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Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Tennis Pros
The pressure, the competition, the workload, the sorry history of parent-coaches. Today's stars to kids: Don't go pro
Wimbledon, England
At 29 years old, Edouard Roger-Vasselin recently reached a career-high ranking in tennis, 65th-best in the world. He has yet to win a singles title and has earned almost $1.8 million in his career. He's 6-foot-2, wiry and unassuming—even ardent tennis fans might fail to notice him if he passed by on the sidewalk. In tennis, though, Roger-Vasselin is an exceedingly rare player: the child of a former top pro. Of all the men and women who appeared at this year's Wimbledon, Roger-Vasselin is the only one ranked inside the top 100 who had a parent who also ranked inside the top 100.
Other sports are famous for their family dynasties. Baseball has its Griffeys, football its Mannings, car racing its Earnhardts, Andrettis and Unsers. The combination of athletic genes and free-of-charge coaching would seem a perfect fit for tennis, a sport that requires intricate training from early childhood. If anything, the game should be thick with family trees.
Yet in talks with dozens of pros past and present, all said that while they would likely introduce their children to the sport they love, none would urge them to turn pro. These parents could be passing wisdom on to their children—secrets to master the technique, tactics and mental pressure of tennis—but they are reticent tennis parents. They know too much about the downside.
The chances for greatness in tennis are tiny and decreasing by the year, as the sport takes root in more places around the globe. The game now demands more athleticism, training and patience from its players, who are becoming champions in their mid-20s rather than late teens. It has always been a sport dominated by the few, hence the shock when Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova lost in Wimbledon's early rounds this week (it was Federer's first defeat before the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam since 2004).
The competition is physically and mentally excruciating, and there are no teammates to share the load. In his autobiography, Andre Agassi called tennis the "loneliest" sport. Unlike in most other individual sports, tennis players battle opponents, not a course or a time clock or a judge's scrutiny. Practice, concentration and routine aren't enough. Being subjected to the will—mercilessly, hopelessly—of another player scrambles the mind.
Young players suffer. At the Easter Bowl junior tournament in Rancho Mirage, Calif., in April, frustrated competitors screamed "That's so terrible!" and "Nooooooooo!" The quality of play was excellent, with powerful serves and forehands all around. Yet the odds say that few, if any, of those players will turn professional. And if they do, earnings are never guaranteed. An injury means no income, and outside the top 50, riches are scarce.
"I love the sport, so I want them to learn to play, but I have extreme trepidation about junior competition and tournaments," says Lindsay Davenport, the former No. 1 and now a mother of a son and two daughters. "Junior tennis, it's rough. People cheat, you get yelled at by other parents. I saw a dad walk on court and smack my opponent with an open hand, right in front of me. The sport beats up a lot of players."
Tracy Austin, the former No. 1 player and child prodigy, has three sons who play tennis and other sports. One is a high-ranked junior; the other two play less frequently. She's happy that her children aren't hell-bent on winning the U.S. Open at age 16, as she did.
"Tennis is too hard," Austin says. "It's so much more time-consuming than baseball, lacrosse, all these other sports. You cannot take a week off. The drive has to be so strong, the fire. Nobody was going to stop me."
Kim Clijsters, the former No. 1 whose 5-year-old daughter Jada has started playing, says she wouldn't want to train her daughter. "I'll let another coach deal with that," she says. "I think it's important to keep that normal parent-child relationship."
For big-name stars, there's the obvious worry of raising a child with unfair expectations. "I see how people talk about Andre and Steffi's kids now," says Clijsters, referring to Agassi and Stefanie Graf's two children, whom he and his wife haven't pushed to play.
Federer, whose twin daughters have already picked up rackets, says: "That's why I'm so happy that my first kids were girls and not guys. Otherwise there would've been maybe always, 'You'll never be as good as your dad.'"
Then there's the economics of the sport. Players must pay for coaches, physiotherapists, doctors, trainers, racket stringing and travel. Last year, only 58 men on the ATP earned more than $500,000 in prize money. On the women's tour, there were just 37. By contrast, the minimum salary for a major league baseball player is $490,000 this season; in the NBA, it's just under $474,000. In those two sports alone, hundreds of athletes make that and much more; their travel, fitness and medical expenses are also paid. Though the four Grand Slam tournaments recently increased prize money after demands from players, lower-ranked players who are trying to crack the top 100 still struggle. Jamie Murray, brother of Andy, has earned $64,103 this year and $825,507 since turning pro in 2004.
"I make enough to get by," he says.
Edouard Roger-Vasselin has played tennis since childhood, but he mostly lived with his mother (his parents are divorced), went to regular school and didn't seek training advice from his father until after he decided to try to become a professional at age 16. If he were to have a child, he says, he wouldn't advise a life in tennis. "It's a long way, it's so hard. If you want to be something else, maybe it is better," he says.
Tennis has a history of bad behavior by parents, a dynamic top pros are eager to avoid with their own kids. Jim Pierce, father of Mary Pierce, was banned from the tour for disruptive conduct during her matches. Mary, now a born-again Christian living in Mauritius, said in an interview this week that she has forgiven him. "I know that he wanted what was best for me," she said.
Jelena Dokic's father, Damir, was also banned from the game after a series of disruptive incidents. In 2006, Christophe Fauviau, a father of two junior players in France, admitted to slipping drugs into the drinks of his children's opponents. He was convicted of manslaughter by a French court in 2006 after one of these opponents fatally crashed into a tree while driving home after a match with Fauviau's son with traces of the drug in his system.
The latest incident came this year when John Tomic, the father and coach of top Australian prospect Bernard Tomic, was charged by a Madrid court with assault after allegedly head-butting his son's hitting partner (Tomic says he was acting in self-defense). He has since been banned from the French Open, Wimbledon and all ATP World Tour events until next May. His son, who won his second-round match at Wimbledon Thursday, doesn't want to play without him. "This is how I became good at tennis at a young age," Tomic said. "I'm taking my dad's side."
A big push from parents is clearly part of the formula for a lot of tennis stars' success. Richard Williams and Oracene Price, parents of Venus and Serena Williams. Yuri Sharapov, who moved to the U.S. with his young daughter, Maria Sharapova, and helped mold her into a champion. Toni Nadal, the uncle of Rafael Nadal, who has coached his nephew since the age of 4. Jimmy Connors, who was coached by his mother and grandmother.
"The parents are crucial," says Judy Murray, the mother of Andy and Jamie Murray and briefly a pro herself. "You pay for everything, make lessons. In team sports, a lot of that is organized for you."
Jelena Jankovic, the 28-year-old Serb who reached the No. 1 ranking in 2008, wanted to quit tennis when she lost 10 straight matches in 2006. "My mom told me, 'The easiest thing to do when things are not going well is to give up, you're showing that you're a loser,' " Jankovic says. "I wouldn't have become No. 1 in the world—I wouldn't be playing today—if it wasn't for those words. That was a push."
For parents of successful tennis stars, it helps to be ignorant of the harsh realities of competition. Commitment, persistence and irrational belief in a child's talent are the most common traits among parents of champions. The parents of Novak Djokovic clung to the words of Djokovic's first coach, Jelena Gencic, who called Djokovic a "golden child" when she saw him at age 6. (Gencic's death during the French Open left Djokovic in tears.)
Edouard's father, Christophe Roger-Vasselin, is a former French Open semifinalist. He now supervises training at a small tennis club in Paris. Over the years, he says, he has told parents, " 'You've got one chance in a million that your son is going to be a top player,' and they all say, 'Yes, you're right,' but they all think their own son is the one in a million."
It doesn't necessarily take a tennis background to teach technique, either. Josh Eagle, the Australian Davis Cup coach, marvels at what John Tomic has been able to teach his son Bernard and daughter Sara, who is a top junior.
"He read his information in a book—he's quite knowledgeable," Eagle says. "I'm just not quite sure that a parent-coach relationship is healthy for a 20-year-old guy."
At Wimbledon, Edouard Roger-Vasselin lost in Monday's first round in straight sets. The International Tennis Federation says there have only been three other father-son duos in the top 100 since the computer ranking system began in 1973: Fred and Sandon Stolle, Phil and Taylor Dent, and Leif and Joachim Johansson. The women's game has even fewer examples of parent-child pairs, according to the WTA, with Vera and Helena Sukova being the most prominent. Both Sukovas played in Grand Slam finals; a son, Cyril Suk, was a pro but never ranked higher than No. 180.
For all her success, Jankovic says she wouldn't encourage her children to follow the path she took. "It's really not easy being on the road 11 months of the year," she said. "I would want to teach them how to play and teach them a lot of good values that sport can teach you, like good discipline, work ethic. But I wouldn't want them to be professionals."
Asked if he would put a prospective son or daughter into tennis, Murray, who married in 2010, was emphatic. "The rewards are so small for the sacrifices you have to make," he says. "I'd rather put a golf club in my kid's hand. It'd be more fun for me as well."
Corrections & Amplifications
Stefanie Graf's surname was misspelled as Graff in a photo caption with an earlier version of this article.


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Suppose a compact Lie group $G$ acts on a manifold $M$ with only one orbit type $G/H$ ($H$ denotes the stabiliser group). Then the manifold $M$ becomes a fibre bundle over the quotient manifold $X:=M/G$ with typical fibre $G/H$ and structure group $G$.
On the one hand one could look at the cotangent bundle $T^* X$ of the quotient (which carries a natural symplectic structure).
On the other hand consider the lifted action of $G$ on the cotangent bundle $T^* M$ with moment map $\mu: T^* M\to \mathfrak{g}^* .$ The symplectic quotient $T^* M//G:=\mu^{-1}(0)/G$ inherits the structure of a symplectic manifold. Here comes the question: Are $T^* X$ and $T^* M//G$ (canonically) symplectomorphic?
Suppose a compact Lie group $G$ acts on a manifold $M$ with only one orbit type $G/H$ ($H$ denotes the stabiliser group). Then the manifold $M$ becomes a fibre bundle over the quotient manifold $X:=M/G$ with typical fibre $G/H$ and structure group $G$.
These two symplectic manifolds are canonically symplectomorphic.
Notice first, that the map $\mu$ vanishes on the sub-bundle of $T^* M$ of 1-forms vanishing on the fibers of the fibration $M\to X$. Let us call this sub-bundle by $T_h ^* M$ (h- for horizontal).
To construct the symplectomorphism notice that there is an obvious projection $\pi: T_h^* M \to T^* X$. The restriction of the symplectic form of $T^* M$ to $ T_h^* M$ equals to the pullback of the symplectic form of $T^* X$ under $\pi$. The projection $\pi$ commutes with the action of $G$ and $G$ preserves the symplectic form on $T^* M$. Since the projection $\pi$ just produces the quotient of $T_h^*M$ by the action of $G$, now everything follows from definitions.
This is more a comment towards Gourishankar than an answer to the original question. It was part of my thesis, (UCB, about 1986), so, apologies, I chime in. For simplicity, I take the case $G$ Abelian, and $H = $ trivial. To map $J^{-1} (\mu)$ equivariantly to $J^{-1}(0)$ subtract $\mu \cdot A$ where $A$ is any $G$-connection for $\pi: X \to X/G$. $J^{-1} (0)/G = T^* (X/G)$ canonically, independent of connection. The map `momentum shift map of subtracing $\mu \cdot A$ from co-vectors is not symplectic, relative to the standard structure, but it becomes symplectic if you subtract $\mu \pi^* F_A$, where $F_A = curv(A)$, from the standard structure. So the reduced space at $\mu$ is $T^*(X/G)$ with the standard structure minus the ``magnetic term'' $\mu F_A$.
For non-Abelian $G$ ($H$ still trivial), it is easier to explain things in Poisson terms.
In addition to Dmitri's answer: when you're doing reduction at non-zero momentum some interesting things happen: the symplectic reduced space $J^{-1}(\mu)/G_\mu$ then becomes a fiber bundle over $T^\ast X$ with typical fiber the co-adjoint orbit $\mathcal{O}_\mu$. In the case $\mu = 0$, this reduces to the case discussed previously. This realization is not canonical, though, and depends on the choice of a connection in $M \to M/G$.
The idea of the proof is to relate $J^{-1}(\mu)$ with $J^{-1}(0)$ using the connection one-form, and then to use the isomorphism mentioned previously. Afterwards, the curvature shows up in the reduced symplectic form on $J^{-1}(\mu)/G_\mu$, which is then the sum of the canonical form on $T^\ast X$ and a two-form constructed from the curvature.
In the case where $M = G$, you can choose the Maurer-Cartan form as your connection, and then the isomorphism is $J^{-1}(\mu)/G_\mu = \mathcal{O}_\mu$ with the KKS symplectic form, which is in some sense the "curvature" of the Maurer-Cartan "connection".
No. Take $M=G$, with action by left translations. Then $T^*G//G$ gives the coadjoint orbits with the Kirilov symplectic str (eg for G=U(n) the complex flag manifolds with the standard Kahler str), while $X$ is just a point.

subset: commoncrawl


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Russia, in Shift, Sees Rebel Victory in Syria
U.S. Says Remarks Show Moscow Is Moving Away From Assad
A top Russian diplomat on Thursday said President Bashar al-Assad could lose control of Syria, Moscow's first public admission of that prospect.
"We have to face facts—the trend is that the Syrian regime and government are losing more and more control and more and more territory," said Mikhail Bogdanov, Russia's top envoy for Middle East affairs. "Unfortunately, the opposition could prevail."
The statement came as Mr. Assad's government showed further signs of crumbling and as Anders Fogh Rasmussen, secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, called Mr. Assad's downfall "only a matter of time."
On Thursday, a bombing in the Damascus suburb of Qatana killed 16 people, Syria's state news agency reported. It wasn't clear who was behind the blast, now a regular occurrence in and around the capital, Damascus, which the government blamed on rebels.
Rebels have seized large swaths of territory in north Syria and appear to be closing in on Damascus, and firefights between rebels and government forces are commonplace just miles from Mr. Assad's presidential palace.
The Obama administration welcomed Mr. Bogdanov's comments on Syria, viewing them as an important sign of Moscow distancing itself from Mr. Assad.
"We want to commend the Russian government for finally waking up to the reality and acknowledging that the regime's days are numbered,'' said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland.
On Wednesday, the U.S., Europe and their allies recognized the newly reorganized opposition leadership, giving it a stamp of credibility and possibly paving the way for greater international aid to those fighting Mr. Assad's forces.
Moscow has long backed Mr. Assad, and frequently has rebuked the West for what it calls interference in Syria's internal affairs and spreading mayhem through the Middle East and North Africa by supporting revolutions there.
Russian officials said they were duped into supporting a United Nations resolution against Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi that was later used as a pretext for outright intervention. They have vowed not to repeat the error in Syria.
Russia said it supports a negotiated solution to the conflict, but that rebels won't talk because they are awash in arms and money from Western and Arab governments. In his comments Thursday, Mr. Bogdanov said Syria's Opposition Coalition, an alliance of rebel groups seeking to overthrow Mr. Assad, is becoming more confident of victory because of arms supplies from abroad and growing international recognition of its legitimacy.
"They are saying that victory is just around the corner: 'We will soon take Aleppo and then we will take Damascus,' and saying they are in control of 60% of territory," said Mr. Bogdanov, in comments to a Kremlin advisory group, the Public Chamber.
Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin presidential spokesman, denied Mr. Bogdanov's comments signaled a change in Russia's position toward Syria, and that the Foreign Ministry was only reflecting the deteriorating situation there, which he called "very bad." But he added, "We're not fans of the Assad regime and we understand that it can hardly survive, but we also understand that's a decision for the Syrian people to make."
U.S. and European officials who have met with Russian officials in recent weeks said they have sensed a growing realization in Moscow that Mr. Assad's regime can't be saved. Russian officials have stressed, meanwhile, to these Western diplomats that their government never had particularly close relations with the 47-year-old leader, who initially seemed to prioritize relations with Europe and the U.S. This was markedly different than Moscow's relations with Hafez al-Assad, Bashar's late father, who had a military alliance with the Soviet Union.
Still, U.S. officials said there is no agreement between Washington and Moscow on exactly how to move forward. Russia has been unwilling to join the international coalition that is formally seeking Mr. Assad's ouster. And Russian officials have said Washington is failing to reach out to supporters of the Damascus government.
"The question now is, will the Russian government join those of us in the international community who are working with the opposition to try to have a smooth democratic transition?'' Ms. Nuland said.
Syria's political opposition has watched closely for some softening of a stance from Moscow, which they believe remains one of the regime's firmest allies. Opposition leaders say Moscow has provided the regime political, financial, and military support. Moscow has pointedly refused to stop arms shipments to Syria that it says were long ago agreed upon.
Moscow says it has little real sway over Mr. Assad, though rebels hope the Kremlin can help push him to a political settlement in which he steps down. Though the West and rebels may see Moscow as closely tied to him, relations aren't so warm.
"I would presume that the Kremlin is watching the situation on the ground very closely and understands that the opposition is gaining ground rapidly," said Thomas Graham, former White House National Security Council adviser under President George W. Bush. "They are not going to stick their necks out to try to save Assad."
But Mr. Graham said Moscow doesn't want to abandon Mr. Assad, either, because it believes his departure will be another opening for radical Islam and because the Kremlin feels strongly that interfering in the affairs of sovereign states is destabilizing.
The Kremlin doesn't believe abandoning him will bring any real benefits to Russia, because it has made enemies among some of the opposition, and can still remain credible with Alawite supporters inside the country who would presumably remain influential after his departure.
Russian officials said they believe Mr. Assad can hang on for a year or more, and that his government's collapse will only signal the beginning of a prolonged civil war.
"In short, Moscow might have a losing hand, but it's not necessarily playing it irrationally and it might not lose everything in the end," Mr. Graham said. "The West, by the way, is also playing a losing hand."
The Syrian military has cracked down in Damascus since the latest rebel offensive. Residents say basic movement around the city has become nearly impossible amid hundreds of checkpoints manned by soldiers, security forces and the civilian militia, which the U.S. government moved to sanction this week.
The Syrian military also appears to have started to use longer-range missiles to target rebel strongholds in northern Syria. U.S. officials on Wednesday said Scud missiles have been fired from Damascus at targets in northern Syria over the past few days, the first time it appears the government has used such missiles inside the country.
Rebel fighters, meanwhile, continue to target regime institutions in the capital. On Wednesday, Jabhat al-Nusra, an extremist Islamist rebel group the U.S. has sanctioned as an arm of al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for an attack on the Interior Ministry in Damascus that killed five people, collapsed part of the building, and, according to some media reports, injured the minister.
—Gregory L. White contributed to this article.
Write to Alan Cullison at firstname.lastname@example.com, Nour Malas at firstname.lastname@example.com and Jay Solomon at firstname.lastname@example.com


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March's free Xbox LIVE Games With Gold titles announced, Civilization Revolution now available to downloadWritten by: / / 8 Comments
Xbox spokesman Major Nelson has revealed the two games which Xbox LIVE Gold subscribers can download for free during March as part of Microsoft's ongoing 'Games with Gold' program.
From March 1st to March 15th Gold members can download the "strategic global domination" title Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution free of charge (usual price: R249), while from March 16th to March 31st Gold subscribers can pick up a complimentary copy of Trendy Entertainment's tower defence/action RPG hybrid Dungeon Defenders (usual price: $14.99).
Dungeon Defenders is currently unavailable on the South African Xbox Games Store so we'll be getting Full House Poker (usual price: R109) in its place.
Are you satisfied with this month's Games with Gold offering? Let us know in the comments.
Source: Major Nelson's Blog
Tags: civilizationrevolution, dungeondefenders, free, fullhousepoker, gameswithgold, microsoft, xboxlive


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Thanks to a grant from Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Hiseville Elementary in Barren County will be able to help its students succeed before they even enter the workplace.
We really have a vision that in our community and across the state, all children will enter kindergarten ready to succeed," said Debbie Hills, United Way of Southern Kentucky Exec. Vice President.
Preparing kids for school before they ever enroll was the goal of the United Way in Northern Kentucky in 2010, when they launched the pilot program. Following its success, local United Way chapters across the state pushed for expansion.
Now, Toyota motor manufacturing Kentucky has decided to join in and fund ten programs throughout the state with 11,500 dollars each, creating the Toyota Bornlearning Academies.
"There are a lot of programs out there for children... for young children to get them ready for school. Programs we're familiar with... Head Start, First Steps... but this program focuses on what the parents can do at home with the children," said Helen Carroll, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky Community Relations Manager.
Carroll says it was the program's emphasis on teaching parents to teach children that drew the attention of Toyota.
"It's a lot of common sense stuff. It's using everyday moments like a trip to the grocery store. You pick up an orange and say this is an orange and it's round. Simple stuff like that," said Helen Carroll, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky Community Relations Manager.
The program will help parents educate their kids on different topics during the six month program that meets once a month.
United Way of Southern Kentucky encouraged area schools to apply for the grant, and they're honored that Hiseville was chosen as one of the ten. They aren't the only ones excited.
"Folks are talking about it at the local stores, at the Dollar Store, at the feed mill. It's just part of our community," said Jeff Ritchie Hiseville Elementary School Principal.
Ritchie says they have good reason to be talking.
"When they come in as kindergartners, they're a step ahead of the game, and we're going to benefit down the road as well as the families that are going to be part of this," said Ritchie.
It's these students' little brothers and sisters the program will help, but Ritchie says in the end, it will help everyone.
Toyota says it has committed to investing $500,000 over the next five years, and plans to expand to more schools.


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A Report Sponsored by the Center for Health, Environment & Justice to the National Commission on the Health Impacts of Mountaintop Removal Mining
CRMW's Page on MTR and Health Impacts
Fact Sheet: The Impact of Coal of Our Lives
Ahern PowerPoint (pdf): Health Impacts of Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining in Appalachia
Study finds toxins from surface mining
Selected News on Birth Defect
Studies and Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining
W.Va. DEP's Huffman: Strip-mine health studies deserve 'closer look'
New study details strip-mining air pollution
More science on mountaintop removal's health effects
Emily Bernhardt on mountaintop removal mining
How many mountains
can we mine?
New studies begin to
answer questions about mining, health
Mountaintop removal and birth defects: Just what are the coal industry's lawyers talking about?
Correlations between Mining and Health
Judge Chambers blocks health studies from case
Environmental Health Perspectives: MTR: Digging Into
Community Health Concerns
Nobody wants to hear about studies that link mountaintop
removal to cancer and birth defects
Study examines relationship between mountaintop mining
and birth defects
Study: birth defect rates higher in MTR areas
Birth defects study: More inconvenient facts about the
impact of mountaintop removal coal mining
Mountaintop removal and birth defects: Just what are the
coal industry's lawyers talking about?
Study Links Mountaintop Removal Mining to Birth Defects
Mountaintop Removal Linked to Birth Defects in
Appalachia's Coal Country
Selected News on Other Health Studies
Latest WVU study finds more health problems among
residents near mountaintop removal mines
Weighing coal's costs and benefits
Mortality in Appalachian Coal Mining Regions: The Value
of Statistical Life Lost
Selected News on Other Scientific Studies
Bombshell study: MTR impacts 'pervasive and
Coal's Assault on Human Health


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A third person has been charged in the death of a 4-year-old girl in 1999.
The Messenger-Inquirer reports 38-year-old Bobby F. Napier is charged with murder, arson, assault and being a persistent felony offender in connection to the death of 4-year-old Autumn Michelle Raymond. The girl died four days after a blaze at her Ohio County home in which two of her siblings were injured.
The girl's mother, 47-year-old Virginia Whitfield of Greenville and a family acquaintance, 52-year-old Tony Lear of Owensboro, were also charged with murder, arson and assault.
Police say the charges come after new evidence was discovered.
Napier is currently serving time in prison on unrelated burglary charges.


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So I was putzing around ESPN's main site and came about this little fun widget thingy.
First, the fact that this was accessible from ESPN's homepage shows how far soccer has come. It's often mentioned on Sportscenter and there is usually a highlight or two in every show…and somewhat frequently a great goal or play from the champions league, premiership and or MLS is shown in the top ten.
There was nothing remotely close to this 4 years ago (yes, Soccernet was popular but was treated more like the red haired bastard step child of the Worldwide leader…the Roger Clinton to Bill Clinton as it were). I excitedly filled out my rankings, ignoring the fact that Ballack and Henry were mentioned in the world's top 20, and where as my bottom 3 and top 3 were fairly consistent with the ESPN sports nation poll, the middle varied drastically. For example, I had both Xavi and Iniesta ranked very high as I believe what they do is bed-wettingly-exciting and Eto'o ranked close to last which seemed the opposite of most people. I personally think the Barcelona creative engine are in the top 6.
Now…2 questions for all of you…First: Who is noticeably absent from this list? I would suggest that Ballack, Henry, Eto'o have no business being there (4 years ago. yes) but I see why they are, as they are who the general public might recognize.
There is also no goalkeeper or defender on this list (Maicon is a defender like Roberto Carlos or Dani Alves are defenders!) which I guess means they cannot be considered an MVP (Cannavaro anyone?). Iker Cassilas deserves to be on this list, if not for the fact that he has been one of the top 3 goalkeepers for over a decade but for this incredible save. Others that should certainly be on this list are Ibra and Aguero amongst others but who else? Your thoughts?
Second…does your ranking list compare to Sportsnations'…aside from Messi, Ronaldo and Kaka in the top three, the only other one I got compared to others was Stevie G at 9.
So have fun with it…remember that ESPN are probably catering to the new somewhat informed fan not the hardcore one, but it does bring up an interesting argument about what is considered an MVP in soccer.
Time and time again, Claude Makelele was considered the MVP by his teammates of every team he played for, but he was about as exciting as…as…as…a very boring thing. He never scored goals, he rarely passed the decisive pass BUT no team won without him. For country he was equally important. He made everyone around him better, did all the dirty things such as make hard tackles, hold up play for the forwards to get there, make the pass that set up the attacking play etc…but never even cracked the ten for FIFA footballer of the year (guess here).
And while we're on the subject of winning players….the same goes for Jay DeMerit at Watford. He was often in the top three voting for player of the year for Watford and his no nonsense, tough, smart defending was instrumental in Watford getting promoted (he scored the first goal in the playoff final too) and if it wasn't for their lack of goals they would have stayed up in the EPL.
I hope he gets another chance this transfer window to play in the Premiership. I see him as a poor man's Jamie Carragher (I say poor man's only because he hasn't proved himself at the very top like Carra) and he is what many teams like Everton, Man City, Hull etc. need right now. I would love to have him at Liverpool except that Benitez would never play him even though he is the type of player that Benitez covets.
His only downside is that he's slow but many great defenders are not blessed with any speed..Terry, Maldini, Blanc to name a few statues. Personally, I think he's better than Gooch as he doesn't make many mistakes (I think Carragher vesus Rio Ferdinand is a good comparison between DeMerit and Oneywu) and will be key to the US's progress in the WC.
So thank you ESPN for trying. You're getting there. Everyone loves the MVP talk but like in all sports, the real MVPs often get unnoticed.


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Latest update : 2010-10-08
An in-depth report by our senior reporters and team of correspondents from around the world. Every Saturday at 9.10 pm Paris time. And you can watch it online as early as Friday.
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STEUBENVILLE - Chris Murphy did the job on the hill and Catholic Central's offense delivered some clutch hits in Monday's 4-1 victory over Big Red at Vacarro Field.
The junior right hander allowed just three hits, recorded six strikes and worked his way out of two jams as the Crusaders ran their record to 9-0.
"That's Murph every night," Central coach Don Young said. "We've come to expect that out of him and he usually delivers. He comes every day and competes whether it's practice or a game. That's something we're trying to instill in all our guys."
Article Photos
OUT AT FIRST — Steubenville Big Red's Branden Jones is out at first base as Steubenville Catholic Central's Josh Merriman catches the throw during Monday's 4-1 win by the Crusaders at Vaccaro Field.
-- Mike Mathison
SAFE AT SECOND — Steubenville Big Red's Niko Petrides slides safely into second base as Steubenville Catholic Central's Michael Barber covers the bag. The Crusaders won, 4-1, at Vaccaro FIeld.
-- Mike Mathison
The Crusaders, who are scheduled to play at Wheeling Central today, weather permitting, took the lead for good in the home half of the first. Murphy singled off Big Red starter Justin Corsi and scored on Brenton Colabella's base knock.
Central plated the rest of its runs in the third. Tony Barber reached on an error (Big Red was guilty of four fielding miscues) and advanced when Colabella was hit by a pitch. Both runners moved up on a pass ball.
Aleks Porreca then doubled down the left field line to make it 3-0. Porreca touched home thanks to Austin Oliver's double to the right-center gap.
"It was a nice win for us," Young stated. "Big Red is a yardstick program; I say the same thing about Toronto all the time. We're trying to become one; we want to be talked about the same way. For that to happen, we have to compete with them.
"Big Red has a great team and today we competed with them. When we compete, we're a pretty good baseball team. In games we don't compete, we're not very good. So far this season, we've been competing. Our main focus is to compete and get better every game."
The lone Big Red run came in the fourth thanks to Lucas Herrington's RBI grounder.
Fred Heatherington's club, now 6-3, threatened in the first, the third and the sixth. In the third, Big Red loaded the bases (Niko Petrides' single got things going) with one out but Murphy retired two straight to end the threat. Anthony Zorne and Corsi started the sixth with back-to-back singles. The Crusaders, however, turned a double play to keep its three-run lead.
"We had chances to score but we couldn't hit the ball out of the infield and we swing a 2-0 pitch that was down and out," Heatherington commented. "We didn't play smart, we didn't play good and Murphy pitched a solid game.
"We didn't play our smartest game. We missed some signs early. You're just not going to win games if you don't make plays in the field and today we didn't make plays. And you're not going to win games when you get guys on base and can't hit the ball."
Central finished with eight hits, Tony Barber pacing the offense with two singles. Michael Barber and Stone Romano also delivered singles.
"We're developing offensively," Young, who earned his first triumph over Big Red since becoming the Central mentor, said. "We like to do a lot of things. We like to bunt, hit and run and just run. When we hit, we become a pretty good team.
"We did make a lot of mistakes offensively today. We were a little too aggressive at times and maybe ran ourselves out of a few innings. But, we'll learn from those mistakes. We haven't been able to practice much outside and work on the little things. We'll live with those aggressive mistakes offensively."
Corsi finished with five strikeouts for Big Red, which is idle until it hosts Wheeling Park Thursday.
Catholic Central 4, Big Red 1
Big Red 000 100 0 - 1 3 4
Central 103 000 x - 4 8 0
STEUBENVILLE (6-3): Corsi (LP, 3BB, 5K, 1 HBP) and McClurg. Petrides S, Corsi S, Zorne Herrington RBI.
CATHOLIC CENTRAL (9-0): Murphy (WP, 4BB, 6K, 1 HBP) and Romano. T. Barber 2S, Porreca D, 2RBI; Oliver D, RBI; Colabella S, RBI; M. Barber S; Romano S; Murphy S.


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Great tax aide event
We have enjoyed another exceptional season with the AARP Tax Aide with the generous support of our communities.
The Luther Callaway Library serves as our Chiefland host site. We are grateful to Sue Ann Burkhardt and her staff who welcome taxpayers and volunteers. Thanks so much for your help.
Our dedicated volunteers who make this service possible are Jenny Anderson, Loretta Poole, Denei Morehouse, Marc Burkhardt, Robin Jocelyn and Carl Burkhardt.
The Chiefland FFA Alumni, along with both of our FFA Chapters, would like to give a big Thank You to everyone for their support in our most recent fund raiser, our Annual Bull Bash, making it a huge success.
Carolyn Hart, Media Clerk
It is reported that our country, the United States of America, is deep in debt. It seems our elected governmental officials including the President have had to borrow money to pay for the things our leaders believe are necessary. I mean, actually borrow money above all the taxes that are collected from those of us who pay them.
By Reed Anfinson
President of the National Newspaper Association
and Publisher of the Swift County
(MN) Monitor-News
Now that US Senate has passed a bill, S 1789, to reform the ailing US Postal Service, critics are trying to disable the bill on its way to the House of Representatives. Business Week recently catalogued unhappy stakeholders, including postal unions, postal management and some Republicans who wrongly think the bill burdens taxpayers.
Dear Editor:
Copyright © 2016
The Chiefland Citizen is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Levy County and Chiefland Florida, and the surrounding area.


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Metabolism-Boosting Dinners (Slide 6)
(Slide 6 of 30) Start at the beginning | View recipes as list
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Chile-Crusted Scallops with…
A refreshing salad of cucumbers and roasted cashews makes a nice contrast to these smoky scallops. Y…View slide
Butterflied Grilled Chicken…
A quick and efficient way to cook a whole bird on the grill is to butterfly it. This method is so po…View slide
Shrimp Ceviche
Traditional ceviche consists of raw seafood tossed with an acidic marinade (think: citrus juice or v…View slide
Wok-Seared Chicken & Vegeta…
This colorful stir-fry combines green bell pepper, orange carrots and red onion along with spice-coa…View slide
Green Chile Bison Burger
Take a trip to the Southwest with this juicy green-chile cheeseburger made with rich-tasting ground …View slide
South Indian Shrimp Kebabs …
Cilantro, lemon zest, chiles, paprika, ginger, garlic, cumin and fenugreek make up the South Asian-i…View slide
Chicken "Carne" Adovada
Here we braise chicken thighs in a brick-red chile sauce. This dish is even tastier the next day. Se…View slide
Korean Grilled Mackerel
Oily fish, such as mackerel, are strong-flavored and pair well with boldly seasoned glazes made from…View slide
Indian-Spiced Chicken & Asp…
This easy chicken-and-asparagus sauté is boldly seasoned with aromatic cumin and fennel; the seeds …View slide
Paprika & Red Pepper Soup w…
Richly satisfying, this luscious-looking soup made with red bell peppers gets a touch of heat from T…View slide
Mini Chile Relleno Casseroles
Everyone gets an individual portion with this vegetarian, Tex-Mex mini casserole. A normal-size cass…View slide
Scallop Mango Ceviche
Ceviche is traditionally made by "cooking" a seafood in a citrus-based marinade. In this version…View slide
Tex-Mex Summer Squash Casse…
Chiles and cheese turn mild summer squash into a zesty, satisfying casserole. The jalapenos make thi…View slide
Chicken Breasts with Green …
Here we topped seared chicken breasts with a green chile cream sauce that was inspired by green mole…View slide
Quick Shrimp Enchilada Bake
Shrimp enchiladas offer a taste of coastal Mexican cuisine but some versions contain so much cheese,…View slide
Salmon with Roasted Chile-M…
Pungent red chiles and sweet mango flavor this robust sauce, which accents simply broiled salmon won…View slide
South Pacific Shrimp
Vibrant Southeast Asian seasonings are a natural with shrimp. Freeze any leftover coconut milk or re…View slide
Beef & Potato Salad with Sm…
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Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
"Tortilla soup has a place, I feel, in practically every collection of Mexican recipes," says Ri…View slide
Bean & Butternut Tacos with…
Beans and roasted butternut squash make an outstanding vegetarian taco filling. For the best flavor,…View slide
Zucchini Chile-Cheddar Mash
This recipe for mashed zucchini with chiles and Cheddar embraces zucchini's tendency to become ver…View slide
Chiles Rellenos with Chicken
These pan-fried chiles rellenos are stuffed with a skinny chicken-and-corn filling. Serve with salsa…View slide
Beef & Bean Chile Verde
Chile Verde, usually a slow-cooked stew of pork, jalapeños and tomatillos, becomes an easy weeknigh…View slide
Singapore-Style Chicken & N…
In this healthy curry laksa, a popular Southeast Asian noodle soup, chicken, coconut milk, tomatoes …View slide
Thai Chicken Stir-Fry with …
This quick chicken stir-fry recipe is flavored with classic Thai ingredients: savory fish sauce bala…View slide
Poblano, Sweet Potato & App…
This easy, stuffed pork loin recipe starts with a soak in brine to ensure that it stays juicy and mo…View slide
Beef Chimichangas
To slash 150 calories in this healthy chimichanga recipe, we bake rather than fry and use less beef …View slide
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'Traces' filled with high-risk acrobatics, skateboards and basketballs
Published: Thursday, May 9, 2013 at 12:19 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, May 9, 2013 at 12:19 p.m.
"Traces," which runs through May 19 at Knight Theater in Charlotte, is a modern day circus in the guise of a post-apocalyptic rock show.
Want to go?
"Traces," which combines acrobatics with street performance, dance and music, runs through May 19 at Knight Theater at Levine Center for the Arts, 430 S. Tryon St., Charlotte.
Tickets are $20-$104.50.
For tickets or more information, visit www.blumenthalarts.org or call 704-372-1000.
"Even though there is this dark underlying message, the show is really energetic and fun and there's quite a bit of comedy throughout," said performer Mason Ames in a phone interview from Los Angeles.
The performance combines high-risk acrobatics, music and dance with skateboarding and basketball. There isn't a tradition storyline; rather, seven young individuals rely on movement to rebuild their dystopian surroundings.
"The overall theme is that time is running out and time is of the essence," Ames said. "Our position in this whole mess of a situation is to leave our traces on everything possible, on the audience, the stage, each other."
Performers often address the audience directly before performing acrobatic stunts set to the music of Radiohead, VAST and Photek .
"We don't hide behind makeup or big costumes," Ames said. "We're ourselves onstage, hopefully sharing a moment and inspiring people to do what they like doing best."
Because they're onstage for 90 minutes, all of the performers have a chance to shine while pulling off a variety of tricks and spectacles. They're all in their 20s, though "I don't think we feel so young anymore," said Ames, who's been a part of the production for three years.
"It is demanding," he said. "It takes a toll on your body. It's incredibly awesome and powerful – you can't do it when you're 80 or 90 years old. We're jumping around and throwing ourselves on the ground, so bumps and bruises are definitely part of the game."
Expanding the cast from five to seven members in 2010 helped the both the show and the performers.
"It's a little more full and versatile and allows us to do a few more shows a week," he said. "We needed the extra bodies."
Audiences will appreciate the energy, camaraderie and teamwork the performers demonstrate throughout "Traces." The rawness and the humanity that shine through in each movement are also drawing points, Ames said.
"We are not putting a fa�ade between us and the audience – we're trying to break that down and become right there with them as a whole," he said. "We're trying to do more of an experience rather than a spectacle."
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


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Zvika Serper, an internationally recognized Israeli artist, director and actor, will visit campus on April 10 and 11.
Serper will give a lecture-demonstration on his process on April 10 in Newton 204 from 4 - 6:30 pm. The event is free, open to the public and followed by a reception at 7 pm in the Brodie Faculty Lounge.
On April 11, Serper will screen his intercultural production of "Agamemnon" in Newton 201 from 2:30pm. The screening is free and open to the public.
Serper will also meet with students informally in Writers House to discuss theater, interculturalist practice, directing and his experiences abroad; hours are to be announced.
Serper has studied Japanese theater extensively and developed an approach to drawing on Japanese performance traditions to create his own contemporary intercultural productions of Western classics. An Israeli actor, director and scholar who specializes in Japanese traditional theater, Serper has developed an innovative approach to apply organically elements of traditional theatrical practice to modern productions of Western dramas. He has given lecture/demonstrations and conducted master classes and workshops in acting and movement techniques at major theaters, acting schools and universities Serper is the former Chairperson of both the Department of East Asian Studies and Department of Theater at Tel Aviv University; he currently holds a joint appointment in both departments.
Serper's visit is sponsored by Asian / Asian American Studies & Programming, Office of the Provost, Department of Theatre/Dance, Office of Residence Life/Writers House, and Multicultural Events and Programming.
For more information, please contact Randy Kaplan at email@example.com or 585-245-5806.


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Teaching Innovations
The Flipped Classroom
Recently, I've been experimenting with "the flipped classroom" pedagogy as means of improving student learning, comprehension, and application at the undergraduate level. I first tried out the pedagogy in my first year seminar, AF101x, "Understanding Power and Conflict Through Film: Making Sense of the Politics of the 21st Century", with extremely positive results. You can read about my experiences with this pedagogy in that course here. I'm currently testing the pedagogy in a large class setting, (e.g. my second year intro to Canadian politics course, PO 263, enrollment of 125). I'll post details about that experience on the LISPOP blog and provide a link here once the class is complete.
I also gave a presentation entitled "Flipping Your Social Science Classroom: Some Thoughts" recently at a workshop called, Balancing the Blend: The Active Learning Classroom at WLU on 16 April 2013. Here are the slides and script of that presentation.
What is "the flipped classroom"? Basically, it's a pedagogical classroom model that asks students to do the initial learning at home, and then to come to class to apply their learning and address any gaps or deficiencies with the help of the instructor. Here's a short summary:
Think of the math class you took in high school. The traditional model is that the teacher introduces a new math concept in class. Then, students go home to do homework, solving questions relating to the new math concept. They come back to class the next day and the instructor takes up the answers with the entire class. In the flipped classroom, students would go home and watch a video or read a reading on the concept. They then complete on online quiz on the concept before class. The instructor reviews the answers from the quiz and in class gives a short lecture on any topics that the students seemed to have trouble with as indicated by their quiz answers. Then the rest of the class would be in-class homework/application exercises in small groups and large group discussion on the math concept. Near the end of the class, the instructor assesses how well the students completed the in-class exercises, and ends the class with a short lecture addressing any final weaknesses in comprehension and application. Thats basically it!
In-Class Learning Assessment Software
For my second year "Intro to Canadian politics class" (enrollment of 125), I'm using software called, Learning Catalytics, which allows the instructor to push real-time questions to students during class to assess learning outcomes. After introducing a concept, theory, or argument in class (more details here), I use the software to assess whether students have understood the material. They are asked to answer the questions on their own, using a wifi-enabled device (e.g. laptop, tablet, or smartphone) and then to discuss their answers with their neighbours, at which point they are given a second chance to answer the questions. Depending on the results, I re-teach the material or move on.
The software is an extremely powerful tool and I've already received positive feedback from my PO 263 students about the tool. As well, I've seen learning and comprehension results improve. Previously, I wouldn't know if students were learning the material until the mid term and the final exam, at which point it was too late to re-teach the material. Now, I have instant data and feedback and can address gaps in learning immediately and effectively.
Learning Catalytics is great because the interface is really simple and easy to navigate and the software provides a wide range of question formats, including short answer, fill in the blank, click on diagrams and pictures, draw functions or other illustrations, multiple choice, multi-select, and many others. I'm looking forward to trying other software as well.
Interactive Whiteboard Apps
One of the challenges that instructors constantly face is knowing whether students actually understand what we are trying to teach them. The traditional model for assessing learning outcomes is a combination of midterm test, final exam, assignments, and office hours, but in my view, these tools are insufficient (and hence why I've integrated "learning catalytics" into my teaching).
Another tool I've been using in my second year undergraduate class is the interactive whiteboard app (e.g. screen chomp; doceri; explain everything). As you draw or write on your ipad, you can record audio to accompany the text and then you can post the entire thing as a video (mp4 or a link, among other formats).
At present, I only use the software to create short videos on topics/concepts that at least two students have had trouble understanding (as measured by emails or visits during office hours). Students can then download and watch the video as many times as needed. My next whiteboard video, on the ministerial briefing essay assignment, will be posted in the discussion board section of the course website. That way, students can post questions about the assignment to myself and their classmates. In the future, I hope to integrate the software into my classes as a formal assignment, in which students must use the software to re-explain course content to myself and the class. I also hope to use the software to facilitate group work in a blended learning environment.
Virtual Researcher on Call Program
I am now a participating faculty member in the virtual researcher on call program. According to their website:Inspire the next generation of champions in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) by bringing experts in these fields into the classroom [high school and elementary schools) with VROC video conferencing.
How does it work?
STEM experts can be brought into the classrooms for
- 5-10 minute spontaneous video conferencing sessions
- Up to hour long presentations and Q&A sessions
- Semester-long mentorship style sessions


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Imagine the following situation:
Once upon a time, you get asked to do something. You are already extremely busy. Your dolist is overflowing with overdue items tagged "important" and though you're in the process of improving your time management/productivity skills, you still have a tendency for things to go from "Important & Not Urgent" to "I Will Die/Lose The Roof Over My Head".
The conversation goes like this:
Someone Else (SE): Could you take a look at X when you have time?
You (Y): Well, I'm very overloaded with critical things. Is it OK if I take a while before I get around to it? Is it important?
SE: Sure. It's not really that critical. Please do the stuff for project A (where A = a big critical project that sprouted lots of the important tasks, etc.) first, for starters.
Y: [giant sigh of relief] :)
Y: [Add thing to dolist as "not important/not urgent" with a due date of end-of-next-week]
The next week ends and you haven't gotten around to it. But that's fine because it's not important and not urgent.
Things happen and you never get around to the "not important/not urgent" tasks for 1 month+.
More time passes...
SE: Why haven't you looked at X?! You knew that it had to be done by the end of [name of month 3 months from the original conversation]! [more bad things happen]
How do you prevent this situation from happening? Assume that SE is someone important but not so important that you drop everything to do his bidding (for example, substitute "co-worker" for SE and not "CEO").
Bonus Question:
Imagine that X is actually a project and not something to just take a look at. Maybe it's "type up the notes from a 1 month trip, cross reference the photos, e-mail copies of photos to the people in the photos, and so on" and just breaking X down into individual steps is a time-consuming endeavor of its own.


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Military News App by Military.com
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For the latest veteran jobs postings around the country, visit the Military.com Job Search section.
What are the highest paying jobs in the U.S., based on median annual salaries? We checked with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to get the lowdown, and the top ten occupations are listed below. Some of the jobs aren't unexpected, but some may surprise you -- as it turns out, CEOs aren't #1 on the list. See the full details on each job in the list below, and get the skinny on what it takes to qualify for the job.
10. Lawyer
Lawyers (also known as attorneys) act as both advocates and advisors in our society. As advocates, they represent one of the parties in criminal and civil trials by presenting evidence and arguing in court to support their client. As advisors, lawyers counsel their clients about their legal rights and obligations and suggest particular courses of action in business and personal matters. Whether acting as an advocate or an advisor, all attorneys research the intent of laws and judicial decisions and apply the law to the specific circumstances faced by their clients.
Typical Training: 4-year college degree, 3 years of law school and a passing score on a written bar examination (required to be licensed).
Median Annual Salary: $115,820
Top Annual Salary: $187,200+
9) Airline Pilot, Copilot, and Flight Engineer
Pilots are highly trained professionals who fly airplanes or helicopters to carry out a wide variety of tasks. Most are airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers who transport passengers and cargo. However, 34 percent are commercial pilots involved in dusting crops, spreading seed for reforestation, testing aircraft, flying passengers and cargo to areas not served by regular airlines, directing firefighting efforts, tracking criminals, monitoring traffic, and rescuing and evacuating injured persons.
Training Needed: 2-4 years of college education, at least 250 hours (4,000 hours for commercial airlines) of flight experience, and a passing grade on the FAA written test (required to be licensed).
Median Annual Salary: $117,290
Top Annual Salary: $187,200+
8) Air Traffic Controller
Air traffic controllers work within the National Airspace System (NAS) to coordinate the movement of air traffic to make certain that planes stay a safe distance apart. Their immediate concern is safety, but controllers also must direct planes efficiently to minimize delays. Some regulate airport traffic through designated airspaces; others regulate airport arrivals and departures.
Training Needed: Prior experience through FAA or Dept of Defense, 4 year degree, or 2-4 year specialized AT-CTI program degree. 2-4 years of on-the-job controller training is then required.
Median Annual Salary: $122,950
Top Annual Salary: $172,590+
7) Computer and Information Systems Manager
Computer and information systems managers play a vital role in the implementation and administration of technology within their organizations. They plan, coordinate, and direct research on the computer-related activities of firms. In consultation with other managers, they help determine the goals of an organization and then implement technology to meet those goals. They oversee all technical aspects of an organization, such as software development, network security, and Internet operations.
Training Needed: 4-year bachelor's degree, 2-year MBA or graduate degree (for best advancement opportunities).
Median Annual Salary: $148,070
Top Annual Salary: $187,200+
6) Natural Sciences Manager
Natural sciences managers oversee the work of life and physical scientists, including agricultural scientists, chemists, biologists, geologists, medical scientists, and physicists. These managers direct research and development projects and coordinate activities such as testing, quality control, and production. They may work on basic research projects or on commercial activities. Science managers sometimes conduct their own research in addition to managing the work of others.
Training Needed: 4-year bachelor's degree in science, several years experience as a scientist (specialist in field), and graduate or PHD in scientific field (for best advancement opportunities).
Median Annual Salary: $120,160
Top Annual Salary: $187,200+
5) Podiatrist
Podiatrists, also known as doctors of podiatric medicine (DPMs), diagnose and treat disorders, diseases, and injuries of the foot and lower leg. Podiatrists treat corns, calluses, ingrown toenails, bunions, heel spurs, and arch problems; ankle and foot injuries, deformities, and infections; and foot complaints associated with diabetes and other diseases. To treat these problems, podiatrists prescribe drugs and physical therapy, set fractures, and perform surgery. They also fit corrective shoe inserts called orthotics, design plaster casts and strappings to correct deformities, and design custom-made shoes.
Training Needed: 3-4 years college education, completion of a 4-year podiatric college program, and passing scores on national and state examinations (required to be licensed).
Median Annual Salary: $119,340
Top Annual Salary: $187,200+
4) Engineering Manager
Engineering managers may supervise people who design and develop machinery, products, systems, and processes. They might also direct and coordinate production, operations, quality assurance, testing, or maintenance in industrial plants. Many manage research and development teams that produce new products and processes or improve existing ones. Others are plant engineers, who direct and coordinate the design, installation, operation, and maintenance of equipment and machinery in industrial plants.
Training Needed: 4-year bachelor's degree in engineering specialty, several years experience in their field, and MBA or MEM (for best advancement opportunities).
Median Annual Salary: $132,800
Top Annual Salary: $187,200+
3) Chief Executive Officer
The chief executive officer meets frequently with the other top executives to ensure that the overall operation of the corporation is conducted in accordance with these goals and policies. In a governmental or nonprofit organization, top executives oversee budgets and ensure that resources are used properly and that programs are carried out as planned. Chief executive officers in government often nominate citizens to boards and commissions, encourage business investment, and promote economic development in their communities. To do all of these varied tasks effectively, top executives rely on a staff of highly skilled personnel.
Training Needed: 4-year college degree, MBA (for best opportunities), extensive managerial experience, or exceptional entrepreneurial spirit (think Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg).
Median Annual Salary: $175,110
Top Annual Salary: $102,000,000 - CEO of UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE: UNH)
2) Physician/Surgeon
Physicians and surgeons diagnose illnesses and prescribe and administer treatment for people suffering from injury or disease. Physicians examine patients, obtain medical histories, and order, perform, and interpret diagnostic tests. They counsel patients on diet, hygiene, and preventive healthcare.
Training Needed: 4-year college degree, 4 years of medical school, 3 to 8 years of internship and residency and a passing score on the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination.
Median Annual Salary: $187,200+
Top Annual Salary: $443,859+
1) Dentist, Prosthodontist and Oral Maxillofacial Surgeon
Dentists diagnose and treat problems with teeth and tissues in the mouth, along with giving advice and administering care to help prevent future problems. They provide instruction on diet, brushing, flossing, the use of fluorides, and other aspects of dental care. They remove tooth decay, fill cavities, examine x rays, place protective plastic sealants on children's teeth, straighten teeth, and repair fractured teeth. They also perform corrective surgery on gums and supporting bones to treat gum diseases. Dentists extract teeth and make models and measurements for dentures to replace missing teeth. They also administer anesthetics and write prescriptions for antibiotics and other medications.
Oral and maxillofacial surgeons operate on the mouth, jaws, teeth, gums, neck, and head.
Training Needed: 4-year college degree, 4-year dental school degree, and passing scores on dental school written and practical examinations (required to be licensed).
Median Annual Salary: $187,200+
Top Annual Salary: $243,900+
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Dogs as charactersin ballet
Posted 18 December 2008 - 04:20 PM
I can remember the opening of the Blair Swan Lake for ABT, giving walk-on roles to Enrique Martinez's Great Dane(s); I can think of Hippolyta's hunting pack in Midsummer Night's Dream, and Pepe, the Mexican Terrier in "A Wedding Bouquet". Then, of course, switching genres, there are Simon Legree's dogs in the "Small House of Uncle Thomas" ballet in The King and I. Any others?
Posted 18 December 2008 - 04:41 PM
When Peter Wright staged Giselle in the 60's for the Royal Ballet Touring Company, he used Wolfhounds to dress the hunting scene for the entrance of the Prince of Courland and what a splendid sight these huge dogs made. David Bintley used Lurchers in his King Arthur ballet.
ADDED I think David Blair's production of "Giselle" had a dog(s) in it.
I have been trying to remember whether there is such a thing as a pas de chien. If there is, our Adult Beginner class hasn't gotten to it.
Two difference between cats and dogs come to mind that show the advantages that cat characters and cat-influenced steps have over dogs, as well as the difficulties that choreographers might face in working with dog-based movement.
(1) Dogs, when excited or after exerting themselves, tend to pant heavily and to allow their tongues to flap outside their mouths. I do not believe that this sort of behavior is encouraged among ballet dancers except in certain modern choreography.
(2) Dogs prior to jumping or running reveal the preparation needed to carry out the movement. Cats tend to mask their preparation as much as possible, as do dancers.
Posted 18 December 2008 - 05:27 PM
Aren't there a pair of poodle dolls in "La Boutique Fantasque"?
Posted 18 December 2008 - 05:39 PM
Posted 18 December 2008 - 05:41 PM
Your memory is a marvel, Mel. I Googled and found the following photo of both poodle in a Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo performance in Sydney, 1937.
Aren't there a pair of poodle dolls in "La Boutique Fantasque"?
And here they are at the curtain call.
They also attended the post-performance party. One of them, however, seems to have been a young man wearing a poodle suit. He has removed his poodle head for the photo.
Posted 18 December 2008 - 07:28 PM
Posted 18 December 2008 - 08:14 PM
Following Carbro into the realm of modern dance, Mark Morris has put dogs onstage BIG time in "Dogtown,' where everybody behaves in low-down doggy ways, and also in hte hunting scene of l"Allegro," where the dogs scare up a pair of lesbians.
Ronn Guidi's Nutcracker, for Oakland Ballet, has a little dance for the family cat and dog at the party scene. They jump to second, to coupe, and leap forward in attitude very sweetly.
I guess the Big Bad Wolf -- Little Red Riding Hood's -- doesn't count.
My favorite dogs are definitely Wicked Simon of Legree's.
Posted 19 December 2008 - 04:02 AM
Posted 19 December 2008 - 07:58 AM
Posted 28 December 2008 - 12:20 PM
Posted 28 December 2008 - 01:28 PM
Good catch, Nanarina! Not, strictly speaking, a dog, but definitely a canid.
What about the Wolf in the Wedding Scene Nursery Rhymes in the Sleeping Beauty ?
Posted 29 December 2008 - 08:19 AM
David Nixon's production of Peter Pan for NBT has a dancer portraying (very convincingly) Nana the Dog-nanny.
Posted 29 December 2008 - 01:44 PM
What about the Wolf in the Wedding Scene Nursery Rhymes in the Sleeping Beauty ?
Good catch, Nanarina! Not, strictly speaking, a dog, but definitely a canid.
Not to mention 'Lady into Fox.'
Great topic, Mel.
Posted 29 December 2008 - 05:54 PM
For fox into LADY, there's Jacques d'Amboise's "The Chase".
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Home > Food > Recipe Slideshows > 10 Fabulously Festive Holiday Cookie Recipes
10 Fabulously Festive Holiday Cookie Recipes
Gingerbread Cookies
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We are cooking up a shrimp dish for Cinco De Mayo with Chef Josh Aaron from the Island Bar and Grill at Highport Marina.
Citrus Shrimp with grilled onion and orange salad
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, stems discarded, seeded and
thinly sliced, plus 1 teaspoon of the adobo sauce from the can
2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 1/2 pound shelled and deveined large shrimp
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
1 large sweet onion, cut crosswise into 3 thick slabs
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 large navel oranges, peeled, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Zest of both Orange and Lime
In a medium bowl, combine the orange juice and orange zest with the
garlic, adobo sauce, 1 tablespoon of the lime juice, chili powder, and
cumin. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper; let sit at room
temperature for 10 minutes.
Preheat a grill pan. Thread the onion slices on skewers to hold them
together. Brush the onions with some of the olive oil and season with
salt and pepper. Grill the slices over high heat, turning once, until
softened and charred, about 3 minutes per side. Let cool slightly,
then coarsely chop the onions and transfer them to a medium bowl. Add
the sliced oranges, chipotles, cilantro, orange and lime zest, and the
remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.
Drain and thread the shrimp onto 6 metal skewers. Brush lightly with
the remaining olive oil and grill over moderately high heat, turning
occasionally, until charred in spots, about 5 minutes. Serve the
shrimp with the onion and orange salad.


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This small tail bag is perfect to mount on Touratech rear luggage extensions on bikes such as the KTM 950SE, 690E, F800GS, F700GS, F650GS-Twin, or G650X-Challenge. With its expandable capacity, it is a great bag for stashing items for short trips, like a tool roll, water bottle, gloves, camera, or rain liners.
No instructions are currently available for this product.


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Bill Gates: Backstage at the Office Developer Conference
- Posted: Feb 11, 2008 at 10:03PM
- 64,819 views
- 26 comments
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Once again, we catch up with Bill Gates on Channel 9. This time we talk to Bill at the Office Developer Conference and he shares the history of Office as a developer platform, some hints on the future of Access, how he personally uses Office 2007, if he still writes code, and his view on whether Office has hit the productivity plateau.
Oops, something didn't work.
Nice one Dan! Looking good on this one, in style
NickHodge wrote:Billg looks small 'cause DanF is so tall
KevinB wrote:Now if only they would post a (provisional even!) schedule in advance so that we could post questions that we think Dan should ask whoever he is interviewing....
Awesome interview!! Keep up the good work dan and team!
I had to share this as one of my old teammates said I reminded him of this interview.
PerfectPhase wrote:Is it just me or did anyone see the video thumbnail and think BillG interviewed by Tarantino?
Good converstation but the rating button on C9 has to be Ajax based. i was in middle of the movie and click rate-up and form posted back causing movie to go at start again.
Degişik oyunlaroyularsilahlı oyunlarthan you,add my flash game site
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I'll be going to Seoul on Saturday. Unfortunately I don't have any international money cards. I do have two cards, an E-ON card from Unionbank (VISA Electron) and a BPI Express ATM (has a Cirrus icon). Which one would be more useful to me in Seoul?
According to this Visa site, Visa Electron is accepted in South Korea in many ATMs (make sure to choose the bank from the drop down menu). Also, According to this official site of Korean tourism Cirrus ATM cards are the most widely accepted in Korea.
It is quite hard to find ATMs that accept foreign cards, including Visa Electron and Cirrus cards in Korea outside areas with more foreign expats and tourists.
The ATMs which accept non-Korean cards will have a small logo or sign saying "Global ATM".
One of these areas with more foreigners in Seoul is Hongdae and I have found more World ATMs there each time I visit.
Citibank ATMs are not so common but there should be some in the busier part(s) of every large city, and they're your best bet.
Last time I was in Busan, the second-biggest city, I couldn't find any ATM which would accept my card other than the Citibank.


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Please enter a maximum of 5 recipients. Use ; to separate more than one email address.
| Kern, A.G., Tesoro Corp., Los Angeles, California
[process control]
Consider the view looking back from 2020. Will the current
decade be the decade of process automation? This may seem a
puzzling way to frame the question. We have been automating for
several decades. To understand the question, we must define the
distinctions between modernization, automation and
In investigating the net effects in how the process industry
does business and operates facilities today, one conclusion is
that the process-control business has been involved primarily
in modernization, to some degree optimization, and least of all
automation. That is surprising, since automation was the
initial goal.
Modernization and its prodigious offspring, information,
have been several fold. Control-system success has often meant
just keeping pace with technological changecompletely
separate from automation and optimization. Control systems have
evolved from pneumatic to analog, digital, distributed and,
now, open systems. Safety systems and field devices have
undergone similar evolutions. Business pressures compel
adopting each successive technology. Most people are only too
familiar with the pace and demands of modernization.
It would be nice if, like information, automation sprang
naturally from modernization. But that is not at all the case.
It is quite possible to keep pace through multiple
modernization cycles without ever making headway in automation.
Indeed, this is the present condition for many companies.
Processing plants are more modernized, but the difficult
challenges of sustaining reliable operation still remain.
For example, modern control systems are digital and not
pneumatic. However, are there fewer operators in the field,
fewer process upsets, and fewer equipment trips? Are more valves in automatic mode, with less
frequent reliance on manual mode? Are board operators less
alarm-driven and more procedure-driven? Are more procedures and
sequential operations automated? While the answer to these
questions may be a tentative yes, in most cases,
the improvement has been incremental and stems from modernization, not automation. The
answer that we wish to see is that process industries have
achieved the same transformational level of automation as many
manufacturing industries.
Lets define automation as automatic control that takes
place in the control system domain. This fits the traditional
concept of automation involving direct control of equipment or
machinery. This includes, most notably, advanced regulatory
control (ARC), multivariable control (MPC) and sequential
control. But it really includes all automatic
distributed-control system (DCS), safety instrumented system
(SIS) and other base-layer functions.
Lets define optimization as activities that take place
in the business domain. They have the objective of arriving at
optimal operating targets, or making optimal business decisions
that are implemented across the organization. Optimization has
been sustained by constant improvement on information flows.
Many resources participate in this task across an organization.
In many ways, the entire business is plugged into
this mission; the automation domain is just one aspect. However
financially winning optimization can be, plant reliability is not one of its usual
Little such carefree collaboration characterizes the
automation domain, where equipment and procedures often defy
automation solutions; implementation is laborious; mistakes are
painful; and critical skills are scarce. This is one hurdle to
automation. The control domain is not a very hospitable environment.
With these definitions in hand, it becomes clear that
continued modernization and greater automation are the
challenges before us. Modernization will continue to bring reliability and efficiency gains,
such as centralized monitoring, remote control, lower cost and
less nuisance trips, if not exactly automation. Greater
automation, while harder to come by, can ultimately be expected
to bring the same transformational improvements in safety,
reliability and quality as in many manufacturing
The single biggest challenge facing process plants today is
reliability. And automation is the
single best answer. Will this decade become the automation
decade? The situation is unfolding slowly, with manufacturers
still engaged in modernization, broadly tackling the
optimization puzzle and, when it comes to automation, still
focused primarily on MPC, which is only one piece of
automation. Perhaps, the 2020s will eventually unfold as the
decade of automation. Those companies who start the automation
process early may find themselves leading the industry over the
next decade. HP
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A searchable database of project activity in the global hydrocarbon processing industry
Engineers and designers are highly skilled individuals. Forcing them to enter design changes using tables, forms and spreadsheets is unproductive and uneconomical, and it increases the likelihood of human error—this is the way that most instrumentation software systems currently work. For too long, software vendors have denied engineers and designers the simple practicality of a graphical visual engineering interface with "drag and drop" capability and inbuilt intelligence, ensuring changes are automatically replicated into all the associated data and databases.
Is 2016 the peak for US gasoline demand?
Too soon to tell
July 2016


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I was just browsing through StackOverflow just now, and randomly hit on this question, where the question-asker signed off his request with a "please advise." Certain I'd heard this turn of phrase before from foreign speakers, I searched "please advise" in quotes and received about 25,000 hits, from what seemed to be many non-native speakers, which was enough to be intriguing.
Now, pardon me if I'm wrong, but this isn't common in American English is it? If I'd ever heard it, I'd expect the phrase to be please advise me, where advise takes an object. Moreover, "advise" as an ending pleasantry seems a bit stilted and formal to my ear. Perhaps this is U-English, that I've read is commonly taught to foreign speakers in ESL courses? Or is it a kind of a direct translation of a common construction in many languages? Does anyone know where it comes from? I'd appreciate any enlightenment.
Incidentally, it seems that I'm not the only person to have noticed this.
EDIT: So, to be clear, constructions such as "please advise if...", "please advise on...[XX topic]", "please advise for..." are commonly used in business emails?


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Official Media Newsroom
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (March 11, 2015) – The fourth chapter of Nissan's "TITAN Truckumentary" focuses on early durability testing that the company's next-generation full-size pickup has been undergoing the past few months.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Jan. 22, 2015) – After the all-new 2016 Nissan TITAN XD made its world debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the PRO-4X model took a tour out west.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Jan. 22, 2015) – Nissan North America recently said "bon voyage" to its one-millionth, U.S.-built export. The car was manufactured at Nissan's Smyrna, Tennessee plant and destined for sale in South Korea.


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Hugh I. Abrahamson of Bellevue and Jeffrey J. Funke of Nebraska City have submitted applications for appointment as district judge in the 2nd Judicial District consisting of Cass, Sarpy, and Otoe counties.
The primary place of office for the judicial vacancy is Plattsmouth. The vacancy is due to the retirement of Judge Randall L. Rehmeier.
The public hearing of the Judicial Nominating Commission will be held in the District Courtroom at the Cass County Courthouse, 346 Main Street, in Plattsmouthat 2 p.m. on Wednesday, May 29.
The Commission will review all applicants for the office at that time. The public is welcome to attend the hearing and present information concerning candidates for the judicial opening.
A listing of the members of the Judicial Nominating Commission can be found on the Nebraska Judicial Branch Web site at http://www.supremecourt.ne.gov/2593/second-district-county-district-court.
Location, ST | website.com


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Published on
Georgia DNR - Wildlife Resources Division
Shad Season to Open January 1, 2010
SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. (12/21/2009)
Commercial shad season runs from 6 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 1, 2010 through midnight on Wednesday, Mar. 31, 2010, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division (WRD). Commercial shad fishing regulations are the same as those during the 2009 season.
The Altamaha River (including the Oconee and Ocmulgee rivers), the Satilla River and the St. Marys River downstream from the Seaboard Coastline Railroad bridge will be open for commercial shad fishing Monday through Friday each week. Waters upstream from this bridge will be open Tuesday through Saturday each week. The Ogeechee River will be open for commercial shad fishing on Fridays and Saturdays of each week during the shad season.
The Savannah River will be open for commercial shad fishing downstream from the I-95 bridge Tuesday through Friday and upstream from the I-95 bridge Wednesday through Saturday each week. Only drift nets may be used downstream of a line between the mouth of Knoxboro Creek and McCoys Cut at Deadman's Point.
Individuals fishing commercially for shad must have a valid Georgia commercial fishing license. Boats used below the saltwater demarcation line for commercial fishing also must be licensed, with the cost of the license depending on the size of the boat.
The minimum mesh size for legal set or drift shad nets is 4 ½ inches stretched. Set netters are reminded that set nets must be placed at least 600 feet apart and should be limited to 100 feet in length. Set nets must clearly display the owners name and commercial fishing license number. Drift nets shall not be fished closer that 300 feet apart and are limited to a maximum of 1,000 feet in length in saltwaters. Set nets and drift nets must be situated so as to allow one-half the stream width to be open and free for the passage of fish. All set nets must have one end secured to the stream bank and must be buoyed at the outer (seaward) end so they will be clearly visible to other boaters. This regulation is designed to prevent anglers from setting nets in the mid-channel of the stream. Sturgeon, game fish other than American shad or hickory shad, and all species of catfish taken in set or drift nets must be released unharmed into the waters where they were taken.
Reporting of American shad harvest to the Coastal Resources Division is a requirement under Georgia's commercial fishing regulations. If your fish are not sold to a licensed fish dealer, please remember to report your catch. Contact Julie Califf at 912-264-7218 if you need harvest reporting forms. Other regulations apply.
For a complete set of commercial fishing regulations or for more information, contact a WRD law enforcement office at (912) 264-7237 (Brunswick); (706) 595-4211 (Thomson) or (912) 685-2145 (Metter).
Georgia Wildlife Resources Division
2070 U.S. Hwy. 278, SE, Social Circle, GA 30025
Source URL:


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Which of these two sentences makes more sense? J'ai mon permis de conduire OR J'ai eu mon permis de conduire?
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The assertion is the same — You have a driving license —, since you can't have it without having got it, but the focus is different :
For instance, you would answer « J'ai eu mon permis de conduire » if you were asked something like "Have you passed any examination?" and « J'ai mon permis de conduire » to "Are you in possession of any official document?".
Take the verb "danser", "to dance". Its "indicatif présent" is "je danse" ("I dance" or "I'm dancing"); its indicatif passé composé is "j'ai dansé" ("I danced"). "Avoir" appears here as "ai", but the main verb still is "danser".
In your case, the word "eu" is the past participle (singular masculine) of the verb "avoir". Hence, "j'ai" is the indicatif présent of "avoir" and "j'ai eu" is its indicatif passé composé. In "j'ai eu", "ai" is "avoir" used as an auxiliary verb. It's only by chance that "avoir" also is the main verb.
So, if the sentence were translated with "avoir" with its meaning of "to possess":
However, "avoir" has lots of different meanings, one of which is "to obtain, to acquire". And, without any contest, this meaning is much more likely in "J'ai eu mon permis de conduire".
So "J'ai mon permis de conduire" puts the emphasis on the fact that you have your driving license; "J'ai eu mon permis de conduire" puts the emphasis on the fact the you obtained it.