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Columbus Crew
Five things you should know about the newest member of the Fire, Dilly Duka.
1) He's Albanian-American and his name is short for "Dilaver".
2) Dude's also got the Twitter machine, follow @D_Duka11.
3) A product of Montville, NJ, Duka came up in the New York Red Bulls Academy and went to Rutgers for two years before signing a Generation adidas contract and being selected eighth overall by Columbus in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft.
4) He scored a ridiculous goal from the left wing for the U.S. U-20's in the 66th minute of the team's 4-1 win over Cameroon at the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Championships in Egypt. (See video below, start at 2:45).
5) The trade to the Fire reunites him with U.S. U-20 teammate Sean Johnson. Check out a great flashback shot of Sean Johnson beginning at 42 seconds of at video….
WATCH: Dilly Duka Scores Impressive Goal at 2009 U-20 World Cup
Though he didn't have all that much to do in the U.S. Men's National Team's 0-0 friendly draw vs. Canada last week, it seems clear the Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson remains in Jurgen Klinsmann's plans after being one of three goalkeepers called in for Wednesday's CONCACAF Final Round World Cup qualifier at Honduras (LIVE 3pm CT on beIN Sport).
The summons means Johnson will miss most of the team's second phase of preseason camp in Ventura, Calif. but nearly a month of training with the national team won't leave him out of shape.
Consistently called up since last August's 1-0 friendly win at Mexico, the 90 minutes the fourth-year Fire 'keeper earned in Wednesday's draw seems to indicate Johnson is stating a strong case for the U.S. Men's third goalkeeper shirt behind English Premier League veterans Tim Howard and backup Brad Guzan.
Should his form hold up and the U.S. Men navigate another difficult CONCACAF qualifying test, Johnson could find his way to Brazil next year.
There are still too many variables to allow anyone to get that far ahead and strong competition will remain from the likes of veteran Nick Rimando (injured for January camp), as well as Johnson's friendly rival Bill Hamid.
While the trio wouldn't be expected to appear in this year's qualifying matches, with the U.S. expected to send a B-team to the this summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup, the tournament will likely serve as the next indication as to who Klinsmann favors for the presumable third spot.
Even if he's not always playing in matches, the 23-year-old's continued inclusion in camps, working with the best 'keepers American soccer has offer, can only help with his chances and his form for the Fire.
It should be an interesting year for Sean and the U.S...
Remember the last time the U.S. went to Honduras?
Trailing 1-0 just after the break, the U.S. used a brace from Conor Casey and a Landon Donovan free kick to eventually win the match 3-2 and qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Check out highlights below:
Major League Soccer today released the final list of players eligible for Stage Two of the MLS Re-Entry process to take place via teleconference Friday afternoon at 2pm CT.
Midfielder Corben Bone, defender Dan Gargan and goalkeeper Jay Nolly remained on the list from the Fire after passing through the Stage One draft last Friday. Of course the Fire were the only team to select a player in that draft, picking Brazilian forward Maicon Santos.
The Stage Two draft typically has more activity as teams who select players on Friday can negotiate their salaries. In Stage Two, teams cannot select their own players until after all 18 other teams have passed on them.
Players that pass through Friday's draft without getting picked are free to sign with any MLS team on a first-come, first-served basis. If you're at all still confused, I explained the entire Re-Entry Process in this blog last Friday.
The list of the 49 eligible players for Re-Entry is below. Salary numbers are from the most recent report by the MLS Players Union.
This is probably a weaker Re-Entry Field than we've seen in the two previous versions. Given the three players the Fire have exposed to the draft and considering the moves made so far this offseason (re-signing Arne Friedrich and Gonzalo Segares; acquiring Maicon Santos), who, if anyone would you want to see the Fire take in Stage Two tomorrow?
Tell us in the comments below...
Team | Player | Position | 2012 Base Salary |
CHI | Jay Nolly | GK | $78,250 |
CHI | Corben Bone | M | $100,000 |
CHI | Dan Gargan | D | $88,000 |
CHV | Juan Pablo Angel | F | $350,000 |
CHV | Peter Vagenas | M | $70,000 |
CHV | Danny Califf | D | $275,000 |
CHV | Alejandro Moreno | F | $185,000 |
CLB | Will Hesmer | GK | $170,000 |
CLB | Julius James | D | $100,000 |
COL | Tyrone Marshall | D | $90,000 |
COL | Scott Palguta | D | $63,670 |
COL | Conor Casey | F | $400,000 |
COL | Hunter Freeman | D | $105,000 |
COL | Jamie Smith | M | $148,992 |
COL | Ian Joyce | GK | $44,004 |
COL | Joseph Nane | M | $44,100 |
COL | Tyson Wahl | D | $65,000 |
DC | Mike Chabala | D | $75,000 |
DAL | Bruno Guarda | M | $60,000 |
DAL | Kevin Hartman | GK | $165,000 |
DAL | Julian De Guzman | M | $1,863,996 |
DAL | Scott Sealy | F | $50,004 |
HOU | Colin Clark | M | $105,427 |
KC | Olukorede Aiyebusi | D | $44,100 |
KC | Luke Sassano | M/D | $81,000 |
LA | Chad Barrett | F | $220,000 |
LA | Andrew Boyens | D | $62,500 |
LA | Bryan Jordan | F | $55,000 |
LA | Pat Noonan | F | $70,000 |
MTL | Shavar Thomas | D | $80,000 |
NE | Tim Murray | GK | $44,100 |
NE | Blair Gavin | M | $60,000 |
NY | Bill Gaudette | GK | $60,000 |
NY | Stephen Keel | D | $65,000 |
PHI | Chase Harrison | GK | $44,000 |
POR | Lovel Palmer | M | $85,000 |
RSL | Paulo Araujo, Jr. | F | $65,000 |
SEA | Andrew Weber | GK | $51,996 |
SEA | Mike Seamon | M | $33,750 |
SJ | Jean Alexandre | M | $44,100 |
SJ | Tim Ward | D | $65,000 |
SJ | Ramiro Corrales | M | $173,250 |
SJ | Joseph Gjertsen | M | $85,000 |
SJ | Khari Stephenson | M | $190,000 |
TOR | Eric Avila | M | $125,000 |
TOR | Adrian Cann | D | $126,000 |
TOR | Ty Harden | D | $90,000 |
VAN | John Thorrington | M | $170,000 |
Was the 2012 Chicago Fire Goal of the Year tournament just not enough for you? Did you think someone got short-changed?
Check out all 48 Fire goals scored in MLS play this season, put together by our video man, Leo Flores...
Saturday night's flat performance at New England combined with results in New York, D.C. and Houston have put the Fire in a precarious position going into this weekend's regular season finale vs. United. With all five playoff teams now known, the result for the Men in Red means the team could literally still be seeded anywhere from second to fifth in the East come Sunday morning…
With only one regular season game left, this will be the last edition of Playoff Math for 2012 where I look at each team's best and worst case scenarios and potential seedings. Enjoy!
1) Sporting KC
Current Points: 60 (40 GF)
Maximum Possible Points: 63
Highest/Lowest Possible Seed: 1/2
Last Game: vs. Philadelphia (10/24).
The Rundown: Things have worked pretty well for KC heading into the playoffs. Saturday night they went and earned a second result in New York this season and combined with the Fire's failure at New England, have nearly locked down the top spot in the East. At the very least, they'll finish second.
The Best Case: All they need to do is earn a draw in their final game against Philadelphia to take the top seed.
The Worst Case: A loss to Philly at midweek combined with a D.C.win over the Fire would push Sporting down to second based on the Goals For tiebreaker.
Beyond just being a solid team, Sporting have more than earned their position in the table by being smart about how they've earned results in difficult places to play.
2) D.C. United
Current Points: 57 (52 GF)
Maximum Possible Points: 60
Highest/Lowest Possible Seed: 1/4
Last Game: at Chicago (10/27; 3pm CT on NBC Sports Network)
The Rundown: D.C. was the biggest mover of the night and did it all in dramatic fashion by coming back from two deficits to eventually down the Columbus 3-2 behind Lewis Neal's stoppage time strike. The win propelled United past the Fire and into second, qualified them for their first postseason berth since 2007 all the while helping to end the Crew's postseason hopes.
The Best Case: A win Saturday against the Fire combined with a Sporting loss to Philadelphia would push United to first in the East. They could still lock down second on Saturday with just a draw against Chicago.
The Worst Case: A loss to the Fire and a New York win over Philadelphia would push D.C. to fourth and force them to host the Eastern Conference play-in game on October 31 or November 1.
3) Chicago Fire
Current Points: 56 (45 GF)
Maximum Possible Points: 59
Highest/Lowest Possible Seed: 2/5
Last Game: vs. D.C. United (10/27; 3pm CT on NBC Sports Network)
The Rundown: After winning seven of eight in late summer and fall, the Men in Red have dropped their last three of four. There is reason to be nervous but be glad the team is home and can still control their own destiny as it comes to earning a higher seed.
The Best Case: All it would take for the Fire to lock up second in the East is a win at home against D.C. on Saturday.
The Worst Case: New York will end its match with Philadelphia a half hour before kickoff at Toyota Park -- If the Red Bulls win and the Fire lose or draw against D.C. the team will at least be condemned to fourth place.
Then the team will point its eyes to Denver where Colorado hosts Houston (8pm CT) in the final match of the 2012 MLS regular season – if the Dynamo win with a Fire loss against DC, the Men in Red will fall to fifth and open up the postseason at Houston. If the Fire draw against D.C., they'll remain fourth regardless of what happens in Colorado.
4) New York Red Bulls
Current Points: 54 (54 GF)
Maximum Possible Points: 57
Highest/Lowest Possible Seed: 3/5
Last Game: at Philadelphia (10/27; 12:30pm CT on NBC Sports Network)
The Rundown: New York will be disappointed to not have done more against Sporting KC in two huge home games towards the end of the season but will be happy to go into the final weekend with a playoff berth locked.
The Best Case: Because the Fire and United play and are already ahead of New York, there is no way for Red Bull to finish higher than third. With that in mind, all they need to do is defeat Philadelphia to lock in third place and avoid the play-in game.
The Worst Case: A draw or less to Philadelphia and then Red Bull will also be watching the Houston/Colorado match closely that night. A Houston win would mean the Dynamo would at the very least host New York in the play-in game, while a draw or loss would mean Red Bull would host the Dynamo.
5) Houston Dynamo
Current Points: 53 (48 GF)
Maximum Possible Points: 56
Highest/Lowest Possible Seed: 3/5
last Game: at Colorado (10/27 8pm CT on Direct Kick/MLS Live)
The Rundown: Houston's 3-1 win over Philadelphia Saturday night combined with D.C.'s victory over Columbus clinched the 2011 MLS Cup finalists a place back in the playoffs. Because of their appearance in last year's championship match, the Dynamo also have to juggle the final group game of CONCACAF Champions League play this Wednesday when they welcome Honduran side Olimipa to BBVA Compass Stadium.
Luckily for the Dynamo, they need only a draw in the game to ensure advancement to the next round ahead of having to close out the regular season and fight for positioning in the East with a match at altitude in Colorado.
The Best Case: The Dynamo could finish as high as third in the East if both New York and Chicago lose their games earlier in the day and Houston defeats Colorado.
The Worst Case: The Fire and Red Bull both win their earlier matches condemning the Dynamo to fifth and rendering the game that night at Colorado meaningless. In that case, Houston would travel to D.C. United for the play-in game.
A lot has changed since my last Playoff Math entry. The team had just come off a disappointing 2-0 loss to Sporting KC while almost no other result in the East had gone the Fire's way that weekend. The team would follow the loss to KC up with a disappointing 3-1 home defeat to Philadelphia on Anniversary Night before earning a solid 2-0 win at New York three days later.
It all goes to show that Playoff Math isn't always foolproof but a good read nonetheless. With that here's the latest update, also recognizing the field in the East is down to six teams with Montreal's elimination last week…
1) Sporting KC (qualified)
Current Points: 59 (40 GF)
Games Remaining: 2 (1 home, 1 away)
Maximum Possible Points: 65
Average Opponents Points: 44.5
Magic Number (for first place): 4
Remaining Schedule: at New York (10/20), vs. Philadelphia (10/24).
The Rundown: Sporting KC took a potential blow to their first place bid by leaving two points on the field late at Crew Stadium last Sunday. KC still has the inside track to finishing top of the conference for the second straight season but will have to navigate a tricky match at Red Bull this week to get there. If they can earn another win in New York, they'' all but clinch the top spot in the East, then needing only a win the following Wednesday home to Philadelphia.
2) Chicago Fire (qualified)
Current Points: 56 (45 GF)
Games Remaining: 2 (1 home, 1 away)
Maximum Possible Points: 62
Average Opponents Points: 41. 5
Magic Number (to first place): 9
Remaining Schedule: at New England (10/20), vs. D.C. United (10/27)
The Rundown: Despite falling in two of the last three matches, the Fire are in the playoffs and still find themselves with a reasonable shot at taking first in the East with the Sporting/Red Bull match looming this weekend. If Red Bull is able to win and the Fire can come away from New England victorious as well on Saturday, they'll be even on points with first place Kansas City and actually ahead on the first tie breaker (goals for).
That scenario would almost assuredly just require a Fire win on the final of the season vs. DC United to lock down first place (Sporting KC would have make up 6+ goals on Philadelphia in order to jump over the Fire.
More incentive to keep in mind… Should the Fire win their final two games, they'll at least finish third overall in the MLS standings, giving them a real shot at the CONCACAF Champions League should either Sporting KC or San Jose make MLS Cup.
3) D.C. United
Current Points: 54
Games Remaining: 3 (1 home, 1 away)
Maximum Possible Points: 60
Average Opponents Points: 52.5
Magic Number (to qualify): 2
Remaining Schedule: vs. Columbus (10/20), at Chicago (10/27)
The Rundown: D.C. has the most difficult remaining schedule of the group but with them hosting sixth-place Columbus Saturday, can step into the playoffs with just a draw Saturday against the Crew. With United facing the Fire on the final day of the season, D.C. has plenty of incentive to go for wins in both games in order to possibly finish with home field advantage in the first round. Should the Fire and Sporting KC completely collapse the Capital City club even has an outside shot at first in the East.
4) New York Red Bulls
Current Points: 53
Games Remaining: 2 (1 home, 1 away)
Maximum Possible Points: 59
Average Opponents Points: 47.5
Magic Number (to qualify): 3
Remaining Schedule: vs. Sporting KC (10/20), at Philadelphia (10/27)
The Rundown: New York's form the last four games combined with front office shake ups and chatter about head coach Hans Backe's status for next year can't fill a Red Bull fan full of confidence. Still, they control their own playoff destiny and can qualify as well as play spoiler this weekend with a win at home vs. Sporting KC.
With the Red Bulls going 10-0-3 through their first 13 matches this season at Red Bull Arena, both Sporting and the Fire found the chink in the armor there in recent weeks. Even still, New York remains 11-2-3 at home this year and shouldn't be underestimated with their backs a bit against the wall on Saturday.
5) Houston Dynamo
Current Points: 50
Games Remaining: 2 (1 home, 1 away)
Maximum Possible Points: 56
Average Opponents Points: 33.5
Magic Number: 6
Remaining Schedule: vs. Philadelphia (10/20), at Colorado (10/27)
The Rundown: Despite having a reasonably easy schedule to close the 2012 campaign, Houston has made things sort of difficult on themselves down the stretch, going 1-1-1 in their last three matches all against sides outside of the playoff picture. Luckily, they still have the easiest schedule of all remaining playoff teams, hosting Philadelphia this weekend before visiting Colorado on the 27th.
With that high-altitude trip looming on the final day, the Dynamo would do well to take care of business Saturday against the Union where a win would necessitate just a draw on at the Rapids. A win Saturday combined with a Crew loss at DC would push Houston back into the playoffs for the second straight season.
6) Columbus Crew
Current Points: 49
Games Remaining: 2 (1 home, 1 away)
Maximum Possible Points: 55
Average Opponents Points: 38
Magic Number: 8
Remaining Schedule: at D.C. United (10/20), vs. Toronto FC (10/28)
The Rundown: Another late goal last Sunday at home vs. Sporting KC likely salvaged the Crew's season, keeping the team within one point of fifth place Houston heading into a harrowing six-pointer Saturday at DC.
A victory keeps the team in the playoff hunt heading into the last match of the season, a very winnable home game vs. Toronto. A win plus a Houston draw or loss puts the Crew in the driver's seat. They've played with nothing to lose since August, no reason they should stop now.
From a traveling fan perspective, all of Fire nation should want the Crew to sneak into the playoffs and the Fire to have a chance at them in the first round.
This Week's Predictions:
New York Red Bulls 2, Sporting KC 1
Chicago Fire 2, New England Revolution 0
D.C. United 1, Columbus Crew 1
Houston Dynamo 2, Philadelphia Union 1
If those hold true the standings coming out of the weekend would be...
1) x-Chicago - 59pts. (47 GF)
2) x-Sporting KC - 59pts. (41 GF)
3) x-New York - 56pts. (56 GF)
4) x-D.C. United - 55pts. (50 GF)
5) Houston - 53pts. (47 GF)
6) Columbus - 50pts. (41 GF)
Let's hope I'm right!
A 2-0 defeat at Sporting KC Friday; Red Bull defeat Toronto FC 4-1; Columbus takes advantage of an offside goal to earn another late win; The Dynamo overpower New England 2-0…
The Chicago Fire were about 11 minutes from having literally every result this weekend go against them before Portland's Bright Dike roofed an effort past Bill Hamid to earn the Timbers a 1-1 home draw against D.C. United.
That result in Portland combined with the other four this weekend pushed the Fire down to third place (tied on points with New York) and just five points ahead of the sixth-place Crew with four matches remaining and just as many openings in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Fire and many other fans in the East deserve to be a little frustrated. The past few seasons it didn't take this much to qualify for the playoffs.
Even with most teams having three to four games left in the season, total wins in the East are currently at 122, up from 88 which was the total through the end of 2011. Playoff team wins (or translated to last year, Top 5 team wins) total in at 76 right now over 59 through the end of 2011. More simply put, it took fifth place New York just 46 points to qualify for the postseason last year, while this year sixth place Columbus sits on 48 points and outside of the current playoff bubble.
WATCH: Sporting KC 2, Chicago Fire 0
Make no mistake, all five teams that make it from the East will have earned it this season…
PLAYOFF MATH…I've added magic numbers to the breakdown this week. For a definition on what the magic number is in soccer, click here.
1) Sporting KC (qualified)
Current Points: 58
Games Remaining: 3 (1 home, 2 away)
Maximum Possible Points: 67
Average Opponents Points: 43.6
Magic Number (for first place): 8
Remaining Schedule: at Columbus (10/7), at New York (10/20), vs. Philadelphia (10/24).
The Rundown: Sporting KC navigated their difficult stretch of three games in nine days about as perfectly as they could have expected. The team earned a valuable 2-0 win at New York on September 19, played strategically for a point at Montreal three days later and returned home on Friday to defeat the Fire, taking seven points from the three matches.
WATCH: New York Red Bulls 4, Toronto FC 1
The victory over Chicago on Friday not only opened up a somewhat comfortable five-point gap between first and second but also pushed KC back into the playoffs. They still have two tough games at Columbus who are 10-3-2 at home this season and fighting for their playoff lives and a trip back to New York, but if they can negotiate that two-game stretch as well as the three games before it, they shouldn't have an issue finishing in poll-position in the East.
2) New York Red Bulls
Current Points: 53 (tied with Fire, ahead on Goals For tiebreaker)
Games Remaining: 3 (2 home, 1 away)
Maximum Possible Points: 62
Average Opponents Points: 47
Magic Number (playoffs): 5
Remaining Schedule: vs. Chicago (10/6), vs. Sporting KC (10/20), at Philadelphia (10/27)
The Rundown: New York did what they needed to in taking a 4-1 victory over Toronto Saturday night. They face perhaps the toughest remaining schedule of anyone in the East, having to face both the Fire and Sporting KC, albeit at home, in back-to-back matches. The results of those two games will go a long towards determining where all three teams will finish.
How they qualify: Red Bull can qualify for the playoffs this week by defeating the Fire and having Columbus either lose or draw to Sporting KC (Sunday) or Houston lose to Montreal (Saturday).
3) Chicago Fire
Current Points: 53 (tied with New York)
Games Remaining: 4 (2 home, 2 away)
Maximum Possible Points: 65
Average Opponents Points: 40.75
Magic Number: 5
Remaining Schedule: vs. Philadelphia (10/3), at New York (10/6), at New England (10/20), vs. D.C. United (10/27)
The Rundown: While it wasn't what you wanted, there was nothing disastrous about Friday night's result at Kansas City. One thing to remember is that the Fire hold a game in hand over everyone else in the playoff race and that game is made up this week with Wednesday's clash vs. Philadelphia and Saturday's match at New York.
If the Fire can manage to take at least four points from the week, they would almost assuredly have booked their place in the postseason and even three points would go a long way toward playoff qualification. Anything less and the team will have made things much more difficult than need be on themselves.
Luckily enough, Wednesday's game comes against lowly Philadelphia who will be on one day less rest than the Fire and who haven't beaten any of the top seven teams in the East away from home, going 0-6-0 in those games this season.
WATCH: D.C. United 1, Portland Timbers 1
While it'll be expected for the Fire to take three points against the Union, the more difficult match will come Saturday against Red Bull. If the team gets a win against Philly, a draw would be ok to keep the Fire in position ahead of New York to push for second place in the East.
Keep in mind though, waking up Sunday morning is all the more reason to hope the Fire can earn just one more point than Red Bull as there's little to no chance the team will win a tie-breaker with the high-flying New York offense.
How they qualify: The Fire can qualify for the playoffs in a variety of ways this week but at the very least need three points from their two matches vs. Philadelphia (Wednesday) and at New York (Saturday), combined with a Columbus loss or draw vs. Sporting KC (Sunday) or a Houston loss vs. Montreal (Saturday). Two wins in the two matches and the rest won't matter as the Fire will have booked their ticket.
4) D.C. United
Current Points: 51
Games Remaining: 3 (1 home, 2 away)
Maximum Possible Points: 60
Average Opponents Points: 41
Magic Number: 7
Remaining Schedule: at Toronto FC (10/6), vs. Columbus (10/20), at Chicago (10/27)
The Rundown: Given that it would have made for a three-way tie for second place, D.C. will be a bit disappointed not to have taken three points at Portland Saturday. Taking care of business at Toronto on Saturday will be most important for United as their final two matches look like they could be of the six-point variety.
How they qualify: They can't this week. A win at Toronto and a Columbus loss this weekend won't be good enough to get D.C. into the playoffs before the international break as it would only equal six "magic number" points.
WATCH: Columbus 3, Philadelphia 2
5) Houston Dynamo
Current Points: 49
Games Remaining: 3 (2 home, 1 away)
Maximum Possible Points: 58
Average Opponents Points: 33.3
Magic Number: 9
Remaining Schedule: vs. Montreal (10/6), vs. Philadelphia (10/20), at Colorado (10/27)
The Rundown: Houston stumbled last weekend at Philadelphia and had a bit of trouble in the first half Saturday night vs. New England but eventually got the job done. The Dynamo undoubtedly still have the easiest schedule in the East, with their hardest game coming against Montreal on Saturday. The goal of every team ahead of Houston should at least be to finish with more than 58 points as that is the closest thing to a playoff point threshold that exists right now.
How they qualify: Won't be able to think about qualification until at least October 20.
6) Columbus Crew
Current Points: 48
Games Remaining: 3 (32 home, 1 away)
Maximum Possible Points: 57
Average Opponents Points: 43.6
Magic Number: 10
Remaining Schedule: vs. Sporting KC (10/7), at D.C. United (10/20), vs. Toronto FC (10/28)
The Rundown: The Crew did it again Saturday night, scoring another late winner, albeit one that was clearly offside. That doesn't matter now as Columbus kept pace in the tight Eastern Conference playoff race.
The result was huge as the Crew will be facing the East's top team in Sporting KC on Sunday before a certain six-pointer on October 20 at D.C. United. How they fare in these two games will go a long way to determining where they finish in the East but it seems a minimum of three points from the pair of matches will be absolutely necessary to stay alive going into their final game of the season vs. Toronto FC.
How they qualify: Would need a bit of help but could qualify on October 20.
7) Montreal Impact
Current Points: 40
Games Remaining: 3 (1 home, 2 away)
Maximum Possible Points: 49
Average Opponents Points: 32.3
Remaining Schedule: at Houston (10/6), at Toronto FC (10/20), vs. New England (10/27)
The Rundown: Idle this week, Montreal are only mathematically still in. To qualify, they would need a monumental collapse from either Houston or Columbus while the Impact would have to run the table to finish the season. Even a draw at Houston on Saturday will bring their season to an end.
After Sunday, D.C. United continued to move up the Eastern Conference table even without Dwayne DeRosario, earning a 1-0 home win over Chivas USA. The shock result of the weekend likely came earlier in the day as Houston dropped a 3-1 decision at lowly Philadelphia, leaving them just one point above sixth place Columbus for the final playoff spot in the East.
Seeing as I broke down each team's remaining schedules prior to Sunday's two matches, I won't do it again here… Refer to that blog for an almost up-to-date breakdown.
Instead today's edition of Playoff Math will be shorter and potentially sweeter as I focus on "Magic Numbers"…
I've come to find out that with three variations of a result, "Magic Numbers" in soccer are more difficult to come by than in baseball, basketball or football. but I felt it part of my duties as Team Writer to work out just how close the Fire (and the rest of the East) are to playoff qualification.
To be clear, the "Magic Numbers" below do not reflect the number of points a team needs to earn but rather, the number of points a team needs to gain combined with the number of points the sixth place team (right now Columbus) needs to drop. In the Crew's case, it's in comparison to fifth place Houston.
As an example, the Fire could achieve their magic number of five by winning Friday night at Sporting KC (3 points) and then have Columbus lose (drop 3 points) or draw with Philadelphia (drop 2 points).
Also find the "Soonest Could Clinch" column which is pretty self-explanatory. It's factored by taking into account the date a team could gain maximum points and have the sixth place team no longer able to catch them.
Make sense? Here's the table…
Team | Games Left | Points | Max. Points | Magic Number | Soonest Could Clinch |
Sporting KC | 4 | 55 | 67 | 3 | 9/28 |
Chicago Fire | 5 | 53 | 68 | 5 | 9/29 |
NY Red Bulls | 4 | 50 | 62 | 8 | 10/7 |
D.C. United | 4 | 50 | 62 | 8 | 10/7 |
Houston Dynamo | 4 | 46 | 58 | 12 | 10/7 |
Columbus Crew | 4 | 45 | 57 | 13 | 10/20 |
The only other team that can clinch qualification this week is of course Sporting, who simply need a victory over the Fire or a draw and Columbus defeat to book their ticket to the postseason.
Not that you need much more reason to tune into the Fire's game at Sporting KC Friday at 7:30pm CT on NBC Sports Network but it could end up being one of the biggest games of the season…
The Fire and Sporting KC did their part this week to make Friday's showdown at LiveStrong Sporting Park a massive one for the national television audience on NBC Sports Network... Below is a breakdown of the Playoff Math after Saturday's games. On Monday, following today's two matches, I'll have an update, including magic numbers for all team's in the East race.
WATCH: Chicago 2, Columbus 1 (9/22/2012)
1) Sporting KC
Current Points: 55
Games Remaining: 4 (2 home, 2 away)
Maximum Possible Points: 67
Average Opponents Points: 43.7
Remaining Schedule: vs. Chicago (9/28), at Columbus (10/7), at New York (10/20), vs. Philadelphia (10/24).
The Rundown: Ending a stretch this weekend in which the team played three games in eight days, Sporting manager Peter Vermes did well to manage the scenario and keep his team atop the East with a huge 2-0 win over Red Bull at midweek before playing for a point at Montreal Saturday afternoon.
The decision to go for a draw with the Impact shows Vermes' confidence in his side heading into Friday's all-important six point clash with the Fire. A win for Sporting and they'll open up a five point lead at the top, while a loss would push the Fire into first place by one point, with the Men in Red holding a game in hand.
2) Chicago Fire
Current Points: 53
Games Remaining: 5 (2 home, 3 away)
Maximum Possible Points: 68
Average Opponents Points: 41.6
Remaining Schedule: at Sporting KC (9/28), vs. Philadelphia (10/3), at New York (10/6), at New England (10/20), vs. D.C. United (10/27)
The Rundown: Fans had all the reason to go into Saturday's game with chewed up finger nails. Sean Johnson's early giveaway that led to the Crew's early goal might have made you loose a bit of hair. In the end, what could have been a bogey game and a missed opportunity for three points just turned into yet another Fire win.
The club is on the brink of its first playoff qualification since 2009 and while going first on Friday is a real thing, they could also potentially clinch a postseason berth if the Crew fall next Saturday night against Philadelphia.
3) New York Red Bulls
Current Points: 50
Games Remaining: 4 (3 home, 1 away)
Maximum Possible Points: 65
Average Opponents Points: 39.2
Remaining Schedule: vs. Toronto FC (9/29), vs. Chicago (10/6), vs. Sporting KC (10/20), at Philadelphia (10/27)
WATCH: New England 1, New York 1 (9/22/2012)
The Rundown: Save Montreal who are almost completely out of the playoff race, no one in the East had a worse week than Red Bull. A flat effort at home in midweek against Sporting KC in a match that could have taken them to the top of the East table combined with a gut-wrenching 1-1 draw Saturday at lowly New England leaves New York in a precarious position at the moment.
The good thing is that three of their remaining four matches are at home and two of those are against the Fire and Sporting KC. The bad thing is both D.C. and Houston play Sunday. A win by United over Chivas USA would pull them level with Red Bull on points while a Houston win over Philadelphia would pull them within one.
4) DC United
Current Points: 47
Games Remaining: 5 (2 home, 3 away)
Maximum Possible Points: 62
Average Opponents Points: 35.4
Remaining Schedule: vs. Chivas USA (9/23), at Portland (9/29), at Toronto FC (10/6), vs. Columbus (10/20), at Chicago (10/27)
The Rundown: Not a lot to say about United until they play their match vs. Chivas USA tonight (6pm CT on Galavision). D.C. did well enough to earn three points at Philadelphia at midweek and if they can take advantage of the easier schedule over the next few weeks, they'll be in very good shape for a top three finish, even without DeRo.
Food for thought: If D.C. were to drop a 4-0 scoreline on Chivas USA at RFK tonight, they would actually move into third place, beating Red Bull on the second tie breaker of Goal Differential...
5) Houston Dynamo
Current Points: 46
Games Remaining: 5 (3 home, 2 away)
Maximum Possible Points: 61
Average Opponents Points: 30.4
Remaining Schedule: at Philadelphia (9/23), vs. New England (9/29), vs. Montreal (10/6), vs. Philadelphia (10/20), at Colorado (10/27)
The Rundown: Same as D.C. above. Houston should be favorites to win all five of their remaining matches, with their toughest opponent being Montreal on October 6. The favorable remaining schedules for both the Dynamo and United should give great caution to Sporting KC, Chicago and New York if they expect to finish in the top three.
6) Columbus Crew
Current Points: 45
Games Remaining: 4 (3 home, 1 away)
Maximum Possible Points: 57
Average Opponents Points: 37.7
Remaining Schedule: vs. Philadelphia (9/29), vs. Sporting KC (10/7), at D.C. United (10/20), vs. Toronto FC (10/28).
The Rundown: Again last night, the Crew continue to showed why some should be skeptical about their late-season run as the team hasn't beaten anyone ahead of them lately. For a team trying to climb up the table, dropping points against those above you won't help your cause. With three of four remaining matches at home, Columbus is far from out of the race but can't afford many more slip-ups.
The October 20 game vs. United could be the make or break of their season.
7) Montreal Impact
Current Points: 40
Games Remaining: 3 (1 home, 2 away)
Maximum Possible Points: 49
Average Opponents Points: 32.3
Remaining Schedule: at Houston (10/6), at Toronto FC (10/20), vs. New England (10/27)
The Rundown: Just here because of mathematics. Montreal did the Fire and the rest of the East a bit of a favor by earning a 0-0 draw with Sporting KC Saturday but leaving two points on the field at Stade Saputo has really determined the Impact's playoff fate in their expansion season. They'll take next weekend off and the rest of the East will hope they can pull another result at Houston before they finish off the season with games at Toronto and vs. New England.
Another game, another win for the Fire last weekend against Eastern Conference rivals Montreal Impact. The task gets a little harder this week when Columbus Crew come to Toyota Park on Saturday night looking for the points they need to stay in playoff contention. Columbus will be buoyed by their last gasp winner against Chivas USA on Wednesday night at Crew Stadium but they come up against a Fire team that has only lost one of its last eight games. Here are a few things to look out for on Saturday night.
Balls over the top: a Crew potential weakness
The Crew center back pairing of Chad Marshall and Julius James have had some trouble this season with balls played over the top into the path of an on-running striker. This was especially evident in the Crew's match against New York last weekend.
In one case, Rafa Marquez played a brilliant ball over Marshall's head for Henry to score. Dax McCarty also played Henry in over the top from a more advanced position than Marquez which almost led to a goal.
Even though it's not really the Fire's game, the midfielders, especially players like Fernandez, Pause and Pardo should be on the lookout for chances to play Rolfe and potentially Nyarko in over the top, if the opportunity arises.
Federico Higuain - don't allow him room to cross
Federico Higuain has boosted the Crew attack dramatically since arriving a few months ago. His crossing ability as well as his excellent free kicks make him a threat against any team.
Against a similar sort of danger man in Felipe last week, the Fire dropped Logan Pause deeper to prevent the Brazilian from operating in the space between the midfield and back line. Higuain does that but also likes to move out wide where he can put in teasing crosses.
Against Philadelphia in August the Fire allowed Freddy Adu too much space to cross and it resulted in a goal. The team should look to prevent something similar from happening on Saturday night.
Playing 90 minutes plus: no switching off
This Crew have had a love/hate relationship with the last 15 minutes of games this season. They have conceded quite a few goals late in games but in recent weeks, they are reversing that trend. The last gasp winner last week against Chivas USA is one example. Earlier this month, the Crew came from behind to beat Montreal in the 93rd minute.
Though not necessarily a tactical point, you can be sure that head coach Frank Klopas told his team this week that they cannot shut off against the Crew and that giving up a late goal could be very harmful in the push for first place in the East.
On the other side of the coin, Columbus have proven that they are guilty to shutting off late in games and this could come back to haunt them against a Fire team who have capitalized on their opponents mistakes time and time again this season.
Prediction: 2-1 Fire with goals from MacDonald and Oduro.
Stephen Piggott is a Contributor to Chicago-Fire.com. Follow him on Twitter @irish_steve.


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ASAN Calls for Federal Hate Crime Prosecution for the Murder of Alex Spourdalakis
Statement issued on June 19 by the Autistic Self Advocacy Network in response to the murder of Alex Spourdalakis.
June 18, 2013
2013 Lead On! Honoree feature of Chicago Reader cover story
Author and Activist Susan Nussbaum is featured in the cover story for the May 30 issue of the
Chicago Reader.
A former Access Living employee and the founder of the Empowered Fe Fes, Nussbaum is a 2013 "Lead On!" Honoree.
May 31, 2013
Statement in response to developments around the closure of the Murray Developmental Center
Statement from the Going Home Coalition in response to developments around the closure of the Murray Developmental Center
May 30, 2013
Next Access Living Financial Stability Classes begin in July
New class incorporates Bank On Chicago
The New Financial Stability classes start Wednesday, June 19, 2013 and run through Wednesday, August 28, 2013.
Spring 2013
Housing Victory -- Cook County Board passes source of income protections for voucher holders
On May 8, 2013, housing activists celebrated a victory when the Cook County Board voted 9-6 in favor of extending source of income protections to Housing Voucher Holders. The vote will extend significant protections to people with disabilities, people of color and others.
May 9, 2013
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Disability Rights & Empowerment
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Text of Speech Against Managed Care on August 12.
On August 12, scores of people with disabilities who are against a new program, that will force 40,000 people with disabilities into managed care, rallied in downtown Chicago. During the program in Daley Plaza, Tom Wilson of Access Living delivered a speech against managed care and the new program
August 27, 2010
FY 2009 Institution vs Community-FY 2009 Breakdown of Medicaid Services for Older and Younger Americans with Disabilities
Steve Gold is a civil rights attorney based in Philadelphia. He has collaborated and still collaborates with Access Living on disability rights cases, including the pending "Colbert" case that was filed on behalf of people with disabilities in nursing homes in Illinois.
September 1, 2010
No place like home, April 16, 2010
Access Living offers peer oriented, independent living services to individuals with disabilities. One such program is the Deinstitutionalization (DI) Program. The program was created in response to Illinois disproportional support of institutional care. Though the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Olmstead Supreme Court ruling of 1999 both give people with disabilities the right to receive services in their own home, thousands of people are forced into institutions because no community options exist.
September 1, 2010
Annual Review of Chicago Public Schools Budget
Access Living's Summary Analysis of the CPS FY 2011 Budget
Every year Access Living's Education Policy Analyst, Rodney Estvan, reviews and presents an analysis of the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Fiscal Year Budget. CPS currently has about 54,000 students with disabilities enrolled in its 680 traditional, charter, and contract schools. The total FY2011 budget for CPS, including for capital and debt payments, is about $6.4 billion.
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September 23, 2010
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March 14, 2012
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Chicago, IL - On September 27, 2008, the Committee for the Integration of Latinos with Disabilities (CILD), DePaul University College of Law's Special Education Advocacy Clinic and Town of Cicero President Larry Dominick will present the 6th Annual Building Bridges to Independence Conference: Empowering Communities, Individuals with Disabilities, and Their Families.
Sep 25th, 2008
A Huge Step Forward for People with Mental Illness
Historic agreement reached to transition Illinois residents unnecessarily housed in large, impersonal nursing homes
Last week was a good week for people with mental illness in Illinois. On Thursday, a federal judge granted preliminary approval for an historic agreement between the State of Illinois and thousands of people with psychiatric disabilities represented by a number of advocacy groups, including Access Living, and a private law firm - led, in this case, by the ACLU of Illinois - that will give thousands of people with mental illness an opportunity, if they choose, to move out of large, private nursing homes and into community-based settings.
This agreement marks a sea change in Illinois state policy - which for far too long has relied on troubled, sometimes dangerous nursing homes to serve people with mental illness.
June 14, 2010
Access Living analysis of FY 2013 CPS Budget critical of disability cuts
Report calls for restoration of funds and move toward Universal Design
Prior to each school year, Access Living publishes a review of CPS funding priorities and initiatives related to special education and students with disabilities. Access Living's FY 2013 analysis examines the impact of CPS Budget decisions on students with disabilities.
August 15, 2012
Access Living applauds Governor Quinn's closure announcement
Urges shift from institutional to community support for people with disabilities
Access Living statement responds to January 19, 2012 announcement from Governor Quinn on closure of Tinley Park Mental Health Center and Jacksonville Developmental Center.
January 20, 2012
Access Living applauds institution closure, commitment to community
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Access Living responds to Illinois Governor Quinn's February 22 Budget Address.
February 23, 2012
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Volume 78 of the Bullhorn, the Newsletter of Access Living, from October 2012.
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The Bullhorn Volume 77
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The Bullhorn - Volume 76
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Volume 74 of The Bullhorn, The Newsletter of Access Living
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I stated on Monday that I was going back to a plant-based diet and I am now on day 4 and going strong. I am already feeling lighter with more energy, and lets just say that last night was a whopper, yet I am not feeling tired at all (we'll see how I feel come this afternoon!). On a side note, I can't wait until we get our third room finished for our new daughter. She is the NOISIEST sleeper ever! She grunts and makes all sorts of weird noises and when I get up to check on her she is totally asleep! The first 3 months are the hardest, right?
Anyway, onto my Tuesday eats! Thank you to Jenn at Peas and Crayons for hosting this blogger get together every Wednesday!
Breakfast was eaten before I could snap a picture, but it was Oatmeal with ground flax-seed, vanilla soy milk, and frozen berries. Not anything too exciting.
Lunch was leftovers from the night before and they were delicious:
Homemade veggie burgers dipped in BBQ sauce and a salad with mixed greens, cucumbers, avocado, and spicy hummus. The recipe I used for the veggie burgers came from Oh She Glows and it is her Spicy BBQ Chickpea Burgers
I love the crunch that the sunflower seeds added, although, these would have been better on a bun (I forgot to get some from the store). But I mus say they held together really well and it was a lot better than buying sketchy frozen veggie patties from the store with an ingredient list a mile long!
In the afternoon I saw that I had a banana and a zucchini that was on their last legs so I decided to make Chocolate Zucchini Muffins from Happy Herbivore. I love this recipe because my daughter calls them "cupcakes" and she will polish off 2 before I can blink my eyes. She has no idea that is she is getting some fruits and veggies in each muffin. My second pregnancy caused my first daughter to become a picky eater. Too much eating out will do that to someone, so now I'm trying to get her back on the healthy eating band wagon a little at a time.
I added in some mixed fresh berries and it was a filling snack that held me over til dinner.
Dinner was something unexpected. This week I meal planned and told myself that no matter what, I was going to stick to it. Well, last night I realized that I didn't have a couple of the ingredients I needed for at least two of the meals I was planning so I went in search of a recipe for something that I had the ingredients on hand for.
After a quick check of my Google Reader I found a recipe that looked easy and delicious: Coconut Ginger Curry Rice Bowl From PB Fingers. Who doesn't love a one pot meal? The only problem is that I had run out of brown rice and had to sub with white. The great thing was that it was done and on the table in less than 30 minutes.
I wish that I had fresh broccoli instead of frozen, but it works in a pinch. I will be having leftovers of this for lunch.
After getting back on the plant-based bandwagon I am feeling great. My cravings are going away and the scale even gave me some motivation this morning by showing me a lighter number. My only concern is that I feel like my breast milk supply has gone down a bit. I can't tell if I am just being paranoid or if my little babe is eating more than normal. I'm monitoring it for the next few days and it is probably in my head. Other than that I'm feeling great, and only T-4 days until I can start exercising again (hopefully I will get the clear at my 6 week postpartum appointment next Monday).
Have a happy Wednesday!


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Luxury Soul 2012 (3CD box set)Various
CD (Item 598994) Expansion (UK), 2012 — Condition: New Copy
There's a heck of a lot of great music here – a whopping 35 tracks of contemporary and vintage soul, all put together for the price of a regular single CD! The package is the latest in the excellent Luxury Soul series – based around artists who have worked the UK series of the same name – and who really come together here in a warm array of the best contemporary soul styles! There's plenty of Neo Soul numbers, a handful of classics, and a few more modern elements too – and titles include "I'm Not That Tough" by Ashford & Simpson, "Rubber Soul" by Live Tropical Fish with Omar, "Things That I Do" by Gianna, "Enough Is Enough" by Dennis Taylor, "Music & Love" by Victor Haynes, "Just A Simple Love" by Sheree Brown, "In The Meantime" by Johnny Britt, "Crystal Clear" by Howard Hewett, "Just Let Me Be Close To You" by Valentine Brothers, "I'll Come Running Back To You" by June Yamagishi with Bobby Womack, "So In Love" by Chapter 8, "Slow Down" by Al Olive, "Priority" by Kloud 9, "It's Just One Of Those Things" by Incognito, "I Want It" by Soul Talk, "Wake Up Everybody" by Eric Benet, and "Anything" by Angela Johnson. © 1996-2013, Dusty Groove, Inc. |
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Walking With The Night: Brilliant work from Adriana Evans – quite possibly her greatest record so far, and that's saying a lot, given how much we've loved everything she's done! There's a perfect, professional vibe to ... read more Neo Soul (CD) 16.99 |
This Is Soul 2005: A well-done overview of underground Neo Soul from the US – one that features some of the best work we've been stocking over the past few years! The scope here is really great – with a very ... read more Neo Soul (CD) 13.99 | ||||
We Can Do Whatever: The long-overdue release of an album that should have been a Neo Soul classic! The team of Otis Cooper and Shugg David recorded this gem of a set back in the mid 90s along with help from longtime friend ... read more Neo Soul (CD) 16.99 |
Home Again: The full length debut for Michael Kiwanuka – a record that stands out brilliantly, not only for it's strength and depth – but also because almost no one is making airy, often acoustic soul ... read more Neo Soul (CD) 9.99 | ||||
Soul Makeover: A brilliant batch of NuSoul tracks from Jimi Tenor's very talented wife! Jimi's been trying to hit a soulful note for years – but he never really got it right until he hooked up with Nicole Willis, ... read more Neo Soul (CD) 11.99 |
Be It: A stunner from Nicole Willis – her second album to date, and head and shoulders above the first! The record's a wonderfully dark set of soul tunes – done in a mode that's similar to that of ... read more Neo Soul (CD) 19.99 | ||||
Greater Than One: The best in years from Dwele – who honestly has yet to really make any kind of a creative misstep – and Greater Than One is one of his greatest records to date! Detroit singer and producer ... read more Neo Soul (CD) 15.99 |
Private View (CD/DVD): We've loved Swing Out Sister for more than a few years – and over that time, the duo's only gotten better! It's records like this that keep us coming back again and again – a brilliant blend ... read more Neo Soul (CD) 22.99 | ||||
Fans' Favorites – A Decade Of Music (3CD set): A heck of a lot of music for one mighty nice price – a fan-selected collection of the best tracks from Frank McComb, packaged here with a bonus disc of rare material too! Frank's always been very ... read more Neo Soul (CD) 19.99 |
Evolve: Sweet jazzy flute and lots of warm vocals from Ragan Whiteside – a real up-and-comer from the soulful underground, and an artist who's almost a 21st Century answer to Bobbi Humphrey! This album ... read more Neo Soul (CD) 13.99 | ||||
I Am Music: Carmen McRae really opens up on this sweet 70s set for Blue Note – expanding past the traditional jazz of her roots, and even some of the groovier work of her Atlantic years – into a sweeping, ... read more Vocalists (CD) 14.99 |


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Last Easter w/e, on our way to the Grandparents house for dinner, my 5 year old son asked if he could ride his bike without his training wheels. I was shocked at his request yet excited. After dinner Mike and I went outside where I proceeded to remove the training wheels. After holding his seat for 10 feet or so, he said let go. He continued to ride his bike all afternoon, without Dad holding on, without incident, without training wheels and with Dad constantly saying to anyone walking by how it was his first time and how proud Dad was. Not that my huge smile couldn't have given it away. Being a Dad is wonderful. Just thought I'd share that story. Five days later and I'm still beaming!
Blah Blah Blah, Shoot the puck already


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By now, everyone knows computers can talk.
There's Hal. There's Watson. And, of course, there's Siri.
But never before have computers been able to talk for you, in your voice, and in a foreign language.
That's the technology - or a precursor to it - that Microsoft Research recently demonstrated at an event in China. The company's research arm on Thursday posted a video of the talk and a blog post about the technology behind it.
Rick Rashid, Microsoft's Chief Research Officer, writes that he had to train the system to recognize his voice, and to speak with his intonations. The computer listened to an hour of his speeches (in English) in order to get it right. It also had several hours of training from a Chinese speaker.
The demo also relies on a new method for processing speech patterns, using a system called Deep Neural Networks. The company says this type of machine learning is "patterned after human brain behavior," and means that the researchers are able to reduce error rates by nearly a third.
Here's more on that concept from a June Microsoft Research post:
" Artificial neural networks are mathematical models of low-level circuits in the human brain. They have been in use for speech recognition for more than 20 years, but only a few years ago did computer scientists gain access to enough computing power to make it possible to build models that are fine-grained and complex enough to show promise in automatic speech recognition."
Don't get too excited about the results just yet. This kind of speech-to-speech translation technology likely won't be consumer-ready anytime soon. But, as Rashid writes, it could be the start of something:
"The results are still not perfect, and there is still much work to be done, but the technology is very promising, and we hope that in a few years we will have systems that can completely break down language barriers ... We may not have to wait until the 22nd century for a usable equivalent of Star Trek's universal translator, and we can also hope that as barriers to understanding language are removed, barriers to understanding each other might also be removed. The cheers from the crowd of 2,000 mostly Chinese students, and the commentary that's grown on China's social media forums ever since, suggests a growing community of budding computer scientists who feel the same way."


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News » Published 4 weeks ago
Is this Charlie Sheen the Actor?
Share your thoughts on this image?
Related Celebrity: Actor - Charlie Sheen
29th April 2013 @ 11:56pm
Denise Richards has responded to claims that she is far too skinny
11th April 2013 @ 08:55pm
Charlie Sheen has opened up about Lindsay Lohan's behaviour on the set of Anger Management
14th March 2013 @ 01:29am
A new trailer for Scary Movie 5, starring Terry Crews, Charlie Sheen and Mike Tyson, has been released


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Showing 1 - 10 of 136
Photo galleries
PHOTO GALLERY: Snow day
March 05, 2013A March 5 snowstorm closed schools in Woodbury, but didn''t keep kids from enjoying the white stuff.
PHOTO GALLERY: BSC upgrade features
February 21, 2013Images from the city of Woodbury of proposed amenities set for the Bielenberg Sports Center remodeling project.
PHOTO GALLERY: Andy Sommer memorial
January 04, 2013Collection of images from the Jan. 3 memorial event for the late Andy Sommer, a longtime Woodbury High School Spanish teacher.
Photo gallery: New Year''s Eve party at BSC
January 02, 2013Hundreds rolled into the Bielenberg Sports Center to ring in the new year
PHOTO GALLERY: WHS 2012 homecoming
October 03, 2012Photos from the school''s pep fest, parade and football game
PHOTO GALLERY: Wizard of Oz
July 16, 2012The Woodbury Community Theatre put on a Wizard of Oz performance for two weekends this summer.
PHOTO GALLERY: Warrior Dash 2012
July 02, 2012Runners competed June 30 and July 12 at the Warrior Dash race at Afton Alps Ski Area.


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Natsumi Horiguchi is a sexy hot Asian MILF who is a stewardess. She has a guy or two in every city she lands in! She is doing some hand work on her guy´s cock before inserting it into her mouth for a blowjob. He likes her sexy lingerie and watching her as she is mouth fucking his cock. Natsumi Horiguchi is a horny Asian stewardess who likes getting a load of cum blasted in to her mouth at the end of a blowjob!
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This bunch of teens are Japanese schoolgirls from the college. Thehave a reputation that every guy in the school knows about . They are the partiers and whenever there is no school, their dorm room door should be a revolving door . They have guys in and out all the time and the cameras are on live so you can see what id going on all day and night in the room. Someone is always having sex, so there is constant entertainment for anyone who knows the web site!
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text:
News & Analysis
Computers encourage workaholics for two simple reasons. First, computers don't ...
Even putting in many extra hours and working on weekends is no guarantee that ...
Workaholism rife in electronics
Rick Merritt
A whopping 41 percent of electronics and high-tech managers consider themselves workaholics, and 80 percent work at least occasionally on weekends, according to a survey conducted by Accenture.
Researchers gathered data from 243 electronics and high-tech execs as part of a larger annual "Defining Success" survey of 4,100 executives from 26 industries in 33 countries. Three-quarters of all respondents said they work frequently or occasionally during paid time off generally checking email (71 percent), catching up on work (44 percent), working with no distractions (35 percent) and participating in conference calls (30 percent).
I've done those things, too. Personally, I wouldn't say I am a workaholic, but I consider myself a "Type A." As such, I often enjoy my work, can overwork myself and sometimes find it difficult to shift gear into fun and self-care modes.
There's a 12-step program for workaholics that I don't attend, but I know at least one person who does. Interestingly, there's also a TV program for workaholics, but I've never watched it—too busy working, I guess.
The good news is 53 percent of all those surveyed define their career success as having a work/life balance—more than those seeking mainly recognition (47 percent) or money (44 percent). Seventy percent said they can have a successful career as well as a full life outside work, but 50 percent said they cannot "have it all at the same time."
Working for a few hours on weekends, for no pay, is not an imposition if the work can be conducted efficently and if you do it voluntarily. Seems to me that to qualify as a workaholic, a person has to consider himself almost like a martyr. But if you do the work because you feel like it and it's fun anyway, pretty tough to consider yourself a workaholic. Unless you enjoy that term, for some reason.
David Ashton
"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life." ― Confucius
But that's not always the reason people work long hours. If you are working long hours and it's NOT for the above reason, there's something wrong.
Good quote and so true.
I usually work through the lunch hour, eating a sandwich with one hand and mousing with the other. Not that I am a workaholic, but the banked time is useful for time-off taken with doctors and dentists.
Engineers love a challenge. Chasing down a bug successfully can consume hours before you realize it.
There are also "business" reasons for forcing overtime, but in my experience, you seldom get any real benefit for the extra hours you force people to work.
Now when they work because they are excited about the project, thats just magic.
Companies need to encourage the magic without using a whipp. The results benefit all concerned.
Just my opinion.
If you are working on weekends because it is fun that is OK...but if you have to then there is something wrong with that picture
Yes, engineers tend to put in a lot of hours because they love their work, but many companies take advantage of that to get free labor. Also, when the job market is like it is now, engineers put in more hours to avoid being the next casualty.
Even putting in many extra hours and working on weekends is no guarantee that one will not be the next casualty.
I always pick companies where work is not required after hours. I work 8 hours a day (plus 30min for break) and go home. Not a minute longer. I enjoy my time during work but that's about it. I can't even access email outside work and don't answer phone over hours - to be honest nobody even expects it.
I try to be efficient in work but it's just work so I set the deadlines in a way that I can have time to learn while making projects (reading EE Times included) to make myself even more efficient and employable.
That sounds like a terrific set up. I wonder in today's world what percentage of companies are on board with a strict 8 hour work day. BTW, glad to see you are budgeting time for reading EE Times :)
I usually work a couple of hours on Sunday evenings. The reason is because Asia is coming back online and any issues I deal with on Sunday makes for an easier Monday (most of the time).
I often hear tales of folks who work early or late to be on conference calls with colleagues around the globe.
I really don't consider having 2-3 evening conference calls per month with international colleagues to be a big deal. For the most part, my company is 8-5:30 give or take 30 minutes depending on the person, plus the random conference calls with Asian or European partners. We are lab-centric and are actually forbidden from being in the labs after hours or on weekends for safety reasons.
Frank Eory
Work/life balance has always been a struggle for as long as I've been in this profession. I have to say though, I appreciate the benefits that technology has brought us that make it easier to achieve that balance.
In the old days, if you needed to put in extra hours, you either went in extra early or stayed until well after dark -- and missed out on family dinners or dropping kids off at school. Today we are untethered. If you have a conference call with Europe in the morning or with India in the evening, nobody cares where you are when you're doing it. When it's time to leave the office and go home to the family, you just go -- and do the call from wherever you are when it's time to dial in.
That's pretty much the way I operate too. Conference calls and even webex are easy to do from home or elsewhere, for that matter, and I take advantage of that too.
All the more reason to wonder how long I would stay at Yahoo, if I were one of those unfortunate employees. My question on that score being, if there were telecommuters who didn't perform, why punish the entire company? Just let the bad apples go.
Frank Eory
LOL! It's been a great ski season so far, and still another month or so to go :)
Frank makes a good point. While I work more than the 8.5 hours a day an earlier poster mentioned, I also mostly choose my hours and can hang out with the kids in the morning or afternoon before/after going in to work at weird times for global telephone meetings. So you have to measure the overall lifestyle and flexibility, not just when and how much people work.
I think the best companies will allow for people to work their 8 hour days and not be penalized. At the same time, companies should reward people who perform at a higher level and do more. Often this means putting in much more time. I also think that it's fair that a person should not expect to rise through the ranks working only 8 hours/day. That is essentially doing the minimum.
I've seen many folks put in a 10+ hour days to accomplish 6 hours work. Does not mean they should move up the ladder. Companies should be aware of work output and not measure it byhours in the office.
I seldom leave work completely alone either during the weekend, at night, on vacation, etc. My company happens to have a very flexible policy towards telecommuting and I don't often notice the extra hours I put in.
I'd say my job never ends but that'd be misleading: it ends when I want it to end. As long as certain deadlines are met and I'm available to answer other designer's questions, there's really no time I "have" to work. The flip side that I put in whatever's necessary to get the job done.
I'd say that's a good trade-off. I'd like to think most engineers aren't trading time for pay; they're trading complete pieces of work for pay.
Why do alot of engineers tend to be workaholics? Because they are weak pushovers, not well-rounded and have nothing better to do.
Also, a lot of men hate their wives and kids and would rather be at work than having to deal with them at home.
The most surprising thing about this is that 100% of those surveyed did not to some work on weekends and/or evenings. I can't think of a private sector job where that would not be the case!
There is another thing here, it is not necessarily about being a workaholic, but about being quality of product. It has generally been pride that has driven me. Pride in the quality of what I put out, whether product, process, management, etc.
The mobile/wireless group in TI/Mediatek/Qualcomm are basically slog to complete the unrealistic deadline.
Mobile phones and computers are great to allows remote working or just answering open questions or organizing things while you are outside the office. This however often has a significant price you pay if business pressure in the company is high and there is more work you can handle during working hours. So you are often forced to be(or allow yourself to be) a workaholics. Often in big companies there is a complex working culture and you end up in spending 20-40% of your time just to serve the overhead. If that is the case the best is to change the company before you are burned out.
A lot of so called workaholics just don't want to go home to their naggy wives and screaming children and the sorry home lives they have made for themselves. Work is a better escape from this life
The company I work for now pays engineers overtime. Based on the absolute decimation since post 9/11 I'll work all the 80 hour weeks I can.
Computers encourage workaholics for two simple reasons. First, computers don't tire out. When an engineer is trying to solve a computer problem, that engineer's stamina is the only limiting factor. In other enterprises, where you depend upon input from other human beings, their decision to take a well deserved rest may make it impractical to continue work. Secondly, solving computer problems often requires keeping many contextual factors and historical variables in mind. If you take a break, you have to regenerate the situational information before you can continue debugging effectively. It often seems more practical to press ahead in hopes of a timely breakthrough. Sometimes it even happens and the vicious workaholic cycle continues.


text:
In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, Ever Merciful.
Love for All, Hatred for None.
* The books that have this symbol * in front of the name are currently not available, work is in progress, and they will be available soon alongwith
more volumes of Anwarul 'Ulum. Insha'Allah.
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text:
Group Finds Way to Turn Oil Rig Waste into Usable Fresh Water
By: Josh Berry
Updated: April 24, 2012
A group of scientists and businessmen from across North America has found a way to take the waste created from pumping oil and turn it into usable water.
There are thousands upon thousands of old rigs like the ones south of Clyde Lake that businessmen like Chris Tesarski have taken and turned back on.
In addition to this modern day oil boom, Tesarski, along with a team of scientists/businessmen have taken on a new endeavor.
On a lease like the one in Clyde, they can get about five barrels per day of production. But for every five barrels of oil collected a day, there's around 200 barrels of waste collected.
Some of that waste is turned right back around and put into the ground to flush out more oil.
"We're putting a lot of bad stuff back down into our formation," said CEO of Sandbox Energy Corporation Chris Tesarski.
Sometimes they do send off the waste, but that's not very cost effective, so Tesarski has found a way to turn that waste into water.
"I think it's become abundantly clear, especially over the last couple of months, just how desperate the water situation is here in West Texas."
Tesarski and his company are based out of Canada and now, also in Abilene. Together with another company from Canada called ERIN Consulting and a New Mexico based company called New Water, Tesarski has formed a partnership called Texas Sans Resource Partnership.
The team of scientists take the formation water from about 1100 feet below the surface and strip the oil for its own use. This leaves nothing but waste.
They then take that wastewater under a nano-polymer process to strip out the solids creating a pure salt water that is about 2 to 3 times the salinity of sea water. They de-salinify that to fresh potable water.
It's a long process and a complicated science, but it's the outcome of that process that makes it worth while for them.
Tesarski explained, "We're taking that out and we're allowing an opportunity for communities or ranchers wherever we are to use those fresh water resources for whatever it is that people need to use fresh water for. It just so happens we can also drink it right out of the tap."
And drink it they did, changing the way we might look at an oil lease right here in Texas.
"This really can be a game changer, in terms of dealing with produced water from the oil field and other water that has oil and solid problems," said VP of ERIN Consulting, Dr. Ian Ireland.
Dr. Ireland and his group removes all of the solids from the waste. When they're done with the nano-polymer process, bringing the solids out of the solution, the waste is broken down to clean, salt water.
This is where the owner of New Water, or Nu-H20, Dr. Paul Fairchild comes in to play.
Dr. Fairchild takes the water to de-salinify it by a process of forward osmosis through a membrane, which removes all of the salt.
"We're creating water that can be used as a resource," Dr. Fairchild said. "That to me is the whole reason we all wanted to be in this business."
Not sure how it plays into the real industry? Just ask someone that sees this stuff day to day operating his own oil rigs.
"Especially since the drought conditions that we had, it's really gonna clean up the water, saves our wells and we can also use it as surface water as well," commented Terry Wolfer. "So I think it's a good deal."
The partnership hopes to set a prototype model for how to run an oil lease in West Texas which will incorporate clean water for either stimulation of getting oil out of the ground, or agricultural use.


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Kaleidoscope: Medium Brass - Royal
Brand: Wheels of ImaginationType: Kaleidoscopes
Price: $159.99 Canadian Dollars Your credit card company or PayPal will automatically convert* the Canadian Dollar amount into your local currency.
Currency Converter: U.S. dollar - approx. 155.67Argentine peso - approx. 816.27Australian dollar - approx. 158.79Bahamian dollar - approx. 155.67Brazilian real - approx. 317.07CFA franc - approx. 79,086CFP franc - approx. 14,388Chilean peso - approx. 75,467Chinese renminbi - approx. 955.16Colombian peso - approx. 287,235Croatian kuna - approx. 913.19Czech Republic koruna - approx. 3,141Danish krone - approx. 898.82East Caribbean dollar - approx. 415.67European Euro - approx. 120.58Fiji dollar - approx. 285.65Ghanaian cedi - approx. 309.82Guatemalan quetzal - approx. 1,229.75Honduran lempira - approx. 2,953Hong Kong dollar - approx. 1,208.18Hungarian forint - approx. 34,970Icelandic krona - approx. 19,126Indian rupee - approx. 8,629Indonesian rupiah - approx. 1,523,714Israeli new shekel - approx. 570.17Jamaican dollar - approx. 15,325Japanese yen - approx. 15,935Malaysian ringgit - approx. 469.87Mexican peso - approx. 1,918Moroccan dirham - approx. 1,337.71Myanmar kyat - approx. 145,445Neth. Antilles florin - approx. 272.41New Zealand dollar - approx. 190.74Norwegian krone - approx. 901.35Pakistan rupee - approx. 15,339Panamanian balboa - approx. 155.67Peruvian new sol - approx. 411.49Philippine peso - approx. 6,433Polish zloty - approx. 504.86Romanian new leu - approx. 524.56Russian rouble - approx. 4,861Serbian dinar - approx. 13,366Singapore dollar - approx. 196.21South African rand - approx. 1,484.13South Korean won - approx. 172,962Sri Lanka rupee - approx. 19,677Swedish krona - approx. 1,031.54Swiss franc - approx. 150.65Taiwanese new dollar - approx. 4,644Thai baht - approx. 4,639Trinidad and Tobago dollar - approx. 999.31Tunisian dinar - approx. 257.30Turkish new lira - approx. 287.23U.A.E. dirham - approx. 571.80U.K. pound sterling - approx. 102.62Venezuelan bolivar fuerte - approx. 980.93Vietnamese dong - approx. 3,265,102Prices here are estimates provided for your convenience only, and may vary slightly from actual rates.
This Kaleidoscope comes with a stand to display on! These Kaleidoscopes are uniquely designed with superb craftsmanship; utilizing copper tubing and an array of multicoloured cut glass pieces and glass beads"spun" together to create an entertaining and functional Piece of Art. This is museum quality.
This Kaleidoscope comes with a stand to display on!
These Kaleidoscopes are uniquely designed with superb craftsmanship; utilizing copper tubing and an array of multicoloured cut glass pieces and glass beads"spun" together to create an entertaining and functional Piece of Art.
This is museum quality.
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