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|In the Matter of
The Commission deems it appropriate and in the public interest that public administrative proceedings be, and they hereby are, instituted pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act of 1933 ("Securities Act") and Section 15(b)(4) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ("Exchange Act") against Goldman, Sachs & Co. ("Goldman Sachs").
In anticipation of the institution of these proceedings, Goldman Sachs has submitted an offer of settlement, which the Commission has determined to accept. Solely for the purpose of these proceedings and any other proceeding brought by or on behalf of the Commission or in which the Commission is a party, and prior to a hearing pursuant to the Commission's Rules of Practice, 17 C.F.R. 201.100 et seq., Goldman Sachs, without admitting or denying the findings contained herein, except that it admits to the jurisdiction of the Commission over it and over the subject matter of these proceedings, consents to the entry of the findings, the issuance of the cease-and-desist order, and the imposition of the remedial sanctions set forth below.
Based on the foregoing, the Commission finds as follows:
Goldman Sachs is a New York partnership with its principal place of business in New York. At all relevant times, Goldman Sachs was registered with the Commission as a broker-dealer pursuant to Section 15(b) of the Exchange Act.
This is a municipal finance case involving Goldman Sachs' sale of U.S. Treasury securities to municipal bond issuers at excessive, undisclosed markups in connection with certain advance refunding transactions.
When interest rates fall, state and local governments often seek to reduce their borrowing costs by paying off outstanding bonds through the issuance of new bonds at lower interest rates. When the old bonds cannot be paid off until a future call date, the municipality can still obtain a benefit from lower interest rates through an advance refunding. An advance refunding can lock in current interest rates and ensure that the municipality will realize debt service savings over the life of the new bonds. In an advance refunding, the municipality issues new "refunding" bonds and immediately invests the proceeds in a portfolio of U.S. Treasury or agency securities structured to pay the principal and interest obligations on the old bonds until the call date and then to pay off the outstanding principal and any call premium. The portfolio of government securities is normally placed in a defeasance escrow to guarantee repayment of the old bonds.
Defeasance escrow portfolios are subject to Internal Revenue Code provisions and Treasury regulations that prohibit the issuer of tax-exempt refunding bonds from earning tax arbitrage (that is, a profit from the rate differential between the taxable and tax-exempt markets). I.R.C. § 148; Treas. Reg. §§1.148-0 et seq. The regulations provide that the issuer cannot receive a yield on the securities held in escrow that exceeds the yield it pays on the refunding bonds. In addition, to prevent an issuer from diverting tax arbitrage to the seller of the escrow securities by paying artificially high prices, the regulations provide, in effect, that the price paid by refunding bond issuers for escrow securities purchased in the secondary market (known as "open market securities") cannot exceed the fair market value or market price of the securities as defined in those regulations.
When the yield on the investments in the escrow, if purchased at fair market value, would exceed the yield on the refunding bonds, the transaction is said to be in "positive arbitrage." Overcharging by dealers for open market escrow securities in positive arbitrage situations diverts tax arbitrage to the dealers at the expense of the U.S. Treasury. This diversion of money-known colloquially as "yield burning"-violates IRS regulations. If yield burning occurs, the IRS can declare interest paid on the refunding bonds taxable. See Harbor Bancorp & Subsidiaries v. Commissioner, 115 F.3d 722 (9th Cir. 1997), cert. denied, 118 S. Ct. 1035 (1998).
In contrast, a "negative arbitrage" situation occurs when the yield on open market securities purchased at fair market value would be below the yield on the refunding bonds. In a negative arbitrage transaction, overcharging by a dealer for open market escrow securities takes money away from the municipality rather than the Treasury by reducing, dollar for dollar, the present value savings the municipality obtains through the advance refunding.
Before 1994, Goldman Sachs sold portfolios of U.S. Treasury securities for defeasance escrows at excessive, undisclosed markups to certain municipalities in connection with advance refundings. For example, in 1993, Goldman Sachs sold a portfolio of $122 million in Treasury securities to a municipality. Goldman Sachs' markup and carry on that portfolio was .38 percent of the prevailing interdealer market prices of the Treasury securities sold to the municipality.1 At the time, dealers generally charged materially lower markups on escrow securities when the prices were determined through competition or bona fide arm's length negotiation.
Goldman Sachs violated Sections 17(a)(2) and 17(a)(3) of the Securities Act by effecting defeasance escrow transactions with municipalities at prices not reasonably related to the current wholesale market prices for the securities under the particular facts and circumstances, including the pertinent tax regulations. Based on all the relevant facts and circumstances, Goldman Sachs knew or should have known that the prices it charged were not reasonably related to the prevailing wholesale market prices of the securities. The excessive markups also violated Sections 17(a)(2) and 17(a)(3) of the Securities Act because the excessive markups jeopardized the tax-exempt status of those municipalities' refunding bonds and diverted money from the U.S. Treasury to Goldman Sachs when the transaction was in positive arbitrage, or reduced the savings available to the municipalities from the refundings when the transaction was in negative arbitrage.
By reason of the foregoing, Goldman Sachs willfully violated Sections 17(a)(2) and 17(a)(3) of the Securities Act.
Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED, pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act and Section 15(b)(4) of the Exchange Act, that:
A. Goldman Sachs is censured;
B. Goldman Sachs shall cease and desist from committing or causing any violations and any future violations of Sections 17(a)(2) and 17(a)(3) of the Securities Act;
C. Within ten days of the entry of this order, Goldman Sachs shall comply with its undertaking to make certain payments totaling $104,444.11 related to sales of defeasance escrow securities to certain municipal issuers or obligors in connection with advance refundings in negative arbitrage, as set forth in Goldman Sachs' offer of settlement;
D. Goldman Sachs shall comply with its undertaking to pay $5,110,446.16 to the United States Treasury under an agreement simultaneously entered into among Goldman Sachs, the Internal Revenue Service and the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; and
E. At the time the payments are made to the municipalities or obligors and the United States Treasury as described in sub-paragraphs C and D above, copies of the payments and any cover letters accompanying them shall be sent by Goldman Sachs to Lawrence A. West, Assistant Director, Division of Enforcement, Securities and Exchange Commission, 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549-0807.
By the Commission.
Jonathan G. Katz
|Profit on open market escrow securities generally has two components: markup and carry. Markup is the difference between the price that the dealer charges the issuer and the prevailing wholesale market price. In re Lehman Bros. Inc., Exchange Act Release No. 37673 (Sept. 12, 1996). Carry is the difference between (a) the interest and accretion produced by the escrow securities between the sale date and closing date and (b) the cost of financing those securities during that period. See Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Trading Activities Manual, Part 2 at 2-8 (March 1994).
|Home | Previous Page


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Mullins named assistant coach at Siegel High School
Former Lipscomb University All-Conference volleyball player Ann Mullins has been named a coach at Siegel High School in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Mullins, a libero, holds the Atlantic Sun Conference career record for digs and is also first in the conference in digs per game average for her career.
She was ranked 38th nationally in NCAA Division I in digs per game her senior season.
A native of Nashville, Tenn., Mullins transferred to the Lipscomb program after spending two seasons playing for the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
Mullins had also served as a graduate assistant coach for the Lady Bisons.

subset: commoncrawl


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Pavel Pevzner
Ronald R. Taylor Professor of Computer Science
Director, NIH Center for Computational Mass Spectrometry
It is impossible to imagine modern biology without computational ideas developed by bioinformatics pioneers in the last two decades. Today, computational molecular biology remains a wild frontier with still unexplored boundaries.
Bioinformatics is often defined as applications of computers in biology. We respectfully disagree: reducing bioinformatics to "applications of computers in biology" diminishes the rich intellectual content of bioinformatics. Indeed, bioinformatics has become a part of modern biology and often dictates new fashions, enables new approaches, and drives further biological developments. Our lab is well equipped with the appropriate gear and ammunition to continue explorations of uncharted bioinformatics territories.
Bioinformatics postdoctoral positions available
NIH- and HHMI-funded postdoctoral positions are available in Pavel Pevzner's lab at the University of California at San Diego.
Applicants should either have experience in bioinformatics or have strong background in theoretical computer science or combinatorics and burning desire to work in the field of bioinformatics.
I am interested in new approaches to teaching computational molecular biology at both undergraduate and graduate level:
- Bioinformatics Education Resource (Supported by HHMI Professor Award)
- Undergraduate Bioinformatics Consortium (Supported by HHMI Professor Award)
- Educating Biologists in the 21st century (Bioinformatics Editorial)
- Computing Has Changed Biology - Biology Education Must Catch Up (Science Paper)
- Books


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We can see daylight. Now we've got to fix it
Have you ever felt like you're consistently working on a project, but it seems like you're not really getting anywhere? Well, here we are again, working on Project 50. Project 50 is our '69 Charger that is the basis where we plan build an environmentally safe hot rod. Starting in our September '13 issue, we have been diligently rebuilding the Charger's body with the help of AMD and their Installation Center. We've managed to complete a lot of the required work, but there is still a ways to go. We're far from finished, but like we said, we can see light. Unfortunately, that light is not only at the end of the proverbial tunnel, it's shining through the floor of the car. Over the years, the car has developed some damage and rust issues that need attention. Like we said before, we need to make it right, so we need to cut out the bad metal and replace it.
This month, since we can see light that shines up through the driver's side front floor we'll need to address it. There are a couple of ways that you can tackle a job like this; smear a little fiberglass over the rust holes, cut up a road sign and pop-rivet it over the holes, or actually do it correctly. We've seen the effects of smeared fiberglass, and since taking a road sign to use for metal repair is illegal, we chose to do it correctly. So, a replacement panel from AMD will be installed — yes, we'll cut out the afflicted area before we put the new metal in. It's not an overwhelming job to repair/replace the floor in this area, but there is a right and a wrong way to do it.
Costs for AMD driver-side floor (1⁄2 panel): $199.95


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Surrounded as I am now by wonderful children and grandchildren, not a day goes by that I don't think of Richard and our love, our right to marry, and how much it meant to me to have that freedom to marry the person precious to me, even if others thought he was the "wrong kind of person" for me to marry. I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. Government has no business imposing some people's religious beliefs over others. Especially if it denies people's civil rights. I am still not a political person, but I am proud that Richard's and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness, and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That's what Loving, and loving, are all about.
To think that it was in the late 60's that her case came to the Supreme Court makes me shudder.
Note: When I first went to the wikipedia page, I found this:
Richard [her husband] died of AIDS from having sexual intercourse with a nigger in 1975.I'd never edited a wikipedia page until today, when I deleted that sentence. It makes me wonder how many lessons have really been learned, of course.


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As the New Year begins, we often make resolutions to eat healthier and that usually means losing some weight and exercising. To take advantage of the season, advertisers are bombarding us with ads for diets, food systems, exercise equipment and other items to help keep these resolutions: however they can often leave you disappointed. Besides, in these times every penny counts, so we don't have the extra to purchase the advertised items. So what to do?
Here are NINE tips for '09 taken from health experts and successful individuals who have developed healthy habits and kept weight off over time. These can help you stay on track with meeting your New Year's resolutions while still eating healthy and saving money.
- Watch your portions – Easier said then done! A simpler method than calorie counting or measuring out every bite is to re-balance your plate. The "healthy plate" concept helps people control portion size and increase the balance of healthier lower calorie foods. For more details check out these nutrition notes.
Another tip for a "healthy plate" is to use a 9" diameter plate instead of the current standard 12" size. Your plate will look fuller, even with smaller portions.
- Pile on the vegetables and whole fruits – As you can see on the healthy plate, half the plate is vegetables and whole fruits, which are nutrient-rich, low in fat and calories, high in fiber, and loaded with health-promoting compounds. The key is variety, so try eating by colors. Don't forget that during this time of year, frozen vegetables are an economical buy. Frozen and canned fruits in the own juices are also excellent buys.
- Go for the whole grains – Grains are carbohydrates which we need for energy. Whole grains contain more vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber that than white highly processed grain foods. The properties of whole grains also have stabilizing influences on blood sugar levels. To keep it interesting check out ideas at Whole Grain Council.
- Eat healthy fats – by selecting low-fat dairy and lean meats, poultry and fish. Check your labels to avoid transfat in many other foods. Use oils such as olive or canola that contain heart healthy monounsaturated fats. Checking the weekly flyers and using coupons is a great way to save on the low-fat dairy items and the healthy oils.
- Go little nuts- Nuts such as walnuts and almond are rich in omega-3 and other antioxidants which are heart-healthy. Unlike snacks made from refined grains and sugars, nuts have fat and fiber to satisfy hunger and steady blood sugars. Here are tips for portion control and more on the benefits of adding nuts to your food list.
- Go meatless once or twice a week and enjoy legumes and beans – adding beans and legumes to your food selection instead of meat are not only economical substitutions. They also are excellent sources of low-fat protein, vitamins, minerals and fiber. Use beans or legumes in stew, pasta and other dishes.
- Slow down! – These days it may seem challenging to juggle work, family and other responsibilities, but eating on the run and under stress can cause heart burn and less absorption of nutrients. Most importantly, eating too fast makes it more difficult to achieve or maintain a healthy weight. Fast eaters usually complete a meal in ten minutes while slow eaters take 2-3 times longer and consume 70 to100 calories less! Take time to enjoy the healthy plate of food.
- Increase your physical activity – this does not have to cost you any money. Try taking the stairs as a great way to add some physical activity into your daily routine. Think about this way you can "weight" for an elevator or take the stairs and burn some calories.
- Drink up… your H20 – Water is a low- or no cost-way to stay hydrated and improve your health without adding calories. Check out why.
So sticking to your New Year's resolution for healthy eating and physical activity can be done without breaking the budget. Tell me your successes at Ask Kathy.
Weekly Food Forecast – Low fat yogurt is always a healthy choice and is on sale at all the major grocery stores this week. Low fat yogurt provides calcium and protein to make a satisfying snack or part of a quick healthy breakfast. Check your coupons to match with the sale.


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Now showing items 1-1 of 1
A Statistics-based Dimension Reduction of the Space of Path Line Attributes for Interactive Visual Flow Analysis
Recent work has shown the great potential of interactive flow analysis by the analysis of path lines. The choice of suitable attributes, describing the path lines, is, however, still an open question. This paper addresses ...


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SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif., June 5 (UPI) -- Hell hath no fury like the California woman behind the "Rock the Slut Vote" online effort to register women to vote against Republicans in November.
Acting on the national backlash when conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh called law student Sandra Fluke a "slut" for testifying at a Democratic hearing on medical reasons for making contraception available, Susan McMillan Emry said her "Rock the Slut Vote" Web site, www.waronwomen.com/RockTheSlutVote/, is meant to take the bite out of the offensive term, ABC News reported Tuesday.
"If the GOP thinks that throwing the word 'slut' at us at this point is going to silence women, they have another thing coming," said Emry, who admits she sat on the political sidelines until Limbaugh's diatribe against Fluke, coupled with several states enacting restrictive laws on reproductive rights and the Susan G. Komen Foundation's decision to cut Planned Parenthood funding.
Riffing comedian Jeff Foxworthy's "You might be a Redneck if …" jokes, Emry's Web site lists 22 reasons why "You might be a slut," including "if you've ever used contraception" or "if you're still downloading Dixie Chicks music."
The site also encourages visitors to "Go forth, raise hell and rock the slut vote."
Emry, of San Luis Obispo, Calif., said the goal is to "re-appropriate" the word "slut" so Limbaugh and other Republicans cannot use it to "bully and silence women."
"It's really about taking the power away from that word more than it is about Rush Limbaugh," she told ABC News. "He gave the word the notoriety but we are trying to take it back."


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There is an exploit of the Mac iSight cams published by researchers at Johns Hopkins U. Check this:
http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/12/ ... ting-users
Some things to keep in mind.
1. It only affects 2008- and earlier Macs (iMac and MacBooks) and older versions of OS X (prior to Mountain Lion). My little MacBook is a 2008, but will run Mavericks and Gatekeeper, so this exploit won't work on it.
2. It is a firmware attack. In any version of OS X that can run Gatekeeper (Mountain Lion and later), it will not work
3. The exploit will not work on the newer Macs.
4. If you are in the least concerned about getting your cam turned on without you knowing, a piece of duct tape will resolve the issue.
Duct tape. Like the force, it has a dark side and a light side, and it holds the universe together.
It took these eggheads at Johns Hopkins years to figure this exploit out, and a small square of duct tape will mitigate it. Make one wonder who paid for all that research time.


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Free HIV/Hepatitis C Testing - Event Details
This event has concluded and is no longer current.
Free HIV/Hepatitis C Testing
Location: Campus Center Room 306
UH Hilo's Student Health & Wellness Programs will be offering Free HIV/Hepatitis C Testing conducted by the Hawaiʻi Island HIV/AIDS Foundation. Testing is anonymous, safe and fast!
For more information, contact: firstname.lastname@example.com 808-933-3187
What's also happening?
- 2019-20 FAFSA Available October 1st
- Effective October 1, 2018, students can complete their 2019-20 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at www.fafsa.gov. To receive priority consideration, complete your FAFSA by February 1, 2019. ...
- 4th Annual HIplan Business Plan Competition Submissions Open
- This business plan competition is open to individuals or groups (for-profit or non-profit) whose business plan focuses on developing startup or expanding a business based on Hawaiʻi Island. ...
Disclaimer: The University of Hawaii at Hilo is not responsible for the contents, links and/or materials presented in any web site listed above that is not of the "hilo.hawaii.edu" or ".uhh.hawaii.edu" domains. All comments, complaints and grievances should be filed with the author, host and/or owner of said site.


text:
Site Map
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Sennheiser - Wireless
> SENNHEISER EW112G3-B Bodypack transmitter, ME2 omni lavalier and rack mountable receiver (626-668 MHz) EW112PG3
SENNHEISER EW112G3-B Bodypack transmitter, ME2 omni lavalier and rack mountable receiver (626-668 MHz) EW112PG3 (Free Shipping)
Item #:
Regular price: $899.99
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Product Description
Make your presentations come to life. The included omni-directional microphone provides natural speech reproduction while remaining inconspicuously small. The bodypack transmitter has a rechargeable battery option so you can concentrate on your presentation - not on purchasing batteries. Demand the best in wireless presentation technology with quick setup, user-friendly operation, and absolute reliability due to the true diversity receiver. Now featuring wireless infrared transmitter sync for easy setup.
Sturdy metal housing (transmitter and receiver)
42 MHz bandwidth: 1680 tunable UHF frequencies for interference-free reception
Enhanced frequency bank system with up to 12 compatible frequencies
High-quality true diversity reception
Pilot tone squelch for eliminating RF interference when transmitter is turned off
Automatic frequency scan feature searches for available frequencies
Enhanced AF frequency range
Increased range for audio sensitivity
Wireless synchronization of transmitters via infrared interface
User-friendly menu operation with more control options
Illuminated graphic display (transmitter and receiver)
Auto-Lock function avoids accidental changing of settings
HDX compander for crystal-clear sound
Transmitter feature battery indicatation in 4 steps, also shown on receiver display
Programmable Mute function
Integrated Equalizer and Soundcheck mode
Contacts for recharging BA 2015 accupack directly in the transmitter
Wide range of accessories adapts the system to any requirement
Delivery Includes
EM 100 G3 rack-mount receiver
SK 100 G3 bodypack transmitter
ME 2 clip-on microphone (omnidirectional pick-up pattern)
NT 2 power supply unit
2 antennas
2 stacking elements
2 AA batteries
Operating instructions
CONSUMER ALERT. Most users do not need a license to operate this wireless microphone system. Nevertheless, operating this microphone system without a license is subject to certain restrictions: the system may not cause harmful interference; it must operate at a low power level (not in excess of 50 milliwatts); and it has no protection from interference received from any other device. Purchasers should also be aware that the FCC is currently evaluating use of wireless microphone systems, and these rules are subject to change. For more information, call the FCC at 1-888-CALL-FCC (TTY: 1-888-TELL-FCC) or visit the FCC's wireless microphone website at www.fcc.gov/cgb/wirelessmicrophones.
***All products subject to available stock.***
ProDJ - Los Angeles, CA U.S.A. |
Copyright © 1995-2019 - ProDJ All Rights Reserved.


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Feb. 13, 2006
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Freshman forward Crysti Howser (Wilmette, Ill.) has been named ECACHL Rookie of the Week after picking up seven points in two games. Howser, who is currently fifth in the conference in points per game (1.18), helped the Bulldogs to a pair of wins that extended the team's unbeaten streak to six, tying a school record.
Howser's weekend started with two goals (including one short-handed) and an assist in Friday night's 6-0 win over Union. All three of her points came in the third period. She then tacked on a goal and three assists in Saturday's 9-1 victory over the Dutchwomen. Howser had a +6 rating for the two games and won 40 of 52 faceoffs.
Howser missed the first seven games of this season while playing soccer and helping Yale to the third round of the NCAA tournament for the first time. Despite missing those games, she is tied for the team lead in points (9-11-20 in 17 games). Her .65 assists per game is best amongst ECACHL freshmen.
Howser was first team All-Ivy and the Ivy League Rookie of the Year in soccer, and won the Ivy League's Rookie of the Week award three times in that sport. This is her second ECACHL Rookie of the Week award.
Yale travels to Brown Tuesday night for a 7 p.m. game.
report by Sam Rubin '95, Yale Sports Publicity


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Replay is a denim orientated brand that is heavily inspired by true vintage clothing. Despite the laid back brand, the high quality is never compromised and this brand value is transitioned through every product, including the Replay aftershave and Replay perfume.
The Replay fragrances, Stone for Her and Stone for Him, are extraordinary twin scents that are influenced by the brands favourite type of jean effect, stone washing. Simply cased in a deep purple and grey bottle, these scents nail edgy and mysterious.


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Reality 3 for dazstudio??? or did the creator give up on studio?
I see Reality 3 apears for poser
Will it be launched for dazstudio too?
or did pret-a-3d the creator give up on studio developing, as it's not sold on the site here anymore?
Will Reality lux render engine as fast as octane GPU rendering or?
Kerwin Posts: 74
My understanding is Reality3 (or similar) for DAZ studio will come out a few months after the Poser version (November), though I may have misunderstood the post.
DWG Posts: 770
Along with any other factors, there's no point in releasing a new plugin until DS4.5 goes final and it can be compiled against that, otherwise every customer will need to download and install an update when it does go final and they update.
creativemodelsbe said:I see Reality 3 apears for poser
Will it be launched for dazstudio too?
or did pret-a-3d the creator give up on studio developing, as it's not sold on the site here anymore?
Will Reality lux render engine as fast as octane GPU rendering or?
As it states on the Pret-a-3D website, the Poser version will not be released until November, so it is not available yet. Paolo has also said that when the DS4 SDK is finalised and made available, he will be updating Reality to work with version 4.5.
Luxrender can run in Hybrid mode which uses the GPU as well as the CPU, and I think it is reasonably fast. Octane only uses the GPU as far as I know, and it requires a high end graphics card to get the best speed out of it.
creativemodelsbe Posts: 0
don't we see a new reality until studio 5 has reached?
4.5 is only intermediate developing step to final version 5.
seems logical
creativemodelsbe said:don't we see a new reality until studio 5 has reached?
4.5 is only intermediate developing step to final version 5.
seems logical
How did you come to that conlusion?
Version 4.5 is in it's third release (RC3), and I would expect the SDK to be released very soon. There will probably be many versions of 4.5 long before a version 5 is released. Reality already works in the other versions of DS4, like 22.214.171.124.
RCTSpanky Posts: 789
To wait until the Beta release moved into a final release is on one point okay.
On the other side it's not good, that Paolo left the Daz-Users, who created the current status of Reality, in the rain. With the release of the latest version of Reality for DS we get in the beginning nearly every week an update to fix problems and I think, that this kind of support could also work with DS 4.5.
With the statements on Paolo's own homepage about his releation with Renderosity and that he want left DAZ I think, that he will leave the DAZ users as well, but that's my very own impression.
Luxrender, the base and heart of Reality is an open-source project, so maybe there are some other users here with enough knowledge to create a new kind "Reality", maybe for free, like the free versions for Blender or Poser (pose2Lux is free, Reality for Poser cost 59$).Post edited by RCTSpanky on
Paolo cannot do anything about version 4.5, as there has been no SDK released for that version yet. I cannot see why you think DAZ Studio users have been lef in the rain. My version of Reality works just fine, and it is an excellent plugin, with great support.
RCTSpanky Posts: 789
I use meanwhile only DS 4.5 and can't use currently Reality. But that SDK thing makes sense.
larsmidnatt Posts: 4,511
In the long term it would not be surprising if Daz users lost his attention though. If the poser plugin sells substantially better I don't see us getting any love. As long as we get 2.5 for 4.5 when it is finalized I'll probably be ok though. Would be nice if we got continued support though.
But with all his comments about Daz I'm just not so certain myself. Since I've only been using reality for about two months (got it at rosity) I'd be sad for the relationship to end so soon.
And people wonder why I don't like 3rd partly plugins...Post edited by larsmidnatt on
Mattymanx Posts: 5,835
Paolo has made it very clear that Reality 3 WILL be developed for DAZ Studio.
From here: http://preta3d.com/reality-3-faq/ - or here: http://preta3d.com/technology-preview-reality-3-for-poser/
Q: Will there be a Reality 3 for Studio?
A: Yes, this version will be released possibly in the range of two months after the release of the Poser version.
DS users will NOT be left out in the cold. There is no need to fear!!! Paolo is only one man, and is the only person developing the plugin so therefore his time is limited and can only do so much. As a DS user that uses Reality, I see no issue about having R3 released for Poser first AND I am actully quite happy for Poser users to finally have a version of Reality. And while they may get a few months to play with R3 before DS users do, we have had Reality for almost 2 years now and can still use R2 while they dont even have access to R3 yet!
I do not see why Paolo would stop developing Reality for DAZ Studio. DS is freeware and LuxRender is freeware. So it is easier to save up the money for Reality for DS then it is for Poser since Poser is not freeware.
AlexLO Posts: 191
Let me take a moment to clear up a few things on Paolo's behalf (with the round the clock coding for Reality 3, he can't be in every thread at once...though he manages to pop in all of them at some point LOL)RCT-Spanky said:To wait until the Beta release moved into a final release is on one point okay.
On the other side it's not good, that Paolo left the Daz-Users, who created the current status of Reality, in the rain. With the release of the latest version of Reality for DS we get in the beginning nearly every week an update to fix problems and I think, that this kind of support could also work with DS 4.5.
No one is being "left out in the rain" - Paolo has stated the following in numerous threads, here, on Rendo & RDNA:
Reality 2.5, with compatibility for Daz Studio 4.5 is complete, and awaiting the final Studio 4.5 public release.
We are currently on Release Candidate3 for D|S 4.5. To avoid needing to chase problems & quirks with every change, Reality 2.5 won't see the light of day until D|S 4.5 is officially locked & out. I think this is the best strategy, especially since he is evolving the program to it's next phase with Reality 3. Better to focus on that than chase RC issues with Studio.
In the long term it would not be surprising if Daz users lost his attention though. If the poser plugin sells substantially better I don't see us getting any love. As long as we get 2.5 for 4.5 when it is finalized I'll probably be ok though. Would be nice if we got continued support though.
Paolo has given the following release schedule for Reality 3: The Poser version will be released at some point in November. Reality 3 for Daz Studio will be released at some point in January 2013, a couple months after the Poser release. He has been insistent that the Daz Community is the entire reason for the tremendous success of Reality, and many of the expansions to Luxrender itself. He has no plans to leave anyone behind, regardless of any business changes that have gone on between him & Daz. We, the user base are still at the forefront, and the reason Reality continues to evolve. The advances he has made in order to bring Reality to Poser are going to benefit all Reality users in the long term, and apparently open many new doors for where Reality can & will go in the future.
I just want to make sure the truth is out there & no one runs on any tangents or rumors based on whatever. I'm sure Paolo will pop here at some point to back up my statement, but you can search The Reality threads here, on Rendo, RDNA, or his own site at Pret-a-3d.com, to stay up to date with Reality 2.5 / 3 developments ;-)
larsmidnatt Posts: 4,511
It's nice to see there will be an upgrade path from 2 for DS users, but I'm not talking about Reality 3, I'm talking later down the road. True studio has a large base of free users but ya know, time will tell.
Tangled Web Creations Posts: 69
Personally I think it is great that Poser users will finally get to use Reality as well. I am a D|S user and am lost when my D|S decides to not talk to Reality & Lux right on a given day because it (D|S) doesn't like the way the sun is shining or the way a storm front is heading in or because it hasn't had its PMS meds and needs some chocolate, has grown claws and is threatening bodily harm to my Reality & Lux.
I have faith our Reality guy is not leaving us behind; he is just expanding his horizons. It is good business for him, will be great for the poser artists to experience the Reality goodness that us D|S users have been able to have all of this time and if we have to wait a few months longer for a new version, then so be-it. I would rather wait until January anyway, maybe I will have a little bit to recover from Christmas before it releases - not to mention I will have to go buy Reality 3 for my Poser - maybe I will finally have a good reason to force myself to learn how to use it? Hmm, dunno but DAZ might want to come off of that SDK if they want to talk me into using 4.5 cause I refuse to give up my Reality.
Also, I hate to bring up the battle that has been raging on, but in a world that APPEARS to be attempting to kill off their older models, go right ahead and give Reality 3 to the Poser community first.
~ Lady Bree ~
P.S. I cannot believe that the little devil on my shoulder said to me right after my last sentence - "Yeah! Let them be the beta users before he releases it to the D|S users!" I honestly do not feel that way, can someone help me slay this demon please? LOL
FSMCDesigns Posts: 7,316
I can get decent renders in poser 2012 with IDL, but I am all about the technical aspect and knowing that firefly is biased rendering just puts me off when i have the unbiased option of luxrender (or Octane or maxwell).
Reality forced me to get a grip on DS and with DS4 pro, I find I rather enjoy it over poser for the most part. The smoothing modifier and collision option alone (not to mention Genesis) make my workflow zoom along. While I will get Reality for poser, this makes me wonder how much I'll actually use it now, LOL.
Hiro Protagonist Posts: 666
There is no reason to believe that the creation of a Reality for Poser will result in any lessening in support for DAZ Studio. In fact the Poser version (and subsequently Reality 3 for DAZ Studio) is built on a new technology which will enable Paolo to easily create a version of Reality for any host application. This means that it is no great burden to maintain versions of Reality for multiple platforms.
As I understand it, Reality 2.5 (for DS 4.5) is in the testing stage and will be released fairly soon. There will be no new features in 2.5, merely compatibility with DS 4.5 (e.g. DUF handling).
This is just my personal view, but it seems likely that releasing Reality to a whole new user base (and a potentially large one) at the same time as releasing Reality with abundant new features to an existing user base would be too much of a burden for Paolo, which may be why he is staggering the releases fairly substantially.
Paolo has said that Poser users are getting Reality 3 first because DS users already have Reality 2 whilst Poser users have nothing.
reelyor Posts: 216
I understand that he hoped to have it into QC this week.


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here will be an AUWG teleconference on Monday 4 March 2013 at 3:00 pm- 4:00 pm ET: Call: (617) 761-6200 ext. 2894# Zakim: +1.617.761.6200 (Boston) IRC: server: irc.w3.org, port: 6665, channel: #au If people think they will arrive more than 15 minutes late, please send me an email beforehand. Most Recent Editors Drafts ===================== ATAG 2.0 http://www.w3.org/WAI/AU/2013/ED-ATAG20-20130220/ Implementing ATAG 2.0 http://www.w3.org/WAI/AU/2013/ED-IMPLEMENTING-ATAG20-20130220/ Agenda ====== 1. Re-chartering survey results: - This survey uses a different form than the typical survey -- there are no options to check, just text boxes for open responses. https://www.w3.org/2002/09/wbs/35520/20130301/ 2. Review of answers to the surveys re: tests: The updated tests file is here: http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wai-au/2013JanMar/att-0036/ATAG2-10April2012PublicWD-Tests-rev20130212.html Part 3 (A.4 - B.2) - We finished B.1.1.1 last week. https://www.w3.org/2002/09/wbs/35520/20130107-4/results Part 4 (B.3 - B.4) https://www.w3.org/2002/09/wbs/35520/20130107-3/results *NOTE:* The WG Chair has set a deadline of 3:00pm ET on Monday, January 28, 2013 to respond to the surveys otherwise the tests are deemed accepted: http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wai-au/2013JanMar/0012.html (MR) JAN RICHARDS PROJECT MANAGER INCLUSIVE DESIGN RESEARCH CENTRE (IDRC) OCAD UNIVERSITY T 416 977 6000 x3957 F 416 977 9844 E email@example.com on Friday, 1 March 2013 22:34:18 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Tuesday, 6 January 2015 21:40:04 UTC


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Congressman Walter Jones has entered the discussions over a proposed wind energy facility that would be located in Carteret County.
Congressman Walter Jones has entered the discussions over a proposed wind energy facility that would be located in Carteret County.
Jones, R-NC, has requested a meeting with Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense John Conger to discuss the defense department review of the proposed project.
�This proposal has generated a great deal of concern among local residents for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is potential impact on Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point and Marine Corps Air Station New River,� Jones said in a Jan. 10 letter to Conger.
The proposal, known as the Mill Pond project, would locate an estimated 40 industrial wind turbines on land outside of Newport.
One of the primary concerns raised is the potential obstruction of the flight path of military aircraft flying out of Cherry Point. There is also concern about the impact of turbines on radar use.
Under both federal and state law, the Department of Defense must review such projects, taking into consideration the potential impact on military installations, Jones said.
Texas-based Torch Renewable Energy has begun discussions with the various agencies involved in the review process but has not yet filed a formal application for a permit from the state or local governments.
The Carteret County Board of Commissioners imposed a 60-day moratorium Jan. 2 on the issuance of permits for wind energy facilities while it reviews the county�s regulations.
According to Jones� letter, the DOD review process is completed by a Mitigation Response Team.
�Any project which poses the potential to negatively impact Eastern North Carolina�s military installations is one that should be thoroughly and carefully researched,� Jones said. �It is critical that the local residents who could be affected by the Mill Pond project have a voice in the discussion surrounding approval of the wind turbines.�
Contact Daily News reporter Jannette Pippin at 910-382-2557 or email@example.com.


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The average pay for a Regional Marketing Manager with Marketing Management skills in Hong Kong is {{pay}} per hour.
The average pay for a Regional Marketing Manager with Marketing Management skills in Hong Kong is HK$707,497 per year.
Job Description for Regional Marketing Manager
Large companies and organizations that do business with a wide variety of customers - either inside one country or internationally - are typical employers for regional marketing managers. To be effective, these companies must recognize the differing needs of consumers in different demographic and geographic areas, potentially requiring specialized approaches in making a product or service more attractive. In some large companies, regional marketing managers are needed to cater to the organization's large customer base.Read More...
The regional marketing manager generally works with a marketing team, as well as with sales and advertising teams. They help develop and implement marketing campaigns that usually take specific demographics of the manager's area into account. They must be creative and analytical when developing these campaigns, set measurable goals, and develop the means to gather performance data. The regional marketing manager helps implement these campaigns with sales and advertising or creative teams and then oversees their execution. They also forecast sales needs and campaign budgets on an ongoing basis. Additionally, these managers help ensure all marketing efforts fit the company's and/or brand's image.
Typically, a regional marketing manager must have at least a bachelor's degree in business, marketing, or a related field. Previous experience in a similar position is needed as well. A regional marketing manager needs excellent communication and organization skills, as they will be the liaison among a variety of teams within a company. The manager should also expect to travel regularly as a part of this job. (Copyright 2019 PayScale.com)
Regional Marketing Manager Job Listings
Key Stats for Regional Marketing Manager
75 %
25 %


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INDIANAPOLIS — Camilla Williams, believed to be the first African-American woman to appear with a major U.S. opera company, has died. She was 92.
Williams died Sunday at her home in Bloomington, her attorney, Eric Slotegraaf, said Monday. She died of complications from cancer, said Alain Barker, a spokesman for the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where Williams was a professor emeritus of voice.
Williams' debut with the New York City Opera on May 15, 1946, was thought to make her the first African-American woman to appear with a major U.S. opera company and came nearly nine years before Marian Anderson became the first African-American singer to appear at New York's more prestigious Metropolitan Opera.
In her City Opera debut, Williams sang what would become her signature role, Cio-Cio-San, in Puccini's "Madama Butterfly." She displayed "a vividness and subtlety unmatched by any other artist who has assayed the part here in many a year," according to a New York Times review of the performance.
She also appeared with the City Opera that season as Nedda, in Leoncavallo's "Pagliacci." The following year she performed the role of Mimi, in Puccini's "La Boheme," and in 1948 she sang the title role of Verdi's "Aida."
Williams first appeared overseas in 1950 on a concert tour of Panama, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. She also appeared as Cio-Cio-San with the London Sadler's Wells Opera in 1954 and later that same year as the first black artist to sing a major role with the Vienna State Opera.
Williams, the daughter of a chauffeur, was introduced to "Madama Butterfly," Mozart and other classical works at age 12 while growing up in Danville, Va. A Welsh voice teacher came to the segregated city to teach at a school for white girls and taught a few black girls at a private home. By that time she had been singing at Danville's Calvary Baptist Church for four years.
"My grandparents and parents were self-taught musicians; all of them sang, and there was always music in our home," she wrote for her entry in the first edition of "Who's Who in the World."
A graduate of Virginia State College, she was teaching third grade and music in Danville schools in 1942 when she was offered a scholarship from the Philadelphia Alumni Association of her alma mater for vocal training in Philadelphia, where she studied under Marion Szekely-Freschl and worked as an usher in a theater.
A lifetime member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, she performed in her hometown of Danville in 1963 to raise funds to free jailed civil rights demonstrators and sang at the 1963 civil rights march on Washington, D.C., immediately before the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. She also sang at King's Nobel Peace Prize ceremony the following year. The Chicago Defender lauded her in 1951 for bringing democracy to opera.
In 1950 she married Charles Beavers, a fellow Danville native and a defense attorney whose clients included Malcolm X. He died in 1970. The couple did not have children.
Williams retired from opera in 1971 and taught at Brooklyn College, Bronx College and Queens College until becoming the first African American professor of voice at Indiana University. In 1983, as a guest professor at Beijing's Central Conservatory, she became that school's first black professor. She retired from teaching in 1997.
A memorial service has been scheduled at the First United Methodist Church in Bloomington on Feb. 18.


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Reviewed by April B & Ashley (age 0)
The pictures get really funny too. We especially like it because we like farm animals. We really like the horses because they are cute in the book. Whenever you mix up the animals you will start to laugh a lot. We liked this book because it mixes up the animals to make us laugh. Also it is a pop-up book so when you open it the animals pop out at you.
We recommend the book to anybody who likes funny books and silly pictures. The book is really funny and will make you laugh and laugh.


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Months ago, I ran across a beautiful old wardrobe that had been handed down to someone who apparently didn't appreciate what they had. It was relegated to a corner of a garage and because of this, the front doors and bottom frame sustained some pretty extensive damage. Sad face.
But, that also meant that I picked it up for a song. The interiors are immaculate and the back and top are in really great shape too. But that left open the question of what to do to "fix" the damage. It sat unattended for some time while I finished other projects and even when I went back to work (funny how a full time job with a lengthy commute can eat into my spare time), I tried to re-sell it to someone else who might want to take it on as a restoration project. No luck.
But this might work out to my advantage. Now on evenings and weekends I am going to set to bringing my own special touch to this piece. I searched high and low for walnut veneer, without much luck, as I didn't have to want to travel too far or pay too much. So, again it sat in my garage, although in much better surroundings.
And I have stumbled onto the design I want to take it. And there is a nice little tutorial on how to approach it. If you're interested in how to do it, just visit the website.
I am going to rebuild the base with the help of my son and then I am going to strip the veneer off the doors and sand it down to a nice solid finish. Then it is going to get painted in a beautiful high gloss black and then the doors are going to get a colorful abstract painting in bold beautiful colors. The interiors are simply going to get a cleaning and a sealer to protect the still beautiful finish.
So, here is the before:
And I will provide updates as I progress. There is no hurry to getting this project done and I want to take my time with it. In the meantime, I am also working on the other American Girl dollhouse project. This one will be sold when done, and I expect it to command a pretty penny. And it will be a fun project as I work on it.
Here is the work so far:
Basically it is a big box. 🙂 It measures 48″ wide by 48″ high and is 24″ deep and the shelf rests at 24″ and is built out of beautiful cabinet grade plywood (I'm thinking hardwood floors throughout). Yes, this is the beginnings of the most amazing dollhouse for 18″ sized dolls, ie. American Girl dolls. Although there are a wide variety of popular dolls that size, including Our Generation, Madame Alexander, Favorite Friends and so many more, that would feel just as home in this doll house. Intentions include a base which should be a small lawn and an attic. The kitchen will be to-die-for… boasting turquoise appliances and a plethora of cabinets and I am hoping for an adjoining dining room. It is also to have a bathroom (you should see the toilet!) and a bedroom. I have so much collected already, I am excited to see this come together.
Thanks for dropping by and taking a peek. And apologies for being so absent lately. Come back soon!


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Mark Steinmetz works in the venerable tradition of photographic prowling that bets everything on the ordinary. Each picture is the fruit of an unplanned encounter: Though the photographer may know more or less where he is going, he can't know precisely what he will find. An accumulation of these improvised perceptions can make both a world and a way of looking at it.—Peter Galassi
A series of three books—South Central, South East and Greater Atlanta—published between 2007 and 2009 brought the work of Mark Steinmetz to prominence. His quiet, yet confident, black-and-white portraits reflect the isolation and detachment of youth. They suggest transience and are an intimate connection to the lives of strangers.
His latest publication, Summertime, released this month by Nazerali, echoes the sentiment of his previous three books and features images taken over the last decade. Steinmetz tends to think about work over long periods of time, keeping the various bodies of photographs in his head and weaving pictures of the same spirit together. However it is not only process but also circumstance that resulted in the work taking so long to surface. When Steinmetz, who studied at Yale, began making his intimate black-and-white portraits in his twenties, interest rested in fabricated color photography, not photography documenting the way the world actually looked. With the world in a more sober place, viewers have been more receptive to Steinmetz's point of view.
Although Steinmetz has at times worked in a more scheduled manner—including a series on Little League Baseball and one on summer camp—his preference is not to nail things down too specifically. "I don't begin a project with an agenda that is going to over-determine the outcome," Steinmetz recently told American Suburb X. "I think it begins with a faint vision—one of those whispers on a breeze—that somehow gets a grip on me." The photographs in Summertime are the product of an intuitive roaming approach of a photographer who always has his camera with him, in search of people where they might be out in public.
Summertime opens with an image of a boy laying on his back with an empty school bus and deserted school yard in the background, which sets a school's-out-for-summer kind of tone that continues throughout the whole book. The photographs are more widely spread geographically than those in the earlier publications concentrated in the South, as Summertime sees Steinmetz getting out more into the country: to New Haven, Conn.; Boston; Chelsea, Mass.; Chicago and rural Illinois. The images were taken in places where the photographer was either living, visiting his parents or teaching. That connection affords Steinmetz a familiarity and comfort and enables an ease he strives for with the strangers he photographs, which is reflected in the pictures. In black and white, things can rest a little easier in the frame. Summertime is more about the kids and that feeling of having all the time in the world in summer—and in the middle of winter, Summertime is what we yearn for most.
Summertime was published this month by Nazraeli Press.


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Graduate Studies in English
The M.A. Program
The M.A. degree in English is awarded in one of five tracks, each of which can be completed in 30 to 33 hours. All tracks include a literature core (9 hours); courses in the chosen track (9 hours); electives (9 hours); a seminar (3 hours); foreign language certification (or equivalent research tool); a final writing project or thesis; and a final oral examination, a defense and discussion of the writing project or thesis. Full-time students typically finish the degree in two years.
Many students in full-time employment have also successfully completed the degree part-time. In addition to late afternoon and evening classes offered in the fall and spring semester, the Department of English also typically offers six-week graduate courses in the summer, which may be particularly attractive to high school teachers seeking to acquire either an M.A. degree or additional graduate credits for professional development.
The Five M.A. Tracks
- Literature Concentration in this track allows students to emphasize literature in any time period, with individual guidance from specialized experts.
- Children's Literature Concentration in this track is on children's literature and adolescent literature.
- Creative Writing and Literature Concentration in this track is on the student's creative work in drama, fiction, nonfiction, or poetry; the student will work closely with graduate faculty well-published in the genre the student chooses to emphasize.
- Cultural Studies and Literature Concentration in this track is on the theoretical bases for examining cultural texts and contexts. Study may encompass both literary and nonliterary areas, such as politics, sociology, and political economy.
- Composition, Rhetoric and Literature Concentration in this track is on language, composition, and rhetorical theory. In addition to preparing students for future Ph.D. work, the track provides professional training as preparation for teaching in community and junior colleges.
Graduate Certificate Program
The Department of English is also home to a Graduate Certificate program that offers students an interdisciplinary focus on communication in non-academic professions, particularly business, government, high technology industries, and the non-profit sector.
|The faculty were exceptional. I liked the diversity of teaching practices and styles. I felt at home in the department. I also enjoyed representing the department in the classroom. I think teaching within the department fosters a greater sense of community among the graduate students. When I look back on my time as a KSU graduate student in English, I cherish the thought that I spent three years of my life reading, thinking and talking about literature.
-- Jana Zaudke (M.A. 1995), Kansas City, Missouri
The Department
Intellectual community makes Kansas State's English Department a remarkable place to do graduate work. Because approximately 50 M.A. students are supervised by about 30 graduate faculty, students can expect individual attention and small classes. In the past five years, the graduate faculty have published nearly two dozen books as well as articles, reviews, poems, essays, and stories in more than 100 journals and anthologies. The Program is carefully structured but individually flexible, fostering close work between faculty and students, encouraging creativity, and promoting innovative scholarship. New graduate students quickly become part of a community of graduate students and faculty who are accessible, engaged, and enthusiastic. Committed to the principle that good teaching and good research synergistically promote each other, the department encourages graduate students to become resourceful scholars, articulate writers, and outstanding teachers.
Our graduate students come from a variety of backgrounds: some have B.A.s in English, others have different degrees and majors, some have recently completed undergraduate work, others are returning students, some are from the Midwest, many are not, and so on. After completing their M.A. Degrees, our graduate students pursue a variety of different options. Some go on to earn advanced degrees: law school, M.F.A. Programs, Ph.D. Programs in linguistics, literature, cultural studies, American and African American studies, Women's Studies, public policy, and rhetoric among others. Others begin careers in technical and professional writing, community service, public school teaching, arts administration, community college teaching, publishing and editing, journalism, and business.
The M.A. program is enriched by an active and diverse visiting writers program, lectures by visiting scholars, an annual symposium in cultural studies, a departmental colloquium, and other special events, such as recent residencies of Shakespearean actors from Britain.
Graduate students may participate in the production of Touchstone, a student-edited journal of creative work by students from colleges and universities across the country.
The University
As the country's first land-grant university, founded in 1863, Kansas State offers a rich diversity of programs involving a distinguished graduate faculty who are renowned for their dedication to the education of students. K-State enrolls over 22,500 students of which nearly 4,000 pursue master's degrees in 64 fields and doctorates in 45. The campus is nestled in the heart of Manhattan, a city of 45,000, located two hours west of Kansas City in a tree-filled valley amid the unique geography of the dramatically rolling Flint Hills. The Department of English is housed conveniently next to Hale Library, which has holdings of more than 1.6 million volumes, and is only a short walking distance from the Marianna Kistler Beach Art Museum.
Related Links for More Information
- More Information about the M.A. Program in English (from the Graduate Catalog)
- Graduate School (the Graduate School's website)
- Graduate Handbook (at the Graduate School's website)
- Graduate Handbook (English Department)
- Graduate Catalog
- Graduate Course Descriptions
- Graduate Faculty
- English Department Courses
- Department of English
- Kansas State University
- Manhattan, Kansas
Notice of Nondiscrimination
Kansas State University is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of race, sex, national origin, disability, religion, age, sexual orientation, or other nonmerit reasons in admissions, educational programs or activities, and employment, all as required by applicable laws and regulations. Responsibility for coordination of compliance efforts and receipt of inquiries, including those concerning Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, has been delegated to Director, Unclassified Affairs and University Compliance, Anderson Hall, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506-0124 (785-532-4392).


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British Superbike fans might recognize the name, but Josh Brookes is making headlines with his Isle of Man TT debut, having set the fastest Mountain Course lap ever for a newcomer. Teammate to Guy Martin on the Tyco Suzuki team, Brookes is showing himself to be a very capable road racer having finished 10th in the 2013 Dainese Superbike TT.
Posting a 127.726 mph lap, Brookes shattered Steve Plater's record of 125.808 mph from 2007. The new high-water mark isn't likely to last though, as Brookes will have another shot at it on Superbike equipment later this week during the Senior TT, the blue-ribbon and final race of the 2013 IOMTT.


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I'm interested in people's strategies for the weirder lockerables. I'm talking about those funky, hard to find subdungeon items and other items that don't end up in the shop pool and aren't completion rewards for specific dungeons.
Sensation Stone: I think everyone knows about this one. It's super easy to get, so it just barely counts.
Mass09's Ledger: This is a very strong item, almost a minor artifact. It's rare, so when i find it, it gets a permanent home in my locker.
Fabulous Treasure: You can get it with 100% reliability from Thief Gold, but lots of people don't know about it because it doesn't seem like the sort of thing you'd be allowed to locker.
Pepper the Dog: This can be easily taken from Priest Bronze, but like Fabulous Treasure, it often gets overlooked because you don't expect it to be lockerable. It's a good way to add a little bit of kick to your orc priest runs. Since it's so easy to replace, you can discard when you're done and it's no big deal.
Titan Guitar: On my current (and hopefully final) profile, I scummed the western dungeons aggressively until I found this. It's like having an alternative gamemode. It changes everything. Use it to get rid of annoying mazes. Use it to make Earthmother more viable. Use it with a Goblin Fighter of Tikki Tooki to create the ultimate King of Ding.
Spoon: Yes, the spoon. While I would never keep it in a mature kingdom, I found it was great when starting out. Its prep cost is zero and that one point of damage is the same as a 20% boost at first level.
EDIT: I just noticed that the Ritual Scroll and the Long Rant are both lockerable. It's hard to recommend the Ritual Scroll over the Dragon Shield, but the Long Rant has potential.


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Texas Fashion Collection - 4 Matching Results
Search Results
- Hat
- Hat of rust wool felt with rolled, tubular shaped brim. Style sometime referred to as "bumper hat". Unlined with orange grosgrain headband. Crown stamped: "100% Wool / 'Esccello' / Geo. W. Bollman & Co., Inc" Designer's label on inside headband: "Frank's Girl / Designed by / Frank Olive / New York"
- Scarf Hat
- Hat formed of a printed scarf. The hat is constructed to look as a scarf that has been tied around the wearer's head, with long trailing ends at back. The under-structure is a domed crown of stiffened black mesh overlaid with the printed scarf, which has a navy blue ground, white stars, and gold American eagles. The hat has an inner pink grosgrain ribbon hatband. Designer's label: "Frank Olive / New York"
- Ensemble - Dress and Coat
- Dress and coat of peacock feathers. The short, sleeveless dress is entirely covered with peacock breast feathers, accented with a 1" band of blue cording and chenille trim at neckline and with blue cord spaghetti straps. It is fully lined with navy polyester. The long, sleeveless coat is covered with peacock herl / flue feathers. It has a round neckline, and no closure. These pieces are part of a larger ensemble, consisting of a total of 9 pieces decorated with peacock and/or golden pheasant feathers. Worn to the Emmy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, California, April 1976.
- Coat
- Coat of lynx fur, pale with brown and grey markings. Thigh-length, with long sleeves and shawl collar. Two side slit pockets. Center front opening with two hooks below collar (lacking loops?). Fully lined in tan silk. No labels in garment.


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No matter what genre you write in, chances are you'll be writing about characters. And you'll probably want to have characters that the reader can identify with, sympathize with, and root for.
It's pretty easy to do. When I'm creating characters, either protags, antags, or supports, I do a mental checklist of the following criteria:
UNIQUE- What makes this person different from anyone else? Why is this hero the ONLY ONE who could be in your story? Include profession, race, gender, age, and brief description.
GOALS- What are your protagonist's goals? Dreams? Fears? Things they desperately want?
FLAWS- What personal, internal problem will get in the way of the hero reaching his/her goals? Addiction? Illness? Disability? Neuroses?
QUIRKS- What are the strange, bizarre, personal, or human traits this hero possesses? Habits and rituals?
PERSPECTIVE- First person or third person, and why?
SUPPORT- Who are the supporting, returning characters that assist your hero? Friends? Co-workers?
ENEMY- Your villain should have all of these traits as well. Who will make a worthy opponent for your hero?
EXAMPLE- Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels, Chicago Violent Crimes featured in the novels WHISKEY SOUR & BLOODY MARY, and the EQMMM short stories ON THE ROCKS & WITH A TWIST
UNIQUE- Jack is 46, divorced, unlucky in love but a good cop–she had to be to become a Lieutenant in the male-dominated fraternity of the CPD. Jack has dedicated her life to the Job, but is now at an age where she's regretting never starting a family.
GOALS- Jack needs to do well in her career; that's the only time she feels good about herself. But she also realizes, for the first time, that there's more to life than work, and she wants to broaden her personal life.
FLAWS- Jack has insomnia, due to her fixation with her job. She constantly questions her own actions, wondering if she could have done better. She doesn't think she's worthy of love.
QUIRKS- Her insomnia causes her to max out her credit cards watching the late night Home Shopping Network. She worries too much about fashion, and is envious of those who dress better than she does.
PERSPECTIVE- First person for Jack, third person for the villain.
SUPPORT- Overweight partner Det. Herb Benedict, accountant boyfriend Latham Conger, mother Mary Streng, ex-husband Alan Daniels, criminal friend Phineas Troutt, ex-partner PI Harry McGlade, hellspawn cat Mr. Friskers.
ENEMY- In WHISKEY SOUR, a serial killer called The Gingerbread Man is making snuff movies in his basement and wants to make one with Jack. In BLOODY MARY, a maniac is dismembering people and leaving accessories of Jack's at the crime scenes.
As you can see, Jack isn't perfect. Her problems add a dimension to the stories beyond the conflict which fuels the plot.
How about your characters? I have a worksheet download here if you'd like to try it for yourself.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
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Tickets on sale for Friends of Library annual fundraiser
Members of the Kinston-Lenoir County Friends of the Library are selling tickets for the ninth annual cruise drawing. Only 100 tickets will be sold at $100 each, and all proceeds will support the Friends� programs throughout the year.
The grand prize of the drawing is the choice between a two-person, seven-day Caribbean cruise or $2,500 in cash. The drawing will be conducted during the �South Pacific Luau Party,� to be held from 4 to 6 p.m. March 3 in the library�s Schechter Auditorium, 510 N. Queen St.
Catering will be provided by Susan Colomaio, owner of Olivia�s Restaurant in Kinston. The menu will include jerk chicken, a luau pig, green beans with pine nuts, ambrosia salad and more.
Entertainment will be provided by �Dennis Michels and The Carolina Jazz.�
Earle Abernethy and Dr. Michels are co-directors of the �Carolina Jazz Band.� Musicians who will be performing are Clay Raines, singer; Abernethy, drummer; Dave Aduddell, bass; Les Sutorius, trumpet; Dennis McGaughy, tenor sax/clarinet; Tommy Smith, trombone; and Michels, piano/keyboard.
Kinston�s Bob Jeffcott, host of this event and professional jazz trumpet player, will add his jazz interpretations of �Bloody Mary� and �Thanks for the Memories.�
Raines heads theater productions at Kinston High School, is a vocalist/actor and has performed in many productions in Eastern North Carolina. Most recently, he was the lead actor/singer in the musical �Jesus Christ, Superstar,� presented by Lenoir Community College.
Abernethy has performed for more than 45 years with jazz musicians from Eastern N.C. Having studied music at ECU, he has performed in a number of bands backing up stars from The Lawrence Welk Show, The Brady Bunch, country stars Lynn Anderson and Ray Price, and a back-up band for the late Bob Hope.
Aduddell is a professional jazz bassist from Raleigh. He�s played with many jazz groups and is widely known as one of the most professionally accomplished jazz bassists in the region.
Sutorius has been a professional jazz musician for more years than he cares to admit. His free-flowing, tasty jazz solos have long been admired by other musicians and innumerable audiences.
McGaughy is from Snow Hill. He performed for a number of years in the highly acclaimed U.S. Air Force Jazz Band. After leaving the USAF, he has raised his two sons in Snow Hill and continued playing professionally with many groups.
Smith retired to Greenville after playing many years as a professional jazz trombonist in New Orleans. During his career, he played in the Tommy Dorsey Band and regularly for four years with the great Pete Fountain.
Michels is from Kinston and has played with a number of beach and jazz bands during the past 35 years, including the Carolina Showcase Band, the Dan Dionis Jazz Band, The Musical Michels and The Melissa Burke Jazz Quartet.
Musical selections for the �South Pacific Luau� will include many songs from the blockbuster Broadway musical �South Pacific,� including �Bali Ha�i,� �Bloody Mary,� �A Wonderful Guy,� �There�s Nothing Like a Dame,� �Younger than Springtime,� �I�m Gonna Wash that Man Right Out of My Hair,� �Honey Bun� and �Some Enchanted Evening.� In keeping with the tropical theme, Carolina Jazz will also play other selections from Broadway musicals, as well as beloved jazz standards.
Tickets are available through any board member or at the library�s Circulation Desk.
For more information on the cruise drawing, call the library at 252-527-7066, ext. 130.
Friends of Library Cruise Drawing/Reception
4 to 6 p.m. March 3
Schechter Auditorium, Kinston-Lenoir County Public Library
510 N. Queen St., Kinston
Tickets: $100 (covers chance for Caribbean cruise or cash grand prize, reception buffet and entertainment)
Info: 252-527-7066


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Difference between revisions of "Petroleum oil"
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Revision as of 16:39, 28 November 2010
|Petroleum oil
|First appearance
|"The Futurama Holiday Spectacular" (6ACV13)
By the year 3010, petroleum oil is not still used, as all of the Earth's reserves ran dry in 2038. However, in a non-canon segment of The Futurama Holiday Spectacular, Bender Bending Rodriguez uses it in Robanukah. He creates a new tradition for the holiday that involves Fembots like Ruth and Esther to wrestle in it, while wearing bikinis. When he realizes that they only have enough oil for four and a half weeks, when Robanukah lasts for six and a half, and that there is no more oil in the Earth, he convinces the crew to drill deep into the Earth. However, the pressure makes half of the ship cave in, killing all the crew members except for Bender. After staying in the Earth for 500 million years, the dead crew turn into Petroleum Oil. Bender collects an amount and goes back to the surface, and is surprised to find that the oil that was supposed to last for four and a half weeks actually lasted for 500 million years. He proclaims it a miracle.


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CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago public school district announced Thursday that it was laying off about 2,100 teachers and support staff — a figure more than twice as large as the teachers union head was expecting and one the district blamed on the Legislature's failure to reach a deal on pension reform.
The Chicago Public Schools layoffs are in addition to the approximately 850 teachers and support staff who were laid off in June, which the district attributed to its planned closures of about 50 schools that it considered underutilized.
Among those laid off Thursday are 1,036 teachers, the remainder are support staff, including teacher assistants, food service employees and janitorial staff.
School district spokeswoman Becky Carroll said the district is facing a $1 billion budget deficit, much of it driven by an increase in its pension obligations.
"We were hoping to get pension reform in Springfield," she said. "That did not happen. That has brought the pension crisis to the doorstep of our schools," she said.
Chicago schools were seeking a waiver on pension payments for the 2014 budgetary year, which began July 1. During the spring legislative session, the General Assembly failed to pass legislation permitting the district to make a reduced pension contribution over the next two years, obligating the district to increase the contribution by $400 million.
District officials said even if pension reform is enacted by the Legislature, it would not commit to reversing the layoffs.
Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis expressed surprise at the number of layoffs, saying she expected the figure to be closer to 800.
"Once again, CPS has lied to parents, employees and the public, about keeping the new school-based budget cuts away from the classroom," Lewis said in a statement.
The district has eliminated $600 million in central office operations and administration in recent years, in addition to $52 million in cuts it made this year, according to Carroll.
"We can't cut our way out of this crisis," she said. "Our spending obligations, pension, salary increases and other costs, continue to rise."
The majority of the teachers laid off are probationary teachers who have worked for CPS for less than three years, said CPS Chief Talent Officer Alicia Winckler
The teachers being laid off will be notified by their principals on Friday. Winckler said all laid-off teachers will be able to reapply for district teaching positions. She noted that in the past, more the 60 percent of district teachers who were laid off were rehired.
Thursday's announcement came as lawyers for the nation's third-largest school district were in a federal courtroom defending Chicago's plan to shutter some 50 schools.
The Chicago Teachers Union and concerned parents who are seeking an injunction to halt the plan before the new school year begins say the closures inordinately harm black and special-needs students, violating their rights.
The hearing stems from several lawsuits filed on behalf of parents. One contends that black children make up about 88 percent of students being moved from closed schools, although they comprise 42 percent of district students.
Critics say talk by city and schools officials of budgetary savings is misleading, leaving the impression that the closures will help address the yawning budget deficit. Pressed during cross-examination on Thursday, which was the hearing's third day, CPS' budget director, Ginger Ostro, conceded that the closures weren't designed to fix CPS' financial mess.
Adam Anderson, a district planning official, testified that what guided the district as it decided what schools would be closed was how much classroom space wasn't being used.
A complex "utilization equation" was employed in the process, and the district found there were some 500,000 available classroom seats for 400,000 students, leaving 100,000 seats unused, Anderson said.
Enrollment has fallen over the years with a corresponding fall in population in African-American areas, which is why so many of the schools that ended up on the closure list were in predominantly black neighborhoods, Anderson said.


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Earlier this week, I noticed an intriguing item from Tim McManus of PhillyMag.com. And then I forgot to write a blurb about it.
But it's the weekend and things have slowed down a bit and I'm sitting here watching the Penguins-Islanders game so why not write it now?
McManus points out that Eagles coach Chip Kelly wants his quarterback to get rid of the ball fast. And Vick doesn't.
"We want the ball out of the quarterback's hands in 1.5 seconds," Kelly said while at Oregon. "That does not mean holding the ball until 2.5, waiting for someone to get open."
Last year, Vick held the ball, on average, 3.07 seconds. Or more than twice the amount Kelly wants his quarterbacks to hold the ball.
So Vick will need to improve his release time. Kelly apparently thinks he can.
"I think there is a lot more to Michael," Kelly said in February, via McManus. "I think quarterbacks are a byproduct of their experience. But to sit here and say I understood the system that Michael's been in whether he's with the Falcons under Coach [Dan] Reeves or here, that depends on the system that you run. Some of the systems that they run they don't ask him to get the ball out quick. Do I think he can get the ball out quick? I think he's got an unbelievable release. It's up and out and it's quick."
That's what needs to happen, or Vick may not be the starting quarterback for very long. Or at all.


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I have lived in Indiana all of my life and unlike many of my friends have never felt an overwhelming desire to leave. There are many reasons to be angry about the way things go in Indiana, most of our gov't officials as one example. But this new change is probably the what has made me the most disgusted about living in Indiana.
Indiana has finally, in accordance with a bill passed in 2006 that allowed states to make changes to medicaid to make it more cost effective, made the changes that they felt necessary to save them some money.
Some of the changes are good. Most aren't and many will have side effects that will do the exact opposite of saving money and instead funnel the costs to someplace else.
A good summary of the changes and drawbacks is here
The thing about these changes that piss me off the most is that many of their "cost-saving" ideas aim at taking services away from the chronically mentally ill. These are the people who are most need of services that are consistent, broad and supportive. Many programs that had previously been billable that would allow stability and hope into peoples lives are not being cut. Community Mental Health Centers were designed as a way to stop the massive hospitalizations of those dealing with a chronic mental illness. They were also a way to combine many types of care. A place where an individual can go to one place to have a Dr for medication, Daily therapy, vocational help and yes a social and supportive outlet where they felt a connection and that they were being understood. These medicaid changes work to destroy that balance.
For example: It is an unfortunate fact that those in the population dealing with chronic mental illnesses have higher rates of illness and die earlier than those that are fortunate enough to not have these illnesses. A community mental health center can provide nurses and physicians as well as nutrition training and other skills to help mitigate that. Thus ensuring that instead of having to attempt to find or drive all over town, many services are provided in one stop. The same goes with training on daily tasks and having a social support group. Most communities don't have strong public transportation and so finding and managing rides can be difficult and sometimes impossible for those that need them most. In many of these mental health centers a client can schedule an appointment with their dr/nurse/psychiatrist and then just walk down the hall to join in with a day treatment program, or go work in a "clubhouse" or other activity that promotes independence and skills. However, under these new medicaid changes, certain types of activities cannot be billed in the same day. Which means two trips which means it's twice as hard to manage. Also, it is not uncommon for mental health centers to allow clients to arrive late for therapy or leave early to make appointments that are within the center, or even outside of it as they understand t's easier to arrange rides for one day then rides for two-three seperate days. Under these new changes a client cannot arrive even 15 minutes late for a service otherwise it will not be billable and/or they will have to be turned away. Now clients are going to b forced to choose between drs appointments and therapy or filling prescriptions that they need. These rules would not be an issues for someone who has a car, plenty of time, or the resources to balance things out. However, for someone who relies on the kindness of family, friends, or minor public transportation, that often times runs at inconvenient or shot times, that time of balance is hard if not impossible to find.
Another issue: The medicaid changes are identified to focus on a "recovery-based" model. That sounds all well and good but this is not a cold, or even something like anxiety related to specific stressor that can be dealt with and moved on from. These are illness that DO NOT GO AWAY. there is not "recovery" there is learning to manage and maintain. Instead these new changes require that after a certain amount of time in therapy has been reached a client must be discharged and cannot be entered back into services unless there is a new "crisis". These means that someone would have to be hospitalized for suicidal thoughts or have issues with delusions or hallucinations to the point where a professional views them as a danger to themselves and others before they are allowed back in treatment. So they are eliminating many support groups for those that need them and then making them be kicked out of therapy which is probably their biggest support system left until their illness gets to a point where they are going through emotional hell.
Finally, many mental health centers are looking at a loss in millions of dollars in revenue. These are non-profit organizations which put much of their moneies back into services for the community. It allows them to offer many different group and programs that may be a loss financially but are off set by income from medicaid and other treatments. As centers start losing money they may have to cut back on staff which means less people to provide quality care, close down beneficial programs as an attempt to save money or do other cost saving methods that do not benefit the community or the clients. They new strict billing rules for medicaid also make it hard for community mental health centers to employ anyone other than those with certain licenses and qualification. However, many people with those qualifications can find better hours, better pay and more freedom working at independent agencies who won't even take medicaid due to these new restrictions. At times prior mental health centers were a great place for individuals to work fresh out of school to gain experience and learn about helping and giving back to the community. Many of those people will now be unemployable as they will not be able to provide services.
So tell me again how these changes are supposed to save money?


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By Jack Challem
Vitamin D improves health in so many ways that youll want to jump for joy.
THE BASICS: We make prodigious amounts of vitamin D when our skin is exposed to sunlight. However, when we use sunscreen outdoors or spend most of our time indoors, we block the natural means of making this vitamin. Not surprisingly, deficiencies are very common, especially during the winter months. Supplemental vitamin D can enhance immunity, reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease, strengthen bones and muscles, protect against diabetes, and lift our moods.
ALIAS: The two most common forms of vitamin D are D3 (cholecalciferol, which is the form animals make) and D2 (ergocalciferol, which comes from plants and mushrooms). Vitamin D3 is preferred; D2 may not work as potently.
HOW VITAMIN D WORKS: Vitamin D is created in the skin and then converted to the hormone calcitriol by the kidneys. Vitamin D activity in the body is also influenced by inherited mutations in the vitamin D receptor of cells.
Cancer protection. Sixty studies have found that high levels of vitamin D are associated with a lower risk of many different types of cancer, including breast, prostate, colon, and lung cancers, as well as leukemia and myeloma. High levels of vitamin D are also associated with a lower risk of skin cancer, according to Michael Holick, PhD, MD, of the Boston University School of Medicine. Researchers at the University of Heidelberg in Germany studied more than 3,000 people for eight years and found that those with low blood levels of vitamin D were one-third more likely to die from cancer. Research indicates that vitamin D from sunlight protects one from skin cancer, but taking it orally may not.
Resistance to infection. Before the discovery of antibiotics, sunlight and cod liver oil were the treatments for tuberculosis. Recently, researchers discovered that vitamin D boosts levels of cathelicidin, a powerful germ-killing peptide found in immune cells, skin, and other cells. Adequate vitamin D might protect against upper respiratory infections, such as colds and flu. In a study of almost 19,000 people, Adit A. Ginde, MD, of Childrens Hospital Boston, found that low levels of vitamin D were associated with a 36 percent greater risk of infections.
Cardiovascular disease. Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital found that people with the lowest levels of vitamin D were 62 percent more likely to experience a heart attack, heart failure, or stroke.
In addition, people with low vitamin D levels were twice as likely to have hypertension, compared with people who had the highest levels of the vitamin.
Blood sugar. A growing body of research indicates that the combination of vitamin D and calcium has a strong bearing on the risk of type 2 diabetes. Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to insulin resistance, whereas supplementation has been shown to improve or maintain glucose tolerance. A three-year study at the Tufts Medical Center in Boston found that a combination of 700 IU of vitamin D and 500 mg of calcium prevented increases in fasting blood sugar, while blood sugar levels increased substantially among people given placebos.
BACKGROUND CHECK: Vitamin D is extraordinarily safe. You would have to take more than 10,000 IU of vitamin D daily for months to develop signs of toxicity.
GLEANINGS: Three-fourths of Americans dont have optimal levels of vitamin D, according to a study in Archives of Internal Medicine. Many people limit their sun exposure, use excessive amounts of sunscreen, or spend too much time indoorsall of which interfere with vitamin D production, even in summer. For many, year-round supplements are the ideal solution.
HEADS UP: Researchers at the Medical University of Graz in Austria found that people with low blood levels of vitamin D were twice as likely to die from any cause, compared with people who had high vitamin D levels.
WHAT YOU SHOULD TAKE: If you stand in the summer sun (in a T-shirt and shorts, without sunscreen) for about 10 minutes, your body will produce about 10,000 IU of vitamin D. Alternatively, take 2,000 IU daily, and 5,000 IU daily over the winter or if you have a dark complexion.


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VIDEO: The Bulls were on Carmelo Anthony's short list of teams he visited
HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS — If the answer was an easy one, Carmelo Anthony might have already committed to continuing his NBA future in Chicago. Or perhaps LeBron James would have chosen to take his talents to the Windy City in the summer of 2010 instead of to South Beach.
There is no question the Chicago Bulls offer the proper platform for any superstar looking to chase his championship dreams. The organization has a rich title-winning history (the Michael Jordan era remains fresh in the minds of many). There is a resident superstar, albeit one who is coming off two straight seasons of significant injury issues, in Derrick Rose. There is already an elite rim protector and defensive backbone in KIA Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah. And there is a coaching savant in charge in Tom Thibodeau.
The Bulls have stable ownership, a shrewd front office led by Gar Forman and John Paxson, cap space, again, and with the league's moratorium on free agent signings just days away from being lifted, the Bulls don't have a taker for all that they offer.
The Bulls are not out of the 'Melo sweepstakes yet. According to the Chicago Tribune they are still alive, but they are not the favorite to land him despite being the logical fit. The Bulls need an elite scorer to pair with Rose and Anthony can basically get 30 in his sleep.
Why is it so hard for the Bulls to snag one of these available superstars?
And I don't want to hear anything about the harsh climate. Chicago is a world-class city and the Bulls don't play outdoors. So we can toss the weather report out as a factor right now.
There are deeper issues at play here, in my mind, and they have more to do with the nuts and bolts components of the Bulls team awaiting the player who takes the leap.
- Is it the trepidation about what Rose will be like in his latest comeback, the worry that his MVP days are over and perhaps he'll be merely a good but not great player? Rose's future is easily the most pressing issue for any superstar considering the Bulls. The Bulls couldn't get over the hump when he was healthy, so there is no guarantee they'll be able to do so now.
- Maybe the prospect of playing for a grinder like Thibodeau, who is relentless in his approach to everything from practice to the postgame messages he delivers to the media, isn't as attractive to the superstar crowd as it is to blue-collar studs like Taj Gibson, Jimmy Butler and others.
- And even though we are two full NBA generations removed from the Jordan era, elite stars like Anthony and James have to wrestle with the vast shadow cast by the player considered by most to be the greatest that's ever played. The prospect of trying to live up to his legend, in the same jersey, is added pressure no one needs.
To be fair, the Bulls didn't enter free agency last week with all of the flexibility of some of the other major players on the market this summer, as K.C. Johnson of the Tribune pointed out:
Entering free agency, the Bulls always knew that, without a sign-and-trade transaction, they couldn't compete with the Knicks' five-year, $129 million offer or even the Lakers' four-year, $96 million deal without gutting their team. But Anthony is the one who emphasized winning is a priority. And athletes often can maximize endorsement potential by doing exactly that.
Even the most jaded free-agency observer might agree the Bulls offer the best chance to win in 2014-15.
The fact Taj Gibson played an active part of the Bulls' pitch played to Anthony's desire to keep Gibson and possibly join a ready-to-win roster. A source familiar with the Bulls' pitch said Anthony and Gibson "connected."
Without a sign-and-trade and by keeping Gibson, the Bulls only can offer Anthony a four-year, roughly $73 million deal via salary-cap space. This is one of the many reasons acquiring Anthony via a sign-and-trade is more ideal. It can make Anthony's offer far more lucrative and allow the Bulls to remain over the salary cap, thus allowing them to sign other players via exceptions.
Multiple outlets, including the Tribune, have reported that Knicks President Phil Jackson hasn't shown much inclination for sign-and-trade talks. This, obviously, could change should Anthony inform Jackson he's choosing the Bulls.
The Bulls have been used before in the post-Jordan era. Tracy McGrady, Grant Hill and even Tim Duncan all flirted with the Bulls in free agency and ultimately decided to go elsewhere, for whatever their specific reasons were.
I'm convinced the Jordan factor, no one wants to follow "The Man," was at play for all of those guys. Trying to live up to that sort of standard would have made their basketball lives far more difficult than going somewhere else and establishing a championship legacy of their own (And Duncan has certainly done a fine job of that).
The challenge for today's stars, however, is much more about Rose than the ghosts of Jordan, Scottie Pippen or even former Bulls general manager Jerry Krause, whose reputation hurt the Bulls with big-time free agents for years after he was gone.
Rose is not only the Bulls' resident superstar, he's the hometown kid who will always have sway with the organization. He was the first Bulls' star after Jordan to reach MVP status and put the team back into the ranks of the league's elite. No one will ever forget that. And anyone who shows up trying to force their way into his realm will no doubt be viewed through that prism.
These superstar conglomerates require some shared sacrifices, financial and otherwise, among players who consider themselves friends and even brothers, in a sense. Rose has been a reluctant, at best, recruiter and a loner of sorts in a league where relationships between players are paramount this time of year.
Having grown up in a previous era of the league, I can appreciate Rose's "we'll win with or without you" approach.
But it's become clear to me that perhaps the biggest impediment to the Bulls attracting another superstar is the superstar already in place …


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Monday, August 5, 2013
Our Fearless "500" Forecasts Revealed!
You see, after putting together last year's "PWI 500" (the digital edition is still available for purchase) the PWI staff embarked on a fun project: predicting the 2013 "PWI 500's " top 10 a year in advance.
In doing so, we did our best to forecast who would rise to—or remain at—the top of sport over the following 12 months. The results are interesting, and for some of us, a little embarrassing.
While doing our best to avoid spoilers for the actual top 10 list, it's clear that some of us were way off, while others showed better-than-average soothsaying abilities.
--Even a year ago, most of the PWI staff predicted John Cena and CM Punk would continue to reign atop the wrestling world. Half the team picked Cena to three-peat as the number-one ranked wrestler. Two other votes came in for CM Punk to top the list. Proving why he is our fearless leader, Stu Saks went out on a limb and predicted then-TNA World champion Austin Aries would achieve the top ranking.
--There were a few other wrestlers we expected to have a better year than they did. Again, while trying to avoid any major spoilers, I think it's safe to say Bobby Roode, James Storm, Randy Orton, and Michael Elgin—who all made it onto more than one of our lists—didn't live up to our expectations. A couple of us even picked The Miz to make it to the Top 10. Yes, really.
--In the "We didn't see that coming" category, none of us picked Bully Ray, who ranked number 30 last year, to have a lengthy reign as TNA World champion.
--Even though he was still a mid-card act losing most of his matches, four of us picked Dolph Ziggler to break into the top 10 in this year's list. We won't give away whether he did or did not, but we certainly were right in predicting big things for the "Showoff" in 2013.
Here's the full set of Top 10 predictions, all written on July 24-25, 2012. Let us know how you think we did in the comments section:
Stu Saks, Publisher
1. Austin Aries
2. CM Punk
3. John Cena
4. Sheamus
5. Davey Richards
6. Randy Orton
7. Hiroshi Tanahashi
8. Bobby Roode
9. Daniel Bryan
10. Alberto Del Rio
Dan Murphy, Senior Writer
1. John Cena
2. Randy Orton
3. Sheamus
4. Hiroshi Tanahashi
5. Dolph Ziggler
6. Alberto Del Rio
7. CM Punk
8. Bobby Roode
9. The Miz
10. Michael Elgin
Al Castle, Senior Writer
1. CM Punk
2. John Cena
3. James Storm
4. Dolph Ziggler
5. Randy Orton
6. Hiroshi Tanahashi
7. Daniel Bryan
8. Austin Aries
9. Bobby Roode
10. Michael Elgin
Kevin McElvaney, Contributing Writer
1. CM Punk
2. Dolph Ziggler
3. Austin Aries
4. Kevin Steen
5. John Cena
6. Daniel Bryan
7. James Storm
8. Hiroshi Tanahashi
9. Sheamus
10. The Miz
Mike Bessler, Contributing Writer
1. John Cena
2. Austin Aries
3. CM Punk
4. Daniel Bryan
5. Bobby Roode
6. Sheamus
7. Hiroshi Tanahashi
8. Alberto Del Rio
9. James Storm
10. Kevin Steen
Brady Hicks, Contributing Writer
1. John Cena
2. CM Punk
3. Austin Aries
4. Dolph Ziggler
5. Bobby Roode
6. Hiroshi Tanahashi
7. Daniel Bryan
8. Sheamus
9. Eddie Edwards
10. Randy Orton
2 comments:
- Jake McDonald said...
Well looks like most of you were right about Cena at the top. Punk had a great year but couldn't possibly top last year. Orton was beyond stagnant before he won MITB, I suspect he'll be back near the top next year.
Is there any chance whatsoever that someone won't predict Daniel Bryan at #1 for 2014?
- August 21, 2013 at 9:15 PM
- Warwolf said...
I was actually surprised to even find a copy of the 500 in town. Saratoga Springs has been notorious for having no real way to get ahold of wrestling mags so I snap them up when I can. So imagine my surprise that not only is Cena in the top spot, but a Japanese wrestler I'm only just learning about made the number three slot. I would love to see more of this guy and will definitely be looking him up on Youtube.
Luckily it seems the new bookstore in town will be getting the mag in regularly. But I figure I'm just gonna up and subscribe to the thing once I get back from New York Comic Con, as its something I've never had the money for till recently since I usually save up to go to the con but this year I have a bit of a surplus.
That reminds me, you guys should consider attending New York Comic Con. Just about everyone else does, and I would love to see some people from PWI there.
- September 22, 2013 at 1:19 AM