text:
Organize your menus and prompts to be mutually exclusive
Recently, I've been asked a half dozen or so questions repeatedly in seminars, phone calls, and e-mails. They fall into two categories: questions about procedures for e-mail and automated voice response, and questions about managing relationships with customers and employees. This column addresses the four hottest procedural questions.
How can we get customers to give us their e-mail addresses when they call to order? What we're doing now doesn't seem to be working.
It's hard to get e-mail addresses when reps aren't enthusiastic about asking for them and don't give customers enough reasons to give out their information. "May I have your e-mail address?" or "Would you like to give us your e-mail address?" are typical requests, and there's nothing compelling about either one.
As most reps see it, capturing e-mail addresses is like asking for source or key codes. They don't understand the value of the information, so it's just one more annoying thing to interrogate the customer about. This is especially true for reps who aren't online or don't use e-mail themselves.
When the rep understands that there is a benefit to the customer, he's more likely to make the request sound appealing. For example, "Would you like to give me your e-mail address so we can let you know when we have a special offer?" provides both information and motivation to the customer.
If you think that your target population doesn't have its own computers, try asking, "Is there an e-mail address you'd like to give us so we can tell you about special offers?" Customers may then give you a spouse's address or the one they use at work. Also, privacy continues to be a concern, so instruct all reps to explain, "We'll only use it to tell you about special offers. We won't share it with anyone else."
How long can we take to answer customer e-mail?
How long do you wait before you check for a response to an e-mail you've sent about something important? If you're like most people, you check every time you get back to your desk. Customer expectations regarding e-mail response time are very high, and industry performance is typically low, at least according to a mid-May report from Jupiter Media Metrix.
Jupiter found that over 50% of customers expect that service problems communicated by e-mail will be resolved within six hours, but fewer than 40% of businesses are meeting that measure. In the survey, one out of four e-mailed inquiries received no answer at all, and it took up to three days for the rest to be answered. What an expectations gap! The irony of such shortfalls is that as soon as customers feel they've waited too long, they'll make a second attempt either by e-mail or phone (a more costly contact for the company as well as the customer).
So it makes sense to answer customer e-mail as quickly as possible. If your e-mail system includes an automated response application, at least let customers know you've received their inquiry and state the time frame within which you answer most inquiries. If you categorize e-mails as they're received, you can give a more realistic estimate based on the actual workflow. Later, if you find that you can't answer on time because your volume is greater than anticipated or a particular problem requires more research, send a brief and exceedingly courteous message explaining the delay.
What's the best way to measure the performance of my e-mail reps?
It's much easier to assess output if an employee handles only one type of inquiry rather than the full range of e-mail you receive. If you aren't set up to sort and categorize e-mail messages or there isn't enough volume in any given category to make exclusive assignments, there's no simple way to set performance measures.
A good place to begin is to study the output of your fastest rep and scale it back for normal people. Or you can start with a middle-of-the-road performer. Either way, you'll need to factor in a typical amount of research time. Writing time is another consideration and will vary depending on whether the reps have to write their answers from scratch, can refer to a library of text paragraphs, or use standing fill-in letters.
Just as for service phone calls, quality measures for e-mail (and all correspondence) should include (1) how well an employee comprehends why the customer initiated the contact, and (2) subsequent accuracy in applying the correct policy guideline. Written tone and language should comply with the standards you've established and trained reps to follow, which may include mirroring the tone and language choices of the customer's communication.
After years of publishing a single phone number for orders and service, we want to switch to an automated response system that prompts the caller to choose the right queue. What can we do to make the transition as smooth as possible for our customers?
Customers tend to resent "self-service" mode unless they experience direct personal benefit from increased speed of access or noticeably better information. Nonetheless, there may be good reasons to make the switch to an automated response system; you save rep time and labor expense if customers can direct themselves to the right work group. Not to mention that the voice response unit doesn't have moods or colds or need an extra cigarette break the way humans occasionally do.
Effective self-direction to the right agent is predicated on the customer's ability to listen to the prompts, understand them, and choose correctly, which can be a dicey proposition. Here are some tips to follow when setting up your system:
- Be sure the customer never has to listen to more than three choices at a time or go through more than two menus to get to the right place.
- Organize your menus and prompts so they are mutually exclusive. For example, separate pre-sale calls from post-sale calls.
- Provide the option to press "zero" for a rep at every point of choice.
- Do whatever you can to ensure that the recording is pleasant and clear and sounds like an intelligent human being — perhaps just the way some of your best reps sound.
Liz Kislik, president of Liz Kislik Associates LLC, works with organizations of all sizes and segments to enhance customer satisfaction, employee success, and business stability. You can reach Liz at 99 West Hawthorne Ave., Suite 200, Valley Stream, NY 11580, call her at (516) 568-2932, or e-mail her at email@example.com.


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In 2008, ICANN approved the program to open up the Internet to thousands of new gTLDs in addition to existing ones such as .COM and .ORG. In response to the expansion and in recognition of what this could mean to financial institutions, their customers and Internet users, a coalition of banks, insurance companies and financial services trade associations partnered to establish fTLD Registry Services (fTLD) in order to apply for and operate the .BANK and .INSURANCE gTLDs on behalf of the global banking and insurance communities. fTLD was granted the right to operate .BANK on Sept. 25, 2014, and its application for .insurance is in the contracting phase with ICANN.
The following information is for organizations seeking to register domain names in .BANK. fTLD will post information about .INSURANCE when it is available.
In the domain name industry organizations and individuals that register domains are called registrants.
Why .BANK?
.BANK will be a protected, trusted, more secure and easily identifiable space on the Internet for the global banking communities and the customers it serves. The .BANK gTLD will have enhanced Security Requirements that exceed that of most existing and new gTLDs. In addition, it opens up much needed real estate on the Internet, providing new marketing and branding opportunities.
Who is eligible for a .BANK domain?
Only verified members of the global banking community are eligible to register domains. For banks it will include charter verification by the registrant's regulator.
- State, regional and provincial banks that are chartered and supervised by a government regulatory authority;
- Savings associations that are charted and supervised by a government regulatory authority;
- National banks that are chartered and supervised by a government regulatory authority;
- Associations whose members are primarily comprised of entities identified above;
- Groups of associations whose members are primarily comprised of associations identified above;
- Service providers that are principally owned by or predominantly supporting regulated entities identified above. (if approved by the Registry Operator Board); and
- Government regulators of chartered and supervised banks or savings associations or organizations whose members are primarily comprised of such government regulators (if approved by the Registry Operator Board).
Please see the .BANK Registrant Eligibility Policy for complete eligibility requirements.
Can I buy any domain I want if I am an eligible registrant?
You can only purchase domains that correspond to your company's trademarks, trade names or service marks. For guidance on selecting domains, please see the .BANK Name Selection Policy for more information.
When can I purchase my .BANK domain?
General Availability for .BANK is estimated in June 2015. Before General Availability, there will be Sunrise and Founders Periods. See more below about the registration periods.
What does a .BANK domain cost?
.BANK registrars are responsible for setting their domain registration fee. Domain registration fees will vary from registrar-to-registrar based on a number of factors including additional services they may offer to registrants. fTLD is responsible only for setting the fee it charges to registrars and it is the same fee for all.
Why is .BANK more expensive than my current domain name?
fTLD's commitment to operating .BANK in a protected, trusted and more secure manner means its operational costs are significantly greater than traditional domains. For example, the verification and re-verification processes that will be conducted by Symantec to ensure registrations are only made to qualified entities is an expensive, multi-step process. Additionally, some of the enhanced security requirements that Verisign will support result in greater costs to fTLD. Finally, as compliance with all requirements is critical to ensuring the security, stability and resiliency of .BANK, monitoring and detection systems will be employed and they too result in increased operational expenses for fTLD.
Since we already have a .COM address, are we automatically entitled to register the same name in .BANK?
No. Domain names will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. If you own the trademark on the name to the left of your .COM address, you may register the trademark with ICANN's Trademark Clearinghouse and apply for the .BANK version of that domain name during the Sunrise period.
What information is required to register a .BANK domain?
Registrants must provide the following information:
Legal Name of the Eligible Registrant (the organization name)
Registrant Contact Name
Registrant Contact Address (Street, City, State/Province/Region, Postal Code)
Registrant Contact Email Address
Registrant Contact Telephone Number
Government Regulatory Authority (if applicable)
Regulatory ID Number (if applicable)
Note: the Registrant Contact must be a full-time employee of the Registrant and cannot be a contract employee.
Registrars may request additional information such as a human resources contact name and telephone number who can verify the employment information of the Registrant Contact and the name and contact information for someone who can verify that the Registrant Contact is authorized to register the domains requested. The additional contact information is not required, but will expedite the verification process for your domains as will providing the Government Regulatory Authority and Regulatory ID Number.
How does the .BANK verification process work?
fTLD has contracted with Symantec to ensure that registrations are made only with organizations that meet the eligibility requirements and verification is performed at the time of initial registration and at each renewal or every two years, whichever comes first.
Who is Symantec and why are they involved in the verification process? I thought verification was being handled by fTLD?
fTLD is responsible for approving requests for domains in .BANK. fTLD has contracted with Symantec to serve as its Registry Verification Agent. Symantec is responsible for reviewing the information provided by the registrar/registrant and providing a recommendation to fTLD to approve or deny a request. fTLD makes the final decision.
Symantec is a global leader in security, backup and availability solutions. The use of a third-party in the verification process ensures an impartial and expert entity for the initial examination of eligibility for registration of each registrant and provides registrants with global support in this important process.
My country does not have a specific license or charter document that is provided to us as a separate document. If this is requested by Symantec, what should we send?
Symantec understands that different countries have different regulations regarding bank certification and will accept other materials applicable to your specific locale.
What information is checked during the verification process?
- Security Check – To support compliance with applicable local and international laws, every application will undergo a security check to ensure that Symantec does not approve any organizations or persons found on any government and/or Symantec-maintained restricted lists/black lists or lists provided by fTLD.
- Organization, Jurisdiction, and Banking Credentials Verification – Symantec will verify that the registrant is a registered and active organization in a jurisdiction appropriate to its business location and has valid credentials proving that it meets the requirements of the .BANK Registrant Eligibility Policy.
- Verification of Domain Name Selection – Symantec will verify that the applied-for domain names meet the requirements of the .BANK Name Selection Policy.
- Verification of Physical Address – Symantec will verify the address listed in the application as a valid address for the registrant organization using Symantec approved databases.
- Verification of Telephone Number – Symantec will verify the registrant organization's telephone number using Symantec approved databases.
- Registrant Contact Employment – Symantec will initiate telephony contact to verify with registrant organization's human resources (or appropriate department) that the registrant organization's contact person is a full-time/non-contracting employee of the organization.
- Registrant Contact Authority – Symantec will initiate telephony contact to identify the Registrant Contacts manager within the registrant organization with Human Resources (or appropriate department) and contact this person to confirm that the registrant contact is authorized to request domains on behalf of the organization.
How long does the domain registration and verification take?
Verification is initiated as soon as your registration is processed by your registrar and approval is generally expected to conclude within days or less of the request. However, because the verification process requires telephone contact with the registrant's organization to verify certain information (i.e., the requestor is a full-time employee of the company and it authorized to make registrations on their behalf), the verification make take longer to complete. Registrants can expedite verification by ensuring that all individuals that may be contacted are aware of the need to respond to these requests as quickly as possible.
I have been notified that my domain is pending verification from Symantec. What should I do?
Symantec is the verification service provider for the .BANK domain. Symantec uses information provided by you to your registrar during registration to confirm your eligibility for a domain. Symantec will contact you via email or telephone if specific additional information is needed. It is important that you respond to their request(s) promptly as your domain is not registered until the verification process is complete. Information about how to contact Symantec is provided on emails that you receive from them or can be located at www.symantec.com/support. If you have questions about the status of your registration, please contact your registrar.
I am renewing my .BANK domain and I have been notified that my name is being re-verified. I haven't changed anything so why is my information being checked again?
Part of the security requirements for .BANK is to periodically reconfirm that each registration continues to have accurate registration information. fTLD checks each time a domain is renewed that all of the information is still accurate and that the registrant is still eligible for that .BANK domain. A complete re-verification will be done, including contacting the registrant organization to confirm the contact's eligibility as a contact and their authority to register domain names.
I registered my domain for five years and haven't changed any information. It is now two years into the registration and I got a notification that my domain is being re-verified. What triggered this review?
Part of the security requirements for .BANK is to periodically reconfirm that each registration continues to have accurate registration information. It is possible that registration data and/or eligibility may change over time. In the case of registration terms beyond two years, it's important that fTLD ensures the registration continues to comply with .BANK eligibility requirements. A complete re-verification will be done, including contacting the registrant organization to confirm the contact's eligibility as a contact and their authority to register domain names.
Is the .BANK verification by Symantec the same as the annual Whois verification required by ICANN?
No. The verification process facilitated by Symantec is the process that fTLD has mandated for all .BANK registrations.
In contrast, the Whois verification process is required by ICANN to be conducted annually by registrars and the purpose is to confirm accurate contact information. Registrars are required to contact their registrants to conduct this verification and a positive confirmation of details is required. Registrants may risk having their domain suspended or cancelled for failure to respond to this verification request.
Registrants should respond promptly to all requests related to verification from fTLD, Symantec and their registrar, and failing to respond could result in rejection of your registration or inactivation of your domain. If you want to confirm whether the request is legitimate, contact the requesting verification entity directly with the identifying information provided.
What are the registration periods in .BANK?
The three registration periods in .BANK are Sunrise, Founders and General Availability. Domains will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis in all registration periods as this is the most fair and equitable allocation method. Please see the estimated Timeline for the following:
Sunrise: For eligible members of the global banking community that have registered their trademark with ICANN's Trademark Clearinghouse to register domains. For more information about the Trademark Clearinghouse, see below.
Founders: For founding members of fTLD. Founders are identified on the Endorsers' page.
General Availability: For eligible members of the global banking community to register domains.
What is the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH)?
ICANN's Trademark Clearinghouse is a global repository for trademark data. Designed to meet global needs for the domain name system, the Clearinghouse will verify trademark data worldwide and maintain a database with the verified trademark records. The Trademark Clearinghouse is not a trademark office. It is a centralized database of verified trademarks.
There is a cost to use the Trademark Clearinghouse. Learn more at the Trademark Clearinghouse website.
Why would I want to register our trademarks at the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH)?
- Priority Registration
During the 30-day Sunrise period trademark holders that meet fTLD's eligibility requirements have an advance opportunity to register domain names that are exact matches to their marks before names are available to other eligible members of the community. Only trademark holders who have registered their trademark with ICANN's Trademark Clearinghouse may purchase domains during the Sunrise period.
If your registered trademark is different from the domain name you are seeking, you will not be able to register during this period. For example, if your registered trademark is "XYZ bank" and it is registered in ICANN's Trademark Clearinghouse, you can only apply for "XYZbank.BANK" during the Sunrise Period not "XYZ.BANK."
- Notifications
The Trademark Claims period follows the Sunrise period and runs for at least the first 90 days of General Availability. During the Trademark Claims period, anyone attempting to register a domain name matching a mark that is recorded in the Trademark Clearinghouse will receive a notification displaying the relevant mark information.
If the notified party registers the domain name, the Trademark Clearinghouse will send a notice to those trademark holders with matching records in the Clearinghouse, informing them that someone has registered the domain name.
What trademarks does the Trademark Clearinghouse
(TMCH) accept?
The Trademark Clearinghouse will accept and verify registered trademarks, marks protected by statute or treaty or court validated marks as well as any other marks that constitute Intellectual Property (IP) rights in accordance with the registry's policies and that meet the eligibility requirements of the Trademark Clearinghouse. Learn more about accepted marks at the Trademark Clearinghouse website.
Registered Trademarks – A registered trademark is a nationally or regionally (i.e., multi-nationally) registered mark on the principal or primary register in the mark's jurisdiction. This means that the trademark in question must have national effect and be registered at the time it is submitted for verification.
Marks Protected by Statue or Treaty – For marks protected by statute or treaty, the relevant statute or treaty must be in effect at the time the mark is submitted to the TMCH for inclusion. These marks may include but are not limited to geographical indications and designations of origin.
Court Validated Marks – Court validated marks refer to a mark that has been validated by a court of law or other judicial proceeding at the national level, such as unregistered (common law) marks and/or well-known marks. In the case of a mark validated by judicial proceedings, the judicial authority must have existed as a competent jurisdiction as of the date of the order or judgment. Any referenced authority must have the indicia of authenticity and must on its face confer the specified rights (i.e., the documentation must be sufficient to show validation of the mark without the need for the TMCH to consult outside resources).
Do I need to have my organization's name trademarked and in the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH) to register it as a .BANK domain?
No, your organization's name does not have to be trademarked and in the TMCH for it to be registered.
However, in order to secure a domain during the Sunrise period, it must be registered in the TMCH.
In selecting your domains, please be sure to first review the .BANK Name Selection Policy as all domains must correspond to your trademark, trade name or service mark. Please also review the Policy's Implementation Guidelines for examples of formats of names that comply with the "corresponding" requirement.
What's the best way to get my desired domain if I am not eligible to participate in the Sunrise period?
Domain names in all registration periods in .BANK will be made on a first-come, first-served basis. To ensure you have the best chance at getting your desired domain, you should engage with an Approved Registrar as early as possible.
Can my company pre-register for a .BANK domain?
No. There are companies unrelated to fTLD that will try to sell "pre-registration," but there is no such thing for .BANK. The only registrations that will take place before General Availability will occur during the Sunrise and Founders periods.
What is an "expression of interest?"
Similar to "pre-registration," an "expression of interest" does not guarantee a domain name. There are companies that will falsely claim to give you priority registration. The only registrations that will take place before General Availability will occur during the Sunrise and Founders periods.
Once I register our .BANK domain, do I immediately need to stop using my current domain name?
No. You can continue using your current domain.
If you plan to activate your .BANK domain, you can use the .BANK Transition Guide (Guide) to help you plan the use of your .BANK domain. You may also want to consider initiating a plan for your transition to your .BANK domain as soon as you know what new .BANK domain you will be using. The Guide is currently under development and will be available soon. Once the Guide is available, you should have the information you need to plan the details for using your .BANK domain.
How does my organization transition our website and other services to our .BANK domain?
Although there are additional steps to using your .BANK domain for your website, email and other services, there are specific steps that need to be taken to complete the process for each service. fTLD is developing a .BANK Transition Guide (Guide) that will provide information about these steps that are needed to take advantage of the protected, trusted, more secure and easily identifiable environment provided with a .BANK domain.
Your registrar or core service provider may already be working with you to develop a transition plan addressing the tasks identified in the Guide. If not, contact them to see how they can assist your transition or contact email@example.com if you have additional questions.
What are the enhanced Security Requirements in .BANK?
fTLD requires compliance with a set of requirements that are not currently mandated by the operators of other commercially available gTLDs, including:
- Mandatory Verification of Charter/Licensure for Regulated Entities ensures that only legitimate members of the global banking community are awarded domain names.
- Mandatory Re-verification of Registration Data every two years or at domain renewal, whichever comes first, ensures ongoing eligibility for domain names.
- Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) ensures that Internet users are landing on participants' actual websites and not being misdirected to malicious ones. fTLD will require that all domain levels, from fTLD as the top-level registry operator to your entity as the registrant, utilize DNSSEC for domains that resolve on the Internet.
- Email Authentication to mitigate spoofing, phishing and other malicious activities propagated through emails to unsuspecting users.
- Multi-Factor Authentication to ensure that any change to registration data is made only by authorized users of the registered entity.
- Enhanced Encryption to ensure security of communication over the Internet to prevent eavesdropping, data tampering, etc.
- Prohibition of Proxy/Privacy Registration Services to ensure full disclosure of domain registration information so bad actors cannot hide.
What is a Proxy/Privacy Registration Service and why is it prohibited?
Proxy/Privacy Registration Services are used to conceal the true identity of the domain name owner and their contact information. fTLD does not support this practice as it makes it difficult to identify and contact a registrant that is alleged to be using their domain for practices that are in violation of fTLD's Acceptable Use / Anti-Abuse Policy.
Do any of the fTLD enhanced Security Requirements apply to registrants?
Yes, there are some additional requirements for registrants that are included in your registration agreement with your .BANK registrar. The following enhanced Security Requirements should be reviewed: 13, 15, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, and 29.
Who is responsible for enforcing the enhanced Security Requirements and Policies in .BANK?
fTLD and in some cases its Registry Service Provider, Verisign, will be responsible for monitoring compliance with the relevant requirements. Registrars will play a role in enforcement as they have the direct relationship with the registrant. fTLD always retains the right to take action if the registrar fails to do so.
Where can I find all the Policies mentioned in this FAQ?
All fTLD Policies are located here.
What is gTLD?
gTLD – or generic top-level domain – refers to the letters to the right of the dot at the end of a web address. Common gTLDs are .COM, .ORG, .NET
What is fTLD?
fTLD Registry Services, LLC was formed in 2011 by a coalition of banks, insurance companies and financial services trade associations from around the world. In 2012, fTLD submitted community-based applications to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for the .BANK and .INSURANCE gTLDs. fTLD was granted the right to operate .BANK on September 25, 2014, and its application for .INSURANCE is in the contracting phase with ICANN.
What is ICANN?
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, is an oversight body responsible for the stability and unification of the Internet. Its key responsibilities include policy development for existing and new generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs). In June 2011, ICANN's board of directors authorized the launch of the New gTLD Program. The program's goals include enhancing competition and consumer choice, and enabling the benefits of innovation via the introduction of new gTLDs.

subset: commoncrawl


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A Guide to San Francisco with Kids
From Our Hotel On Powell Street in San Francisco
Stay at the family choice among hotels near Union Square in San Francisco and enjoy easy access to area attractions like Golden Gate Park, the San Francisco Zoo and the fascinating Exploratorium. Be sure to feast on chocolate at the Ghirardelli Square and ride an old-fashioned cable car. Hotel Bijou is near the cable cars on Powell Street. Take a ferry across the bay or ride the merry-go-round at Yerba Buena Gardens. Review our list below to the best things to do in San Francisco with kids when staying at our Union Square boutique hotel.
Things To Do Near Our Hotel On Powell Street, San Francisco:
Golden Gate Park
(415) 831-2700
Explore 1,017 acres containing everything from museums to botanical gardens and recreation facilities. Kids love the Koret Children's Quarter, which includes a merry-go- round and newly built playground as well as paddle boats at Stowe Lake and the educational Academy of Sciences.
San Francisco Zoo
(415) 753-7080
The San Francisco Zoo contains more than 250 species, including the endangered snow leopard, Sumatran tiger, and grizzly bear. Be sure to check out the Gorilla Preserve, one of the largest habitats of its kind in the world and the 6-acre petting zoo ideal for toddlers.
(415) 528-4420
Encounter a fascinating museum of science, art and human perception, showcasing more than 650 exhibits that focus on everything from sea life to the weather to electricity. Themed rooms include the distortion room, the shadow room and the impressive tactile dome.
Ghiradelli Square
(415) 775-5500
This landmark public square has various shops and restaurants in the Fisherman's Wharf area, including the legendary Ghiradelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop, the perfect place for kids (and sweet-toothed adults) to load up on shakes, floats, malts and other delectable treats.
Ride a Cable Car
Cable cars and San Francisco are synonymous and your kids will appreciate being whisked around the city by this iconic mode of transportation. Our hotel is near the cable cars on Powell Street, so you'll have easy access to these iconic rides. Take in the sights and sounds of the city with the sparkling San Francisco Bay and Alcatraz Island in the near distance.
Take a Ferry Across the Bay
(707) 643-3779
The destination doesn't really matter because the ride is the main adventure. Whether you're picnicking with the kids on Angel Island or touring Alcatraz, a ferry ride is the best way to take in the immense beauty of this city (and is cheaper than a formal bay cruise!)
Yerba Buena Gardens
(415) 820-3550
A short walk from Union Square and Moscone Convention Center, Yerba Buena Gardens offers a well-planned, multi-use facility centered on a grassy park, which includes a large playground, ice skating rink, and bowling alley. In the summer, free concerts and performances for kids take place in the Children's Garden next to the playground.
Musee Mecanique
(415) 346-2000
Visit the Musee Mecanique, the world's largest privately owned collections of mechanically operated antique arcade machines and muscial instruments. See Laughing Sal, the world's only steam-powered motorcycle, and mechanical fortune-telling figures among other wondrous sights.
Hyde Street Pier
(415) 447-5000
Witness a collection of historic vessels, which are part of the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park. Most of the ships, including the 250-foot long 1886 Balclutha, can even be boarded.
Crissy Field
(415) 561-7690
This 100-acre shoreline park and restored marshland along the Bay is one of the most picturesque spots in San Francisco. Gaze upon the magnificent Golden Gate Bridge while dipping your toes in the Pacific or take a stroll along the paved waterfront path along the waterfront. Have a memorable picnic here or an epic bike ride.
Bay Area Discovery Museum
(415) 339-3900
Just over the Golden Gate Bridge in Sausalito, the Discovery Museum is a scenic destination with sweeping views of the bay and bridge as well as interactive and hands-on exhibits both indoors and out for kids of all ages. Kids can paint in an art studio, explore an authentic fishing boat and more in this educational and unforgettable encounter.


text:
If you want to share anything with users of this website be it news, jobs, case studies or papers then please get in touch with the website manager or join the WIPAC group on Linkedin
There is one project that the Group is currently working on, at the moment which is a Directory of products in the Water Industry which aims to be a single resource for all instrumentation & automation products, for more information click here. The results of these projects will be open source and available to all through this website. The project has got to the stage where expressions of interest are in to the site building the site and is awaiting construction of the website at the moment, watch this space!


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825 North University Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Capacity = 3,561
With its superb acoustics, Hill Auditorium has served as the premier location to host many outstanding events. Former University of Michigan Regent, Arthur Hill, whose name the auditorium bears, donated $200,000 in his will for the construction of the auditorium. In addition, former University Musical Society President, Charles Sink, raised another $150,000 to complete the concert hall which opened in 1913. Since then, Hill Auditorium has been visited by some of the world's most well-known performance artists. Included among these artists are Bruce Springsteen, The Wallflowers, Melissa Ethridge, Chris Rock, Indigo Girls, Paula Cole and Tori Amos.


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November 30, 2010 12:56 ET
EAST HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT--(Marketwire - Nov. 30, 2010) - Oakleaf, one of the nation's fastest-growing waste and recycling service providers, is introducing Intelligent Waste Management. This initiative is supported by an identity rebrand and new website.
Intelligent Waste Management is a category-defining shift in how businesses view their waste stream. It is an aggressive new approach focused on reducing the financial and environmental costs associated with a client's waste product.
Intelligent Waste Management offers an unbiased process that creates efficiencies in the collection, transportation and disposition of discarded materials, generating new revenue through recycling and diverting waste from traditional channels. No longer an afterthought, waste is now an essential resource that can be managed by industry-leading technology, transforming it into an asset that not only elevates a client's reputation for sustainability but also enhances productivity and reduces costs.
Intelligent Waste Management is better than traditional waste management for four key reasons:
Program Design: Oakleaf designs a tailored business solution for each client, supported by industry best practices through a detailed analysis of the waste stream, facility design and service level requirements.
Procurement and Operational Optimization: Oakleaf drives overall costs down by engaging its 2,500 providers in local procurement, ensuring clients have the most cost-efficient mix of equipment and service frequency while streamlining the transactional process.
Recycling and Diversion Program Management: Oakleaf further delivers financial and environmental value to customers by maximizing the extraction of commodities from the waste stream and minimizing the dumping of waste in expensive landfills.
Analytics and Customer Support: Oakleaf offers online servicing, detailed service analytics and consolidated billing through its industry-leading proprietary software, Acorn. In addition, dedicated client service professionals organized by industry segment orchestrate Oakleaf's full roster of solutions supported by a 24/7 customer care center.
"Intelligent Waste Management redefines how we provide value to our customers and positions us as a market leader," says Steve Preston, President and CEO of Oakleaf.
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UK Police Test Vectrix Electric Scooter
We've been pretty excited about the high-performance Vectrix electric scooter since we first laid eyes on it. We've been even more excited to see it move from drawing board to actual road use. Now we hear from London Bikers that police in Hampshire, UK, are going to be testing two Vectrix scooters as part of their day-to-day operations, and if the trials prove successful, the vehicle could be adopted as an alternative to petrol-driven bikes for police forces across the country. As with police on bicycles, the logic of silent, emission free transport options makes a lot of sense for law enforcement agencies – both in terms of running costs, and sneaking up on villains unnoticed. And adoption of high-tech emission free vehicles should bode well for the rest of us, as economies of scale allow for cheaper models to reach the general public. We look forward to seeing how the Vectrix performs for the boys in blue. ::Vectrix::via London Bikers::via EV-UK::


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Actually, if the YB's had meant what they said they would have used "We are pissed-off with you Ahmad Zahid Hamidi!" Hello, don't tell me that YB's don't use that kind of language because they have done worse in Parliament!
Other less-vocal Malaysians just shook their heads in disbelief and noted another point to consider when voting in the next GE.
And as expected in today's newspapers there was a claim by the minister that he said no such thing. Strange that the phrase, "I was misquoted" wasn't used.
What the media reported yesterday was Zahid saying that one of the possible reasons for the low intake of non-Malays in the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) is that their patriotism is not strong enough.
Today, this forked-tongued minister countered by saying, "What I had said was that it was possible that it could be due to several factors, including the sense of patriotism that is not strong enough."
Well, pardon us all over the place, Yang Bodoh! Would you care to explain to those of us less used to political-speak what the fuck difference that is?
Another first hand account by an un-patriotic non-Malay Malaysian HERE


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For information and directions to each venue, click on each of the walls and it will take you to their website.
Please note that a couple of the walls have slightly different dates to the standard round dates - these dates are detailed next to each of the walls in the list below.
- For full details on the Leading Ladder visit the BMC Website
Round 1
3/10/09 - 18/10/09
Creation Indoor Climbing Centre, Birmingham
Climb Rochdale
Mile End Wall, London
Round 2
17/10/09 - 1/11/09
Rope Race, Marple
The Tower Climbing Centre, Leicester
Edinburgh International Climbing Arena
Round 3
31/10/09 - 15/11/09
Awesome Walls, Liverpool
Glasgow Climbing Centre
The Leeds Wall
Round 4
14/11/09 - 29/11/09
The Foundry, Sheffield
Dynamic Rock, Swansea
West View Leisure Centre, Preston
Round 5
28/11/09 - 13/12/09
Awesome Walls, Stockport
The Edge Climbing Centre, Sheffield
Manchester Climbing Centre
Round 6
12/12/09 - 3/1/10
Bear Rock Climbing Centre, Warwick
Westway Sports Centre, London
Boulders Climbing Wall, Cardiff
Round 7
2/1/10 - 17/1/10
Climb Rochdale
Creation Indoor Climbing Centre, Birmingham
The Peak at Sportspark, University of East Anglia, Norwich
Round 8
16/1/10 - 31/01/10
Calshot Activity Centre, Southampton
Rope Race, Marple
Dynamic Rock, Swansea
Round 9
30/1/10 - 14/2/10
Edinburgh International Climbing Arena
Awesome Walls, Liverpool
Newcastle Climbing Centre
Round 10
13/2/10 - 28/02/10
Redpoint Climbing Centre, Birmingham
North West Face, Warrington
Glasgow Climbing Centre
Round 11
27/2/10 - 14/03/10
Rock Antics, Newton Aycliffe
The Tower Climbing Centre, Leicester
Awesome Walls, Stockport
Round 12
13/03/10 - 28/03/10
The Blackpool Towers
Boulders Climbing Wall, Cardiff
Manchester Climbing Centre


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February 22, 2001
Director of Media Relations
AMHERST, Mass. - The Mead Art Museum at Amherst College, reopening March 3 following an 18-month facility renovation, will inaugurate its new gallery space with "The World Opened Wide: 20th-Century Russian Women Artists from the Collection of Thomas P. Whitney '37," an exhibition of Russian modernist art on view from March 3 through May 13.
Dr. Jill Meredith, director and curator of European art at the Mead Art Museum, and Dr. Darra Goldstein, professor of Russian and chair of the Department of German and Russian at Williams College, are co-curators of this exhibition of 80 paintings, drawings and prints by pioneers of the avant-garde. Dr. Christina Lodder, professor of art history at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, will speak about "An Exemplary Constructivist: Liubov Popova" on Friday, March 30 at 4:30 p.m. in Stirn Auditorium with reception to follow in the Mead Art Museum. Dr. Meredith will give a gallery talk on the exhibition, as part of the Mead's "First Tuesday" lecture series on April 3 at 12:15 p.m. Admission to all events is free and open to the public.
The Russian women artists featured in this exhibition were leading figures in the revolutionary artistic movements of the early 20th century: Neo-Primitivism, Cubo-Futurism, Constructivism and Suprematism. These so-called Amazons of the avant-garde "Alexandra Exter, Natalia Goncharova, Olga Rozanova and Varvara Stepanova, among others" explored innovative art forms seeking to discover new bases of artistic creation. Each distilled and transformed current western European art styles, yet drew inspiration from national folk traditions, science and technology, poetry and the performing arts. The diversity of their work "from the figural subjects to non-objective abstraction in easel paintings, linocut prints, mixed-media assemblages and artists' books" attests to their bold experiments with traditional and innovative art forms.
These women were trained in art schools; taught in art schools; exhibited in major avant-garde group shows in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Paris; promulgated new art theories; and undertook alternative work in theater and film decor, textiles and clothing design, and the graphic arts. Sympathetic with the radical politics and economic upheaval around them, they advanced the modern social revolution as participants in the new cultural order. Highly visible members of artist couples and avant-garde groups, they valued equal creative and social collaboration with male colleagues as they championed the cause of the "new art."
The exhibition takes its title from Olga Rozanova's 1913 manifesto in which she exhorts her fellow radical artists with the battle-cry: "We want to see this world opened wide!" and declares war on the sentimental, derivative and self-centered perspectives of other Russian artists groups. As Dr. Meredith writes in the catalogue, "Embedded in Rozanova's provocative rhetoric is the challenge to her peers and future generations to value any and all creative paths to produce works that engage and transform the viewer." Among the key pieces in the exhibition are two print portfolios, The Mystical Images of War (1914) by Natalia Goncharova and Olga Rozanova's War (1916), which grapple compellingly with nationalism, technology and civilian atrocities of the First World War. War combines Cubist and Futurist elements as well as trans-rational poetry to express the dislocation and horrific destruction in cities and on battlefields. The exhibition also features important Cubist oil paintings by Liubov Popova and Alexandra Exter, as well as theatrical designs by Exter, Goncharova, and Varvara Stepanova.
"The World Opened Wide" premieres selected works from the recent gift of the art collection of Thomas P. Whitney '37 to Amherst College. It surveys a significant portion of more than 400 objects of Russian art in the Whitney Collection, spanning the late 19th through 20th centuries, including major works by Alexander Rodchenko, Pavel Filonov, Mikhail Larionov, Vladmir Tatlin and Naum Gabo.
Whitney"s art collection has rejoined his extraordinary archives of Russian culture, donated in 1991 to the Amherst Center for Russian Culture at Amherst College. As part of the ongoing collaboration between the Mead Art Museum and the Amherst Center for Russian Culture a portion of this exhibition will be presented at the Amherst Center for Russian Culture. The Amherst Center for Russian Culture Gallery is open weekdays from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. For more information call 413/542-8453 or visit the Website at http://www.amherst.edu/~acrc .
The Mead Art Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and until 9 p.m. on Thursdays. For information call 413/542-2335 or visit the Website http://www.amherst.edu/~mead.


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"Deeply personal songs."
—Roberta Hershenson, The New York Times
Native New Yorker Melissa Giges is no stranger to success. Her music has become a staple on national radio and television, with multiple songs appearing regularly on shows like MTV's Real World, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Bad Girls Club, and Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami.
In addition, the critical acclaim and commercial success of her debut album, Evident, has won her a loyal following with her mesmerizing performances and strikingly beautiful voice.
Now, the singer-songwriter is set to return to the national spotlight with her new release, Just When I Let Go. About both the record, and its first single, "Audience," Giges says, "I think this new album has a blend of intimacy and intensity to it. My lyric writing has become more personal than ever, while the music has become even more melodic, focused, and direct than ever. It's loud, it's bold, but I feel it also has a smart sophistication to it—a vulnerability—that I've wanted. I can't wait for my audience to hear it."
Intelligence and sophistication are not surprising, given Giges' musical background. A classically trained pianist since age four, she discovered her love of singing by humming melodies of the works she was learning for the piano. Giges continued her musical studies, later majoring in classical voice as a Presidential Arts Scholar at George Washington University. Her stand-out gifts have led to performances at the White House and the Kennedy Center, as well as a European concert series.
Melissa Giges' new album, Just When I Let Go, was produced, recorded, and mixed by Blake Morgan in New York City.


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BIRMINGHAM, ALA. — The Baltimore Stars had been kicked around so much this year that once they got the Birmingham Stallions down Sunday, they weren't about to let them up. Not even if the Stallions cried ''USFL.''
The Stars built a 21-0 halftime lead and went on to defeat the Stallions, 28-14, to earn their third consecutive trip to the United States Football League Championship Game.


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Oh my goodness, this is amazing, I am not a huge fan of soups, but I can eat this like nothing.
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|03 March 2015
New Memberportfolio
Debendra Roy
Mumbai, India
Questions on - a) Stretching Proportions & b) Drawing Heads & c) Range of Motion
Hi all,
Would appreciate inputs on a few queries I have.
a) Stretching Proportions-
So the most accepted system of proportions for a well proportioned human revolve around 8 heads or the 5 eye line. Now, if I have to stretch that to create a 12-14 head tall character (hulk/supervillian/fashion diva), do I -
i) simply make every landmark a certain multiple of the head length (like 1.25 times a head) or
ii) is it more desirable to stretch certain relations while keeping certain others constant? (For eg, keep the ribs' & pelvis' landmarks consistent with the head while stretching out the limbs, neck more).
As an aside, is there any similar system of proportion for animals that is as widely accepted?
b) Drawing Heads-
i) After one learns the 'Planes of the Head' off of internet images, which are some of the sculpture busts/ portrait paintings/artists you would recommend to a beginner to solidify the planes?
Essentially, I'm seeking artistic interpretations which are simple (rather than photos of real people) based on the assumption that they would be more exemplary of the planes.
ii) Does the size of the eye socket (orbit) vary from person to person or due to ethnicity?
With images on the internet, it seems that there is quite a gap between the eyeball & the edges of the orbit. However, when I feel my face, I can feel the bone around the socket hugging the eyeball quite closely. So, to me anyway, the sockets seem to be more oval (ie typical Egyptian eye-shaped) rather than the RayBan aviator shape. Am I misinterpreting something? (I'm an Indian btw).
iii) What is the fat pad over the eyebrow called? (The name would help with googling, ).
In my case, it covers the upper eyelid partly. My question is, does it ever extend across the length of the eyebrow towards the inner part of the eye? Or does it stop at the middle?
iv) What are high cheekbones? Is it that the zygomatic bones are closer to the eye socket? Or is it that the zygomatic bones are larger &/or wider?
Also, what is the widest point on the head? Is it the front part of the zygomatic that's on the face or the part that's nearer the ear on the side of the head?
v) What are some good resources that deal with racial differences when it comes to heads?
Also, can anyone recommend a good book/resource on facial cosmetic/plastic surgery with plenty of images that'll help demystify the face?
c) Range of Motion-
Can anyone point to a good book/resource than simply explains the range of motion of various joints in the human body, like for eg, the scapulo-humeral/thoracic joints or the spine, pelvis etc.? Most of my googling has resulted in biomechanical studies that involve a lot of text but very few images. I'd just like something simple & illustrative.
Many thanks for your time. Much obliged!
Last edited by kidrow : 03 March 2015 at 03:17 PM.
|03 March 2015
New Memberportfolio
Leo B.
I'm not quite sure I understand what you're asking about in the first question, mind to rephrase?
Just for the record, the height of a person and their head-to-body ratio are closely related; the more heads fit in, the higher the person's stature is (8 heads is around 1.85 meters tall, give or take).
Here's a quick sketch demonstrating the appearance of a figure who has a head-to-body ratio of around 8, and next to it one of around 12 (with heights like this it'd be a good idea to consider adding the features of a person afflicted with acromegaly, to have a somewhat plausible appearance for such an enormous person).
Regarding the second question:
i. There's no simple way to learn how to draw a face, or understand why a face looks the way it does; in order to achieve mastery with the face, as with everything else in the body, you need to study its anatomy; that includes the skull, muscles, and skin (even veins, to a really small degree); and of course you also need to practice, otherwise you may know all that there is about the face, but you can't actually put it into use.
ii. The size of the orbit varies from person to person, with little to no difference between different ethnicities (some may have larger than others on average, for instance, but I doubt it's really significant; don't take my word on it though - haven't studied this in depth yet); however, the shape of the eye-socket (or the bone around it I should say) does depend on the the ethnicity of the person. This is why, for example, Asians have narrow eyes compared to Caucasians.
Your eyeball doesn't fit into all of the socket, there are muscles around it connecting to the bone.
iii. I think I know what you're talking about, but I doubt it has a name; do you mean almost like the brow is over your eyelids? I have that too, looks something like this:
In any case, no, it doesn't continue all the way to the inner part of the eyes, but rather goes around (the fat) the eyelid.
iv. Not terribly sure, think it's a combination of both, with size playing the larger role.
The widest point in the head would be at where your ears connect to the head (there's this tube-like bone going from the zygomatic to the side of the head in the skull - it is the widest part of the head/skull).
v. Don't have anything on the subject, sorry.
And finally, the third question; I don't know of anything conclusive, but there's this nice book after Leonardo da Vinci's work (to some extent), Codex Huygens, which you might want to take a look into (it deals with local motion if I'm not mistaken).
Hope this was of help,
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Ashoka Mukpo, the Left-Wing Reincarnated Tibetan God Who Got #Ebola
Meet Ashoka Mukpo, the freelancer and left-wing activist who got ebola while working for NBC as a cameraman and who is being flown back to America on our dime. You're not going to believe this but Mukpo is actually a reincarnated Tibetan God. No seriously. We're not making that up. "Ashoka Mukpo was born to […]Read Story


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Over many years senior management in Finance could see a number of challenges and difficulties in managing financial data coming from 6 stand-alone business units with multiple legacy systems and processes that had little or no re-engineering investment over the years. And so over nineteen months ago they set out with a mission to "create an effective finance operating model to support all of Bord na Móna in achieving its strategic objectives." Like any other change initiative, it has encountered challenges along the way. However, the team has remained steadfast in achieving its goal to ensure that Bord na Móna has a finance model that will both sustain it through external market challenges and allow it to leverage the growth potential for Bord na Móna over the coming years.
The Financial Shared Services Centre (FSSC) project went live on 7th September 2015, marking a key milestone in the overall finance business transformation project in Bord na Móna. This means that all financial transaction processing for the Central Support Group and Power Generation businesses has now successfully transitioned over to the FSSC. This saw the culmination of 19 months of project work and is a hugely significant step which puts us firmly on track to bring all the other Bord na Móna businesses on board.
The FSSC are currently working towards a Business As Usual (BAU) status including processing all the invoices held over the cutover period, and processing the payments for all supplier invoices due under our prompt payments compliance, in addition to iExpense payments to employees.
In tandem with managing the operational day to day activity within the FSSC, the project focus has now shifted to Wave 2 and the rollout to Fuels which is scheduled to go-live at the end March 2016. The project has worked with the business unit SME's over many months to agree and finalise the functional design documents so that the 'build' process can get underway.


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Finding the perfect home for you and your family is our job, and we are crazy good at what we do. We promise to provide you with A+ service when buying your dream home.
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We know our NeighborhoodsWe live, eat, breathe, sleep, and bleed the South Bay.
Manhattan Beach
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Penn State's 1st Amendment Victims: We Need Freedom of Speech on the Job Too, Not Just at Home!
The real story of the Penn State child abuse scandal and coverup is not Joe Paterno or Penn State, or even the abuse of children, as vile as what happened to them is. What it's about it the lack of basic freedom for workers in the United State of America to speak out.
On paper, we have one of the freest societies in the world. The First Amendment to the Constitution would appear to be pretty damned unequivocal, when it states:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
And yet, there are all kinds of laws that abridge freedom of speech and the right peaceably to assemble, as well as the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
We've all been witness lately to how municipal authorities, no doubt under pressure from the bankers and from the central government's police and political authorities, have been "abridging," with the aid of police wielding clubs, pepper spray and tear gas canisters, the supposed freedom of occupy movement activists to peaceably assemble.
What Penn State has done is expose an even bigger problem: the lack of freedom for workers to speak up or to petition for redress of grievances.
This boy-sex scandal has exposed the bitter truth that we Americans have no freedom of speech once we punch in to a job or walk into a place of work. And even when that place of work is a public university, where the management is really a part of the government of the state, we workers have no freedom to petition for redress. For speaking out, or for orally or in writing seeking redress for a grievance, an employee, whether it is a teaching assistant, a professor or a janitor, risks losing her or his job. Unless a worker is backed up by a union contract, she or he has no recourse to being fired for exercising free speech "rights," and even with a union, it's a tough fight defending against being fired for speaking out. (Employment rules at universities actually use the term "insubordination" to refer to talking back to managers, even in places like universities which are supposed to be places that encourage free inquiry and intellectual debate.)
Because of this lack of First Amendment freedom on the job, corruption, violation of laws and regulations, theft, discrimination, sexual abuse, favoritism and other problems run rampant in government, in universities, and in corporations.


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Timo Boll: The Duel
In 2014, it was one of the great highlights of the opening ceremony for the new KUKA plant in Shanghai: the spectacular Timo Boll video entitled "The Duel". For just short of four minutes, Timo Boll – the German flag bearer at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro – and the KR AGILUS squared off at the table. They were struggling to gain supremacy in speed, precision and dexterity.
Timo Boll: brand ambassador for KUKA in China
I'm a technology freak! KUKA robots are fascinating products: fast, agile, precise and reliable. Just like a good table tennis player. I'm certainly prepared for a hard-fought match against a KUKA robot.


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It was more than seven months ago, in the heart of a nasty Iowa winter, that Paul Rhoads hunkered down to gather some offseason intelligence.
Rhoads had just finished 3-9 in his fifth season as the head coach at Iowa State. He was searching for an offensive coordinator, and he believed he had found his man — a gruff former Big 12 head coach who had roots in the hardscrabble region of western Pennsylvania.
Rhoads had spent eight years as the defensive coordinator at Pittsburgh from 2000-07 and he felt a kinship with that part of the country. He wanted an offensive coordinator who could build an offense around the twin ideals of toughness and simplicity, and he believed that former Kansas coach Mark Mangino embodied both characteristics.
But he also knew that Mangino came with baggage. His Kansas tenure combusted in 2009, ending after KU launched an internal investigation into his treatment of players. Mangino resigned, entering a three-year sabbatical from coaching.
So before Rhoads pursued Mangino, he called around.
"I was thoroughly convinced that there was nothing there," Rhoads said on Tuesday during Big 12 media days. "Nothing that gave me any pause or reservation or concern whatsoever."
So more than four years after leaving Kansas, Mangino is back in the Big 12, the conference that he has called home for most of his coaching career. More importantly, though, he's back in an environment where his coaching style — an unyielding discipline, a blue-collar toughness — is considered a virtue, not a hazard.
"(I liked) his proven track record as a play-caller — as a tough-guy type of coach — and what he could bring to our offensive mentality that way," said Rhoads, a graduate of Missouri Western. "But at the very top of the list, was the simplicity with which his offenses have had success."
Mangino, who brought his son Tommy along to Ames, spent spring practice installing his familiar, no-huddle attack, which is noteworthy for reasons that have little to do with Iowa State. Back in Lawrence, four years after his exit, Kansas coach Charlie Weis has turned to a familiar system, hiring former Mangino assistant John Reagan to run a similar version of the no-huddle spread.
If you listen to Rhoads describe Iowa State's new offense — various tempos, a balanced attack, a simple design — you might as well be hearing a Kansas player describe Reagan's scheme.
"The change that I think you're going to see," Rhoads said. "Will be in the varying pace that we utilize and also the simplicity of what it is we're trying to accomplish. We want to be simple where our kids can execute at a high-rate of speed."
For Mangino, of course, the last few years have been about controlling the tempo. When he left Kansas, he stepped away from football. He spent more time with his family. His wife, Mary Jane, fought a long battle with cancer. But on the inside, the fire burned, and Mangino returned to the sideline last year as an assistant at his alma mater, Youngstown State.
"I think (he's) thoroughly rejuvenated," Rhoads said. "Getting back at Youngstown and coaching again, it just boils that blood to a level that people that are in it thoroughly understand."
Now comes the next chapter. Last season, Iowa State ranked in the bottom three in the Big 12 at 24.8 points per game and 363 yards per game. The Cyclones dropped to 3-9 after playing in three bowl games in four years. And Rhoads is hoping for an immediate upgrade.
So, too, is Mangino. When the former Kansas coach arrived on campus last winter, he set out to build relationships with his new players. He offered his offensive players a standing invitation: Come by my office and talk.
"He reaches out to guys," said Iowa State tight end E.J. Bibbs. "He reaches out to guys that aren't doing too well in school work, and he's just helping them."
So far, Bibbs says, the Cyclones have embraced Mangino's demanding style. There is tough love and discipline, he says, but it's the kind that players crave. Bibbs then began a quick story. During the spring, as Mangino installed his spread offense, there were times when he would stop practice in the middle of a play and demand a better effort. In those moments, Rhoads could be confident his offseason research paid off.
"He knew the league," Rhoads said. "He understood the league. … There were a lot of things on paper that made me excited about making that first call."
To reach Rustin Dodd, call 816-234-4937 or send email to firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow on Twitter: @rustindodd.


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Michael Aron has been an integral part of New Jersey public television and synonymous with Trenton political coverage for decades. Referred to by colleagues as the "Dean of the Statehouse Press Corps", he currently serves as NJTV News Chief Political Correspondent and host of two popular public affairs programs, On the Record with Michael Aron and Reporters Roundtable with Michael Aron.
Michael has been a journalist since 1970, starting at Seattle Magazine, then West Magazine, Harper's Magazine, Rolling Stone and New Jersey Monthly. He started at NJN in 1982 and has won a number of broadcast awards, including a Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award.
Aron has interviewed every New Jersey governor, state Supreme Court chief justice and legislative leader during his tenure, plus a number of presidential candidates. He has covered national political conventions, trade missions abroad and all the major political issues of the state.
Adding to his distinguished career, Aron was recently awarded The League of Municipalities' 2015 Distinguished Public Service Award and was ranked number one on PolitickerNJ's 2015 Power List.
He attended college at Harvard, graduate school at Princeton. He is a native of Philadelphia, lives in Montclair and has three grown daughters.