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A network by definition is a shared society. The issue is determining what exactly is shared and how much is shared.
The virtue of a network is that it has the potential to be open to multiple realities. Networks can vary on how wide the scope of these differing perspectives can be. Quite often, there is a commonality around one issue and openness to multiple perspectives on many other issues. Sometimes, the commonality is simply the desire to be connected.
An organization is also a shared society, but the breadth of what is shared is narrow. In an organization, a group of people commit themselves to a particular production goal, particular values, a specific culture and a specific way of doing business together and with external others. One can easily call this a monolithic institution even in cases where organizations like the Digital Computer Company and Sony pride themselves on creating competition among units.
Facebook is an example of a network where people join together to share their common humanity, warmth and willingness to be in touch. One's friends or family do not necessarily share similar political, religious or ideological perspectives. One assumes that people who become "friends" do have some degree of commonality to begin with. Most people who are inviting friends would not be inviting others with a background in terrorism to join them.
Linked-In forges networks amongst people who have even less in common beyond the desire to develop professionally, increase their business, be respectful in their communication and be open to occasional contact with others.
The International Lawyers Network (ILN) is a global network of mid-size law firms who have joined together to enable international referrals on particular legal issues. The benefit is that each participating firm and individual lawyer gains the benefit that large firms have in spanning the globe and being able to offer international services to clients. The ILN avoids having duplicate law firms from the same geographical area offering competing services. Member law firms are vetted on trustworthiness and the willingness to participate in a cordial, warm environment - both virtually and face-to-face. Beyond that, individual lawyers can differ in a multitude of ways.
RE-AMP is a network of non-profits in the US Mid-West focused on reducing the role of non-zero emission coal plants. The boundary line of the network is drawn to include those opposing the use of coal and excluding utilities. Beyond that the agenda of each non-profit will vary.
Energy Action Network (EAN) is a Vermont-based network focused on increasing the use of renewable energy. EAN includes within its boundaries non-profits, businesses, government, financial institutions, academic institutions as well as utilities. The common focus is the pursuit of renewable energy captured in the overall goal: "90% renewable by 2050." Agendas and strategies of individual members will differ. The network avoids pushing on issues that will work against the core interests of members. As the Director of EAN has stated, "An ongoing challenge is to thread the needle by staying as diverse as we want and getting things done."
Within the overall boundaries of a network, people can differ on the interests they wish to pursue. The Boston Consortium of Higher Education has as its purpose reducing administrative and operating costs in the 13 plus higher education institutions in the Boston area. Some members will choose to join together to pursue maintenance issues while others will choose to work on IT or healthcare. What is in common among the invited members is a willingness to place collaboration ahead of ego.
Among the networks mentioned, one assumes that individual members differ on their stance to gun control, abortion, religion, favorite politician, legalized marijuana, the agreement with Iran, etc. When these fall outside of the specific purpose of the network, one need only be required to respect the other as a person who has a differing reality.
Can networks be developed that have as their purpose bridging a given divide? Can one create an ongoing network among pro and anti-abortion advocates to focus on the topic of abortion. In most cases, likely not. Can one create a network of Jews who hate Arabs and Arabs who hate Jews. Likely not. One could, however, create a network of Jews and Arabs who while differing in many substantive ways are willing to respect and listen to each other and work collaboratively on a shared interest such as reducing global warming. One might create a network among those simply willing to exchange viewpoints and be open to their shared humanity.
Networks have the potential to build a membership of multiple realities. In such cases, what is held in common is the willingness to respect these multiple realities, work to develop trust with others as well as to develop the interpersonal and collaborative skills to exist together as a network. There should be a willingness to work together to maintain the network container and be open to what emerges.
Ironically, there is nothing new about innovation. It has been with us for a long time - ever since the wheel was invented. Within scientific and organization circles, the methodologies of innovation have also been in use for a while. What is new is that the approaches of innovation have been pulled together and packaged by groups like IDEO into a defined approach that can be used in businesses, offices of government and NGO's. Institutions like MIT have developed venues particularly focused on this defined practice of innovation.These approaches are called Innovation Labs or Social Innovation Labs.
Specifically, many of the components of the current approach to innovation are common sense. Though the term brainstorming may be new, the common sense approach of the joining of ideas is not. The open exploration of multiple alternatives before massaging them into a given new approach is not new. What is arguably new is the idea of "agile" development. This is the idea that rather than embarking upon a long-term and capital-intensive process of analysis, development, planning and implementation, new concepts are moved to a tangible form (a prototype) and then piloted as an experiment. Immediate feedback from this experiment as to its advantages and disadvantages leads to further iterations of the idea and subsequent piloting.
What is also new is the role that this practice of innovation, e.g. Innovation Labs is seen as playing in the advancement of society. Innovation is both a part and parcel of day-to-day local society and a quantum leap to a higher mega order of global society. The local and global are interconnected. The advancement of one involves the advancement of the other
One core idea embodied in all of this is something set out by Steven Johnson as "the adjacent possible." The adjacent possible is what is separate from us but associated in proximity to us. On a personal, organizational and societal level, the adjacent possible represents that new potential that if engaged through the human process of analysis, insight and discovery and integrated into our individual or collective lives can represent a step forward.
Thinkers like Roberto Mangabeira Unger ask what will it take to do this and why aren't we doing this. The answer to the later question is that many in our global society, our local communities or even in our households do not feel empowered to do so. They (we) have become resigned to the assumptions implicit in what Unger calls the "dictatorship of no alternatives." According to Unger, for so much of life, we have bought into the idea that there are no alternatives. Life is as it is. According to Otto Scharmer things like the market economy cannot be questioned. Our current extravagant use of environmental resources cannot be questioned. Our individual lack of a path forward constrained by lack of opportunities cannot be questioned. The role of government in providing low quality services through a corrupt bureaucracy cannot be questioned - because there is no alternative.
With the aid of internet technologies, people have been discovering on a larger scale that things can be questioned, e.g. The Arab Spring, the Occupy movements. Innovation Labs represent on a smaller, more local basis a foray into the Adjacent Possible with the potential for ultimately questioning the larger assumptions of "no alternatives" that have been baked into our lives.
Unger says that little epiphanies of innovation existing all around the world represent down payments on larger transformative possibilities. They are a prefigurement of larger possibilities gained from grass roots innovation.
All of this is not more than an abstract conversation unless the practices of innovation manifested in vehicles such as Innovation Labs can become part of our individual and organizational lives. This is where the adjacent possible runs head on into the dictatorship of no alternatives. What do we do? How do we do it? How can we be doing this in a way that meets people where they are, that enables them to act with a new attitude within available resources. How can the enhancement of agency occur in all aspects of our social life? Part of the solution to this is to act collectively. Innovation happens when many people with different areas of expertise, different perspectives, different strengths and different access to resources join together. Sometimes the innovation is the act of joining together collaboratively or in harvesting the learnings of how people have worked together.
What is clearly new in this paradigm of innovation is the idea that each of us has in our daily lives access to the adjacent possible. We need to be willing and confident in our ability to reach out to explore these possibilities through a "radical experimentalism" along with others with whom we join. In time, as local needs drive innovation they will according to Unger constitute a prefigurement of transformative changes which will supplant the status quo.
At a recent European Design Forum Conference (EODF) in Milan, Elvira Kalmar and I offered a joint perspective on emergent or temporary organizations. Elvira and I shared our different perspectives about temporary organizations as they apply to volunteers assisting with refugees in Hungary and also the applicability of network principles. In this post, I will extend these ideas to business organizations.
My perspective on temporary organizations is based on having worked with organizations that take the form of networks. In these networks, groupings of people emerge as needed in order to respond to common challenges. The groupings often start as conversations among several people. Over time, more people may join the conversation. These conversations lead to the exchange of knowledge and often to taking joint action. Joint action may take the form of short-term initiatives or even longer-term, more formal spin-offs. When the work of this emergent grouping is completed, people move on to other endeavors. I refer to this result of self-organization as "emergence."
I have seen this emergence occur on a daily basis in a network of universities and colleges around Boston that joined together as the Boston Consortium of Higher Education in order to deal with common administrative and financial challenges. Though a given university will be a highly traditional organization, the network among them offers flexibility to self-organize based on a minimal infrastructure and on common purpose, norms and values.
Elvira's perspective is based on her having been involved with the volunteer group Migration Aid, which was formed to help refugees now reaching Hungary who are escaping from the crisis in Syria and other places. She noticed how temporary "purpose-driven organizations" are formed by the volunteers to provide for the basic needs of the refugees: food, water, shelter at transit stations and information about the rights of refugees. This volunteer group had a very clear purpose and it could mobilize over 9000 people, 500-600 active in the field and financially supported by the rest.
Elvira also has noticed that the refugees, themselves, as they endeavor to survive and make their way to new destinations, form temporary purpose-save-their-life groupings. People form themselves together to meet needs for food, healthcare or to share navigational information. Some of these groupings occur on-line, others in person. When the needs of the moment are met for the grouping in question, people move on to deal with the next challenge. Elvira refers to this result of self-organization as "temporary purpose-driven organizations."
The example of refugee groupings is important because it is a "pure" case. There are no organizational structures that pre-ordain a given result. There are diverse cultures and norms that do not provide an immediate common ground that could lead to a default organization. What is evident here is that the challenge of survival combines with the ability of humans to self-organize resulting in highly functional endeavors often using interactive, internet technology.
I relate the example of temporary organizations of volunteers or refugees back to the new field of Network Science which offers insights into the self-organizing ability of people. Network Science captures network dynamics based on observations of people as well as whales, other biological phenomena and even the workings of computer networks. These observations are aided by network analysis and mathematics using the power of computers. One aspect of network analysis makes network relationships visible through the use of network mapping tools.
Examples of network dynamics include how some people (nodes) become popular hubs for others to connect to. Such nodes combine a fitness for a currently needed use along with the human capital of already having many connections to continually increase their role as hubs. This leads to the further development of a network.
People (nodes) can have strong ties with those around them that enable them to exert their influence or weak ties with those further out that help them to exchange important knowledge.
People also naturally incline towards facilitating connections among others who they know but who do not yet now each other.
These network phenomena along with the absence of constraining structures enable groups of people operating as a network to respond to immediate challenges that they face. The use of internet technology along with direct in-person interactions supports a real-time response to these challenges.
This brings us back to the phenomena of temporary purpose-driven organizations in the volunteer community in Hungary. In these organizations, purpose directs action.
Elvira notes that there are no leaders. People organize around purpose and in the endeavor of survival, purpose tends to be crystal clear and overwhelmingly powerful. People link together to get things done and being efficient in doing so is critically important since the purpose is to help survival.
Elvira points out that crowd-funding is an important aspect of this. People from surrounding communities respond to requests to meet refugee needs with food, clothes, medical supplies and temporary housing. As such, the larger network involves more than the volunteers in the field. There are strong and weak ties that extend out through the surrounding environment.
Now, let's move away from the pure case of temporary organizations among volunteers to ask how all of this can be of use in our day-to-day commercial efforts.
One person in our conference discussion provided the example of "pop-up restaurants" which also revolve around a purpose, endeavor to meet a specific set of needs, and involve others in an emergent manner for short-term restaurant activities.
I believe that what also assists pop-up restaurants are the same network dynamics that enable people with strong and weak ties to share requests for what is needed, to share knowledge that such a restaurant exists and to influence others to visit. I imagine that there is a larger network of pop-up restaurant enthusiasts.
The same dynamics that support refugee survival also support success of these commercial endeavors. The challenge in such commercial enterprises that are not driven by the powerful purpose of survival is to arrive at a common understanding of a motivating and important purpose. Leadership in these commercial endeavors can also be fluid and distributed among a number of people.
Finally, let's take a look at how these practices could apply within a traditional, larger corporation. The agile software development movement is one practical application of temporary task sub-groups within larger more formal organizations.
The role of emergence can be seen in the informal networks that exist within every formal organization. People in organizations create their own informal, emergent networks to accomplish the work of the organization, connect with others for camaraderie and exert influence. These networks may or may not be aligned with the formal organizational structure. Organization network analysis tools like OrgMapper which I have used make these networks and their various dynamics visible. Putting visible maps of these networks in the hands of employees and managers supports their ability to improve the effectiveness of these networks and align the networks with the formal organization. When combined with training in effective network behaviors, the ability of employees to form productive, emergent groupings is enhanced.
One last example is how networks are being used in the non-profit sector in order to respond to the complex set of issues that are confronting our communities and societies. One major challenge is that of environmental degradation. There are many aspects to this kind of challenge that confront many different stakeholders in our communities. These are challenges that cannot be met by any single entity. To confront these challenges, a purpose-driven coalition or network is often formed by a large set of different participating organizations and individuals. The different entities in this network work together each playing the role that each is best suited for. Though not usually intended to be a short-term temporary organization, these coalitions are also not necessarily intended to endure far into the future. Once community or society-wide action steps have been taken, the coalition or network has done its work and the parties can move on. Lately, this method of approaching community or society-wide challenges is being called "ollective Impact." A specific practice has developed around Collective Impact and how best to carry out such an effort.
Ultimately, I believe that the foundation of all of these examples are network dynamics, the ability of humans to self-organize around shared purpose and an environment that supports flexibility and fluidity.
What can each of us do?
The examples and ideas that Elvira and I have set out indicate the importance of individual action in the context of a community and collective with a strong and guiding purpose. This leads to the question of what can each of us be doing in our own spheres of influence. There are a few suggestions.
Collective Impact has come to Israel as I pointed out in a previous post.(Hebrew version) There are already a number of Collective Impact efforts going on or in the process of being developed in Israel.
Today, I attended a workshop put on by the Joint Distribution Committee which has its main Israel offices in Jerusalem. The JDC Israel or the "Joint" as it is called "deals with the advancement of quality of life, equality of opportunities and reduction of gaps in Israeli society. The organization works among populations irregardless of religious, national or political identity."
I spoke with a number of people in between sessions to get a perspective on what Israelis see as important about Collective Impact and the challenges of pursuing Collective Impact in Israel. Here is what I learned along with my own comments.
Guy commented that "there is a need to do Collective Impact now. The problems in Israel are too big to wait."
Israel society like American society has many challenges and like in America, there is a growing realization that today's complex issues demand more than each NGO or government institution going it alone to solve its own narrow set of challenges.
Israel civil society has what could be called an "embarrassment of riches." It has developed to the point where there are a huge number of NGO's each working with passion on their own issue. This leads to a great deal of fragmentation. I commented on this in a previous article. At the same time, there is a competitiveness in Israeli culture and a huge degree of self-reliance. Though these qualities support the Israel explored in "Start-Up Nation," outside of the entrepreneurial sphere, these qualities may get in the way of organizations and their leaders taking collective action on large-scale societal issues. Guy added, "Organizations in the various sectors working on social challenges need to have a sense of the larger whole."
Guy also commented that Israeli culture needs to change in a way that will support people to take the time needed to develop a Collective Impact effort. The Israeli culture is one where people move quickly to take action to respond to immediate challenges without taking time for reflection.
I see this quality as a strength in many areas such as responding militarily to a threat. However, Collective Impact as currently conceived requires painstaking effort by participants to build trust, work through varying individual agendas to achieve a common agenda and collaborate throughout a long effort.
Either the Collective Impact approach needs to be modified to work within the Israeli culture or the culture has to adjust to support building the kind of longer-term collaboration required by a Collective Impact approach.
The strength of Israeli culture is around "doing." What is needed is an additional strength to be developed around "being." Being successful in Collective Impact requires people able to "be" with one another. By creating the space to "be" with one another - to think, talk and reflect, sufficient trust can be developed such that people will be able to let go of their own agenda and passion to take part in a collective agenda and passion.
This parallels another conversation that I had where I learned about what is called "Spiritual Care." As Daniel explained to me, this is an alternative approach used with young challenged children that replaces the traditional approach that focuses on moving the child from one way of acting to another. In Spiritual Care, the emphasis is on just being with the child and supporting the child non-judgmentally.
I related to this because of my work with a variety of "strength-based" methods that focus on what is going well or what works with an individual or organization. These take a non-judgmental view in being with the person or organization wherever they are at the moment. The theory behind this is that by doing this, one frees up the person or organization to move on their own and to progress and develop.
I see the same theme cutting across all of these comments. There is a greater need in Israel for people to take the time and create the space to "be" with one another as they grapple with societal issues because this is the best guarantee of future development.
I attended a session as part of this workshop in which an effort was described that has to do with increasing volunteerism in Israel. One question surfaced was why don't more Israelis volunteer. Afterwards, I spoke with Rona who is working to set up an effort to make greater use of volunteers. She raised the question of what is "volunteering." She asked if someone works on a social issue on corporate time or as part of a student commitment, is this volunteering?
This may not be a question thought about much in the U.S. which has a tradition of volunteering. However, in Israel which is striving to develop such a tradition, I appreciate that this is an important and not necessarily easy question to answer. It may be that asking the question is the most important part.
My reaction to this question is that what may be most valuable is to instill a disposition towards volunteering based on the individual having had a successful "volunteer" experience of working on social issues. If this happens initially on someone else' time, maybe that is fine. I see this as developing an awareness that fulfillment can be had from helping others. However, there is another side to this as set out by Daniel Pink in "Drive" which deals with issues of motivation.
Compensating people for volunteering or rewarding people for superior efforts according to Pink has to be judiciously handled. Otherwise, the compensation or reward may act to undermine what would otherwise have been an ongoing and heartfelt contribution. Pink sees this contribution as being driven by intrinsic motivation. His book discusses how to support this.
There were many more people at the workshop and I imagine that each has their own rich perspective. Hearing the rich perspective of each might be one way of building the Collective Impact experience in Israel.
Here is a presentation that I developed recently that explores the role that the entrepreneurial sector in Israel (or any country) can play in responding to the challenges of Global Warming. The response to Global Warming is not a simplistic one. There is a mental model of undisciplined exploitation of the Earth's resources - embedded deeply within us all, that needs to be altered to one of stewardship for future generations. We need new models of living on this planet that will sustain us as humanity into the future. In the short term, we all need to act and act swiftly. The potential of the CleanTech sector is that it enables us to act in ways that are profitable to businesses, countries and individuals while making the significant industrial transformations that are necessary to our survival. Download Global Warming עברית
Building sustainable responses to complex societal needs is a major challenge in contemporary society. Collective Impact is a holistic approach for responding to a complex societal issue in which a wide variety of interested parties work together to address the many different aspects of the given issue. It is a powerful approach appropriate for dealing with many of a society's challenges. Developing trust is a major aspect of creating a sustainable effort.
Hebrew version of this article can be found here. Download Hebrew version
Collective Impact does require a significant amount of time to put in place the key components of such an effort. These components are:
There have been a number of Collective Impact projects in the United States. In these projects, the interested parties spend a considerable amount of time meeting on a frequent basis in order to move through the stages of an effort. These stages have been described as:
Throughout a Collective Impact initiative, there is an emphasis on a data-based process of reflection, learning and adaptation of the effort. Participants need to have the patience to focus on building relationships as well as the proactivity to take specific, tangible action steps.
Building Trust
Building trust is a critical factor on which the progress of a Collective Impact effort depends. Trust is a "gating" item that will either facilitate or retard the movement through the requirements of the effort. At the early stages, it is particularly important as the parties endeavor to arrive at a common agenda.
Much can be said about what it takes to build trust. One perspective is that building trust is a process in which each party needs to demonstrate to the others over time that he/she will follow through on the promises and representations that they make. Also part of building trust is a growing awareness that each will conform to an accepted standard governing the dealings that each has with the other - whether that standard is fairness, equity, quid pro quo, etc. Another factor in building trust is the history of connection and past dealings among the parties which in turn reflects all of these other factors.
Trust and Sustainability
There is a relationship between the progress in building trust and the sustainability of the effort. The more progress in building trust, the greater the potential for sustainability of the effort. Beyond this, trust and sustainability are iterative in that each will reinforce the other in either a positive or negative vein.
Sustainability also requires the willingness and time on the part of the parties (as well as the donors) to "hang in" during the lengthy process of developing the effort before tangible results can be observed. The greater the trust, the more comfortable the parties will be with one another and the more gratifying will be the relationships that support the effort.
Trust and Context
The proess of building trust is also impacted by the context of the effort. Creating trust in a rural community where most people already know one another is a different proposition from creating trust in an urban setting where many are strangers to one another. Similarly, creating trust in a closed community where there are many historical relationships is different from creating trust in an open setting where there will be many, first-time relationships. National or regional culture is also an important variable in that different cultures have different norms of behavior, guiding principles and values and other sociological attributes. Trust and sustainability will vary based on the nature of these various factors.
Building Trust and Sustainability in Israel
This afticle asks the question of how might the process of building trust and achieving sustainability in a Collective Impact initiative in Israel be different compared to one in the United States. There are aspects of the Israeli culture that will both facilitate and retard the process of building trust and achieving sustainability.
Facilitating Factors
Retarding Factors
It may be that given all of these factors, Israel may not be different from the United States. In both societies, a complex constellation of factors requires a fine-tuned effort of trust building appropriate for the particular context. On the other hand, it may be that the strength of pre-existing relationships and networks, a sense of commonality and accepted norms of behavior do provide a stronger initial foundation for trust building than is possible in the more wide-spread and heterogeneous society in the United States. It is possible that the listed facilitating factors can be leveraged in order to more quickly build trust and provide for greater sustainability in a Collective Impact initiative in Israel.
The following video reflects the kinds of things that can be leveraged in the process of building trust.
Longer-term sustainability in a network is supported by managing the polarities of contact in the network. Specifically, I am focusing on the polarities of contracting and expansion. Each represents a different focus that needs to coexist in a larger network for that network to be ultimately effective and sustainable. I view these as akin to breathing which requires both a contracting and expansion phase.In approaching this discussion, we need to be mindful that in the overall network level of system, there are larger and smaller groupings. The smaller groupings are often called clusters or communities (of practice). The larger grouping is the overall network. The boundary of the network is its periphery.
Contracting with regard to a network is seen in the dynamic of "birds of a feather." Individuals in a network form dyads and most significantly triads. These are based on commonalities. Triads result because it is a natural human phenomenon to want to introduce one's friends to each other. Triads then connect. As time goes on, connections are established across all of the different individuals (nodes) in these connected triads. One ends up with a community of like-minded others.
The focus here is inward within the community. The emphasis is on establishing trust, relationships and contact. There is a wondrous, harmonious beauty as a community builds and interacts. We desire to be affiliated with like-minded others. This is one aspect of the important phenomenon of a network. Such a close grouping can prove to be highly effective in implementing previously derived knowledge.
I see this as a kind of contracting. The members of a cluster differentiate themselves from others who do not share immediate commonalities. This may be due to differing perspectives or different agendas at the current moment. The cluster pulls in members from the larger network. Other individuals (nodes) then move into other clusters. Other members exist as isolates apart from the cluster and out towards the periphery of the larger network.
The challenge arises in this harmonious clustering when the community or cluster needs to be innovative. Here the community encounters the underbelly of its harmonious side. In this situation, the confluent community will likely only be able to continually revisit the ideas that all share. What is necessary here is to reach out into the differentiated world to make contact with new and fresh ideas held by others.
These others may exist in other communities within the larger network or exist as isolates outside the immediate cluster or community. The isolates may exist on the periphery of the network. Though an isolate relative to the subject cluster, the individual node may in fact be part of another network beyond the network in question and thereby part of another rich tradition.
In order to be fully innovative, the community in question must have the ability to reach out to and make contact with those holding differing, fresh and needed perspectives. These perspectives will then need to be brought into the deliberations within the subject cluster. It is not necessarily the point for these other individuals to find a permanent home in the cluster. They will, however, need to exist at the end of a link that runs to the cluster. They will need to be pulled in to the extent necessary for their perspective to be heard.
There is a well-known paper by Granovetter in which he sets out his finding with regard to looking for new jobs. Networking amongst one's close friends - those with whom one has strong ties does not appear to be the most successful strategy. Instead, finding a new job results more from utilizing one's weak ties - ties to people with whom one has occasional contact. The point here is that talking to people who know what you know does not help as much as talking to people who know what you do not know. There have also been studies that point out that network success is a function of finding the sweet spot between the polarities of contraction and expansion.
Another way of talking about this polarity is that of exploration and exploitation. In a network, clusters and the network as a whole oscillate between exploration of what is not known and exploitation of what is already known. There is the contact one has as a result of building trustful relationships with those in one's immediate environment. There is also the contact that results from reaching out to those who do not hold the same perspective of reality and being able to benefit from their perspective.
"What would our network be like if we could achieve our full potential?"
Questions like these were at the core of a workshop that I recently attended that was given by Beth Tener. The workshop was about asking "strategic questions." A strategic question helps open up the person with whom you are speaking to new possibilities. A strategic question is characterized as being open-ended and positive. It asks the other person to look beyond the "shoulds" in their life to explore how a desired state could be attained. A question might be: "what would it take in order for you to attain what you are looking for?" Asking such a question also helps the questioner to have an experience as a positive, possibility-seeking person.A strategic question in addition to opening up a space inside the other person can also be used to open up space in a network or organization. A typical situation where such a question can be useful in organizations is to help the organization move beyond dejection to positivism, to move beyond griping to looking at what can be accomplished, to move from looking endlessly within the same old "box" to looking "outside the box."
I like the term "strategic question" because it connotes the idea that one is on the move. Such questions can also be called "appreciative questions" or "strength-based questions." I have in the past also referred to these kinds of questions as "provocative questions."
This kind of question can be of use in a network. Such a question can help to open up thought in a network. In the case where there is a cluster of closely connected individuals, the high density of connection in such a group can lead the group to become overly focused on one perspective or locked into a given solution. What can help here is to open up the cluster to new people and new ideas. Questions that might be asked are: "Who else could we be speaking with?" "What diverse perspectives and skill sets would be useful?" "In what other ways could we accomplish what we want?"
In another situation, people may not be connected to one another or weakly connected. A strategic or provocative question can be used to connect people. A person who is friends with two other unconnected people can say to each: "Are you aware that this other person has similar interests to you?" Another question here could be: ""What would happen if the two of you were to combine your resources?"
An individual on their own can also reach out to another person and endeavor to make a new connection. In this regard, several things can help such a person make a connection. A person can strive to be fully present and willing to share a variety of different aspects of him or herself. These can include their intellectual, emotional, physical, artistic or spiritual aspects. Doing this provides more around which the other person can make a connection. It provides a basis for interesting the other person.
It also helps to sincerely ask about the other person. What are their interests, what excites them. Asking the other to talk about the possibilities they see in a given situation is a positive approach that would be inclined to support openness rather than defensiveness.
I find that there is an experience that goes along with this process of questioning. It is an active rather than a passive experience. It is a non-judgmental experience of exploration. It is an experience of caring enough to try to understand the reality of another person.
When one makes these new connections, one reduces the tension borne of having unconnected friends and supplants that with the positive experience of creating mutual friends. Creating new connections helps others bring their fresh ideas into more established groups. It furthers innovation by reaching further out towards the environment of the network.
I think of all of this as supporting a vibrant network that breathes.The network community contracts and expands on an ongoing basis. In the contraction phase, new and stronger ties are built with similar others who are thus pulled into the community. In the expansion phase the realm of perspectives are expanded through reaching out to dissimilar others - people on the boundary of the network. In this ongoing pulsation of life, the network begins to answer the question: "What could we be if we were fully alive?"
We are learning that networks as a means of conducting business or creating social change cannot be treated like our traditional "bricks and mortar" organizations. This is true for both networks made up of individuals and those composed of member organizations. It is important to understand how networks differ from traditional organizations. This, in turn, leads us to changing the way we respond to networks in our efforts to help develop and improve them. Thinking of networks in terms of their value propositions can be very helpful in working effectively with networks.
One way in which networks differ from traditional organizations and even traditional knowledge organizations is that the roles are dispersed and not organized in a definitive manner. There are no departments, no functions, no bureaucracy. In a network operating at its optimum, the roles (and the people in them) can join together in various combinations in order to do the work of the network.
In traditional organizations, we could plot how the work of the enterprise is performed. We have called this "plot" the work process, the transformation process or the value chain. Traditionally, it was a linear sequence of activities that added value to preceding activities leading to the completed output that was handed off to customers. Even in more knowledge-driven organizations, there was some high-level sense of sequence though work was carried out in deliberations that might not necessarily be in sequence.
I believe that the value chain approach used in traditional organizations has less applicability in understanding and acting upon a network. This is not to say that a sequence of activities cannot in particular cases be identified. It is to say that such a sequence can no longer be generalized as an operational blueprint for the network enterprise. In fact, such a formalized approach is antithetical to a network and the unique value that can be gained from a network.
A useful way of thinking about a network is in terms of its value propositions. For any given network, there is an overarching purpose. Purposes are then translated into value for customers, members, society and the network itself. The value proposition is an articulated statement of benefit to each interested party. There could be one value proposition or several value propositions. A given value proposition could cover one or more groups of interested parties.
The value proposition becomes an organizing mechanism for the network. The value proposition becomes an embedded intangible structure that influences or governs what emerges or is planned within the network.
Ideally, value propositions influence planful activities. They also catalyze conversations in networks. Conversations can occur spontaneously or as the result of facilitating actions by network weavers or coordinators. These conversations can result in ad hoc configurations or more planful configurations to carry out the work of the network. We could call these configurations clusters, communities of practice, or committees. They can be in existence short-term until a new idea runs its course, longer-term to deal with a common grouping of ideas though with varying membership, and can spin off into other initiatives.
A network can be assessed in terms of whether its actions and factors like relationships, trust, inclusion, interactions, funding, convenings, etc. further the given value proposition or not. We can ask, is desired value being provided to interested parties; are we being innovative in how we pursue the value proposition? We can take action to bring alignment to these factors and the given value proposition.
In one network, my data indicated the following candidates for value propositions:
In another network, an educational consortium, some aspects of the stated value proposition were:
What can a network do to create greater alignment between a given value proposition and network actions and factors?
One step is to be explicit about these network value propositions. Think about them and even rethink them. Publicize them, talk about them, and create greater awareness throughout the network. Discuss whether the network has the most desirable balance among its different value propositions. Assess the impact that the network is having on interested parties and create network conversations about how to increase positive impact in line with these value propositions. A network can also share amongst its members what is working well in advancing these value propositions.
What is the role of emergence and serendipity in networks? More significantly, what is the role of both of these with regard to innovation in networks?
I define serendipity as those synchronous moments when different trend lines converge in an unexpected manner that lead to innovation. My view may not conform to the official definition of serendipity which is "an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident." An example might be the discovery of penicillin. I am more inclined toward the idea that we put in place conditions that lead to the emergence of innovations which we can then call serendipity.
Emergence is the way patterns emerge via the collective actions of many individual entities. It is the arising of novel and coherent structures, patterns and properties during the process of self-organization in complex systems. (Goldstein, 1999) Whenever you have a multitude of individuals interacting with one another, there often comes a moment when disorder gives way to order and something new emerges: a pattern, a decision, a structure or a change in direction (Miller 2010) This could appear as a new grouping, a new idea or a new initiative.
Creating a conducive environment for emergence often involves creating and holding the container in which the many interactions take place. It involves provoking what goes on in the container and supporting movement towards attractive directions.
Members of a network can support these conducive conditions. In one network, senior staff members of the network each had a portfolio of liaison responsibilities. They created unstructured time in meetings to allow for digressions - going off topic and off of the agenda. They were out and about listening to conversations. They would mingle with folks at different member institution gatherings rather than just seeing them at network meetings. In both formal and informal gatherings, they identified and supported "what if" conversations. "What if we took a joint approach?" "What if we combined our resources?" They kept their ears to the ground and listened to other voices. They looked for trends and fed them back at the meetings. They might say, "did you know that other people are talking about this?"
Not only did these people in the above network help to identify, circulate and bring in ideas from within the network, they also helped to bring in ideas from outside the network. They read emails and visited other networks. They learned how others addressed things so that they could bring these in when an opportunity presented itself.
These people acted like honey bees gathering ideas from flower to flower. They helped to make connections of people and ideas that could fuel emergence. They supported the system in exploring new directions. Ideally this role can be played by all network members.
The result of planned and unplanned interaction and collaboration in a network environment is that innovation can take place. One network leader used the term "innovative moment" or "revolutionary moment" to describe the epochal changes that occurred throughout the history of the network when emergence led to new innovations.
The internal structure of a network can specifically support emergence, serendipity. Certainly the diversity and density of conections can support emergence and serendipity and the flow of knowledge. In the end, a network like any other entity must balance planfulness and emergence. Planfulness requires some degree of governance or coordination at a meta level. This then allows for new ideas to emerge or fortuitious accidents to take place.


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Some former Bills and some Bills fans never got over Scott Norwood's last-second missed field goal that cost Buffalo a victory against the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXV.
Losing is always tough, but sometimes it's even harder to accept when you're dealt a narrow defeat. Ask Mike Holmgren. The Seahawks coach still is trying to get over his team's Super Bowl XL loss to the Steelers in a game filled with close and controversial officiating calls. But listening to Bills owner Ralph Wilson's news conference Friday was a little disturbing.
Wilson is taking his complaints about the new collective bargaining extension to any New York state politicians who'll listen. He's soliciting their help in reshaping the agreement reached last month in Dallas that kept labor peace in the NFL through 2011.
The disturbing part is not Wilson's intentions. All he's trying to do is preserve pro football in western New York. Wilson is Buffalo Bills football. Someday, he probably will go into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his contributions to the old AFL, the NFL and Bills fans. He is to Bills football what the Rooneys are to Steelers fans and Al Davis is to Raiders fans.
But his tack is disturbing and almost comes off as though he's waving the white flag of surrender, and that's not good. Wilson and Bengals owner Mike Brown were the only two owners who voted against the expensive, complicated but game-saving CBA. Sure, it gave players a bigger percentage of the revenues. Of course, the revenue-sharing plan wasn't perfect. This was a deal done at the last minute.
Since returning to Buffalo from the Dallas meeting, Wilson has come off like a Bills fan who hasn't gotten over the Norwood kick. Ralph, it's time to get over it and move on and work within the system, not against it.
This isn't to say some of Wilson's points shouldn't be heard. Remember, no one will get a copy of the new CBA until sometime this fall. It's a very complicated deal. I'm not going to debate the quality of the revenue-sharing plan with the Bills owner because he has more access to the details than I do, but it is a plan that supposedly will give $120 million to $150 million a year to low-revenue clubs, and the Bills should qualify.
Until everything is in place and the formula is set, the Bills and Wilson have a right to worry. They sell out their stadium and do their best to maximize ticket prices. Wilson has kept football in Buffalo going on 46 years. I'm not about to question what he thinks is best for business.
What I am questioning is some of the logic he's using for a vote that is history. In particular, there were three parts of his recent news conference that didn't make sense.
• Toward the end of Friday's talk with the Buffalo media, Wilson suggested it might have been better to have no new deal and prepare for an uncapped 2007. That, in my opinion and that of the 30 owners who voted for the deal, is ridiculous.
"We were not afraid of an uncapped year," Wilson said in the news conference. "We were not afraid of a strike in 1987."
An uncapped league for the Bills would be disastrous. For one, the revenue gap between the high-revenue and low-revenue teams would only grow, and the quality of the low-revenue teams would only shrink. The Redskins, Patriots, Cowboys and Eagles are atop the revenue pool and already have $80 million to $100 million more in revenue than some of the poorer clubs.
An uncapped year would allow the lower-revenue teams to make more profit by paying less money. Although that might be good for some teams' pockets, it would make the league less competitive. Under the new deal, a team is forced to have a minimum payroll of $85.5 million and there are future penalties against teams that spend more than the $102 million of the cap. During the salary cap era, the expansion Houston Texans are the only team not to make the playoffs. Having an uncapped league would allow a Florida Marlins-like move in which a team takes its payroll down to $14 million to ensure a profit.
Plus, there would have been a lockout in 2008. Ralph, allowing that wouldn't make sense.
• Wilson feels uncomfortable among the new guard of owners. He goes to owners meetings and doesn't recognize a lot of the people. Many of his old friends are gone. Wellington Mara is gone, and many of the old guard owners are dwindling. That's tough.
During the owners meeting in Dallas last month, Jerry Jones of the Cowboys, Dan Snyder of the Redskins and the Kraft family in New England helped to broker the new deal to extend the collective bargaining agreement. Wilson felt it favored the higher-revenue teams even though there is better revenue sharing.
What I don't agree with is his criticism of these new guard owners.
"This is my opinion, but they don't have the same values about the league that the [old] guard did," Wilson said.
Realize, the new owners come from different economic backgrounds. The Wilsons, Rooneys, Halases, Maras and others founded the league and helped in its growth. Their success took the values of the franchises to $700 million to $800 million investments. New guard owners have to be businessmen and hustlers because the league is adamant about not having corporations owning teams. Of course, the values of the newer owners are different because they have to pay off more debt.
What these owners showed in Dallas is they care about the league, in the sense that they passed a revenue-sharing plan that spreads $120 million to $150 million a year to lower-revenue teams. How that money is funded is being worked on, but initially, it's going to be $3 million a year from the top revenue teams and a lot more taken out of future revenue streams. The Joneses, Snyders and Krafts will scramble to create new ways to get revenue for the league.
There is nothing wrong with that.
• The third thing disturbing about the conference was how Wilson made light of selling the naming rights to Ralph Wilson Stadium. He joked that he wouldn't get enough money off the stadium rights to sign a college free agent.
One of the high-revenue owners' biggest complaints was that some teams aren't maximizing their revenues, so why should they take $3 million out of their profits and give it to owners who aren't maximizing their revenues. Fair position. Wilson has every right to keep his name on the stadium, but he can't expect to be subsidized by other owners for that amount, whatever it would be.
The NFL is set up for the little guys to be successful on the field and off. Look at the Green Bay Packers. They play in the smallest market in major pro sports. Yet, their front office is progressive enough to keep maximizing their revenues without bleeding their fans with high ticket costs. They keep remodeling the stadium, adding suites and finding new ways to create revenue. They put a food court atrium on one side of the stadium that fans enjoy year-round.
Thanks to their hard work, the Packers are among the higher-revenue teams, and they certainly can't be considered new guard.
The new CBA is in effect. If it doesn't work, it can be voided in four years, but that wouldn't be good for the sport. Everyone expects this system to work, but like most hard deals, the best deal is usually the one that leaves all sides feeling hurt. The players came out great. The owners felt the pain, but the deal is done and there is enough money around to keep everyone happy.
The Bills should succeed in this system as they have in the past, but complaining to politicians isn't going to get anything done.
John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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To the Editor.—We read the article, "Competence of Child Health Associates," by Machotka et al (Am J Dis Child 125:199-203) with interest. At present the medical profession is under pressure to assure the public that all those who are involved in the delivery of health care are competent (defining competency as having the necessary cognitive, psychomotor, and affective abilities to perform the tasks assigned to an individual within the health care delivery system).
To determine the cognitive competency of allied health professionals is, therefore, a highly desirable objective. However, it is essential that research intended to compare the knowledge of various groups of health professionals be as sound as that used in comparing the effectiveness of drugs or different diagnostic procedures. When the authors of the above paper state that their report "documents the extent, adequacy, and relevance of the child health associates' basic science training and knowledge of
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Run Breast Cancer Out of Town
We know you're looking forward to summer. But why not look just a little more forward to the annual Race for the Cure on September 7? Join the Pace team today to save on registration fees.
In 2014, it is estimated that there will be more than a quarter of a million new cases of breast cancer and 40,000 deaths in the U.S. alone. On September 7, step out with the Pace Community as we run for life at the Susan G. Komen Greater NYC: Race for the Cure in Central Park.
Since 1990, Komen Greater NYC has raised approximately $60 million and awarded $43 million in grants to local breast health programs for underserved and at-risk women, as well as invested in cutting-edge research to find the cures.
Last year, with more than 110 participants, the Pace team once again won for the largest university or college team. And we want to keep this streak going!
So what are you waiting for? Early bird registration is just $35 before July 15 ($40 after that date and $50 on race day) and you can register online by going to www.komennyc.org/race and searching for the "Pace University" team.
Participants will receive:
> A Race for the Cure t-shirt
> Goody bag
> Breakfast
> Transportation from the Westchester Campus to Central Park
Contact Ellen Mandel at firstname.lastname@example.com or (845) 634-1781 or Elissa Casa at firstname.lastname@example.com for more info.
Proceeds will benefit the Greater New York City affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, which supports local hospitals and national foundations for research.
Out of town that weekend? Can't make the race? You can still make a difference. Back by popular demand—Sleep for the Cure! Register for the race and then spend your Sunday morning sleeping in. Participants can also run or walk.
Pace is pleased to announce the appointment of Jonathan H. Hill, DPS, as Dean of the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, effective July 1, 2016.
A New Dean for Seidenberg
Do you remember your transition to college life? Wish there was something someone had told you? Know a special Pace perk that could benefit the Class of 2020? Let's hear it!
In Hindsight
Dyson Biology Professor Erika Crispo shares how to study for success, why she can't be bothered with a career in law or politics, and what makes her so passionate about animals and her area of research.
The Professor Is In: Erika Crispo


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Cy Anthony Thibodeaux
Published: Monday, August 22, 2011 at 8:39 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, August 22, 2011 at 8:39 a.m.
District and City Courts, August 18, 2011.
Cy Anthony Thibodeaux, 40, 316 L Kirth Drive, Houma, DWI, careless operation.
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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A subspecialty certification by the Board of Internal Medicine. Practitioners treat diseases of the joints, muscles, bones, and tendons. Rheumatologists diagnose and treat arthritis, back pain, muscle strains, common athletic injuries, etc. They may work closely with other specialists such as orthopaedic surgeons and physical therapists.View More
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Flood (Paperback)
Burke's newest client is a woman named Flood, who has the face of an angel, the body of a high-priced stripper, and the skills of a professional executioner. She wants Burke to find a monster for her so she can kill him with her bare hands.
In this cauterizing thriller, Andrew Vachss's renegadeinvestigator teams up with a lethally gifted avenger to follow a child's murderer through the catacombs of New York, where every alley is blind and the penthouses are as dangerous as the basements. Fearfully knowing, crackling with narrative tension, and written in prose as forceful as a hollow-point slug, "Flood "is Burke at his deadliest and Vachss at the peak of his form.
About the Author
Andrew Vachss is a lawyer who represents children and youths exclusively. His many novels include the Burke series and two collections of short stories. His books have been translated into twenty languages, and his work has appeared in Parade, Antaeus, Esquire, Playboy, The New York Times, among other publications. He divides his time between his native New York City and the Pacific Northwest.
Praise For…
"Hard-boiled fiction at its best."- The Chicago Tribune Book World
"Vachss's tough guy writing style grabs you by the hair and jerks you to attention."- Detroit Free Press
"An extraordinary thriller... Vachss never flinches from the horror."- Washington Post Book World
"Burke would eat Spade and Marlowe for breakfast, not even spitting out the bones. [He] is one tough, mean, pray-to-God-you-don't-meet-him hombre."-Boston Herald


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Video Industry News Video Company News Technology Industry News Technology Company News Novelty Industry News Novelty Company News Gay Industry News Gay Company News Legal Industry News All Company News
Released: May 01st, 1997
Running Time: 83
Director: Cool Breeze
Company: Heatwave Entertainment
Cast: Obsession, Dior, Shanon, Devlin Weed, Chyna Dahl, Cassandra Curves, Spantaneeus, Tisha, Byron Long, Tony Everready
Critical Rating: A
Genre: All-Sex
Bitches, ho's, pimps, malt liquor, fried chicken, the LA Riots... there isn't a racist cliché this tape doesn't dredge up. There are no crack jokes, thank goodness; how'd they miss that? Don't forget camera work that looks particularly shaky and unfocused.


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I'm trying to get my monitors (two different models) to look the same. I've been fiddling with the gamma/brightness/color channels in the NVIDIA Control Panel, but I can't make them look exactly the same.
When I use comparison images, it's always just slightly off. Is there some free tool out there that can do this process for me? I don't know if the contrast, brightness, or whatever is off. My perception is apparently pretty bad.
I'm using Windows 7.


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PTO Shaft, Series 1, 1-3/8 6-Spline, 1-1/4 Round, 51"
This series 1 PTO shaft by Agmate® can operate with a 24 HP engine at 1000 RPM. It features a 1-3/8 inch 6-spline on the tractor end and a 1-1/4 inch round implement end. This PTO shaft is commonly used with post hole diggers, and can extend to 76 inches.
- Agmate® Economy Driveline
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- Commonly used with post hole diggers
Brand: Grizzly
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why pay more? works perfect on my older Central Tractor post hole digger. Same size as the original Series One shaft, it's not a heavy duty drive shaft but running at low rpms on my post hole digger should last for years.
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I'm using the latest version of WP and just install your plugin. I watched your video and when I insert a link to an mp3 I get a regular text link...no play button.
In addition, I don't have the button on the toolbar.
I don't have any errors on the page. Everything else seems to function correctly. I have tries other audio plugins and they worked right.
Do you have any ideas how to solve this?


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Looking back at a great man
Published: Tuesday, April 10, 2007 at 9:52 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, April 10, 2007 at 9:52 a.m.
I first met Eddie Robinson in 1979 in a non-descript football lockerroom at Grambling State University.
Before speaking with Robinson, I was introduced to Everson Walls, then a young Grambling defensive back.
Walls recently donated a kidney to former Dallas Cowboys teammate Ron Springs. Such a selfless act came as no surprise.
If Walls didnt have a kind heart before playing for Robinson, Walls certainly developed one after the legendary coach impacted Walls life.
Robinson had an influence that went far beyond football.
Before his death last week at 88, he touched everyone he met, from sports figures to the media to society, in general.
Hes been called the Martin Luther King Jr. of college football and such an appellation is not so far-fetched.
At a time before, during and after the Civil Rights Movement, Robinson was the strength of serenity in a sea of calamity.
He taught his players to act with dignity, play with dignity and win and lose with dignity.
Its nothing Robinson didnt ask of himself. In my first meeting with Robinson, I was impressed with his soft-spoken demeanor and his seemingly effortless teaching skills.
It was reminiscent of what I also found in former basketball coaches John Wooden and Pete Newell.
Those three remain the most memorable coaches Ive spoken with in a sports writing career that spans more than three decades.
Whereas Wooden and Newell could said to have been privileged in working at UCLA and California, respectively, Robinson operated at tiny Grambling in the northwest corner of Louisiana.
It was, and is, a predominately black school that began in the face of segregation that ostracized so many of its students.
Robinsons players not only were poor financially but many were poor in spirit.
Through his example, and his words of wisdom, he lifted so many of them up to heights they never could have imagined.
Robinson thought out of the box before anyone even considered a box.
He once toyed with the idea of recruiting Bert Jones, a strong-armed quarterback from nearby Ruston.
Never mind that Jones was white.
Robinson saw only a young man with immense athletic skill who could grow under Robinsons tutelage and help Grambling win games at the same time.
Jones eventually signed with LSU, but it wasnt until he reached the NFL that Jones finally unleashed the tremendous passing potential that Robinson had seen all along.
If Robinson was colorblind when it came to race, he was anything but that when it came to country.
He had red, white and blue stars in his eyes for America.
He said as much the first time we chatted to the point that it was hard to believe someone could be so patriotic.
He repeated that claim in many other the instances where I was around him.
None more so than in the mid-1980s when Jackson, La., held a day in honor of its native son.
Robinson, I wrote, sounded so much like a Boy Scout.
He meant every word of it, though, and was only too proud to call himself an
This, too, after all Robinson and his players had endured both in the South and throughout a country that wasnt nearly as tolerant as it is today.
Robinson certainly benefited from the fact that for much of his career few schools would recruit black players.
If truth be told, it worked out for the best. Robinson handled his players better than most anyone could.
His understanding and discipline shaped generations of citizens.
Americas culture changed in no small part because of Robinsons presence and the work that he did.
After Robinsons glowing words at the festive event in Jackson, I wrote a complimentary story on the sentiments he expressed.
Robinson sent me a signed thank-you letter stating that what I wrote is the way he wished to live his life.
He did that and so much more.
Dave Moormann has covered LSU sports since 1980 and is based in Denham Springs, just outside of Baton Rouge.
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Middlesbrough Message Board
A Yahoo! User Aug 27, 2009 01:33 Flag
Huth + Wheater
Please stay
Our defence needs you
Who would replace them ?Sort: Newest | Oldest | Most Replied Expand all replies
Well the press reports say BoBo Last pay cheque Balde. I am not sure we will bring in any player this window that costs money apart from Rob Hulse.
It is really disappointing to see Huth leave especailly considering the start to the season we have had and his performances. Bloody typical Boro. Is never fit for us, finally hits a vein of form, then buggers off!
I had Huth down as a player who would leave this window and its only the great start we have had that is making everyone so worried about his departure. The problem being is we have lots of other players who could have played in the middle at the back (not that they stay fit, Riggs and Bates and Poggi) so it is an area we could lose a player. It's just gutting that he is going.
6m is the reported fee and is also our outlay for the player so at least for once we have got our money back on a player!
Tuncay everyone knew whould be off so, no loss there. Stoke though!!!?? Plenty of disrespect, surely he could do better and a bigger club would be interested?
Alves - no need for any comment. 7m is the reported fee from oil money middle east united. I am amazed that we would get so much money! a 7m loss seems like great business!
Alalalalalalaladaire - I wish he would miss off. One of the best products from France Claire Fontaine school of football - clearly they did not have shooting practise at school.
Turncoat - left for first team football - at Chelski! You're having a laugh.
Those who came in:
Coyne: was worried by a league one 35 year old has been - what a revaltion. Good signing
Yeates: another one who has sparkled
Lita: was worried by the bad boy tag, its not like Mido was well managed, but hopefully he will score plenty, great goal the other day!
Those who may go:
Shawky: &uck off, you`re not wanted anyway. Go play with Mido.
Taylor: Takes loads of stick and was used as a scape goat. press say 2m departure. watch this space sold as 9m wonder full back sold next season with no sell on fee for Boro
Walker: CM not wanted at Boro?????? Crazy stuff. Digard, ONeil and Bates all out sick and the club want to sell him???? we need a CM if not 2 so why kick yet another one out? Another Catts in the making, I bet sold for 500k, in 3 years sold for 15m breaking into England first team, no Boro sell on fee!
Webber linked as a done deal as soon as one of our strikers is sold. great 4 goals last season. Just as good as Alves! Another striker who cannot score, just what we need!! But at least he is free. Nothing like saving pennies on players.
The optimistic start to the season is wearing thin with the Forest loss and Huth leaving.
Hope there are no more departures (Alves & Shawky aside) and a good win against the &hitheads on the weekend to improve morale.
- 1 Reply to Boro Doug
Good analysis as usual Doug. I understand Huth's ankle was similar to Ledley King's knee. Evidently he was pumped up with painkiller to play. If that's the case it was a good sale. After all why would Chelsea let him leave for £6m if he was sound? If Alves doesn't leave by Monday, he better get himself ready for some action, who knows he might be a revelation in the Championship, but we desperately need a front target man to hold up the play and lay it off in or out of the box Viduka style. Lita is not that type of player.
Tuncay going is a shame but he was on £65k a week apparently. But watching him against Doncaster he was getting more and more frustrated throwing his arms up in the air at the bench, shouting at his teammates and finally running like a mad man at the opposing player with the ball with no hope of getting it.
I'd hate to see Walker and Taylor go they can't be on much of a wage relatively speaking and supposedly Boro don't need the money. I think we need a statement from Gibson....apart from Alves NO MORE SALES!!. Will we get it? Excuse me whilst I look out of the window for any porcine aerobatics.
I was not disappointed to lose at Forest and I won't be sorry to see Boro out of the FA cup quickly either. Boro have 46 games to get through this season and we need players fit being as we have a small squad experience wise. We don't need players out through injury and extra games will not help. Let Boro concentrate on getting back at the first attempt.
Incidentally I heard that when Juventus were relegated a couple of years ago, all the players took a 50% pay cut for two years to get back up again. Shame Boro players didn't think of doing that.


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So I've spent the last few days devoting my spare time to moving the build process for the DLL that I work on (Micrsoft.VisualStudio.Publish.dll) to build with the new MSBuild rather than Build.exe (our current build system). I have to say that I love MSBuild! Here are the advantages I've seen so far:
As you can tell, I'm very excited about this :) The conversion was easy too. The MSBuild team has a dogfood group that has written tools that automatically migrate a good chunk of your sources and makefile.inc macros to a project file. My favorite tool is BuildWatch. You point it at your directory and it builds first the old way and then the new way and lets you compare outputs. It helped me track down quite a few errors in my project file.
I think that one of the best features of MSBuild is that we've created a single format that works in VS as well as from a command line in a build lab environment. You can customize your build with your own tasks or just tweak the existing process; it's all in XML so it's nice and open. VS even guards you from malicious projects so you don't get burned when you download a project from the internet (kind of like macro protection for Office documents). This has to be one of the coolest unsung features of .Net 2.0 (the command line stuff ships with the SDK).


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The duo found themselves dead last after Friday's short program but put on a brave display in the free dance to climb one spot to seventh, leapfrogging Canada's Nicole Orford and Thomas Williams.
But there was more joy for the Canadians as Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir took the victory, their score of 103.34 some way ahead of nearest challengers Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov from Russia, while Germans Neilli Zhiganshina and Alexander Gazsi finished third.
In the women's event Kiira Korpi of Finland pulled out all the stops with a superb free skate to pip Gracie Gold to the victory.
American prodigy Gold held the lead at the halfway stage, the 17-year-old surprising most with her routine in the short program considering she headed to Russia as the lowest ranked skater.
But the teenager watched as Korpi went second to last, and just before her, and amassed a total score of 115.64.
And despite Gold's best efforts she had to settle for second, finishing with a score of 112.87, while Japan's Kanako Murakami finished third.
There was no such problem for reigning European champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov in the pairs though, the Russians following up their great short programme with a solid free skate too take the win.
There was more for the home crowd to cheer as Vera Bazarova and Yuri Larianoc held on to second, Americans Caydee Denney and John Coghlin finishing third.
And Patrick Chan was equally as untouchable in the men's event as he held on to his lead in the free skate to take victory.
The Canadian's lead was never in doubt and he comfortably finished top of the pile, more than 20 points ahead of Japan's Nobunari Oda in second, with Takahiko Kozuka finishing third.
- Ice Skating
- Sports & Recreation
- Nicole Orford
- Gracie Gold
- Kiira Korpi


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Product Information
SKU: sku132821302
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Invitation to the 27th World Mountain Running Championships in Tirana, Albania.
Team USA at the Hotel Adriatika in Durres, Albania
Team USA - athletes
Junior Women's Team - Clare Moretz, Lara Shegoski & Krisztina Dearborn
Ellen Miller (women's coach) and Nancy Hobbs (Team Manager and WMRA Treasurer).
Richard Bolt - Team Leader
University of Richmond athletes - Clare Moretz, Ryan Lee and Billy Fayette.
Joe Gray in the start / finish area on course pre-view day.
Ryan Lee and Billy Fayette.
Michele Suszek
Richard Bolt
Brandy Erholtz
Ellen Miller and Michele Suszek
Billy Fayette shows off his fresh wound and the drainage ditch that caused his fall.
Krisztina Dearborn and Lara Shegoski
Clare Moretz talks with Nancy Hobbs
Team USA at the US Embassy in Tirana.
Team USA with US Ambassador to Albania Alexander A. Arvizu.
Team USA having a Q&A with embassy staff member Niles Cole.
Nancy Hobbs presents Ambassador Arvizu with gifts from the US Mountain Running Team.
Oliver Bear Don't Walk carrying the US flag at the opening ceremonies
Team USA marches to the opening ceremonies
Oliver Bear Don't Walk leading the US Team by the Enver Hoxha Mausoleum (Piramida). This pyramid-shaped structure was designed by the daughter and son-in-law of the late communist leader Enver Hoxha. It was supposed to end up a museum about his legacy (in addition to his mausoleum), but became a conference center and party venue
International athletes march into the Pallati i Kongreseve
The US flag flies on it's way into the Pallati i Kongreseve
Brandy Erholtz, Ellen Miller, Michele Suszek and Megan Lizotte
Albanian TV covered the opening ceremonies live.
Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha at the opening ceremonies
Krisztina Dearborn (24th place - 24:02) at the top of the course.
Lara Shegoski (29th place - 24:34) at the top of the course.
Clare Moretz (30th place - 24:35) at the top of the course.
Ryan Lee prior to the junior men's race.
Ryan Lee at 1.5k in the junior men's race.
Billy Fayette at 1.5k in the junior men's race.
Billy Fayette on the big downhill at 3k.
Oliver Bear Don't Walk flies past an Irish runner on the big downhill at 3k.
Ryan Lee at 6k on his second lap.
Billy Fayette at 6k on his second lap.
Oliver Bear Don't Walk (54th place - 47:40) at 6k on his second lap.
Ryan Lee (11th place - 39:15) on the descent with 1k to go.
Billy Fayette (28th place - 41:16) with 1k to go.
Kasie Enman on her first lap.
Michele Suszek on her first lap.
Brandy Erholtz on her first lap.
Megan Lizotte on her first lap.
Kasie Enman on the descent.
Brandy Erholtz on the descent.
Michele Suszek on the descent.
Megan Lizotte on the descent.
Kasie Enman (1st place - 40:39).
Megan Lizotte (12th place - 43:56).
Michele Suszek (21st place - 44:48).
Brandy Erholtz (26th place - 45:56).
Kasie Enman - 2011 World Mountain Running Champion. (photo by Nancy Hobbs)
Ugandan team takes an early lead in the 3 lap, 13k men's race.
Max King puts distance on the Ugandan runners during the first steep descent.
Joe Gray on the first lap descent.
Ryan Lee on his first lap decent.
Tommy Manning on the descent.
Max King heads uphill on lap 2.
Joe Gray on lap 2.
Max King descends on lap 2.
Joe Gray descends on lap 2.
Mid-pack runners kick up dust on the steep descent.
Max King heads uphill on lap 3 in second place.
Max King looking strong despite the 97 degree heat and noon start.
Max King - 2011 World Mountain Running Champion. (photo by Nancy Hobbs)
Max King gives an interview to Albanian TV.
Max King and 3rd place finisher Martin Dematteis (Italy) at doping control after the race.
Team Leader Richard Bolt on course to cheer on the athletes, take photos and send live updates via twitter.
World Champion Kasie Enman and Arcada.
Team USA looking relaxed at the awards ceremony in Durres, Albania.
Kasie Enman on the medal stand.
Kasie Enman with her gold medal.
Kasie Enman (Gold), Elena Rukhlyada from Russia (Silver), Marie-Laure Dumergues from France (Bronze).
Max King looks at the US flag as our national anthem is played.
Max King (Gold), Ahmet Arslan from Turkey (Silver) and Martin Dematteis from Italy (Bronze).
Kasie Enman watches the US flag rising as our national anthem is played.


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The Man Who Does The Impossible in Super Mario 64
Before the world knew him as Mario, Nintendo's iconic plumber had a simpler name: Jumpman. That name makes sense, when you think about it: Mario is defined by his ability to jump. But lately, I've become fascinated by the people who play—and beat—Super Mario 64 without jumping a single time.


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ATLANTA -- Kevin Streelman is a long shot to win the $10 million bonus at this week's Tour Championship, but he already has something that money cannot buy.
Invitations to three major championships.
Streelman, no matter what happens this weekend at East Lake Golf Club, can already make travel plans for Augusta, Ga.; Bethesda, Md.; and Sandwich, England.
Those are the locations for the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open next year.
Throw in a trip to Miami for the World Golf Championship event, and Streelman has plenty to look forward to in 2011 -- especially when you consider he was in none of those tournaments this year.
All of this is possible simply because Streelman, 32, made it to Atlanta.
Each of those major championships has a provision in its exemption criteria that if you make the Tour Championship field, you get a spot in the Grand Slam event the following year.
And Streelman, through no fault of his own, has found himself in the awkward position of having to defend himself simply for playing well at the right time and taking advantage of the invites offered.
"It seems the only people who have a problem with it are sports writers," Streelman said Thursday after an opening-round 70 at East Lake that put him in a tie for ninth, 4 shots behind leaders Luke Donald, Geoff Ogilvy and Paul Casey.
"They've been writing stuff I don't necessarily agree with. I fully respect it. I have no problems with them discussing their opinion."
The opinions have vaguely suggested that Streelman is what is wrong with the FedEx Cup.
And that is unfair. Streelman is what is good about the FedEx Cup.
He is the only player here who was outside of the top 100 in FedEx Cup points when the playoffs began last month at The Barclays.
He has qualified for his first Tour Championship, and is now headed to the big time in 2011.
And yet, Streelman is just 67th on the PGA Tour money list and has never won on tour. He is ranked 147th in the world. He made it here, basically, on the strength of one event, tying for third at The Barclays. He was then 45th and 43rd at the next two playoff events and held on to finish 29th in points for the 30-player field.
Is that major championship worthy?
"The point system lends itself to that," said Steve Stricker, who began the playoffs in second but fell to fourth despite three top-10 finishes. "And I think that's what some people are realizing, not only the tour, but some players. There's so much riding on finishing in the top 30 -- getting into the majors and all that.
"It should take more than one good week. And nothing against the guys who have done it. It's really looking at the position where they came from.
"If they're outside the top 100, should the guy who had a top-5 [in a tournament] be in the top 30? I don't know if that's really right. I think that's what everybody is seeing."
But is that the FedEx Cup's fault?
There needs to be some amount of volatility for the concept to have merit.
"We definitely agreed that two years ago, when the FedEx Cup was won by Vijay [Singh] before we even got to the last event, it wasn't volatile enough," Streelman said.
So the PGA Tour tweaked the system so that it couldn't be won before the Tour Championship. It heavily weighted the FedEx points so that the top earners would have the best chance of winning the FedEx Cup. And it gave everyone a chance, weighting the points toward those with high finishes.
Here's the rub: Did the major championships have to go along?
Before the FedEx Cup came along in 2007, the Masters gave invitations to the top 40 on the PGA Tour money list, along with those who were ranked among the top 50 in the world. The U.S. Open gave spots to the top 30 on the season-ending money list, along with a top-50 world ranking provision. The British Open used to exempt the top 20 money winners and the top 50 in the world.
All three now give spots to anyone making it to the Tour Championship, plus the world ranking exemptions. The Masters and U.S. Open also exempt the top 30 money winners at the end of the year -- something that Streelman could still achieve. The British goes by only the Tour Championship, but has myriad other ways to get into the tournament.
Officials from all three major championships said their qualification criteria are set for next year, and none seemed bothered by those who slip through the Tour Championship cracks.
The problem is there are numerous examples of players who are seemingly more qualified to play in majors. Justin Rose, for one, won the Memorial last June and had moved to 33rd in the world. The U.S. Open was a week later, but he met the world ranking criteria too late and was left out. Players who won opposite events on the PGA Tour this year -- or who win in the Fall Series -- will not get Augusta invites.
Meanwhile, a player can punch his ticket to the U.S. Open nine months prior on the strength of one good tournament, not even a victory?
Streelman, to his credit, understands the angst, but defends the FedEx setup.
"If you have a good year and you're top 10 [in points], you're pretty much going to get to the Tour Championship," he said. "But if you want to truly call this a playoff system, then you should have to compete well in the playoffs to get to the World Series of our sport."
Of course, Streelman could end all of this blather, at least in relation to his own situation.
If he wins the Tour Championship on Sunday -- regardless of how he fares in the FedEx Cup standings -- all will be forgotten.
Bob Harig covers golf for ESPN.com. He can be reached at email@example.com.