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|WCC Overview
Kramnik vs Topalov, 2006
Toiletgate in Elista
In 2006, the schism which began with the Kasparov-Short World Championship was to finally end, unifying the World Championship title after 13 long years. Bulgarian grandmaster Veselin Topalov, the winner of the 2005 FIDE World Championship in San Luis was due to play Vladimir Kramnik, the Classical World Champion, and the winner was to emerge as the single, unified, World Chess Champion.
The careful study of the video recordings from the rest rooms done by the technical experts of the Bulgarian team revealed the following facts which we would herewith like to bring to your attention:
The FIDE Appeals Committee, after viewing the video tapes, found that the frequency of Kramnik's visits to the toilet had been exaggerated, but nevertheless took these allegations seriously, and decreed that the private toilets would be closed and a common toilet opened for both players.
Kramnik's team rejected this decision, declaring: "The protests of the Topalov team and the suspicions in the press release of Mr. Topalov are utterly disgraceful and are touching Mr. Kramnik's privacy."[2] Kramnik refused to play under the altered conditions, and as a result, Kramnik forfeited game 5.
In a state of chaos, the match was placed on hold while FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov flew to Elista in the hope for bringing a solution to this crisis, which by this time had been given the pejorative name, "Toiletgate." After several days of strife and intense negotiations, Ilyumzhinov declared that the match would continue. The members of the Appeals Committee had been replaced, the access to the toilets was restored, and the forfeited game 5 would remain a loss for Kramnik.
As the match continued, Topalov won both game 8 and game 9, giving him a one point lead with only three games left to play. His lead was not to last long, as Kramnik scored a brilliant victory in game 10, thereby tying the score, and after two more draws the match was sent into overtime.
The first phase of the tiebreaks was a four game mini-match played with 25 minutes per side, and a 10 second increment. Kramnik's
victory in game 16 allowed him to win the mini-match. Vladimir Kramnik, after 13 years of
chaos in the chess world, had thus become the the solitary undisputed World Chess Champion.
FINAL SCORE: Kramnik 8½; Topalov 7½
Reference: game collection WCC Kramnik-Topalov Elista 2006
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Privacy statement for the EEAS website, domain eeas.europa.eu
/file/1eeasprivacystatementwebsitenewreg2018-1725internetpdf_nnEEAS website - privacy statement
When collecting, processing and storing personal data, the EEAS and the Union Delegations have the obligation to keep records and document processes in order to demonstrate data protection compliance. It is also our responsibility to inform individuals, whose data we process, if personal data is kept and communicate the rights in relation to this process. In order to comply with this legal obligation we use Privacy Statements. These are data protection notices which provide information how we collect, handle and retain personal data.
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In relation to the different purposes and types of data that we collect, process and keep, the EEAS Privacy Statements will provide the necessary information, for instance on Meeting and Events, Contact lists and of course how data is processed by the EEAS website.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Hello and welcome to Ms. Lucy's Gif Signature Shop!
This shop is for people looking for gif signatures.
(I don't do avatars, sorry ^^; )
Here are some rules for this shop...
1. All I ask in return is reps and crediting me as the maker of the work
2. I ONLY do signature gifs.
3. Provide me with a HQ or HD video link (preferably Youtube) so I can download it
and create your request. (Unless I have the video footage already).
Also provide a time within the video (example, 1:15 to 1:30)
4. Please be patient. It takes some time to create these works. I also
have responsibilities in real life, so bear with me.
5. Please don't be shy or scared to ask for a request, I NEVER turn anyone
Here are some samples of my works.
Thank you and happy requesting!
Ps: If you want your gif sig to be like one of the samples above,
Please let me know.
Being very specific is appreciated. : )


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Cheakamus Lake 6k, 12k or 14k Trail Run
Cheakamus Lake is a beautiful trail that runs through an amazing forest of giant trees, then along the hugely crashing Cheakamus River and finally to the gorgeous Cheakamus Lake. As trail runs go, Cheakamus Lake is one of the nicest in Whistler. The dirt trail is wide and meandering. There are plenty of short and gradual hills, but the overall elevation gain/loss is minimal.
The length of your run can be determined when you get there. From the trailhead to the beginning of the lake is just 3k, but you can continue on for another 4k to reach the end of the maintained trail. You could even continue past the end of the maintained trail and follow the rougher, and dead-fall strewn trail that continues to the end of the lake.
The constantly changing Cheakamus Lake trail takes you through a sweetly scented cedar forest, over several small streams and at 7k ends at Singing Creek. Singing Creek empties into Cheakamus Lake at a small gravel beach. If you plan to swim, this is a great spot to do it.
Cheakamus Lake is a wonderfully relaxing way to get in the wilderness easily and quickly from Whistler Village. The trail begins on the far side of Whistler Mountain, 8 kilometres from the Sea to Sky Highway at Cheakamus Crossing and Function Junction. This 8 kilometre stretch of logging road is fairly bumpy and potholed, but does have the benefit of allowing you to drive the elevation gain instead of hiking it.
You can easily manage this road in a car, however carefully and slowly in parts. Once you reach the trailhead/parking the entire 7 kilometre trail to Cheakamus Lake has barely any elevation gain.
In fact, this makes it one of the few trails in Whistler and Garibaldi Park that can boast that. The nearby Garibaldi Lake trail and the Wedgemount Lake trail make you work for the views, however, the Cheakamus Lake trail hardly makes you work at all.
The trail to Cheakamus Lake takes you through an amazing forest of giant cedars that fill the forest with their amazing aroma. This forest is so packed with ancient giants that year to year the trail is adjusted by a monster of a tree fallen across the trail during some winter storm. Sometimes the trail bends around these behemoths, but more often they are laboriously chainsawed by BC Parks staff. The more enormous of these remain as fixtures of the trail. Either edging the trail or as a mighty obstacle to climb over.
One monster of a cedar remained sprawled across, actually along a section of the Cheakamus Lake trail for much of 2012. It surely surprised every hiker to come to an abrupt end of the trail with a tree across the trail too big to even see over. The bypass route was a hilarious, yet dangerous looking scramble underneath and along the edge of the trail for about 20 metres to get back on the trail at the other side. Look for it when you pass by. Though it has been mostly moved the tell-tale wreckage is hard to miss and captivatingly beautiful. What a sound it must have made, exhibited now by giant cedar spears still menacingly pointing from a break in the massive trunk.
The first three kilometres of the 7 kilometre long Cheakamus Lake trail takes you parallel to the beautiful Cheakamus River. This large, fast and always crashing river can be seen and heard occasionally through the massive forest and up close as you near Cheakamus Lake.
There is a trail sign, 1.5 kilometres from the trailhead, indicating that the trail descending to the Cheakamus River eventually leads to the Helm Creek campground and much further to Panorama Ridge, Black Tusk, Taylor Meadows and Garibaldi Lake. There is a beautiful bridge across the Cheakamus River that is just a two minute hike from this sign and well worth it. You can see below your feet through the floor of the bridge the swirling and fast moving river under you.
Back on the Cheakamus Lake trail, at 3 kilometres you arrive at Cheakamus Lake. The trail continues along the left side of the lake, passing some wonderfully located campsites, and very small beaches. There are 10 very nice and hidden tent areas in this area, excellent water sources from several creeks, a bear proof food hang as well as tidy outhouses here.
The next 4 kilometres of the Cheakamus Lake trail reveal viewpoints progressively more amazing. The trail hugs the edge of the lake, with frequent views of its amazing, turquoise colour, distant snow capped mountains and occasional bear sightings. With so much to see and such an enjoyable trail, Cheakamus Lake one of Whistler's best and most family friendly hikes around. The trail is never strenuous and constantly beautiful with the wonderful smells that come with an old growth cedar forest are incredible.
At 7 kilometres from the trailhead/parking you reach the end of the maintained trail and another 7 tent sites beautifully blended into the surroundings, another bear proof food hang and outhouse. Around these campsites are dozens of cute little beaches all along the trail which invite swimming in the crystal clear, though bitterly cold water.
Cheakamus Lake has always been known for its good fishing so bring your rod and sit back in the sun. Which you will see a lot of. The entire trail and mini beaches are south facing and capture the sun the entire day.
Singing Creek is where the BC Parks maintained trail ends, however, an unmaintained trail continues much further. Easy to follow and well worn, this trail leads to cute and secluded little beaches that are so numerous and unknown as to be well beyond the sometimes noisy campsites and main Cheakamus trail.
Singing Creek originates high up towards Whistler Mountain and a long faded and unmarked trail connects to Russet Lake. The unmarked route begins on the far side of Singing Creek and ascends through the forest reaching the alpine after just over 1 kilometre and Russet Lake in 2.5k.
Cheakamus Lake Trail Map & Trailhead Directions
From Village Gate Boulevard, drive south, toward Vancouver for 8km. At the lights at Function Junction, turn left, about 300 metres ahead you will see a sign on your left for Cheakamus Lake. Follow the unpaved, potholed road for 8km to the Cheakamus trailhead. Parking is free and the parking lot has an outhouse as well as some picnic tables overlooking the Cheakamus River far below. There is also a nice, large mapboard at the trailhead as well as some BC Parks, Garibaldi Park information.
There is an outhouse at the trailhead/parking to Cheakamus Lake as well as outhouses at the first set of campsites at 3 kilometres along the trail and the Singing Creek set of campsites 7k from the trailhead. The beautiful new neighbourhood, Cheakamus Crossing near the turnoff to Cheakamus Lake Road has restaurant and cafe's with washroom facilities. The large HI Hostel has a great little cafe with a great selection of food and drinks available in its beautiful lobby. Easy to find, just continue past the Cheakamus Lake Road turnoff and in about 1 minute you will see the HI Whistler on your right. Free parking out front or at the side. Cheakamus Crossing is well worth visiting as this neighbourhood was purpose built for the 2010 Olympics as the "Athletes Village".
Dogs are not permitted on the Cheakamus Lake trail or any other Garibaldi Provincial Park trails out of courtesy to the resident animals of the park. There are a large number of black bears in the park and encounters with dogs result in unpredictable and potentially dangerous conflicts. There are quite a few excellent hiking trails in Whistler that are dog friendly. The beautiful trails on either side of the Cheakamus River on the drive to the Cheakamus Lake trailhead are dog friendly. You can park at several places on either side of the river to access these trails and there are lots signs indicating where to go. Train Wreck is also dog friendly. The trailhead, marked Flank Trail is located in Function Junction, on the opposite side of the Sea to Sky Highway from the Cheakamus Lake Road. Whistler's Valley Trail and Lost Lake Trails are dog friendly and run throughout Whistler. The Sea to Sky Trail, which runs over 30 kilometres through Whistler is a paradise trail for dogs as it runs through numerous parks, beaches and forests. Ancient Cedars is a nice, dog friendly hike that is 5k roundtrip and takes you into a thousand year old forest. Further south you will come to Brandywine Falls, which is a short, 2k (roundtrip) dog friendly hike to the amazing falls. About 25 minutes north of Whistler, Nairn Falls is another beautiful and dog friendly hiking trails. For a look at some of the best dog friendly hikes in Whistler try here.. And for some more challenging dog friendly hikes try here..


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Keywords may be separated by AND and/or OR statements for greater control of the search results.For example, Microsoft AND mouse would generate a result set that contain both words. However, for mouse OR keyboard, the result set returned would contain both or either words.Exact matches can be searched for by enclosing keywords in double-quotes.For example, "notebook computer" would generate a result set which match the exact string.Brackets can be used for further control on the result set.For example, Microsoft and (keyboard or mouse or "visual basic").
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text:
Bullock reflects on his NBA rookie season, UNC�s struggles and his injury.
CHARLOTTE � Kinston native Reggie Bullock has spent the past six months living in Los Angeles since being selected by the Clippers in the first round of the NBA Draft.
The former Kinston High School and UNC basketball star made his first appearance as a professional in North Carolina last week as his Clippers visited the Charlotte Bobcats.
For someone who had spent his entire life on the East Coast, the move to Los Angeles has been a big change for the humble former All-American, who talked to The Free Press in the Clippers locker room following Wednesday�s game.
�The cost of living is the biggest difference,� Bullock said with a laugh. �But there are a lot more opportunities for people in L.A., too. A lot of people go there for acting careers and try to station their life in L.A.
�But the weather is great, too; it�s always in the 80s.�
To Bullock, there is one important facet of Kinston that beats Los Angeles, though.
�I can�t say the food is better in L.A. than it is in Kinston,� Bullock said with a chuckle. �That�s one big area where Kinston is better than L.A.�
The historical aspect of Wednesday�s game was important to Bullock; but more on the personal side.
�It was great to see my family and friends, who made the four-hour drive to come see me in my first pro game in the state,� Bullock said. �It mean a lot to see a bunch of faces I�m used to seeing.�
A high ankle sprain has slowed Bullock�s progress in his rookie campaign. Entering Saturday�s game at Toronto, Bullock was averaging 2.4 points and 1.3 rebounds a game in limited action for the Clippers. He was averaging more than 10 minutes a game before the injury in December.
�It was the first time I�ve ever had a serious ankle sprain; it�s taken me about a month to get back into it,� Bullock said. �I�ve been working with the coaches daily strengthening it and playing three-on-three with some of the guys. I�ve been slowly building myself back up. I�d say I�m about 90 percent right now. I�m still not confident enough to actually push off of it.�
Clippers coach Doc Rivers praised Bullock, his work ethic and his positive mental attitude after Wednesday�s game.
�Coach is slowly bringing me back in,� Bullock said. �I�m just honored to be able to play on this team and I�ll do whatever I can. I know my time is coming; I�m going to have a long career in front of me. I just take it day-by-day and continue to work.�
After playing nearly every minute in his four-year varsity career at Kinston High School and being one of the major players in a three-year career at UNC, Bullock admitted it�s a different mindset being a rookie on one of the NBA�s top teams.
�A lot of rookies go through it: they play a lot in high school and a lot in college but then come to the pros and see fewer minutes because of all the great guys in front of you,� Bullock said. �I�m just pulling for my teammates as much as possible but at the same time humbling myself and still having that passion for the game. I�ve kept the same work ethic.
�One day, they�re going to have to take that jersey off and that�s the day I�m going to have to step into their shoes and play all their minutes they�ve played.�
Veteran guard Jamal Crawford is one of the players, along with Chris Paul and J.J. Redick, who have taken Bullock under his wing.
A unique relationship has developed between Bullock and Redick, though � especially since Bullock is a former Tar Heel star and Redick is Duke�s all-time leading scorer. Bullock said Redick told him he�s one of his three favorite players from UNC.
�That�s an honor to hear that from a great Duke player, especially about a rookie,� Bullock said. �I look up to him and we have a great relationship, but when that Duke-Carolina game comes down, he�ll definitely be pulling for his team and I�ll be pulling for my team.�
Bullock, who committed to Carolina as a sophomore at Kinston High School, said he�s been watching the Tar Heels struggle this season. He said he wished the situation with a good friend of his, P.J. Hairston, would�ve turned out differently � Hairston was dismissed from Carolina this season without playing a game due to some disciplinary issues. Hairston is now playing in the NBDL in preparation for the NBA Draft this summer.
�I wish P.J. would�ve had the opportunity to play because they would�ve been a totally different team,� Bullock said. �They�ve been struggling right now, but they�re a young team. Hopefully, they�ll get it together before it�s too late.�
Bullock knows some observers lamented his leaving Chapel Hill after his junior season, but he said he�s pleased with the decision he made.
�I have no regrets of leaving college; I feel like it was my time,� Bullock said. �I came to a great team and a great coach to start my (professional) career. It was a great time for me to come out.�
Bullock, who has Eastern North Carolina area code 252 tattooed on one of his arms, is very proud of his hometown of Kinston and his beloved Vikings basketball program. He had a message for everyone in Kinston.
�I love my city and I�m always going to put on for the 252,� Bullock said. �I love Kinston and I wish everyone a happy New Year.�
Bryan C. Hanks can be reached at 252-559-1074 or at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BCHanks.


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PHILADELPHIA -- Beyonce closed the first day of her husband Jay-Z's second annual music festival with a 90-minute set that featured hits like "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" and "Crazy In Love."
Beyonce was the headline performer Saturday at the "Budweiser Made In America" festival in Philadelphia on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway that included 50,000 fans. She was excited and energetic as she sang and danced to songs that satisfied the crowd.
"Welcome to Made In America," she screamed. "Show me how loud you can be."
Beyonce performed more than a dozen songs on the main stage – much like her "Mrs. Carter World Tour," which wrapped in Brooklyn last month. She was a vocal powerhouse on songs like "If I Were a Boy" and "1+1" – where she sang on the floor – and like the Energizer Bunny during the up-tempo numbers "Get Me Bodied" and "End of Time." She closed with "Halo," kicking the song off with Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You."
The Grammy-winning singer – not a usual at the festival circuits – didn't perform any new material that could hint at a possible new album. Another surprise was Jay-Z: The rapper didn't join Beyonce onstage, though the two have a number of collaborations and he curated the festival. Her sister, Solange, who is part of the festival lineup Sunday, performed after an after-party at the Theater of Living Arts for a feverish crowd.
Most Read
"I'd rather perform for a crowd of 50 that appreciate the music," she told the crowd of 200 people.
Deadmau5, Phoenix, Emeli Sande, HAIM, A$AP Rocky and others performed across three stages during the 10-hour event. Imagine Dragons were crowd favorites when singing the alternative-flavored hits "Radioactive" and "It's Time," while 2 Chainz was one of the most popular thanks to his many hits as a lead artist and guest star.
Nine Inch Nails, Calvin Harris, Queens of the Stone Age, Kendrick Lamar, Miguel and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis will perform Sunday.
"This has been a beautiful night," Beyonce yelled after finishing her set. A fan replied: "You're beautiful!"


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I've only been here for half a day, and I've already seen far too many topics on this. Perhaps this calls for sticky post?
If you are trying to import or export something from 3d Studio Max, here's what you do:
From Unreal Editor to max -
1. Open whatever you're exporting
2. File->save as-> filename.obj (make sure you've got .obj and not .t3d)
3. Once you have the file in obj format, open Max (or maya) and do a file->import and import the obj. Voila.
From Max to UE -
Export your object as an .ase file. Open Unreal, go to your static mesh browser. import.


text:
Yesterday, Stanczyk wrote about Tomasz and I provided an updated timeline of Tomasz Leszczynski throughout much of his 104 year lifespan. Today, I wanted to write a quick post about the affiliated families to the LESZCZYNSKI line.
If you have these surnames from the villages found below, then we need to compare research notes:
Surnames …
Kordos, Majer/Major, Ozarowicz, Fras/Frass, Sieradzki, Slawinski, Pieszczochowicz/Pierzchowicz, Mikniewicz plus friends — Woloszyn, Stanek, Pawelec, Fortuna and especially MIZDRAK.
I mention Mizdrak, because a Jozef Mizdrak, born 5-FEB-1834 in Wojcza, Biechow parish. Seemed to be a part of the LESZCZYNSKI family records from 1860 through the death of Julianna Kordos Leszczynski in Pacanow, 27-NOV-1881 in Biechow parish. 47 years in the Leszczynski records in Poland.
Villages …
Biechow (including Piestrzec, Wojcza), Swiniary (including Oblekon), Pacanow, Stopnica (including Falęcin), Strozyska (including Gorki)


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On August 1, of 2011, we had a high wind and rain storm go through our small town, and it snapped the top half off of an evergreen, that was close to our house, landing it on the roof of an addition, cracking the rafters, and making the 2 rooms, office and front room, unusable. We found a contractor that late in the season, to rebuild the roof, and I have finally gotten back into the office and we converted the front room to a woman cave/sewing room.
This picture is of the evergreen that snapped.
Another picture of the tree from the north side.
This next picture shows the stained glass window in the front room, and the suspended ceiling hanging suspended. lol
Sorry about that, but my picture was taken before I adjusted my pic size, so no picture, so on to the rest.
This first picture shows the closet where I have storage units and fabric and the china cabinet holds smaller pieces of fabric, like fat quarters, etc.
This next pic is where I do my cutting, have the TV, and all the drawers are full of my projects.
The next one is sewing central, with the blue one being a Bel Aire of my Mom's, also have a kenmore and a bernina, and all machines are used. I made an ironing board that rests between the 2 desks, and is easily used from whatever machine I am using.
The next one is my easy chair, where I do my hand quilting, also showing my design wall, with some of my DJ blocks and part of a dresden plate quilt.
And the last one is back to my little closet with storage units and the door coming into the room. Hope you have enjoyed my little tour, because, believe me, I am really enjoying my woman cave/sewing room.


text:
Midnight Sky Shadowstone Panel
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- Product Size: 6"x 24"
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- Usage: Interior,Exterior,Walls,Water Feature,Commercial,Residential
- Available Accessories: Corners,Natural Ends
- more info: go to product video page
- Order a Sample: Add To Cart


text:
Declared Snow Emergency Rules
- A Declared Snow Emergency is when snow accumulates to 3" or more and all the streets in the downtown Snow Emergency Zone must be plowed.
- When this occurs, people who park in the Snow Emergency Zone must abide by the alternate side parking rules for a minimum of the next two nights.
- A Snow Emergency is declared whenever it becomes necessary to plow ALL residential streets.
- A Snow Emergency will always be declared prior to 9 p.m. if it is to take effect that night.
- If conditions warrant, a Snow Emergency can be extended beyond the 48 hours.
- A Snow Emergency is a City-wide policy.
Please note: During a Snow Emergency, if you violate the Alternate Side Parking rules, the fines are $60, plus a $65 towing fee.
Don't let the snow lead to a ticket or a tow!
- Sign up to get notified via Text Messaging
- Sign up to get notified via email lists
- Call the Winter Parking Hotline at (608) 261-9111
- Find us on Facebook
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text:
The Vermont Senate is gearing up for a vote on legislation that supporters call "death with dignity" and critics call "physician-assisted suicide."
The Senate is set to vote tomorrow whether to follow a recommendation of the Senate Judiciary Committee to reject the measure.
The Judiciary Committee on Friday came out against the legislation a week after the Health and Welfare Committee voted unanimously to support it.
If the measure clears the Senate, it still would need action in the Vermont House. Both the House leadership and Governor Peter Shumlin have expressed support for the bill.


text:
IMF Staff Papers, Special Issue: Transition Economies: How Much Progress? Volume 48, 2001
- Ten Years of Transition: Looking Back and Looking Forward
- The Transition in Central and Eastern Europe: The Experience of Two Resident Representatives
- Ten Years After … Transition and Economics
- Recovery and Growth in Transition: A Decade of Evidence
- Escaping the Under-Reform Trap
- What Moves Capital to Transition Economies?
- The Gains from Privatization in Transition Economies: Is "Change of Ownership" Enough?
- Federalism With and Without Political Centralization: China Versus Russia
- Falling Tax Compliance and the Rise of the Virtual Budget in Russia
Federalism With and Without Political Centralization: China Versus Russia
- Richard Haas, Oleh Havrylyshyn, and Ratna Sahay
- Published Date:
- April 2002
Show Summary Details
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text:
Baby Corn (cut) in Brine from Aroy-D is ready to use for various cooking such as mixed vegetables stir fried, baby corn chicken and much more. This baby is a little crunchy. Ingredients: Young corn, water, salt. Net weight: 15.00 oz. Product of Thailand.
Copyright © 2004 - 2019 GroceryThai.com


text:
Spain halts evictions of needy homeowners after suicides and protests against bailed out banks
MADRID – Spain approved a two-year suspension of evictions Thursday for some needy homeowners unable to pay their mortgages, but activists said the government failed to address the larger issue of how those who give up their homes may still remain indebted, sometimes for the rest of their lives.
Evictions have suddenly became one of the most sensitive topics in Spain's financial drama, and government officials acted less than a week after a Spanish woman facing eviction killed herself by jumping from an apartment balcony. They are trying reverse or at least delay a trend that has seen more than 371,000 mortgage eviction orders issued since the financial crisis hit the country in 2008.
The government, which is still preparing a broader overhaul of the country's mortgage and property laws, said it hoped to shield those most in need by suspending mortgage payments for mortgage holders with annual income of €14,400 ($18,400) or less after taxes, or those with expired unemployment benefits.
"We must avoid families ending up in the street as a consequence of the crisis," Economy Minister Luis de Guindos told reporters. "What we're trying to do here is make sure nobody ends up without their house."
But the government tacked on conditions for those wanting an eviction suspension. To qualify, they must have more than three children, or have children under the age of three, or be elderly, or have disabled people in the household, or be single parents with two children, or be victims of domestic violence.
They can stay in their homes for two years without paying their mortgages, but it's unclear what will happen after that if they have still been unable to find work in a country where unemployment stands at 25 percent and is expected to rise significantly next year.
Part of the problem is that mortgage laws in Spain are particularly harsh. People unable to make payments who are evicted still remain liable to repay huge amounts because the value of their home or apartment has plunged during the crisis. Banks either sell the homes for much less than the original mortgage value or can't unload them, so the mortgage holders end up either owing the difference or paying back the whole loan. Their wages can be attached by the banks.
By comparison, most people in the United States who default give up their devalued homes to the banks and file for personal bankruptcy. That leaves their credit ruined but without continuing mortgage debt.
The Spanish government move "is a step forward, but we have to change the system and start all over," said Miguel Ordonez, a member of the Platform for Mortgage Victims who gathered Thursday with dozens of other activists in Barcelona to protest a planned eviction. Those who have their homes taken "still have their debt forever, and they can't start over in this economy. They can't find work, if they do, the bank takes a cut."
A judge at the last minute temporarily halted the eviction of unemployed construction worker Benedict Obi and his wife, Perpetua, from their small apartment but the Obis did not know whether the government measures approved hours later would apply to them or not.
"''It is not that I don't want to pay," Obi said. "I want to pay because I have a family, I have two children (I am) taking care of. I want to work to pay but I couldn't."
At another Barcelona eviction protest Thursday, single mother Cynthia Odigie got the news that her apartment would be repossessed but the bank that gave her the mortgage would let her rent a nearby apartment for €200 monthly so she would not be put out on the street with her son, her sister and her sister's two children. The sisters can only afford the apartment because they get €426 each in monthly welfare payments for those whose unemployment benefits have expired.
Odigie, who lost her factory job three years ago, doubted she will ever be able to pay the €126,000 ($160,700) she still owes on her mortgage.
"Economically, Spain is getting worse by the day, no one is doing anything about it," she said. "There are no jobs."
While Spain's mortgage default rate is relatively small at 3 percent, it stood at less than 1 percent in 2007 before the crisis hit. Now friends and family who used to help their hurting relatives when they couldn't make mortgage payments increasingly can't do so anymore. The Bank of Spain says there are now €19.1 billion ($24.4 billion) worth of mortgages under threat of not being paid, up from €4.1 billion ($5.2 billion) in 2007.
Public anger over evictions has been compounded because the government is negotiating billion-dollar bailouts for the same banks that are repossessing homes. In recent weeks Spain's General Council of the Judiciary, a police union and opposition parties have all demanded new legislation to end the widespread evictions.
Spanish banks have warned against enacting measures that could prompt mortgage holders to default on purpose because they feel protected. De Guindos doubted this would happen, and he did not give an estimate of how many people would benefit from the eviction suspensions.
He noted that while some people are losing their homes, Spain has 700,000 empty houses whose owners cannot find buyers, chiefly because banks are reluctant to give loans and people are afraid of buying into real estate after the crash.
Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said the government also passed legislation that will provide cheap rentals for those who have already lost their homes.
Associated Press writers Oleg Cetinic and Marta Ramoneda contributed from Barcelona.


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YDP Blogger Pembela Negara (BPN) Malaysia / Chief Blogger Of National Defence
07 Februari 2012
Proton Cars - Blog Chedet
1.I stopped using Proton cars after I stepped down. I wanted to enjoy the superior quality of the high-end European and Japanese cars.
2.Proton was known for its cheap cars. The assumption is that it can never produce cars of quality as represented by European, Japanese and even Korean cars.
3.The people at Proton are unhappy over this reputation. They feel it is wrong to think that they cannot produce high end cars. It is just that the company policy was to produce run-of-the-mill cars. The Malaysian public expect Malaysian cars to be cheap. Cheap cars just cannot have the quality and the features of the more costly imports.
4.Proton people want to show that given the support they can produce quality cars.
5.The other day I test drove their latest model on the test track at Shah Alam. I can verify and assure Proton customers and Malaysians generally that this new model can match any of the Japanese or European quality cars. It was such a pleasure to drive. A foreign friend who knows cars, tested the car and says it is up to the standard of the up-market cars from Europe.
6.This car uses hot press steel body which is stronger than cold press. It has a 1.6 liter turbocharged engine equal to a 2.0 liter engine power. The engine complies with Euro-five standards.
7.A whole list of feature has been incorporated. This includes Vehicle Seek Lamp, Wiper Auto Speed, Auto side door folding mirror, Push Button Start / Stop, Sensors for Automatic Wiper and Headlamp and GPS Antenna for Navigation System.
8.Additionally it has Impact Sensing Door Lock, Continuous Variable Transmission, Security Alarm System, Immobiliser and Central Locking.
9.The automatic version has Shift Lever with Tiptronic Mode and Paddle Shifter on Steering Wheel for seven gear changes. ABS to prevent skidding and BA (Brake Assist) to increase brake pedal force.
10.There are many others features which enhances the performance of the engine and driveability of the car.
11.There will be several models with less features than I describe. But they are all superior to the other Proton cars.
12.Naturally the price would be higher though probable cheaper than imports with similar features and quality.
13.I believe this is a great car and Proton can be proud of it. Malaysians can be proud of it too. The extra Ringgit you have to spend will be worth it.
14.The car will be available in three months time.
Panglima cadang jika Syed Zainal Abidin dikekalkan sebagai CEO atas kejayaan beliau membuat transformasi Proton hingga berjaya seperti yang kita saksikan hari ini.
Beliau sangat bersungguh menaikkan imej Proton sehingga insiden dengan pemandu teksi dijadikan kes terbaik kesungguhan beliau menaikkan kualiti Proton seperti yang disentuh Tun Mahathir.
Artikel ada disiar di sini.
Sila cari di Google untuk cerita tersebut.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device via Vodafone-Celcom Mobile.
disiarkan oleh : Panglima Perang Cyber pada 9:26 PTG
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Jeff Smith Answers Some Of Our Readers' Questions
Rocket Racket
Joe Moskowitz via Car Craft.com: I have a '72 Olds Cutlass with the original Rocket 350. It didn't run when I got it, so I yanked the engine and rebuilt it. After assembling it, I got the timing to where it will run pretty well, but it diesels once in a while, and there is some off-idle hesitation. My problem is that I don't know exactly where to time it. It has stock compression (8.1:1, I believe), a Lunati Bracket Master II cam with 0.496/0.520-inch lift, an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, and a Speed Demon 650 carb. Any advice as to where I should keep the timing would be greatly appreciated.
Jeff Smith: We've got a couple of suggestions, Joe, but some of it you may not want to hear! The bad news is that a combination of 8:1 compression with a long-duration camshaft is not good. First of all, according to our Motor's Manual for a '72 Olds, the static compression for the 350 is 8.5:1, so it's a little better than you thought. The '71 350s were rated at 8.1:1.
Regardless, your problem stems from a lack of cylinder pressure. Static compression ratios are computed based on the comparison of the volume of the cylinder with the piston at bottom dead center (BDC) versus the volume at top dead center (TDC). In a dynamic application, cylinder pressure is dictated by the position of the piston at intake closing. We researched your cam in the Lunati catalog and found the duration to be 224/234 degrees at 0.050 inch tappet lift with a 112-degree lobe separation angle. All longer-than-stock-duration camshafts close the intake valve later than on a stock cam. This means that at low speeds, the engine is squeezing less air and fuel than it would if the cam were stock. The cylinders are squeezing less air because the piston position was higher when the intake valve finally closed. One good thing with your camshaft is that the lobe separation angle is wider at 112 degrees. This reduces the amount of overlap that also bleeds off cylinder pressure. Overlap is when both the intake and exhaust valves are open at the same time.
Your cam is not huge, but it still has a later intake closing point than stock. That means less torque. You can get an idea of how far off your engine is by performing a compression test. Ideally, a good performance engine should have between 180 and 195 psi of cranking compression. Your engine could be down as far as 170 psi or less. If it's up around 180 psi, consider yourself lucky. Another point worth mentioning is that the word on the street with Olds engines is they tend to run better in the car with a single-pattern cam. Single-pattern cams use the same duration and lift figures on both the intake and exhaust lobes, while a dual-pattern cam like yours uses a more aggressive lobe on the exhaust side. The single-pattern cams tend to enhance torque, which is what the Olds is famous for.
This is a bit of a long way around to answer your questions, but it's still relevant. Low-cylinder-pressure engines will require more ignition timing because there is less densely packed air and fuel in the cylinders. For initial timing, we'd suggest a minimum of 14 to perhaps as much as 18 degrees with a total of around 36 degrees. With 18 degrees of initial timing, this means the mechanical advance in the distributor will need to be 18 degrees to produce a total of 36 degrees. The stock initial timing for your engine is probably 8 degrees initial, with the total somewhere around 30 to 32 degrees of total advance. This means the distributor will have more than 18 degrees of total advance. So when you dial in the 18 degrees initial timing with over 20-plus degrees of mechanical advance, the total will be more than 36 degrees. This means you will have to braze or epoxy a portion of the mechanical advance slot in the distributor to reduce the mechanical advance of the distributor. If this is not something you want to do, you can take your distributor to a specialist with a distributor machine, and he can do it for you.
With less initial timing, this may also explain the slight hesitation you're experiencing, since there's insufficient timing combined with low cylinder pressure. You might also try adding a bit more accelerator pump shot, but I think you have more of a chance of making the engine run much better with more initial timing and by reworking the distributor to create the 36 to 38 degrees of total timing. Also, retain the vacuum advance and use it. This will help driveability and also make the engine a bit crisper at part-throttle. But remember, when testing for total mechanical advance, always disconnect the vacuum advance. Otherwise you're actually reading both mechanical and vacuum advance on your timing light. This is a common oversight that can make the numbers very confusing.
Mopar Madness
Gabe Tapia via CarCraft.com: I'm in the process of planning how to rebuild my small-block 318ci Mopar engine. It is completely stock except for headers and mufflers I added. What I am planning to do with it is to make it a daily driver/street/strip engine making around 400 hp. I plan on using 360 cylinder heads with 1.88/1.60-inch intake and exhaust valves, heavy-duty valves and springs, and 1.5:1 roller rockers. That's all I have planned so far for my engine.
I was wondering if you could help me out with my plans? I want to know what kind of cam, pistons, and carb, to use. Can I still use my stock crank? How do I measure the stall speed of a converter and do I need one? What rear gear ratio should I run?
Jeff Smith: Wow, we've got a lot to talk about. We'll try to reel you in, Gabe. First of all, let's start with 400 hp from a 318ci engine. Simply dividing 400 hp by 318 ci equals 1.25 hp per cubic inch. The problem is that you'll be lucky to make 1.1 hp/ci (which is 350 hp) from stock iron heads, even if they are from a 360. In comparison, a larger displacement 360 at 1.1 hp/ci is right there at 396 hp. It's an old saw but no less true that displacement is the easiest way to make power. If we can talk you into starting with a 360ci short-block, it'll make more torque and horsepower. But assuming you want to build the 318 because it's easier to bolt in, that's what we'll deal with here.
You can certainly make more than 350 hp with your 318, but that means you have to put a longer-duration camshaft and more compression in the engine and spin it much faster to get there. This also makes the engine less streetable, murders the fuel mileage, reduces its durability, and generally makes for a miserable engine to drive on the street. Since you said this is a daily-driver engine, our parts selection will need to be somewhat more conservative and also focused on making this affordable. This may not be romantic, since this means no talk about mechanical roller cams, aluminum cylinder heads, and 13:1 compression ratios, but your street engine will be much happier without all that Rickey Racer stuff.
A large cylinder bore helps airflow, but your 318 is somewhat limited with a 3.91-inch bore compared with a 327 Chevy or even a smaller 302 Ford, which both benefit from a 4.00-inch bore. The 0.090-inch difference will affect airflow by shrouding the intake valve. Your choice of the 360 head is good, since it offers much larger valves at 1.88/1.60 than the stock 318 1.78/1.50 diameters and will flow better. But keep in mind that the smaller bore will hinder flow somewhat. The 360 head's chamber volume is also the same at 70 cc, so there is no loss of compression. Yes, you can keep your stock crank and rods. Have a good machine shop grind the crank and rebuild the rods with ARP rod bolts.
We'd suggest aiming for a compression ratio of around 9.0 to 9.5:1 so you can run pump gas. There's not a ton of selection in stock replacement cast or forged pistons. The attraction for cast pistons is they are inexpensive, and if you don't plan on engine speeds above 6,000 rpm, these will work fine. PAW sells a stock replacement cast 318 piston and a moly ring set for less than $170. That's hard to beat. Forgings will cost more but are stronger. Speed-Pro offers a stock replacement forging for around $400 (PN L2329F 30) from Summit Racing, but it can only muster 8.25:1 compression with a 68cc chamber; this will hurt power as well as mileage. If you can mill the heads enough to reduce the chamber volume to 60 cc, this will bring the compression up to 9:1.
Assuming the compression is adequate, we'd stay conservative with a flat-tappet hydraulic camshaft of less than 220 degrees of duration at 0.050-inch tappet lift. Edelbrock offers a Performer-Plus camshaft that is designed to work with its Performer dual-plane intake manifold, and this may be a great place to start with your street engine. This is oddly a single-pattern cam, meaning the duration and lift are the same for both the intake and exhaust lobes at 204/204 degrees at 0.050 with 0.420 inch lift for both valves. This is based on a 1.5:1 rocker ratio. This cam is designed to work with the Edelbrock Performer 318/360 dual-plane intake manifold (PN 2176). As for a carburetor, any 600-cfm carb, such as a Holley, Road Demon, or Edelbrock Performer series will work just fine. You don't need a big 750-cfm carb because the engine does not need that much airflow.
This would make a great combination, assuming you have a set of 151/48-inch headers and a free-flowing exhaust system with 211/42-inch pipes all the way out the back. Even on a small-displacement engine like the 318, mufflers are an important component. Any of the well-known brands such as Flowmaster or DynoMax can keep the backpressure low, which is key.
For the transmission side of things, stall speed is the amount of slippage in the torque converter. The easiest way to check this is to mash the brake pedal as hard as you can and then, watching the tach, see what rpm the engine goes to without the tires spinning. A stock converter will be around 1,800 rpm; for your application, we'd stick with the stock converter for now. A higher stall speed allows the engine to launch closer to its peak torque rpm, which is the equivalent of launching a manual trans car at a higher engine speed. The negative side to a higher stall speed converter is that in everyday driving it also slips more, which reduces fuel mileage, and that may be a concern with prices well over $3 a gallon. As for a gear ratio, your 318 would like a little more gear than a larger motor since it makes less torque, so a 3.30 to 3.50 rear gearset would be a good compromise between highway rpm and good acceleration. Have fun!
It's All About Length
Chris Warner via CarCraft.com: I am the proud owner of a '94 Mustang. When I got the car, it had the original 3.8L with 173K on it and bad rod bearings in it (big surprise). I traded a pool table and $200 for the car, so I wasn't even close to complaining. At the time, I owned a '67 Galaxie 500 four-door with 80K on the original C-code 289 and FMX transmission, so I yanked the drivetrain out of the Galaxie and swapped it into the Mustang. While the motor was out, I replaced the head gaskets, stuck it with a solid cam (0.477 inch lift and 310 degrees of duration-advertised) I ordered from Tony Branda Shelby along with solid lifters, and replaced all the other parts I removed to swap the cam. I topped it with a Performer 289 intake and 600-cfm carb, both from Edelbrock. Fumes are expelled through 151/48-inch headers to an H-pipe with 40-series Flowmasters hushing it just a bit. The car is fast, but I know the heads are holding it back. I purchased a set of 1965 C5AE iron heads that have been fitted with 1.94-inch intake and 1.60-inch exhaust valves and dual valvesprings. My friend tells me those are Chevy valves and will likely cause an interference with my pistons saying the valves are longer. My pistons are stock. With my camshaft and 1:6 roller rockers and poly locks, can I put on these heads without either replacing or fly-cutting my pistons? All but one of my friends hound me regularly to put a real motor in it (EFI 5.0), but I'm keeping the 289, so please help!
Jeff Smith: Let's start by addressing the differences in valves in your head. Your friend says the 1.94/1.50-inch valves are Chevy valves, and he's probably correct. This valve-size combination is a common upgrade for small-block Ford heads over the stock 1.78/1.45-inch valves. The Chevy valves use the same valve-stem diameter, but stock Ford valves came with a taller tip length, which is the dimension from the lock groove to the tip of the valve. Original Ford valves were designed to be used with rail-type rockers, using a pair of rails parallel to the rocker arm tip that straddle the valve tip and keep the rocker aligned over the valve tip.
According to our handy Manley catalog, small-block Ford valves used with rail-type rockers have an overall length of 5.08 inches that includes a tip length of 0.395 inch. Valves designed for the small-block Chevy, like the 1.94/1.50-inch valves in your head, have an overall length of 4.911 inches with a tip length of only 0.250 inch. The difference in the overall length is the difference in the tip length. This does not affect valve-to-piston clearance. This clearance is determined by a combination of camshaft timing, piston top design, piston deck height, head gasket thickness, whether the heads have been milled, and a few other minor variables. The best way to know if you have sufficient valve-to-piston clearance with this big cam is to place a wad of modeling clay on the piston top in the valve-relief areas, install a head with the head gasket you intend to use, and then set up a solid lifter, pushrod, and rocker arm for both the intake and exhaust valves for that cylinder. Turn the engine through several valve-lift cycles and then pull the head and measure the thickness of the clay impressed by the valves. Minimum valve-to-piston clearance is 0.060 inch on the intake and 0.100 inch on the exhaust side.
You also mentioned you will be running roller rockers, which is good because you cannot run stock Ford rail rockers with the shorter valve-tip-length Chevy valves or the rail rockers will contact the retainer and cause more grief that you'd be better off avoiding. However, the shorter Chevy valves will affect rocker-arm geometry. This means you should check your rocker geometry, which is also very easy to perform.
Use a Sharpie or machinist's dye to mark the end of an intake-valve tip. Next, mock up a solid lifter with a pushrod and rocker arm on that same intake valve. Make sure the intake is on base circle of the cam lobe and then wiggle the rocker arm to make a witness mark on the valve-stem tip. After removing the rocker arm, determine where the witness mark places the rocker arm roller tip relative to the valve tip. If the pushrod length is correct, the mark should be on the inboard third of the valve tip. If the pushrod is too long, the mark will be somewhere near the middle of the valve tip or closer to the outboard side of the engine. If the pushrod is too short, the mark will be too close to the inboard side of the valve tip.
Generally, with a shorter Chevy valve, your pushrods may be a bit too long for ideal rocker-arm geometry, but this is why you should check. Using a shorter pushrod to establish a more ideal geometry will create a happier valvetrain that will be more durable. It would also be a good idea to check valvespring coil bind and retainer-to-seal clearance to be sure the valvesprings can handle the valve lift you intend to run.
A Cam With Kick
Dustin Lyall, Somewhere in Canada: I need some help with a cam recommendation. I'm looking for a cam to put into my '71 Nova. The drivetrain is a 350 engine with a four-speed and a tall rear gear-around 3.08 or so. I'm aiming for a good daily-driver engine that has a moderate kick to it. I'm looking for a cam with an LCA of 114 with a duration of no more than 220 to 224 degrees at 0.050 and a valve lift of around 0.460 to 0.490 inch. I have been looking at Lunati, Comp Cams, and a few others and haven't found anything that matches up the LCA, duration, and valve-lift numbers.
I have an SBC 350 (from a third-gen F-body) in my '69 Beaumont; I'm guessing the compression ratio is approximately 10:1 based on the pistons we used with stock heads. It also has an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, headers, a GMPP LT4 Hot cam, and a 700-R4 with a 2,000-rpm stall. I want to hit 400 hp and torque, but streetability and durability are much more important. I don't mind a rumbly cam and have access to 94-octane pump gas.
I am very disappointed with the heads; I have bent a pushrod twice, and the valves just don't sound good. The guy at the machine shop referred to them as 416s, but I've never heard of that model. I was thinking of stepping up to aftermarket heads like Dart's Iron Eagles or the Edelbrock Performer RPM, but they are pricey. What size combustion chambers and runners would work best with this combo? What about valve and spring size and rocker ratio?
Jeff Smith: First, let's address your cylinder-head question, and then we'll get into the cam specs. You mentioned your machine shop told you the heads are 416s. This is typical hot-rodder cylinder-head shorthand that refers to the last three numbers of the cylinder-head casting number. Assuming we have the right head, the full number is 14014416, which is a cast-iron 305 head used on small-block 305 engines from 1980 through 1986 that came with 58cc combustion chambers and rather small 1.84/1.50-inch valves. With these small-chamber heads, we can see why you have 10:1 compression, but whatever the small gain with compression you enjoy is more than offset by the rather weak airflow potential of these heads.
These heads were decent production castings for a mid-'80s 305, and we think these were even used in the short-lived L69 305 Z28 Camaro engines rated at 190 hp. But bottom line, there are dozens of heads out there that will flow more air than even a highly modified 416 head. Let's look at your options. Our first recommendation from a budget standpoint is the GMPP iron Vortec heads. These heads not only offer outstanding port flow at below 0.500 inch valve lift, but they also do it with a small intake port that delivers excellent flow velocity, which equates to better torque. On several small-block Chevy engine packages we've built over the years, we've made 375 to 390 hp with a camshaft similar to the one you mentioned. These heads will require a dedicated, Vortec-style manifold. The best one we've found is the Edelbrock Performer RPM Air Gap. The Vortec heads will also need a different valvespring and machined valveguide bosses to accommodate the additional lift of a 0.490-inch-lift cam. The best deal here is to buy a set of modified Vortec iron heads from Scoggin-Dickey Performance Center. The company offers a modified head with 0.525-inch-lift valvesprings and guideplates for $399.95 each (PN SD8060AGP). That's a great deal. With 64cc chambers, the compression drops slightly, but this might cost 1 percent power, if that. The additional airflow the Vortecs offer is worth a solid 30 hp over your existing 416 heads and perhaps more.
The next option is, as you mentioned, the Edelbrock Performer RPM aluminum heads (PN 60999). These heads tend to be overlooked because they've been on the market for a few years, but they deliver excellent airflow combined with a relatively small port area that enhances torque. You can expect to make a solid 50 hp over your stock iron heads with these Edelbrocks, not to mention the extra benefit of a weight savings. The heads sell at Summit Racing for $499.50 each. The advantage of aluminum heads is that if damage ever occurs, aluminum is much easier to repair than iron.
We're about to test a set of Dart's new Platinum-series iron small-block heads that are the first of a new series of heads using Dart's new wet-flow technology. What we've seen on a 215cc head on the dry-flow bench is impressive, and we're going to test these heads against Dart's original Iron Eagle series, which was a pretty good head a few years ago. These heads may be a bit big in port cross-section for a 350 engine, but they sure look killer on the flow bench and promise to make even more power on the engine. These are the heads we used on the big-cammed 355 used in this month's test on E85. Dart does make a 200cc Platinum head that is pretty good. The part number for a 64cc iron casting with 1.437-inch-diameter valvesprings is 10311112P and sells out of Summit Racing's catalog for $537.95.
Now let's address your cam question. First, let's spec your existing GMPP LT4 Hot cam. This is a hydraulic roller camshaft (PN 12480002) with 218/228 degrees of duration at 0.050 inch tappet lift with 0.492 inch lift when used with a 1.5 rocker-arm ratio. The cam also has a lobe separation angle of 112 degrees. These are very close to the specs you asked about, so we're not quite sure why you'd want to change the cam. And if you did install a cam with the slightly shorter specs you mentioned, that would only kill a little bit of horsepower. Frankly, in our opinion, your existing Hot cam is a perfect match for all three of the heads we mentioned, and especially for the Vortec iron heads, since those heads are a bit limited on the exhaust-flow side. The Hot cam's longer exhaust duration will help scavenge the cylinder better, improving top-end power. We'd recommend buying a set of heads; keep the cam and have fun making a bunch more power. But that's just us.
T5 Ranchero Swap
Jeff Baker, Bremerton, WA: I have a '64 Ford Ranchero with a 289 and a T10 four-speed. I'm doing this project on a budget and have some questions. Can I swap an unmodified T5 using a Mustang kit? Some Web sites say you need to put a different tailshaft on your trans to make the shifter fit in the stock hole. I would rather not do that, since a modified trans will cost more. I don't care about modifying the floor, but I would like to keep my bench seat. Is this possible? Could you tell me the difference between where the T10 shifter mounts and where the T5 does?
Jeff Smith: We decided to find an expert on this question, Jeff, and spoke with Bruce Couture, who owns Modern Driveline, a company specializing in T5 swaps for early Mustangs and Fords. Most of the critical information concerning your swap can be found on his Web site, and we suggest you spend some time there to extract all the gritty little details. But the short answer is that the shifter placement of a stock Ford T5 transmission places the shifter too far back in the chassis, which would then interfere with your bench seat. Plus, the T5 shifter ends up coming through the floor right where there is a shifter floor support, which, if removed, would weaken the floor. Adding to this dilemma is the T5's deep input shaft that adds another 31/44 inch to this conversion compared with a typical T10 four-speed.
The simplest, easiest swap is to go with one of Modern Driveline's complete conversion kits that include everything you'll need to bolt all this together. These kits retail for $2,600 and up, depending upon the options required, which obviously does not make this a budget approach. According to Couture, using one of his T5 Front Shift converted transmissions will move the shifter forward roughly 8 inches to clear the bench seat. This still requires a custom crossmember, clutch linkage, speedometer cable, and probably a shortened driveshaft. A new T5 trans with the shifter conversion is $1,595, but this makes it much easier to swap without major sheetmetal surgery. It's also possible to have Modern Driveline convert an existing T5 over to a front-shift model that would be considerably less expensive. If you haven't purchased a trans yet, it might be a good idea to read our T5 rebuild story in the September issue for transmission and gear-ratio applications.
Couture's other recommendation is to go with the T5 cable-linkage-style bellhousing. This system is easy to install, less complex than a hydraulic system, and makes for a clean installation using Fox Mustang-style parts.
Obviously, none of these ideas involves bargain-basement finances, but there doesn't seem to be an inexpensive way to perform this swap. Even if you swap to bucket seats or modify the bench seat, the shifter is still roughly 8 inches farther back than stock, which would be awkward at best.


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The Subprime Shakeout-
The Principal – Agent Problem: Part I – RMBS Data Integrity
Back near the dawn of time when I was in business school, and the faculty was hard-pressed to find topics to fill up the curriculum, they introduced the Principal – Agent Problem. As future corporate managers and agents of the stockholders, I suppose they wanted to explain to us that our economic interests were not identical to those of the owners. This wasn't exactly the most shocking news we had ever received, but that was all that was said about the issue, back then.
Of course, there is considerably more to this multi-faceted problem. According to Wikipedia, "The principal–agent problem arises when a principal compensates an agent for performing certain acts that are useful to the principal and costly to the agent, and where there are elements of the performance that are costly to observe," primarily due to asymmetric information, uncertainty and risk.
Let's look at the relationship between the RMBS bondholder…


text:
|Authored By: California Dried Plum Board
|Low in fat, but so much taste!
|Diet Types: Dairy Free, Low Fat, Wheat Free
|Serves: 4
|Cooking Time: 30 minutes - one hour
|In small bowl, combine vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, cilantro, ginger, garlic, Sesame Oil, and crushed red pepper. Pour 1/4 cup marinade mixture over chicken in plastic bag. Refrigerate 30 minutes; turning bag occasionally. In large bowl, place broccoli, carrots, bell pepper, dried plums and green onions. Toss with remaining marinade mixture to coat completely; let stand 30 minutes. Remove chicken from plastic bag; discard marinade from chicken. Grill chicken over medium-hot coals (or broil on rack or broiler pan 3-4 inches from heat) 10-15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center, turning once. Cut each breast into slices across the grain. To serve, line each of 4 plates with 1 lettuce leaf; top with vegetable mixture, dividing equally.
|Printable Version
|E-mail a Friend
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|808-261-8890 (fax)


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It was a safe and happy 4th! I left Zelda alone over night for the very first time and was quite worried about her the whole time. When I got back home she did circles for about 45 minutes all around my yard…I guess she was happy I was back home. I'm coming to realize she's not the scared little pup she used to be…she can totally handle a night on her own. I'm the one with separation anxiety! 🙂
A silhouette of my cousin Jason ~
And another of a couple kissing. For my regular blog readers…any guesses on who they are?
My cousin Trevor & his girlfriend Christine.
I cherish time spent with family & friends! Don't you?


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Picture: Patrick Duffy and Larry Hagman at the launch of Dallas at Old Billingsgate, London, England- 21.08.12
The cast and crew of hit Tv drama Dallas are struggling to overcome the death of the show's star actor Larry Hagman and get through each shoot by pretending he has the day off work.
The beloved actor lost his battle with cancer in November (12), sending shockwaves through the set of the rebooted soap opera, where he was midway through shooting scenes for its second season.
The tragedy was hastily incorporated into the storyline and Hagman's scheming oil baron J.R. Ewing will be killed off when the new series airs, but his co-star and close friend Patrick Duffy has revealed the actor's presence is still felt on set.
Hagman's name still adorns the door of his trailer, the crew's list of actors features the late star, and Duffy even calls for his pal every day as he makes his way to the shoot.
Duffy tells Tv & Satellite Week magazine, "Yes, he's still listed as number one on every call sheet. It was more than appropriate that nobody should fulfil that position - it's just that he is not working that day. He and I still also share a trailer. His name is on the door and every day I go by I give a knock like I used to. He doesn't answer, but he's still there."


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The Longboat Key Club & Resort has agreed not to touch the guardhouse on Longboat Club Road as part of its $400 million renovation plan for Islandside.
But the road itself is still a point of contention.
The club dropped plans for moving the guardhouse, after the Longboat Key Association, which owns and maintains the road, refused to sign off on the Islandside application.
But at a pre-application meeting between town staff and club officials last month, Town Attorney David Persson questioned whether the club has the right to make minor changes to the road, including curb cuts and minor sidewalk modifications.
Said Persson: "If the club is going to make any changes to Longboat Club Road, they need to show us how they have authority to go ahead and do that."
Bob Goodman, president of The Longboat Key Association, sent an inquiry to Longboat Key Association attorney Robert Moore in which he asks Moore whether his group can regulate curb cuts along the road. If so, the association would most likely play an important role — yet again — on the fate of the club's application.
But in a letter dated April 30 that was sent to Goodman, Moore states that curb cuts can be approved by the town, because the club is a member of the Longboat Key Association and has the right to curb cuts to gain access to the road.
Key Club attorney John Patterson agrees.
Patterson sent a memo dated Monday, April 20, in which he states that an easement on file in Sarasota County gives the club "the non-exclusive and perpetual right of ingress and egress over and across Longboat Club Road."
"Any adjacent property owner has right to realign sidewalks and do curb cuts," Patterson said.
"Furthermore, the association has never approved any curb cuts or sidewalk changes for the road in the past."
Persson said he has not yet read the memos and will review them before or during another pre-application meeting at Town Hall slated for May 20.
The club hopes to re-file its application June 1, two months after Planning, Zoning and Building Director Monica Daigle reversed course and deemed the club's initial application incomplete.
Daigle announced her reversal in April, four months after an appeal was filed by several Islandside community associations and Sarasota land-use attorney Michael Furen. The appeal stated the application was incomplete because not all of the owners of the land or property signed the application or affidavits authorizing the club's attorney to be their agent.
The appeal also stated that the application includes road, driveway, water-drainage modifications and guardhouse changes that can't be performed because the Longboat Key Association owns the road and right of way.
Furen, however, is expected to disagree with both Moore and Goodman's stance on curb cuts.
Moore states in his memo to Goodman that Furen will make the argument that the planned Islandside expansion and its increase in traffic may overburden the easement, which could affect the town's decision on the matter.
Furen did not return a phone call seeking comment for this story.
While Patterson said the club accepted Daigle's decision to deem the application incomplete, it doesn't agree with it.
"We could have made an argument that the town could approve a guardhouse relocation to improve traffic flow," Patterson said.
Meanwhile, Rick Crawford, chairman of the Positive Change for LBK coalition, is still upset that the original application was not upheld.
"The Longboat Key Association reviewed the plan last fall and voiced no objection to it for months," Crawford said. "Then, months later, they voice their objection in an appeal with an attorney that is representing the Islandside Property Owners Coalition."
Crawford said he believes the association is now "acting as an agent of the coalition," which has denounced the project as proposed from the start.
"Mr. Crawford's statements are 100% false," Goodman said. "The association has had objections to the plan from the start."
Goodman said the only reason the association did not object to guardhouse and road changes from the beginning is because it was unaware the club had proposed the changes in its application.
"The club never asked for our permission to make the changes," Goodman said. "So it was impossible to object until we discovered the changes were being proposed."
Longboat Key Club General Manager Michael Welly declined to offer his take on the differences of opinion, instead offering a summary of how the events unfolded.
"The proposed changes to the gatehouse were intended as a goodwill gesture to enhance the aesthetics of the Islandside entrance, with funding to be provided by the club," Welly said. "The association declined the gesture, and we are moving forward with the necessary adjustments to the plan." The Longboat Key Club &
Resort has agreed not to touch the guardhouse on Longboat Club Road as part of its $400 million renovation plan for Islandside.


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After five years of legal wrangling, a bench trial of the landmark antitrust lawsuit filed by former UCLA basketball star Ed O'Bannon against the National Collegiate Athletic Association begins on Monday in Oakland, Calif. under U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken. How will the courtroom battle be fought, and what could the outcome mean for the future of college sports? Glad you asked:
So what is this trial all about?
At its core, the O'Bannon case is about economic power and control -- specifically, how much of both the NCAA and its member schools should be allowed to have over men's college basketball and football players.
Currently, college sports follow the golden rule -- those who have the gold, make the rules. NCAA members all agree to not compensate college athletes for playing sports beyond the value of a scholarship (tuition, room, books and board) and/or anything else the union of schools deems acceptable (like bowl game swag bags), a restraint known as amateurism. At the same time, those schools take in billions of dollars from television networks selling games featuring the names, images and likenesses (NILs) of the restrained athletes.
The O'Bannon plaintiffs -- which include former college football players and NBA Hall of Famer Bill Russell -- and their lawyers argue that NCAA amateurism is a price-fix that violates antitrust law because it: (a) eliminates economic competition among schools for talented recruits in the college education market, thereby harming athletes by reducing the amount of compensation they would otherwise be receiving; and (b) prevents athletes from earning money from schools, networks, video game makers and other sources by shutting them out of the group licensing market for their NILs.
In other words: the system is unfair. NCAA schools have rigged the rules of the game to illegally and unduly profit at the expense of college athletes. If not for amateurism, O'Bannon could have gotten a cut of the revenues for an EA Sports college basketball video game that included a classic UCLA team featuring his digital likeness. If not for amateurism, current men's basketball and football players would be able to pocket some of the broadcast money flowing into their schools and athletic departments, as well as license their NILs to video game makers and others.
For its part, the NCAA counters that college athletes are not being restrained economically because no actual television market for their NILs exists. Moreover, the association's lawyers argue, amateurism is an integral part of college sports that is necessary for men's basketball and football to exist and thrive in the first place. No amateurism? Fewer games and lower quality. Which would hurt athletes and fans alike.
Before we get into the legal arguments, what's a bench trial?
A bench trial means no jury. Instead, Judge Wilken -- a Clinton administration appointee who has overseen the case from its inception -- will take in and weigh the relevant arguments, testimony and evidence, and then issue a written verdict.
What are O'Bannon's lawyers attempting to prove at the trial?
Three major things:
- NCAA schools conspire;
- The agreement among schools unreasonably restrains trade -- that is, the restraint produces anticompetitive effects within a market that outweigh any procompetitive effects;
- The objectives of the restraint in question can be achieved in a less restrictive manner.
Can you put that in plain English?
Sure. Conspired means that the schools worked together and all agreed to the same restraint -- in this case, amateurism. Anticompetitive is self-explanatory: actors who would otherwise compete in a marketplace, like tech companies looking for programming talent, do not. Harm results typically by someone getting screwed out of money they otherwise would be making, and sometimes by consumers getting screwed out of more choices, better products or lower prices.
Procompetitive takes a bit more explaining. It's a legal concept that allows for otherwise verboten cooperation between marketplace rivals when that cooperation is necessary for the overall health of a product or market. Here's an example I've used before: Flash drive manufacturers agree to a USB standard, but compete on the basis of memory size and price. The courts approve. Why? Without a collective standard, the overall market for computer memory peripherals would be harmed.
Point No. 3 is related to the above. Basically, O'Bannon's lawyers will attempt show that amateurism restrictions on athletes profiting from NIL sales aren't necessary for for big-time college football and men's basketball to exist or be healthy -- and while they're at it, they also will try to demonstrate that any supposed benefits amateurism provides to the college sports market could be achieved and enjoyed with a looser definition of the term.
Okay, so what is the NCAA trying to prove?
Pretty much the opposite of the above. First, amateurism doesn't cause market harm to athletes or consumers of college sports products, because the market for NILs within the context of sports broadcasting does not actually exist. (Don't laugh: it's not as completely batty as it sounds, and more on this in a bit). Second, amateurism is procompetitive, necessary for big-time college football and men's basketball to be popular and to achieve the NCAA's self-proclaimed educational goals.
Anything else?
Actually, yes. The NCAA's final pre-trial brief argues that there shouldn't even be a trial, because amateur athletics are the association's "core product" -- with rules prohibiting athletes from being paid for their NILs are designed to maintain said product. From the brief:
… the antitrust laws permit the NCAA's members to define their own product and protect consumers' freedom to choose that product over others …
Wow. Amateurism is just the NCAA protecting consumers' freedom. Did Frank Luntz pen the association's brief?
Surprisingly, no.
Is that the most ridiculous, Orwellian thing the NCAA's lawyers say about their -- ahem -- core product?
Of course not. Also from the brief:
… these and other rules are promulgated by an entire Amateurism Cabinet, which is comprised of college administrators and educators and guided by the principle that "student participation in intercollegiate athletics is an avocation, and student-athletes should be protected from exploitation by professional and commercial enterprises" …
So when the power conferences pocket Sports Cable Bubble megabucks and the NCAA's website sells jerseys searchable by athlete name on its website and the association bans any and all drinking cups at the NCAA men's basketball tournament that do not feature the logo of official sponsor Powerade, including cat mugs, that's just the heroic
Justice League Avengers Amateurism Cabinet protecting athletes from commercial exploitation?
You got it.
The NCAA does so much protecting, association president Mark Emmert might as well be The Dark Knight. On the other hand, college sports officials have said that "[college] athletes are amateurs. Intercollegiate athletics is not." Meanwhile, the NCAA's 2009 Task Force on Commercialism concluded that commercialism "should be embraced" and that "while participating is to be an avocation for students, college sports as an enterprise is a professional undertaking for everyone else."
Given the above, could you reasonably conclude that the NCAA's Amateurism Cabinet maybe probably should look into protecting college athletes from commercial exploitation by … the NCAA's Amateurism Cabinet?
You could, but then you'd be Ed O'Bannon.
Is it all obnoxious for the NCAA to spend time and space in its pre-trial brief for Judge Wilken arguing that there shouldn't be a trial in the first place, given that she already heard the arguments in the assocation's bid for summary judgment and, you know, ordered a trial?
Maybe a little, though the NCAA's lawyers likely are just laying groundwork for a possible appeal. Besides, it's not nearly as obnoxious as using air quotes in the same brief to describe O'Bannon's "expert" witnesses and "evidence."
The NCAA really used air quotes?
Sure did.
Speaking of experts and evidence, what are the main supporting arguments O'Bannon's team will present during the trial?
O'Bannon's lawyers first will have to establish that both a conspiracy and a restraint exist. They'll point out that the NCAA constitution -- agreed and adhered to by all member schools -- says that athletes lose amateur status and are ineligible to play if they "use [their] athletics skill (directly or indirectly) for pay in any form in that sport or accept a promise of pay even if such pay is to be received following completion of intercollegiate athletics participation." They'll also point out that NCAA rules authorize schools and the association to use athlete's NILs to promote events, championships and activities involving sports participation, with "all monies" going to schools or conferences.
As for the NIL market being real, O'Bannon's team claims an EA Sports representative will provide testimony and documentation at the trial showing that the company not only wanted to obtain the rights for more precise likenesses and names of every college athlete on the company's sports game rosters, but also was willing to pay more money to both the NCAA and the athletes themselves in order to do so. In addition, expect O'Bannon's lawyers to cite the testimony of NCAA expert witness and former CBS Sports executive Neal Pilson, who said the following in a pretrial deposition:
"In our television industry, when a broadcaster and rights holder negotiate a deal, the NILs of the people whose - who are in the event are part of the broadcast agreement … the practice in the industry is that the NIL of the people participating in the sports event are included within the broadcast agreement."
What next?
O'Bannon's lawyers will attempt to show that NCAA amateurism produces anticompetitive effects and harm, including:
- Athletes have been denied the opportunity to make money via compensation for the use of their detailed, licensed NILs in video games;
- Athletes have been denied the opportunity to make money via compensation for the use of their licensed NILs in live game broadcasts and archival footage;
- Athletes have been denied the opportunity to make money via economic competition during the recruiting process, and instead face an increased cost of college attendance;
- Consumers have fewer and lower-quality licensed college sports products to choose from;
- Amateurism causes what economists call inefficient substitutions -- that is, workarounds that are costly and less perfect than what a free, competitive market would provide. Examples: EA Sports programmers create their college football games with real player names, then remove those names before shipping to stores; instead of bidding for the services of talented athletes with varying financial offers, NCAA schools instead compete indirectly by spending money on lavish athletic facilities, big-name coaches, large recruiting staffs and the like.
Right, so what are the NCAA's primary supporting arguments?
The first is a doozy: Amateurism doesn't harm athletes -- can't harm athletes -- in the market for sports broadcast NILs rights, because neither that market nor the rights exist in the first place.
From the NCAA's pre-trial brief:
… [Athletes] do not have that right because they do not create college football or basketball games or control the stadiums where they are played. Their colleges and universities -- either among themselves, or, in the case of the Division I Men's Basketball Championship, through the NCAA -- do.
Take, for example, the Cal-Stanford football game, which has been played 116 times since 1892. Cal and Stanford have scheduled this game long before any of the [athletes] who will play in it have enrolled at either school. Cal and Stanford decide who can play in the game, march in the band, be part of the cheerleading squad, and buy tickets to enter the stadium. Cal and Stanford funded the training and equipment for the football teams, built the stadium where the game will be played and contracted for security to control access to it.
As such, as a very practical matter, Cal and Stanford have the power to keep every network out other than ABC and charge ABC for the privilege. The athletes do not. They are only in the stadium at all because their colleges and universities have agreed to let them play, just as they have agreed to let the band march, the cheerleaders cheer, and the fans with tickets sit in the stands. [Athletes] cannot own the right to broadcast their games when they need the same permission that broadcasters do to be in the stadium at all …
Uh, that sounds a lot like Donald Sterling's "who makes the game? Do I make the game, or do they make the game?" riff.
Doesn't it, though?
Will Judge Wilken buy that?
Probably not. Without much success, the NCAA has been arguing for a while that networks like ESPN and CBS don't fork over billions for the right to broadcast athletes, but actually just pay for the exclusive right to have cameras in stadiums at particular times -- oh, and hey, if a well-known athlete or team happens to do something sportsy and amazing in front of those cameras at the same time, well, that's just the magic of live TV!
You're joking.
Nope. In fairness to the NCAA's lawyers, however, there are some state right-of-publicity laws that can be interpreted to support their position.
What about video games?
The NCAA claims that there's no market for athlete NILs, because EA Sports games didn't use college athletes' real names or faces.
Uh, didn't the same games very much use their likenesses? Isn't that why O'Bannon sued in the first place?
Yes. And yes. O'Bannon became involved in the lawsuit after seeing a friend's child playing an EA Sports video game featuring his likeness -- bald, left-handed, same height and jersey number -- while a former longtime EA Sports producer testified under oath that the company's games were designed to replicate actual players without using their names.
What else will the NCAA argue?
That amateurism is procompetitive. How so? Let's count the ways:
- Amateurism is essential for men's college basketball and football to exist as consumer products. Suppose you're an Auburn University football fan. And suppose the school announces that effective immediately, players will be allowed to be paid. Meanwhile, the University of Alabama decides to keep enforcing amateurism. Would you stop rooting for Auburn? Would you start rooting for Alabama?
The NCAA argues that most Auburn fans would choose the first option, and maybe even the second. Because college sports fans aren't just fans of college sports -- they're fans of amateur college sports. During the trial, the association plans to submit an opinion survey showing that if college athletes receive payment, the public will have less interest in watching and attending games.
- Amateurism enhances competitive balance between schools, which also is essential for college sports as a consumer product. In its pre-trial brief, the NCAA argues that if schools are allowed to pay athletes for their NILs, "many recruits will have significant -- in many cases, six-figure -- incentives to attend schools with more revenue. In those circumstances, it is basic economics that allowing cash payments for NIL for the first time will tilt the distribution of talent and success towards colleges and universities with more cash to spend." In other words, the schools with the biggest sports budgets will land the best players and dominate their competition.
Wait. Stop right there. Are the NCAA's lawyers really arguing that the distribution of talent and success in college sports doesn't already tilt toward schools with more cash to spend? Have they ever heard of Kentucky basketball or Alabama football?
Apparently not. O'Bannon's lawyers plan to hammer this assertion -- in part by demonstrating that year after year, wealthy BCS conference schools overwhelmingly land the top high school recruits and win games accordingly; in part by noting that the NCAA keeps changing its squishy language on the matter, from competitive balance to competitive equity to commitment to fair competition; in part by having economists argue that restricting athlete compensation to athletic scholarships actually decreases competitive balance, because less wealthy schools don't have the opportunity to outbid blue blood programs for individual athletes.
(In a nutshell: the No. 1 high school basketball player in the country will always be worth more to Kentucky than Ball State, but the No. 100 player might be worth more to the latter -- only under amateurism, Ball State can't put its money where its heart is).
Similarly, O'Bannon's team will dispute the idea that college sports fans are primarily interested in watching unpaid athletes, as opposed to watching the country's best 18-22 year old football and basketball players compete with cherished school affiliations. In their pre-trial brief, they call the NCAA's survey "irrelevant and dated"; point out that while past surveys indicated public disapproval of professional athletes competing in the Olympics, the actual professionalized Olympics are more popular and lucrative than ever; and note that high-profile violations of amateurism rules have not made fans less interested in college sports:
… fans still flocked to watch Ohio State play in the 2011 Sugar Bowl although six of its athletes had violated NCAA rules by selling signed memorabilia. Likewise, in 2013, although Texas A&M's quarterback Johnny Manziel was suspended for the first half of the season opener for allegedly selling autographs, that game, which featured Manziel in the second half, finished 61% above the average ESPN rating for comparable telecasts …
Also expect O'Bannon's lawyers to show that amateurism always has been a flexible term that essentially means whatever the NCAA says it means. At various points in time, schools have allowed athletes to be compensated with tuition; school supplies; a $15-a-month "laundry money" allowance that would be worth nearly $2,000 in today's cost-adjusted dollars; unlimited bagel toppings; and bowl game gifts. At other times, all of those things (and more) were verboten. As O'Bannon's pre-trial brief says about recent propose association rules changes that would allow athletes to receive additional money to cover the full cost of attending school:
… NCAA member schools have been urging sweeping changes to the no-compensation rules, without a hint that any of these measures might extinguish college sports altogether …
Another question on competitive balance -- if the NCAA's lawyers are saying that amateurism restraints are necessary because bidding wars for recruits funded by NIL compensation money would harm competitive balance in college sports, aren't they also inadvertently admitting that contrary to their legal position, there is a market that currently is being restrained and harmed?
Sure seems that way.
College sports officials constantly argue that restricting compensation to men's football and basketball players is necessary in order to fund women's and men's non-revenue sports -- that if athletes are allowed to be paid, women's rowing is toast. Will they get to make that argument in court?
Nope. Judge Wilken has ruled it out. However, the NCAA's lawyers have tried to sneak it back in -- albeit sideways -- by claiming that men's football and basketball's benefit from non-revenue sports via enhanced student body diversity and the "opportunity to attend games in other sports."
Let me see if I have the NCAA's argument straight: Sorry you're not allowed to make any money. But enjoy tonight's volleyball game, which features a setter from Croatia!
That's about right. Oh, and the association makes a similar claim about outsized coaching salaries and gold-plated athletic departments, insisting that both qualify as benefits for college athletes. And probably the trust funds of Alabama football coach Nick Saban's great-great-great-great-great grandchildren, too. But mostly his players!
What about the NCAA's argument that amateurism enhances education? Will that be allowed?
Yes, provided that the association can demonstrate a concrete, cause-and-effect relationship between having less money and better academic performance. NCAA lawyers plan to argue three points:
- Amateurism ensures that college athletes participate in sports as "students rather than professionals," which makes them spend their time "doing what students do rather than trying to make as much money as possible, which is what professionals do."
- Football and men's basketball players "graduate and achieve success at equal or higher rates than other young people with similar backgrounds."
- Allowing high school students to participate in "a bidding war would undermine their ability to be effective students."
No offense to the NCAA's legal team, but the first point doesn't make a lick of sense. College students with campus or side jobs "try to make as much money as possible" all the time -- and they still "do what students do," which presumably in this context means going to class and studying. How are athletes different? Moreover, the Northwestern football unionization ruling made it clear that elite college athletes can spend up to 50 hours a week on their sports. Why would paying them more than the value of a scholarship for a non-scholastic activity they're already doing anyway somehow detract from their academics?
Good questions -- and questions O'Bannon's lawyers likely will bring up in court. In addition, expect the plaintiffs to present data and testimony from former college athletes purporting to show that big-time football and men's basketball players largely are receiving crummy educations, and that playing sports actually interferes with learning.
Oh, cool. Rashad McCants is going to testify?
Nope. A little too late for that.
So who's on the witness list?
O'Bannon, Emmert, Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, other current college sports administrators, former college athletes and a half-dozen economists acting as expert witnesses for each side.
How long will the trial last, and when can we expect a decision from Judge Wilken?
The trial is scheduled to last up to three weeks. Wilken is expected to issue a written decision later this summer.
What happens if O'Bannon wins?
O'Bannon and his lawyers aren't asking for damages. They are asking for an injunction that would prevent the NCAA from colluding to deny college athletes the ability to license their NILs or receive a share of revenue associated with that licensing. Translation? College athletes would be allowed to be paid -- as a group -- for appearing in game broadcasts and in video games.
So how would college athletes be paid?
First things first: schools and conferences would not be required to pay athletes group royalties. However, they finally would be free to do so -- and athletes would be similarly free to negotiate -- without either party being punished by the NCAA.
In their pretrial brief, O'Bannon's lawyers proposed a kind of compromise with the association's current amateurism restrictions, suggesting that the simplest solution for actual payment would be to place NIL licensing money in a trust that athletes could access after their NCAA eligibility expires.
A O'Bannon victory also makes it likely that individual players would be able to earn money via autograph sales and other uses of their own NILs.
What happens if the NCAA wins?
In the short term, the college sports status quo would be maintained. Victory might also yield useful case precedent that would help the NCAA defend its economic model against other legal challenges.
(Note: a loss could do the opposite, making the association more vulnerable to the next lawsuit).
What other threats does NCAA amateurism face?
In the previously mentioned Northwestern football unionization case, the national office of the National Labor Relations Board currently is reviewing a regional office ruling that the school's scholarship football players qualify as employees, a conclusion that strikes at the heart of college sports amateurism. Meanwhile, two other antitrust suits that have been merged and will be overseen by Judge Wilken directly challenge the NCAA's scholarship restraints and seek to establish an open market for college athletes; one of those cases is led by sports labor attorney Jeffrey Kessler, who famously argued the case that brought free agency to the National Football League.
Oh, and if O'Bannon wins, individual plaintiffs could sue the NCAA for damages over NILs. Which could prove expensive over time.
What are the odds that O'Bannon and the NCAA settle during the trial?
It's possible, but highly unlikely. While Sports Illustrated's Michael McCann reports that O'Bannon's lawyers remain open to the possibility, the NCAA seems committed to an all-or-nothing roll of the dice -- likely because it's very, very hard to say goodbye to such a sweet business model, and also because the circular underlying logic of amateurism requires cult-like devotion.
Regardless of who wins or loses the O'Bannon case, will Judge Wilken's decision be appealed?
Without doubt. The case will go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, a process that could take as long as two years. After that, the losing side could appeal to the Supreme Court -- something the NCAA already has promised to do.
What happened the last time a NCAA antitrust case went to the Supreme Court?
The association lost. Badly. As I've explained before, the University of Oklahoma and the University of Georgia brought an antitrust suit against the NCAA in the 1980s over the its iron-fisted control of televised college football rights. NCAA lawyers claimed the restrictions were procompetitive and necessary for the survival of the sport because they encouraged both in-stadium game attendance and competitive balance. Oklahoma and Georgia argued that the same restrictions were anticompetitive because they fixed the price of game broadcasts and placed an artificial cap on the total number of televised games -- two things that were hurting college football.
Sound familiar so far?
Federal courts ruled against the NCAA. The Supreme Court agreed. The subsequent explosion in television revenue -- an explosion made possible by a college sports marketplace free of collusion -- has made schools and conferences unfathomably richer, setting the stage for the O'Bannon case and other antitrust challenges.
So schools are denying athletes the same freedom they previously won from the NCAA via an antitrust lawsuit, while a desire to share in the financial fruits of that freedom is basically why athletes are suing in the first place.
Exactly right. Like former NCAA president Myles Brand's " Catch-22" shaming-logic for justifying amateurism -- college athletes can't be paid because they're amateurs, and they're amateurs because they can't be paid -- we've come full circle.