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Since it is Saturday, as promised, it's time to unveil the winners in the second annual OPP Mid-Season Awards. As a change of pace from last year, I'll reveal my ballot below in block quotes with additional commentary if necessary.
Drumroll please.
Here are the results!
Best Individual Performance in a Game
Dwight Howard vs. Sacramento Kings (at SAC) - 6 votes
Dwight Howard vs. Los Angeles Clippers (at LAC) - 1 vote
J.J. Redick vs. Toronto Raptors (at Toronto, 11/1/09) - 7 votes
J.J. Redick vs. Toronto Raptors (1/6/10) - 2 votes
Dwight Howard vs. Los Angeles Lakers (at LAL) - 2 votes
Best Individual Performance in a Game - J.J. Redick vs. Toronto Raptors (at Toronto, 11/1/09)
Good choice by the community. It's natural to be drawn to Howard's performances because they jump out at you when you're looking at the stat sheet, but he's put up staggering numbers many times before. When Howard plays at his best, he's a top five player in the NBA and that's what top five players are supposed to do. Redick, on the other hand, isn't expected to play like he did against the Toronto Raptors in the third game of the regular season. Career-high night? That's special.
Biggest Surprise
Ryan Anderson - 4 votes
Matt Barnes - 1 vote
Vince Carter's decline, etc. - 2 votes
Dwight Howard not making an extra leap - 1 vote
Anthony Johnson's fourth quarter vs. Atlanta Hawks (at ATL) - 1 vote
J.J. Redick - 1 vote
Jason Williams - 8 votes
Biggest Surprise - Jason Williams
Defensive Player of the Year (except Dwight)
Matt Barnes - 14 votes
Mickael Pietrus - 4 votes
Defensive Player of the Year (except Dwight) - Mickael Pietrus
I can understand why people voted for Barnes, given that he's been more visible lately and playing relatively well since he moved into the starting lineup, but Pietrus remains the Orlando Magic's best perimeter defender on the team. And has been, despite being relocated to the bench.
Dwight Howard - 18 votes
MVP - Dwight Howard
Most Disappointing Player
Vince Carter - 18 votes
Jameer Nelson - 2 votes
Most Disappointing Player - Vince Carter
Most Improved Player
J.J. Redick - 15 votes
Ryan Anderson - 1 vote
Jason Williams - 2 votes
Most Improved Player - J.J. Redick
... and there you have it.
Big ups to the Orlando Magic for making these awards possible.
Big ups to everyone that voted. Thanks for taking the time to cast your ballot.
We at Orlando Pinstriped Post will reconvene with a OPP End-Season Awards once the season ends.
As for the current award recipients, what does everyone think? Agree/disagree with the winners? Want to defend your choice? Just have something to say? Fire away with your comments.


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My QBank story - Sofie Samrell, Marketing Manager QBank
1 vote 0 comments
Share your QBank story with others. If you're looking for a specific use case or workflow and you're not sure where to start - - why not ask other QBank customers (or us at QBank) for input? Help us and others to learn from you. Spread the words and knowledge. Get new ideas from others!

subset: commoncrawl


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We stock a wide variety of allocated semiconductors and sourced electronics components. Dig through our extensive electronic parts inventory and you are likely to find components unavailable from conventional sources. View an inventory web version and immediately verify if your electronic component is in stock.
You must have an appropriate program such as Excel, Access or another database to view this file.
Electronic PartSpecials


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Chalmers shoots Kansas to Big 12 titleMar 16, 2008 - 11:58 PM By Marc Bowman PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer
KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Ticker) -- Different year, same result.
For the third straight season, fifth-ranked Kansas defeated No. 8 Texas, 84-74, in the Big 12 tournament championship game, a contest with implications for a top seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Behind Mario Chalmers' career-high 30 points, the Jayhawks on Sunday won their sixth tournament championship and third straight, running their winning streak in the Big 12 tourney to nine games.
"Yesterday, Brandon (Rush) stepped up big for us," Chalmers said. "Tonight everybody stepped up. We were talking about it yesterday, that we were going to need a big game from everybody and I think everybody continued to do that today."
The win cemented a top seed for Kansas in the NCAA Tournament, its second in as many years.
"We desperately needed this tournament," Jayhawks coach Bill Self said. "We haven't had many close games in the conference."
Chalmers and second-seeded Kansas (31-3) took a page out of the Texas playbook, raining in 15 3-pointers, including a career-best eight by sophomore guard. Chalmers' last basket from the arc gave the Jayhawks a 75-71 lead with 1:52 to play, part of a 14-3 run over the final 4:44 to put the game away.
"It was one of the best games I've ever been a part of," Self said. "It was a game of runs, and I thought it was a classic well-played game with some guys making some unbelievable plays."
"This was a great college game," Longhorns coach Rick Barnes said. "Both teams really went at it and played really, really hard. I'm sure it was a great game for fans to watch."
After a sluggish, turnover-prone start, the teams traded long runs, with Kansas using an 18-5 burst to take a 21-13 lead at 12:37 remaining on a 3-pointer by the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, Brandon Rush. The junior guard finished with 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc.
The Longhorns responded immediately with a 15-0 burst capped by D.J. Augustin's 3-pointer to lead 27-21 with 8:44 to go. Both teams were red-hot from the floor, combining to make 35-of-60 field-goal attempts (58 percent), and 17-of-26 from long range.
"The shooting tonight was pretty amazing," Rush said. "Everybody stepped up and played pretty good."
"I said going in, I said back then, I thought that Kansas is the best team we've played all year," Barnes said. "I also know that when I say that, that we're right there with them and today's game was no different. They shot the ball well. We shot it well, too, but they just shot the ball really, really well."
Augustin led all scorers with 18 points at the half, making all four of his shots from behind the arc while Chalmers made 5-of-6 3-pointers to lead Kansas with 17. Texas led 46-45 at intermission in the highest-scoring first half of Big 12 championship history.
Out of the break, the Jayhawks missed their first five shots while the Longhorns missed 11 straight, enabling Kansas to take a 64-56 lead on Rush's 3-pointer in transition with 10:25 left.
"I told the team we've got to make a conscious effort to guard better because, in a horse contest, I don't know if you want to get into one of those with Abrams and Augustin the way they shot it in the first half," Self said.
"We wanted to slow them down and not let them get the open looks, and make them work for their points," Rush said. "We beat them on rebounding, and that was a key for our win."
Texas (28-6) again responded immediately, running off 11 straight points to grab a 67-64 lead on A.J. Abrams' basket from the arc with 7:56 remaining, but the Longhorns missed their last seven shots to fall short.
"I don't think 15 threes beat us," Barnes said. "I think we got beat with not rebounding the ball at crucial times. "I think we gave up too much dribble penetration at times. It goes back to we were in a position to win the game and we just didn't quite get it done in those last couple of minutes."
The Jayhawks outrebounded the Longhorns, 42-29, led by Darrell Arthur's nine boards.
Augustine was again the Longhorns' catalyst, draining 4-of-5 3-pointers and leading the team with 20 points while Abrams' scored 13 of his 15 points after halftime.
Justin Mason added 17 points for Texas, which never has won a tournament title.
- katieb that sucked. but was a good game.
Kansas(4) 84, Texas(7) 74 FinalMar 16 6:44 PM
--- --- -----
Mar 16 5:12 PM
- 128
rootsRUWTbot Added 34 roots (Close Finish, Upset, Ranked Teams)
Kansas(4) 72, Texas(7) 71 2nd - 3:35Mar 16 4:58 PM
Mar 16 3:58 PM
- 74
rootsRUWTbot Added 49 roots (Ranked Teams)
Kansas(4) 0, Texas(7) 0 1st - 19:55Mar 16 3:14 PM
- 25
rootsPizznerkins Added 5 roots
Kansas(4) vs. Texas(7)Mar 16 2:56 PM
- 20
rootsbarleycorn Added 5 roots
Kansas(4) vs. Texas(7)Mar 16 10:50 AM
- 15
rootsmrman226 Added 5 roots
Kansas(4) vs. Texas(7)Mar 16 8:33 AM
- 10
rootskatieb Added 5 roots
Kansas(4) vs. Texas(7)Mar 16 2:29 AM
- 5
rootssenorpepr Added 5 roots
Kansas(4) vs. Texas(7)Mar 16 12:42 AM
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By GF Herrin
Shortly after moving to Charlotte, my wife, daughters and I joined a small Lutheran church (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America). We had enjoyed the worship style, knew some folks who belonged there, and liked its close proximity to where we lived. In the new members class, though, after reading several passages from a King James Version of the Old Testament, the pastor lost me. He said, "remember that this is the Hebrew Bible and we can't necessarily assume accounts like Jonah and the whale and other passages are literally true." I struggle to recall what I said to the pastor in response, but the gist of the experience is that I instantly responded in a negative way, bringing up the points that the Bible is the inerrant word of God and central to our faith.
The Inerrancy of God's word is a central point of the Christian faith. The reason it has been questioned in recent years is because there are teachers or so called scholars such as Bart Ehrman, John Shelby Spong, or Rudolf Bultmann whose teachings have been clouded by either anti-supernaturalist beliefs or (in Spong's case) a pro homosexual agenda . These teachers have long possessed a view that not the Bible is not literally true yet they have claimed to be Christians. But this begs the question that if you throw out part of the Bible as not true which part do you keep? If you doubt the authenticity of the Scriptures and discount the fact that the vast majority of the 12 apostles died for their faith in the Resurrection of Christ, how can you be assured that Christ from the dead? And if you can't believe that Christ rose from the dead how can you believe that your sins were paid for on the Cross by Him?
One of the Books I am reading early in my 2016 Bible reading plan is the Book of Romans. In Romans, Paul writes of the importance of understanding the physical Resurrection of Jesus Christ :
"Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. " (Romans 1:3-4)
Notice that Paul emphasizes that Jesus was declared to be the Son of God by the fact that He was resurrected from the dead. This is an important point to understand. Jesus' life, ministry, and sacrifice on the cross were declared as worthy by the occurrence of His physical resurrection. Think of this incredible event. Even after the soldier pierced Jesus' side with a spear to confirm His death (John 19:34), Even after His lifeless body was laid in a clean linen cloth (Matt. 27:59). Even after Christ's body was laid in the tomb (Matt. 27:60). Even after a large stone was rolled in front of his tomb which was also sealed (Matt. 27:60 & 66), Christ was resurrected! God the Father accepted God the son's payment for sins with His life and the Resurrection of Christ is evidence of that.
So how should we born again believers in Jesus live in response to the Death and Resurrection of Christ?
Paul writes,
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness" (Romans 1:16-18).
We should not be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ but should be encouraged by it. The death and resurrection of Christ reveals God's righteousness. Jesus' death on the cross demonstrates that only a sinless sacrifice could buy each of us sinners grace and forgiveness. Nothing else would do! No animal sacrifices, no good works, no tithes or monetary offerings will pay the huge sin debt each of us would has to atone for. Jesus' horrible death on the cross demonstrates that it was necessary to buy us our freedom. If it wasn't necessary, why else would He have died for us?
Also, we need to make a concerted effort every day to live in righteousness. Paul mentions that our unrighteousness behavior actually suppresses the truth. So, if we are careless in living and sinning then those acts suppress God's truth of a changes life. Not only is unrighteousness a demonstration of the unsaved condition of people, it is a bad witness for the forgiven sinner. So, if you are struggling with a besetting sin, remember that another reason to stay away from that addiction or habit is to make sure you demonstrate God's truth by keeping away from that sin. Glorify the Lord in living righteously!


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This half-day project makes gardening easier and more comfortable. It's higher than most raised beds, so you don't have to bend over quite as much, plus it has a bench on each side so you can sit while you plant, weed, and harvest. This is an ideal garden set-up for older gardeners, folks with back or knee problems, or anyone simply looking for an attractive, unique style of raised bed to add to the yard.
Estimated Time: 4 hours (less if you have wood pre-cut)
Project Difficulty: Moderate
Building tips
Cut the lumber yourself if you have some woodworking experience, or make it easy by having the boards pre-cut at your local home improvement store.
Be sure to choose a level piece of ground in a well-drained area that gets at least 6 to 8 hours of sun per day.
To help prevent weeds, cover the ground inside the bed with newspaper or landscaping cloth before filling with premium quality soil developed especially for raised beds, such as Miracle-Gro® Raised Bed Soil. Also, be sure to feed your veggies and herbs throughout the season with a plant food like Miracle-Gro® Shake 'n Feed® Tomato, Fruit & Vegetable Plant Food, which is designed to give your edible plants the nutrients they need to grow strong and deliver a big harvest.
To build our Raised Bed with Benches, watch the video, scroll down for instructions, or download our printable PDF guide.
List of Materials
- 1 – 2 x 2 x 8 board
- 3 – 2 x 4 x 8 boards
- 8 – 2 x 6 x 8 boards
- 2 – 2 x 8 x 8 boards
- 3 – 1-lb boxes 2½-inch deck screws
- 1 – 1-lb box 3-inch deck screws
- Miracle-Gro® Raised Bed Soil
List of Tools:
- miter saw or circular saw*
- drill/driver
- clamps
- square
- measuring tape
* or can have lumber pre-cut at home improvement store per dimensions in Parts List
Parts List:
|Side Slats
|1½ x 5½ x 45
|Bottom Side Slats
|1½ x 7¼ x 45
|Inner Posts
|1½ x 3½ x 14
|Bracket Supports
|1½ x 5½ x 16
|1½ x 5½ x 15½
|Outer Posts
|1½ x 3½ x 18¼
|Seat Slats
|1½ x 5½ x 24
|Seat Cleats
|1½ x 1½ x 20½
Use this slideshow for step-by-step directionsWorking from the opposite sides of these Side Assemblies, drive 2½-inch deck screws through the Side Slats and into the Brackets on each as shown in Figure 5.
Finished Dimensions:
- Height: 18¼ inches
- Length (not including benches): 48 inches
- Width (not including benches): 48 inches
- Length (including benches): 67½ inches
- Width (including benches): 67½ inches
Design by Chris Hill


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Leeds West MP Rachel Reeves is asking for YOUR opinions on how to improve road safety and tackle speeding.
Ms Reeves says she has contacted by a number of constituents who have raised concerns about road safety and anti-social driving across the constituency. She said:
"I'm keen to hear your views on what the main issues are, and what you think can be done to improve road safety in Leeds West."
She has created a survey on road safety, which asks people to identify road safety hotpots and asks for suggestions on how to improve the situation.
The survey can be completed here.
The appeal comes after Leeds City Council announced a raft of new 20mph zones across West Leeds.


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The Dalkey Archive Summary and Analysis
FreeBookNotes found 1 site with book summaries or analysis of The Dalkey Archive. If there is a The Dalkey Archive SparkNotes, Shmoop guide, or Cliff Notes, you can find a link to each study guide below.
Among the summaries and analysis available for The Dalkey Archive, there is 1 Short Summary.
Depending on the study guide provider (SparkNotes, Shmoop, etc.), the resources below will generally offer The Dalkey Archive chapter summaries, quotes, and analysis of themes, characters, and symbols.


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The LoRicco Law Firm advocates for victims of New Haven auto accidents and other serious personal injuries across Connecticut Shoreline communities. Our firm has represented victims and their families for over 50 years. Our New Haven personal injury lawyers make it their mission to aggressively pursue the maximum compensation our clients deserve.
We protect the rights of our clients, because we know the insurance company's tricks. Having working in insurance defense for 15 years, we build the best possible case for our clients. If your case must go to trial, we leverage proven trial skills and resources capable of prevailing against the toughest challenges.


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BSN medical leverages its formidable technological competencies and world-class operations to constantly push for distinctive innovation. Continuous product improvements and the introduction of the latest technologies and state-of-the-art materials is a commitment to further develop trust in our high-quality brands and a promise given to our customers.
BSN medical is driving innovations and is constantly developing new customer-oriented concepts with the sole aim to provide new therapy solutions, ultimately increasing the therapeutic index by acting in the best interest of our patients.
Do you have a solution, idea, product or business proposal that could improve patient health? If so, please click here.
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With the lowest silicone coverage on the market* Jobst® Sensitive top band absorbs moisture twice as fast. This, in combination with the improved evaporation rate, helps the patient feel more comfortable and be more compliant.
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water resistant cast padding, making Delta-Dry® the best choice for medical professionals.Further information can be found by clicking the thumbnails on the right.
Functional Cast Therapy (FCT) is a hot growing trend in Orthopedics. Removable casts made out of polyester cast tape are breathable and are considered a custom molded orthosis. FCT allows patients support when needed and the ability to remove for bathing and exercise.
JOBST's Advanced Comfort fabric is available on a variety of JOBST compression garments. Available in garments for the arms and legs, Advanced Comfort uses a blend of yarns and other materials with a unique finish. The result is a moisture-wicking stocking that helps eliminate sweat, reducing the risk of rash or infection while keeping you comfortable.
Further information can be found by clicking the thumbnails on the right.
Dri-Release® technology helps active patients remain comfortable. Specialized material helps patients stay dry as they wear their compression stocking during active periods.
Further information can be found by clicking the thumbnails on the right.


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Previous Issue - Volume 1 Issue 1 ENT Disorders Journal
Description:
Abstract

Levels of electrically evoked stapedial reflex thresholds (eESRTs) are frequently used as most comfortable levels (MCL) in cochlear implant fitting. The probl...
Description:
ABSTRACT

Objective: To report findings of improvement in patient tinnitus intensity and changes in frequency using a novel suppressive noi...
Description:
ABSTACT

Introduction: Burning mouth syndrome, oral sub mucous fibrosis, leukoplakia, etc are the different manifestations of a common dise...
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It's been about a year since I last posted a recipe for a Panzanella – that would have been during our last glut of tomatoes. This year I wanted to change things up a bit and go Greek style, so here is this utterly delicious Greek Panzanella.
Chunks of ripe tomato, cucumber, and red onion are bathed in a homemade Greek vinaigrette. The seasoned oven-toasted pita triangles give such a nice crunch and just about steal the show. Just try not to eat all that pita before the salad is served. I dare ya!
If you click over to my recipe for Updated Panzanella, you'll know I'm not a fan of soggy bread, so for this recipe, serve the Pita on the side for maximum crunch. You can watch for most of these ingredients on sale, but serving this salad seasonally is the only way to go, both for price and taste.
Greek Panzanella
- 2 to 3 pieces of soft pita bread, cut into six to eight triangles
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Greek seasoning, home-made or purchased
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Spread the pita on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with olive oil, Greek seasoning, and salt. Bake until golden brown and crispy, turning triangles over partway through, about 10 to 12 minutes total. Cool on a wire rack.
- 2 pounds ripe tomatoes, any type or mix, cut in bite-sized pieces, drained for 15 minutes if very juicy
- 1 cucumber, seeded & cut in bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar (or more, to taste)
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 tablespoon Greek seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- black pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup Feta cheese, crumbled (more if you wish)
- 1/4 cup parsley, roughly chopped
In a large bowl, combine vinegar, garlic, Greek seasoning, mustard, salt and black pepper to taste. While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the mixture is thickened. Add tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion and toss.
Let sit for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours before serving. Toss with parsley and Feta cheese, taste and add more vinegar and salt if needed. Serve with the toasted Pita.
I'll be sharing this recipe at Fiesta Friday 190, hosted by Shinta @ Caramel Tinted Life and Diann @ Of Goats and Greens.


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Just Potts
Just Potts
Born in Melbourne, Potts studied Graphic Design at The Prahran Institute of Technology in the early 70's. He has worked for a variety of graphic and media organizations as well as freelance, producing a wide range of designs from corporate logos through to fabric design and book illustration, both here and overseas. Clients include Rip Curl Surfwear, Channel 7 (Home & Away) and Ritzenhoff Glassware, Germany.
Since moving to Northern N.S.W. in 1993 Potts has continued to
Work as a graphic artist, silk screen printer, painter and sculptor. As well as an educator, teaching Silk Screen printing, Lino block & stamp printing. In 2002 Potts finished his Advanced Diploma of Fine Art.
His current work is sea and landscapes painted & printed on timber or canvas. His main inspiration is the beach, the ocean and surf culture. As well as running Postboards, a timber postcard company with his wife Anne Leon.


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The schools on this list have two qualities: terrific weather and a smart student body. Weather is measured by warm temperatures, low humidity, and the average number of sunny--and rainy--days each year. To be eligible for this list, schools had to be located in a region with an average temperature of 60 degrees or higher and have fewer than 100 rainy days per year. Not surprisingly, there isn't a single East Coast college or university in the bunch. With more than 200 sunny days a year, Arizona State takes the top spot, but on this list, California rules with 22 schools that rank high by these measures. The lesson? Students who don't want to sacrifice sun for school should head west.
About the Rankings:
Researchers Peter Bernstein and Courtney Kennedy drew dozens of sources to compile these rankings including information from the National Center for Education Statistics, The Washington Monthly, and College Prowler. A portion of the data they used for this ranking is at the end of this slideshow, but for the full methodologies, see our FAQ here. Ranking Methodology. And if you're not a rankings fan, take a look at this piece by Colin Diver, the president of Reed College, about why schools dislike rankings and how students can use them wisely as part of their college decision-making process.
The average temperature on the campuses of Arizona State University holds a steady 73 degrees throughout the year. This fact, combined with the area's annual average of 211 sunny days and only 36 rainy ones, place Arizona State at the top of Newsweek's list of schools that offer both terrific weather and a terrific education. Arizona State University's climate is even reflected in its mascot, the Sun Devils.
The college, however, has more going on than just a warm, dry weather system. Founded in 1885 as the Tempe Normal School, Arizona State has grown to become the largest public research university in the country, with more than 65,000 students occupying one of four campuses, from Tempe to downtown Phoenix.
Averaging 26 on the ACT and 1200 on the SAT, Arizona State's students take advantage of more than 250 academic undergraduate programs. However, the school has a liberal admissions policy, accepting 90 percent of its applicants.
Stanford University, already a power player among the nation's top universities, can now add some more accolades to its roster. The private liberal arts Ivy in Stanford, California, which claims fearless inquiry and action as its mission, has landed spots on seven of Newsweek's college ranking roundups: most desirable overall (No. 3), most desirable suburban school (No. 1), most diverse (No. 16), best for power brokers (No. 4), best for brainiacs (No. 6), best gay-friendly (No. 11) and the most favorable climate amongst intellectual power houses (No. 2).
The school had 30,429 students apply for a spot on "The Farm", a nickname for Stanford's campus, and Stanford admitted just 9 percent of those applicants to the class of 2013, enrolling 1,694 freshmen for fall 2010. Females made up 49 percent of the freshman class. While all 50 states are represented in the class of 2013, nearly 40 percent of students hail from California.
Asian-Americans make up 23 percent of Stanford's diverse student body, followed by Mexican-Americans and other Hispanic (12 percent), African-Americans (10 percent), international students (10 percent) and American Indians or Alaskan Natives (2 percent).
Tuition at Stanford is currently around $37,000 per year, and 80 percent of students in the 2008-2009 school year (the most recent year data was available) received aid. Perhaps a wise investment--27 of its alums are billionaires.
A lot of big brains have passed through this small university dedicated to science, technology and engineering studies, including 3 Nobel Prize winners, 54 National Medal of Science winners and 6 Crafoord Prize recipients, which earns the California Institute of Technology the No. 3 spot on Newsweek's list of brainiac schools.
The private Pasadena, California-based research college offers a 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio that lands it at No. 3 on Newsweek's Most Desirable Small Schools list, No. 7 on the Most Desirable Urban Schools list and the twelfth most desirable school overall. Its favorable SoCal climate (the 124-acre campus rests northeast of downtown Los Angeles) might have something to do with its impressive 98percentstudent-retention rate and is definitely responsible for the school's No. 3 spot on Newsweek's Great Education, Great Tan list.
As promised in its mission statement, the California Institute of Technology "investigates the most challenging, fundamental problems in science and technology in a singularly collegial, interdisciplinary atmosphere, while educating outstanding students to become creative members of society." Good if you can get it--only 17percent of applicants do.
With only 700 undergraduates, Harvey Mudd College ranks 12th on Newsweek's Most Desirable Small Schools list. Its location in Claremont, California, also makes it the tenth most desirable suburban school and No. 4 on Newsweek's list of schools combining great weather with great minds. Harvey Mudd is one of the seven associated Claremont Colleges, which its founders modeled after England's Oxford University; other schools include Pomona, Scripps and Claremont McKenna.
Harvey Mudd students average 1560 on the SATs and 94 percent place in the top 10 percent of their high schools, with only 28 percent of applicants accepted. Though its focus on math, science and engineering make it sound like a technical institute, Harvey Mudd is a private liberal arts college that aims to offer student instruction beyond its nine core science and math-based majors by nurturing interests in the arts and offering instruction in the humanities, history and politics. Newsweek also ranks Harvey Mudd 19th among the top 25 gay-friendly schools in the United States.
Small in size, Pomona College is big on diversity, bright students and kudos--it has consistently ranked among the top ten American liberal arts colleges by U.S. News & World Report, has similarly been granted high marks from Forbes, and now places 11th among Newsweek's most desirable schools, fourth most desirable suburban school and second most desirable small school.
The Claremont, California-based private college has only 1,500 undergrads; they major in the arts, humanities, social sciences or natural sciences in a desert setting within an hour of the Pacific Ocean, the Mojave Desert, the San Gabriel Mountains and Los Angeles. Unsurprisingly, Pomona was No. 5 for Newsweek's list of academically rigorous schools with terrific weather. Though its Southern California location is a world away from the ivied East Coast universities its founders emulated, the school prides itself on its 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio, intimate classes and overall academic excellence. Only 16 percent of applicants are accepted (averaging ACT scores of 34 and SAT scores of 1560), which helps explain why Pomona College is No. 15 on the list of schools for brainiacs. Its 50/50 gender breakdown, gay-friendly atmosphere, and racially, geographically and socioeconomically mixed student body makes Pomona the 20th most diverse school and the thirteenth among the best gay-friendly schools on Newsweek's lists.
Part of Northern Arizona University's mission is "to provide an outstanding undergraduate residential education strengthened by research, graduate and professional programs."
With its location in Flagstaff, where there are 211 days of sunshine a year, one could also argue that the college's mission is to provide students with outstanding weather--which is why Northern Arizona University finds itself at No. 6 on Newsweek's list of competitive colleges with the best climate.
The school, founded in 1899, claimed a record high enrollment of 18,301 in fall 2009, a number that includes Northern Arizona's on-campus students as well as those who earn degrees online. According to CollegeProwler.com, 28 percent of NAU's students are from Arizona, with the majority of students--70 percent--identifying as white, followed by Hispanic (13 percent), Native American (7 percent), African-American (3 percent) and Asian-American (2 percent).
Tuition for on-campus undergraduates for the 2010-2011 school year is $6,964 for Arizona residents and $19,364 for those from out of state.
Talk about a well-rounded applicant. One of seven of The Claremont Colleges, which its founders modeled after England's Oxford University, Claremont McKenna casts itself as an intellectually stimulating and socially fulfilling, yet intimate, school, given its roughly 1,200 undergraduates. It places at No. 20 on Newsweek's Most Desirable Schools list (No. 8 on Most Desirable Suburban Schools and No. 7 on Most Desirable Small Schools). Perhaps that desirability is tied into its sunny California locale--the school is 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles--since it takes seventh place on that list as well.
Claremont McKenna College is one of the most selective liberal-arts colleges in the nation, accepting only 19 percent of its applicants. While its academic programs, competitive application process and high test scores propel it to No. 24 among best colleges for brainiacs, the school also offers a robust sports program with 46 intramural sports leagues and 19 varsity sports, making it No. 17 in colleges stocked with jocks.
Emphasizing education in economics, government and international relations, Claremont McKenna is the starting point for many careers in law, business, government and public policy. Founded in 1946 as Claremont Men's College, the private school went co-ed in 1976.
"UA is a great school in a chill city that has nice weather and beautiful, beautiful people," writes one student of the University of Arizona on CollegeProwler.com. Fitting, since the public school finds itself at No. 8 on Newsweek's list of colleges best for climate and academics. Its influential alums also make the school No. 12 for future power brokers.
Located in Tucson, Arizona, the University of Arizona has approximately 30,000 undergraduates in any given year. Women hold the slight majority here, at 52 percent. Whites make up about 64 percent of the student body, followed by Hispanics at 17 percent, Asian or Pacific Islander at 5 percent and African-American at 3 percent.
Tuition for Arizona residents is $22,382 for the 2010-2011 school year, including room and board. For out-of-state-students, the same tuition and fees rise to $38,740.
The University of California's Berkeley outpost has landed on quite a few of Newsweek's "best of" lists--five to be exact. The school is among the most desirable urban schools (No. 16), most desirable large schools (No. 5), most diverse (No. 18), best gay-friendly (No. 2) and best for climate plus academics (No. 9).
That the school nabbed the number 2 spot on Newsweek's gay-friendly list is no surprise to students. "Berkeley is home to a proud LGBTIQQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer and Questioning) community, which has a large presence on campus and makes the environment feel more tolerant," writes one student on CollegeProwler.com.
The public school has an undergraduate enrollment of just over 25,500, 53 percent of who were women in the fall of 2009. At 42 percent, the Asian-American community makes up the majority of the student body, while Caucasians make up 31 percent, followed by Hispanics at 12 percent and African-Americans at 4 percent. The student-to-faculty ratio is 15 to 1.
Tuition at the University of California, Berkeley for the 2010-2011 school year is $12,461 for in-state students (more than three-quarters of Berkeley's student body hails from the school's home state) and $35,340 for out-of-state residents, with 65 percent of all undergraduates receiving some form of aid. What's more, Berkeley claims to educate more economically disadvantaged students than all of the Ivy League universities combined, with 29 percent of its students receiving Pell Grants.
Founded in 1880, the University of Southern California started out with just 53 students and ten teachers. Today, the private college welcomes around 17,000 undergraduates each year who enjoy a 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio, making the college the fourth most desirable large campus and the 15th most desirable urban school on Newsweek's lists.
Unsurprisingly, given the locale for which it's named, the school also comes in at No. 10 on the list of schools that feature both terrific weather and a smart student body. USC also ranks 19th on the list of schools best for future power brokers and 23rd on the list of best gay-friendly colleges.
Admission to the university is competitive, as USC admitted just 24 percent of its 35,753 applicants in the fall of 2009. Admitted students have an average weighted GPA of 4.05 with an average 1470 on their SATs. Meanwhile, 72 percent of students graduate within four years.
The campus population consists of 50 percent women and 60 percent of students come from within California. Caucasians make up 44 percent of the student body, Asian-Americans 24 percent, Hispanics 13 percent, and African-Americans 5 percent.
Tuition for the 2009-2010 school year was $53,617, with 76 percent of students receiving some form of aid that year.
Scripps College is the women's college of The Claremont Colleges, a collection of five undergraduate colleges and two graduate institutions in Claremont, California. Scripps finds itself ranked 22nd on Newsweek's list of most desirable suburban colleges--its 37-acre campus at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains is listed in the National Register of Historic Places--and 11th on Newsweek's roundup of schools that combine super minds with super climates.
Scripps offered a 10 to 1 student-to-faculty ratio in 2009 and enrolled 898 undergrads, the bulk of which were from California. Ninety-six percent of students reside on campus, and the majority of the student body is made up of Caucasians, followed by Asian and Asian-Americans, African-Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans, respectively.
Tuition, including room and board, for the 2009-2010 school year was $50,550 and 51 percent of the student body received some form of aid that year.
Founded in 1919 with just over 1,000 students, the University of Los Angeles's campus had 26,500 undergraduates as of the fall of 2009. That figure won't shrink anytime soon: UCLA boasts a 97 percent retention rate for its freshmen. No wonder--the school is among Newsweek's most desirable urban (No. 20) and large (No. 8) schools.
And, like several schools in the system, it sits on the list of schools that offer both terrific weather and strong academics. UCLA comes in at No. 12.
The student body is made up of 56 percent women. Nearly forty percent of its students are Asian-American. Caucasians account for 33 percent, followed by Hispanics at 15 percent and African-Americans at 4 percent. Almost all students--94 percent--hail from California.
Tuition for in-state students for the 2010-2011 school year is $29,682. At $52,561, the cost for out-of-state students is significantly more. In the 2009-2010 academic year, 52 percent of UCLA undergraduates received financial aid, with the average award totaling $17,000.
With its sunny location in Eagle Rock, California, just outside of Los Angeles, Occidental College lands at No. 13 on Newsweek's list of best colleges for climate and academics.
Occidental College has 1,868 students from 46 states and 23 countries. The majority of the student body is Caucasian, followed by Asian-American, Hispanic, African-American, international and Native American. Almost three quarters of the student body live on campus.
Occidental offers a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, and notes that it received over 6,000 applications for approximately 465 spots in 2009. Tuition for the 2009-2010 school year was $52,960, and over three quarters of Occidental's students received financial aid.
The University of California, San Diego's campus turned 50 years old in 2010. That's young for a school that has achieved so much, including multiple appearances on "best of" lists compiled by US News & World Report, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review. Newsweek adds another honor to the roster, by placing it 14th among its schools combining terrific weather with a smart student body.
The designation seems appropriate for a research university widely recognized as a leader in climate-science research. And with a student body that averaged 29 on their ACTs and 1360 on their SATs and approximately 147 sunny days a year, it's no wonder the school is so highly regarded. Of course, being amongst the best has its downside: Although the total campus enrollment is 29,110 students, UC San Diego received more than 47,000 freshmen applications for fall 2009. Only about 42 percent were offered admission.
Undergraduates who are residents should budget approximately $25,000 for tuition, room and board, fees and personal expenses for the 2010-2011 academic year; non-residents should budget closer to $47,000.
Sunshine most of the year? Check. Beautiful ocean view? Check. That's just part of Malibu, California-based Pepperdine University's appeal. The other half is the private school's reputation for rigorous academics, putting it at No. 15 on Newsweek's list of colleges that offer the best climate and the best academics.
A relatively young university, Pepperdine was founded in 1937 and is affiliated with Churches of Christ, though students of all faiths are welcomed. "It's a faith-based school," writes one student on CollegeProwler.com. "They advertise this everywhere, so students seriously considering Pepperdine need to be comfortable with asking vocational questions and being exposed to Christian ideas and values. It's not a party school--prepare for learning and adventure--sober."
The school enrolls approximately 7,700 students each year in its two colleges, Seaver College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and Graziadio School of Business and Management. Tuition is $36,770 per year.
Soka University of America may be small, but it's big on diversity. Though the much younger sister school to the Soka University of Japan has only been around about a decade--and enrolls just 378 undergrads, the school has already been noticed in Newsweek's rankings, taking spots on four of our "best of" lists. It is the 20th most desirable suburban school in the nation and the 24th most desirable small school.
It is also 12th on the list for diversity. This makes sense when you consider the college's mission is founded on Buddhist principles of peace and human rights and the responsibilities of global citizenship. The college draws over half of its student body from countries outside the United States and includes in its four-year curriculum (and tuition) a semester abroad for every undergraduate.
Located in Aliso Viejo, in Orange County, California, the private liberal arts college occupies 103 acres just miles from the beach, which helps account for its 16th position in the list of schools offering terrific weather with strong academics.
SUA claims a 9:1 student-to-teacher ratio and an average class size of 13 students.
Founded as a prep school in 1851, Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California, bills itself as California's oldest-operating institution of higher education. The school became Santa Clara University 60 years later in 1912.
Located at the southern tip of the San Francisco Bay, SCU's students enjoy 189 days of sunshine a year. Paired with its "excellent academics" (according to its students on CollegeProwler.com), the Jesuit, Catholic university lands at No. 17 on Newsweek's list of colleges with the best climate and the best academics.
Santa Clara University enrolled 5,200 students in the fall of 2009, 53 percent of who were women. The majority of undergraduates are Caucasian, followed by students from Asian, Hispanic, African-American, Native American and multicultural backgrounds. Roughly half of SCU's students live on campus.
Tuition for the 2010-2011 school year is $37,368 and 81 percent of students in 2009 received aid. Santa Clara University retains 93 percent of its freshman, 85 percent of who will graduate, according to university figures.
"Beach life is addictive," writes one student on the University of San Diego's page on CollegeProwler.com. And with a campus that occupies 180 acres overlooking Mission Bay with views of the Pacific Ocean, how could it not be?
That doesn't mean it's all play and no work for students at this private Roman Catholic school--the school is Number 18 on Newsweek's list of colleges combining a terrific climate with strong academics. Its mission is to advance academic excellence, expand liberal and professional knowledge and create a diverse and inclusive community while preparing leaders dedicated to ethical conduct and compassionate service. The school seems to be delivering on that mission, as the school also ranks 14th on the list of 25 schools with the most service-minded students.*
The University of San Diego, founded in 1949, today has more than 5000 undergraduates and 808 faculty. Women make up 58 percent of the student population. The majority of students come from California, and approximately 63 percent are white, followed by Hispanics (15 percent), Asian-Americans (10 percent) and African-Americans (3 percent).
The school admits 52 percent of its applicants, for a student to faculty ratio of 15 to 1.
Tuition for 2010-2011 is $36,950. In the school year beginning in 2009, 60 percent of students received some form of financial aid.
*For the complete college rankings from Washington Monthly, visit their website at www.washingtonmonthly.com.
Founded in 1851, the University of the Pacific was the first chartered university in the state of California, and since then it's racked up a whole lot more "firsts." It was the state's first co-ed university; in 1963, it launched the country's first bilingual college; and it was the first school nationwide to offer a "four year guarantee" promising students that they would graduate on time. U of P prides itself on giving students a practical education, guaranteeing internship opportunities and offering more than 80 majors and courses of study--a lot for a school of some 3,500 undergrads.
Another point of pride is the school's extensive study-abroad program. Students can study in more than fifty different countries. But why would they leave? Ranking nineteen on our list of schools with the best weather, the university's main undergraduate campus is in Stockton, California, an hour and a half east of San Francisco, and within a few hours of Yosemite National Park, Lake Tahoe, and the California Delta. In the 2009-2010 academic year, students paid an average of $40,998 for tuition, fees, and room and board.
Founded in 1965, the University of California, Santa Cruz is a relatively young public institution, and yet has managed to snag a spot on Newsweek's list of top 20 colleges for climate and academics. The school is also ranked the 15th best gay-friendly in the nation.
In a roundup that seems to speak further to UCSC's broad-minded atmosphere, the most popular majors in the fall of 2008, the most recent year data was available, were psychology, art, business management economics, literature and environmental studies, respectively.
The University of California, Santa Cruz has an undergraduate enrollment of just over 16,000. Women hold the majority here, however slightly, at 53 percent. The student body is largely Caucasian (50 percent), followed by Asian-American (22 percent), Hispanic (17 percent) and African-American (3 percent). Tuition for in-state students totals $29,385, while non-California residents can expect to pay $52,263 in the upcoming 2010-2011 school year.
The University of California at Santa Barbara claims spot No. 21 on Newsweek's list of colleges with the best climate and academics. As one student writes on CollegeProwler.com, "Tourists pay money to hang out here for a vacation, and UCSB students get to live here full time!"
Of course, the year-round warm weather and rigorous academics come at a price that no tourist will likely pay on a weeklong vacation. In-state tuition at the public university is around $9,000, while non-residents will pay roughly $31,700. That disparity is reflected in the school's percentage of out-of-state students--just 4 percent. Twenty-five percent of all students receive financial aid, according to CollegeProwler.com.
Close to 19,000 students are enrolled at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and 54 percent of them are women. Caucasians consist of 51 percent of the student body, followed by Hispanics at 20 percent, Asians at 16 percent and African-Americans at three percent.
Chapman University's Orange County, California, location (just an hour outside of Los Angeles), gives its students only 35 rainy days a year and an average temperature of 65 degrees, sealing the school's place at No. 22 among the top 25 colleges with the best climate, as ranked by Newsweek.
One of the oldest universities in California, Chapman University will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2011. Communications and business rank as the liberal arts college's top majors for its more than 4,000 undergrads, nearly 60 percent of who are women. The school accepts less than a third of its applicants, and those who attend averaged a 29 on the ACT and 1340 on the SAT.
On average, students paid $36,764 in tuition and fees for the 2009-2010 academic year, a nearly six percent increase from the previous year, according to Department of Education data. Chapman's mission is "to provide personalized education of distinction that leads to inquiring, ethical and productive lives as global citizens."
With an average temperature of 63°F, 186 sunny days and only 35 rainy ones every year, La Mirada, California-based Biola University is counted as one of the schools with the best climate.
Founded in 1908, the private Christian university's mission is "biblically centered education, scholarship and service--equipping men and women in mind and character to impact the world for the Lord Jesus Christ."
Biola admits more than 80 percent of applicants, and students averaged a 27 on the ACT and 1250 on the SAT. Business, communications, theology and psychology are among the most popular areas of study for the school's nearly 4,000 undergrads, and the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 17:1. Tuition for the 2009-2010 academic year was $27,744, a five percent increase from the previous year.
Founded in 1855 as the first college in San Francisco, California, the University of San Francisco, a private, Jesuit Catholic university welcomes 5,521 undergraduates each year. On average, the school retains 82 percent of its freshmen and 49 percent of all full-time students will graduate within four years.
Students no doubt enjoy San Francisco's year-round balmy weather, as the school ranks No. 24 on Newsweek's list of 25 colleges best for academics and climate. (The majority of these students must know not to leave a good thing behind, as just 31 percent of USF's students are from out of state.)
Tuition for the 2009-2010 school year was $50,710, with 68 percent of students receiving some form of financial aid. Each year, the school admits around 71 percent of applicants, and currently, women comprise 63 percent of the campus. Meanwhile, Caucasians make up just 36 percent of the student body, followed closely by Asian-Americans at 21 percent. Hispanics are the next largest segment of the population, at 14 percent, followed by African-Americans at five percent. The student-to-faculty ratio is 15 to 1.
At No. 25, Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, rounds out Newsweek's list of top 25 colleges for climate and academics.
Founded in 1937, Westmont is a private liberal arts college with roots in the Christian faith. It enrolls 1,347 students from 36 states and 13 countries, with 63 percent of students coming from within California. Westmont admitted 80 percent of the 1,817 students who applied in the fall of 2009. About 79 percent of those students will graduate in four years.
The majority--63 percent--of the student body is female. Sixty-seven percent of students are Caucasian. Hispanics make up the next largest segment at 11 percent, followed by Asian-Americans at nine percent and African-Americans at three percent. The student-to-faculty ratio is 12 to 1.
Tuition for the 2009-2010 school year was $48,150 and 96 percent of Westmont students that year received some form of financial aid.


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The Indians were back at home on Father's Day after a brief 1-year hiatus, and Alan and I celebrated with the Indians for the 4th time in the last 6 years. We made the day even more memorable by playing baseball on all three sites where professional baseball has been played in Cleveland — thus hitting our baseball trifecta for the first time since August 2014.
The day began for us at League Park, where about 400 people (according to the League Park Twitter account) gathered to play catch between 11am and 1pm (before first pitch of a semi-pro game). Alan and I parked on Lexington Ave right near the 290′ sign in the right field corner. We saw there was quite a bit of open space in the expansive outfield, so Alan asked if he could bring his bat and hit. I only had two balls in the car — one Rawlings "C" ball that I had just bought at Target that morning and a neon, rubberized "C" ball that was in Alan's equipment bag — but we made it work anyway.
Note: We actually had a third baseball – an "All-Star Dad" gold ball that Alan had just given me for Father's Day, but I didn't want to get that one dirty!
I ended up pitching to Alan in medium deep right-center field, with him hitting towards the wall. The rubberized ball had some nice roll to it, so Alan was able to reach the outfield wall on his best hit. We also played catch in addition to hitting. In all, we played for about 15-20 minutes before heading to Progressive Field — which was no easy task in the record-breaking heat (the high of 94 degrees at Hopkins airport was a record for June 17). Alan described it as though we were "muffins being cooked in the oven."
Despite the heat, we still had fun and plan to return to League Park next Father's Day, when the organizers of the Baseball Heritage Museum hope to set a world record for the largest game of catch! As original League Park petition-signers back in 2010 and 2012 (to rehab the grounds for baseball purposes), Alan and I definitely want to be a part of that event!
When we arrived at Progressive Field, we headed straight for the air-conditioned team shop. After cooling down from our walk to the ballpark, we went up to the Kids Clubhouse. The line was long due to the number of families at the ballpark, but Alan wanted to wait it out for the train table. We spent about three innings in line and four innings inside.
Afterwards, we made our way to Heritage Park to meet with other season ticket holders who had used their points to play Catch on the Field. We watched Cody Allen work a quick 9th to cap the Indians 4-1 win over the Twins (the first MLB win of Shane Bieber's career) from the Frank Robinson statue.
When it was time to enter the field, we dodged the sprinklers and set up to play catch in right field. The rubberized ball skipped pretty well along the outfield grass, so we played from a pretty good distance. The Indians gave us a ball to play catch with as well (another Rawlings "C" ball, only softer and with a blue panel). We made it for approximately 15 minutes before Alan sought out one of the sprinklers to cool off.
After we finished playing catch, Alan got in line to run the bases for the first time this season. Following a photograph by the dugout, we sat in the stands and drank water before trekking back to our car.
But of course we weren't done just yet. After the Tribe game, we headed to the grounds of Old Municipal and played catch outside the same University Hospitals gate where we played 3 years ago. This time, though, there was a Jim Brown statue at the gate, and Alan got to read about Brown's career accomplishments. Alan commented Jim Brown must've been the "LeBron James of the Browns."
So in summary, Alan go to hit, run, and throw where the Indians have played baseball for the past 127 years. And I got to have another ideal Father's Day with my buddy!


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For months, Ohio's Democratic gubernatorial primary was framed both nationally and in the state as a closer-than-expected matchup between a famous lefty firebrand scrapper, Dennis Kucinich, and the staid Establishment choice, Richard Cordray. So when Cordray crushed Kucinich by 40 points on Tuesday night, it was a clear loss for the theory that Donald Trump–era politics has been completely overtaken by showmanship. And it was a significant win for Democrats hoping to steer their party far in the opposite direction come November.
Cordray, after all, makes a show of not being a showman. Here's a man who's been physically compared to 30 Rock's wide-eyed Kenneth the Page for years, who was referred to in a recent Toledo Blade editorial ("Boring may prevail in Ohio gubernatorial race") as "plodding [but] rational," and whose central campaign bet was depicted by the New York Times as a "hope that voters will not mistake boring for moderate."
Cordray is, indeed, not aiming to invigorate the furious Democratic base with the anti-Establishment fire of Elizabeth Warren, his highest-profile surrogate and political ally. Instead, his game is to remind voters that as a onetime Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director under Barack Obama, an Ohio attorney general, state treasurer, and state solicitor general, he has the experience to protect everyday voters and ensure them quality health care and economic security.
If that sounds nothing like Trump's fire and fury — or if it sounds, to borrow from the Blade and the Times, boring — that's partially the point of Cordray's style of campaigning. Cordray is well on his way to becoming the highest-profile test case for the handful of national Democratic leaders now betting that at a time when voters can't turn on their televisions or open a newspaper without hearing about Trump, a pitch centered on competence may be enough to win in 2018, and maybe in 2020 — even in a state where Trump easily beat Hillary Clinton.
"His brand fits very well at a time when people are seeing showbiz-type politics out of Washington. Having someone say, 'I'm not here to run a show, I'm here to run the state effectively,' it's a strong brand," predicted Ohio Democratic Party chairman David Pepper.
It's the kind of brand that some Democrats are betting could put the party back on the path to winning in Trump-friendly destinations in a brutal midterm season.
A big part of that bet's origin story begins in late December 2017 and early January of this year, when a pair of veteran Democratic strategists made the rounds in Washington to sell their party's leaders and operatives on the idea that there were some big — if unglamorous — lessons from Doug Jones's victory over Roy Moore in Alabama that they would be wise to apply in November's elections.
Joe Trippi, who'd worked as Jones's media strategist, spoke with officials at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Paul Maslin, Jones's pollster, presented his findings to a meeting of Democratic senators' chiefs of staff. The pair teamed up to sit down with the liberal Center for American Progress think tank.
Sure, they acknowledged both in behind-closed-doors sessions and in public, Moore was obviously a fundamentally flawed candidate. But, went a central piece of their pitch, Jones was successful in part because of his message of stability and, well, basic competence. The argument wasn't quite that "boring is beautiful." Yet, at a time of nonstop Trump-driven shock and awe back in Washington, they found that the candidate's calm, understated mien and focus on his experience won over exhausted voters. Following this line of messaging certainly wouldn't mean running a soft-on-Trump or cynically centrist campaign — just look at Ralph Northam's huge win last November in Virginia's gubernatorial race: the then-lieutenant governor called the president a "narcissistic maniac" during his run — but in most cases voters can draw the contrast with the Oval Office for themselves.
"Given the president's historically low approval ratings, the energy among Democrats and the real exhaustion we saw in Alabama in elements of the GOP — they are tired of the chaos and the feeling they have of constantly being on edge, all created by Trump — Democrats with the right message will win a larger majority than people are expecting," Trippi urged in the Times in January. "That includes less stridency and more common-sense policies and solutions."
Their argument wasn't exactly welcomed by fed-up progressives who wanted bolder anger from their candidates, but it gained steam in March after Conor Lamb's win in a congressional special election in Pennsylvania.
Cordray himself is no direct product of this push — he announced his candidacy a week before the Alabama election, and had been plotting his run for months — but he fits the style. And his early success suggests it's working.
Though the contest ended up being defined largely by Kucinich's ties to Bashar al-Assad and Cordray's record on guns, the primary was read by many voters as an at-times neck-and-neck insurgent-versus-party-man showdown. (There were vanishingly few public polls.)
That was an overly simplistic framing, but the choice was clear to primary voters. While Cordray had the support of many state Democratic leaders and labor groups, and he featured Barack Obama in his ads, his most prominent surrogate by far was the liberal hero Warren, who created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that he ran. The potential 2020 presidential candidate endorsed the progressive Cordray as soon as he announced his candidacy and marshaled her large email list to raise money and organize for him early, before dropping into Cincinnati to talk about the opioid epidemic alongside him last month. She then hosted a fundraiser for him in person, and rallied a crowd at Ohio State University in Columbus.
Yet while Cordray agitates for change in the state capital, the core of his stump is a nerdy policy-heavy appeal. His buttoned-up stick-to-the-script speeches couldn't be further from Trump's MAGA rallies.
"I just think that could be a relief for voters when the daily chaos in Washington is stressing everybody out," said Pepper. "There's something soothing about a candidate who says, 'I'm not here to entertain you, I'm here to get the job done.'"


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Summary: The WEC are pressuring voters to accept insecure election equipment, when they should be pressuring vendors to improve it. 7-minute read.
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The woman's friend doesn't need to throw any punches. But he should at least say: "Hey, buddy. You're out of line. Move on."
The last thing you expect him to do is to tell the woman: "You need to trust. This guy's offer sounds legit. He's got a nice car. Go ahead; get in."
That's like what's happening with WEC (the should-be friend); voters; and voting-machine companies (the masher). Voting machine companies are offering risky equipment, and WEC is pressuring voters to get in the car:
- Some models of ballot-marking devices (BMDs) print ballots with the votes recorded in barcodes, rather than in marked ovals beside candidates' names. BMDs are necessary for people who cannot mark their own ballots. The problem is that barcoded votes make it impossible for voters to verify which candidates will get their votes. Even a voter carrying a barcode reader wouldn't be able to tell whether 02060101 was the right candidate. The barcoded ballots also print the candidate's names as text, but the computers count only the barcoded votes. The Commission has approved two barcoding BMDs: the ES&S ExpressVote and the Dominion ICE.
- Hybrid voting machines combine a ballot-marking device and tabulator in one machine, which sounds okay until you know that, after a voter has inspected the ballot and inserted it back into the machine for counting, the machine passes the ballot back under the printer head. As a result, the machines can be mis-programmed to print additional votes on the ballots or to make marks that invalidate the ones the voters made. Like barcoding, that makes voter verification impossible. Dominion ICE is the only hybrid voting machine currently in use in Wisconsin.
Manufacturer ES&S recently asked the Commission for permission to sell an updated voting system that includes both a safe BMD (the Automark) and a risky, barcoding BMD (the ExpressVote). The Commission took the matter up at their June meeting.
In advance of that meeting, dozens of voters contacted the Commission, asking them to deny approval to the barcoding machine. After reading the voters' emails, the commissioners saw a problem, but it wasn't the security flaw. The problem they saw was voter resistance to the security flaw. (With one exception–see the footnote)
When they met on June 11, neither staff nor commissioners were coy about the purpose of the meeting. Administrator Meagan Wolfe introduced the staff who "conducted the campaign to approve the voting equipment." (Staff are campaigning to approve the equipment? Shouldn't they at least be impartial?) (At 11:30 in this video recording of the meeting.)
Commissioner Mark Thomsen was equally clear about what he wanted from the meeting: "I'd like to be reassured about any security issues and that the public knows that we don't have a problem there." (38:38 in that video) (Shouldn't he instead like to be educated about the security issues? And want the public to be well-informed?)
Were these mere figures of speech? Did Wolfe and Thomsen instead mean to say that they wanted to conduct a rigorous assessment to reduce or eliminate the risks?
No, they did not. Watch that video and you will see staff, commissioners, and ES&S sales representatives working together with shared and very limited purpose: To convince each other and the voters that all is well.
Had commissioners come to the meeting ready to grapple with and resolve the security issues, they would quickly have posed the obvious first question, given the controversy: Why are barcodes used at all? Particularly when it is demonstrably possible to manufacture a machine with all the desirable features of the ExpressVote but without the barcodes? What benefit do the barcodes provide, to whom, that justifies degrading voter verifiability like this?
But no one asked. So no one answered.
That wasn't the only important question unasked and unanswered. Tony Bridges, the Commission's Election Security lead, reassured the commissioners that the votes recorded as text, rather than the barcodes, will be counted in recounts and audits. (Starts at 48:12 in the video linked above.)
The Commissioners know — even if Bridges does not — that in 2016 the Commission testified in court that statutes give counties, not the Commission,
Several commissioners are lawyers. If they had been engaged in assessing risks rather than excusing them, they surely would have also noticed that no Wisconsin statute anticipates that votes will be recorded twice on the same ballot. That creates a rat's nest of legal questions around barcoded ballots: Which is the 'real' vote?
What does it say about the validity of results in un-recounted races when the Commission insists, as Bridges suggests, that only those votes recorded as text are reliable enough to decide a recount? One of the candidates in the next contested recount might suspect he or she got more votes from the barcoded ballots. When that candidate challenges the hand-counting counties, what legal argument will the Commission suggest to those clerks to defend Bridges' method against pressure to recount by machine?
Bridges' proposal is just as problematic for voting-machine audits. For years, the Commission has repeatedly asserted that this state's audit law, s.7.08(6), Wis. Stats., requires auditors to read the votes the way the machines are designed to read them. Reading only the text votes from barcoded ballots cannot fulfill that requirement, because the tabulators don't use those votes. So Bridges' proposed audits do not qualify as s.7.08(6) audits. Yet those are the only audits the Commission has authority to order.
None of that came out in the meeting, however, because the commissioners were wholly fixated on defending the barcoding BMD. Having built up the illusion that officials will routinely check the barcodes for accuracy, Bridges' testimony was on
The manufacturer's claims were also accepted without question. None, however, stand up to even simple critical examination.
- The manufacturer's first argument is: "The voters can verify the votes that are printed as text."
If any commissioners had been working to protect voters, they would have said: "We cannot consider something that's never counted to be a 'vote.' So we don't see the value in verifying the text. It's the votes that will be counted that must be verifiable to comply with the law that says that voters must be able to privately verify the votes selected."
No commissioner said that.
- The next argument is: "Audits and recounts will notice if the barcoded votes differ from the printed text."
If any commissioners had been working to protect voters, they would have told the manufacturer that is irrelevant in Wisconsin. Here, very few races are protected by recounts because recounts are allowed only when preliminary results are too close to have been hacked (Manipulated results will surely have a victory margin larger than 0.25%.) Audits protect even fewer races because the Commission has no authority to correct election results even if an audit detects a problem in the sampled machines.
No commissioner brought that up.
- Manufacturers offer a third defense when they are forced to admit the votes printed as text are merely decorative. They have built a feature into the BMDs that allows a curious voter to reinsert the ballot into the machine that printed it, which will read the barcode and display the votes on a monitor.
If any commissioners had been working to protect voters, they would have pointed out that's
notverification. It requires a voter to trust the machine once to print the correct votes, and then trust it again to read back the correct votes. If a barcoding BMD is programmed to print the wrong votes in the barcode, it will also be programmed to read the right votes back to the voter.
No commissioner pointed that out.
- For their final line of defense, ES&S falls back on obfuscation. The manufacturer explains that the tabulator uses the same set of codes to interpret both marked ovals and barcodes. For example, the code assigned to a candidate whose oval is located in the second row of the sixth column on the first side of the first page of a printed ballot would be 02060101. The barcoded votes for that candidate contain a reference to that same spot—02060101.
If any commissioners had been working to protect voters, they would scoffed and said, "If the voter hasn't verified it, we don't care how the tabulator reads it. Stop yammering about irrelevant technicalities and bring us a BMD with the good features of the ExpressVote and voter-verifiable ballots."
None of the commissioners scoffed.
Staff contributed additional weak arguments to help ES&S sell their machines:
- Staff pointed out that they found no problems with the barcodes when they tested the systems. They did not mention that the machines used by Election-Day voters will be at risk of mis-programming, while the machines provided by ES&S for testing were not.
- Staff said that previous recounts and audits found no problems with incorrect barcodes in past elections. They did not explain how that protects future elections.
- Staff told commissioners that local officials often test the machines before each election. They did not explain that pre-election tests provide no security against malicious code, which would be designed never to reveal itself before Election Day.
No surprise: After this discussion, the Commission voted unanimously to approve the machine, and instructed its staff to reassure the voters. A few days later, every voter who had urged caution got an email from Public Information Officer Reid Magney. Following the commissioners' instruction to convince voters that barcoded votes are "a perceived problem, not a real one," (43:32), Magney uncritically repeated the manufacturer's claims and even used the opportunity to distribute an ES&S marketing brochure.
So here's a direct plea to the Wisconsin Elections Commission and their staff: Stop seeing it as your job to make the companies' case to the voters. Start making the voters' case to the companies.
When you hear manufacturers' claims, make skepticism your default attitude. When you hear voters' concerns, default to curiosity.
When a law or regulation can be interpreted either way, go with the common-sense interpretation that favors the voters' interests. Don't devote extra effort to wresting out an interpretation that favors the voting machine companies' interests. (I'm looking at you, Staff Attorney Michael Haas—1:27:00.)
Demand security from them, not trust
In short, WEC, come over to the voters' side where you belong.
Footnote: Chair Dean Knudson's line of questioning, which starts around 50:00, was responsive to concerns about pre-election testing. However, to be fair, that line of questioning challenged only election officials to reduce the risks of barcodes. He did not challenge the manufacturer to eliminate them.
* * *
Note to the media: Voters could use your help in getting the WEC to work on tabulation security, rather than to continue working on reassurance.
The security problems with barcoding and hybrid BMDs are being taken very seriously outside Wisconsin. Federal election-security legislation has been introduced that would prohibit their use. Senator Tammy Baldwin is co-sponsoring the Senate bill, SB 1472; Representative Mark Pocan voted for the House bill, HR 2722.
If you ever ask WEC about election security, be prepared to receive a list of measures they have taken to protect the voter registration system, WisVote. The list will not explain–unless you press–that those measures don't protect the tabulation system.
The WEC might also list some things they have done related to securing the tabulation system. Before you file your story, notice which


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Former CIA Director John Brennan is being held as a martyr by the left after President Trump stripped his security clearance last week. They're defending Brennan as a truth teller, even a whistleblower, and claiming Trump is infringing on Brennan's First Amendment rights by denying him access to classified information.
But it wasn't so long ago that Democrats felt very differently about Brennan. In fact, a number of lawmakers on the left side of the aisle have called for his resignation in the past. From The Hill in 2014:
Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) became the first senator to make the call when he issued a statement declaring that he had "no choice but to call for the resignation of CIA Director John Brennan."
"The CIA unconstitutionally spied on Congress by hacking into Senate Intelligence Committee computers," he said.
"This grave misconduct not only is illegal, but it violates the U.S. Constitution's requirement of separation of powers," Udall continued. "These offenses, along with other errors in judgment by some at the CIA, demonstrate a tremendous failure of leadership, and there must be consequences."
Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), another member of the Intel panel, made the same demand later in the day.
"I think that at this point, it would probably be better for the agency, frankly, if he step aside," Heinrich said in the Capitol on Thursday evening. "I think that the level of trust between the committee and the director has hit a new low and I think today's revelations largely sorted out who was being accurate in the run-up to this, and it leads to me believe that it's probably time for him to go."
The New York Times editorial board echoed these sentiments, saying Brennan's head may "need to roll" over the CIA spying on Senate computers, which Brennan lied about.
Some called Brennan an "embarrassment" to President Barack Obama, who appointed him as the nation's leading spy.
And others wondered if Brennan knew too much about drone strikes killing innocent civilians, therefore making him immune to firing.
You get the idea.
The question now is, if Brennan was worth firing, why is taking away his security clearance such an egregious offense?


text: ARB Pureview Torch 800 is a rugged and versatile torch. Using LUMINUS® SST40 800 lumen LED's, the beam pattern on the ARB Pureview Torch is superb. With a beam distance of up to 300m, this torch provides excellent distance. Supporting 4 different modes, high, medium, low and strobe via the one digital multi-purpose switch will provide the right light with ease. Concealed in aircraft grade aluminium and with an IP55 dust/mud/water resistant construction this light is perfect no matter what the weather conditions. Supporting fast charge technology to the integrated LI-ION battery via a dedicated hidden USB charge port complete with high current braided USB cable. The fast charge uses the digital switch to open up the circuit to allow all available current from the USB input to charge the flashlight back up in the shortest time available at any state of charge. Keeping the LED protected is the virtually shatter-proof polycarbonate lens able to withstand heavy knocks and bangs. To keep your torch handy all the time is a magnetic belt pouch incorporating a steel belt clip and also cable pocket for your USB charge cable to keep all your torch requirements ready when you are. Features & Benefits > 800 lumens > LUMINUS® SST40 with 50,000hr life span > 300m beam distance (984ft) > 2600mah 18650 li-ion battery > High, medium, low & strobe > 5000-8300k colour temp > 800 lumens high - 1.5 hours runtime > 400 lumens medium - 4 hours runtime > 200 lumens low - 7 hours runtime > Strobe - 20 hours runtime > Hidden micro USB charge port internal charging with charge indicator > IP55 dust/mud/water resistant > Polycarbonate shatter-proof lens > Quality braided USB cable > Tested to world standard ANSI ratings > Aircraft grade anodised aluminium > Includes lanyard and magnetic belt pouch > Laser etched ARB logos Technical Specifications > Beam distance - 300m/984ft > Lumens - 800 high, 400 medium, 200 low > LED type - LUMINUS® SST40 > Battery - 3.7V 2600mah 18650 li-ion battery > Runtime - 8 hours - low, 4 hours - medium, 1.5 hours - high & 20 hours - strobe > IP rating - IP55 (Dust/mud & high-pressure water resistant) > Charge time - Up to 4 hours via USB charge cable > Accessories - Micro USB high current braided cable, belt pouch > Certificates - CE & RCM(SAA)


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Webinar Title:Mobile Robot Safety: Risks, Responsibilities and ROI
Early Registration Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2216053079530/WN_1Km9ouxwSVGKaZc1sPqMgQ
AutoGuide is once again partnering with Robotics and Automation News to bring you their latest webinar. Brought to you on Thursday, 10th December at 4 pm, European time. Efficiency and safety are often said to be the cornerstones of the autonomous mobile robot (AMR) advantage but what this really mean? Safe implementation of AMRs presents opportunities for increased productivity, improved worker conditions, and (surprise) faster ROI. [Read more…] about Mobile Robot Safety: Risks, Responsibilities and ROI


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You can now buy the new Humble Indie Bundle 4, a two-week deal that includes five games (Super Meat Boy, Shank, Bit.Trip Runner, Jamestown, and NightSky HD) for whatever price you'd like. The more evil-hearted of you may be thinking of grabbing the games for one cent, but before you do, keep in mind that the proceeds will go — by default — 65 percent to the developers, 20 percent to charity, and 15 percent to Humble Bundle. You can customize those percentages and choose between the American Red Cross and Child's Play charities, and to sweeten the deal even more, you'll get Gratuitous Space Battles and Cave Story+ for free if you spend more than the average price ($5.32 at the time of writing). All of the games work on Windows, Mac, and Linux, are DRM-free, and you can redeem them on Steam if you so choose.
Update, 12/20: The bundle's even more irresistible today, as now those paying over the average ($5.15) get And Yet It Moves, VVVVVV, Cogs, Crayon Physics Deluxe and Hammerfight as part of the deal!


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*Sentiment from the Treasured Words stamp set from Verve Stamps.
*R32 G21, BV00 and B23 markers from Copic.
*Tuxedo Black stamp pad from Memento.
Viva la Verve Wk #1 sketch
Verve Diva Dare Celebrate good times
Verve Retrospective July release project {Happy Place}
Word Art Wednesday #146 Anything goes
Open-Minded Crafting Fun #17 Last days of summer
Suzy Bees Bloomin #43 Anything goes
Add a Little Dazzle #39 Anything goes or inspirational photo
Simon Says {Mon} Anything goes
Artistic Inspiration #105 Up. Up and Away &/or anything goes
Inspiration sketch


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Improving the Quality of Construction - a guide for actions, 2004. Electronic version in encrypted PDF.
SUMMARY A best-practice approach to help solve a worldwide lack of Quality of Construction calls for action by FIDIC, FIDIC Member Associations, firms and international financing agencies.
A survey on verifying the extent of the problem within Member Associations and client organizations was conducted by the Task Force during April to June, 2001. The results of the survey, presented at the FIDIC 2001 Annual Conference, confirmed that a problem did in fact exist on a global scale. The Task Force subsequently started work on the development of a guide for actions. FIDIC has issued many publications which reflect on quality including guides, agreements, policy statements, contract documents, procedures and advice. The approach taken for this guide was to:
FIDIC believes that construction must be sustainable, and to this end, it is the federation's policy that each party in the construction process must be committed to satisfying its obligations with respect to achieving Quality of Construction. Quality of Construction in this context is defined as that quality, which meets or exceeds the requirements of the employer, as specified in the contract documents, while complying with law, codes, standards and regulatory policy that apply to the contract for construction. FIDIC also supports the following statement taken from the American Association of Civil Engineers publication Quality in the constructed project - a guide for owners, developers and constructors:"Quality in the constructed project is achieved when the project team works together to fulfill their responsibilities to complete the project objectives in a manner that satisfies the requirements of each participant. The agreement between the owner and design professionals, and the contract between the owner and constructor, are the cornerstones of project quality The process of developing these documents provides a structured forum for participants to express their requirements and align their interests. As a project proceeds, these documents are a key source of understanding for project objectives and the responsibilities of each team member. The level of project quality is directly related to the clarity with which the team members understand and express their requirements."
Working in partnership with:
World Trade Center II | Geneva Airport Box 311
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Question Description
Learning about Qualitative and Quantitative Research
Gaining an in-depth understanding research designs was the most critical element gleaned from Week 4 readings and lesson. The most challenging issue was differentiating between qualitative and quantitative research. However, exposure to the readings and lesson allowed me to confidently differentiate between the two. First, the type of data has helped me to understand the difference between qualitative and quantitative research. Quantitative research generates numerical data while qualitative research produces information about people's subjective feelings and opinions that cannot be quantified using numbers. Secondly, I have also learned that quantitative research uses measurable and statistical techniques to uncover patterns and draw conclusions. Comparatively, qualitative research focuses on gaining in-depth understanding of a nursing phenomenon based on human experience, behavior, attitudes, motivations, and intentions (Houser, 2018).
Interesting Study Design
An exploratory study design is the most interesting research design that would be useful in investigating a nursing problem. According to Houser (2018), exploratory studies are either qualitative or mixed methods, although they can also employ quantitative measures. Additionally, they are descriptive because they explore and describe a specific nursing phenomenon. The possibility of employing quantitative methods has influenced the decision of choosing the exploratory study design. Mixed methods research is increasingly gaining prominence in nursing because it strengthens the breadth and depth of understanding a nursing phenomenon. Mixed-method study achieves this goal by integrating both qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the research question from diverse perspectives. Most importantly, the mixed study approach will be instrumental in corroborating findings from both qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques to achieve method triangulation (Shorten & Smith, 2017).
Analysis of Article from Week 3
The article located in Week 3 assignment reported findings from a quantitative study that used the nonexperimental, descriptive study design. Baker, Taggart, Nivens, and Tilman (2015) conducted the study to explore nurses' knowledge of information related to delirium, as well as their perceptions of their knowledge level. The descriptive study design allowed the researchers to describe in more detail a clinical phenomenon. Houser (2018) has argued that the study design is useful when researchers have limited knowledge about the research question. Baker et al. (2015) conducted the study because they knew little about the current confusion among nurses related to the management of patients with delirium. Therefore, the selection of the descriptive research design allowed them to discover baseline information and explain in more detail nurses' level of knowledge related to delirium, including their perceptions of their knowledge level. References
Baker, N., Taggart, H., Nivens, A. & Tillman, P. (2015). Delirium: Why are nurses confused? MedSurg Nursing, 24(1), 15-22.
Houser, J. (2018). Nursing research: Reading, using, and creating evidence(4th ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.
Shorten, A., & Smith, J. (2017). Mixed methods research: Expanding the evidence base. Evidence-Based Nursing, 20(3), 74-75. doi: 10.1136/eb-2017-102699


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Last year, when I heard the honey bee population was suffering from a mysterious insect-world apocalypse, I decided to offer up my lawn for the cause. I would not drown my dandelions in Round Up nor pry them from the earth with a slim forked garden tool. Instead, I vowed, I would let them flourish and propagate in order to provide nectar for the struggling bees. It would be my sacrifice, my contribution to Earth.
This year, come April, I took one look at the blur of yellow blanketing nearly every inch of my front yard and decided bees be damned. Pulling on my gardening gloves, I grabbed the dandelion plucker from the garage and proceeded to rid my lawn of the noxious weed, one bright bloom at a time.
Three days later my front yard was free of dandelions. I also had a raging case of elbow tendonitis (which would later require a cortisone injection that felt a lot like giving birth out of my elbow, but that's another story).
While I might not recommend my particular OCD approach to dandelion digging (It's the Upholder in me. As my husband said, "Do you not understand the concept of moderation?" No, in fact, I do not understand the concept of moderation), I do recommend the habit (or discipline, or practice, or whatever you want to call it) of dandelion digging in general, which comes down to this:
Monotonous physical repetition frees the mind and soul to open, breathe, and rest.
I thought about a lot out there on my knees, scooting from bloom to bloom, pushing the metal prong deep into the moist dirt, wrenching the gnarled, stubborn roots free and tossing them with satisfaction into the metal bin beside me.
I let my mind wander as I listened to the staccato call of the chickadee, the trill of the cardinal, the scamper of the squirrels up the river birch bark. I let my body relax into a rhythm, the cool grass bleeding circles of damp on the knees of my jeans, the plunge and push and pull of my fingernails in the dirt.
Digging dandelions isn't "spiritual" in the traditional sense. I didn't pray or ruminate on Bible verses out there on the front lawn. I didn't do anything, actually (besides dig dandelions). I simply let thoughts come, and then I let them go. I noticed and focused on my environment – the pungent smell of early spring dirt, the fresh scent of new growth high up in the pine boughs, the rise and fall of voices up the street, two neighbors chatting in the morning sun. I let myself be immersed in the sights and sounds and smells of creation, which to me often feels like the best kind of prayer anyway.
It doesn't need to be dandelion weeding specifically, by the way. Any monotonous, repetitious chore is conducive to this kind of spiritual discipline: folding laundry, washing dishes, raking, Windexing windows, painting the baseboards in your bathroom. The key is to move your body repeatedly and automatically and to let your thoughts come and go.
Try making a habit out of doing your most monotonous chores mindfully. Eventually, you'll find, your to-do list will recede into the background. You'll breathe more deeply. And your spirit will feel more at ease.
A Word about the Four Tendencies:
Remember last week when I described Gretchen Rubin's Four Tendencies? You'll see, as we dig into these non-traditional spiritual habits over the next few weeks, that some will be more conducive to particular Tendencies than others.
The spiritual habit of digging dandelions (or doing monotonous chores mindfully), for example, will probably work well for an Upholder (because we respond well to both inner — "Practicing mindfulness will be good for me" — and outer — "My neighbors will appreciate a dandelion-free lawn" — expectations) and the Obliger (who feels accountable to others…like the neighbors). If the Questioner is sold on the rationale ("Because I believe doing a repetitive, monotonous chore is a good way to practice mindfulness, which I want to learn"), then digging dandelions (or something similar) might be a good fit. As for the Rebel…well, only the Rebel can decide what will work for him or her!
Tune in next Tuesday for another Spiritual Habits post.


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If you lack the manpower to grow your business but it's not the right time to hire full time team members – working with a marketing agency is could be the right solution for your business.
Before elaborating on what merchants can achieve by working with agencies, it's helpful to consider a few key questions:
- Are you spending time building a product database?
- Are you selling products in a limited number of sales channels because you don't have the time to understand other potential channels?
- Are you and your team working nights and weekends and still barely maintaining expected levels of customer service?
- Do you spend enough time exploring new buying opportunities? Is that process quantitative or intuition oriented?
- Do you know you're better than your competitors but have the feeling they're still selling more than you?
With those questions and your answers in mind, let's continue. I think it's important for me to preface this post by saying that I am a firm believer in doing what you do best and outsourcing the rest. As a former agency owner, I believe that working with a professional eCommerce agency can help you achieve exactly that – focus on your business responsibilities and let experts do what they do best. Here are the top 5 reasons to consider working with an agency:
- Easy to handle. You have one focal point for various services, such as eCommerce Consulting, UI/UX Design, Online Marketing, Market Analysis and much more.
- Saves time and money. First, you don't have to devote time for recruiting and training the right person that will manage your eCommerce activity. Even the best employee won't be able to do everything. Imaging you just hired a perfect candidate and asked him to improve your product catalog, listing your inventory on new marketplaces, get price quotes from different carriers in order to expand internationally and take care of customer service. Oh, and design some banners for the upcoming holiday season! You could hire 3 different employees (Project Manager, Data Entry and Graphic Design) or you could simple work with an agency that provides an end-to-end solution.
- Experience. Let's say you have some experience but you're not an expert (yet!). Therefore, you will sell $10K per month and not $50K per month; what your business could actually support. You are smart, devoted and will definitely be a professional seller but you're not there yet. The time it takes for you to ramp up will cost you the difference in what you're actually selling and what you could be selling. Using our example from before, each month of not being an expert would cost you $40K/month so in the six months it takes for you to ramp, you will miss $240K of sales (not to mention your time). If you worked with an expert from day one, your learning curve will be higher and you will increase your chances to grow your business faster. In addition, some marketplaces have a complicated registration process and one mistake can result in you not getting permission to sell (sometimes this is an irreversible decision).
- Be part of the party. Good agencies make sure to always know the newest updates – from emerging new markets to new marketing methodologies and trends, and they have the volume to know what works so that you don't waste your time for nothing.
- Do what you love and what you're good at. Use your time to create new business opportunities. For example, are you a good negotiator? Find new vendors and ask them for great deals!
The bottom line is if you can find an agency that believes in you and your business, you can share the growth t and risks of working independently. It also allows you to expand your human capital without the time and costs of hiring and ramping new employees. .
If you're ready to move forward with an agency, I would recommend reaching out for referrals to get you started. I am happy to offer a few of our favorite agencies – just send me a note at email@example.com – or visit our ecosystem page.