary depending on your proximity to our Medina, MN warehouse. When selecting our Standard Ground shipping option, most orders will be delivered within 7-10 business days from the day the order ships. Weekends and holidays are excluded.
We offer 5 shipping methods which can be chosen at checkout. For orders shipping to Canada, Alaska and Hawaii, please select the specific shipping service.
Within the contiguous United States
- Economy Ground Shipping - Delivery in 5 - 7 days
- Fast - Delivery 3-5 business days
Alaska and Hawaii Service - Delivery in 7-8 business days
Canada - Delivery in 7-10 business days
Shipping to Canada is via UPS only. Delivery time is typically 7-10 business days. Customer is responsible for all duties and tariffs. We do not ship orders to any other international destinations.
*Orders received after 12:00pm CST will begin processing on the next business day.


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Finally got to rock one of the so hyped FireWire boards last Saturday at OB. I rode the dominator 5'4" thruster squashtail, 10m strapless, 25 mph... so I had a sick session basically.
DA good:
Quad fin (Hell skatey and fun, quad virgin)
Clean surf (carved clean dropped in nice and quick, Fast floaty surf turns)
Size (small and fast but oddly floaty)
In small clean surf this would be the board of my choice, not OB per se
and that BaD:
Horrible in the slosh (way outside, just plain bouncy)
If it goes down in whitewater it rolls, fast, dangerous,wild and fun! Seriously I spent some time dodging that shit!
Long turns, maybe I needed more time to dial it, or its just OB... just never hit the bottom turns lime I'd like, kinda lit whomp!
Overall its a sick board and I'd have one in my quiver if I had three (surf) boards. I think I want the 5'10" hellfire first even w out trying it. I broke my old slingy board and now after trying one of these I'm hooked... I don't promote this shit (apparently they are pushing customer promotions like other brands). I also want to try the libtec boards.... anyways just sayin


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The broad-scale research goals of my laboratory are to understand the genetic basis of variation in behaviour and the genetics of species isolation. One of the great unanswered questions in biology is how new species are formed and maintained. It is believed that selection initially acts upon standing genetic variation in mating behaviour within a continuous population, causing subpopulations to diverge and become individual species. Yet the genetic basis of variation in courtship and mating behaviour, either within or between species, remains entirely unknown. In cases where species are able to hybridize, the resulting offspring are often sterile, yet the genetic basis of this mechanism (which prevents species from merging) is also poorly understood.
My research focuses on identifying the genetic basis of variation in courtship and mating behaviour within a species, and the genetic basis of behavioural isolation and hybrid sterility between species. We use the model system of Drosophila due to the extensive genetic and molecular tools this species offers, as well as the availability of species that can be hybridized in the laboratory. We use a mix of quantitative genetics, molecular genetics, behavioural assays and genomics in order to understand these complex traits.


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This weekend will feature a Main Street committee-sponsored companion event to the Kentucky Gourd Festival, but the committee is changing it up this year.
The inaugural Main Street Fleamarket will take the place of the arts and crafts show hosted by the committee over the last several years.
"Arts and crafts shows, with the economy the way it is, they're not doing well," said Jan Deigl, Main Street committee member. "So we decided to try something new. Fleamarkets are a popular attraction."
The Louisville man indicted earlier this year for stabbing, then dumping another man in the Elk Creek Grocery parking lot is now set to face a jury trial late this summer.
Paul C. Barr Jr., 34, of the 1100 block of Lehigh Avenue in Louisville, faces charges of first-degree assault, a Class B felony, and tampering with physical evidence, a Class D felony.
Barr appeared in Spencer Circuit Court on Thursday, and his attorney, Stephen Wright, requested a trial by jury, which Judge Charles Hickman set for August 12-13.
Lynette Mason, who has served as The Spencer Magnet's advertising director and general manager for the past five years, is now the newspaper's publisher — the first publisher to be named for The Magnet in 23 years.
Girl Power Month at the library
May is Girl Power Month at the Spencer County Public Library. Beginning this Thursday, each Thursday this month at 6:30 is girls' night out.
Girls between the ages of 13 and 18 can join in with friends for activities and conversations.
The event is sponsored by the The Center for Women and Families.
Waste tire amnesty
The Spencer County Public Library has a collection of local yearbooks that patrons use for genealogy research and browsing the past. These yearbooks do not circulate, but are available by request at the front desk. The collection is incomplete, and the library seeks donations for the following years:
High School
More than $27 million in asphalt rehabilitation projects have been awarded by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet as the spring construction season gets underway.
The first asphalt projects of the season are distributed over 45 counties.
"Maintaining our roadways is one of the most important responsibilities of the Transportation Cabinet," Kentucky Transportation Secretary Mike Hancock said. "Well-maintained roads are safer for motorists. They're also important for economic development and community growth."
Army Pvt. James D. Poole recently graduated from basic infantry training at Fort Benning, Columbus, Ga.
During the nine weeks of training, the soldier received training in drill and ceremonies, weapons, map reading, tactics, military courtesy, military justice, physical fitness, first aid, and Army history, core values and traditions. Additional training included development of basic combat skills and battlefield operations and tactics, and experiencing use of various weapons and weapons defenses available to the infantry crewman.
Breast cancer survivor Lillie Shelburne wrote the following narrative poem in 2005:
"Breast Cancer Survivor"
In the fall of 2004, it was time for a mammogram, a yearly chore.
Our lives are so busy, we hardly find time — we rush in for the films, never looking behind.
We go right ahead full speed every day, but the telephone rings and we hear someone say,
"I'm calling today (her voice cheerful and bright) about your mammogram films — something's just not quite right.
4-H Relay for Life team selling doughnuts
The Spencer County Relay for Life 4-H team is selling Krispy Kreme doughnuts to benefit the annual cancer research fundraiser. Glazed doughnuts are $7 per dozen and chocolate doughnuts are $8 per dozen. There are also other Krispy Kreme items available for purchase. The last day to order is Thursday. Anyone wishing to order should email Darla Browning at email@example.com.
First Assembly Relay for Life team plans tournament
Copyright © 2019
The Spencer Magnet is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Spencer County, KY and the surrounding area.


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Police said the incident happened about 5:45 p.m. at Garnet Avenue and Lamont Street.
The skateboarder was southbound on Lamont approaching Garnet at a high rate of speed when the traffic light turned red. He jumped off his board in an effort to stop, but his momentum carried him into the intersection where he was struck by a westbound Jeep Cherokee driven by a 19-year-old man.
The skateboarder suffered a fatal head injury.
Police Traffic Division was investigating.
— Dave Schwab Suspect pleads guilty in alleged MB Sportcenter meth ring — One of seven people charged with distributing methamphetamine, along with the owner of the Mission Bay Sportcenter, pleaded guilty Monday to possession of the drug for sale.
Joe Livingston Bean, 52, of Normal Heights, is not an employee of the Sportcenter, whose owner, Jason Morgan Boone, 40, is the alleged ringleader. Boone allegedly stored methamphetamine in the lockers of the business, but is the only employee charged.
Bean faces up to 180 days in jail when he is sentenced on Sept. 20. He remains free on $50,000 bond. Boone has posted $500,000 bond.
Boone and five others also appeared before San Diego Superior Court Judge Jeff FraserJuly 29 and they all agreed to delay their preliminary hearing to Oct. 23. Boone and the others have pleaded not guilty to the 19-count complaint that was filed against them in June following their arrests by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Deputy District Attorney Jorge Del Portillo said Boone would store the drugs in the business' lockers, and the others charged are couriers or mid-level drug dealers. The charges include multiple counts of possession of meth for sale, transportation and sales of meth.
— Neal Putnam


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Tips: If the name and the number on the football shirt picture is exactly what you want, you do not need to enter it again. If not, then you should enter your desired name and number.
Polska Robert Lewandowski 9 Koszulka Podstawowa MŚ 2018 dla Mężczyźni Długi Rękaw
- Model: Pilkarskisklep_20338
Dostępne opcje
Washing Tips:
It is recommended to wash the shirt by hand. If you want to use washing machine,remember to turn the shirt over then wash it. And fill the machine with cold water and use a gentle washing cycle so you can protect the colors more.


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MarineBio Projects
MarineBio is an advocacy and educational conservation organization for all marine life. We provide information to people from all walks of life — students, journalists, policymakers, scientists.... You protect what you love. Many areas in the ocean are still amazing, rich in biodiversity and vital to our own survival, but a large part is in deep trouble (pardon the pun). One of our main goals is to help people learn about marine life and ocean conservation so that they will love the ocean too and help protect it, if not restore it to a healthy state.
Please contact our Volunteer Coordinator at firstname.lastname@example.com if you'd like to help with any of our current projects described below.
Support the MarineBio Conservation Society and help support the following projects and our mission:
Project 1: Marine Species Databases
Online databases for the most common and endangered ~12,000 marine species to include referenced taxonomic, morphological, behavioral, dietary, habitat, reproductive, and conservation status information. To also include high quality photographs, video or access to video, as well as a variety of online resources for deeper species research. Species include marine alga and plants, marine worms, hard and soft corals (and other cnidarians such as jellyfish, etc.), plankton (phytoplankton and zooplankton), echinoderms, crustaceans, cephalopods, commercial, reef, and deep-sea fishes, sharks, marine birds, sea turtles (and other marine reptiles), and marine mammals.
Status: UNDERWAY (ongoing, 70% completed): Species launched »
Importance: various forms marine species data exists online but it is usually scattered with bits of data about different aspects at different locations, photos of species and behaviors at others, and video and other important information at yet other locations or missing altogether. By tying existing data together and filling in the remaining gaps, we hope to provide the most complete picture possible of each marine species that we discuss. Then, using various Web technologies, we will allow users to connect that data together in various ways to show, for example, relationships between species in terms of taxonomy, habitats, predators and prey, reproduction details, and conservation threats and status. Once we complete the most common and endangered ~11,000 marine species, we plan to offer that data in other ways for multiple uses to students, the general public, and researchers alike, especially to help promote marine conservation and marine conservation research.
Required: to achieve the above, ideally we need a small dedicated staff. Also, we are in need of Directors for various marine species groups. Please contact David Campbell at firstname.lastname@example.com or us at +1 (713) 248-2576 if you would like to volunteer as a Director for a specific group.
Project 2: Marine Conservation Information
We need to generate more interesting and in-depth information covering the main conservation issues concerning ocean life: global warming, the lack of a Sea Ethic, the solutions to overfishing (sustainable fishing), the threats to and an understanding of the importance of biodiversity, habitat conservation, ocean pollution, alien species, and sustainable ecotourism. Expert-reviewed sections on each topic with a focus on solutions while highlighting current efforts and the obstacles involved.
Status: UNDERWAY (ongoing, 50% completed): Marine Conservation section introduction
Importance: marine conservation essentially began with the save the whales campaign in the '70s and the dolphin-safe tuna boycott in 1986. Since those times, we have learned much more about what lives in the ocean and subsequently that much of it is struggling, if not disappearing, due mainly to our presence. Like marine species data, marine conservation data exists online but it is usually also scattered with bits of data about different aspects at different locations, hidden in various books and journals, or written about for various reasons for a wide number of audiences. By researching and tying the existing data together and filling in the remaining gaps, we hope to provide the most complete picture possible of each marine conservation issue online. Then, also using various Web technologies, we will connect that data together in various ways with the above species to show, for example, relationships between species and the various conservation threats and their status. We should also be able to show and share various data on conservation issue solutions to the widest possible number of people, groups, agencies, and governments (knowledge is power and time is wasting). In doing so, these efforts should help to further promote marine conservation and marine conservation research.
Required: to achieve the above we also need staff. An important goal for MarineBio is to generate adequate funding to hire Marine Conservation Researchers to work on the very latest issues in the places where they are needed most. Of all research, and especially conservation research, marine conservation research is severely lacking (~30:1 according to Dr. Norse) and ocean life, which so many of us depend on, is quickly paying the ultimate price, extinction. And now with global warming as the number one marine conservation issue, there has never been a time when marine conservation research was more needed.
Please contact our Volunteer Coordinator at email@example.com if you'd like to help with this project.
Project 3: Marine Life Sciences (Marine Biology)
Entails exploring and describing the alien world that marine life inhabits to assist with the understanding of the various marine conservation issues and their related efforts. This effort also interests and assists students around the world interested in studying Marine Biology, Biology, Zoology, Marine Conservation, Biological Oceanography, etc. We need to be able to offer at least a current entry-level Marine Biology course's worth of information online to help students with career and job decisions, etc. as well as to help increase the global awareness of marine life and its conservation. By helping to ultimately produce teachers in the marine life sciences and the vital researchers that ocean life needs at this crucial time in history, we hope to help improve things for marine life (and ultimately ourselves) in countless ways.
We need help expanding this section asap. If you have ideas how this section could be more useful and would like to help, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator at email@example.com.
Status: UNDERWAY (ongoing, 27% completed)
Project 4: Marine Conservation and Research Support
MarineBio provides substantial exposure for effective marine conservation and research groups such as the Marine Conservation Institute, Blue Ocean Institute and others.
Status: UNDERWAY (ongoing, 62% completed)
Suggestions for volunteers:
- Review the groups listed at /oceans/conservation/organizations, /oceans/conservation/organizations/species and /oceans/conservation/organizations/issue (some orgs will be listed multiple times) and compare their descriptions against what they currently have at their sites. Email suggestions for updates to firstname.lastname@example.com.
- Search for missing or new groups by species and the various issues involved, email urls and suggested descriptions to firstname.lastname@example.com. These pages should list ALL "effective" groups worldwide involved in marine conservation (look for signs of research, publications, etc. — effectiveness should be able to be verified, contact them if you have any questions).
- Contact each group to let them know they are listed on our pages with an offer to suggest updates, send us material concerning their latest efforts and to participate in our various social networking efforts, provide interviews, announce events, meetings, etc. If they are making a difference, we want to know and will do what we can to help. Period. All correspondence should at least be cc'ed to email@example.com.
- Keep in mind that these pages should serve multiple purposes, as:
- a current complete list of those groups worldwide that are actually making a difference for marine life for the benefit of the public, as well as ourselves,
- a list to help everyone determine what species, issues and areas are receiving the proper amount of attention and which are not, and
- a selected list of groups worthy of our and the general public's support depending upon what species, issues and areas are of the most concern, etc.
There are literally hundreds of orgs of various kinds and trying to determine which groups are worth supporting has always been an irritating issue for us. This project, if successful, should help us (and others) see through the noise and support those groups making the greatest changes that are so desperately needed today.
Please contact our Volunteer Coordinator at firstname.lastname@example.com if you'd like to help with this project.
Project 5: Ocean Online Communities
The MarineBio Conservation Society (MarineBio) maintains various dynamic communities of worldwide members involved and interested in marine life, marine conservation and marine biology. Members include high school and college students, marine biologists, marine conservationists, ocean sports professionals, marine science professionals and academia, etc.
The MarineBio Conservation Society runs the following dozen websites as part of our growing online presence supporting Our Mission:
MarineBio.org: since about 2000, we have averaged about 300K unique visitors and served about a half a million pages per month. And all without any significant external funding, thanks mainly to the countless visitors offering advice, pointing out mistakes and pitching in in various ways over the years. We read all feedback and will always welcome comments and suggestions concerning anything we offer. See the projects mentioned elsewhere on this page to see what we mainly need help with concerning the main site:
MarineBio @Facebook: currently reaching ~1 million people per week with >250K+ likes, our main Facebook page is becoming very popular as a great source of marine life photos and alerts concerning the latest issues in marne conservation here on Planet Ocean. Any and all feedback concerning our Facebook presence is highly appreciated:
MarineBio's Facebook Group: named the "Friends of MarineBio.org" and started about two years ago by our Director of Cephalopods, Dr. James Wood, our Facebook Group page currently has 20K+ members (including the likes of ocean heros such as Amos Nachoum, Andy Murch, Carl Safina, Cathy Church, David Doubilet, David Helvarg, Fabien Cousteau, Joe Romeiro, Richard Ellis, Sylvia Earle, and Wallace "J." Nichols, to name a few, and many others from all walks of life and all around the world...). Any and all feedback concerning our Facebook Group presence is also highly appreciated:
MarineBio @Twitter: our Twitter presence currently stands at about 3.4K+ tweets with 11.9K+ followers and the latest are shown on our home page:
MarineBio @Pinterest: a very recent endeavor as well (900+ Pins and 500+ Followers), we look forward to seeing what's possible for marine life on Pinterest. If you have experience on Pinterest and would like to help us push the limits there, please let us know!
MarineBio's YouTube Channel: we consider our YouTube Channel a very useful resource to help us promote the best YouTube videos concerning marine life and its conservation as well as a way to link species to videos about them and improve our Video Library on the main site. With broadband speeds and availability improving all the time, online video has finally become a very important part of rich online experiences:
Where else should we be (LinkedIn, tumblr, StumbleUpon, reddit, deviantART, LiveJournal, Tagged, Ning, Meetup, Badoo, Dropbox, foursquare...)? We have a minor presence on Wikipedia and over 65K other webpages (various news sites, marine-life related groups, etc.) link to us in various ways.... Each site we're on should primarily contribute to the important efforts by all effective groups toward spreading the proper awareness and making the changes needed NOW concerning the various marine conservation issues involving marine life (the ultimate uphill battle it seems).
If you have specific experience with any of the type of sites above and would like to help us keep them active and useful to all, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator at email@example.com with your specifics, including any related Web addresses, and your estimated weekly availability.
Status: UNDERWAY (ongoing)
Project 6: Ocean Strandings Database
The U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act falls short of requiring a central global database to store and analyze data concerning worldwide reports of marine mammal strandings (including unusual mortality events), necropsies results, etc. We plan to rectify that and also combine data about the stranding of sea turtles, fish, sharks, squid, etc. to help find out what trends may be hiding in the data to assist conservation efforts and research and to see if further work is needed involving investigations, especially in terms of the pathology involved and the common causes of strandings.
Please contact our Volunteer Coordinator at email@example.com if you'd like to help gather the initial data for this project (NMFS Level A data reports, etc.).
Potential sources of U.S. stranding data (there are "over 120 organizations partnered with NOAA Fisheries Service to investigate marine mammal strandings" alone...): California Academy of Sciences Department of Ornithology & Mammalogy | Central Puget Sound Marine Mammal Stranding Network | Department of Vertebrate Zoology at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History | Florida Strandings! | Institute for Marine Mammal Studies: IMMS Animal Rescues | Louisiana Marine Mammal Stranding Network | Marine Animal Rescue | Marine Mammal Center | Marine Mammal Center Rescue (Stranding) Network list | Marine Mammal Conservancy | Mote Marine Laboratory | NOAA NMSF Nationwide (U.S.) Marine Mammal Stranding Network Participants | NOAA NMFS Alaska Region Marine Mammal Stranding Network | NOAA NMSF NW Regional Office: Marine Mammal Stranding Network Maps & Area Contacts | NOAA NMFS Pacific Islands Region Marine Mammal Stranding Network | NOAA NMFS SE Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network (STSSN) | NOAA NMFS SW Region Marine Mammal Stranding Network | Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network | Pacific Marine Mammal Center | San Juan Islands Marine Mammal Stranding Network | Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network | Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network [Statistics] | Whatcom Marine Mammal Stranding Network | Various Universities, Marine Science Centers and Aquariums | British Columbia, CA: Marine Mammal Research Group Stranding Hotline - 800-665-5939 | Canada Stranding Hotline - 800-465-4336 | Whale stranding FAQs
Project main purposes: to display simplified and referenced metadata concerning strandings of marine life from 1825 to the present in a central place online to help with efforts to understand and hopefully minimize or prevent such events in the future. The application will be very simple to use, utilize Google Maps and allow for detailed searching and reporting. It will hopefully help answer some basic questions surrounding marine life stranding events, such as:
- Which species strand the most often, where and why?
- Are stranding events increasing or is it just that reporting is improving? Where are they increasing the most?
- How are strandings related to natural events such as El Niños and other weather phenomena?
- What are the leading causes thought to cause stranding events? Do they differ by area?
- How many fin whales have stranded in the Atlantic Ocean since 1990? In the Pacific?
- What percentage of strandings have causes that are unknown? What is the likely reason...?
The project will also allow the public to submit new events as well as updates to existing events at any time for review and approval... we'll also provide information to answer questions such as, what are you supposed to do when you find a stranded cetacean?
Project 6 Related News
Status: UNDERWAY (Design phase completed, alpha phase in progress. Projected launch date: Late 2016).
Contact our Founder at email@example.com if you have any technical questions or are interested in collaborating. If you would like to donate to help with the costs of this project, join us as a MarineBio Conservation Society member.
Project 7: Marine Conservation Laws Reports
Research is underway to determine the extent of marine conservation laws worldwide. We need to research the details, species involved and areas currently protected to compare to what we find reported and recommended by other projects such as Project 6 above. This should help us define which laws appear to be working, why, which are not and what needs to be changed.
Status: UNDERWAY (10% completed)
Volunteer suggestions:
- Starting with Marine Mammal Protection Act (and the various agencies, etc. included on that page) and then searching throughout the Web using searches such as this, we first need an easy to use and complete outline page listing all applicable marine conservation related laws in force around the world (as well as those laws effecting marine life such as the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts in the US, etc.). We can start with English-speaking countries but to be truly useful we'll need pages about the relevant laws for all non-English speaking countries as well.
- Each law would then have its own page. We might start with listing all International Laws first and then list those applicable in each countries' exclusive economic zone (EEZ)... we're open to suggestions at this point. A sysinct summary of each law followed by relevant resource links may be enough, let's see what we find.
- Ultimately, we'd like the section to be able to tell users very quickly which laws apply depending upon where they are and what activity they are interested in pursuing (recreational and commercial fisherpeople come to mind here as the primary audience).
Please contact our Volunteer Coordinator at email@example.com if you'd like to help with this project.
Project 8: MarineBio Kids!
We need to expand what we offer for kids of all ages (and especially their parents!) starting with the page at: MarineBio Kids. We first need to decide on the appropriate age groups (0-4? 5-7? 8-11?...) and then research all that's available online that would be interesting for the various groups (no need to reinvent the wheel, if someone else offers wonderful lessons or games or movies, etc. then we need to know about it). Contact us today to get involved!
Volunteer suggestions:
- Have a look at our only current page specifically for kids at /marinebio/games/. It will be split into games only and then needs to be replaced with a home page showing specific pages for different age groups.
- Search the Web and make a list of all the amazing resources for kids (and their parents and teachers) that you can find. Group them by age groups and look for those that offer the best materials for teachers too. There are tons of great materials online, let's gather them all in one place and see what's missing!
- Send us what you find with any remarks and suggestions you may have. Let's start with English resources, etc. first and then look for Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Russian, etc. We have unlimited space and will make all the pages needed to offer the best resources available online for kids, their parent and their teachers.
Status: UNDERWAY (1% completed)
If you are a teacher or have experience as a parent with online things for children that you would like recommend, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator at email@example.com to help with this project.
Project 9: Marine Conservation Technology (Status Reports)
We need to identify the most useful and cost effective online and offline technologies being used to assist with marine conservation efforts today. To be posted online and updated frequently, this should provide a central place for marine conservation researchers, groups and others involved to most effectively take care of the business of restoring and protecting ocean life.
Volunteer suggestions:
- We've started it at /oceans/submarines/ but it is far from complete. Using primarily online research, make up an outline of the specific tech being used in the various marine conservation efforts. For example, note the various tech involved in marine protected areas (MPAs) regarding delineation, determination, evaluation, monitoring and enforcement. Might break the tech down by issue or by species....
- Look for new tech (search news and research journals) such as AUVs, etc.
- If tech is used in marine conservation efforts, we need at least a page about it.
- The ultimate goal is to provide a simple to use area where those involved in marine conservation can review and make effective decisions regarding what tech to use to help them with their efforts.
- Once completed, we'd like to provide a monthly report about the latest developments in this field.
Status: UNDERWAY (10% completed)
Please contact our Volunteer Coordinator at firstname.lastname@example.com if you'd like to help with this project.
Project 10: Planet Ocean Content
We need to offer more pages regarding all interactions between humans and the ocean and its life. We have come a long way but still have much to do. If any of the following topics interest you, please let us know if you'd like to help us create pages about them (this list evolves over time, suggestions are more than welcome, and each topic should be covered in more depth than at least at Wikipedia...):
Topics Needed ASAP (in no order of importance...):
- Ocean Acidification: the science, the cause, the risks, etc. Tie into /oceans/conservation/global-warming
- Aquaculture: status, species, pros/cons, future, etc. Tie into /oceans/conservation/sustainable-fisheries
- Coral Bleaching: history, causes, prevention, the science involved, the future, etc. Tie into /oceans/conservation/global-warming
- Red Tides: history, causes, prevention, the science involved, the future, etc. Tie into /oceans/ocean-dumping
- Ocean Diseases: types, prevalence, species, causes, solutions, the future, etc. Tie into /oceans/ocean-dumping
- Marine Parasites: types, prevalence, species, causes, solutions, the future, etc. Start with /oceans/symbionts-parasites and expand...
- Marine Protected Areas vs. Marine Reserves: differences, benefits, cons, alternatives, current status, resources, etc. Tie into /oceans/conservation/sustainable-fisheries
- Ecosystem Management vs. other processes: what is it, pros/cons, etc. Tie into /oceans/conservation/sustainable-fisheries
- Research Vessels: ships, subs, aircraft, ROVS, AUVs, etc.
- Shipping: vessels, history, challenges, etc.
- Whale Watching: history, pros/cons, resources, etc.
- Diving: we have /oceans/scuba/ but it's mainly about the History of Scuba and it's rather old, let's put History on its own page and make this section cover every aspect of scuba diving: types (snorkeling, free diving, sport, tech, commercial, military...), training, safety, best diev spots, where to see which species, underwater photography, videography, tech and commercial diving, gear (regs, BCs, computers, rebreathers...), etc. The more divers there are, the more people there will be that care about the Ocean and its life (and diving's never been safer or more fun than now).
- Living Underwater: habitats history, current, future, challenges, etc.
- Living on the Sea: boats, sailboats, motorboats, yachts, etc.
- Water Sports! surfing, windsurfing, wakeboarding, etc.
- Oil & Gas from the Sea: drilling, platforms, exploration, history, challenges, tech, environmental issues, future, etc.
- Ocean Mining: history, status, future, etc. (e.g., China plans nuclear deep-sea mining base)
- Extraterrestrial/Extrasolar Oceans: starting with extraterrestrial liquid water, Mars, Europa, Callisto, Titan, Ganymede, Rhea, Titania, Oberon, Triton, Pluto, Eris, Sedna, Orcus, Ceres and possibly even Enceladus? For example, "Uranus and Neptune may possess large oceans of hot, highly compressed, supercritical water under their thick atmospheres, though their internal structure is not well understood at this time." and "there is evidence that rocky planets hosting water may be commonplace throughout the Milky Way."
- Shark Finning: (not shark fishing), include mantas being killed for just their gill rakers, etc. Tie into /oceans/conservation/sustainable-fisheries
- Plastic Pollution: best stats, status, efforts, alternatives, garbage patches, etc. Tie into /oceans/ocean-dumping
- Need to expand Ocean Pollution: this section should cover every type of pollution in detail (from all sources, industrial, commercial, residential, etc.) that effects marine life, every source, and all suggestions regarding solutions. Tie into /oceans/conservation/global-warming which is mainly about CO2 as a pollutant with various effects: warming, ocean acidification, etc.
- Commercial Fishing: everything... including TEDs, bottom trawling, etc. Start from /oceans/conservation/sustainable-fisheries
- Recreational Fishing: everything... what should every fisherperson know? What would they like to know?
- Captivity: all aspects concerning the controversial subject of keeping marine life in captivity, pros/cons, history, etc.
- Intelligence: what is it, who has it (marine mammals, cephalopods, fish?), who might have it...?
- We require pages for basically all ocean-related topics mentioned throughout the network such as the Great Barrier Reef or Oceania, etc. (any terms which are currently linked to Wikipedia).
Status: UNDERWAY (~3% completed)
Please contact our Volunteer Coordinator at firstname.lastname@example.com if you'd like to help with this project.
Feedback & Citation
Start or join a discussion below about this page or send us an email to report any errors or submit suggestions for this page. We greatly appreciate all feedback!
Help Protect and Restore Ocean Life
Help us protect and restore marine life by supporting our various online community-centered marine conservation projects that are effectively sharing the wonders of the ocean with millions each year around the world, raising a balanced awareness of the increasingly troubling and often very complex marine conservation issues that affect marine life and ourselves directly, providing support to marine conservation groups on the frontlines that are making real differences today, and the scientists, teachers and students involved in the marine life sciences.
Support us with a monthly donation today.
With your support, most marine life and their ocean habitats can be protected, if not restored to their former natural levels of biodiversity. We sincerely thank our thousands of members, donors and sponsors, who have decided to get involved and support the MarineBio Conservation Society.


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text:
Hey Javier,
Have you been hitting lately?
4.0 here in HB, let me know if you're down to meet somewhere in the middle to play
Sorry didn't get this message until now, I've been pretty busy with editing. When can you hit?
Hey Javier, do you want to hit this friday?
Hi Javier, nice to meet you. I was referred to you by Joe another member on this site. I'm currently looking for people to hit with and hope to improve and be more consistent. When do you usually hit and do you know of anyone who's looking for tennis partner as well? Thanks! - Aaron
Yeah, no worries, I actually hurt my shoulder, so i'm resting it for a few days. I'll hit you up next week.
Yeah, that sounds good.
Yeah I can hit, 10, or 1030 is good for me. What city are you in?
Javier, what do you do with the old balls?
and happy holidays.
hey dude, how's ur wrist doing? Need to hit singles set again soon. Been playing mostly doubles. I like the poly you strung on my racket so far.
You rock! Thanks Javier. Keep letting them know and this place gets bigger and better.
Javier, this is going out only to my friends on Tennisopolis. I'm trying to build some buzz on facebook for Tennisopolis. I couldn't think of anything extremely clever, so I figured giving away cool stuff always works! I need your help today; To enter, just LIKE the post our our fb page. And stay tuned, we're going to be having more giveways on fb in the near future.
Here's the link to the Verdasco autograph:
Thanks, Mark
© 2019 Created by Mark / The Mayor. Powered by


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Talkback: Is Darth Vader Screaming 'Noooo' Really Such An Insult to Star Wars?
On Tuesday, Star Wars fans became outraged upon learning that George Lucas had apparently digitally inserted a Darth Vader scream in the Blu-ray version of Return of the Jedi, available as part of the remastered HD trilogy out in September. It's a possible change which raises the question: Is a two-second "Noooo" really worth getting that worked up over?
[The above video combines audio received by io9.com with the original Star Wars video.]
[UPDATE: Lucasfilm has confirmed the changes.]
Admittedly, I don't have much invested in the Star Wars franchise (especially post-Jar Jar Binks) which is why I want to understand how a single scream is such a hurtful edit for fans. Especially since that scream takes up two seconds out of 600+ minutes of trilogy running time. I realize that George Lucas has been making subtle changes to his classic trilogy for the past two decades, including apparent additional alterations this go-around with more realistic Ewok eyes and a different Obi-Wan "Krayyt Dragon" call. But a scream? Is this just the fan breaking point?
George Lucas did not direct Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi and some may say that it is not his territory to re-edit the work of Irvin Kershner and Richard Marquand. Still, though, Lucas created the intergalactic franchise; if he doesn't have the rights to add a sound effect, who does? Would you have preferred that the producer/director post an online poll asking fans for permission since Star Wars is such a beloved entity?
If this turns out to be official, it's not like Lucas plugged in that controversial "Noooo" and all prior Return of the Jedi editions self-destructed inside millions of homes instantaneously. Those old Return of the Jedi copies are still floating around in a galaxy not so far away.
· Darth Vader will lose a little more of his dignity in Star Wars original trilogy Blu-rays. Listen for yourself! [io9]


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Kentucky Attorney General will not appeal federal judge's ruling in marriage case
March 04, 2014
Today, Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway announced that he would not appeal a federal judge's Feb. 12 opinion ordering the state to respect the marriages of same-sex couples legally performed in other states. The Governor of Kentucky announced shortly after AG Conway's press conference that he would be seeking private counsel to appeal the ruling.
Attorney General Conway said:
From a constitutional perspective, Judge Heyburn got it right, and in light of other recent federal decisions, these laws will not likely survive upon appeal. We cannot waste the resources of the Office of the Attorney General pursuing a case we are unlikely to win.
There are those who believe it's my mandatory duty, regardless of my personal opinion, to continue to defend this case through the appellate process, and I have heard from many of them. However, I came to the inescapable conclusion that, if I did so, I would be defending discrimination.
That I will not do. As Attorney General of Kentucky, I must draw the line when it comes to discrimination.
Read the full text of Attorney General Conway's speech HERE.
The announcement comes just a few days after U.S. District Court Judge John Heyburn finalized his February 12 opinion in Bourke v. Beshear, which sought recognition for same-sex couples' legal marriages performed in other states. One day later, the judge granted the state's request for a 21-day stay in the ruling, meaning that the decision would take effect on March 20. Last week, the judge also allowed two unmarried same-sex couples to intervene in the case, now referred to as Love v. Beshear, in order to seek the freedom to marry in the state.
Freedom to Marry National Campaign Director Marc Solomon applauded Conway's decision today. He said:
Today's decision by Kentucky attorney general Jack Conway was the right thing to do on both constitutional and moral grounds. He joins multiple other attorneys general across the country - not to mention his own state's federal judge, a Republican, in standing on the right side of history. Freedom means freedom for everyone - and that includes the freedom to marry the person you love. We will continue to make the case across the country that Kentucky, the South, and all of America is ready for the freedom to marry."
Conway is now the seventh Attorney General to refuse to defend marriage discrimination, following similar moves from the AGs in California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Virginia, and most recently, Oregon. Each of these attorneys general refused to defend the anti-marriage laws, declaring them unconstitutional and indefensible.
Freedom to Marry celebrates Attorney General Conway's refusal to defend marriage discrimination in Kentucky. With his support and the continued support of so many public officials who understand the importance of the freedom to marry for same-sex couples, we can continue to advance marriage for all.
Read more about Bourke v. Beshear, and keep up on all of the marriage litigation - 49 cases in 26 states - HERE.