text:
Amazon announced their new Giveaway program today that allows authors to run contests for free print books or other items sold by Amazon. The program is based on the giveaway concept first offered by Goodreads, which is now also owned by Amazon. So which program is better for the indie author? Some comparison points:
The Goodreads giveaway:
- may be started before your book is published, allowing you to generate a bit of pre-release interest.
- is open worldwide, allowing you to target readers in any country you believe you have a market in.
- is open to any user of the site, age 18 or older, depending on the legal age of the jurisdiction they live in.
- The approximate retail value ("ARV") of a single prize may not exceed $75.
- The total ARV of all prizes offered may not exceed $500.
- You may not give away more than 300 copies of the same book in any 12 month period.
- The length of the giveaway is determined by the author but may not exceed 3 months.
- Winners are selected at random after the giveaway period ends.
- You are responsible for sending the book to the selected winners within 2-3 weeks from when you receive the shipping address.
- You must agree not to contact the winners with any post-giveaway communications, and may not use the winners' addresses for anything other than sending the indicated book.
- You must agree not to contact Goodreads members who have entered the giveaway but did not win.
- There is no mention of whether or not links are allowed in the contest blurb, but I have never seen any.
- Goodreads has a dedicated section for giveaways, though site users cannot narrow down by genre.
- Is popular even with established authors such as Audrey Niffenegger (The Time Traveller's Wife), Margaret Atwood, and John Irving.
The Amazon giveaway:
- may only be run after your book is available on the Amazon site.
- is only open to U.S. citizens 18 years and older.
- is only open to those with an Amazon account.
- Entrants may enter via Twitter.
- There is no limit to the retail value of any given prize but the total value of the contest cannot exceed $5000 USD, excluding taxes and shipping.
- Individual giveaways are limited to 30 copies of your book BUT there is no limit to the number of individual giveaways you may conduct, even for the same book.
- Amazon ships the book but the author pays full shipping costs and all taxes.
- You need a credit card to cover the costs of the books, the shipping costs, and all taxes.
- You can include links to your website in the contest message BUT the link will not be clickable (hyperlinked). Only links to Amazon-owned sites, including Goodreads, will be hyperlinked.
- Links to facebook.com, twitter.com, youtube.com (and youtu.be), and Instagram.com are also clickable.
- Two giveaway options are available to the author: winning on a first-come, first serve basis; or "lucky number awards a prize to every set number to enter. For example, every 25th entrant wins, up to 10 total winners. This model generates more entrants, the giveaway is likely to last longer, and is more suited to growing Twitter followers."
- The length of the giveaway is determined by the speed of entry; once the books are won the contest ends.
- Authors are provided with the names of winners and may use the winners' names for promotional purposes.
- Authors must advertise the giveaway themselves; Amazon does not provide any advertising support.
Generation of New Leads
Neither giveaway provides the author with much in the way of contact information: neither contest will generate an email list of non-winners, though the Amazon version may generate some Twitter followers. Note, however, that restricting entries to Twitter followers is not possible; it is only one of three possible ways to enter.
The Goodreads version may result in some new followers there, but that has not been my experience.
In theory, each giveaway is supposed to generate new reviews. Goodreads encourages but does not require it, and out of the four giveaways I did on Goodreads, only one winner reviewed the book. Anecdotal evidence suggests giveaways attract contest junkies: those who enter everything and do not discriminate. There was the one somewhat infamous example of an author whose Swedish-language book was won by someone who didn't read Swedish. So why enter?
In terms of cost, the Goodreads version is likely to be cheaper for the author.
For example, if I run a Goodreads giveaway for Baby Jane, I can order the books directly from CreateSpace, my POD manufacturer for Amazon.com, and drop-ship the books to the winner. The cost to ship to someone in the continental U.S. is about $3.59. Taxes vary by state but I'll use Washington as an example, where tax on books is 8%. Add that to the printing cost of the book ($4.09) and my cost comes in at USD $8.01. The whole of the $8.01 is a business expense that I set against my earnings. If I pay 25% tax on my earnings, the out-of-pocket cost of the contest to me is $6.01 per book.
If I were to run a giveaway on Amazon.com, I would pay $15.93 for the book plus taxes and shipping. Taxes will vary by state, but we'll use Washington again as an example. For a winner there, I would pay $1.77 tax and $4.98 for shipping, for a total of $22.68 per book. In return I would be paid a taxable royalty from CreateSpace of $6.68. The $22.68 is a legitimate business expense; at 25% tax, I pay a net of $17.01 per book and earn a net of $5.01, for a total net expense of $12.00 per book. That's twice the price of the Goodreads giveaway.
Perhaps the biggest difference of all, though, is in the exposure.
On Goodreads, your book remains in the giveaway list for the length of time you decide. When I gave Baby Jane away on Goodreads, I did so for two weeks, during which time 1261 people entered and about 250 people added it to their reading list. (I learned by experience that I should have put it up for the full 3 months to maximize exposure.) I only gave away two copies, and at that time I autographed them and shipped using the very expensive Canada post, for a cost of about $40.00 for that two-week exposure. (Again, lesson learned; when I later gave away copies of The Global Indie Author, the books were not autographed and I drop-shipped directly from CreateSpace.) Were I to do it again, my total cost for three months of exposure would be $12.02.
In contrast, if I were to give away two books through the Amazon giveaway, it would cost me $24.00 and the exposure would probably amount to about 30 seconds if on the first-come, first-serve basis. The only way to extend the contest would be to use the second option and make it really hard to win: something like one book for every 100 or 1000 entries. To get the same number of "hits" as I did on Goodreads, I would have to offer Amazon readers only one book for every 630 entries.
More importantly, on Goodreads the readers come to you; on the Amazon option, you have to go to your readers, using your already established Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, et cetera social media lists. Why would you give your book away to your already existing readership list, and at twice the price of the Goodreads giveway?


text:
- Home
- Blogs
- Community
- Big Game Hunting
- Regional
- Firearms
- Archery
- Muzzleloader
- Gear Bag
Will Warm Weather Affect Your Hunting?
Last year's reports were all about how the wildlife wasn't doing well because of the extreme winter weather. This year was a very mild winter in most places, and reports are stating that the warm weather is affecting the animals as well.
One of the main causes of the moose population's decline has been winter ticks. Winter ticks in a good cold winter would die, keeping their levels where moose could thrive. Without those long cold spells the winter ticks are not dying off, and the moose are succumbing to the parasites. New Hampshire, Maine and Minnesota are noticing the effects on their moose population.
Not only are hunters noticing differences in the animals and their population but anglers are as well. Trout are seeking colder water, and water in general where the snowmelt has decreased in some states. Some states may be facing droughts that will affect their water supply greatly.
Also with the warmer weather, migratory birds are changing their migrations. Some not migrating as far, migrating at different times or not migrating at all.
Retired wildlife biologist Eric Orff, who now serves on New Hampshire's Fish and Game Commission, pinpoints the trouble and the thrust of this report when he says in it: "I spent three decades restoring fish and wildlife to New Hampshire, and I don't want to see the progress we made reversed. Climate change is is a subject I'm passionate about – and I'm trying to get hunters on board." From The Los Angeles Times.
- bghjournal's blog
- Login or register to post comments

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Mr. James On Phone To Ecko Service
I purchased a watch that I really liked a lot until all the crystals started turning green. I've had it six months. It's really upsetting. Is there anything you guys are willing to do to rectify my problem.
Ms. Bobbie Gingold On Phone To Ecko Service
I was using my ricer on hard boiled eggs when it simply bent and became unusable. Not what I expect from your products.
Good day my name is Terry Moran . I have a beautiful Marc Ecko watch that was given to me as a gift. I broke the pin on the strap and I was wondering if you guys could help me out with getting it fixed. I looked every where here in St. John's and cant find nothing close to put on it. My cell is 7097695331. I am gonna attach pictures of the pin and watch. Please try to help me get this fixed because I love this watch. Thank you very much for your time. Look forward to hearing from you. It wont let me add upload my pictures, but i will do it through e-mail.
Hi. I've recently been robbed, or my house was broken into I should say, and one of the items that was stolen was my all Red colored Ecko Unlmtd. Backpack. It may have been a men's bag, I'm not sure, but it was a rounded top, soft quilted bag made of some soft material mix and had two large zipper sections and inside the smaller section had pencil loops and other pockets, and the biggest section had an additional ziper pocket inside, I bought this maybe around 2004/2005 somewhere there, I AM LOOKING DESPERATELY to replace this bag, but I cannot find it anywhere online. Please can you send me a list of bookbags or direct me to where I can find backpacks that Ecko Unlmtd. Made years ago? I really loved that bag and would like to repurchase the exact all Red one if possible THANKS FOR YOUR RESPONSE, Truly, Sherree .
Ms. Regina Medlock On Phone To Ecko Service
I have two marc echo reds and the leather is peeling off. I would like for you to make this good. These are nit cheap purses. Your customer service people only put you on hold and then hang the phone up. To be such a big name designer this is a bad way to treat your customers. I only want these two purses which are the hobo. Style to be made good.
I bought a Black MarEcko pant from Century21 in Downtown New York in Mid July 2015, after first dry cleaning, The material shrank and now it won't fit me. I own the Dry Cleaners in NJ. I am really disappointed. It never happened before when i bought MarcEcko clothes. Please help in this matter. ThanksKamlesh Patel908-400-0387.
Ms. Andrea Martinez On Phone To Ecko Service
I have a Marc ecko watch that I need extra links for. I was wondering if you sell the extra links or I have to have a jeweler get them. Thanks.
Ms. Patricia On Phone To Ecko Service
This is a shame you want your merchandise to sell, but if a customer need a question answer like what is a ten XL OR 28 LARGERegular size.
To whom it May concern: . My mother & I went Christmas shopping today,12/19/2014, at one of your Ecko stores in Houston,Tx. (Store #858) & we had a HORRIFIC experience @ your store!! The employees there, as well as the so-called MANAGER, were very, very rude, unprofessional, racist, argumentive, and disrespectful!!! Never in my life have I ever been to any place where I have been treated so terrible nor in such manner!! Being a customer, I would think that any employee or any store personnel for that matter, should treat their customers right or atleast in a proper manner, but that wasn't the case at all at your store!! I'm not sure if at your store they're trained to discriminate or just treat different people differently, but it's horrendous to walk into any store, spend money there & get treated & talked to like crap!! It was very embarrassing & humiliating to have an employee moreso a crappy manager talk to me & treat me so badly!!
Mr. Dipesh Gangurde On Phone To Ecko Service
I need one clip of the watch with model number E16507G1.
Mr. David Demarest On Phone To Ecko Service
I bought a pair of your sneakers from Macys and they are literally falling apart. They are lightly worn as you can see from the photos. I would like to send you.
Ms. Laura Gomez On Phone To Ecko Service
I bought a shirt ten days ago in Las Vegas Nevada 3510 s Maryland shirt was Steiner so I came back to the store from my house the to I got another one. They didn't forgot take off the security bottom so came back to the store. For 3rd time they were trying to take off that. After many times, they can do and back to my home, but know I am seeing oh no they ripped it looks like the guys topped my shirt and they knew very angry.


text:
Visitor's Question from a 21-30 year old Female
Me and my Boyfriend have been going out for about 3 and half years. We have been living together for a little less the 2 years. We havent been getting along for about 9 months and Ive finally had enough, I want to break up with him, and I feel that there is no hope of us going back to being a happy couple. I have tried to break up with him several times, but he either threatens to commit suicide, or says that he cant afford to live on his own, and has no were else to go, and therefore Im making him homeless. I give him suggestions of places he can stay of a while, tell him to look in the newspaper for people looking for roommates, or to get a second job. He says I am over simplifying the problem, and its not that easy. I feel like he is going insane, or is only saying this to make me stay out of guilt. My mom says that he not normal and that if he is going to kill himself or become homeless then it would have happened wether I was in the picter or not, and I should just leve him. I feel so bad doing that, but I also feel like hes 30 years old, he should be responsible enough to know how to take care of himself. I have tried to get him to go to consolers, but he wont go! I dont know if I can live with myself knowing that I caused someone to kill themselves or to become homeless, but I dont want to date this person anymore! What should I do?
RomanceClass.com Advice
You have to think of yourself first. You are being dragged down by someone who seems incapable of taking care of himself.
Make your plans to leave him, let him know that is what you are going to do.
He will make it somehow, but if he talks seriously about suicide then call 1-800-SUICIDE and ask them for advice. If things are really serious call 911.
You can't live the rest of your life like this. If you can afford it, give him enough money to keep him going for a while. This will get rid of his complaint about living on the street.
You have done everything you can to help him, it is time for him to help himself -- at age 30!
Good luck!
-- from George
One of Your Friendly Advisors at RomanceClass.com
|Follow @RomanceClass
Speak Your Mind - Share your Thoughts on this Question!
All Advice in the category - Breakup Issues
Browse our Answer Database- Browse Answers by Question Category
- Browse Answers by Age Group
- Browse Answers by Date of Response
Please read through the advice on this site before you Submit your Own Question! We have thousands of pages of valuable advice that can immediately help you with your situation.


text:
Grüner See (Green Lake) is a lake in Austria which and surrounded by mountains getting a lot snow during winder and melts down in spring. During the winter the lake is only a couple of meters deep, and the surrounding area is a typical park. When temperatures start to rise up, snow begins melting and the result is a surreal park which is left 12 meter underwater. The lake fauna even allows fish to survive among the trees and eerie abandoned park staples like benches. This amazing and beautiful underwater park is popular among the scuba divers in summer.
This natural beauty and bizarre lake is definitely in my bucket list now!


text:
The non-profit Vagabundos del Mar Boat and Travel Club was "born" in 1966 when a few good buddies began adventuring into Baja California and mainland Mexico, looking for good fishing spots. In 1971, "the Vags" were incorporated as a non-profit social club, dedicated to helping members make friends and have fun. Today, the Vags are Baja's oldest travel club, with 10,000+ members. The club is still non-profit, and still dedicated to its original mission:
"Helping its members travel safely, economically and enjoyably in all of North America, especially Baja California."
Visited 1254 times, 1 Visits today


text:
We lost to some really good teams.
isn't that sort of the point? is it too much to ask that we're one of those 'really good teams'?
don't be afraid to dominate.
1/11/2011 – Brady Hoke 1, Internet 0 – 0-0
I follow a blog called "Fund My Mutual Fund." The title should be taken literally: the guy running the blog wants you to pledge money so that he can get a mutual fund based on his stock picking method off the ground. He's done amazingly well on a publicly-tracked simulator, has sufficient pledges to break even, and is in the process of getting SEC approval after establishing a years-long track record. He's good.
He struggles when his method (technical analysis) is battered by external events that cause the stock market to veer from a well-established logical way of doing things, which is happening a lot lately thanks to Ben Bernanke. He responds to these events by publicly reminding himself the underlying fundamentals have changed, that logic means one thing when you're talking about five years and another when you're talking about five days and that even if the market goes up for stupid reasons it's going up. Here's one from this morning. He also lacerates the country's financial honchos in sarcasm-laden posts that get a little tiresome the tenth time you read essentially the same thing. He went to Michigan, too. He might be my Tyler Durden, or maybe I'm his.
A couple weeks ago I proclaimed there was a "zero point zero" percent chance that Brady Hoke was named Michigan's head coach because I assumed Hoke's flimsy resume was only acceptable to people who really truly believe that Michigan Men are Michigan Men who make other Michigan Men, who in turn create more Michigan Men until you enter a warehouse and it's like that terrible Will Smith movie with winged helmets.
My underlying assumption was that David Brandon was a cold-hearted corporatist who would tell someone to assemble a powerpoint about head coaching candidates and take the Michigan Man stuff as merely a relevant bullet point. I was wrong. Brandon is king of the Michigan Men, and my predictive performance has lagged the market.
Not much of consequence was said at yesterday's press conference to introduce Brady Hoke—that is the way of things—but at the very end Dave Brandon started pointing and became emphatic and the world rearranged itself:
That's the athletic director version of Kurt Wermers saying "not my kind of crowd." Rich Rodriguez never had a chance after the Ohio State game. Why David Brandon decided to go on with a dog and pony show even he admits was pointless should be a frustrating mystery, but it's not. People had to be placated. This program will eat itself alive if given half a chance.
So maybe Brady Hoke is the best choice. This organ transplant will not be rejected. Given time and an upperclass quarterback or two and a defensive staff that's not utterly clueless, Brady Hoke will quickly prove himself to be the one true Notriguez. He'll quickly improve the program and get Michigan back to being Michigan.
But I think the way this went down proves that all the things rivals say about Michigan are true. This is an unbelievably arrogant program convinced its past glories are greater and more recent than they are, certain outsiders have nothing to teach it. We will enter bowl games against opponents that say "boy, that Michigan just lines up and comes after you," and we probably won't win many of them. We never have, and trying to out-execute Alabama or Oregon seems like a tall order these days.
I hoped we could be block-M Michigan without that, that we could have an exciting, modern offense that pumped out Michigan Men and maybe shredded Oklahoma for 48 points in a BCS game. I hoped we could reboot the program, keeping the things we treasure about it but maybe leaving the dismal bowl record and recent inability to compete with Ohio State behind. For a lot of reasons we can't. We are who we are.
So, no, I'm not super happy. On the field I was done with Lloyd Carr, done with punting from the 34 and running the same damn zone stretch thirty times a game, done with the premise that it's only the players who have to execute on gameday. To me, getting back to being Michigan means going 9-3 and losing to Jim Tressel. I remember thinking "this is the year" every year growing up, expecting great things literally every season until Rodriguez showed up and Mallett transferred. I don't think that now, and I can't imagine feeling like that in the future. Sometimes having an identity feels like having a ceiling.
That said and true, this also. On the other hand, the past is not destiny. Jon Chait provides the best possible perspective:
Selecting a coach is a lot like selecting a recruit. The resume is the equivalent of a recruiting ranking. With recruits, a high ranking correlates with success, but a correlation is only probability, not certainty. Sometimes high-ranking recruits flame out, and sometimes sleeper recruits turn into stars.
While I'm down on the hire except insofar as it appears to be the only one that would get institutional support, Hoke could surprise people. He's in a great spot to immediately improve a team that returns damn near everyone and should profit from that momentum. Rich Rodriguez was always pushing uphill; Hoke has a much easier path to positive attention.
I didn't want to say this during the many fire-Rodriguez discussions because it seemed like the most cynical thing imaginable, but cutting Rodriguez loose right now sets the new guy up to look like 2006 Ron English after he replaced Jim Herrmann and inherited Woodley/Branch/Hall/Harris: a freaking genius. We'd find out during The Horror that he was not, but for a year the guy was untouchable. Hoke is going to get all the rope left over from the Rodriguez era and then some.
So, yes, the internet has overreacted.
I will swear now. The inbox is overflowing with pleas of varying levels of politeness to get behind Hoke, stop being so negative, etc. If you phrased it nicely, I appreciate the sentiment and the too-generous belief that I have any influence over the success or failure of Michigan's head coach. I'm not going to change my opinion overnight, however, and this remains a No Sugarcoat zone. No sugarcoat. I can promise that I'll go into the Hoke era looking for reasons he'll work out (you know, on-field reasons, not "Brady Hoke is the best human" stuff), if only because of human nature. His flexibility with Nate Davis and successful deployment of Rocky Long as a 3-3-5 DC gives me hope he's not a stick in the mud, and I'm sure Craig Ross is mailing him the Romer paper as we speak.
If you called me a hypocrite for not liking the hire when I didn't like the three years of shit Rich Rodriguez had to wade through when I haven't said one negative thing about Hoke that does not boil down to "does not have a thrilling resume," please fuck off and die. Especially people complaining about how constantly negative I am when I spent the last three years as the last guy on to die on Rodriguez Hill, as a commenter whose name I can't remember aptly put it. Double especially for people complaining like that a week after calling Rodriguez a "hillbilly" because "only hillbillies leave their alma mater."
What I am negative about is the Carr-era players—like the hillbilly guy above—whose loyalty to the program stops at the water's edge. Aside from one recent Harlan Huckleby outburst, the Bo guys either shut their traps or tried in vain to support the head coach at the University of Michigan. But I've made that point over and over again. (Mike "I support the head coach x1000" Hart is an obvious exception to this and should have been the model for his teammates.) The culture that made the last three years happen is petty and arrogant and utterly fails to live up to the Michigan Man ideal it pretends to espouse, and though I'm about a day from shutting up about it because even I'm tired of it I'm not backing off.
This will be fun. I hope everyone loves Jason Whitlock columns, because we're about to get a boatload of them. As Over The Pylon points out:
In a panicked desperate move, the administration at BSU freaked out and hired an in house coordinator to quiet the fans and hopefully maintain the momentum that was building. Michigan did much the same, only the "in house" became "Michigan experience" and the "maintain momentum" became "rebuild the program". In BSU's case, the failsafe went 6-18. Let's hope for UM's, Brady's and everyone associated with the Wolverines' sanity that the performance isn't also duplicated, lest they become the target of one particular columnist with a national audience, a significantly close connection to the head coach, and a nicely sized ax that could always use some grinding.
Guh. Win, Brady, or we'll all suffer. Meanwhile, if you'd like a condescending lecture Dan Wetzel has you covered.
Carty on the dude. You can hate on Carty if you want but this is probably more interesting than anything that's been written about him so far:
The thing that separated Brady Hoke from most assistant coaches under Lloyd Carr was the confidence to be the same guy in a media interview as he was when the cameras were off. Michigan assistants never talked much in those days, and when they did, most of them were obviously concerned about saying something that would be met with disapproval by their boss.
Hoke wasn't very polished or made-for-television, something he poked fun at himself. He laughed a lot more than the other assistants did, at least in public. When he did do interviews, he asked more questions than most assistants and seemed genuinely interested in how reporters did their jobs. When a sensitive topic came up, he'd simply chuckle and say, "You know I'm not going to talk about that." He didn't shy away from criticizing players or performances when he had to. I don't ever remember him asking to go off the record or take back something he said, both common practices with assistant coaches at Michigan and elsewhere.
There are a couple more paragraphs to go along with the Ann Arbor News's entire republished archive of Hokemania.
Search fiasco: somehow still growing. I still think Jim Harbaugh was supposed to be Michigan's next head coach before he backed out sometime after it became clear the NFL wanted him badly, thus resulting in the month-long post-OSU limbo and panicked search, but seriously if Dave Brandon means what he says about not offering Miles the job he traded the opportunity to not obliterate Michigan's chances with a few key recruits for some PR. If this was going to be the result Hoke should have been hired two seconds after Rodriguez went out the door—there were no serious overtures made towards anyone else except maybe Pat Fitzgerald.
My verdict on the Hoke hire depends somewhat on my view of the Lloyd Carr era. I liked Carr as a coach and as a representative of the University, but I wasn't upset when he retired in large part because he had not done a good job of surrounding himself with top-notch coaches. It's in this respect that he is no Bo. Bo Schembechler created modern Michigan football and one aspect of his greatness was that his coaching tree was excellent. Carr, on the other hand, doesn't have a coaching tree to speak of. Thus, the two obvious candidates for Michigan's head coaching position were Jim Harbaugh – a Bo quarterback whom Carr declined to hire when he was looking for a quarterback coach – and Les Miles – a Bo lineman/assistant whom Carr reputedly did not want as his replacement in 2007. If Dave Brandon's much-discussed Process was designed to bring back a Michigan Man from Bo's lineage, then that would have been fine because hiring a Bo protege can be done on merit. The fact that the Process produced the one sickly branch from the Carr tree is the reason why Hoke's hire has been greeted by articles with titles like "Advice for the Despondent."
This team spent the last three years building something, and I spent the last three years not simply waiting for future glory but anticipating it. Times were certainly tough, but I could still see the payoff at the end. The top ten offense paired with what I still believe could have been a fast, havoc wreaking defense with a couple more years of experience and depth--and probably a new coordinator. It wasn't always easy to watch the games, and the losing streaks against rivals always hurt, but I could take the taunts and laughter from other teams fans because I believed. That belief wasn't ever there under Lloyd. It was always just an ominous feeling that the other shoe was about to drop.
Another bit was not happy after the hire, either, focusing mostly on the Les Miles discussion that does not and never will end up being an offer.
I have no idea how I got to Hashiell Dammit, but if you reference Straight Bangin' in your post well, that's old school:
You know it's a bad decision when one's first reaction to the news is to draw easy comparisons between Michigan football and the Big 3 Automakers decline and to scramble to the Wikipedia page for the Romanovs to confirm that yes, this moment fits perfectly within the arc of a decaying empire. The emptiness that follows, however, is a bitch.
For its part, Straight Bangin' is "paralyzed." That's probably for the best.
Touch the Banner surveys the team and attempts to find out who fits. Slot receivers have to be saying "WTF" to themselves. HSR wants Michigan Replay back, but I don't think that had anything to do with Rodriguez. IIRC the producer lost his job with the IMG switchover and owned the rights to the name and possibly the music. This totally happened 110 years ago.
We lost to some really good teams.
isn't that sort of the point? is it too much to ask that we're one of those 'really good teams'?
don't be afraid to dominate.
I agree. But we played some of the best teams money could bye. :)
06: Lost a close one to the defending national champs, USC, with 2 Heisman trophy winners on the team.
You're off a year on USC. They lost the national title to Texas the previous year, and both Leinart and Bush were already gone. John David Booty was their QB and CJ Gable their primary RB. The game also wasn't close.
You are delusional if you thought either of our games against USC were close. They were blowouts- Michigan was not competitive.
Perhaps you will understand if I say it again. We were not in their league.
It was a 3-3 tie at halftime. We then came out and played 1 bad quarter and ended up losing by 13 points. I would consider that competitive. Especially when it's in thier backyard.
If you called me a hypocrite for not liking the hire when I didn't like the three years of shit Rich Rodriguez had to wade through when I haven't said one negative thing about Hoke that does not boil down to "does not have a thrilling resume," please fuck off and die
Really? I guess I was imagining when you took an innocuous comment from Hoke - his line that teams probably shouldn't use zone schemes exclusively (a sentiment RR himself appears to share, given that we used some man blocking now and then) - and turned it into a "Hoke hates the spread" rant. Or the whole "Denard is totally gone if Hoke's hired" speculation. Or you know, the banner that mocks the guy.
Hey, you vented a little, which is normal. But don't act like you were being some benign voice of reason here.
Really? I find that hard to believe.
After the well over 500 times I have seen it written, I am still waiting for 1 person to correlate immediate dissatisfaction with Rich's hire and cotinued dislike for him, to the product he put on the field. Auburn recruited and won in the face of heavy dissatisfaction for their new coach by it's fan base. Hell USC is recruiting very well in the face of fan dislike and the loss of 10 scholarships a season for 3 years. What about Mac Brown when he took over Texas? Everyone down there thought he was a light weight. Even the shower teacher at Tennessee rattled off a big winning streak and made a bowl in a tough league at a school where no one wanted him.
Rodriguez didn't get support because he lost, not the other way around. The same crowd can't argue that off the field stuff doesn't matter and that Hoke needs to prove it on the field, then argue that Rodriguez "never had a chance" because of the off-field climate he endured. Either it is a big deal or it isn't. It most likely isn't and history supports that. Winners have foresight about the job they select, then they get the job done and build support.
This site is the greatest Michigan sports resource by a long shot. Still, the two areas that this blog falls flat are the the excuse that "Rich got screwed by Michigan people" and the attacks on people who spent last fall questioning where the hell he was taking us. Suddenly when those topics come up, people who claim to be all about "data" and "numbers" become reliant on tales of boogeymen and nefarious ex-coaches and their supporters for torpedoing their guy.
If we expanded our point of reference to other schools, we'd likely find Rich Rodriguez didn't take that much more shit that any other coach who was underperforming at a place with high expectations. And if he did, a great counter-attack would be to go recruit a defense and coach an effective special teams. That will shut everyone up. He would have received all the glory and more that comes with success at a place like this too.
Hoke going home a widely popular figure tonight or next month, translates to nothing of substance if he can't apply his knowledge and skill set to create a winner. He'll just eat his crap sandwhich from the fans and Michigan men later in his tenure if he loses. He has the same opportunity that Rich Rodriguez had in terms of resources and the Michigan name.
This isn't even exploring the topic of what Rich Rodriguez could have done differently in his approach and preparation to adapt to this University and project a persona that would have won him, rather than cost him support. Mac Brown came to Texas and was ready with an extensive understanding of a fan base that is even more parochial than ours. Bob Stoops same thing at Oklahoma. They knew they had to win first and foremost, but they weren't arrogant enough to the think that they could worry only about that. They covered all the bases off the field and satisfied the people that could make their lives easy or hard.
Another topic for another time. But we really need to get over making excuses for Rich Rodriguez performance as coach. He didn't strike me as the type of guy that spent a lot of time falling back on them.
Honestly, how many have argued that Rodriguez's win-loss record wasn't the main reason he was fired, or that his win-loss record would have been materially different if only the fan base had supported him? Clearly, if the win-loss record hadn't continued to turn around and head in the right direction (as it had begun to do), he was gone at some point. The only real debate was, when do you make that call? If you mean to contend that the degree of support (or lack thereof) didn't influence the outcome of that debate, we'll have to agree to disagree. IMHE, without all of the "Michigan Man"/"bad fit" noise, Rodriguez likely would have gotten another year to show what he could do -- and, by the way, gain more support from the fan base if he succeeded.
Look, I was not a blind RR supporter. In fact, when he was hired I had some great misgivings, all focused on the character issues. But over time I came to believe he was a genuine good guy working his ass off for M. I believe he made a LOT of BIG mistakes here. The D, the special teams, even the crap about not embracing the tradition and culture enough. But my overall opinion of the guy was that he was a good guy who was actually doing the stuff that we all want to say is "Michigan Man" material: being humble, working your ass off, focusing on the academics, representing the institution with integrity, blah blah effing blah.
The difference between what you cite above with Mack Brown and Gene Chizik, etc., is that here at Michigan there was a group of powerful people on the inside who were *actively* working to torpedo RichRod. That's not anywhere near the same as having a fan base upset because you've got a different accent or even because you aren't winning enough. Of course I can't prove this, but I firmly believe someone on the inside was behind the damn Freep BS investigation. Someone tipped off Rosenberg and Snyder about the CARA form crap. And I don't know if you can overestimate how much that BS set back all of RR's work.
February 2008, Crisler. Rodriguez introduces his family.
I have only tried three times to write how I feel about Brian's thoughts on Hoke, but everytime I end up zig zagging in every direction on my thoughts, that no one would understand what the hell I was saying. I summerize:
1) Brian has every right to be frustrated about the Hoke hire. We've all seen this show before, it's very safe. This is a settle move for Brian, it says 8-4 is ok to him.
2) Michigan IS Michigan and it's different. It takes a "Michigan Man" to understand this. RR never really got this. RR didn't have to be from here to get it, but for some reason he never understood what Michigan is about. It's more than x's and o's, and w's and l's.
3) I didn't like the RR firing, but I love the Hoke hiring. I think Hoke "get's it" and where I think he will be different, is that he WILL go for it on 4th and 3 from the 35. He WILL try to win instead of trying not to lose. He WILL trust his offense to get the first down, and if not, he WILL trust the defense to stop them.
4) Hoke may not be the most qualified coach, but he was the most qualified coach for Michigan.
5) "This is Michigan for Godsakes"
I'm still all over the place, and could go on forever. There is a lot of emotion when it comes to Michigan and what it stands for, and it is difficult to think clearly when emotions are controlling your thoughts.
A fourth re-write may have been in order here. This time, drop the "Michigan Man" meme and the "This is Michigan for Godsakes" meme.
What is wrong with "Michigan Man"?
"This is Michigan for godsakes" was a quote from Brady Hoke in the press conference.
I think the reaction to Brians reaction says a lot about how far this blog has come in three years. Brians response to this means a lot to a lot of people on both sides of the aisle. At the risk of bringing in the politics, didn't Obama just talk last might about the importance of tolerance and humility in our public debate?
Seems like a good idea for mgoblog now too.
Go Brian and Go Blue
I've never questioned Brian's or anyone else's right to have an opinion that Hoke is a questionable hire. It's certainly not a sure thing. But then again, most of us, myself included, though RR was a sure thing.
My main contention with the Brian and the "RR-is-God" faction is how anyone can see watch what was on the field this year and think that we were somehow on the road to being a national power. It wasn't happening, at least not anytime soon.
I guess the question is, assuming you were right and we were on the right track, how long were you willing to wait for it to happen?
My main contention with the Brian and the "RR-is-God" faction is how anyone can see watch what was on the field this year and think that we were somehow on the road to being a national power. It wasn't happening, at least not anytime soon.
This is exactly how I feel. I was a Rodriguez supporter, die hard even until October 31, 2009. That was when the first doubts really sneaked in. I knew we were in serious trouble at other points, two massive collapses to Purdue, the UMass disaster this year, Bowling Green being in the game at half time, the whole end of the year. Still, I never flat out convinced myself he had to go until Mississippi State.
I step away from the keyboard and think, well, shit, Rodriguez is a great coach, great person, and he gave us some very enjoyable players. But the man had an abysmal conference record, gave far too much fodder to the national media, and really, at the end of the day, wasn't improving. That defense and that offense really weren't that good against good teams.
I guess the question is, assuming you were right and we were on the right track, how long were you willing to wait for it to happen?
One more season and if it's still not happening (7-8 wins and getting trucked in the losses), then send Rich on his way and I think nobody has room to complain.....and Brady Hoke would've still been available to take over.
Fitzgerald as coach would have been like kissing your sister.
I think there are 2 main issues here when it comes to Lloyd Carr..
a) His conservative in-game management that many (including me) feel made us consistently underachieve, despite having great talent
b) His deterioration as coach in the 2nd half of his tenure
SO I guess my questions on Hoke are...
1) Can he bring in equivalent talent/do a similar job to Lloyd?
2) Do we have any idea what Hoke is going to be like in a game scenario? Just because he will run a style similar to Lloyd doesn't mean he can't run it more aggressively, or play more to win versus not to lose.
I really don't know much about Hoke's in game coaching, but I think that Carr really set the standard for conservative coaching, and I really doubt that Hoke would be at the same level, no matter what system he runs.
(Mgrad92 deleted post)
I agree with many of Brian's points. It's weird, I liked the analogy about the ceiling. I sometimes feel like Michigan may in fact be the room with the lower ceiling. Not a bad thing in and of itself. And it's alright that we don't know any better because that's the home we've always known and it's comfortable to us physically and mentally.
Rodriguez's approach at Michigan was very new and possibly full of arrogance on some level itself. He failed in his charge and deserved to be fired, but I still find it unfortunate that RR, a decent, good man who was a successful football coach and obviously cared tons about his players and their families, was not afforded the same kind of welcome, support and inclusion by former players and the media that we are all seeing on display this week for Brady Hoke. Maybe I'm different from others, but that's probably going to stay on my hard drive for a while. With RR in the rear view mirror, I'm sure one day soon we'll learn from Rich Rodriguez and his staff about their personal perspectives and experience at Michigan. I hope MIchigan invites Rodriguez back to future events, anniversaries, fund raisers and keeps him part of the Michigan family in some respects. I wonder about this.
By hiring Hoke, Brandon wanted a Michigan football program closely resembling that of Lloyd Carr: 9-3 regular season on average, bowl game invites, pro-style offense churning out NFL draftees, tough defense, competitive team performances vs. rivals, a few B10 championship games in Indianapolis combined intermittently with one Top 5 finish every 4 or 5 years - Sometimes very good. Often disappointing. Never dominant. That's what Michigan football has been (pre-Rodriguez) and probably where it's headed again under Hoke.
In other words, familiar territory for most UM fans. Maybe that's good and OK.
...but I still find it unfortunate that RR, a decent, good man who was a successful football coach and obviously cared tons about his players and their families, was not afforded the same kind of welcome, support and inclusion by former players and the media that we are all seeing on display this week for Brady Hoke.
Agreed. Honestly, when the search started, I was hoping for another year of Rodriguez with a different DC if we couldn't get Harbaugh. RichRod's offense with even an AVERAGE defense? That sounded pretty good. But the more I hear about Hoke & the level of acceptance he's already receiving here, the more I think this might not be so bad. Rodriguez, even if he'd won, wouldn't have been "one of the guys," which proved cancerous from the beginning. Hoke's hire has already seemed to bring everyone back together somewhat -- shifting the team from "us against the world (past players included)" to being a big Michigan family again.
RichRod may have had a higher ceiling (now we'll never know), but a little stability across the program feels pretty nice for a change.
I love RR and have many times written and said that I hate how he was treated. But it seems to me that how he acted when he arrived probably soured a lot of people. In other words, the choices he made early on probably had more than a little to do with the level of support he had as time went on.
I also have a few friends and acquaintances who were "Bo's Boys." What is clearly in evidence is how much pride they have for the reputation he built, at least as much as the winning. RR not only didn't take stock of that reputation, and realize how important it was to all of us who cheer for the Maize and Blue, he really didn't seem to care all that much. At the root of alumni players' disdain for RR is probably more than just a little of that attitude.
Go back and watch the presser where RR was introduced to the media. Afterward, he was met in the hall and asked more questions. His tone, body language, and choice of words suggest a guy who thought he was coming into some back water burg, and he was really going to show these hicks how they do things in the big city, boy. When asked specifically about Ohio State, he all but shrugged his shoulders and said, "we have a lot of rivalries." My first thought was, "I understand the desire to not minimize anyone, but, c'mon. Do your f-cking homework, man. You're becoming the steward of the winningest program in college football and are charged with getting it to the next level, not trying to make it relevant in the first place."
I enjoy this blog immensely but Brian, you seem way off base in a couple of respects:
1. Repeatedly criticizing Brandon. The firing of Rodriguez was appropriately timed and the coaching search was thorough and as timely as possible. Rodriguez was only fired when it became evident after the bowl game that he had not made significant improvement this year. Moreover, the timing did allow a MUCH lower buyout. In addition, an earlier firing would have left Michigan without a head coach for some time since the two most high profile candidates would not be available until after their bowl games. As for the timing of the hire, again I don't see how things could have been done differently. He made an effort to pursue the two other most prominent candidates and he ultimately hired the best man available - only 6 days after Rodriguez's firing.
2. Constantly knocking Hoke. Your first mistake was making the ridiculous assertion that Hoke had no chance at the job. Your second mistake has been to overlook Hoke's considerable qualifications and accomplishments, even calling his impressive resume "flimsy." I wouldn't call turning around 2 totally crappy football programs, being named MAC coach of the year and then MWC coach of the year and building a SDSU team into one that would literally have kicked Michigan's butt a "flimsy" record. And you can add in his extensive assistant coaching record including a stint on Michigan's National Championship team and the strong endorsement of essentially all his former players, including the very best (Brady, Woodson, etc.) In what alternate universe is this a "flimsy" record??
Every coaching hire is a gamble but objectively, Hoke looks like a good, if not great, hire. I would have preferred Harbaugh but he had his heart set on the NFL. Miles, as we all know, has major baggage. Other available options appear to have been coordinators without ANY head coaching experience. Keeping Rodriguez did not appear to be a better option. His three year record was absolutely horrible. He set all the wrong Michigan records and his defense was getting worse every year.
Brian, I ask that you make the appropriate mea culpas and try to be more objective. I look forward to a bright future for Michigan football - beating Ohio State and competing for national championships. I also look forward to reading your interesting blog.
1. Repeatedly criticizing Brandon.
Until this week Brian has been president of the Brandon fan club. He is not anti-Brandon. He was disappointed by the execution of this firing/hiring.
The firing of Rodriguez was appropriately timed and the coaching search was thorough and as timely as possible.
Timing of the firing was fine, but just announce Hoke that same day if you're not offering Harbaugh or Miles (I'll take Brandon at his word).
2. Constantly knocking Hoke...In what alternate universe is [Hoke's] a "flimsy" record??
ESPN inhabits the same alternate universe. When they handicapped the coaching search they questioned whether Hoke had Michigan-worthy credentials. I think we're all hoping Hoke proves his doubters wrong, but doubt is not irrational, and not a failure to be "objective."
Just pointing out a few facts.
My response to your response:
1. Brian has repeatedly criticized Brandon regarding the coaching search - and without an adequate rationale or suggesting a better approach in my humble opinion. Brandon couldn't announce the Hoke hiring the same day as the Rodriguez firing since he was still pursuing and evaluating multiple candidates. Maybe he could have saved a few days but since none of us knows what went on behind the scenes, it's impossible to reach that conclusion.
2. So now ESPN is the gold standard, the experts on coaching searches? Gee I never realized that. I wonder what their credentials are. We are all equally capable of analyzing the records of various candidates. And I doubt their credentials are as noteworthy as those of Brady or Woodson. I listed a tremendous amount of evidence in Hoke's favor - and against the idea of a "flimsy" record - and I hear absolutely nothing to support the assertion of a "flimsy" record. Hoke's been a success EVERYWHERE he has been. Not middling, not just so-so, not "flimsy" but a success. He's turned crap into gold - not overnight but eventually. I rest my case.
It is not "objective" to ignore all the evidence and call a record "flimsy" without ANY reasonable rationale. It defies all logic.
As an aside, did you have a better candidate in mind? Does Brian have a better candidate in mind? A candidate with a better college head coaching record (a "flimsy" record of turning around two programs and earning coach of the year honors in two conferences) who wants the job and who doesn't bring serious ethical baggage with him?
Please enlighten me.
Lloyd Carr is that you?
Brian, I ask that you make the appropriate mea culpas and try to be more objective.
Who are you to ask Brian for anything? Are you paying him for his content?
7 of his 9 wins this year were against teams with losing records in a crappy conference with one great team, and one team that seemed good until it got run out of the stadium two straight weeks. Run that around your head for a couple of minutes. His record is flimsy. 12-1 at Ball State... woopdee doo. What was his follow-up. How did he do the next year? Hmmm. He left while the leaving was good. We have no idea what he'll do with success.
That's not to say that he won't be successful. But as Brandon should know from running a large corporation, you don't take a flyer with a man with no upside. What's the great upside to Brady Hoke? That he has passion. If I hear one more time he has passion I think my head will asplode! Lot's of people have passion. Now if you take a flyer on someone who is a well known co-ordiantor, sometimes it can work out and the risk is there.
This was a basically riskless decision, made so late as to kill Hoke's chances at having a decent recruiting class. Hell Brandon screwed Hoke. Let's count the people Brandon screwed by waiting. Isn't it wonderful that Brandon knows AD'ing so well as to do it completely differently than the rest of college football.
Finally as to the Michigan man thing... How many who are applauding the "Michigan Man" return are actually Michigan Men themselves. I hate the term walmart wolverine, but my guess is there's lots of 'em who are really glad a Michigan Man is back at the helm.
At the end like Brian noted, let's hope it works, cuz we all love Michigan. If it doesn't, let's pray that before Hoke is let go, Brandon is canned and we actually have a good search for an AD. One who actually has been an AD elsewhere and who has a good network of relationships built up in college athletics. Something tells me if we spent more time on developing the Athletic Department administration, we'd have less problems with coaches!
Am I the only one who caught the sly Ke$ha reference? Yes? Ok, I'll go back to watching everyone argue some more.
Brady Hoke is NOT Lloyd Carr.
A decent kicker would've saved RR's job
does this mean that brian thinks 9-3 is "UNACcEPTABle!!!!11!3!##!"
Time to get to work.
Brian doesn't appear to see it, and Maize n' Brew doesn't, and neither do some of the other people who are utterly heartbroken about Rodriguez's demise, but all these people are mourning a fantasy and an expectation, not the failure of a regime. Take this quote from Maize n' Brew:
It wasn't always easy to watch the games, and the losing streaks against rivals always hurt, but I could take the taunts and laughter from other teams fans because I believed. That belief wasn't ever there under Lloyd. It was always just an ominous feeling that the other shoe was about to drop.
To me, this is so entirely delusional it's hard for me to understand it. You always maintained your belief with Rodriguez, even after he found lightning in a botttle in Denard Robinson, racked up 500 yards a game, and still left us utterly embarrased by OSU for three years in a row, yet you always felt dread regarding Lloyd Carr and his career average of over nine wins a year? I know that Lloyd was owned by Tressel, and I know he wasn't quite the same coach by the end of his career, but if you had more belief in Rodriguez than in Carr you somehow managed to keep the vision of White and Slaton in your head even when it was obvious that that wasn't happening in Ann Arbor.
You know what happened to me the last three years? I got tired, I got used to Michigan losing. No matter how bad the season was under Lloyd, I never went into a big game without thinking that UM would definitely find a way to pull things out. Sometimes I'd end up crushed - more often than not once Tressel came into town. I was crushed because it didn't seem right. I wasn't crushed when UM lost to MSU the last couple years, wasn't heartbroken and shaking my fist at an uncaring universe when we were utterly demolished by OSU, let alone by Wisconsin and Iowa, under Rodriguez. I'd come to expect it. I no longer have the notion that Michigan should win and at the very least has a fucking chance to. It's immensely sad for me to admit that.
You experienced levels of belief and optimism with Rodriguez, even after three years, that you never knew under Carr? For the life of me, I simply can't understand that.
Finally, as to Brian's bitterness toward the way Rodriguez was treated here - I think there's something to this. But I also think Rodriguez likely bears some responsibility, and it's somewhat naive to treat him as a blameless, saintly soul who came with his heart in his hand only to have it thrown on the ground and kicked by the minions of Lloyd Carr. Rodriguez did not come here to share his wisdom and teach the old guard something - he came here to remake the program entirely, to make it utterly his own. From the start, Rodriguez had the attitude, and perhaps the mandate from Bill Martin, that this was a radical readjustment that was not beholden to the past at all. From day one and through his entire three years. there were frequently intimations in Rodriguez's press conferences that he inherited a toxic product, that the players simply weren't up to the challenge, that the methods he encountered when he got here were outdated and futile. And you know what, there was a lot of truth to those statements, and any intelligent follower of the program could see it. But it's not his fucking place as the coach to point those things out. It's up to him to take the responsibility and try to protect his team and the program even when there's little more he could do as a coach. Finally, though I'm no insider and don't know exactly what happened in Schembechler Hall when Rodriguez was here, reading things such as Greg Harden being marginalized for the past three years makes you wonder how much Rodriguez may have unnecessariy swept out the old in an attempt to remake the program in his own image.
Now, I think that overall Rodriguez is a good man who cares about his players, as well as a brilliant offensive coach who will find success again in college football. But I think it's ridiculous to pretend that he was utterly blameless in his three years in Ann Arbor from a political standpoint (it's even sillier to pretend that "factions" as opposed to "defensive staff" are the reason that he's no longer with the team.) But to act like he was the high point of the Michigan program is to twist fantasy and reality to the point that I cant even begin to understand the sentiment.
A very smart historian once wrote something along the lines of "people live their lives, process their experiences, through stories" as a way of explaining why facts are not enough to explain what has occurred in the past, you also have to understand the stories that people at the time told about the facts that surrounded them.
I think what you're seeing here are lamentations for the collapse of stories that people have used to organize their thoughts about M football for the past three years. A story that the stuggles before us are merely prelude, that greatness is sure to come. That's certainly not the only story out there about the last three years, as we all know, but the RR regime would be an excellent case study of how people can witness many of the same events and understand them in completely different ways because of the stories within which they embed them.
I definitely think it would be a very interesting study and would happily submit as a patient to be studied. What my point has been since Hoke has been hired is that people need to give the Rodriguez supporters (like myself) some time to "heal" and switch mental gears. And posts like Brabbs's post do not help us do it. They use personally offensive words like "silly" and "ridiculous" and "dumb" and "delusional" etc. to argue their points. All that does is further alienate people, having the exact opposite effect of what I presume to be an attempt to rally the fanbase.
Very well stated. This is the most trenchant and resonant point and something that I agree with wholeheartedly:
it's even sillier to pretend that "factions" as opposed to "defensive staff" are the reason that he's no longer with the team.
Well done.
If wanting to "suffer" through 9 - 3 seasons and being competitive in all our games is wrong I don't want to be right!
Put this post in bronze.
I'm not debating you on most of those points, but I don't think DB was channeling Wermers when he gave the "this is about the players" speech, but his old coach Bo. What I mean is that this wasn't meant as a dig against Rodriguez, but a glimpse into the ultimate reason for hiring Hoke.
Watch his facial expressions as compared to the "Next Governor of Michigan" persona Brandon normally conveys. This is Brandon repeating what Bo said. This is evidence of your "he is the ultimate 'Michigan Man' man" comment, but not that he's a "Notriguez" on the Maize-to-Blue spectrum that divided this fanbase.
So much of this press conference was pomp, which I guess it has to be. Much of the pomp was staged not for the RR supporters but the crowd that was begging for "Notriguez." Since we weren't with the majority, it's going to be up to us to recognize a bone thrown from a policy shift. But that end statement wasn't a bone. That was a guy repeating something a father figure taught him, and I know this because I'm known to open my mouth from time to time and say something very un-Seth because Dad said it, and when I do that I have that same look of "I don't have any way to back this up but I'm not going to argue it so I'd better be emphatic." Some guys do that kind of arguing all the time because they can't conceptualize themselves ever being wrong, but we all do it a little and when smart guys do it it's because something is hard-wired.
This is a part of Brandon that we underestimated: he believes that Michigan's program is based on this being the place that serves its players, and that being that kind of program will draw the right players here. This isn't something one side or the other owns. When you break it down, Michigan is Block M MICHIGAN because we can offer Michigan degrees, and only a few other schools in the country will have the top facilities and top competitive atmosphere and big stadium AND offer one of those degrees.
My point is this isn't Brandon being snarky, but Brandon being sincere. This is why he really picked Hoke, and we should at least be relieved that this decision came from some conceptual basis for the program that he finds important, not partisanship. Wermers, on the other hand, was all partisan. It doesn't make it right, but it's something we can respect.
... I may not agree with Brian, but even when I don't his points are scarily well-written and thought provoking.
And one other thing:
So those who don't agree, or complain about the servers, or who offer their one sentence "Fire Brandon" stuff, I have two thoughts:
1. Contribute to Beveled Guilt you cheap bastard.
2. Set up your own blog you lazy prick.
And when you do, you will hear the following:
Well said, Brian.
I feel exactly the same way about Rodriguez and the way his tenure played out, so thanks for not backing down. I think the quote from "Maize and Brew" is perfect. Those were my thoughts everytime we began another season with Lloyd Carr, probably the same way Penn State fans feel every season they start with Paterno. One day I will stop thinking about what might have been had Denard and Rodriguez had another year or two together, but today won't be that day.
To everyone who says to "stop whining", I say "no". As a fan and alumni of the school, I have a right to express my thoughts and feelings when I believe our school has not been represented appropriately by its administration. This is one of those times.
I hope Hoke is his own man, and not some reincarnated version of Carr. I wish him the best and hope he lives up to everyone's expectations, and proves me wrong.
If Rich Rodriguez was still our football coach, I would've been counting the days to kickoff 2011 with great anticipation. With Hoke, it seems like there is no point in getting excited, the future appears set.
Hoke's overall W-L record, for me, matters less than his records in the years before he "stepped up" to different programs. He (1) started with lesser teams/talent, (2) built them up, (3) got noticed & (4) moved on. But at UM, if logic serves, he's (1) inheriting talent that he could only dream about at BSU/SDSU, (2) should be able to improve the D (build the team), (3) get noticed, and then (4) NOT GO ANYWHERE. If it works out, that sounds pretty good, no?
With Harbaugh, it would've been 1-3 and then GTFO.
...is listening to Mike Valenti and realizing he has a valid point, which ultimately is the same thing Brian is getting at. We may be getting ourselves stuck in a nice happy rut.
I've stated on another thread my reasons why I thought a change in guard was in order after Carr (Carr did not fully utilize the talent we had) and what I hoped for with Rodriguez (leverage the brand to turn us into what we could be). We took a risk and it backfired. I had hoped that we would take a risk again.
I think this is where the comparison between Hoke and Tressell becomes null. Tressell was a tremendous risk for TSIO. Yeah he had I-AA titles bursting out of his little sweatervest but no one was sure it would translate, especially the Big Ten. Then, he comes out at that basketball game and makes what, at least many of the Michigan people I know feel, was a ridiculous claim that they would come into Ann Arbor and win in his first crack at us. Then, he came in and delivered. The common theme here is risk taking.
If there is one thing Brady Hoke has been labeled consistently is "safe". And this is ulitmately where I fear we will stall. I want so badly to be wrong. I want so badly for this to turn into our Tressell. The man who turns us into the prominent power we should be. However, when considering the pedigree, it doesn't seem likely. And forgive those of us who are supportive but skeptical but history is all we have to go on right now.
We took our one and apparently only risk and threw up our arms and said "Well, that sucked. I'd rather go back to Lloyd's days than this", something I personally said after the 1st year of Rich Rod. As we navigated this season and it became more and more apparent that RRod probably wouldn't survive, my tone actually began to change because as I looked forward I realized that Lloyd was not what I wanted. We were Michigan dammit. We were sure as hell should be capable of better than what Rich Rod was giving us and we should be capable of more than Lloyd gave us in his waning years. It is why I publicly proclaimed my manlove for the idea of Jon Gruden on this board. I was thinking of what he could do with us.
So, that's where I stand: Supportive but skeptical.
Go Hoke and as always Go Blue!
But Valenti is a fucking asshole with spooge on top. That shit for brains all but led the drumbeat to get rid of Rich Rod from Day 1 for any host of reasons, and any old reason would do on any particular day. He had the nerve to say of Rich Rod, "But this isn't Michigan! hurr durr!" And now he's bitching because Hoke demonstrably IS Michigan? Fuck him.
I'm pretty sure Tressell didn't say they would win, rather that the fans would be proud of the football team in x amount of days in Ann Arbor. One can infer that he meant they would win but he didn't come out with a Harbaugh style guarantee of winning.


text:
This lesson presents an overview of monumental statues and architecture of the later Roman Empire.
Image of Arch of Titus, Creative Commons, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ImageRomeArchofTitus02.jpg; Image of the Spoils of Jerusalem, Arch of Titus, Public Domain, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fra-titusbuen.jpg; Image of Trajan's Column, Photo by Juan Francisco Adame Lorite, Creative Commons, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Trajan%27s_Column_Panorama.jpeg; Image of Relief from Trajan's Column, Public Domain, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:046_Conrad_Cichorius,_Die_Reliefs_der_Traianss%C3%A4ule,_Tafel_XLVI_(Ausschnitt_01).jpg; Image of Arch of Constantine, Creative Commons, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:RomeConstantine%27sArch03.jpg; Image of Detail of Arch of Constantine, Creative Commons, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Luk_Konstantyna_6DSCF0032.JPG; Image of Distribution of Largesse Panel, Arch of Constantine, Photo by William Storage, Creative Commons, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FriezeNorth5.jpg; Image of Aula Palatina, Public Domain, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Trier_Konstantinbasilika_BW_1.JPG; Image of Interior of Aula Palatina, Public Domain, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Trier_Konstantinbasilika_BW_4.JPG; Image of Portrait of Constantine, Photo by Jean-Christophe Benoist, Creative Commons, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rome-Capitole-StatueConstantin.jpg
A columned meeting hall in ancient Rome, later a church with columns.
A statue, building, or other structure that commemorates an important event or person.
Sculptural elements taken from the buildings of a place that has been conquered and often incorporated into triumphal arches.
A type of monument, originating in ancient Rome, that consists of an arch built to commemorate a military victory.


text:
Find the right platform for you
- DonationDonation
Source donations from the crowd for your cause
- RewardReward
Get funding now in exchange for giving rewards to backers in the future
- LendingLending
Borrow money from a crowd of small lenders
- EquityEquity
Get investment from the crowd in exchange for a share of your business or project
- OtherOther
Filter by Sector/Area of Interest
For more info on categories see FAQs
- Business FinanceBusiness Finance
Source funding for your business
- Social GoodSocial Good
Source funding for projects that have a social aim
- Arts-CreativeArts-Creative
Get funding for projects that have creativity at their core
- OtherOther
- PatronomyFee structure:Platform 5%, Payment processor 3%, optional affiliate fees at project's discretionFunding window length:Max 90 daysFunding type:Keep it allAdditional InformationProject owners can rarely drive enough traffic to their page. The unique Affiliate Marketing Progra
- Pledge MusicMusic as it happens.Fee structure:15% commission on every sucessful plege reached (inc paypal fees).Funding window length:Maximum of 90 daysFunding type:All or nothingAdditional InformationPledge music sales are recognised in the official sales charts.
- PozibleWe crowdfund awesome stuff.Fee structure:5% on successful projects + 4% invitation from partners, organisations and previous successful project contacts + Paypal/debit and credit card feesFunding window length:Maximum of 90 daysFunding type:All or nothing
- PubslushCrowdfunding for the Literary world.Fee structure:4% of total raised on successful projectsFunding window length:30-60 daysFunding type:-/-Additional InformationFocus on literary works.
- Songkick DetourBring Bands to London.Fee structure:No fees to usersFunding window length:-Funding type:All or nothingAdditional InformationBringing new acts to London by generating demand.
- SpacehiveFor people with great project ideas, Spacehive allows you to build support direct from your community.Fee structure:5% of amount raised if successfulFunding window length:1 Year MaximumFunding type:All or nothingAdditional InformationFocus on civic projects that support local communities.
- SponsumeSmall Stakes on big ideas.Fee structure:4% fee on sucessful raises. 9% on projects that don't sucessfuly meet their target.Funding window length:Maximum of 90 DaysFunding type:Keep it allAdditional InformationFocus on artistic, creativity and entrepreneurial sector.
- StartSomeGoodDream Big. Raise Funds. Do GoodFee structure:5% of total raised if reach "tipping point" + 3% of total raised towards payment processingFunding window length:3 - 60 daysFunding type:-/-Additional InformationFocus on Non-profits and social projects.
- StudentFunderLoans and crowdfunding for graduate courses and professional studies.Fee structure:4% on fixed campaigns, 9% on flexible campaings which don't meet their targetFunding window length:30 daysFunding type:-/-Additional InformationFocus on education and training programs for individuals.
- UnboundBooks are now in your hands.Fee structure:50% on published booksFunding window length:Project creators select their own time frameFunding type:All or nothingAdditional InformationAuthors pitch their ideas to the crowd for funding.


text:
Bank Tabungan Negara, the Indonesian government-owned mortgage lender, closed the first residential mortgage backed securities (RMBS) deal in the Indonesian market this week.The deal, called DSMF-1, was launched and priced last week but the books closed on Wednesday. It was sold to two investors, one of which was ...
Please take a trial or subscribe to access this content.
Contact our subscriptions team to discuss your access: firstname.lastname@example.com
Corporate access
To discuss GlobalCapital access for your entire department or company please contact our subscriptions sales team at: email@example.com or find out more online here.


text:
Medusa PRO v.1.2.3 Release Notes:http://forum.gsmhosting.com/vbb/f664...-more-2149396/
- Added Reset FRP lock (آ«Reset FRPآ» button at آ«Factory repairآ» tab in Software) for Qualcomm-based devices. With this option you can Reset FRP via eMMC connection
- Released Box firmware v.1.14. In this firmware version fixed Read/Write operations for Hynix and old Samsung eMMC flash chips. Also improved connection procedure for 4-bit Bus Mode and improved stability
- Improved Erase operation (now even more faster) while erasing selected partition(s)
- Improvements in آ«Partition Managerآ»:
* Added Status Bar (Speed, Progress, ETA)
* Fixed error with saving selected partitions as آ«*.mptآ»
- Some GUI changes
- All pinouts and Repair procedures are described in Software manuals ("Help" button in Software).
*Note! After repairing box firmware you shouldnآ't use previous versions of Medusa Pro Software, please always use the latest actual software version.
*More info and discussion are* HERE ()


text:
I used to think that my photos needed color to be compelling, but a good black-and-white image can be very powerful. Of course, producing a monochrome image from a color one is not as simple as removing the color information.
Talented photographers like the late Ansel Adams, who worked primarily in black and white, often shot with colored filters to highlight certain aspects of a subject, and then spent hours in the darkroom getting the tonality just right.
Today, there's a Mac app called Tonality. It's US$24.99 (on sale for $17.99 through the weekend) at the Mac App Store, and it offers great control over the final look of your black-and-white image. Yes, many of these tools are available in Photoshop and Lightroom, but this app is quicker and easier to use.
It features more than 150 pre-sets to get you started, but you can easily create your own looks. The app even supports digital color filters, so you can get very selective about how skies and other things in your image translate to black and white. For example, A red filter, used so frequently by Ansel Adams, darkens a light sky while letting the tones of the landscape pass mostly unchanged. Tonality gives you the freedom to experiment and create some really stunning photos.


text:
THE Australian director Baz Luhrmann is a cut above your average dime-chasing film-maker in more ways than one. As he showed with his first film, Strictly Ballroom, a stylish Cinderella-type drama about the oddness of Australians and the sexiness of the paso doble, he takes subjects that should be corny and sentimental and makes them invigorating.
|Terrific: Nicole Kidman
Luhrmann understands - and he understands with affection - the sounds and shapes of popular culture, and he has a gift for using them to make sense of stories we think of as half-dead. His last film, William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, did something that the National Theatre hasn't managed in years: it made a Shakespeare play utterly connect with the interests of a new generation.
Moulin Rouge may be based on an outrageous cliché, but it is nevertheless one of the most opulent, intelligent, instinctive, daring, and likeable movies of the year so far. It is a film with dazzle, a film that splices the velveteen world last seen in Ophuls's Lola Montes or Renoir's French Cancan with the MGM musical of the 1940s, and which then fuses all that with the fashion-sense of Madonna and the sound of Massive Attack.
The result is a wonderful thing, a tribute, no less, to the showmanship of Diaghilev and David Belasco and Cecil Beaton and Stephen Sondheim and U2. Moulin Rouge has the power of a true Broadway gusher that has made a bizarre journey on to celluloid. And those of you who consider it excessive can congratulate yourselves on getting the point.
Christian (Ewan McGregor) is one of those English would-be writers who goes to fin-de-siecle Paris in search of himself and his novel. He lives in Montmartre, surrounded by all sorts of Toulouse-Lautrecs, musicians, absinthe-drinkers, dancers and whores, across the road from the Moulin Rouge. The manager of the theatre, Zidler (Jim Broadbent, who is shaping up as the best English character actor alive), is trying to persuade the Duke of Worcester to fund his next show, and he uses his star turn, a chanteuse called Satine (Nicole Kidman), to lure him. Christian and his friends want to produce a show of their own, and when the young writer is sent to persuade Zidler to back them, Satine mistakes him for the Duke, and mad confusion ensues, accompanied by songs.
Of course Christian falls in love with Satine. And then we find that she is dying of TB. But soon there is the question of her forthcoming nuptials with the Duke, and, as rehearsals get into gear for the big show, there are threats and declarations, extravagant set-piece dance routines, and more songs.
Luhrmann handles all this with what one can only call postmodern panache: the songs they sing to each other are often slowed-down or souped-up versions of famous pop songs, Kylie Minogue appears as the Green Fairy, and the choreography of steps, incidents, looks, camera moves and frocks is just entrancing. Unlike a previous McGregor-featured musical effort, A Life Less Ordinary, or last week's almost-but-not-quite musical A Knight's Tale, Luhrmann succeeds in making a film that deploys music and character in a beautifully energetic way, and in ways that feel old and new at the same time.
The movie is baroque, and slightly mad, but it has a true modern pulse, with the camera itself behaving like one of the mad characters, dashing and snapping and turning this way and that way, never letting up, always imagining. The set designs are luxurious: Moulin Rouge is a movie in which gross, painterly ugliness is somehow rendered beautiful, and where a non-stop parade of visual antics grows compelling.
McGregor and Kidman are great together. On the singing, sashaying, swinging-it front, they are terrific news, a Cyd Charisse and Gene Kelly for the Stars in Their Eyes generation, blazing with effort and self-mockery. American commentators have pointed out that they are neither great singers nor great dancers: I would argue that this makes them better. Moulin Rouge is a brilliantly realised compilation of energies.
|Private passion: Ewan McGregor as the young English writer who falls in love with a dying dancer, played by Nicole Kidman
Of course there are a million dancers better than Kidman and a million singers more accomplished than McGregor - but none of them are Kidman and McGregor, and none of them has their specific resources, so entertainingly harnessed here, for communicating Moulin Rouge's combination of public performance and private passion.
It is a hallmark of the interesting "red-curtain" movies - The Red Shoes, The Blue Angel, The Entertainer, Cabaret - that they take an interest in artifice, and see this world of shadows and display through a keen cinematographer's eyes. This is one of the achievements of Moulin Rouge: it a world away from those cheesily charming Little England films of the moment, little bank-heist adventures and sub-Ealing monstrosities, most of which wouldn't have made it to TV in the days of The Wednesday Play.
Moulin Rouge is a film that never could have been anything else but a film: from first to last it is a film, obeying and reinventing the traditions of what can be done in that medium. Scale? Visual ambition? A film where the style and the meaning go hand-in-hand? The trouble with so many films nowadays is that they are not actually films. They are adverts, or they are promotional videos. Some are merely trailers, and some are passable little television plays.
Baz Luhrmann has made something where the story is predictable - as it is in every opera you care to mention - but where the pictures that carry the story are the opposite of predictable. You never quite know what the camera will do, or what the singers will sing, or what colours might suddenly appear, or where the choreography will lead, or what might happen in Kidman's eyes. You never know what you will see, and when it comes to motion pictures, that is most crucial thing of all.


text:
Korean Cooking: A Dumpling Surprise (만두)
Some time ago I figured out how easy it was to make my own mandu, or dumplings, and decided instead of buying them I'd just make my own and freeze a bunch monthly. It's been working out really well and I've been having fun mixing up my own veggie and tofu batches. This month, I sat myself down in front of an episode of Bones and put together my tofu and veggie dumplings.
When I had finished up the last of my veggie mix, I realized I had about 10 dumpling skins left and decided to have a little experiment. I'd recently gone to Cheongsong and come back with a box full of apples that needed to be eaten so of course my eyes fell on the apples and I thought wouldn't an apple cinnamon surprise just be a kick in a dumpling? My husband thought otherwise and insisted I experiment with just two before I went for all ten and so I did. I diced up two apples and placed some in the center of the dumpling skin. I added a bit of butter, a dash of sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, folded them over and fried them up. They were delicious to say the least.
As my husband is Korean, he's never had a sweet dumpling and was surprised that it was delightful, as was I since he was sure it wouldn't come out well. If you're looking for a special holiday desert at your Christmas party, I suggest whipping up some of these little guys for a surprise your guests in Korea will be sure to love.


text: Why Teams Always Do Things Better Posted on 15 Jan '14 by Christopher Hopper There's an old adage: Anything worth doing is worth doing well. I'm pretty sure there's another one. At least there is for me: Anything worth doing well is worth doing as a team. And... Read More


text:
We traveled a short distance from Strasburg to Front Royal, Virginia, where we had some lunch before we entered the Northern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway. You enter the Shenandoah National Park at the Front Royal (North) Entrance Station off of Highway 340 and travel south on the scenic roadway, Skyline Drive, which follows the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains for 105 miles. At the southern end of Skyline Drive it becomes the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is 469 miles and goes through the Great Smoky Mountains. Such a beautiful drive, we want to come back and travel this highway in the fall so we can see all the color changes - must be awesome!
view all photos
Seems like to took forever to leave for our vacation. Always lots of work to prepare home, plants and animals for a caretaker while we are away. Flew from Austin, Texas, to Nashville, Tennessee, rented a car and went to visit family. Had a great time! Then off to the north east corner of Tennessee to visit friends. More fun! For August the weather was very cool in Tennessee, I had to wear a light cotton jacket - sure didn't need a jacket in Texas!!!
After visiting family and friends we headed northeast on Highway 81 from Johnson, TN, going to Strasburg, Virginia. We stayed one night at The Strasburg Hotel, located in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley. The hotel was built as a private hospital in 1902. Each room is decorated differently and they are all very charming. We loved this hotel.
The next morning we headed a short distance to Front Royal where we entered the northern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway.


text:
Ramos Gin Fizz
If you like it, save it!
Save and organize all of the stuff you love in one place.Got it!
If you like something…
Click the heart, it's called favoriting. Favorite the stuff you like.Got it!
Author Notes: Recipe from New Orleans Cocktails: Over 100 Drinks from the Sultry Streets and Balconies of the Big Easy by Sarah Baird. —Sarah Baird
Makes 1
- 2 ounces gin
- 1 ounce half and half
- 3/4 ounce simple syrup
- 1/2 ounce lemon juice
- 1/2 ounce lime juice
- 2 dashes orange blossom water
- 1 egg white
- Soda, to top
- In a cocktail shaker, combine all the ingredients. Cover and shake for 15 to 20 seconds.
- Fill the shake a quarter full with ice and shake for 3 to 5 minutes. Really give your biceps a workout and shake that bad boy as hard as you can (preferably with two hands). It's important to create a creamy consistency.
- Pour into a chilled Collins glass and top with soda until foamy head forms.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
More Great Recipes:


text:
Why do we buy water? Most of the time it's just because we desperately need a drink, right now. It used to be we could quickly quench our thirst at a public fountain. (According to Wikianswers, the first drinking fountain … Continue reading
December 8, 2012
by Peggy
Comments Off on Water, Water, Every Where


text:
George Plaster has served as a host for weekday afternoon sports-talk radio programs for 27 years in the Nashville market. He joined 102.5 The Game in July 2012 as the host of Sports Night, bringing humor, cynicism and professionalism to the airwaves on a daily basis.
Plaster, the world's biggest Atlanta Braves fan, has an extensive background in radio. He has worked on the broadcasts for Georgia Tech, Memphis State, Vanderbilt, Western Kentucky, Nashville Sounds and Nashville Kats in his career. He also has been named multiple times to Talkers Magazine's "Talkers 250″ list, highlighting the 250 most influential talk radio hosts in America.
Floyd Reese is a former National Football League (NFL) executive. From 1994 to 2006, he held the position of General Manager of the Tennessee Titans. Reese then served as an analyst on ESPN's NFL Live, and as a writer on ESPN.com before joining the New England Patriots as a senior football advisor.
As a General Manager, Reese drafted three NFL Rookie of the Year Award winners among his 11 first round draft choices: running back Eddie George in 1996, defensive end Jevon Kearse in 1999, and quarterback Vince Young in 2006. Reese also drafted NFL co-MVP quarterback Steve McNair.
Reese joined Sports Night in April 2015 and continues to add a unique perspective to sports talk in Nashville.
Willy Daunic has been a fixture on Nashville's afternoon drive time radio since 1993. His on-air experience, coupled with his unique background in sports, make him a trusted and informative "must listen" for the Middle Tennessee sports audience.
Daunic played baseball and basketball for Vanderbilt University before graduating in 1993. He is currently the TV play-by-play voice of the Nashville Predators. He also has done various broadcasts of Vanderbilt athletics and TSSAA state championship events in the past.


text:
The FlexEx® effectively exercises and strengthens the hands, fingers and forearms and can even rehabilitate an injured wrist (Carpal Tunnel, etc.) without any bulky, bothersome contraption.
The design of the FlexEx® is ergonomic, sleek and lightweight. FlexEx® achieves and surpasses the effectiveness of other bulky and sometime impractical finger and hand exercisers on the market today in a simple non-cumbersome easy to use way.
Strengthening and exercising the wrist and fingers should include both stretching of the flexors which are often overused and tight, and strengthening their less used counterparts. FlexEx® achieves this in an easy, and simple way.
FlexEx®'s simple unique design means that it can be used Anywhere and Anytime – just throw it in your pocket or purse and use at your convenience – traveling in the car, on a train, in the airplane, on a boat (not while operating a vehicle), sitting at home in front of the TV or computer, on a work break or whenever or wherever else you choose.
FlexEx® is made of 100% Latex Free Material.


text:
'The Good Woman of Setzuan' Examines True Essence of Goodness
Can we practice goodness and create a world to sustain it? In Bertolt Brecht's comic and complex play, this question is raised by one of his most entertaining characters, Shen Tei, the good-hearted, penniless, cross-dressing prostitute, who is forced to disguise herself as a savvy businessman named Sui Ta so she can master the ruthlessness needed to be a "good person" in a brutal world.
"The Good Woman of Setzuan" will run March 28-April 13 in the Loft Theater at the Syracuse Stage/Drama Complex. Tickets can be purchased online at http://vpa.syr.edu/drama, by phone at 315-443-3275 and in person at the SU Drama Box Office, 820 E. Genesee St.
"The Good Woman of Setzuan" will be the first SU Drama mainstage production performed in the Loft Theater, located on the second floor of the Syracuse Stage/Drama Complex. As a 60-seat black box theater, the loft allows for flexible seating arrangements and a unique, up-close audience experience. Patrons may enter the building through the Irving Street doors (the usual entrance for the Arthur Storch Theater), and will be guided by ushers to the Loft Theater. Patrons who use wheelchairs or need physical assistance are asked to arrive early.
In addition to his many acclaimed plays—"The Threepenny Opera," "Mother Courage and her Children" and "Galileo," among others—Brecht was well-known for his Marxist principles and dramaturgical theories. He sharply criticized much of the theater of his day, labeling it "culinary theater" that was designed to placate and satiate the audience. Brecht wanted theater to arouse the audience and instill "wakefulness." He explained, "I wanted to apply to the theater the saying that one should not only interpret the world, but change it." (StageView)
Despite the fact that the major catastrophes of the 20th century undoubtedly influenced Brecht's significant contribution to theater arts, he nonetheless remained an optimist. He understood that theater should also entertain. Charles Isherwood of the New York Times noted in a review of a recent production of "Good Woman," "If you associate Brecht with heavy-treading, message-mongering nights at the theater, you may be taken aback to find how purely entertaining his work can be."
Director Felix Ivanov is a graduate of the prestigious Schukin Theater School at the Vakhtangov Academy Theater and the Stasov Musical School (violin) in Moscow. He has choreographed the combat, movement and character dance scenes for more than 300 Russian drama and puppet theaters, motion pictures and television. Currently, Ivanov is an assistant professor in the SU drama department. His stage movement and combat choreography have been seen at many American venues, including the Acting Company, Lincoln Center Theater, Metropolitan Opera, New York Theater Workshop, Wooster Group and Cherry Lane Theater in New York City; Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis; the Shakespeare Theater Festival in Cleveland; and Shakespeare Theater in Washington, D.C., among others.


text:
One of the most valuable traits a physician can possess is capacity for empathy—defined by the Society for General Internal Medicine as "the act of correctly acknowledging the emotional state of another without experiencing that state oneself." Physicians who can empathize with patients can reduce frustration and anger and increase the likelihood of beneficial therapeutic outcomes.
Ironically, however, studies indicate that empathy starts to erode during medical school and continues to diminish after physicians enter the workforce. In part, this is because physicians are taught to maintain professional detachment in order to afford reliable care to all patients, regardless of personal feelings.
So how can physicians cultivate and maintain empathy?
Here are a few strategies physicians can employ to foster empathy and transform emotionally charged interactions with patients into constructive dialog.
Evidence suggests that taking time to develop and practice self-awareness reduces errors, enhances decision-making and helps resolve conflict. Research shows that people readily correct negative appraisals or feedback once they are attuned to their own negative emotions.
Deliberately listening for a patient's distinct emotional concerns, which might be obscured by words spoken or urgent clinical demands, is another useful strategy. Research shows that listening to the emotional meaning behind a patient's words, as opposed to restricting attention to only the facts, creates more opportunities for physicians to cultivate and exercise empathy.
Nonverbal cues and communication between patients and physicians can affect patient satisfaction and health outcomes. Physicians can demonstrate empathic behavior by adjusting their own gestures, vocal tone and pauses, and by being aware of interpersonal distance with patients. Studies suggest that the best way to learn these techniques is through role-modeling or formal communication skills training.
Despite the prevailing medical culture, physicians must learn to accept a patient's feedback, even when it is negative or accusatory. This enables patients to share more difficult feelings that might otherwise be suppressed during conflicts, while also providing physicians a gateway to empathy.
This can include analyzing recorded encounters between physicians and patients, as well as role-playing exercises. Also, check out The Balint Society—an organization present at many medical schools that consists of clinicians and teachers who emphasize the importance of emotion and personal understanding in the doctor-patient relationship.
In addition to revealing medical facts that might be helpful in diagnosing or treating patients, taking a medical history also creates an opening to cultivate a closer relationship with patients.
Building and maintaining empathy can yield many tangible rewards, including personal growth and career
satisfaction for physicians and improved health outcomes for patients. Remember to treat the whole person, not just the disease.
Merritt Hawkins' professional recruiters are here to help you find the perfect physician job. Please browse through our extensive jobs database and reach out to one of our recruiters today.
We invite you to search our nationwide permanent physician jobs. If you have any questions or want more information regarding a physician job or any other matter, request a call from one of our expert physician recruiters.


text:
The Hundred Foot Journey (2014) 720p BluRay DTS x264-SubZero
The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014)
Size: 5860514359 bytes (5.46 GiB), duration: 02:02:38, avg.bitrate: 6372 kb/s
Audio: dts, 48000 Hz, 5:1 (eng)
Video: h264, yuv420p, 1280x536, 23.98 fps(r) (eng)
Subtitles: rum eng
Genre: Drama
Plot: The Kadam family leaves India for France where they open a restaurant directly across the road from Madame Mallory's Michelin-starred eatery.
Password if required : shakir69
2) Use hjsplit or a similar software to join/split .00 files. Whenever required, rename subtitle files to the same name as the video file for proper playback.
3) Enjoy the download!


text:
Growing up Evan has not heard about Personal Development till the age 21. He never though of himself as a Speaker even more so as an Author. His life was changed by a book called "Think and Grow Rich" Napoleon Hill and since than Evan invested over $120 thousand into personal growth. In January 2013 he was invited and singed a Publishing Deal with Celebrity Press to Co Author "Thinks and Grow Rich Today" sharing how Napoleon Hills Principles have transformed his life. Evan was nervous to co author his first book but by the grace of God his contribution has won the "Editors Choice Award" for the Book as well as received an Award for "Americas Premier Experts 2013". Evan has published many articles on entrepreneurship related topics and was interviewed for various magazines and radio shows. Some of them are, The Washington Times, Networking Times, United Networker Magazine. He Also received the "Platinum Expert Author" Award from Ezine Articles for his contributions. His passion to empower PEOPLE is shining through his speaking and writings.
Evan Klassen Receiving 3 Awards at the National Academy Of Best Selling Authors
Best Selling Author Evan Klassen receiving a Speakers Expy Award Time Square New York
Evan Klassen Interviews Best Selling Author Jack Canfield who sold over half a Billion Books
Evan before getting on Stage for the Power Talk at the National Academy Of Best Selling Authors in Hollywood
"Think and Grow Rich Today" Ft. Napoleon Hill, Evan Klassen & other Experts Hits #1 Best Seller on Amazon on Day 1 of its Debut
For ALL the Social Media Comments and more info about how we got the Book on the Best Seller List click here
"Think and Grow Rich Today" cover
"Editors Choice Award" for Think and Grow Rich Today
"Americas Premier Experts" Award for 2013
Ezine Article "Platinum Expert Author"
Interview for "The Washington Times" click the link to read the interview: http://bit.ly/15NUli0
Evan contributes to different magazines here an article in "Networking Times"
Sharing Happiness with the Radio Listeners