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HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS — Jason Collins displayed his courage routinely as a big man whose specialty was fighting for space under the rim against the likes of Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard. So the journeyman center, who played for both the Celtics and Wizards this season, had nothing to prove to me, you or anyone else when it comes to courageousness.
Yet Monday, he showed an entirely different type of bravery when he came out as the first openly gay athlete in a major American sport.
"I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay."
Those 12 words he wrote in a piece for Sports Illustrated will not only change the course his life but the lives of his friends, family, teammates and coaches (past, current and perhaps future). They will change everyone else involved with the NBA. Now that this barrier has been broken, Collins will forever be linked to this groundbreaking moment and what comes after.
I cannot think of a man better equipped to deal with this new reality. Collins always has been regarded as the ultimate professional, one of the smartest players of his generation and a teammate willing to give it all up for his team. No one spends 12 years getting cracked in the face by the sharp elbows of some of the best big men in NBA history without being willing and able to withstand some pressure.
Collins always has been one of my favorite players to talk to about basketball and beyond. Catch him in the locker room before a game and bring up almost any topic and he could educate you on a thing or two.
So for every person who has an issue with Collins coming out — and there are sure to be plenty of them — there will be just as many who support him and have his back, folks who commend him for his courage and his refusal to fear the foolish reactions of some.
When you have as many friends in high places as Collins does …
… support should not be a problem.
"As Adam Silver and I said to Jason, we have known the Collins family since Jason and Jarron joined the NBA in 2001 and they have been exemplary members of the NBA family," NBA Commissioner David Stern said in a statement. "Jason has been a widely respected player and teammate throughout his career and we are proud he has assumed the leadership mantle on this very important issue."
Collins is a wealthy Stanford graduate with options galore and seemingly no need to share his truth with the judging masses. Yet he does, unflinchingly. Collins explaining himself is refreshingly honest:
Why am I coming out now? Well, I started thinking about this in 2011 during the NBA player lockout. I'm a creature of routine. When the regular season ends I immediately dedicate myself to getting game ready for the opener of the next campaign in the fall. But the lockout wreaked havoc on my habits and forced me to confront who I really am and what I really want. With the season delayed, I trained and worked out. But I lacked the distraction that basketball had always provided.
The first relative I came out to was my aunt Teri, a superior court judge in San Francisco. Her reaction surprised me. "I've known you were gay for years," she said. From that moment on I was comfortable in my own skin. In her presence I ignored my censor button for the first time. She gave me support. The relief I felt was a sweet release. Imagine you're in the oven, baking. Some of us know and accept our sexuality right away and some need more time to cook. I should know — I baked for 33 years.
When I was younger I dated women. I even got engaged. I thought I had to live a certain way. I thought I needed to marry a woman and raise kids with her. I kept telling myself the sky was red, but I always knew it was blue.
I realized I needed to go public when Joe Kennedy, my old roommate at Stanford and now a Massachusetts congressman, told me he had just marched in Boston's 2012 Gay Pride Parade. I'm seldom jealous of others, but hearing what Joe had done filled me with envy. I was proud of him for participating but angry that as a closeted gay man I couldn't even cheer my straight friend on as a spectator. If I'd been questioned, I would have concocted half truths. What a shame to have to lie at a celebration of pride. I want to do the right thing and not hide anymore. I want to march for tolerance, acceptance and understanding. I want to take a stand and say, "Me, too."
It takes a brilliant mind to articulate thoughts as meticulously and honestly as Collins has here. It takes an understanding of who and what you are, at your core, to do this knowing that there are so many people still willing to give into the prejudice that is sure to come.
It takes true courage to do this without worrying about the repercussions. And courage is something Collins has in surplus, both as a basketball player and as a man.
He wants to march for tolerance and acceptance and understanding. He wants to take a stand.
I'd march with him any time. I'd stand with him.


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30-Year-Old Florida Teacher Caught In Bed With 16-Year-Old Disabled Student!
A former teacher's aide at a Gulfport school for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities is accused of unlawful sexual activity with a 16-year-old disabled student, according to Clearwater police. Seven months ago, Artia Patrice Davis, 30, of Clearwater, became involved with the student while she was working as a teacher's aide at Hamilton Disston School, police said. The Pinellas County School District and Pinellas sheriff's child welfare investigators began checking out Davis' relationship with the student after getting a tip about it Monday.
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Leave it to Karl Lagerfeld to imagine an India where the women wear dreadlocks and the jewel-encrusted clothes are all made in a Paris atelier. The theme behind Chanel's pre-fall 2012 collection, shown in the French capital yesterday, was "Paris-Bombay," and it definitely evoked the spirit of supreme luxury. Check out our five favorite looks, after the jump.
Take away the metallic leggings and extreme jewelry, add a pair of ladylike pumps, and this bejeweled dress is destined to have a red carpet moment (preferably on the back of Diane Kruger).
Speaking of bling, how chic would this sweater and skirt set be for a holiday party? Winter white is seriously hot right now, and the combination of cozy textures make this a look we want to warm up to stat.
Of course, the tailored route can be completely chic in white, too. The finishing touches on this look--from the tough-but-elegant gloves to the two-tone booties--make it feel seriously sophisticated.
If you're more of a classic Chanel girl, you can't do better than this tweed dress with an interesting twist on accessorizing--the jewelry is built right in! Black tights and patent pumps would instantly take this from runway to reality.
This dress manages to combine a ton of trends at once--asymmetrical cut, peek-a-boo fabric, midi-length--but it's that saturated blue hue that really makes this one a winner for us.
There you have it, dolls...which look is your favorite? Are you inspired by any of these to get all dolled up for your next holiday party? Discuss!
A totally free, fun, addictive Chanel coloring book...online!
Thursday-Friday takes on Chanel: "I do hope we can avoid any lawsuits"
Photos: courtesy of style.com; see the complete collection there now
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Memories of Blizzard Video Contest — Voting Closed
As part of Blizzard Entertainment's twentieth anniversary celebration, we announced the Memories of Blizzard video contest, in which we invited you to share your Blizzard game-related memories with us by sending in your creative and touching videos.
We picked our favorites, then we asked you to weigh in on your favorites by casting a vote on our contest page. Voting is now closed, and we'll announce the winners in the coming days.
Winners could earn awesome prizes, including:


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CATIA for Engineers enables Digital Prototyping including Analysis and Simulation for design and validation of function quality and performance at all stages ofthe design.
Mechanical engineering is complex as assemblies are designed to perform a specific task with a specific target performance. Digital prototyping, combined with digital analysis and simulation, allows product development teams to virtually create and analyze a mechanical product in its environment. Mechanical engineers must be equipped with these tools so that they can gain insight into key factors in quality and performance early in the product development phase.
CATIA Composites Engineering
Productive process-oriented environment dedicated to the design of composite parts from preliminary to engineering detailed design.
Composite materials offer a new world of design possibilities along with high-performance products. In order to capitalize on these possibilities, designers need dedicated and powerful composite tools that allow composite designers and manufacturing teams to enjoy trouble-free collaboration.
The collaborative and integrated CATIA Composites Engineering environment fosters the rapid creation of innovative composite parts for the aerospace, automotive, wind energy, and shipbuilding industries. Designers can work concurrently on the same design, while composites manufacturing constraints can be embedded early in the conceptual stage, dramatically shortening design time.
In addition to the zones and tapers approach, two new approaches, grid design and solid slicing, have been developed for a variety of industries. The design of aerospace barrels, boat hulls, and wind turbine blades can particularly benefit from the grid design approach to mate better with structural parts. The solid slicing approach is especially beneficial to optimize composite design steps for aerospace engine turbine blades, energy structural elements, and reengineering of metal parts.
- Capture structural elements for large composite parts with grid-based design
- Automate and make design changes quickly with zones and transition zones modeling
- Benefit from flexible preliminary design approaches to tailor plies to each type of intended part
- Enhance quality and productivity supported by mighty ply modeling tools
- Capture geometrical specifications and analysis context at preliminary design stage
- Validate designs profoundly and check data integrity
- Access predictability and early manufacturability assessment
- Facilitate innovation, save time and expense with CATIA V6
- Design high-level complex geometrical configurations
Grid based design in assembly contextThe design of large composites parts, for example aerospace barrels, wings, turbine blades, or boat hulls, may be processed in an assembly context with mating structural elements. These mechanical interfaces, such as stiffeners, stringers or frames, are taken into account through their footprints displayed on a grid panel. The ply stacking can be controlled in a virtual representation by the management of cells and ply order. The plies are then generated from the grid with automatic management for stacking and staggering.
Easy-to-use zones and modeling definition of transition zonesDuring conceptual design, zones and groups of zones are defined, including geometry and laminate. Knowledgeware parameters are automatically created to automate the geometry update in case of design changes. Transition zones define the area of the ply drop-off between two zones.
Powerful ply generation from grid, zones and taper or from zones and solid slicingDepending on the part category, the user may choose between these three modeling approaches. First, for large and structured parts, the grid design presents a virtual stacking definition and grid panel staggering constraints. Second, the zone and taper approach is particularly suitable for core-stiffened parts, where core inserts such as honeycomb can be created inside the composites structure. In addition, a new approach of plies creation from solid slicing is fitted for thick monolithic parts (engine turbine blades, for instance) or for re-engineering of metal parts. This makes it possible to slice the conceptual solid resulting from the zones and to generate the plies directly from the slicing curves, so that they are associative with every previous definition feature.
Mighty ply modeling tools based on 3D featuresPowerful modification features allow users to optimize ply shapes and drop-offs. The geometry, material, direction or rosette of a ply can be modified manually, or core inserts - such as honeycomb - can be created inside the composites structure. Merge and symmetry are available to enhance Collaborative Design. Grid design can be modified by dedicated features: swap or reroute edges or local drop-offs management. Associative solids can be refined manually by adding plies.
Best-in-class solid generation and top surface or Inner Mold Line generation from zones and pliesAt the end of the conceptual design, an associative exact solid can be created for 3D mock up integration, space allocation, interferences checking, definition of the footprint surface of substructural parts. Similarly, top surface or Inner Mold Line can be generated from zones and plies.
Complete composites data query toolsData query tools include core sampling, numerical analysis and ply table. Easy export of the numerical analysis offers quick comparison of ply characteristics.
Ply productibility validated with high quality tools for early manufacturability assessmentThe fiber behavior, such as deviation and deformation can be analyzed at different points of several plies. Simulation tools allow users to avoid manufacturability problems such as wrinkling and bridges of fibers.
Facilitate innovation, save time, and reduce expenses with the CATIA V6 offerHigh level of automation and standardization are brought by rules instantiated in stacking sequences to take industrial standards and corporate know-how into account. CATIA V6's preliminary design knowledgeware capabilities enable users to update a part automatically for design change purposes. This prevents the need to restart the full design phase. Composites engineering takes advantage of other applications (FEA, DMU, Machining, etc.). And automatic updates reduce the impact of changes to the design-to-manufacturing process. In addition, the CATIA V6 infrastructure offers a truly collaborative composites engineering environment that enables designers to work concurrently.
High level design of complex geometrical configurationsOwing to their geometrical configuration, some composites parts require complex designs. Composites engineering can manage multi-part geometries, such as T-shaped parts, monolithic and core stiffened parts, and stiffeners and stringers more easily than standard composites design solutions.
New ply bookIn the drafting workbench, the user can choose whether each sheet of this new ply book will be associated to a single ply/cut piece, to a sequence, or to all cut-pieces. All the views of the reference sheet are generated for each new ply in new sheets with the same view properties, position and links.


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A Sweep for a Sweep
While I love the history and tradition that surrounds the Bay Bridge series, I have to admit, it's always a relief when it's over. You too probably have tons of Giants fans for friends who love to rub in the fact that they have their fancy-schmancy stadium and…well, that's all they got. One of my absolute favorite T-shirts I see in the stands is, "Zero Splash Hits, Four World Titles." Yup, that pretty much sums it up!!
The A's sweep of the Giants in May at the Coliseum was so, so, so satisfying. The stadium was packed, the weather was beautiful and A's fans felt a real sense of pride. This 2010 team has beaten expectations and they're an absolute delight to watch. Below left, fans hang their pithy banner off the left field bleacher wall: "Got Trophy?" Love that. Below right, the team celebrates the win — and sweep — after the third game.
While the 3-game sweep was exhilarating, I knew that when it came time to play the Giants in San Francisco, they'd come at us with a vengeance. And sure enough, they delivered.
A sweep for a sweep.
It doesn't get more fair than that. Of course I would have liked to see total A's domination and our bats really come alive. Believe me, I would love any reason to really smack-talk back to those smug fans in orange and black.
But let's face it, the teams are decently well-matched this season.
Every year during the Bay Bridge series, I make a point to go to at
least one game in San Francisco. I don't love the fan experience in San
Francisco (expensive, obnoxious drunks, etc…), but feel weird missing
the chance to see my team play when they're so close to home.
A friend and his family hooked me up with tickets (thank you Facebook for getting my need out there!), so I dragged my dad along for a day in the sun. He actually grew up a Giants fan in California's central valley, but my brother and I slowly brought him over to the bright side over the years. Now, he proudly wears his green and gold! While we had a fantastic dad-and-daughter day, we left disappointed with the loss, but comforted that the series ended in a draw.
Fans, what did you think of the series? If you made it to games on both sides of the Bay, how did the experiences differ? I'd love to hear your feedback!
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I went to the games on Friday and Saturday. Disappointing loses both. It is tough to root for and against Zito at the same time. AT&T is a nice park, but the weather and beer are much better in Oakland. I'm hoping for a new stadium at Jack London. And Kara, you are adorable!
Losing to the Giants is worse than anything. I was absolutely miserable at the sf series. I even hate their stadium. The only thing I like about the Giants is….well, strike that. I like nothing about the Giants. If I were in charge, Scott Speizio would be the new commissioner of baseball, and every day would start by watching his home run in the 02 world series. Gotta hand it to the Giants fans though. They have stuck with their team even though they have never won. And they never will.
Go A's.


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This thing is great - thanks for all your work on this, DJ Riff
I'd suggest also posting this in the Legacy Gaming Tech Help area.
And I haven't tried it yet but awesome job... now who wants to make one for Thief 1?
This thing is great - thanks for all your work on this, DJ Riff
Thank you very much for TafferPatcher. I have been trying for over a year to get Thief2 working on newer hardware and failed. I've even kept an older machine around primarily so that I can still play Thief. However, I just got hold of TafferPatcher and it installed everything and it worked first time.
For info, I have the game working on Win7 64 bit, running at 1920x1200 on a GeForce 285GTX and also using EAX sound effects on a Creative titanium (thanks to Creative Alchemy).
Thanks again.
Will there be support for 'Thief - The complete collection' ?
The good things about it: Thief Gold, Thief 2, Thief DS all on one DVD (including some fixes for XP/Vista)
Unfortunately TafferPatcher does not recognize the DVD.
Is there a workaround ?
I had to answer NO when it asked for 'Complete Install'.
Although it did install some mission-fixes, I did not even find the MossArrow-fix applied.
I don't know how but TafferPatcher worked even on my cranky laptop with XP SP2 installed on drive F:
This thing is great.
Does it require .NET or some other nonsense
Why is .NET nonsense?
Because it's huge and bloated considering that you have to install the entire monster if you just want to run a program that uses Windows Forms (which is only a small fraction of the framework). Of course, since Windows comes with it at this stage, as do the service packs...
The fuck, they put it in 7 by default?
Hope Java sues them or whatever.
Vista and 7, yeah.
It's a bunch of libraries, why is it so evil? Apart from being huge compared to earlier stuff like MFC?
And Sun didn't so much sue Microsoft as keep the fact that they could as leverage to stop Microsoft ever suing them (they've used it in the past.)
Works fine now even with "Thief - The Complete Collection"
Oh, and when I was referring to the vine-arrow, I was actually thinking of the Moss-arrow fix.
I know that there is a fix around that makes it behave like in Thief 1:
means : moss spreading in random directions instead of forming a diamond.
See 'Useful changes to your GameSys' - qolelis - 14th Nov 2008 02:17
Stupid me !
Last edited by gnartsch; 28th Jun 2010 at 16:57.
Just registered to say thank you! Been struggling with all these patches and whatnot forever and this patcher made it all so easy. Running Thief 2 on W7 x64 now and so far it's working like a charm. Thanks again.
Edit: This thread should really be a sticky.
Great patch and everything works as advertised. However, I have to ask: How do you change widescreen resolutions once the patch is installed? I went from a 1920x1200 monitor to a 1920x1080 monitor, but I can't get any image when I open the game. I tried changing the resolution value in the .ini file to no avail. I only hear the audio.
This bit in the DDFix thread says that the resolution settings in both DDFix.ini and Cam.cfg must be the same.
Just re-run the patch to the same directory with the same set of components (or un-check everything and choose NOT to uninstall un-checked ones when asked) and specify the resolution again.
It's not only .ini and .cfg files, thief2.exe must be re-patched for the new widescreen resolution.
Just installed T2 with tafferpatcher on my HP laptop. Intel core i7 quad. It runs like a champ. Even the fan missions. This is the best thing since sliced cheese. Been tryiing to get his to work for over a week. Just discovered this thread by accident. Thank you so much. Can't wait for the T1 and T3 versions.....
I just wanted to say Good Work and Thanks So Much
I'm a huge fan of the Thief Series and I've been trying forever to get Thief 2 to run on both my Vista and Windows 7 PC's both 64 Bit BTW.
Your program was easy to use and works great I would like to see support for Thief 1 and Thief Gold in the future aswell.
I just can't tell you again how glad I am I found this program
Keep Up the Good Work
I'll be darned -- this thing works, and it works well. Nice job.
I would love to see some TDP/G support, because I can't get gold to install on 7 X64.


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Google wants to be a marketer's best friend online. That's why the search company just created its new Google Tag Manager tool to make it easier and faster for online digital marketers to "tag" content on Websites so it can be connected to online users.
The free Google Tag Manager is now available in English but will also be offered in additional languages in the future, according to an Oct. 1 post on the Google Analytics blog by Laura Holmes, product manager of Google Tag Manager.
"Tags are tiny bits of Website code that can help provide useful insights, but they can also cause challenges," wrote Holmes. "Too many tags can make sites slow and clunky; incorrectly applied tags can distort your measurement; and it can be time-consuming for the IT department or Webmaster team to add new tags—leading to lost time, lost data, and lost conversions."
The tool will allow digital marketers to consolidate their Website tags with a single snippet of code and manage them all more easily through a Web-based interface. "You can add and update your own tags, with just a few clicks, whenever you want, without bugging the IT folks or rewriting site code," wrote Holmes. "It gives marketers greater flexibility, and lets Webmasters focus on other important tasks."
Further reading
By making it easier for marketers to get these tasks completed, it can have a huge benefit for Google's financial bottom line. An estimate by Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster in January 2012 pegged Google's mobile ad sales alone at about $4 billion in 2012, up substantially from $2.5 billion in 2011.
To get an idea of Google's online ad scale, consider that the $4 billion Google stands to make in mobile ad sales in 2012 would comprise only 9 percent of the company's nearly $40 billion in 2011 ad sales. Yet that $4 billon would also equal Facebook's entire ad revenue sum for 2011.
Among the features of the new Google Tag Manager, according to Holmes:
- asynchronous tag loading so tags can fire faster without getting in each other's way, and without slowing down the user-visible part of the page;
- easy-to-use tag templates, so marketers can quickly add tags with Google's Web interface, as well as support for custom tags;
- error-prevention tools, including a preview mode, a debug console and version history to ensure that new tags won't break a site; and
- user permissions and multi-account functionality to make it easy for users to work together successfully.
For Google, tagging tools like this one are very important because advertising revenue is so central to the company's success and growth.
Presently, Facebook remains the market leader in the online display ad market wars, but by 2013, Google is expected to overtake Facebook for online ad market supremacy, according to a prediction from analysis firm eMarketer.
Facebook closed 2011 with 14 percent of the display ad market on sales of $1.73 million. Google, long a laggard in the U.S. display advertising market, nipped at the leader's heels last year, netting 13.8 percent share on sales of $1.71 million.
The U.S. display advertising market, which includes spending on online video, sponsorships, rich media and banner advertisements, grew roughly 25 percent to $12.4 billion in 2011. The eMarketer report said it expects Facebook to maintain its lead in 2012, grabbing $2.59 billion in share, compared with $2.54 billion by Google, as the two combine to net 33 percent of the display ad market.
Google will surpass Facebook by grabbing nearly 20 percent of the market in 2013, compared with less than 18 percent for Facebook. Google's U.S. display sales will grow 45.3 percent to $3.68 billion, with Facebook boosting sales 27.6 percent to $3.29 billion for 2013.
Not all ad sales have been successful for Google. In September, the company announced the shuttering of its stand-alone Google TV Ads efforts, which will be merged into other existing business units. The division was launched in 2007 to sell advertisements on traditional television networks for its customers, but failed to gain traction as consumers reduced their consumption of traditional television and moved to watching such content on different kinds of devices.


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Serius Jones - Euros
Serius Jones video shot in Rome, Italy - Euro Tour Album and Documentary coming February 2010... 4 countries , 9 cities dolo Life is Serius!
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Typography Resources
This page has various random resources for typography. It includes
- An introduction to typography
- Copies of the introduction set with both Framemaker and InDesign 1.5.2, so you can see the effects of InDesign's hyphenation/justification code and the hanging punctuation. (I'm actually using InDesign 2 for newer documents.)
- Some Applescript code to implement a couple of features in Indesign 2: "see page NNN", where NNN gets updated as appropriate, and "anchored frames", where you can put something in the margin, and it will stay at the same relative position to a spot in the main story.
- Two tools that I use with Framemaker under Windows (though ports to Unix should be easy and ports to the Mac possible).
- A program for adapting Adobe's OpenType fonts for use with older software that doesn't understand OpenType. Works only under Windows. (I thought I could port it to the Mac, but it turns out that a port would be very difficult.)
- A document describing how to add Apple Typographical Information to an Opentype font. This allows you to use Pages and other native Macintosh tools and have access to ligatures, small caps and old-style figures.
- A plugin for Framemaker that does automatic adjustments, such as ligature substitution and conversion to text figures. It will also produce an optically aligned right margin, if properly configured. (This is on Windows. It should move to the Mac or Unix fairly easily if you have the right development environment.)
Introduction to Typography
NOTE: The documents here are supplied in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format. By default, Acrobat will print them with larger margins and smaller type than the original. This will significantly alter the overall appearance of the document. To avoid this, please clear the "Fit to page" checkbox in the print dialog. (This is probably the right setting to use all the time, except when you are printing a document that was originally prepared for a different size of paper, or that goes too close to the edge of the paper to print normally.)
In the OS X version of Acrobat reader, this option is hidden fairly well: In the "print" dialog, select the menu that normally shows "copies and pages". Change it to "Acrobat Reader." Then clear the boxes "shink oversize pages" and "enlarge small pages".
This document was written as a tutorial about typography for staff within my area of Rutgers University Computing Services. It covers (very briefly) issues involving both print and web design.
The main document is Guidelines for Typography in NBCS. In addition, I have a short web page covering Fine Points of Usage, and a proposed "house style" for RUCS. The "fine points" document covers several odd details that come up in setting technical documents using the rules of classical typography. I haven't seen any published rules, and in fact I've been involved in debates in comp.fonts regarding these issues. Thus I'm recording my personal views. I don't claim any particular authority for them. (NBCS is New Brunswick Computing Services. It's the group I manage.)
If possible, I'd like to convince you to read something more complete than my document. The most-recommended book on typography is Robert Bringhurst, The Elements of Typographic Style, 1996. It is an excellent book. It was my starting point with typography. But it emphasizes one particular approach, which is better for books than for brochures and other items. Thus I would also read something with a more general design perspective, such as Carl Dair, Design with Type, 1967.
I've set the main document in 13 different fonts. I find that short samples aren't enough to judge a font. So I hope you will find it useful to see a whole document in several different ones. If you just want to read the document, rather than compare fonts, I suggest using the version set in Sabon Next or Zapf Renaissance. I believe these look the best, and are the most readable. The text of the 14 versions is close, but I've spent more time on these versions. There are probably cases in some versions where I have neglected to update the text to properly describe the font or format. These versions show slightly different document designs, particularly on the first page. (These two version must be viewed with Acrobat 5 or newer, because of licensing restrictions that require the document to be encrypted. Most of the others can use Acrobat 4.)
I've used 11 modern fonts based on classical models, and 3 recreations of historical fonts. This set of fonts would be sufficient for most straightforward University applications, though there are others that would be equally good. They are aimed specifically at documents intended for normal office laser printers. You would want to consider additional fonts for books, newspapers, PR brochures, and other applications.
I tend to prefer fonts based on Renaissance and Baroque models. Those who prefer modern face and related styles might include the historical fonts Bodoni (I recommend ITC Bodoni), New Century Schoolbook, and Century Expanded, as well as modern fonts based on these models, such as ITC Century and Miller Text. The only one of these I am showing is Miller Text, which is my favorite.
When comparing these documents, be aware that the overall appearance is affected as much by font size and spacing as by the font itself. I have done my best to choose size and spacing so that the appearances are matched as well as possible. But inevitably this isn't going to be perfect. If you find that one version looks better than another, make sure that the difference is actually the font, and not some other aspect of the typography.
Because the paper and printing can affect appearance, I note that testing was done on an HP Laserjet 5MP in Postscript mode, on Hammermill Laserprint paper.
Frank Blokland
- Haarlemmer. This is a digital version of a font designed by Jan van Krimpen. Framemaker 7.0 source for Haarlemmer version. With DTL Caspari for sans.
- Documenta. Framemaker 6.0 source for Documenta version. With DTL Documenta Sans and DTL Caspari for sans.
- Galliard Framemaker 6.0 source for Galliard version. With Today for sans.
- Miller Text. Framemaker 6.0 source for Miller version. With Charlotte Sans for sans.
George Jones and Matthew Carter
- ITC New Baskerville (historical font, based on designs by John Baskerville). Framemaker 6.0 source for ITC New Baskerville version. With Myriad for sans, including a specially adjusted instance of Myriad MM (375 weight, 600 width, letter-spaced 1%).
Robert Slimbach
- Adobe Garamond (historical font, based on romans by Claude Garamond and italics by Robert Granjon). Framemaker 6.0 source for Adobe Garamond version. With DTL Documenta Sans and DTL Caspari for sans.
- Minion. Framemaker 6.0 source for Minion version. With Myriad for sans.
- Warnock. Framemaker 6.0 source for Warnock version. With Myriad for sans.
Jan Tschichold
- Sabon. Framemaker 6.0 source for Sabon version. With DTL Caspari for sans.
- Sabon Next. InDesign CS source for Sabon Next version. With Linotype Syntax for sans.
Hermann Zapf
- Aldus. Framemaker 6.0 source for Aldus version. With Syntax for sans.
- Janson Text (historical font, based on work by Miklos Kis). InDesign 2.0 source for Janson version. With Linotype Syntax (new version done in 2000) as sans.
- Palatino. Framemaker 6.0 source for Palatino version. With Myriad for sans, including a specially adjusted instance of Myriad MM (375 weight, 600 width).
- Zapf Renaissance. Indesign 2 source for Zapf Renaissance version. With Frutiger NEXT for sans.
[The Framemaker and Indesign source files have been named with .bin on the end, to make sure they are transferred in binary mode.]
Except for the DTL fonts, Miller Text, and Haarlemmer, and the Linotype fonts such as Linotype Syntax and Sabon Next, all fonts here are available from Adobe (http://www.adobe.com/type), as well as a number of other web sites. (However for Galliard, you would want to use the CC version, which is available from Fonthaus.) DTL fonts are available from the Dutch Type Library (http://www.dtl.nl). Unfortunately DTL fonts are very expensive: $100 per weight for a single-user license. Miller Text and some of the sans fonts are available from Fonthaus. Haarlemmer is available in slightly different versions from DTL and Agfa/Monotype . The DTL version includes a medium weight and a sans companion font.
Haarlemmer is Frank Blokland's revival of a font designed by Jan van Krimpen. Van Krimpen was a Dutch type designer, who was one of the pioneers of the 20th Cent classical type revival. Van Krimpen was not happy with the design of Haarlemmer. However Blokland's digital version seems to be the best representative of van Krimpen's work in digital form. (Spectrum was more widely used in metal form, but its digital version is rather weak, in my opinion.) Haarlemmer shows some of the features of Renaissance designs, but in a sharper, more modern form.
DTL Documenta is closely related to Haarlemmer. It was designed by Frank Blokland, who is DTL's expert on van Krimpen. However Documenta is darker and more robust than Haarlemmer. It seems to have been designed to survive low resolution printing, FAX tranmission, etc.
Galliard is based on 16th Century fonts designed by Robert Granjon. I haven't counted this as an historical font, because it is to some extent a reinterpretation. But it's very close to the 16th Century originals. This is a beautiful font. But I find some of its features a bit exaggerated. I think Haarlemmer has many of its good qualities.
Miller Text is based on 19th Century fonts from England and Scotland. By this time, the "modern" style was in vogue. It tended to be harsh and unreadable. The fonts on which Miller is based were protests against this approach, combining some "modern" features with more classical designs. As such it is as readable as classical fonts, but is as "bright" as the better modern fonts. It's an excellent general-purpose text font, which is used in newspapers and magazines, and would be quite appropriate for books and other uses as well. I only recommend it if you are willing to use ligatures.
ITC New Baskerville is one of the historical fonts here. It is based on designs by John Baskerville, done in the 18th Century. This version has been modernized significantly, including increased x height. Other versions (e.g. Monotype Baskerville) are closer to the original. I use this one because I like its "sparkle" and delicacy. While I've seen Baskerville used for just about everything, from novels to technical material, it seems to be particularly common in science and theology.
Adobe Garamond is the second historical font shown here. It is based on romans designed by Claude Garamond in the 16th Century, and italics designed by Robert Granjon. There are many modern versions of Garamond. Adobe Garamond was done by Robert Slimbach. Because of differences in technology and the conventions of modern typography, there's a certain amount of interpretation involved in recreating a 16th Century font. However this is intended to be as close as one can reasonably come to Garamond's work, while producing a font that is widely usable. Note that in the 16th Century, roman and italic were not intermixed. Italics are normally adjusted somewhat to let them be intermixed with the roman, as commonly happens in modern typography.
Minion is a modern font based on Renaissance models. It can almost be regarded as a version of Garamond with greater x height and more vertical stress. It is well regarded by typographers as a "workhorse" font with classical roots. It's Adobe's corporate font. (Rutgers readers may be interested to know that Minion is used for many of the headlines in the Rutgers Targum.) Compare it with Sabon and Haarlemmer. I think it works better in print than with a laser printer, and that it is particularly appropriate for narrow columns.
Warnock is a new font. It combines features from several styles. It's intended to be a font that is visibly modern, but with a basis in Renaissance and Baroque designs. I haven't had enough experience with it yet to be really sure what I think. There are similarities to Zapf Renaissance. Zapf Renaissance is probably more elegant, but Warnock may be more practical.
Sabon is a 20th Century neohumanist font. It was based loosely on Garamond, but is somewhat more modernized than Adobe Garamond. This is an excellent general-purpose text font, with a very clean and dignified appearance. I have included two examples, one with the original digital version, and the other with Sabon Next. The older version was based on a Linotype metal font. This forced certain compromises on the design, particularly in the italic. Sabon Next is a new digital version done for Linotype by Jean Francois Porchez in 2002. It is based on a metal font designed for hand typesetting. Thus the italic is much better. I think the older version is a bit too light, and in some settings, too harsh. (Interestingly, the difference depends to some extent on paper. The original digital version looks a lot better on good-quality, off-white, cotton-content paper and in well-printed books. On that paper the text version of Sabon Next may almost be too dark.) However Sabon Next is an excellent general-purpose font for reports and general academic documents. Unfortunately Sabon Next is very expensive, but I think it's worth it.
Aldus, Palatino, and Zapf Renaissance are modern fonts based on Renaissance models. They are part of a larger family, which also includes titling fonts, as well as Greek, etc. Palatino was originally designed for headings and titles. Aldus was designed for text. Zapf Renaissance is a more recent version, designed specifically for cold typesetting (i.e. photographic or laser). It is "brighter" and more delicate than the other two. While these fonts have an obvious basis in Renaissance designs, they are fairly free, modern reinterpretations of the style. The Palatino sample uses the original Adobe/Linotype version of Palatino. Newer Microsoft software comes with Palatino Linotype, a newer digitization in the OpenType format. It's equally good, but its full power won't become available until word processors do a better job of supporting OpenType fonts.
Janson Text is a modern version of 17th Century designs by Miklos Kis. Thus it is the third of the three historical fonts included here. While Janson Text is intended to be a digital version of Kis' original fonts, it looks rather different in print. Some of that is because 17th Century printing didn't give as sharp an appearance. Also, the digital font is more regular. This is my "house font." It is a very readable font that tends to be a fairly neutral in appearance. This version of the document uses a slightly different format than the others. It is more appropriate to Janson.
I have paired these fonts with several high-quality sans serif fonts. Depending upon the document, this includes Myriad, Frutiger (and Linotype's new verson, Frutiger NEXT), Linotype Syntax, DTL Documenta Sans, DTL Caspari, and Today.
My primary humanist sans is currently Linotype Syntax. I'm not using the DTL fonts anymore because I've moved to the Mac, and DTL won't allow fonts to be converted from PC to Mac format. Even with a 50% discount, repurchasing them for the Mac is too expensive for me to justify.
Where a slightly more geometrical font is called for (e.g. slides and broadsheets), I have used Myriad. I am now evaluating Frutiger NEXT. (The original Frutiger isn't as good: its normal weight is too heavy, and it doesn't have a real italic. Frutiger NEXT has fixed these problems.)
Today is an innovative humanist design, which isn't as well known as it should be.
All of these are well-regarded fonts that are appropriate for a variety of documents. The choice is largely a matter of personal taste. However they produce somewhat different overall impressions. You need to fit the font to the subject matter, the impression you want to create, and the design of the document. My preferences have shifted over time. However my current candidates are Sabon Next and Zapf Renaissance or Palatino. I think Sabon is particularly good for reports and official correspondence, i.e. documents that should have a somewhat dignified tone. I like Zapf Renaissnace and Palatino for technical documents and personal correspondence.
Depending upon subject matter, I also like Adobe or Simoncini Garamond, ITC New Baskerville, and Miller Text. These are all classical fonts, which look good on a laser printer. (The latter is a key aspect of my recommendations. There are a number of fonts that look good in print, but not so good using office printers.)
Janson Text and the Garamonds have a bit more historical flavor than the others, although if used properly this isn't a problem. (ITC New Baskerville has been modernized enough that it doesn't have any real historical flavor.) Zapf Renaissance and Palatino are the most modern.
I tend to recommend Palatino for use within our computer center, because it and its clones are widely available, and I think it is quite appropriate for computer center documentation and reports.
For my own use, I like Sabon Next and Zapf Renaissance or Palatino, with Simoncini Garamond if I can get away with an historical font or Adobe Garamond or Aldus if I need something that is particularly dignified. Janson Text has been a long-time favorite, and it would still be my choice for many books. However for documents I do, it will probably be replace by Sabon Next.
These are all classical book fonts. For brochures and similar documents, particularly with narrow columns, I would consider Minion.
New Baskerville, Miller Text, and the Garamonds must be set with ligatures, and Janson really should be. They all look best with text figures and small caps, although Janson is often used without them, and ITC New Baskerville is sufficiently modernized that it's not critical. Sabon, Zapf Renaissance and Palatino were designed not to require ligatures, and their x height is enough that text figures and small caps aren't mandatory (though they look better, in my opinion).
Fonts that you probably already have
Of the fonts that are commonly present on people's systems, I suggest that you first look at Palatino. Palatino is the only one that is moderately acceptable without small caps, text figures, or ligatures, though it benefits from the use of small caps and text figures. An unauthorized copy of Palatino is included with older Microsoft software, called Book Antiqua. I think Palatino is probably the best standard font on stylistic grounds also, at least for computer center documents.
Times and Garamond should not be used without text figures and ligatures. Garamond also needs small caps. Century Schoolbook can survive without small caps and text figures, but it absolutely requires at least the "fi" ligature.
While Palatino can be used as is, if you want to do good typography I recommend getting the SC/OSF font that goes with it. You'll have to buy that (unless your word processor supports OpenType, in which case Palatino Linotype has everything you need). Be aware that Palatino is used so widely that some people think it's overused. However of the fonts that most people have already, I still think it's the best choice. (Times is of course even more overused.)
Many people also have a font called "Garamond." Most commonly it is a version of Monotype Garamond, which actually has nothing to do with Claude Garamond. (It was designed by Jean Jannon, in the 17th Century. In the early 20th Century it was misidentified as Garamond's work. Unfortunately the name stuck.) It's a beautiful although somewhat eccentric font, but it has somewhat different strengths and weaknesses than a true Garamond. If you wanted to use it seriously, you would want to buy a matching SC/OSF font. You can survive using Palatino without the SC/OSF. But in my opinion "Garamond" absolutely requires text figures and ligatures, and really should use small caps. "Garamond" bold should never be used, particularly bold italic. I think "Garamond" has a bit too much of an historical flavor for computer documentation, though it would be excellent for many other academic and University documents.
Comparison of Framemaker and InDesign versions
The documents listed above were mostly set with Framemaker 6.0. However I'm in the process of moving to InDesign, so an increasing number will be done that way. This section shows copies of the Documenta version set in both Framemaker (Framemaker source) and Indesign 1.5.2 (Indesign source). These will let you see the effects of InDesign's more sophisticated typographical features, such as its more sophisticated hyphenation and justification, and the hanging punctuation. However when word spacing is set to be somewhat tighter, Framemaker is configured to require 3 letters before a hyphen (the default in Indesign) and the plugin described here is used to produce hanging punctuation, we get the following in Framemaker (Framemaker source). This is nearly identical to the InDesign version.
The differences may be greater with shorter lines, but I tried tests with a one-inch line and still didn't see a major difference.
Most of the impact of the comparisons you'll see in InDesign publicity results from the fact that InDesign's algorithms produce somewhat tighter word spacing. To get the same effect from Framemaker, I set the word spacing (in the paragraph designer, "Advanced" tab) to 80% minimum, 100% maximum, 100% optimum, and disable "Allow Automatic Letter Spacing."
InDesign can output a PDF file directly. However the one here was made by printing to a Postscript file and then using the Acrobat distiller. InDesign's PDF is not compatible with older versions of the Acrobat reader, while Distiller's is. The Distiller output is also a much smaller file. (However as I do new versions, I'm generating PDF directly from InDesign. Thus to view the newer documents you'll need to use Acrobat 5 or later.)
Applescripts for Indesign 2.0/CS
As mentioned above, I'm in the process of moving editing of these documents from Framemaker on Windows to InDesign 2 on Mac OS X. I needed a couple of features not present in InDesign. It turned out to be easier to add them than to port my OpenType utility to the Mac and rebuild my FM enviornment there. Not to mention the fact that FM isn't OS X native. I've used them with InDesign 2.0 and InDesign CS on OS X. I don't know whether they would work with older versions, nor do I have an equivalent for Windows.
Anyway, I have Applescripts to do the following things:
- Implement "see page NNN", where NNN is updated when the reference moves to a new page. The implementation uses a hyperlink, which means you can clink on NNN in Acrobat Reader to go to the page.
- Implement "anchored frames", i.e. a text frame that is associated with a location in the main story, and stays in the same vertical position relative to the anchor. This is useful when you need to put a note in the margin, and you want it to say next to the same paragraph even when things change
I install these things in /Library/Scripts, and enable the script menu. Thus it's easy to get to them from the bar.
See scripts.tar . This has a README that gives some more information, and the scripts as text. You'll presumably want to run Script Editor, load them and save them as compiled scripts in /Library/Scripts. They're well commented. (These are my first venture into Applescript, so there are surely better ways to do some of this.)
Incidentally, these scripts are good starting points, but they certainly don't solve problems in the most general way. E.g. the anchored frame should work for any frame type, not just text frames, and it should have the ability to move items between the left and right margins, for documents where odd and even pages are different. Extensions like this would be easy to do, but I've only done the specific things I needed.
Utility for producing SC and expert OpenType fonts
OpenType is a new font format that bundles up lots of things into a single font file. One example is Palatino Linotype, distributed with Windows 2000. A typical OpenType font will include normal, small caps, Greek, Cyrillic, etc. There are special features to support ligatures.
Unfortunately not all programs currently support OpenType. In particular, Framemaker (even the new version 6 -- grrrrr) doesn't support OpenType. If a program doesn't support it, then an OpenType font looks like a normal font. There is then no way to access small caps, ligatures, etc. With a conventional font, you'd just buy a separate expert font. But with OpenType, separate expert and SC/OSF fonts aren't going to be available, since the information is all available in the main font. So people with old programs (and new programs that don't support OpenType, such as FM 6 -- grrrr) are stuck.
This utility lets you produce separate fonts containing small caps, old-style figures, and special characters, from an OpenType font that follow Adobe's conventions. (It will not work with the Microsoft OpenType fonts, because they are missing some information I relied on.) The resulting fonts can be used like conventional SC/OSF, OSF, and expert fonts.
This will work only on Windows, and only with programs that are stupid about fonts. The newest programs should understand OpenType fully. But there's an intermediate set of programs that understand enough about fonts to bypass the standard Windows API, but not enough to support OpenType. I can't help you with those. This program will help you with programs that access fonts "normally." The fonts it produces work with Framemaker 5.5.6 and 6.0 on Windows 2000 (and presumably older Windows versions with ATM 4.1 or later). I assume it would work with Word as well.
As far as I know, Unix can't read OpenType fonts, so this program wouldn't help. It should be possible to make it work for a Mac, given the newest version of ATM, but it would require some work by a competent Mac hacker. While the same OpenType font file is used for the PC and Mac, there are PC-specific and Mac-specific tables inside the file. I haven't written the code to set up the Mac tables.
- chcmap.txt - documentation
- chcmap.exe - the program
- chcmap.c - the source
- expertcharset.pdf - shows the character set you get when you ask for an "expert" font
- Adobe's documentation on the OpenType format
This code was written from scratch using the web documentation on the OpenType format. Thus it should be free of any intellectual property issues.
Framemaker 6/7 plugin to insert ligatures, etc.
[This plugin was developed under FM 6. I have tested it only briefly under FM 7. So far the same binary appears to work. However the line in maker.ini needs an extra parameter, probably "maker" or "all". See the comments in the file. Note that I have not tried it with a "structured" document. Unless the FM 7 SDK has significant new features relevant to this code, I'll continue building it with the FM 6 SDK.]
On Unix and the Mac, Framemaker will automatically insert the fi and fl ligatures. It doesn't do this on Windows, because the Windows character set doesn't include ligatures.
This plugin is designed to solve that problem, sort of. It can also do other typographical functions, such as replacing figures with text figures from a separate expert font, and adjusting the height of characters.
The other major feature is hanging punctuation in the right margin, giving a more even appearance.
Some manual cleanup may be needed after both ligature replacement and insertion of hanging punctuation, but it should just take a few minutes even for a fairly long document.
In order to use ligatures, it requires a separate "expert" font that has the ligatures in locations that are available under Windows. There's a sort of convention that the ligatures are available in the expert set as V, W, X, Y, and Z. However the program can be configured for any location (except space, which is used as a delimiter).
It also allows you to convert all digits from your main font into an "expert" or SC/OSF font. This simplifies things for people who like to use text figures, as they are normally located in separate fonts.
There are a couple of features to help you adjust the height of characters. For example, the / often needs to be lowered when used with text figures, and the - often needs to be raised in all-caps titles.
It should be possible to build this plugin for Unix and the Mac, but I have currently only built it under Windows. I'm a Unix programmer, so it's unlikely that I did anything that won't compile under Unix.
This program is based on the structure of the "wordcnt" sample plugin, from the Framemaker 6.0 FDK. However Adobe allows redistribution of modified versions of their samples, when they have become part of an application. Thus I'm including source.
- ligproc.dll.bin - Windows binary. Rename to ligproc.dll. (I called it ligproc.dll.bin, because Netscape transferred it in ASCII mode when I called it ligproc.dll.)
- lig.txt - documentation
- lig.tar.gz - source, for Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0
- Adobe download page for Framemaker Developers' Kit.
For more information, contact
Last updated: Sunday, 23-Jan-2005 15:00:12 EST
© 2005 Charles Hedrick. All rights reserved.


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EXCLUSIVEChris Brown is now privately admitting he was falling-down drunk after the BET awards Sunday ... but says it's not because he drank to excess -- it's because he can't hold his liquor.
We posted the video first thing Monday morning ... showing an absolutely obliterated CB being carried out of Playhouse in Hollywood.
Chris is saying ... he hadn't had a drink in 6 months -- mostly because he was either in rehab or jail. Chris says he was goaded at Playhouse into drinking ... by famous folk like Lil Wayne, Tyga and Soulja Boy. They wanted him to celebrate his triumphant return on the BET stage by doing shots.
Chris admits to having the proverbial "several" shots, but that was all she wrote.
Check out the video of Chris at the DJ booth at Playhouse. He's feelin' good, and standing upright ... kinda.


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World AIDS Day 2013 Events
November 15, 2013
There's so much that can be done to prevent HIV, raise HIV awareness, and lessen the stigma and discrimination associated with HIV. World AIDS Day is the perfect time to find out what it's like to live an HIV-positive life. Browse through this collection of ideas of what you can do on and around World AIDS Day.
Attend an Event | In Your Community | Use Social Media
Attend an Event
There are plenty of events going on all over the world for World AIDS Day. Here are just a few of the events going on throughout some big U.S. cities:
Citywide World AIDS Day 2013 - Austin Talks HIV
World AIDS Day Month (Various Events)
Los Angeles
SoCal World AIDS Day Vigil
Minneapolis/St. Paul
Deaf AIDS Day - St. Paul
Sarah Simmons Showcase - Minneapolis
National World AIDS Day Event - St. Paul
New York
Join Lutheran Family Health Centers for World Aids Day at Lutheran Medical Center
Day With(out) Art 2013 - TALK
Day With(out) Art 2013 - WALK
Day With(out) Art 2013 - SING
Day of Reflection: Strengthening the Fight to End AIDS
San Francisco
NorCal: World AIDS Day Ride
In Your Community
Get Tested
Hang Posters
Tell the U.S. Government What You Think!
Social Media
Though World AIDS Day is full of plenty of HIV-related events, there might not be one in your area, or you may not be able to make it. But that doesn't mean you can't take part. Here are some ways to participate online.
#BodyChat - Twitter Chat
Knowing Your HIV Status Is Sexy, Says New NSFW Video
Have you ever been nervous that disclosing your HIV status might lead to rejection? When it comes to HIV and sex, do you think silence equals getting laid? A new video from Impulse Group, an HIV/AIDS educational organization, shows just how sexy it can be when you know your status. Check out the steamy, NSFW (not suitable/safe for work) video and share it with friends.
Add a Ribbon to Your Profile Pics
Facing AIDS
World AIDS Day Video Series by Positive Women's Network - USA
Get Google to Participate in World AIDS Day!
Everyone loves those creative Google home page images -- called "doodles." However, last year, Google forgot to make a doodle for World AIDS Day, even though it does one for most major awareness days and holidays. Using your Twitter account, make sure to tweet Google Doogles (@googledoodles) urging Google to bring awareness to World AIDS Day. Here's a sample tweet: "Hey @googledoodles! You should honor #WorldAIDSDay! Pls RT #WAD2012 #HIV via @TheBodydotcom"
Tweet It
Share TheBody.com!
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text:
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It was no thanks to Larry Jaster that the Dodgers made a second consecutive trip to the World Series in 1966.
The rookie left-hander from the St. Louis Cardinals pitched five shutouts in 1966 — all, remarkably, against the National League champions.
So rare was the feat — shutting out an opponent five times in one season — that it hadn't been done in 50 years and has not been duplicated in nearly 50 years since.
"The longer it went on," Jaster says, "the more they were pressured to stop it, which worked in my favor. They were pressing, and I kind of rolled along, thinking there was nothing to it."
Granted, the Sandy Koufax-led Dodgers did not have a great offense. They were shut out 17 times in 1966, not including three times in the Baltimore Orioles' World Series sweep. But nobody overwhelmed them like Jaster.
"It was a combination of things," Jaster, 67, says from his home in St. Johns, Fla. "I pitched well, I didn't walk people, I had a good defense behind me, and I had some luck also."
Actually, luck had little to do with Jaster's dominance.
He gave up only 24 hits in 45 innings against the defending World Series champions, none for extra bases.
He struck out 31 and walked eight.
And the Dodgers' batting average against him was .157.
"Do I remember him?" former Dodgers first baseman Wes Parker says of Jaster. "Oh, do I remember him."
Jaster "didn't throw that hard," Parker says of the Midland, Mich., native, "but he had a hop to his fastball. For some reason, it would soar a little bit, and he pitched us all up.
"None of us had real power, and he had the right concept: Just pitch us all up and let us hit the ball as hard as we wanted, knowing we couldn't hit it out of those big ballparks."
Jaster, part of a Bob Gibson-led staff that would help the Cardinals win the World Series in 1967, gave a hint of things to come in September 1965, pitching a 1-2-3 inning against the Dodgers at St. Louis in his major league debut.
The next time Maury Wills & Co. saw him, seven months later at Dodger Stadium, he gave up seven hits in a 2-0 decision over Claude Osteen, launching his shutout string.
After a stint in Triple A, Jaster was back at Dodger Stadium 10 weeks later, outdueling Don Drysdale in a 2-0 victory.
Later in the summer, he outpitched Drysdale at Busch Stadium and again bested Osteen at Dodger Stadium.
The last shutout came in the season's final week, the Dodgers trying to hold off the San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates in a heated pennant race. Jaster gave up only four hits at St. Louis in a 2-0 decision over fellow rookie Don Sutton.
Consistently keeping the Dodgers off base, Jaster had stifled their ability to manufacture runs with their speed.
Jaster, finishing the season with an 11-5 record, matched a major league record that had most recently been equaled by Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander of the Philadelphia Phillies, who pitched five shutouts against the Cincinnati Reds in 1916.
"His wife actually sent me a letter congratulating me," Jaster says of Alexander's widow. "I have it in my closet."
The southpaw carried his shutout string into the seventh inning of his next start against the Dodgers in April 1967, finally giving up a one-out sacrifice fly to Jeff Torborg in an 8-4 victory.
A velocity-sapping shoulder injury, however, prevented Jaster from delivering on the promise of 1966, when he finished fourth in voting for National League rookie of the year.
Though Jaster was 9-5 against the Dodgers, his 35-33 career record included only two other shutouts, the last a two-hitter against Tom Seaver and the New York Mets in May 1968. He was only 4-16 after developing a "frozen shoulder" later in '68.
"I really wasn't effective after that," he said. "I could pitch without pain, but it wasn't the same coming out of my hand. The life wasn't there, the velocity wasn't there."
After giving up a grand slam to Jim Northrup of the Detroit Tigers in Game 6 of the 1968 World Series, Jaster was claimed by the Montreal Expos in the expansion draft. In 1969, he was the Expos' starter in their first game at Montreal.
He made his last major league appearance in 1972, finished up in Triple A and returned to school to get his degree, eventually earning a master's in physical education at the University of New Mexico while also pursuing a coaching career.
A father of three, Jaster is a longtime minor league pitching coach now working in the Orioles organization.
Occasionally, he says, someone will ask him about his phenomenal success against the '66 Dodgers.
"The more time goes on," he says, "the more you think, 'Man, I guess that was something different.' You get more and more proud of it."
"The longer it went on, the more they were pressured to stop it, which worked in my favor. They were pressing, and I kind of rolled along, thinking there was nothing to it."
— Larry Jaster, on his success in 1966 against the Dodgers


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HANG TIME WEST – The Maloof family, disliked beyond measure in Sacramento for the way they have run the Kings on and off the court and ultimately for putting the city on the brink of losing the team to Seattle, have received support from the most unlikely of sources: mayor Kevin Johnson.
Johnson has recently gone out of his way to be complementary toward the Maloofs, notably at his State of the City address and most recently at Tuesday's city council meeting that included approving the non-binding agreement with private investors to build a downtown arena. It was impossible to miss because Johnson could have easily avoided mentioning the Kings' owners both times without coming off as unusual. It was especially impossible to miss because the Maloofs' disgust for Johnson is a major reason, and perhaps the No. 1 reason, they never told Sacramento officials the team was for sale.
But, Johnson told NBA.com, he has remained in contact with the family, there are no hard feelings, and Kumbaya. Group hugs all around.
Oh, and the Maloofs want the Kings to stay in Sacramento.
(You just can't make this stuff up.)
The recent obvious change of tone toward the Maloofs – including announcing Ron Burkle, likewise not on the family's Christmas card list, as heading the arena project rather than part of the proposed ownership group – smacks of Johnson trying to mend fences, just in case. The Board of Governors will vote on the sale and relocation to Seattle as part of the April 18-19 meeting in New York, Sacramento has put together a strong counter-offer and wants to be in position if the BOG turns down Seattle in favor of the California capital.
If Sacramento beats Seattle, all the Sacramento group has done is stopped the move. It still has to buy the team and the Maloofs can turn the screws and inflate the price tag. The Maloofs can even keep the team. There is essentially no chance that happens, but consider the number of developments that have already occurred no one saw coming. At the very least, the Maloofs could drag negotiations into summer and still get out Monopoly-money rich before having to hide out another season.
Sacramento may still need to make nice with the family. There is the recent evidence that Johnson has, after the mayor and his top aides wrongly let earlier arena negotiations get personal when they should have understood the Maloofs are very emotional. But the mayor said that is not the case.
"No," Johnson told NBA.com. "We're just talking about the facts, and the facts are this: They have been a huge part of this community, they gave a significant amount of philanthropy back to this community, they kept the team here for 10-plus years, which is great. It didn't end the ideal way. I've talked to and communicated with them since then. There are no hard feelings. We wish them the best. They wish us the best as a community.
"We think at the end of the day, if the price that they were going to get is similar to Sacramento, they would probably prefer to have the team in Sacramento. They certainly can't say that. But I know they have an affinity for Sacramento and I believe very strongly that this is the way the story is supposed to end at the end of the day. They've been good to our community. We're just thankful for that."
No hard feelings? Seriously?
"They didn't have to put in their deal that they can accept the backup offer," Johnson said. "If there was no backup offer, we wouldn't be able to do anything. There's a backup offer because ultimately the NBA approves or disapproves a deal. By them being able to accept a backup offer, it keeps a community like Sacramento in play. If not, I have no idea what we'd be able to do. A silver lining in everything."
Johnson is right to note the Maloofs' positive impact around the region, a fact now quickly overlooked. No matter how much heat the family has taken, and will forever take, they poured big bucks into the market as well.
But to suggest the Maloofs want the Kings to end up in Sacramento, not Seattle, is the purest sign of all that KJ is schmoozing. If the Maloofs really wanted that, they could have made it happen. At the very least, they could have alerted Sacramento that the team was for sale, allowing a clean start rather than forcing the city to play catch-up to an excellent bid. The Maloofs did not do that because they wanted to jab a finger in the chests of Johnson and top aides who crossed the line by dealing with the family like dealing with North Korea. The mayor is trying to do something about that mistake now.


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So it seemed as if by pure chance that I had a load to St. Louis which delivered this morning...early... and was assigned a re-load that would pick up much later today, allowing me time to attend Mass...somewhere hopefully. And it seemed by pure chance that I was in a city whose Cathedral is one I'd been wanting to see for quite some time. Pope Paul VI referred to it as the most beautiful in the New World. After going online I found that by pure chance the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis offers the Sacrament of Penance on Sundays just before the Noon Mass.
As if by pure chance the place I delivered to has a large lot next door where I could drop my trailer, which I did, allowing me to bobtail (see above) to somewhere near the cathedral...hopefully. And as if by pure chance I-64 was closed just after Kingshighway Blvd., allowing me to exit North to Lindell blvd with no low overpasses or truck restrictions. And although there was no parking lot within view of the Cathedral that would allow semi bobtail trucks, I did find a gas station/convenience store/Laundromat with plenty of room to park...as if by pure chance. But then I had to get permission to leave the truck there. And as if by pure chance the guy behind the plexi-glass had no problem whatsoever with the idea, so long as I got back by 2pm when the boss showed up. So I parked and walked.
The line to the confessional was long, but well worth the wait. I got in and out just in time for Mass. And as if by pure chance the celebrant of today's Mass was Bishop Hermann, who wrote a great pro-life homily in January which I posted HERE in its entirety, and who won my undying admiration last November for announcing he would be willing to die to end abortion (read that HERE). And although for some reason it didn't occur to me to take out my camera from its case and take his picture (D'Oh!) after Mass in the vestibule, I did have the presence of mind to walk up to him then and shake his hand. He seemed pleased when I told him I had posted his homily.
It was a magical start to a beautiful day. And I don't care in the least that my re-load fell through and I'm likely stuck here until tomorrow. I am still feeling the glow of this morning's events which occurred all as if by chance.... But I don't believe in chance, you see. I believe I was being led by the Spirit to find opportunities to attend Mass on the road. And since God helps those who help themselves, once I made the attempt in a direction He was pleased with He made the rest fall into place. And until you have faith in God, you will probably never understand what I'm talking about. So if you choose to count on chance (luck), coincidence, or your own abilities (*snort*) to get you through life, well,... good luck with that.
Feel free to click on the images to make them large. At 8 megapixels, they will show up in great detail.


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Photos: Oli Gagnon
Words and captions: T-Bird
Holy fuck.
Day 3 of Superpark 14 at Mammoth Mountain, CA saw the heaviest shit go down in years. The morning sessions on Mammoth's massive step down precluded what was one of the most prolific and progressive jump sessions (possibly) of all time.
For the first few days, apres rumors spread throughout the village at bar tables littered with beer bottles and empty shot glasses.
"Dude, I hear the thing is fucked."
"They built another big jump?"
"I wouldn't hit it for all the money in the world."
For their second annual Superpark appearance, the builders from Loon Mountain, NH pushed a pile of snow that would make any established park jumper shit their pants at the top of the drop-in. 2 and a half football fields of run in collided with a 3 story takeoff stepover that resulted in jacket-flapping airtime. Norwegian Gjermund Bråten was the first to send the beast and once he safely rode away from his first two attempts, word spread around Superpark that the now-infamous "Loon jump session" was a go.
Jeremy Thompson fired his first run to flat, hopped back on a sled and dropped in again to a hundred-plus foot back seven. The chairlift erupted when Stompy touched down and the invite-only jumpers continued on. Standouts included Tyler Flanagan, Lonnie Kauk, Chas Guldemond, Austen Sweetin, Austin Hironaka, Mario Cappeli, Matts Kulisek, Heikki Sorsa, Sammy Carlson, Jason Robinson, Eric Willett, Markku Koski, Marc Swoboda, and a handful of other attendees.
Between Flanagan's back ten late cork, Austin Hironaka's late frontside 180, Marc Swoboda's perfect back sevens and Sweetin's flawless front threes, it was a session including myriad tricks and riders. Where else would you see two former Olympians, an X Games bronze medalist and a mix of unknown (but not for long) Euros session one of the biggest jumps built in recent memory?
After the jump session, Pat Melandoski and the High Cascade digger crew unveiled their creation: A huge quarterpipe located in the exact spot that Pete Columbo's massive hip was last year. Though it seemed like a bit of a warm-up session, riders like Trevor Jacob, Colin Langlois, Danny Garrity, Ben Bilocq, Dustin Craven, Nate Farrell, Austen Sweetin and a Japanese kid who didn't know what I said when I asked him what his name was were checking it out and getting a feel for the transition. Topping out at around 20 or so feet, Craven had arguably the highest air of the day, but tomorrow will tell yet another tale in this chapter of the Superpark book.
Keep checking back for daily updates from Superpark 14 at Mammoth Mountain, CA. Today was totally fucked, and the next two days are sure to follow in this afternoon's footsteps.


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Deadwood Gambling Numbers Continue to be Strong
DEADWOOD - Gamblers are continuing to flock to Deadwood. The western South Dakota casino hot spot is coming off its best year on record and officials say the pace is continuing in 2013.
The $7.8 million in gambling revenues collected last month is the highest figure for January in four years.
Deadwood Gaming Association President Tom Nelson tells the Rapid City Journal that table games have become more popular because of the increase in bet limits that went into effect last summer.
Table game revenue rose more than 43 percent from January 2012. Slot machine income was up 1.5 percent from the same month a year ago.
Total revenue for 2012 was $107.4 million, exceeding 2011's $100.9 million and 2010's $106.2 million.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Journey to Monkey Mountain
I cannot count the times we have climbed the mountain behind the Togetsukyo Bridge to feed the monkeys. The park* is a ravaged stretch of ground overlooking some of the most spectacular scenery in Kyoto. A hut neatly reverses the animal-human role by putting you inside a cage where you can purchase peanuts and slices of apple to feed the monkeys that gather on the mesh windows around the building. Outside the city spreads out beneath you**, a carpet of buildings and roads that has flooded every inch of ground underneath the mountains, a flood of modernity occasionally broken by the odd shrine or park.
Neicy and Rhod went to find refreshments at the river-boat shop while Anwen and myself climbed through the scorching heat of late summer. There were no other visitors and the helpful keepers chatted about the monkeys and manipulated a few photos so it looked as if the monkeys wanted to be seated beside us. Looking down upon Arashiyama it seemed impossible that typhoons were due.


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Wow! It's Diablo in 3D!
It happens every time: just before the sequel to a great game is put onto the
market, some other company puts out a clone, to reap the benefits from those
gamers with little patience and lots of money. The Action/RPG game Darkstone
fits quite nicely into this niche. DSI (makers of the classic Flashback)
released this game to help Diablo
fans holdout until the long awaited Diablo 2 is released. Unfortunately,
the game they released is an unpolished 3D shadow of the original.
I don't like comparing two games directly, but the format of Darkstone
leaves me no choice. The game uses the same basic game structure, the same isometric
view of the action (except in 3D), the same grid-based inventory system, the
same health/mana system, the same random dungeon generation, the same magic
casting system, many of the same spells (with different names, of course), and
even similar pictures of the items you collect. With this many similarities,
it's amazing that they didn't call it Diablostone.
The plot goes like this: some really evil monk gets the power to turn into a
dragon and destroy the world. You, as the main character, must find several
crystals, form the time orb, and then kill the monk. Sounds like the standard,
last-minute excuse to hack and slash all sorts of monsters.
First, for the good stuff: the game is based off of Diablo, which
was a great game, and thus the underlying idea is pretty good. Being able to
control two characters at the same time is fun, though occasionally confusing.
The control is fairly good, as is the sound. Be forewarned that the voice acting
is horrible, however. There are a few new RPGish characteristics, like the requirement
of eating food to keep your health up, which does add a little complexity. Though,
why does your character need to eat, but never needs to sleep?
The biggest change from Diablo is the full 3D rendering of everything
in the world. All the characters in the game look very polygonal and angled.
Though not as smooth looking as many other games, I must say that the enemies
are occasionally well done. Unfortunately, despite the fact that this game requires
a 3D Graphics card, they still cut corners – the leaves on the trees look very
pixilated, and various objects in the game look downright unfinished.
Another problem
is the treatment of the camera. Whenever your character is blocked by something,
the object turns transparent, which is a real neat trick. However, the camera
still can get stuck in buildings, ruining the effect. The ability to rotate
and zoom the camera is useful to fix this, but it's still awkward to have to
stop, push the appropriate arrow keys to fix the view, and then continue on
your way. While there is a follow-type camera view, it can feel awkward for
gamers used to a fixed view.
The 3D format of Darkstone also messes up some elements of the dungeon
game. In Diablo, it was exceedingly easy to find objects strewn on the
ground, because it created a glowing outline around the sprite when you moved
your mouse over it. Now, because of the 3D treatment of this game, they couldn't
do that. Instead, they made selectable objects glow red. This is all well and
good, but red doesn't stand out against the black of the dungeon, and you can't
see the glow if it's hidden behind your character, a desk, or any other object
in the game. This makes it really hard to pick up treasure you free from various
barrels and treasure chests. (Hmmm, barrels and treasure chests. That sounds
Darkstone also suffers from a few petty annoyances. For example, the
font they use for small in-game text is horrible. It's barely legible, requiring
you to read over it several times before you understand it. This problem is
compounded by the fact that all the information in the character creation screen
is in that font. The game's website does have a a fix for it, but that fix causes
the map to get screwed up. Like I said, it seems unfinished.
Graphics aside, the gameplay doesn't really match up to Diablo. Although,
on the average, it plays adequately, there are lots of little things that detract
from the game. For example, treasure sometimes appears outside of the room you
opened the chest in, when its dark you can barely see any of the screen, the
mouse pointer is fairly inaccurate, and the AI for the other characters in your
party is pretty stupid. With friends like these, who needs enemies . . .
Although not a complete waste of time, Darkstone is an unimaginative
marketing ploy to ride on the coattails of Diablo. If you don't own Diablo,
buy that instead. If you have both Diablo and patience, wait and see
what Diablo 2 looks like. However, if you're one heck of a Diablo
junkie, who can't stand another minute without some sort of fix, than this is
the game for you.


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Thank You For All Your Support of a Midland Marine!!! Y'all Rocked It!!!!
UPDATE: In a surprise to all of us, it looks like Mike Ball WILL be getting to on the trip after all.
Here is what Lonestar Outdoors TV posted on their Facebook today:
After talking with the prostaff members about the massive amount of votes and support that these guys had at their backs during this contest. And for all the attention these guys have brought to our page and the over 130,000 views this page and contest received due to these two American heroes battling with likes for a chance to win a hunt with LSO TV. We as a group have decided that due to the closeness of this contest and tremendous support shown by friends, family, and fans of LSO. Michael Ball will also be going on a hunt with the reaper crew. Congratulations Michael and thank you everyone for the support.
Thank you to Lonestar Outdoors TV for making this decision and thank you to everyone who voted for Mike! You are all made of awesome!
It was a late night, but I can honestly tell you that I am both proud, but not surprised at all of the support you all gave Mike Ball for yesterday's contest.
By my count at midnight, Mike's entry was just 17 votes behind the winner, but while he didn't win the hunting trip, I feel he still won in knowing that West Texas has his back and those who serve in our military!
In response to the contest, Mike wrote a very nice message to everyone who rallied to get him the likes yesterday.
Thank you again to everyone that helped out yesterday and thank you Mike and every single one of our veterans for their service! With everything going on in the world these days, it's refreshing to see how complete strangers can come together to help someone. Happy Friday to you all and have a great weekend!


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EU delays talks on new Russian pipeline
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Commission is delaying some talks on a new Russian pipeline that would bypass Ukraine to transport natural gas via the Black Sea to southeastern Europe.
Spokeswoman Sabine Berger said Monday the Commission, the 28-country bloc's executive arm, will continue talks at a technical level but suspend planned political negotiations in light "of the broader developments" in the EU's relations with Russia.
The EU last week suspended talks on visa liberalization and an economic agreement with Moscow to protest against Russia's incursion into Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.
The South Stream pipeline, in which Russia's Gazprom holds a 50 percent stake, would provide an alternative supply route for Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, Slovenia, Austria and Italy. It's expected to ship up to 63 billion cubic meters of gas from 2018.
Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.


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|This information is provided free of charge by the Department of Industrial Relations from its web site at www.dir.ca.gov. These regulations are for the convenience of the user and no representation or warranty is made that the information is current or accurate. See full disclaimer at http://www.dir.ca.gov/od_pub/disclaimer.html.
| Return to index
New query
NOTE: Authority and reference cited: Section 142.3, Labor Code.
1. Amendment filed 4-27-79; effective thirtieth day thereafter (Register 79, No. 17).
2. Change without regulatory effect redesignating section 3386 to Note 2 of section 3384 filed 1-12-94; operative 2-11-94 (Register 94, No. 2).
Go Back to Article 10 Table of Contents


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One of the primary reasons for Tyler's preeminent reputation among institutions of higher education is the collective record of achievement produced by its graduates. Tyler's philosophy emphasizes the investigation and articulation of concepts leading to a high level of personal inquiry, resulting in work that challenges and extends the traditional boundaries of the media and their accepted definitions.
Tyler graduate programs are intended for students whose work has achieved strong definition and who seek continued growth and education in their discipline. Admission to the program is highly selective.
Tyler's internationally recognized graduate faculty brings a reputation for excellence in academic research, studio practice, and teaching with a broad range of attitudes and philosophic positions. The educational atmosphere at Tyler is characterized by a system of mentorship that encourages diversity, respect for individual direction, and a rigorous exchange of ideas and creative challenges. Tyler graduate students work closely with the faculty and contribute significantly to the life and strength of the school.
Tyler's Exhibitions and Public Programs department provides another important educational tool. It operates one main gallery for professional and MFA thesis exhibitions and the Stella Elkins Tyler Gallery devoted to student work.
Tyler's location in the northeast corridor is invaluable. Not only are the extensive art collections and institutions of Philadelphia, New York City, and Washington, D.C. easily accessible, but the opportunities to complement Tyler's faculty with an extensive program of visiting artists, critics, and scholars drawn from these cultural centers are unlimited.


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Chesterton Tribune
Brookfield Zoo announces birth of African monkey
New arrival:
BROOKFIELD, Ill. (AP) - There's a new baby at the Brookfield Zoo.
The Chicago Zoological Society says an Angolan colobus monkey was born at
the suburban Chicago zoo on March 9 and now can be seen daily in the Tropic
World: Africa exhibit.
The species is known for its black body and face, long white hair hanging
from its shoulders and a long black-and-white tail.
Babies are born totally white and develop the adult coloration in about
three months.
It's the first time a colobus monkey has been born at the Brookfield Zoo.
Mammals curator Jay Peterson says four adult colobus monkeys arrived at
Brookfield last August from the Columbus Zoo in Ohio on a breeding loan.
The colobus is found in dense African rain forests and is threatened over
parts of its range.
Posted 3/21/2013


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The long-awaited results for Concept Art Contest #11 have finally been released!Dismiss Notice
Join Texturing Contest #30 now in a legendary battle of mythological creatures!Dismiss Notice
The Aftermath has been revealed for the 19th Terraining Contest! Be sure to check out the Results and see what came out of it.Dismiss Notice
Melee Mapping Contest #3 - Results are out! Congratulate the winners and check plenty of new 4v4 melee maps designed for this competition!Dismiss Notice
The winners of our cinematic soundtrack competition have been decided! Step by the Music Contest #11 - Results to check the entries and congratulate the winners!Dismiss Notice
Check out the Staff job openings thread.Dismiss Notice
Project Infomation
Find out more about the project including release dates, future plans and screenshots.
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The irreverence and sensuality of Guess are linked to its design. Its style celebrates the human form. The brand "has glamourized" jeans and combined the sophistication and quality of European design with North American joviality and sex appeal. Quality and attitude give the brand a unique design, from casual style to urban chic.
Earn miles with Guess.
Earn miles when you shop at Guess stores.Give your TAP Miles&Go Client number when paying for a purchase at a Guess store, the Brodheim group, and get 1 mile for every euro you spend. If you spend over €1,500 you receive 2 mile for every euro!
€1 in purchases
1 mile
Offer sold
over €1500 in purchases
2 miles
Offer sold
Terms and conditions
- Miles can only be earned by customers who show their TAP Miles&Go Client Number when making the purchases.
- The miles are credited to the TAP Miles&Go Client's account within one and a half months of the purchase.
- Miles can only be earned on purchases made in Portugal.
- Once the miles have been credited to the Client's Account they cannot be returned.
At the moment, there are no ongoing campaigns.


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Where Do You Stand?
This story appears in the July 2001 issue of . Subscribe »
For the past six months, the nation has been on a financial roller coaster that has sent destructive tremors rolling throughout the economy. Consequently, small businesses have found it almost impossible to secure risky venture capital, and even bank loans have plummeted. Business bankruptcies are inching up, and unemployment is seesawing. In manufacturing alone, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a monthly loss of 124,000 jobs in May and a total of 675,000 positions gone since July 2000. And that's just one industry.
In the past, laid-off workers in a tight job market have turned to entrepreneurship, but according to the "Challenger Job Market Index," a quarterly survey released by Challenger Gray & Christmas Inc. in April 2000, only 8 percent of discharged managers and executives started their own businesses in the first quarter of 2001. This is in sharp contrast to past downturns, when start-up activity thrived. In the first quarter of 1991, for example, 18 percent of discharged managers and executives started businesses.
Can the new administration pump up this lackluster start-up activity? That remains to be seen. So far, the Bush Administration's small-business agenda has primarily clung to tax cuts as the cure-all for entrepreneurial firms. "The tax relief plan will increase cash flow of small businesses, giving folks more resources to buy more equipment and hire more workers," said George W. Bush during a speech at the White House to small-business owners in March.
Under the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, which took effect July 1, the top tax brackets (28, 31, 36 and 39.6 percent) will be reduced 1 percentage point annually until 2006; the top level will also decrease an additional 1.6 percent. At that point, the rates will be 25, 28, 33 and 35 percent.
But beyond cutting taxes, entrepreneurs are still waiting for a definitive small-business agenda from the Bush administration. "We don't necessarily see the same level of support for micro and very small businesses under Bush that we saw with Clinton," says Bill Edwards, executive director of the Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO), a nationwide umbrella organization for microlending agencies. "However, I will say we're working very hard with the administration. There are a lot of signs that have been quite positive. I believe part of it is an education process, and we're involved in that with members of the administration."
|"We don't necessarily see the same level of support for micro and very small businesses under Bush that we saw with Clinton."
Edwards points to the implementation of the PRIME (Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs) Act as an example of how the AEO's educational efforts are making headway. Although initially signed into law in November 1999, PRIME wasn't funded until late 2000, says Edwards-and when the new administration took office, a freeze was placed on disbursement of the $15 million allocation. But with the help of the AEO, that money is now seeing the light of day: "We worked very hard to reach out to the Democrats and Republicans in Congress who had supported the legislation and [we] got the money released," says Edwards.
And that funding means training and technical assistance for disadvantaged microentrepreneurs as well as strengthening of the organizations serving these budding business owners. The net result of the additional funding is that the agencies that win the grants will be able to increase the number of people served and the areas they serve, says the SBA.
It's Just Business
Another focal point of late is SBA-sponsored Small Business Development Centers, where new entrepreneurs can obtain individualized counseling and training. The counseling services are currently free, but if the Bush fiscal year 2002 budget for the program is funded at the $88 million level requested-$12 million short of the amount thought needed to fully fund the program's operations-entrepreneurs may have to begin paying hourly counseling fees.
Ellen Thrasher, deputy associate administrator for the SBDC program, doesn't see the proposed fees as problematic: "We estimate the typical entrepreneur will pay less than $40 a year," she says, basing her estimate on the average 5.3 hours of counseling an entrepreneur receives in one year.
But while financially needy entrepreneurs may be able to access scholarships to help pay counseling fees, Donald Wilson, president and CEO of the Association of Small Business Development Centers, believes imposition of any fee, no matter how nominal, will be detrimental: "We think a fee will deter a number of pre-venture clients and even some existing clients from using the SBDCs. I think many will view it as a tax on small business."
|"We think a fee will deter a number of pre-venture clients and even some existing clients from using the SBDCs. I think many will view it as a tax on small business."
There's also the matter of matching funds. According to Thrasher, centers must secure one-to-one matching funding for the centers; at least 50 percent of that has to be cash. She says most centers get their additional funding from state government coffers and universities.
Wilson points out that a fee may also impact centers' ability to raise the required matching funds: "What happens is that when matching partners see that the federal government isn't willing to ante up, they say, 'Why should we?'"-and that, in turn, could force 24 of the 58 state programs to make drastic service reductions.
Where's the Money, Honey?
Undoubtedly, one of the biggest concerns for the majority of new entrepreneurs is where to get money to start up. Venture capital is not the answer for most start-ups, and even those who can tap into this source will find the spigot dripping instead of gushing these days.
To make matters worse, those who typically relied on bank loans are also finding the going just as tough. This fact was recently acknowledged in a hearing held on access to capital by Rep. Don Manzullo (R-IL), chairman of the House Committee on Small Business. "While stricter standards do not necessarily mean credit is unavailable, the data suggests that firms once barely qualifying for a bank loan will now seek other sources, such as SBA-guaranteed loans," said Manzullo in his opening statement.
Several new pieces of legislation coming down the pipeline could alleviate some of the strain on the lending environment. The first, H.R. 1923, has already been introduced in the House and referred to the Ways and Means Committee. Sponsored by Reps. Jim DeMint (R-SC) and Brian Baird (D-WA), the Start-Up Success Accounts Act (SUSA) of 2001 would allow small businesses with gross receipts of up to $2 million to deduct and place up to 20 percent of tax-deductible income in a SUSA account for each of the first five years of operation. Small businesses could then utilize those funds for growth over a five-year period.
Rep. DeMint has another proposal on the agenda as well: The BRIDGE Act (Business Retained Income During Growth and Expansion), which will target emerging-growth companies, would allow firms that have experienced sales growth of at least 10 percent above the average gross receipts for the prior two taxable years to temporarily defer a portion of federal income tax liability. The deferral would be limited to $250,000 of tax and would have to be repaid over a four-year period with interest. The deferred amount would be deposited in a separate trust account at a bank or other approved intermediary, and the firm could borrow against the deferred amount for business purposes. Businesses with up to $10 million in gross receipts and using the accrual accounting system would be eligible for the deferral.
Predicting the success of any of these efforts to help new businesses is like trying to predict which of the thousands of businesses that launch every year will be successful. But the issues must be dealt with decisively and soon if the American economy is to regain its vitality.