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When Baltimore became the first city to introduce a dedicated 311 call center for nonemergency government services in 1996, no one was sure what kind of response it would get. But once constituents caught wind of the new service, it took off — the call center now handles nearly 1 million calls a year. Many other cities have followed suit, introducing 311 call centers that allow citizens to ask questions or report everything from public safety and quality of life concerns to health and sanitation complaints.
But with the recession squeezing city budgets, all expenses are under scrutiny. And 311 systems, despite their popularity with both city managers and constituents, are no exception. Over the past couple of years, the costs of 311 calls and 311 call centers have received a closer look, and some of the results have been surprising. A recent 15-city study of 311 by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that the average cost per 311 call is $3.39. Detroit came in with the highest cost per call at a whopping $7.78. Given that many cities handle hundreds of thousands — if not millions — of calls per year, those costs add up dramatically, causing some to question whether constituent convenience is worth the cost.
"We consider 311 one of the most used and most critical city services, but there is considerable cost involved. At a time when budgets are tight, it's a concern," said Joseph Morrisroe, executive director of NYC 311, the nation's largest 311 system.
311 call centers were originally expected to save cities money by prompting agencies to operate more efficiently. But that hasn't necessarily played out, according to Spencer Stern, who has spent more than 10 years as a 311 consultant. "Most localities have not undertaken methodical cost benefit analysis of 311," said Stern, president of Stern Consulting. "I think part of the reason they haven't is they are worried that it could be negative."
311 of the Future – Three Trends Worth Watching
As technology evolves, new possibilities arise for using 311 systems in more sophisticated, intelligent ways. Here are three trends 311 vendors see developing today and in the future.
1. Mobile Technologies and Social Media Smartphones and apps are giving citizens the ability to interact with government instantly, on the go. Apps that allow problems to be reported instantly are appealing to both citizens and government. "Young people especially want to use apps — they want to be able to submit requests in real time, take pictures and send them in while they are out on the town and see problems," said Kenny Leverett, national sales director for Motorola's Public Service Applications. "Such apps allow cities to get information they didn't have before and to reach a new population that's not interested in waiting until they get home to make a phone call on a landline." Ben Berkowitz co-founded SeeClickFix, a portal that enables residents to report, monitor and even fix problems in their neighborhoods online or with a mobile phone. Governments can then monitor and interact with citizens by acknowledging problems and discussing possible solutions. "There is no question that in the last few years there has been a real trend toward customer service in general, and social media is a big part of that," said Berkowitz. "SeeClickFix was designed to help bridge those two areas to make positive change happen more quickly and efficiently."
2. Enterprise Approach Many cities have multiple call centers handling different issues using different processes. Collaborating better within a city and taking more of an enterprise approach to 311 can minimize transfers and improve efficiency. "We've seen cities that take more of an enterprise approach save a lot of money and become much more efficient by having just one source of information for the entire city, with universal call takers that can pull information from all departments at once," said Scott Frendt, vice president of sales for Oracle North America. Frendt said smaller cities and counties also are starting to look at partnering to provide 311 service. Cobbling several small cities or counties together to launch a regional 311 system lets them share resources and infrastructure costs.
3. Integrated 311 and 911 Although 911 and 311 are distinctly different systems, when it comes to disaster preparation and recovery, more jurisdictions are considering how the two systems might work better together. "We are seeing a lot around integrated command and control using 911 and 311 together to help plan for and manage disasters," said Leverett. "911 gets overloaded during an emergency, but utilizing 311 as well in those circumstances could help a great deal. We are seeing more and more cities start to think about integrating the two systems."
Several cities recently have launched online options. In September 2011, Baltimore expanded its 311 services through a mobile app that lets citizens use their smartphones to report problems and request services. New York City also launched online alternatives. "We've started to work in the social media channels, primarily Twitter," Morrisroe said. "We realized we needed to shift more traffic online, because answering voice calls is expensive. This gives us another option."
NYC 311 handles 20 million calls a year, sometimes more than 200,000 calls per day. So far, the online options haven't slowed the call center volume much, according to Morrisroe. Part of the reason may be inherent in the name. "Because our name is 311, people tend to call."
But online alternatives may be helping to accomplish another goal: reaching an audience that's much more comfortable using mobile apps and smartphones than landlines. "This kind of self-service channel is a win-win for the tech-savvy constituent and for us," Morrisroe said. "The constituent gets the information delivered in the manner they prefer while the costs are much lower for us. We are reaching a new set of customers, but not necessarily reducing call volume."
Stern agrees. "These other channels often attract more constituents but won't necessarily reduce calls," he said. "While mobile self-service use is growing, I think it's reaching a new and different, more tech-savvy audience that probably wouldn't use the phone in the first place. But if you take a look at the call volumes, the primary way citizens are connecting with their government is still via phone. The concept of the call center is not going to go away regardless of how many other channels become available."
Still, online alternatives to 311 calls generally are very inexpensive to launch, giving cities little to lose. "There are almost zero barriers to entry," said Morrisroe. "There isn't a lot of capital needed to offer online options. Because we already had 311 Online, we had our resource data available so it was very easy to dip into that for texting and using Twitter."
While online interaction may not be the solution cities are seeking to reduce costs, other forms of technology are helping streamline or automate some 311 processes.
"Some municipalities are looking at ways to reduce the cost of calls by using interactive voice response (IVR) systems, providing more information while people are on hold so they don't have to talk to someone live," said Stern. "These are quite common when there are things like snow emergencies, or when a special event is going on. IVR systems have been successful in giving the citizens what they want quickly without using a live operator."
In addition, the use of computer telephony integration (CTI) in some citieshas helped decrease 311 costs. "CTI allows call takers to capture names, email addresses, etc., automatically, which can enhance data quality and cut down the per-call cost," Stern said. "Capturing that information automatically reduces the amount of time needed on the phone. CTI is expensive but it can be worth it."
Customer relationship management (CRM) tools also are being widely used to improve efficiency. "CRM has really been a success for us in terms of efficiency and managing the intake process," said Kim Wilson, assistant commissioner of IT for Cleveland, which launched its 311 system in 2009. "By using CRM to identify the most critical type of services that have the biggest impact on citizens, we were able to improve service levels. The communication between the intake process and back-end process is working very well, allowing field workers to focus more specifically on the work they need to do out in the field and making them more efficient and effective."
Other technology-based tools help constituents locate information on their own. In February 2011, New York launched NYC 311's Service Request Map as part of the NYC Simplicity effort to make government more customer-focused, innovative and efficient. The map gives the public access to location-specific information about 311 complaints filed across 15 major categories. It shows all open and recently closed service requests lodged across the city over the past year. Users can view a list of the service requests at a location and the steps taken to resolve the issues.
New York also uses technology to manage and optimize call-taker schedules. "The budget issues have challenged us, but they haven't caused us to lower our standards," Morrisroe said. "We don't subscribe to hurrying the call along, or similar tactics some others do. Instead, we figured out how to adjust to less staff and to use technology to optimize the way we run the business."
Morrisroe said 311 demand in New York City fluctuates as the seasons change, and those shifts can happen very quickly. "In the winter months, we get more early morning calls. In the summer, we tend to get calls later, like noise complaints," he said. "We've been able to adjust our way of staffing, leveraging technology to meet the quality and accessibility standards we set for ourselves."
Scrutinizing the information that call takers supply to callers also can help. "We have more than 4,000 different pieces of information we can offer customers," Morrisroe added. "When the budget cuts took effect, we reviewed that information and improved and streamlined the language call takers were using. We wanted the language to be lean and easy to understand, which also resulted in shorter talk times."
Despite the high costs, cities don't appear to be slowing their migration to 311. In fact, many are pushing forward with faith that the increased efficiency, streamlined processes and customer satisfaction they achieve will ultimately pay off.
"Before we started working on 311, there were more than 200 city phone numbers in the Yellow Pages," said Shaun Yunt, community relations supervisor for Tempe, Ariz., whose 311 system is currently in the pilot phase. The city's 311 went live in early May, Yunt said, and the mobile app will launch in July. "One thing we heard from residents is that the city provided excellent service when they get to the right place. But it was often tedious for residents to get to the right place, and they were often transferred a lot. 311 will help us provide the kind of efficient customer service we want to be known for."
Tempe's 311 call center was born at the same time the city was reorganizing, providing an opportunity to centralize services. "Because we were downsizing, we really needed to become more efficient in how we delivered services," Yunt said. "By grouping the calls into one place and grouping the administrative tasks under the 311 umbrella, we found we could do more with less."
Yunt said Tempe plans to offer online options as part of the new system, such as Web-based submissions and a mobile app. "We are not cutting edge, but we are definitely interested in trying to provide as many different options for our community as we can," he said. "Diversity is a big factor for us. We have a huge university here with a lot of young people who demand mobile options."
Wilson in Cleveland agrees that 311 has been worth the costs thus far, despite the fact that the city launched its service during what may have been the lowest point in the economic slowdown. "The cost is relative to your budget and what you expect," she said. "Our feasibility study showed the cost would be $1 million and that it would take 15 call takers to support about a million calls citywide. Right now, we are at seven call takers and 400,000 calls. Fortunately we purchased software that was scalable so we have actually spent less than expected so far."
Cleveland also didn't find it necessary to build out a new facility for their call center. "Often the 311 costs figure in a new facility," she said. "We were able to build within ITS, so for us those costs were less than anticipated."
Regardless of cost, most city leaders agree that 311 call centers act as a proverbial "front door" to their city, and finding a way to fund them even in tight times is an undertaking well worth the effort. Stern said the desire to offer human interaction to constituents via a live 311 call center is a common theme. "Technology is an important tool, but everyone I've worked with — from city managers to county executives — is also very much focused on human interaction," he said. "They realize having that human touch is important to their constituents — no matter what the cost."


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....... speechless
....... speechless
Doesn't have a signature anymore
Shocking business
Last edited by Jimmy Boogaloo; 10-06-2010 at 11:07 PM.
'Go read a fucking book, you piece of shit.'
fucking lazy sick cunt
ICON Jiu Jitsu
The only bars i go to are Arm Bars, Knee Bars and a Mars Bar
Oh shit double post!
Last edited by Jimmy Boogaloo; 10-06-2010 at 11:11 PM.
'Go read a fucking book, you piece of shit.'
How fucking stupid can you be??!!
"You can't have that, you're far to fat"
What fucking planet is he living on? Misguided? He must be the most cuntingly stupid cunt in the cunting world. Cunt.Judge Lord Turnbull described his actions as "misguided intervention rather than as an act of malice."
How the fuck did he escape a prison sentance?The ruling means McArthur's conviction is still recorded but he is neither imprisoned nor fined.
I wish that he could be sent to a Oz-like prison where he would regularly have some big mofo force his cock into his bottom on a regular basis. This would happen for a few years and then someone would cave his head in with some weights.
He has to go back to Cambuslang with that story in the public domain?
I give him a week, tops.
I am number 1, because Picard says so.
Ask Frakes!
Do you know a Fridgeless Fail? Send them HERE!

subset: commoncrawl


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PHILADELPHIA - For a majority of the first half on Sunday, the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University men's lacrosse teams gave everyone exactly what was expected from this NCAA first-round game at Franklin Field -- high energy, some jangly nerves, and an ebb and flow on the scoreboard.
So when the Quakers' senior long-stick middie, Alex Blonsky, scored off a Joe McCallion feed with the Quakers DOWN a man and just 1:16 left in the half, you had to feel good as a Penn fan about where things stood. The Red and Blue was up, 6-4, and hadn't allowed Drexel a lead to that point.
Jules Raucci scored for the Dragons with 17 seconds left, making the score 6-5. What could happen in 17 seconds, right?
Nick Saputo could happen.
Drexel's standout faceoff man beat Danny Feeney clean, rolled down the chute and fired a shot that beat Danny's twin brother, Penn goalie Brian Feeney. That took about five seconds. The next faceoff netted the exact same result -- a clean Saputo win, a Saputo charge down the chute, a Saputo shot, a Saputo goal.
Eleven seconds. Three goals. 7-6 Drexel lead.
That momentum carried over to the second half. Drexel scored the first three goals in the third quarter in a span of 1:04, and tacked on another two minutes later. Midway through theperiod it was 11-6, Dragons, and somehow you felt like this was a deficit that even the Comeback Quakers of 2014 could not overcome.
They could not. Final score: 16-11, Drexel.
So Penn's magical season ends at 11-4 overall, and while the Quakers will have fond memories of an Ivy League Tournament title, an eight-game win streak, and a lofty No. 4 seed in this tournament,there is little doubt that this result will sting for awhile.
Drexel (13-4) and Penn split the eight faceoffs in the opening quarter, and it was 6-6 until Saputo's performance to end the break. His dominance carried over, asDrexel won an astounding 12 of the 16 faceoffs in the second half.
Penn head coach Mike Murphy tried everything. He replaced Feeney in goal with John Lopes, then brought Feeney back in the fourth quarter. The spark never came.
Penn opened the game with the first two goals, as Pat Berkery and Zack Losco scored unassisted, and then after Hank Brown got Drexel on the board Kevin Brown finished a feed from Nick Doktor to make the score 3-1. Ryan Belka's goal for the Dragons was answered by Doktor with just nine seconds left – but in an ominous portent to the second-quarter collapse, a faceoff violation was called on Penn and Saputo raced down to score with just 1.9 seconds left before the horn to make it 4-3.
(Did we mention that Saputo matched his goal total for the entire season in this one game? He started it with three, and had three more by halftime.)
Chris Hilburn and Nick Trizano matched goals midway through the second quarter, before a nearly five-minute drought was finally ended by Blonsky's man-down goal.
Doktor had Penn's only goal in the third quarter, but any chance the Quakers might get back into this thing was squashed early in the fourth when Drexel netted three in a row to make it 14-7 with 11 minutes left. Penn got three of them back with goals from Drew Belinsky, Isaac Bock and Joe McCallion -- the last two with less than three minutes to play -- but it was far too late. Doktor added a goal in the final minute to give him a hat trick and a four-point game.
Penn outshot Drexel, 47-45, but Will Gabrielsen had 12 saves to get the win. Feeney ended his decorated career with nine stops for Penn, while Lopes had one save in just his second appearance this season. Another senior who stood out was defenseman Maxx Meyer, who had four caused turnovers and six ground balls.
Drexel moves on to next week's quarterfinal round, and will face fifth-seeded Denver Sunday in Newark, Del.
Download: Penn15 (Drexel - NCAA).pdf


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kissedbyangels3's Mom Answers Activity
I am 9 weeks pregnant and trying to decide if to do a sequential screen or amnio. Any thoughts? Watch this
Most recent answer (07/27/2012):
I just turned 40 and I am on my 3rd pregnancy. This time I am pregnant with twins. I am a high risk and I have a little sister with Downs...posted by Stacy134


text: As a group in an engineering class, we are looking to solve the problem: "When securing fins to their surfboard, surfers encounter screws becoming stripped through overuse and improper tightening. This limits the fins ability to be removed or installed." We would really appreciate if you could just take a minute to fill out the survey linked here as part of our market research. Thanks!


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Bookmark this site
RIVERHEAD, NY -- The Amusement and Music Owners Association of New York Inc. said it has filed lawsuits in New York State Supreme Court against two operators for violating AMOA-NY's copyrighted location contracts. The separate suits seek monetary and punitive damages from American Vending (Massapequa), owned by Richard Overals, and Manhattan Amusement, owned by John Cullen.
AMOA-NY's special counsel, Eryn Deblois of Campolo, Middleton, McCormick LLP, said it has proof that American Vending and Manhattan Amusement have "willfully and unlawfully" used AMOA-NY's copyright material.
In addition to monetary and punitive damages, AMOA-NY said it demands that both operators cease and desist in their use of contracts at any locations that may infringe on AMOA-NY's copyrights. The association is asking the court to force the operators to prove that they are no longer using AMOA-NY's contracts at locations on their routes. However, agreements created with the unauthorized contracts between the errant operators and any locations likely remain valid.
AMOA-NY executive director Danny Frank said that several months ago operators in the Tri-State Area (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut) were notified by mail that AMOA-NY nonmembers do not have the legal right to use the organization's copyrighted contracts. It recommended that operators who were should "cease and desist" using them. "The communication forthrightly stated that any operators found in violation of AMOA-NY's copyright would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Frank said.
Frank suggested that one way to bring about legal compliance was for nonmembers to join AMOA-NY, which would grant them legal access to AMOA-NY's copyrighted material. He added that the association is willing to charge a fee to a nonmember for use of its copyrighted contract.
Frank did not say how much in damages it is asking from Overals and Cullen. "The amount will be determined by the court," he said.
"It is grossly unfair for nonmembers of AMOA-NY who do not pay dues to take advantage of AMOA-NY's expertise, efforts and copyrighted business tools -- all of which have meant an investment on the part of dues-paying members," the executive director said. "The AMOA-NY copyrighted location contract is considered 'the gold standard' -- and this is an important benefit that members receive for belonging to AMOA-NY."


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Remote Control Motorized Blinds, Shades & Window Treatments
- Control light with the push of a button
- Remote opens, closes and tilts slats
- Good for hard to reach areas & heights
- Luxurious and convenient operation
- Add smart home automation on Bali products
Motorized blinds and shades allow you to tilt, open and close your blinds with just the push of a button or with a tap of your phone. Motorization is available on many products like cellular shades, roman shades and roller shades. Motorized shades allow you to adjust the light in your hard to reach windows. These remote controlled blinds are powered by a wall plug or batteries. Consider the location of your window treatments to ensure you select the proper power supply. Gain complete control of your Bali motorized blinds by connecting them to your smart home system.
Remote Control Motorized Blinds, Shades & Window Treatments
Pick Your Motorized Window Treatment Style
Motorized window treatments allow you to tilt, open and close your blinds or shades with just the push of a button or with a tap of your phone. These remote controlled coverings are the ultimate in convenience and are perfect for hard to reach windows.
Bali® Casual Classics® Roman Shades: Patterns & Textures
retail $192.53 $129.00 + an extra 15% off
Certified Best for Kids
Products with this label meet or exceed safety recommendations approved by the Window Covering Manufactures Association (WCMA) and have undergone rigorous third-party testing.
- Roman Shades
- Semi-Opaque
- Patterns
- Cordless
- Top Down/Bottom Up
- Bali
- Top Seller
- Beige / Neutral
- Blue
- Brown
- Gray
- Green
- Red / Pink
- Bathroom
- Bedroom
- Dining Room
- Child Safe
customer reviews for remote control motorized
By from Mesa, AZ
I could not be more pleased. I got the basil for a big kitchen window and it is just striking. It is very well made and the plume on the print slightly reflects light. I ordered top/down-bottom/up but originally received the blind without this feature. I called customer service and they immediately sent a new blind. Excellent product and customer service.View this product
"look beautiful"
By BlindsFan from syracuse ny
Added a a great look to room The cordless lift is a great feature, I did an exterior mount so I think the valance would be better if it wrapped aroundView this product


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Ever wonder what it might be like to do something different with your days? Do you daydream about what it might feel like to live in another person's shoes? If you're inclined to wonders like these, you're not alone. And thankfully, talented folks with fascinating lives like Gary Yost are willing to share an inside view of their days in a compelling and artistic way.
The above video comes from Yost, who is both a landscape and portrait photographer and Bay Area fire lookout. He shot the film to shed light on what a typical (peaceful) day looks like at Gardner Fire Lookout, which sits atop Mt. Tamalpais.
In the words of the man behind it all, via Vimeo:
"I've been a Marin County Fire Department volunteer lookout for two years and deeply love the mountain and the peace it brings to us here in the Bay Area. Perhaps this 6-minute video will convey some of the emotions I feel when sitting (and sleeping) on her peak."
Found on Adventure Journal's Facebook Page.


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Product Reference: 43293
Polycarbonate bumper and back cover provides all round protection
The Draco Design Allure P Bumper Case for iPhone 5S / 5 is constructed of two parts and bumper and a back cover. The bumper and the back cover of the case is materialized in polycarbonate and a painted with UV coating for scratch free protection. The bumper provides your iPhone 5S / 5 with protection for its edges and corners, combine this with it's back cover and you have a case that provides solid all round protection.
Ultra slim so adds minimal bulk to your iPhone 5S / 5
The Allure P Bumper case has been designed to be ultra slim, so it adds minimal extra bulk to your iPhone 5S / 5. The case only weighs in at 22g making this a very lightweight case.
Easy to assemble with interchangeable back cover
Allure P's screw less design makes it easy to assemble, with a variety of exchangeable back covers in multiple colors and patterns you'll be able to give your case the personal touch.
Raised bezel protects your device's screen from scratches
The height of the bumper case is 1mm above the phone when installed, which provides scratch resistance for the screen of the phone.
Doesn't interfere with your iPhone 5S / 5's signal
The Draco bumper case is precisely designed with consideration of antenna position to minimize radio interference. Top and bottom section of this Draco bumper is ported out to fully utilize the antenna and cause no interference like other metal bumpers.
Ergonomically designed to fit nicely in your hand
Not only is the case designed for the iPhone 5S / 5, it has been designed ergonomically to fit nicely in your hand with a slightly wider top and bottom and a curved indent on the right hand side of the phone. This also helps protect the vulnerable corners of your iPhone from damage if dropped.
Designed for the iPhone 5S / 5
Designed specifically for the iPhone 5S / 5, the Draco Design Allure P Bumper case has cut outs for all of the ports and features of the iPhone such as the charging connector, 3.5mm jack, camera and microphone. As the power button and volume controls are covered by the bumper, there are extended buttons which will still allow you to press them as you would if you didn't have a case on.


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- Take the Quiz on STDs
- Impotence Slideshow Pictures
Quick GuideConception: The Amazing Journey from Egg to Embryo
Menstruation and Menopause
The menstrual cycle is the process by which a woman's body gets ready for the chance of a pregnancy each month. The average menstrual cycle is 28 days from the start of one to the start of the next, but it can range from 21 days to 35 days.
Most menstrual periods last from three to five days. In the United States, most girls start menstruating at age 12, but girls can start menstruating between the ages of 8 and 16.
Menopause is the absence of menstrual periods for 12 months. The menopausal transition begins with varying menstrual cycle lengths and ends with the final menstruation.
Pregnancy and preconception care
Pregnancy is the term used to describe when a woman has a growing fetus inside of her. In most cases, the fetus grows in the uterus.
Human pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks, or just more than 9 months, from the start of the last menstrual period to childbirth.
What are prenatal and preconception care and why are they important?
Prenatal care is the care woman gets during a pregnancy. Getting early and regular prenatal care is important for the health of both mother and the developing baby.
In addition, health care providers are now recommending a woman see a health care provider for preconception care, even before she considers becoming pregnant or in between pregnancies.
Both preconception care and prenatal care help to promote the best health outcomes for mother and baby.


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LISTEN: Ma$e releases new single 'Why Can't We'
Ma$e is giving fans a belated Christmas gift. On Thursday, the former Bad Boy Records rapper released his latest single "Why Can't We" featuring Her.
The track comes ahead of his forthcoming album Now We Even, which the emcee hinted at earlier this year. When he announced the project, he expressed interest in working with rappers such as Drake and Jay Z, as well as singers Ariana Grande and Lauryn Hill.
So far, he has yet to set a release date for Now We Even. Ma$e has not released a full length album since 2004's Welcome Back.
Earlier this year, Ma$e took the stage with Diddy at Drake's OVO Fest in Toronto. The pair took fans back to both of their heydays with performances of "Mo Money Mo Problems" and "It's All About The Benjamins."
Check out "Why Can't We" below (*Warning: Explicit language)!


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Xs Formal Dresses
Explore our wide choice of formal gowns in our *formal wear* collection. For memorable special occasion dresses that will suit you to perfection choose MUEE. We specializes in handmade cheap formal dresses to assure the best quality. For the perfect formal dresses for women come and buy now from our amazing choice.
There are no products to list in this category.


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Many students must rely on educational loans to cover at least some portion of their educational costs. Educational loans are available to undergraduate and graduate students as well as parents of undergraduate students.
When you file the FAFSA, the Office of Financial Aid automatically considers your eligibility for federal loan funding. However, for other loan programs, you will have to take additional steps or meet certain criteria for consideration.
Student loan borrowing is an investment in your future. When deciding to borrow, it is very important that you obtain the best possible loans available to you in terms of interest rates and repayment options.
The Office of Financial Aid will always offer you the best educational loans available and your maximum student loan eligibility. However, you should consider borrowing only an amount that you absolutely need to keep your loan indebtedness as low as possible. Remember that you have to repay these funds at a later time and will want to have a modest loan repayment amount when that time comes.
EMU follows a code of conduct for student loans that is applicable to all officers, employees, and agents of Eastern Michigan University and any affiliated organizations with responsibilities (directly or indirectly) with respect to private student loans. Download information here.
National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS): Your federal loan information is reported to NSLDS and can be accessed by you, your loan guarantors and servicers, and other authorized users.
Loan FAQ
How do I apply for a student loan?
Student loans are funded through the federal government. To receive any type of student loan, you must first fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). For more information on filling out the FAFSA, go to www.fafsa.ed.gov. This application allows you to apply for two types of federal loans: subsidized and unsubsidized.
What is a Federal Direct Loan?
Federal Direct Loans are offered by the federal government and will be automatically awarded by our office to eligible students who have remaining room in their cost of attendance. The FAFSA must be completed each year for which a student wishes to borrow a Federal Direct Loan.
What is the difference between subsidized and unsubsidized loans?
Subsidized loans, on which the government pays the interest while the student is enrolled at least half time, are need-based.
Unsubsidized loans, on which interest begins accruing immediately upon the loan's first disbursement, are non-need-based.
How do I apply for a PLUS loan?
- Complete a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
- Complete a PLUS Loan Application at www.studentloans.gov (login with PARENT information)
How do I apply for an alternative loan?
Please remember that alternative loans are not for everyone. You should exhaust all of your loan eligibility before considering an alternative loan. More information on this program can be found here.
When does loan repayment begin?
Generally for educational student loans, repayment begins within six months after the student graduates or falls below half-time enrollment.
For Federal PLUS loans, repayment begins within 60 days of the full disbursement of the loan amount. However, deferral of repayment until six months after the student graduates or drops below half-time enrollment may be available.


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Learn to keep track of the ABCs of diabetes -- A1C, blood pressure, and cholesterol. Keeping these three in the healthy range can go a long way toward preventing long-term complications. For many people, the goal is to have an A1C of less than 7%, blood pressure of less than 130/80, and LDL cholesterol of less than 100. However, these goals are often individualized, and you should check with your health care team to see what is best for you. For example, people with heart disease may have a higher A1C goal in order to avoid low blood sugar. Your A1C should at least 2 - 4 times a year (as long as it is at or near your goal). Know your latest numbers. If your A1C is greater than 7%, your blood pressure is over 130/80, or your LDL cholesterol is above 100, it may be time to take action.
Over time, poorly controlled diabetes can lead to a variety of serious health conditions, including heart disease, stroke, blindness, amputations, kidney disease, and nerve damage. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and regular checkups are important throughout the life of a person with diabetes.
Heart disease and stroke
Over a period of years, diabetes can have a big impact on your heart and blood vessels. The problem needs to be taken seriously -- people with diabetes are at high risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart failure. According to the American Diabetes Association, these problems can occur at a younger age than they do in people without diabetes, and they are more deadly. In fact, heart disease and related complications are the leading cause of death in people with diabetes.
You can take steps to minimize the risks:
There are many ways to keep your heart healthy and reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems down the road. Talk to your doctor to learn what may benefit your situation.
Nerve damage (neuropathy)
Diabetes can damage the nerves and cause a complication called neuropathy. This generally begins as loss of sensation in your toes, and possibly fingers. Eventually, the neuropathy can move up your legs or arms. Symptoms to watch out for include:
You may even have a heart attack and not be able to feel any chest pain.
Poor circulation
If you have diabetes, you are at risk for blood vessel injury, which may be severe enough to cause tissue damage in your legs and feet. If nerve damage is also a problem, then you may not be aware of the injuries that have occurred in your legs or feet.
At that point, minor infections sometimes develop into deep tissue injuries that may even require surgery. In extreme cases, amputation of the foot or limb may be necessary. Good foot care is very important to prevent problems.
Kidney disease
The kidneys filter and clean blood. Not surprisingly, having too much glucose in the blood puts a strain on them. Over time, this can actually lead to kidney failure. When this happens, dialysis or a kidney transplant may be needed.
Eye problems
Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in adults. The most common eye disorder in diabetes is retinopathy. This condition is caused by the excessive amount of glucose in the bloodstream, which weakens and damages the blood vessels. A weakened blood vessel may bulge out (aneurysm). Sometimes extra blood vessels appear and may even rupture, leaking blood and fluid into the surrounding tissues (hemorrhage). Either of these can cause vision problems. Diabetes puts you at higher risk for developing cataracts and certain types of glaucoma.
Other possible complications


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Reference to Jesus stirring debate in Cuyahoga Falls
(Cuyahoga Falls) — A chaplain's prayer invoking the name of Jesus to open council meetings in Cuyahoga Falls is stirring debate over separation of church and state.
For years it was traditional to begin Cuyahoga Falls council meetings with quotes, poems or a moment of silence.
The Akron Beacon Journal reports that changed after councilman Terry Mader was appointed council chaplain in January and began ending his prayer with the phrase, "In Jesus' name, we pray."
Some residents are asking for a general invocation that doesn't single out a particular religion while others are urging the council to keep the chaplain's prayer as is.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled prayers before public meetings are constitutional but is currently weighing a challenge involving mainly Christian prayers.
Get breaking news sent to your mobile phone. Text "news" to 21095.
(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press, all rights reserved.)


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Co G, 54th NC Infantry
Father: James IVEY
Mother: Drusilla BEASLEY b: ABT 1795
Marriage 1 Sarah Jane "Sallie" STRICKLAND b: AUG 1855 in Cumberland County, (Harnett County,) North Carolina
RootsWeb.com, Inc. is NOT responsible for the content of the GEDCOMs uploaded through the WorldConnect Program. If you have a problem with a particular entry, please contact the submitter of said entry. You have full control over your GEDCOM. You can change or remove it at any time.


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I like it. Thanks
ive created this : ...
you have choice to limit your search in all 4 majors sites from re
the wiki
re site
off sec website
the search is done in a click in the 4 site at the same time
it's nothing but could be useful....
Watch your back, your packetz will belong to me soon... xD
BackTrack : Giving Machine Guns to Monkeys since 2006
I like it. Thanks
What a fantastic idea. This will definitely save time
Impressing , vista just crashed completely,
but my input in the message box was restored when I clicked Restore Session
at the next boot. Nice job firefox :b
- Poul Wittig
I like it, maybe people will start using search more often.
good ,
is really usefull...
if anyone want to try , exist a firefox search engine for the slacky.eu repository
i have installed a fresh version of bt3
initially the x server was not working and then by some research on the net i found it out that by booting in vesa mode it will work\
i downloaded the drivers for my nvidia graphics card and then installed it
then it showed the error that no precompiled kernel source was found
then again searching for the solution then i came to know that by patching the kernel to non smp module nvidia graphics cards can be installed
but again i received the follwing error that
/usr/src/linux-(uname -r) was not found so
can u plz suggest me some solution
there's update in my problem
anybody plEASE HELP ME
SEARCHING FOR THE PROBLEM OF /USR/SRC/linux-(uname-r) i found the file
kernel.lzm and used the command
lzm2dir kernel.lzm /
this made a new folder in my /usr/src/
the new folder was what i required
problem is
again on running the
it failed and the error was that a patched kernel was found and
hunk 30 of 30 failed
what to do now????
great tip shamanvirtuel, thanks .. I've got a feeling that this will be a really useful search for me in the future..
07bec011 - what made you think this was the right thread for those posts of yours?


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Bookmark this site
What's the problem? The tax law. It's complicated. When it comes to estate planning, tax complexity is over the top. So much, it's impossible for any one person to know it all. Therein lies the problem. Most estate planning advisors even when they admit not knowing it all, attempt to do it all (the entire estate plan).
The result is an incomplete plan. The IRS wins. Your family loses. The more you are worth, the more you (really your family) are likely to lose to the estate tax monster. Remember estate planning is a one-time game. Death brings your first and only chance.
Following is the real-life story of a longtime reader (Joe) of this column. Joe is married to Mary, owns a business (Success Co.), has three kids (one is Sam, who Joe wants to ultimately own Success Co.). After Joe hired me to do his estate plan, he sent me the requested information, answered my questions and gave me the details about each asset (or group of assets) he and Mary owned. Then, we pinned down their goals: (1) for the rest of their lives (needs a lifetime plan) and (2) when Joe and Mary went to heaven (needs an estate plan).
After I prepared a detailed agenda that outlined the two proposed plans (lifetime and estate), we agreed on an exact time and date to discuss it. It should be noted that from our first contact, I told Joe that part of our job was to make sure Mary would be comfortable with our final plans. Joe agreed.
Then it happened. Joe called. Apologetic. Mary suddenly decided she would be more comfortable working with a local lawyer. Unfortunately, it happens more often than it should (about one out of 14 consultations): either Joe or his wife decides to use a local lawyer.
So here's how I responded to Joe: "Go with Mary's wishes. Let your local lawyer (Lenny) do the estate plan. When it's done, I'll be happy to review it and give you a second opinion. At no charge if I can't improve your plan by (1) covering issues you and Mary should have but Lenny missed and (2) save you taxes (and/or create tax-free wealth) because Lenny did not know how to implement the appropriate strategies."
Then Joe asked, "Irv, how can you afford such an offer?" My response: based on my 50-plus years of experience (about 19 out of 20 times), my second opinion simply reincarnates my original agenda to implement the issues and strategies the local lawyer did not do. In real-life practice, good odds for Joe, and me.
Why do my plans touch more bases and save more taxes than the plans created by the Lennys of the world? In a few words, my Network.
The network works very similar to the way the medical profession works. Never met a doctor who claims he knows it all (in the field of medicine). For example, if you have a heart problem, your doctor will send you to a cardiologist, who in turn will send you to a cardiac surgeon if surgery is required. We know the drum beat -- specialization works.
Yes, you consulted with specialists as needed, but in the end wind up back with your own doctor.
That's what my network does, it brings you a team of estate planning specialists: I personally do the planning (both your lifetime plan and your estate plan).
A lawyer (network member) specializing in estate planning documentation does the endless amount of paperwork and documents.
Insurance plays a part in most estate plans. Our insurance Network consultant analyzes your existing insurance and 70% of the time finds a way to significantly increase your death benefit without any additional premium cost.
Other experts are brought in as needed. For example, business valuation specialists, experts in foreign taxes and laws, and captive insurance company experts.
And finally, back to Joe and Mary. I reviewed Lenny's plan. Sure enough, it fell into the 19 out of 20 category. Technically, the plan was correct: a standard A/B trust with a pourover will. It's what Lenny did not do that screamed for attention.
Some of the lifetime plan issues we implemented were (a) reduce payroll taxes; (b) deduct Joe's and Sam's medical expenses; (c) created a captive insurance company; (d) made sure none of the family assets could go to an ex-spouse if any of the kids got divorced ... estimated annual tax savings between $80,000 and $100,000.
Some of the estate planning strategies we implemented were: (a) family limited partnership for Joe's investments; (b) transferred Success Co. to Sam, tax-free, using an intentionally defective trust, while Joe kept control; (c) used a series of asset protection strategies for Success Co. and Joe's assets; (d) used funds in Joe's 401(k) and IRA to create $3.5 million of the tax-free life insurance, instead of the funds being double taxed at death ... estimated tax savings, about $2.2 million.
In the end, even Mary was comfortable. Lenny stayed on as the family lawyer and became a professional friend.


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NEW YORK, N.Y. - A downright dominating defensive effort propelled the University of Pennsylvania football team to a 21-7 win over Columbia on Saturday at Robert K. Kraft Field in New York City.
Penn improved to 3-2 on the year and 2-0 in the Ivy League. The team's sixth straight Ivy League victory also marked the program's 17th straight win over Columbia which tied the eighth-longest winning streak over an annual opponent in FCS history. The Lions, who last beat Penn in 1996, fell to 0-5 overall and 0-2 in league play.
Penn's defensive numbers were staggering:
* The Quakers held Columbia to a total of four first downs and just one in the second half (which came via penalty).
* Columbia had just 118 total yards (22 in the second half). Take away the 46-yard pass and the Lions had just 72 yards on 50 plays.
* Lions running back Marcorus Garrett, who had averaged more than 100 yards per game, was held to 46 as the Lions finished with 33 rushing yards and 1.1 yards per carry.
* The Quakers did not allow a single third down conversion as the Lions were 0-for-13 in that predicament.
* Columbia took just one snap on Penn's side of the 50-yard line. The Lions never passed their own 37-yard line in the second half.
* Penn had four sacks for the third straight game and added a fourth quarter interception that led to a touchdown.
Even with all that, it was Columbia who got on the board first. The game started with four straight punts, but the Lions took over near midfield and a 46-yard flea-flicker set up a six-yard touchdown run at the 4:02 mark of the opening quarter.
Penn's offense struggled to find a rhthym until late in the second quarter when they scored twice in just over three minutes. Senior quarterback Ryan Becker took over under center and went 3-for-3 on third down - the last of which was a 22-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell King on 3rd-and-17. Becker floated a pass perfectly over the outstretched defender and into the hands of King to tie the score, 7-7, with 4:25 left in the half.
Minutes later, the Quakers defense forced the Lions to punt for the sixth time in the first half and senior Billy Ragone was back in at quarterback with 1:50 to go. It took just 40 seconds to cover 64 yards and get back into the end zone. Ragone passed for 53 yards and ran for eight more on the drive, and capped it with a 12-yard touchdown strike to senior wideout Ty Taylor. That marked a school record for Ragone with his 55th career touchdown at Penn (35 pass, 20 rush) and the Quakers took the 14-7 lead into intermission.
The Red and Blue had a chance to extend their lead on the first possession of the second half. But a methodical 13-play, 64-yard drive was stalled at the Columbia 20-yard line and junior Connor Loftus pulled his 37-yard field goal attempt wide left.
The teams traded punts for the remainder of the third. Then on Columbia's first play of the fourth quarter, senior safety Evan Jackson jumped in front of the intended receiver and picked off the pass over the middle of the field.
That set up the offense at the Lions' 32-yard line. On 3rd-and-6, Ragone ran a draw up the middle and got the first down. But he left with a ankle injury and did not return. Becker then completed his first pass of the drive to junior Kyle Wilcox for 18 yards to set up junior Spencer Kulcsar's four-yard touchdown run on the following play. That gave the Quakers a 21-7 advantage with 11:19 to play.
Columbia never got past its own 31-yard line after that.
Penn's offense was on the field for nearly 36 minutes and finished with 438 total yards, including a season-high 219 on the ground. Kulcsar led the way with 74 yards, followed by 73 from Wilcox. Ragone added 58 on the ground in addition to 146 pass yards. Taylor had four catches for 43 yards and Wilcox added 55 receiving yards on three catches. Senior Ryan Mitchell finished with four receptions for 41 yards and moved into Penn's all-time top 10 in career receiving yards.
Defensively, four Quakers finished with five tackles, led by senior David Park, who finished with a sack and 2.0 tackles for loss. Senior Sam Chwarzynski added a sack for the fifth time in six games, while sophomore Austin Taps and junior Feerooz Yacoobi also added sacks. Jackson and senior Dan Wilk had two pass breakups apiece.
Next week is a rematch with Yale (3-2, 1-1 Ivy) - the only Ivy team to beat the Quakers during last season's championship run. Penn will host the Bulldogs at Franklin Field at 1 p.m. The game can be seen on the Penn Sports Network.
Download: 5-Columbia Box Score.pdf


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5 Min Read
* Game console sold out in retail stores, Nintendo says
* Introduced in North America on Nov. 18
By Malathi Nayak
Nov 26 (Reuters) - Nintendo Co Ltd sold more than 400,000 "Wii U" video game consoles in the United States in the first week of its release, the money-losing company that badly needs a hit to lift its fortunes, said on Monday.
Nintendo, which has gradually ceded ground to Microsoft Corp's industry-leading Xbox 360, introduced the Wii U with a touchscreen controller at a time when the video game industry is under threat from a growing smartphone and tablet gaming market.
"The Wii U is effectively sold out at retail...we are gratified by the consumer response," Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo of America said in an interview about the Nov. 18 release in North American stores.
The company revealed only United States sales for the Wii U, successor to the Wii that was released in 2006. Wii has been a bonanza for Nintendo, with more than 97 million sold, although demand had tapered off in recent years.
Wii U's success or failure will also provide clues to rivals Sony Corp and Microsoft as to whether advanced games machines can withstand the challenge from mobile devices.
"It's pretty much sold out and that's a testament to a large and loyal fan base," Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter said.
The Wii U is probably Nintendo's biggest bet in the last 20 years as a company and keeping the sales momentum going after the holiday shopping season could be a challenge, Jesse Divnich, an analyst at video game research firm EEDAR, said.
The results are "comparable" to Wii sales in its first week in 2006, but it was early to do an apples-to-apples comparison, according to Nintendo's Fils-Aime.
"At this point in the life of the Wii U, its sales are based on how quickly we can get the product to retailers," he said.
Nintendo said it sold 475,000 units of the Wii in the United States after its introduction in November 2006 compared with 400,000 for Wii U in the past week.
Looking at signs on the grey market, the Wii U is selling on sites like Ebay at more than 10 to 20 percent of the suggested retail price. By comparison, the Wii sold 25 to 30 percent over the retail price in 2006.
The Wii U, Nintendo's first new gaming console in six years, has had a few hiccups. Shortly after it hit store shelves, buyers complained on blogs and on Twitter of technical hitches such as excruciatingly slow software download speeds. It also initially sold absent some much-touted TV-related features and applications.
The selling points have been a tablet-like touch screen "GamePad" controller, a social network called Miiverse and a feature termed TVii that lets users record TV shows through TiVo and other digital recording services.
Before introducing Wii U, Nintendo told American consumers that the TVii application would only be available in December.
In addition to the basic 8 gigabyte model costing $299.99, Nintendo is selling a "deluxe" 32 GB version for $349.99 in the United States and 31,500 yen in Japan. The "deluxe" package will include its new Nintendo land game.
Nintendo is offering 23 original games for the Wii U. The machine is the first Nintendo console to launch with a dedicated "Super Mario" game title in 16 years. Third-party titles include Ubisoft Entertainment SA's exclusive Wii U title, Zombie U, and Activision Blizzard Inc's Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.
Before the new devices hit store shelves, Nintendo conducted a massive advertising campaign on television and social media, with marketing tie-ups with Burger King Worldwide Inc and Walt Disney Co.
It also dressed people up as animated characters from its MiiVerse network who were spotted around New York City inviting fans to check the console. Nintendo set up kiosks in malls and retails stores to give gamers a chance to play the Wii U.
Growing competition from tablet PCs and smartphones that are increasingly eating into the $78 billion gaming market mean the Japanese company might struggle to repeat the hit it had with the Wii and keep the holiday sales momentum going into 2013 and beyond.
But Fils-Aime said Nintendo would leverage its exclusive franchises such as its legendary Super Mario Bros and Pikmin to draw gamers to the Wii U.
"We'll be able to continue driving momentum for Wii U as these are experiences that they can't get on smartphones and tablets," Fils-Aime said.
Moreover, Nintendo -- which began in 1889 making playing cards in the back streets of Kyoto before gaining popularity as the creator of the "Super Mario" franchise -- will compete with a new Microsoft Xbox and updated Sony Corp Playstation expected in 2013. Wii U goes on sale in Japan on Dec. 8 for about $340. ((firstname.lastname@example.com)(415-677-2538)(@MalathiNayak )


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San Diego • For the first 11 minutes of Thursday's key West Coast Conference basketball game at Jenny Craig Pavilion, San Diego guard Johnny Dee played like the ankle he sprained on Monday was really bothering him.
For the last 29 minutes, he played like it never felt better.
With Dee scoring 19 points on 6-for-10 shooting, the Toreros shook off the Cougars just enough to win 74-78 and send BYU home with its first ever loss against San Diego.
"There weren't a lot of shots tonight where he had a lot of time [to get them off]," BYU coach Dave Rose said. "But he made some big shots."
Dee got rolling with a baseline floater with 8:18 remaining in the first half to tie the game at 20-20 after the Cougars had built a couple of eight-point leads earlier. His three-point play two minutes later gave the Toreros a 28-26 lead, and a wide-open 3-pointer by the sophomore from Vista, Calif., at the end of the first half was a precursor of what was to come.
But his most important shot came after a 9-0 run by BYU had trimmed the USD lead to 64-62. He caught a skip pass over BYU's zone, stepped toward the 3-point line, and, swish.
"We got them into a place where they were on their heels, but then we turned it over a couple of times and Johnny Dee hit a huge shot to beat the shot clock," Rose said.
BYU's Tyler Haws, who led all scorers with 27 points, said the Cougars did a reasonable job controlling USD's other guard, Chris Anderson, Dee doesn't need much room with his quick trigger.
"They made the plays down the stretch to stretch their lead, and win the game," Haws said. "They are a good team, and they have lots of good shooters. You have to give them credit."
While Dee hurt the Cougars in the second half, BYU point guard Matt Carlino struggled after going 4 for 8 for nine points in the first half. Carlino missed all four shots he took in the second half, and didn't score after halftime.
"We got a lot of baskets early [in the game] in transition," Rose said. "We would get to the rim, and then a couple of offensive fouls were called on us that kinda slowed us down as far as our aggressiveness at the point of attack."
Twitter: @drewjay


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ONE-RING CIRCUS: We were all excited about sending you to see the great Lily Tomlin Saturday night at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center, but then we found out - and this is no big surprise - that the show is sold out, so you've either already scored a ticket and don't need us telling you what to do, or we've just given you some great news (Lily Tomlin is in town!) followed by cripplingly bad news (show's sold out).
We feel horrible now. Here, have a circus:
Circus Zoppe is not only an old-school circus, it's an old-school, Old World circus thrown in the grand Italian tradition in just one, easy-to-watch ring instead of the unwieldy three that greedy short-attention-span- having modern man has come to expect from a circus.
With Circus Zoppe you get the ham and eggs of circus acts: clowns, acrobats, canine capers and audience participation.
The circus comes to town tonight at 8 at the Queen Mary, with additional performances at 1, 4 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $25 and $30.
ENUF: We don't always remember this, but we saw Ntozake Shange give a reading a long time ago at the American Booksellers Association convention in, probably, L.A. We think it might've been the same convention where we saw Raymond Carver reading just before he died, and John Updike, too. Seeing Carver and Updike read is probably why we sometimes forget seeing Ntozake Shange, but she was probably great, just like the other two.
The poet/playwright/novelist's most famous work, by a pretty good stretch, is the play "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf," a sharp and dazzling collection of poems performed by a cast of seven women. It's been performed virtually nonstop nationwide since Shange wrote it in 1975. You can catch a performance of the play, directed by Stevi Meredith for Dark Blue Mondaze Showcase Theater, at 7 tonight and Saturday, and at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Manizar Gamboa Theater at 1323 Gundry Ave., Long Beach.
Tickets are $10 and must be purchased in advance at www.darkbluemondaze.ticketleap.com. Call 562-264-5717.
NUMERO TRES: This is the third weekend in which our rich Latin American heritage is being celebrated in Long Beach. It's almost as if there's some sort of connection between Long Beach and the faraway land of Mexico.
This one is the annual Baja Splash Cultural Festival Saturday and Sunday at the Aquarium of the Pacific.
At this fiesta con fishes you get mariachi performances, kid's crafts, ethnic cuisine, animal experts, Latin cooking demonstrations and a lot more.
It goes on all day, from
9 a.m. till 5 p.m. and it's included in the admission cost. Check it out at www.aquariumofpacific.org.
FRIDAY PLAYLIST: Got any drugs? The police want them.
We can do this the hard way or the easy way. The hard you already know about. The easy is to bring your potentially dangerous, expired, unwanted prescription drugs to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
It's part of the Drug Enforcement Administration's National Pharmaceutical Take-Back program to prevent increased pill abuse and theft. It's free and anonymous. Enter at 2810 Atlantic Ave., and try to be playing one of these great drug tunes appropriate for the day's activities:
1. "My Drug Buddy," Evan Dando & Juliana Hatfield
2. "White Rabbit," Jefferson Airplane
3. "Sister Morphine," Rolling Stones
4. "Needle and the Damage Done," Neil Young
5. "Pusherman," Curtis Mayfield
6. "There Is a Mountain," Donovan
7. "Coming into Los Angeles," Arlo Guthrie
9. "Purple Haze," Jimi Hendrix
10. "The Crystal Ship," Doors email@example.com, 562-714-2116 or twitter.com/grobaty
firstname.lastname@example.com, 562-714-2116 or http://twitter.com/grobaty


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Urmson scores in final match of the Tornados seasonOctober 29, 2011
Brevard falls in double overtime to Catawba, 2-1
Brevard, N.C. - A man down and with time running out, Patrick Urmson kept the Tornados season alive with a goal with 41 seconds left in regulation, but Brevard was unable to complete the comeback as Keith Cooper found the net with a little over a minute left in the second overtime period to give Catawba the 2-1 victory on the BC Soccer Field.
The Tornados (3-13-1, 1-8 SAC) recognized seniors Thomas Kombol, Scott Schuurman and Anthony Cardenas before the game in their final home contest in their storied careers, before the action on the pitch took over.
Brevard and Catawba (8-8-2, 3-4-2 SAC) fought through the first half, with the Tornados holding the 8-6 advantage in shots in the period, but Catawba goalkeeper Evan Harvey and BC's Jack Shaw held the teams scoreless through the first 45 minutes.
Domhnall Minogue broke the seal on the goal at the 61:39 mark, loading up on a free kick from 25 yards out and his offering toward the net slipped in goal, giving the Indians the 1-0 advantage.
A red card issued to Brevard at the 69:32 mark left the Tornados at a disadvantage with 10 men on the field, but Brevard continued to battle back as Urmson hit the crossbar with a shot at the 80:37 mark, before finally connecting and tying the match up in the closing seconds. Urmson collected the loose ball 18 yards out and finished underneath the Indians' keeper to tie the match up and send the teams into extra time.
Catawba launched three shots in the first overtime period, but Kombol kept the score tied with a save, sending the teams into the final 10 minutes.
Ryan Guill's header nearly gave the Tornados the match at the 102:30 mark, but his shot sailed over the cross bar. Six minutes later, Cooper received the cross from Matt Stewart and beat Kombol on a one-on-one opportunity to score the golden goal as the Tornados fell in their final match of the 2011 season.
The Tornados finish up the 2011 year with a 3-13-1 record, 1-8 in the South Atlantic Conference in their fourth season as members of the SAC and the NCAA Division II.


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Cancer of the penis is cancer that starts in the penis, an organ that makes up part of the male reproductive system.
The exact cause is unknown.
Smegma, a cheese-like, foul-smelling substance found under the foreskin of the penis may increase the risk of penis cancer.
Uncircumcised men who do not keep the area under the foreskin clean and men with a history of genital warts or human papillomavirus (HPV) are at higher risk for this rare disorder.
The health care provider will perform a physical exam, which may reveal a non-tender lesion that looks like a pimple or wart. This growth is typically near the end of the penis.
A biopsy of the growth is needed to determine if it is cancer.
Treatment depends on the size and location of the tumor and how much it has spread.
In general, cancer treatment includes:
If the tumor is small or near the tip of the penis, surgery may be done to remove only the cancerous part of the penis. Depending on the exact location, this is called a glansectomy or partial penectomy. Laser surgery may be used to treat some tumors.
For more severe tumors, total removal of the penis (total penectomy) is often necessary. A new opening will be created in the groin area to allow urine to exit the body. This procedure is called a urethrostomy.
Chemotherapy may be used along with surgery. Cisplatin, ifosfamide, and paclitaxel are usually used for treating penile cancer.
Radiation therapy is often recommended in combination with surgery. A type of radiation therapy called external beam therapy is often used. This method delivers radiation to the penis from outside the body. External beam radiation therapy is usually performed 5 days a week for 6 - 8 weeks.
Joining a support group where members share common experiences and problems may help relieve the stress associated with diagnosis and treatment of penile cancer.
See: Cancer - support group
The outcome can be good with early diagnosis and treatment. The 5-year survival rate for penile cancers is 65%. Urination and sexual function can often be maintained even when a significant portion of the penis is removed.
Cancer of the penis frequently spreads to other parts of the body (metastasizes) early in the course of the disease.
Call your health care provider if symptoms of penis cancer develop.
Circumcision may decrease the risk. Men who are not circumcised should be taught at an early age the importance of cleaning beneath the foreskin as part of their personal hygiene.
Good personal hygiene and safer sexual practices, such as abstinence, limiting the number of sexual partners, and use of condoms to prevent HPV infection, may decrease the risk of developing penile cancer.
National Comprehensive Cancer Network. NationalComprehensive Cancer Network Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: Penilecancer. 2012. Version 1.2012.
Pettaway CA, Lance RS, Davis JW. Tumors of the penis. In:Wein AJ, ed. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 10th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 34.


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Results 1 to 2 of 2
25th April 2014 08:19 PM #1
- Join Date
- Apr 2014
- Posts
- 10
Hynotherapy one solution to birth trauma?
I would just like to know if anyone has used hynotherapy to resolve birth trauma issues? I have heard how it has helped people overcome emotional problems and addictions, but never specifically for addressing birth trauma. Would appreciated hearing from someone with personal experience.
5th May 2014 07:37 AM #2
Dear drgloria,
Yes I can personally testify to this. I unfortunately experienced post traumatic stress after the long labour of my first baby where I felt out of control and scared. This left me fearing birth and with flash backs to the labour as well as panic attacks. All this lead to myself and my husband hiring a doula for our next labour and doing a hypnobirthing course.
During the hypnobirthing course my doula taught me how to use self-hypnosis (this is really just a deep state of relaxation, the term 'hypnosis' can be mis-leading) to overcome the fear and trauma surrounding what I had experienced with my first son. I am pleased to report that my second birth was subsequently a very positive experience.
Warm wishes,


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Hit: wash and go combo - Camille Rose Naturals Curl Love Moisture Milk and Aloe Whipped Gel. I've been sleeping on this creamy gel but it is awesome. Goes on smooth and gives me a soft, bouncy and defined wng. It also works well with Tresemme Naturals Moisturizing Conditioner and Jane Carter Hydrating Smoothing Creamy Leave In Conditioner.
myhairDOTcom likes this.


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Bribery has traditionally not been considered a high management risk for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Recent changes in UK law however, mean a rethink is needed. This Talking Points outlines some of the new risks facing HEIs and the ways in which these may be addressed.
The Bribery Act 2010, which comes into force on 1 July 2011 outlines four corporate offences, three of which also apply to individuals. An HEI that is found to have committed any bribery offence could face unlimited finds and may come under scrutiny from HEFCE. In addition, individuals could face a ten year prison sentence and, again, an unlimited fine.
The publication concludes that an HEI should give serious consideration to conducting a bribery risk assessment to determine the adequacy of its existing procedures and identify what further steps may be required. For those who are not yet confident of their Bribery Act response, the time to act is now.


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Men's basketball
LeBron James will accept his second-consecutive MVP trophy at Rhodes Arena on Sunday
Officials from the Cavaliers conducted a walk-through today on Akron's campus to find a suitable location for James' MVP announcement, according to the Beacon Journal's George Thomas. They settled on Rhodes Arena, where James played many of his high school games and his high school coach, Keith Dambrot, now leads the Zips.
Akron lost one of its best pass rushers today when Shawn Lemon decided to transfer.
Lemon decided to transfer because he felt the coaching staff would play underclassmen instead of seniors, in an attempt to rebuild. Lemon and coach Rob Ianello "weren't seeing eye to eye," the defensive end said.
While reconsidering his decision this week, Lemon received an inadvertent text message from Ianello, intended for athletic director Tom Wistrcill. The message suggested that Lemon had spoke about transferring before, and he may be doing it to seek attention.
That was apparently the last straw for Lemon, who is putting together his highlight tapes and has prepared his transfer documents. He is looking at William & Mary, Appalachian State and New Mexico as potential destinations for his last year of eligibility.
I'm actually sad to see Lemon go. He provides a skill set that the defensive line corps -- while deep -- now lacks.
Do-all athlete Andre Jones received an invitation to Kansas City Chiefs minicamp.
Click here for the press release regarding him and his former fellow receiver Deryn Bowser, who is going to Arizona's minicamp.
Fans following Akron football for the past five years should have known better than to believe Erick Howard would show up in Blue and Gold.
He's going to prep school, as Tom Gaffney reports, and a future with the Buckeyes is on his mind.
[poll id="111"]
Former Zips wide receiver Deryn Bowser will receive a tryout with the Arizona Cardinals in the team's upcoming rookie miniicamp. Bowser did not get selected in last week's NFL Draft.
Bowser will face competition at the receiver position at the minicamp. Arizona signed receivers Max Komar (Idaho), Jaumorris Stewart (Souther) and Stephen Williams (Toledo) as rookie free agents. Bowser was not signed.
Bowser had 307 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 21 receptions in 2009. He was lost for the season on Oct. 17 when he broke his leg in Akron's game against Buffalo.
In 2008, he had 64 catches for 785 yards and four touchdowns.
Most Akron fans will remember Bowser for the leaping touchdown reception he had against Kent State in 2008. The catch gave Akron a three-point lead with under two minutes remaining. The Zips ended up beating Kent State 30-27 in double overtime.
You can watch a highlight reel of Bowser after the jump.
Men's basketball
The Zips have locked up their third recruit for 2011.
Six-foot-2 guard Blake Justice committed to Akron today, a source confirmed. He is a shooter with deep range out of Peebles High School in Southwest Ohio.
HighMajorScoop.com called Justice one of the top returning players in Ohio's Division III. ESPN.com Insider says Justice has a quick release and deep range on his jump shot.
Justice is the second recruit to commit in the past week. Forward Nick Harney was the other. Akron also received a verbal commitment from point guard Dylan Ennis in the fall.
Akron has one more scholarship to give in this class, which Keith Dambrot will use to replace four graduating seniors (two guards, a forward and a center). Sometime next week, I will break down candidates for the fourth scholarship.
Men's basketball
For the second-straight year, no Akron Zips heard their names called on NFL Draft weekend.
This follows a stretch of four-consecutive years where a Zip was drafted in the fourth round or better.
Six players from around the conference were drafted, however. The earliest pick was Taylor Price from Ohio, who caught only two passes for 40 yards at InfoCision Stadium on Oct. 10. The Patriots selected him in the third round.
Three MAC players were chosen in the sixth round, including Dan LeFevour, the face of the conference for the past few years, who is heading to his hometown team: Chicago. His offensive teammate Antonio Brown, a former walk-on at Central Michigan, was a sixth-round pick by Pittsburgh. Buffalo running back James Starks is going to Green Bay.
Kent State tight end/fullback Jameson Konz was a seventh rounder by Seattle. Konz is an intriguing player. His athleticism could make him an immediate impact player on special teams.
This draft was not as fruitful for the MAC as last year's when three players were taken in the first 47 picks.
Looking forward, does Akron have any players likely to be drafted next year?
[poll id="110"]
Men's basketball
Benedictine forward Nick Harney will be one of at least four recruits for Akron in 2011.
The 6-foot-7 senior told the Plain Dealer he will attend Akron, after he scored 23 points in a win over the King James All-Stars in Barberton at the King James Shooting Stars Classic.
Despite being a senior, Harney will not be eligible until 2011 because of grades. Like Darryl Roberts, Harney will be able to recover his fifth year of eligibility if he makes sufficient progress toward a degree under the NCAA's Rule Prop 48.
Akron's other recruit for 2011 is Dylan Ennis, a 6-0 point guard out of Chicago, originally from Ontario, Canada. Sometime next week, I'll go over which other players Akron is targeting for that recruiting class.
Men's basketball
After plans to expand the NCAA Tournament to 96 teams nearly gave college basketball a coronary, the NCAA scaled back its plans.
The Division I basketball committee decided to invite 68 teams now, creating three additional play-in games. Here is a good article describing the decision-making process.
Rob Ianello's first season will have uncertainty because of the players lost, the new scheme and another training camp without a proven starting quarterback.
His first spring was marked by bringing the returners up to speed on a new offense, defense, set of terminology, and -- apparently most difficult -- the snap from under-center.
Here is my outlook for each position:
Quarterback -- With Matt Rodgers still recovering from a knee six months before, Patrick Nicely took most of the competitive snaps. The good news is, Akron has depth with two players who have shown they're capable of playing. The bad news is, the Zips enter another season without having "the guy," which often retards offensive development. Nicely's spring was up-and-down. He struggled mightily with the under-center snaps. He made some good throws, but his weakness was clear: touch passes. It's hard for me to imagine Nicely not playing, at least some. The question, therefore, would be: Do the quarterbacks split time -- a notion that Ianello refused to dismiss during the spring game press conference? Outlook: Bright
Running back -- This is a position of strength for the Zips. Alex Allen looked quicker and stronger than ever. Broderick Alexander and Dale Martin (if healthy) can take some carries as his eventual successors. None of these three backs is a bruiser, so the emergence of a pounding fullback will be important, not just for lead blocking, but also for short-yardage situations. Don't dismiss LeVon Morefield as that person. Outlook: Very bright
Offensive line -- You can't complain with how J.D. Brookhart kept the offensive line cupboard stocked. For the past three years, there has been a nice mix of experience and talent. Mike Ward (at either center or guard) and Corey Woods (left tackle) are the stalwarts and potential All-MAC performers. Run blocking and pass protection are great, but the team cannot afford fumbled snaps. I hope that gets fixed before August. Outlook: Bright
Wide receiver -- The Zips have a clear No. 1 target in Jeremy LaFrance. They have a hopeful No. 2 in Jalil Carter. If Akron's track record in converting players to receiver continues (Domenik Hixon, Andre Jones), he will be a good one. But that's more uncertainty than you want out of a No. 2. Also, there is a dropoff after Carter. Anthony Meriwether played well at times last season. Nadir Brown has the physical tools if he toughens up and improves his hands. Curtis Brown has looked great in scrimmages, but he hasn't done anything when it matters. Gary Pride has not found his niche yet. The list goes on. Ianello might look to a true freshman to get serious minutes if these underclassmen don't figure it out by the end of August. Outlook: Dim
Special teams -- We have the usual suspects back at place kicker: Igor Iveljic and Branco Rogovic. They've both had their chance to claim the job, but neither had done it. Josh Couch or Zack Campbell will punt. Campbell, a junior, showed a big leg at times last year, but he is a walk-on. Couch grayshirted last season. It appears Jeremy LaFrance and Nate Burney will be the primary returners, unless a true freshman steps in. Outlook: Mixed
Defensive line -- The 4-3 scheme will allow Akron to take advantage of its depth along the line and open more playmaking opportunities for players like Shawn Lemon and Almondo Sewell. At tackle, Dan Marcoux, Joe Rash and Cowles Stewart will see time, along with the anchor, Sewell. At end, Lemon is the best pass rusher, and you'll also see plenty of Shane Shead, Hasan Hazime and Deni Odofin. Outlook: Very bright
Linebacker -- Brian Wagner, Sean Fobbs and Mike Thomas make up the best linebacker corps in the MAC -- and I'm not even bothering to look at other rosters. They are all big-time playmakers, and Wagner should be a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Matt Little, Will Fleming and Troy Gilmer are more than capable of providing depth. Outlook: Blindingly bright
Cornerback -- Manley Waller is a shut-down corner by MAC standards. The other corner appears to be Diamond Weaver, who has played OK. Ideally, one of the younger players, such as Marvase Byrd, will earn time as the year progresses. Outlook: Bright
Safety -- Taking Carter from this position hurts. Only five players on the roster are listed as safeties (Kevin Davis, Thomas Miller, Jared Province, Doug Richardson, and Josh Richmond). By my count, only two are scholarship players. None has contributed significantly before. Three-star recruit Anthony Holmes might see playing time sooner than desirable. Outlook: Very dim
Overall -- The Zips won't be rebuilding next season. There is plenty of talent on the roster. The three critical questions are: 1) Whether a receiver or two will emerge to make the passing game effective. 2) Whether the weakness at safety can be masked by an uber-effective front seven and decent cornerbacks. 3) Whether Ianello can motivate the team to provide a consistent effort throughout the 12-game season. Outlook: Bright
[poll id="109"]
Let me start by saying I rarely get excited about the spring game.
Mostly, I leave without a sense of whether one side of the ball was very good, or one was bad. From a journalistic standpoint, I get no better blog content from a scrimmage that lasts 30 minutes or one that lasts an hour.
There is great value to fans (and writers) in seeing a highly touted player for the first time. But that doesn't happen in the spring game, either. True freshmen are rarely on campus by then. The returning underclassmen, if good enough, have already seen the field.
Now that I'm done whining, here are some notes from the day...
It was cold outside. Some white stuff was intermittently falling from the sky, but I'm not sure if I'd call it snow. Regardless, it was not a pleasant day to watch a football scrimmage outdoors. Attendance reflected that. No one sat on the east side of the stadium. A maximum of 500, by my estimate, sat on the west side. There were, however, quite a bit of people in the club level. The university announced attendance of 1805, which caused Tom Gaffney to quip: "Were they counting asscheeks?"
Alex Allen busted around the left end to score a long touchdown in the first half. He is looking really good. The question is, are there enough weapons in the passing game to keep opposing defenses from stacking the box?
The point system for this offense-versus-defense game is odd. For example, the defense gets three points when the offense misses a field goal. The offense gets two points for every "explosive play," defined as a 10-yard rush or 15-yard pass. Apparently, Syracuse uses a similar plan. Let's keep it real: At the end of the game, who really cares about the score?
Eighteen players missed the game with injuries. Eighty-three are on the roster. No one was hurt during the game, however.
Almondo Sewell appears to have much more freedom to make plays within the 4-3 scheme. He made a few tackles and a sack (which scores two points for the defense). The Defensive Player of the Game Award was a toss-up between him, Brian Wagner (fumble recovery, several tackles) and Manley Waller (six tackles, two pass break-ups). The media (a.k.a. me, Gaffney and Evan Meyer) gave it to Waller.
The Offensive Player of the Game was Jeremy LaFrance, who caught two deep touchdown passes from Patrick Nicely. He said the atmosphere within the receiving corps is a lot different this year. "We don't have too many leaders in the group," LaFrance said, adding that assistant coach Frisman Jackson asked him to step into a leadership role. Jalil Carter looked good today. They will need at least one more player to contribute for the passing game to be a real threat. That could be Nadir Brown, Curtis Brown, Gary Pride or one of the true freshmen.
Aside from those two passes, Nicely did not look sharp. There were at least two fumbles on the snap under center. Nicely has taken shotgun snaps all his life. "I've never been under center," he said. "It sounds elementary, but it's really complex." Despite that, Nicely felt the game has slowed down for him and that the team has progressed throughout the spring. Coach Rob Ianello gave Nicely a mixed review: "Sometimes he got flushed (from the pocket). Sometimes he made some nice throws. Sometimes he forced a few."
Ianello reaffirmed his commitment to holding a quarterback competition in the fall. He did not rule out having both players earn minutes. "It's going to be wide open in all fairness to Matt (Rodgers) and in all fairness to the team," Ianello said. Discussing Rodgers, the coach said: "Matt is very cerebral. He'll have to transfer that from the classroom to the field." Ideally, the staff hopes that one player will separate himself from the other. Nicely is looking forward to the competition and to "showing I'm the better person for the job," the sophomore said.
The offense was horrible in the second half. Despite the offense always having the ball it only scored one point in the third quarter. Mind you, the offense gets a point simply by achieving a first down. "Maybe it was the break in the intermission," Ianello said. "They couldn't get back on top of their game. It was not a good offensive third quarter."
As always, the team hired referees for the game. There was not a single penalty until 12 seconds left in the fourth quarter -- a pass interference call on Waller during a Hail Mary.
The team sung the fight song in the locker room after the game. It's good to see Ianello is establishing some traditions.
The final score was 53-38, with the defense winning. Click here to read the stats on GoZips.com. Ianello's overall thoughts: "I was pleased with our energy. I was pleased with our competitiveness. After 15 days, I think we've made some progress."
Sometime next week, I'll give my outlook for 2010, position by position.
Men's basketball
Akron's roster has seen an overhaul in the past week. Three players are gone. Two signed.
Keith Dambrot struggles every year to find a rotation that makes him happy. Usually, he errs on the side of having a large rotation.
So whom can Zips fans expect to see on the floor next year? Here's my best guess...
Point guard
Discussion -- Fans are somewhat polarized on this, but I feel Steve McNees is a good point guard. The question is not whether McNees can play. The MAC Tournament should have been ample evidence of that. It is whether he can be the orchestrator of the offense. After McNees, it will be interesting to see if Dambrot prefers to have a true point guard or if he prefers to have his best players on the floor. If it's the former, he will play Alex Abreu when McNees is out. If it's the latter, then Humpty Hitchens will play 15 minutes per game at the point and Abreu will redshirt. The coaches will probably make that decision in the fall.
Conclusion -- McNees starts and plays 25-30 minutes. Hitchens gets the remainder.
Shooting guard
Discussion -- Here is the big logjam of three experienced players. Darryl Roberts is arguably the team's most dependable, smartest player, and shooting guard is really the only place for him. Brett McClanahan and Humpty Hitchens can play a little at small forward and point guard, respectively, but not that's not ideal. When Hitchens is at the point, Roberts needs to be on the floor as the other ball-handler. McClanahan will have to start hitting shots more regularly to earn his minutes.
Conclusion -- Hitchens starts and plays 10 minutes. Roberts plays 20-25. McClanahan gets the remainder.
Small forward
Discussion -- Brett McKnight is the senior who has played all three years prior. The question is, who backs him up? This is pure speculation, but I doubt that Quincy Diggs would choose to transfer here without some assurance he would get minutes.
Conclusion -- McKnight starts and plays 25. Diggs plays 10. McClanahan plays five.
Power forward
Discussion -- With the departure of Chris McKnight, Nik Cvetinovic can take his rightful spot at the four. He will need some help from at least one of the true freshmen, especially considering his propensity for committing fouls. This will be the other big question for fall training camp. At least one of the incoming forwards has to show he's ready to play.
Conclusion -- Cvetinovic plays 25. McKnight plays five. Dakotah Euton/Josh Egner/Michael Green plays 10.
Discussion -- This position is straight-forward. Zeke Marshall must play. Mike Bardo is the backup, with a specialty on bruising the other team. If one of the freshmen shows something, Cvetinovic can get some minutes when Marshall is on the bench. If Green is not redshirted, he can help out, too.
Conclusion -- Marshall plays 25. Bardo plays 10. Green plays five.
Men's basketball
Akron signed a fifth player for this year's recruiting class: 6-foot-6 small forward Quincy Diggs. Because his school, the University of New Orleans, is dropping Division I basketball, Diggs is immediately eligible to play in 2010-11.
Here is the press release from UA:
Men's basketball
[poll id="108"]
See: Three Zips transfer; team adds Puerto Rican guard Zips expect to add 6-6 swingman
Men's basketball
The Zips feel that another signing may come soon.
The target is 6-foot-6 swingman Quincy Diggs, who is transferring from the University of New Orleans after the school announced it plans to drop Division I basketball.
He played 13.3 minutes per game last season as a freshman, scoring 3.3 points and grabbing 1.6 rebounds per game.
Here is his bio from UNO's Web site:
Men's basketball
Three players have transferred from the team, including point guard Ronnie Steward, according to a team source.
Steve Swiech and Alex Sullivan also chose to transfer, but Steward is the surprise among the three, because he had been earning more minutes after recovering from a leg injury last season.
The team added a point guard from Puerto Rico to potentially take Steward's spot in the lineup. Five-foot-9 guard Alex Abreu signed a letter of intent, the university announced today.
Here is what GoZips.com's press release says about the new addition:
Men's basketball
Humpty Hitchens' father was found dead Tuesday morning in his home.
Craig Hitchens, 41, coached his son growing up. The Chillicothe newspaper article does not specify a cause of death, but foul play is ruled out.
I urge Zips fans to pray for the Hitchens family.
Looking to add depth at receiver, Rob Ianello moved junior safety Jalil Carter to offense.
That comes from Tom Gaffney's article in today's paper. He does a nice job describing the offensive issues during the spring.
I hope to cover another practice week before the spring game on Saturday.
Here is a look at how Rob Ianello is attacking the recruiting trail, according to data from Rivals.com.
-- Akron has made offers to 16 high school juniors. -- A majority will never consider Akron. Two have already committed to Ohio State. Many others have a bucket full of offers from notable BCS schools. -- About half are from Northeast Ohio. Three are from New York. One is from Florida.
Here are some players Akron might land...
-- Louie Addazio, tight end, Florida. Akron is the only offer for this 6-foot-3 prospect, who also has interest in other MAC schools and southern BCS schools. -- Shaquille Petteway, linebacker, Steubenville, Ohio. Besides being young enough to possibly be named after the Big Aristotle, Petteway has offers from Michigan State, Syracuse, West Virginia and Toledo. -- Andrew Bohan, offensive tackle, Avon Lake, Ohio. He took an unofficial visit last month and liked it here. Akron is his only offer. -- Robert Mincey, defensive end, Fairfield, Ohio. He has offers from five of the six MAC schools in Ohio. In case you were wondering, he has no relation to former Kent basketball player Jordan Mincy. -- Landon Smith, wide receiver, Girard, Ohio. The 6-1 receiver holds offers from Indiana, Kent, Ohio, Toledo and Akron.
I suppose there is a reason Kent's hippie stereotype persists. I'm going to put up the windows in Stow on Thursday, just in case there is a strong wind coming from the east.
Men's basketball
What an exciting run that Butler made this season!
Keith Dambrot has wanted to be the Gonzaga of the Midwest. Too late. Maybe Akron can be the Butler of Ohio.
Beyond that, what has separated these elite programs from their mid-major peers -- and for prolonged periods? Butler and Gonzaga have been really good for a long time now.
First, and I think most obvious, is the high-major athleticism. For Gonzaga, it was long, leaping wing players. For Butler, it was lightning-quick guards.
Second is the premier scorer. Gonzaga has done it with Adam Morrison. Butler used Gordon Hayward. When crunch time comes, you know who's getting the ball. You know that person has won games before. And you know they have the confidence to do it again.
Third is the swarming defense. Butler forced a lot of long shot clocks with its aggressive perimeter defense tonight. It should be intuitive that defense -- once crystallized -- is one function that does not have "off nights."
Fourth is luck. Butler played a lot of good teams without a player or two. Gonzaga won several big games on the last ticks of the clock.
When Akron has had its best team in 2006-2007, the defense was great and the offense had two go-to players in Jeremiah Wood and Romeo Travis. But it didn't have the high-major athleticism to deal with that of Nevada (the only team with NBA talent that Akron played that year). And it certainly didn't have a slither of luck, with Doug Penno's half-court bank shot and the NIT snub.
Last season, the Zips had very little of any of those categories. Akron didn't have the perimeter quickness to keep up with star guards. Jimmy Conyers displayed a high-major skill set, but his defensive abilities were used mostly in the post. Zeke Marshall is a leaper, but he was too thin to be a true impact player. As to the second category, Akron barely had a scorer over 10 points per game. Conyers (10.1 ppg) hardly could be considered a go-to scorer, and Brett McKnight was terrible in the last possessions of games. The third category, defense, was just OK -- not nearly what it should have been. The fourth category, luck, did not help Akron. The Zips ran into a red-hot Bobcats team that even chewed up No. 2 seed Georgetown in the NCAA Tournament.
Why am I rambling about all of this? Because that game was really exciting. And I cannot legitimately focus on homework just yet.
[poll id="107"]
I'm going to blog about recruiting in the next day or so.
Men's basketball
You have probably heard by now that the NCAA Tournament is likely to expand to 96 teams, with 32 teams getting a first-round bye.
The details will determine whether this is good for mid-major teams. For instance, the NCAA could give each conference regular season champion an automatic bid, like the NIT (which would be eliminated) currently does.
[poll id="106"]
Other notes...
Here is a fascinating letter to the editor regarding the atmosphere at Akron basketball games. It makes some good points.
The university will celebrate the Zips' accomplishments with a party on April 23. The details, per GoZips.com:
Men's basketball
Ohio University star Armon Bassett will declare for the NBA Draft. If he is not selected, he will play professionally elsewhere, according to numerous sources.
This will shift the power in the MAC East away from defending champion Ohio. Once again, the division will be anyone's to take.


text:
COLUMBIA, Ky. -- Longtime Lindsey Wilson
College trustee Judge James E. Bondurant was remembered as one of
the "critical leaders" who helped the college during a period of
"incredible transition and growth."
Bondurant, formerly of \Hodgenville, Ky., died
Thursday, Dec. 26, at the age of 84.
Bondurant served on the Lindsey Wilson Board of
Trustees for more than 30 years, joining it in 1979 when the school
was a junior college. He was chairman of the board from 1984-1989,
during which time he helped Lindsey Wilson make the transition to a
liberal arts college.
"Judge Bondurant was one of the giants of Lindsey
Wilson," said Lindsey Wilson President William T. Luckey Jr. "He worked closely with
three of the college's presidents, and he was an invaluable leader,
adviser and mentor to all three."
LWC Chancellor John B. Begley -- who was LWC's sixth president
when Bondurant became a trustee -- said Bondurant was an important
voice on the board.
"He was among a group of critical leaders who
guided this college through a period of incredible transition and
growth," Begley said.
In 1989, Bondurant was given the LWC Distinguished
Service Award for his leadership as board chair. During his tenure
as board chair, Lindsey Wilson's student body, faculty and budget
more than doubled and three buildings were added to its A.P. White
"I very much appreciate this honor from Lindsey
Wilson College," Bondurant said in 1989. "I'm proud of the progress
made by Lindsey Wilson in the past several years, and I look
forward to even more progress this next decade."
Bondurant then became chair of the LWC Board of
Trustees Executive Committee, a position that allowed him to
continue to work closely with the college's administration. In
1993, he received a doctorate of letters, honoris
causa, from LWC.
Born in Charlestown, Ind., Bondurant grew up in
Brandenburg, Ky., and he was a leader in the Kentucky Methodist
Church. He once said that his first memory of a minister as a child
was the Rev. Victor P. Henry, who went on to become the third
president of Lindsey Wilson.
A graduate of Meade County High School, Bondurant
earned his undergraduate and law degrees at the University of
A Navy veteran and an officer in the Army Reserves,
Bondurant practiced law in Hodgenville, Ky., and also served two
terms in the Kentucky House of Representatives. He was elected
judge of Kentucky's 10th Judicial District in 1985 until his
retirement. In 2000 the Kentucky Supreme Court chief justice
appointed him as the commonwealth's first senior judge.
Bondurant claims the record for having held court
in more counties in Kentucky than any other judge, past or
Bondurant also served on the board of Alliant
Corporation, which operated Kentucky's Methodist Evangelical
Hospital, Norton Hospital and Kosair Children's Hospital; he helped
organize First Citizens Bank in Elizabethtown, Ky.; and he owned
and operated a 300-acre farm in the Doe Valley area of LaRue
County, Ky.
In 2011, Bondurant was inducted into the Meade
County High School Alumni Association Hall of Fame.
Bondurant is survived by his wife, Kaye, of more
than 60 years, two children, two grandchildren and four
Visitation will be 5-8 p.m. ET Friday, Dec. 27,
at Bennett-Bertram, 208 W Water St, Hodgenville, Ky., and the
funeral will be 11 a.m. ET Saturday, Dec. 28, at the LaRue County
Courthouse, 209 W High St, Hodgenville, Ky.


text:
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