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Monday, February 09, 2015
Susan Boyd
"Deflate Gate" is just one scandal in a long series of alleged or actual attempts to cheat in order to secure a win. We can go back to the 1919 World Series where a group of Chicago White Sox players agreed to throw games in order for high rollers to win big on their bets. In 1980, Rosie Ruiz supposedly won the Boston Marathon with a time 20 minutes faster than any of her other previous races. Her win, however, was assisted by the Boston subway, which she rode to the finish line and then rejoined the race. Even I could win a marathon using that ploy. Lance Armstrong eventually admitted to doping during his unprecedented seven Tour de France wins. He claims doping was done by all, and he had to do it to stay competitive. Just before the 1994 U.S. figure skating competition, Tonya Harding tried to remove her main challenger, Nancy Kerrigan, by having her whacked on the knee with a metal baton at the end of a practice session. Despite being unable to compete in the championship, which Harding won, Kerrigan was voted onto the Olympic team, going on to win silver while Harding only placed eighth. On a far more serious scale than deflating balls, the New Orleans Saints were accused in 2012 to have run a bounty program paying players who seriously injured their opponents. While never definitively proven, the defensive coordinator admitted there was a pool of money to reward players for "good hits." Four players received suspensions, which were all appealed and eventually reduced or vacated.
This win-at-any-cost attitude isn't admirable or acceptable, but it also isn't surprising given the amount of money winning provides in professional or high level amateur sports. It's not just about getting the X in the win column, or the trophy, or the medal. It's about getting a huge payout in endorsements, signing bonuses, licensing and increased fan base. Athletes with careers that rarely go into their 40s look for payouts that are inflated by winning. A deflated ball, a bribe, a hard hit, or performance-enhancing drugs can mean the difference between being winners who get noticed and everyone else. No wonder Cam Newton believes winning excuses everything. If athletes feel morally bankrupt, they can rationalize like Lance Armstrong. This attitude that "everybody's doing it" to justify some form of deceit or manipulation absolutely gets noticed by youth players. They are already in the frame of mind to follow the herd (Mom, everybody wears crop tops to school) and to succeed because we live in a world where anything other than a win is considered failure. So these ideas percolate down to youth sports. Add to the mix adults who buy into the theory that their kids, team, and/or school has to win, and the pressure to cheat becomes unavoidable. We've all experienced coaches who scream at kids they feel are costing the team a win or argue with referees over the most inconsequential matters because it's not enough to win the game; they also have to win the arguments.
How do we avoid the pitfalls of winning that excuses everything? The first step would be to resist the urge to overpraise our kids for every little outcome. If they believe that Mom and Dad only seriously value success, they'll do anything to make that happen. Heidi Stevens, in her article, "In Criticism of Praise," for the January issue of Southwest: The Magazine, gives some excellent guidelines for not overdoing the approval of our kids' activities. For example, if your child scores the game-winning goal there's no need to be overly effusive. There will be several dozen more games to follow that accomplishment, and she probably won't score the game winner every time or even ever again. So she could end up considering her good team play as failure because she didn't equal that moment of glory. Simply saying, "Way to go. All that practice paid off," lets her know you recognize the result of good effort, but that honest effort is the primary factor not the outcome. Instead of effusing over a child's story he wrote for class, engage him in a discussion of what he wrote – tell me how you decided to make the bear your main character. Later you might praise his body of work by noting improvement or how he maintains an interesting voice in all his writing. Put the focus on process rather than on product. Ultimately expressing love is far more important than praise.
Next we should refuse to tolerate boorish behavior in the name of winning. Youth sports clubs should focus on fun, but in reality clubs face the same issues of money on a smaller scale as professional franchises do. A club that can attract players who win matches and championships have excellent PR for recruiting even more participants. The more kids in a club, the more fees, and the more coaches get jobs. Therefore, the pressure to succeed is tremendous. It's understandable to have winning as the objective. As the old saying goes, "If winning doesn't matter, then why do we keep score?" The difference is how the adults approach the challenge. There should be no belittling of players during or after a game. Parents on the sideline need to refrain from yelling, criticizing and coaching. Kids can't operate under that kind of pressure. Teenagers especially react strongly to harsh instruction. Fun and winning aren't mutually exclusive activities despite what many adults believe. It's up to us to speak to the problems calmly but firmly. Often coaches and parents don't even realize how ugly their behavior has become. Once our team and families were watching a DVD of a championship game, and it was cringe-worthy as parents heard how they sounded and coaches saw how they behaved. It led to a good discussion about how we could all step up and be better examples. Don't be afraid to speak up when things get out of hand.
Addressing dirty play as a way to secure a win can be (excuse the pun) difficult to tackle. At a U-10 match during a tournament, the coach and several parents of the opposing team were encouraging their players to take our players out. "Hit his ankles. Get his knees. Take him down." Play got very chippy and the poor 13-year-old referee couldn't control it. No one on our team, myself included, spoke to the opposing coach after the game or the tournament director, and I regret that decision because we tacitly provided approval for such bad manners. With our own player and team we need to be vigilant for instances when kids get too violent. Good coaches will pull these kids from the pitch and let them calm down before instructing them on good sportsmanship. As parents, we need to let our kids know that we won't tolerate dirty play. We told our sons that if they got a yellow card for dissent or a foul, we wouldn't be happy, but we would understand that's part of the game. However, if they got any card, especially a red, for vicious play, they would be sitting out a few games. We only had to institute the punishment once, so I think forewarning helped them think before they acted. If your child's coach encourages dirty play, then you need to consider if that's the environment you want for your player. Chances are you can't change that, but it wouldn't hurt to try. You may just need to find another coach/club.
Finally, we should redefine success in all endeavors. The sports duality model of a winner and a loser spills over into so many of our kids' activities. Earning an A is seen as a win and anything else is seen as a loss. Being first chair in the orchestra is success and all other positions are failure. Getting an art project chosen to be displayed is a victory and being left out of the exhibit is a defeat. Therefore, kids will do just about anything to be the winner since that role is so narrow and specific. We need to help our kids move from that binary approach to success and discover what true winning can be. Over-celebrating the big success diminishes the smaller successes that don't fit into the "first-place finish" category. In fact, those big shows of approval only lend credence to the theory that winner take all is the only thing that matters. According to a recent study by the Ad Council, 75 percent of students admit to cheating in order to get A's (not just better grades). Obviously, students have lots of pressures to compete because they are trying to get into the best colleges. However, as a college instructor, I have seen students who are working on the thin edge of their abilities and achieve success through cheating often end up failing at the university. At a high school freshmen parents' meeting for my youngest daughter, the big question was how we get our kids into Ivy League schools. When I asked how many of the parents had attended an Ivy League school, not a single hand went up. Instead of seeing entering college as a win, they only saw entering the top colleges in America as a win. This pressure to accomplish some inflated definition of winning leads to a lack of integrity in the effort because there's no way to get there honestly. We need to start redefining success and then applauding that success.
Confident people have a more realistic view of what constitutes a win and can actually achieve more under that view. Carol Dweck, a Stanford University psychology professor, conducted a study that was reported in Steven's article. In the study, Dweck presented young students with problems that were far beyond their ability to resolve, but she wanted to see how they reacted to the challenge. Some kids dissolved into tantrums and tears seeing their inability to solve the problems as failure. Some coped with the situation accepting that they couldn't find a solution. However, surprising to Dweck was a group of kids who loved the challenge, happy to struggle with the situation and unfazed when they couldn't find an answer. As she put it, "they acted like it was a gift." These kids had learned not to see the world as win and lose, but as a spectrum of situations that had to be met and attempted. They had a spirit of adventure looking at the journey more than at the destination. In a follow up study she gave a group of fifth graders an IQ test. Along with their scores she offered two different praises. To one group she said "You must be smart at this," and to another group she said "You must have tried really hard." Then she offered the kids a chance to take another test but they could choose whether to take an easier test than they had just finished or a harder test. The majority of the kids told they were smart opted for the easier test and those praised for effort primarily selected the harder test. The "smart" group didn't want to risk their status of being smart by challenging themselves with a tougher test they might "fail." The "effort" group had the freedom to push themselves because they could then further the level of their effort in the eyes of the scorer. Winning was seen as working harder, not in getting a higher score.
As a writing teacher I've come across my share of plagiarism. For some students the cheating stems from laziness – they procrastinate in the assignment or just don't want to do it. But for the majority of students who cheat, it's because they recognize a weakness in their writing and don't want to be judged on that level. It pains me when a student plagiarizes, not because I'm incensed by cheating, but because I know the writer is suffering from feelings of failure. So I use the situation as a teachable moment. I ask the student to rewrite the plagiarized passages in their own words while in my office where we can discuss how to translate the ideas of others into their own opinions. I've always said I don't teach writing; I teach thinking. I want students to be as proud of a C as they are of an A if that C was earned through honest, hard effort. And I want a student to know that improvement is possible through effort. I don't agree with Cam Newton that winning excuses everything because winning should be a spectrum of success that builds on previous successes earned with integrity. We can't all be winners in the model of win/loss, but we can all be winners in the model of process and improvement. I prefer the latter definition.
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Tuesday, February 03, 2015
Sam Snow
Soccer coaches in America have a multitude of both formal and informal coaching education available to them. The formal education is the courses such as the "E" or "Y" or "C" Licenses through the state and national associations. Formal education could also be the Master's Degree in Coaching Soccer through Ohio University. http://www.ohio.edu/graduate/programinfo/CoachingOnlineSoccer-Info.cfm
Informal education may include mentoring within a club, clinics, webinars or conventions. In the last category I recently attended the 2015 US Youth Soccer Workshop / NSCAA Convention in Philadelphia. This was my 34th NSCAA Convention and my 20th US Youth Soccer Workshop http://www.usyouthsoccer.org/workshop/nscaa/. For the last three years the two events have taken place side-by-side. The contract has been renewed for another three years. I foresee the partnership continuing for many more years.
This gathering of coaches, vendors, referees and administrators is unsurpassed in the world. Where else could professional team coaches rub elbows with local youth coaches? Indeed with over 9000 people in attendance every level of soccer is represented. The convention is a fantastic education opportunity. Sessions are given for administrators, coaches and referees. There are demonstrations done with players of all ages and both genders. Classroom sessions take place from Wednesday through Sunday of the convention week. There are so many wonderful sessions going on that you couldn't possibly attend them all. Truthfully you will need to attend two or three years in a row to take it all in.
As I write this blog post I'm flying from Denver back to Dallas. I, along with Mike Freitag, gave some sessions for a coach clinic hosted by the Broomfield S.C. http://www.broomfieldsoccerclub.org/Default.aspx?tabid=690416&mid=714779&newskeyid=HN1&newsid=47512&ctl=newsdetail Bill Stara organized the clinic for all coaches in the northern Denver area. Over the course of the day about 100 coaches, players, their parents and administrators attended.
All youth soccer clubs must budget and plan for continuing education of the coaches, administrators and parents in the club. The players deserve this effort by the adults. Investment in the growth of its personnel is a club's highest priority.
So whether it's a small clinic in a club or attendance at a national convention, coaches must be lifelong students of the game. Indeed refining one's craft of coaching is an on-going process. If you are a soccer coach then you must be committed to your formal and informal education. A coach has every right to expect the club to host a clinic at least once a year. But the coach has an obligation to attend the clinic. On the club wide 'clinic day' all training sessions and matches should be postponed.
Youth soccer clubs should also budget to annually send some of the staff to a state symposium or a national convention. The experience is eye opening!
Continuing education of coaches should be a cultural norm in all American soccer clubs. I look forward to seeing you at the 2016 US Youth Soccer Workshop in Baltimore next January.
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Monday, January 26, 2015
I really try to be organized. I keep two calendars, one on my kitchen wall and one in my phone, and I still manage to miss appointments. I periodically go through stacks of magazines and catalogs weaning out the ones I still intend to read, though I rarely do. About once a week, I clear off what we call "the high kitchen table," an island where almost every piece of mail, important folders and pamphlets, and forms land, and then end up going through the recycle bin in a panic searching for something important I accidently threw out. I file bills so I can find them to pay them, tackling them regularly, though not always on time. No matter how hard I try, my organization often dissolves into stuffing similar items into plastic containers with the promise that I'll go through them soon. Most of those, many containing photos and family mementos, remain stacked in the basement. We all struggle with organization and staying on top of the continually growing collections of paper, possessions and responsibilities. Nowhere is that more pointed than when we try to maintain control over the tangle of sports gear. It seems that no matter what preparations we make we still arrive at our destinations without some important piece of equipment. Even more frustrating, we often discover other products which could be helpful before, during and after a match, but we don't have them readily available. Soccer should be fun, but when we are tensely scrambling to resolve an urgent situation, it's difficult to find the enjoyment within the stress.
I've spoken about my "soccer box" I keep stocked in my car, but over the years I've evolved and streamlined that box. I've identified three important categories where parents can be prepared with little effort. Getting organized to address those areas requires just a bit of time and can help ensure that not only do you have peace of mind but that you might also be a hero to the entire team. This began when I made a discovery while getting boxes to help my son pack up his stuff for a move. I went to the grocery store to collect some containers. They had just gotten a big shipment of wine and liquor in, so the boxes they had available were those that held twelve bottles with dividers. The dividers were readily removable, so we took most of them out, but the dividers also proved helpful in containing some smaller and delicate items keeping them safe and organized. As I was packing up, I realized these would make an excellent organizer for a soccer box, keeping the number of items to the dozen someone could place in the box and making them easily accessible. Adding to its utility are the cut-out handle holes making the box easy to transport. If you don't want people to assume you purchase your alcohol in bulk, you can cover the box with contact paper in a soccer design. Here are my plans for a much leaner and organized soccer box.
Consider the box as having three columns of four compartments each. I organized the columns into my three necessary categories: clothing, equipment and safety/convenience. Let's begin with clothing. All too often we can arrive at a field without certain uniform pieces or a teammate will be without the full uniform. Therefore one cubicle in the clothing column should hold one light and a one dark T-shirt rolled up. If you happen to have extra uniform shirts you can substitute those, but most of us don't have that luxury. In the second square, roll up a pair of shorts and a clean pair of underwear (during wet, muddy games you'll be glad you have these). The third cube should hold two pairs of socks. Finally the fourth square will hold two pairs of knit gloves and a stocking cap. These clothing items will cover you for situations involving missing uniforms and/or inclement weather, so your young player won't be riding home in soggy, muddy clothes catching cold and destroying your upholstery.
The second column of four squares will be assigned to equipment. Slide a pair of old shin guards in the first two compartments. They may distort the shape a bit, but since the items on either side are soft items, it won't be difficult or disruptive. In the third square, slip in a hand-held air pump. We've all been to games where balls have been chucked into the woods, splashed into the river, or scampered under brambles until the only option left is that raggedy, deflated orb that your pump can now resurrect into the new game ball. The last compartment can hold extra shoelaces, an LED flashlight, and some hand-warming packets.
The third column contains safety and convenience items. Start with a quart-sized zipper bag, which you'll fill with safety pins, a sewing kit, a small pair of scissors (you won't believe how often these come in handy), a roll of gauze, a variety of bandages, and white medical adhesive tape. The bundle can be rolled to fit down the divider. The next section will hold cleaning products like facial tissues, alcohol and wet wipes, a small chamois cloth, and cotton balls. You can place these in a quart bag as well, which is both easy to roll up and keeps the products dry. Stuff a bottle of sports drink or water in the third compartment. Finally fill another quart bag with a mechanical pencil, pen, pad of paper, cellophane tape (not in a holder), small roll of colored duct tape (which can be used to add numbers on t-shirts or alter the numbers on jerseys), and a sharpie marker.
The items in this soccer box should cover you and the team in most, if not all, adverse and sudden situations. It won't take up too much space and will stay neat and organized. Likewise you can get your player's soccer bag under control to help ensure that all necessary items make it to the field. When you wash uniforms bring the soccer bag into the laundry room and set it by the washer/dryer. That way when you or your child go to grab the bag, it will be a not so subtle reminder that parts may be sitting in the laundry load. You could get a mesh bag or even use a plastic grocery bag to house cleats and shin guards. Keep that bag in clear view in your garage or mud room. I told the boys they couldn't enter the house until they had knocked clean their cleats, and put them and their shin guards back in their plastic bag. That bag always got placed right at the back door. Some families maintain a checklist on a dry erase board that hangs on the last door the kids exit. They have to check off the items before they can leave the house. That teaches them that are responsible for being fully equipped when they arrive on the field, and if they aren't, then they can't expect you to rescue them.
No matter how well you handle the dilemmas of organizing and transporting sports gear, things will get lost, stolen or forgotten. Therefore having a back-up that serves as a safety stop not only for our kids, but for the team, isn't a bad idea. I keep the box in my trunk year-round, but if I need the space, I can easily remove it and set it in the garage. The advantage of these liquor boxes, besides the wonderful dividers, is that it's sturdy enough to transport. If you want, you can get a duffle bag to set it in and take it as checked luggage since nothing in it is fragile. Just be sure you have something solid on the top as a cover. The entire box won't weigh that much and may be just what's needed to bring peace of mind.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
We're in the middle of an extended competitive season. The first College Football Playoff Championship ended last Monday and by the time this blog publishes we'll know the challengers for Super Bowl XLIX. CBS has already begun the Road to March Madness hype. The Golden Globes were last week, the Grammys in two weeks, and Oscar nominees have been announced. We learned the Heisman winner in an announcement that opened the flood of MVP awards destined to last until championship contests end. It's about winning – dreams of winning, bets on winning, predictions of winning, analysis of winning. And with winning comes its evil twin, losing. We feel the need to explain away our losses with talk about snubs, injuries, lousy coaching decisions and poor officiating.
Our adulation for winners often clouds other issues. We forgive NFL players for spousal abuse, drug dependencies, and even attempted murder if they can help ensure a win for our team. High schools with strict policies concerning behavior and eligibility will reinstate a student to a team if a teacher expresses the need for the offending student to help win a sports championship or star in the school musical. We end up willing to sell our souls for win, in fact that's the plot premise of "Damn Yankees." Our obsession with winning can lead to some unattractive behaviors such as taunting when we win and pouting and blame placing when we lose.
At the recent Golden Globes, George Clooney was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille award for both his extensive work in films and his tireless efforts highlighting and resolving human rights violations around the world. In his speech he addressed the issue of winners and losers. He expressed that he felt it unworthy for anyone in the room to mope about losing, 80 percent of the nominees lose, and any winner to be overly prideful. Even more significantly, those nominees represent such a small percentage of the pool of possible nominees, everyone who made a film or TV show that year. Further, those lucky enough to work in the industry are another small percentage of those who dream of being in their shoes. His point was that everyone who has realized a dream should be grateful, and not regret being singled out for particular notice. The moment of a win will burn brightly like an exploding nova and then just as quickly fade. We can't halt time and make a win the all-consuming center of our existence. We all must move on. While we can have some warm fuzzy in our memory, we aren't defined or sustained by any win.
We understand the language of winning – the pride, the humility, the power. Yet, losing likewise has a noteworthy expressiveness we need to learn to embrace. I'm not advocating that we shouldn't encourage our children to train as hard as they can, to set high goals, to go for a win, and to enjoy a win when they attain it. Rather, I'm arguing that we place so much emphasis on winning that we neglect to teach our children anything about losing other than as a negative to avoid at all costs. The only universally positive connotation of losing that I can think of is losing weight. Yet children will experience more losses than wins, especially big wins. Florida State had 29 straight wins going into the Rose Bowl this year, but they lost in a rout to Oregon. Watching the team melt down pointed out the difficulty of handling loss when you have no experience with it. The quarterback, after a fumble, went to sidelines and screamed at his coach rather than taking responsibility for his error. There was in-fighting on the team, and players began to blame one another for various failings on the field. The loss was made truly ugly by the team's inability to cope with it. A week later, coming off the high of that win, Oregon found itself being routed by Ohio State. But the team held together fighting to the end with dignity. Despite being down 22 points with less than a minute to go, they went out and played hoping for at least one more score, reinforcing that the game was more about playing than about winning. Quarterback Marcus Mariota, with no time left on the clock, scrambled in the back field chased by OSU players and then heaved a Hail Mary pass down the field that was intercepted by OSU. So, the Heisman Trophy winner ended his college career not only on a loss, but on an extremely rare interception, only his fourth of the entire season. He didn't need to do that; he could have simply fallen on the ball since the outcome was sealed. But he believed in fighting and playing.
We need to listen to the lessons losing can teach our children. People who acknowledge their losses as a natural outcome of trying seem to be less affected by them. Instead of looking for excuses, they look for merits. They work to understand what the loss can teach them about improving and overcoming errors. They accept that losses happen, but don't have to be repeated. Humility applies to losses as much as it does to wins. Kids need to learn to be humble enough to accept the loss without assigning blame, which may momentarily mitigate personal embarrassment but does nothing to keep team cohesiveness or reinforce self-esteem. If a child loses an individual honor or contest, it's important to have perspective, just as Clooney pointed out. Getting to the place where you have the opportunity to win or to lose is a victory in and of itself. Certainly the instant devastation of losing can take the wind out of the sails, but the ability to listen to what the loss can tell us will ultimately make each person stronger. Robbie was the Gatorade Player of the Year for Wisconsin and placed on the ESPN Rise second-team in his senior year of high school. It was a wonderful moment for him and naturally for his proud family. I still have the commemorative bottle of Gatorade awarded to him. But so much life has come after. He had two losing seasons in college and after finally making the NCAA College Cup by winning a very difficult game, his team lost in the first round. Every win, every loss has been but one stepping stone in his hopefully very long life. His brother Bryce was sitting on the bench in his high school senior year as his team lost in the quarterfinals of the state tournament. His coach was "saving" him for the semis and the finals that never came. So he ended his high school career watching his team lose. Later at a recruiting meeting, the college coach told him, "So what. You have lots of soccer ahead of you." And he was right.
Helping our children to keep heads up after a loss will have more significance than all our praise for a win. Adulation is an expected result of a win, but not expected with a loss. Therefore, we need to find the positives and illuminate them. Joining in on the blame game only makes losses seem undeserved and unfair, which they aren't. They are the natural offshoot of competition. So telling a child that the team would have won with better officiating, or if the coach had played her longer, or if it hadn't been raining, or any other excuse we can make only reinforces the idea that we shouldn't have to be the recipients of a loss. Yet think about how often we lose every day. I enter the Home and Garden TV contests to win a house (I even use the two entries a day option). Despite trying for the Dream Home, the Urban Oasis, the Smart Home, and the Blog Cabin every year for the past decade, I haven't won. Go figure. We buy lottery tickets and lose regularly. If we do win, it's usually a small prize like getting two more free entries. We don't get all green lights on that trip to the doctor when we're ten minutes late. For most of us, the college and pro teams we support end up not making it to the finals. We might have an election year of our candidates winning, and then suffer years of watching our candidates lose. We also lose money, car keys, jewelry, important papers and teeth. Rarely can we claim personal vendettas against us in those circumstance. Things happen. We have to be able to shake it off, move on, and avoid rationalizations.
When Oregon lost the National Championship, the alumni association sent out an email thanking us for our support, encouraging us to thank our team for a great year, and asserting that heroes aren't always victors, which I thought was a great statement. Replace the word hero with the word player and you have a wonderful reminder for your kids. The important factor is to be a player with integrity, purpose and dignity. Play games with joy, hope and good sportsmanship, win or lose. Find where improvements can be made, and accept the weaknesses which can't be resolved. If our kids participate in several sports and after-school activities, they will be in situations where they have strength around them and other times when they will not. Yet in all circumstances we need to move towards the endgame and embrace the results which occur. While our children may need to depend on the abilities of others to secure a win (or a good grade), they have to accept that there will be some factors of victory over which they have no control. They can derive pride from their effort and their contribution to whatever results are achieved. At the very least they should be rewarded with respect for working to help others to do well. A loss doesn't have to be the language of defeat. It can speak in the language of honor, improvement and perseverance.


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Top Social Media Tools for 2016
New social media apps are a dime a dozen, it seems, and to be honest, not all of them are particularly helpful. Some just end up being one more dashboard you have to login and deal with.
Too many dashboards are a pain in the ass.
With this list, I wanted to share a few great tools that can help streamline your current social media content load by making it easy to create, manage, and schedule your content. But I also wanted to point your attention to a few new networks that you might not be aware of or haven't been serious about using yet.
Let's start with three that play well with each other and ultimately streamline into one dashboard: Buffer.
One of the best ways to promote your content and connect with influencers is to let them know when you've mentioned them in the content you've created. You have to tell people you've referenced them if you want them to bring attention to you work because hey don't magically find it.
While you can do this kind notification manually, finding the social media accounts and emails of each and every influencer you mention, automating this process a bit can make it more likely that you'll a) actually do it and b) see success.
Notifier, by ContentMarketer.io, is a new tool I've created that automatically looks for people or brands in your blog posts. Simply paste the URL of the blog post into a search box, and Notifier scans your content. It finds the people you've mentioned and digs up their Twitter handles.
Notifier then creates tweets for you that you can send to let them know you've mentioned them, or you can customize the tweets for yourself. You also have control over how many individual mentions you want in each tweet, whether you pack in all of them or send out individual tweets to each Twitter handle. You can send your notification tweets immediately, or you can send them to Buffer and handle them with the rest of your social media schedule.
Notifier automates the process enough that you'll be able to fit it into your already busy schedule, but lets you customize and personalize the tweets so you aren't spamming anyone.
Pablo 2.0
Buffer's social media image creation tool got a reboot. First launched by Buffer in the spring of 2015, Pablo 2.0 is now even easier to use, making it a snap to create kickass images for Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook (the previous version had limited social networks).
While there are a lot of image apps out there that make it less fussy to create graphics than using Photoshop, Pablo now makes it easier by paring the process down even more. Choose from horizontal, vertical, or square graphics (depending on the network), use a few simple controls, mix text with images, and that's it.
Because Pablo is built by Buffer, easy social sharing is built in. Other than Instagram (a mobile platform, requiring you to download your graphic first before sharing via your phone), each graphic you create can be scheduled in Buffer, or shared directly with a few clicks. Plus, you'll get sharing data on how well your image fares on the social networks. A Pablo browser extension makes it easy to grab text or other design elements off of web pages directly.
In other words, there's absolutely no excuse for not creating powerful graphics for your social networks. Time and effort are stripped away, thanks to Pablo.
Finding curated content is another one of those time-consuming but necessary tasks you have to do to build your platform.
There have been several apps in recent years that have aimed to help make that easier (and I'll talk about one in just a bit), but Quuu.co takes a unique approach to the task: using real human beings to actually find and return the content.
First you choose content categories that fit your audience. Quuu will send content directly to your Buffer account, content that is curated by hand instead of an algorithm. That means you'll get high-quality and meaningful content that you can curate and schedule in your own Buffer account, like Pablo and Notifier, meaning that you don't need another dashboard to manage this content. You can do it in Buffer with the rest of your scheduled content.
Live streaming and live social media experiences is only going to increase in 2016, thanks to the success of social apps like Periscope and SnapChat. In-the-moment content, where the social media user feels like they are at an event, is much more attractive to users as Facebook and other traditional social media experiences seem almost tired.
Blab, in this scenario, is in a good position. It's like Periscope, for friends.
Blab "lets anyone have their own show", letting four people chat on camera simultaneously, much like a talk show, and letting other viewers watch the whole process. These viewers can participate in a live chat interface, ask questions of the speakers, and even mute any of the video chats in order to focus on specific speakers. Video creators can embed their blab profiles elsewhere, as well as access other controls (like when the blab session goes live). Blab is also closely tied to Twitter, using your Twitter account to login and making it easy to share to your Twitter feed and pull from the audience you've already built there.
For marketers, Blab gives you a fantastic way to put the always-popular video format to work for you. Forget Twitter chat — you can have live video and podcasts with audience interaction. Build, teach, promote, interview, discuss, connect — it's very easy to do on camera with Blab.
While Blab is still in beta (meaning there are a few kinks to be worked out yet), it's definitely worth a look at, with updates and new features likely as it continues to improve.
You might also want to try: Periscope (a mobile app). It's certainly not new, but if you haven't considered it, maybe you should. People love video, and live video is even better. Use it for your events and to bring fans behind the scenes where your team is working.
Yik Yak
Yik Yak isn't exactly new (getting heavier use in mid 2015) but it falls in line with non-traditional social networks that are gaining ground as the old standbys, like Facebook, are seen by younger users as exactly that: old.
Yik Yak is about anonymous communication, and lets you get in on the conversations in your geographic area. Some cities have more action than others, so it might not be a perfect fit for you depending on where you live. But, if you have an audience or desire to connect with a specific geographic region, Yik Yak is an interesting way to do it.
You might spot trends, you might spot humorous outtakes, and you'll probably see a lot of extraneous commentary. Yik Yak has a peek feature that lets you see what users are talking about in other regions of the world. You can use the network to ask questions or talk cleverly about brands to get users to engage with you. If you find a funny Yak, you can share it on other social networks and create user generated content. The key here is to make sure your content avoids being overly and obviously marketed.
Yik Yak is particularly a favorite of the college demographic, so if that fits your audience, consider using it. Be warned: it's a brutally honest network (anonymity does that to a person), and users will talk about any topic at all, NSFW or otherwise.
You might also want to try: SnapChat.Brands are finding ways to use this ephemeral network, creating content that feels more personal and less staged-part of the nature of the app-than some of their other social content.
Latergramme makes it easy for brands to post to one specific network: Instagram.
While it's not exactly new (the idea was hatched during a 2014 hackathon), Instagram use has exploded this past year, and it is one of the most popular networks with teen users. Engagement on the network has increase over 400% in the last two years.
Instagram is a predominately mobile platform, making it a bit of a different beast than other social networks. With Latergramme, you can manage multiple Instagram accounts, schedule and plan content for the network, upload content from mobile devices or computers, and more, through a simple interface.
If you're one of the brands who have come to rely on Instagram, check out Latergramme.
Crate is a content curation tool that lets you build a digital library of blogs, topics, domains, influencers, and keywords. Create a great repository, and you don't have to worry about what will be curated.
From this list of acceptable sources and topics, Crate uses social graph data to determine which content, out of that library you've assembled, has performed the best on social networks. From your Crate account, you can send the results of that curation to Buffer, or you can publish it directly from Crate to your social networks immediately.
Crate doesn't offer human-picked content, but it does return results pretty fast so you can at least save yourself the time of going out and finding content. From those results you can choose what works best for your audience.
Essentially, you're looking for tools that are going to help you master and streamline your content process for the classic networks of Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram. You'll also be looking towards brand new social media approaches that capitalize on live, unprogrammed, and natural conversational communication. You don't have to be on every network, but there's no reason to limit yourself to the same old thing you've been doing forever. 2016 is a good time to try a new network and a new approach.

subset: commoncrawl


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As a former public school teacher who has been out of the system for six years, who feels as though no large body of people have ever – ever - stood up for educators – for me - for public schools – for students – in my professional lifetime – I just want to say thank you.
For all of the professionals – teachers – who are out there tonight – remember who you are – while I remember who I am. CTU is making sure I remember.
We are professionals with high expertise in a field of study that our nation must have in order to keep our democracy thriving.
We are professionals who are required to wear many different hats due to the nature of our job and the inability of our government and our society to recognize and take responsibility for the disgraceful poverty in our wealthy nation.
We know best practices and we have heart – none of which add up to a number.
We are the protectors of America's children.
We are the catalyst for the creativity, brilliance and problem solving found in the leaders across our country.
We help create beauty, bravery and confidence found in the citizens who can save our country from its current pending fall.
We are teachers.
I look to CTU.
I look to CTU and expect the nation to follow. While our public schools are dismantled, while children are abused by the policies of corporate education reformers, while teachers work in environments full of fear, while communities are torn apart, I have great hope that the rebuilding will occur as CTU lays the foundation.
Teachers across the nation, be proud tonight, you are valued and you are not replaceable, no matter what the media, politicians, billionaires or your community says.
Chin up. Stand with CTU, smile tonight and send them immense amounts of good energy. Midnight is the deadline. CTU stands up for me. I am a teacher.
Thank you CTU.


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Corcoran Named CAA Rookie of the Week
Posted: September 27, 2006 at 1:00 am, Last Updated: November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am
Katie Corcoran
Mason Athletics photo
Freshman Katie Corcoran garnered the first Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Rookie of the Week honor of her career after an outstanding weekend in which she helped lead the women's volleyball team to a victory over defending CAA champion Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).
In Friday's 3-1 victory over the Rams at John Linn Memorial Gym, Corcoran's flawless setting helped junior outside hitter Jaqueline Kohler set a career high with 26 kills. Corcoran recorded the ninth double-double of her young career in the win, with a match-high 39 assists and 13 digs.
The Allentown, Pa., native posted big numbers the following evening against the College of William and Mary as well with a match-high 52 assists and 12 digs, for her conference-leading 10th double-double of the season. She also had three aces and three total blocks (1 BS, 2 BA) in the match. Corcoran placed the ball perfectly throughout the match, as Kohler equaled her career high, recording 26 kills for the second consecutive match. Three Patriots finished with double-digit kill totals.
The Patriots recorded the team's third- and fourth-highest single-match hitting percentages of the season against VCU and William and Mary, with a mark of .214 against VCU and .197 against William and Mary.
With the victory over VCU, the Patriots captured their second conference victory of the season, and fifth overall. With the win, the improved Mason squad eclipsed last season's totals of four victories, and one in conference play.
During the two matches, Corcoran averaged 10.11 assists per game and 2.78 digs per game. On the season, she leads the team in assists per game (10.93), which ranks fifth in the conference. She also ranks ninth in the CAA with an average of 0.41 aces per game and contributes 3.02 digs per game.


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Brazilian steel producer Gerdau S.A. (GGB) reported disappointing second quarter 2013 results as net income declined 26.9% year over year to R$401.0 million (US$194.7 million).
Net revenue in the second quarter plummeted 0.9% year over year to R$9,882.5 million (US$4,797.3 million).
As for the net revenue, Brazilian business of Gerdau accounted for about 37.2% and registered 1.2% year over year decline. Revenue generated in North America decreased 2.9% and contributed 31.3% to net revenue while Latin American revenue represented 13.5% of net revenue and increased 4.6% year over year. Revenue generated from Specialty Steel increased 2.5% year over year and accounted for about 21.5% of net revenue.
Crude steel production fell 7.9% year over year to 4,646 million tons in the quarter due primarily to weak performances in all operating regions. Production in Brazil declined 3% while a respective 11% and 17.2% decline was noticed in North America and Latin America. Specialty Steel production was down 6.4%. Shipments were also down 3% year over year and settled at 4,634 million tons.
Gerdau's gross margin in the quarter went down 70 basis points to settle at 13.6% due to marginal decline in revenue and an almost flat cost of sales. Selling expenses, as a percentage of revenue, were at 1.7% versus 1.5% in the year-ago quarter. General and administrative expenses decreased 10 basis points year over year to 4.8%.
EBITDA at R$1,196.0 million (US$580.6 million) was down 3.9% year over year with a margin of 12.1% in the quarter. Operating margin was 7.3% versus 7.9% in the year-ago quarter.
Balance Sheet
Exiting the second quarter 2013, Gerdau's cash and cash equivalents were up 17% sequentially and came in at R$1,239.2 million (US$555.7 million). Long-term debt at R$13,454.3 million (US$6,033.3 million) registered 19% sequential increase.
Cash Flow
Gerdau generated approximately R$906.8 million (US$440.2 million) net cash from operating activities, down 13.3% from the year-ago quarter. Capital spending went down 27.1% to R$620.1 million (US$301.0 million).
Gerdau S.A., one of the leading steel producers in Brazil, plans to spend roughly R$8.5 billion for the period from 2013 to 2017.
Gerdau currently has a $11.2 billion market capitalization and the stock carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Other stocks to look out for in the industry are Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation (NSSMY), with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) while Ternium S.A. (TX) and Kobe Steel Ltd. (KBSTY), each come with Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Read the Full Research Report on GGB
Read the Full Research Report on TX
Read the Full Research Report on KBSTY
Read the Full Research Report on NSSMY
More From Zacks.com


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Harrogate Racquets Club First Team are the Harrogate and District Division One Tennis champions, a title the club last won 13 years ago.
After narrowly missing out last year on a rubber count to Harlow, the team comprising Gilly, Jonathan and George Smail, Audrey and Danielle Henderson and Simon Illes convincingly won, five points ahead of their closest rivals Harlow.
At the other end of the table, the Racquets second team avoided relegation by the closest of margins with Bedale and Starbeck going down.
One member of the successful Racquets team, George Smail also recently became the Yorkshire 16 and under champion.
This was also a crown won by his father Jonathan some 30 years earlier.
George, who has not been playing tournaments or competitive tennis (other than for the Racquets team) for nearly two years, beat the number one, two and three seeds without dropping a set to win the tournament.


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Zombies Are Alive And Well?
Its enough to give one indigestion. Yuck, in another horrifying occurance of human flesh-eating , a student in Maryland allegedly admitted to devouring his roommate's brain and heart. Not so yummy!
Alexander Kinyua, a 21-year-old Morgan State University student says yup, I did it to charges of murdering his roommate Kujoe Bonsafo Agyei-Kodie, who was reported missing about a week ago .
According to the Baltimore Sun, Kinyua's father called police late Tuesday night when Kinyua's brother reportedly found human remains -- a head and two hands -- in a metal tin in the basement. The brother and father left the room for a short time, but when they came back, the body parts had been moved and Kinyua was washing out the tin.
Officers searched the house and arrested Kinyua. The man allegedly confessed not only had he killed Agyei-Kodie by cutting him up with a knife and then cutting him apart, he also ate parts of the victim's brain and all of his heart. He then allegedly deposited most of the remains in a dumpster behind a church in Joppatowne.
Sort gives a whole new meaning to taking a bite out of crime.


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American Legion makes changes at Park Ballroom
Patrick Fisher, Staff Writer
The New Prague American Legion has made some changes over the past few months to the Park Ballroom, both inside and outside of the building.
George Tupy, Commander of the American Legion post, said this year's board approved a variety of changes. Included in the work have been a new cooler and freezer and a new roof on the west side of the building. Also part of the improvements have been the replacement of the old grill and a new heating and air conditioning system. It was also decided to make the building totally smoke-free.


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Apple's cut-price maker of iPhones Foxconn is scouting around trying to find older workers who it thinks are less likely to kill themselves. Reports from China say that Foxconn is fed up with the bad publicity that a string of suicides at its plants have bought.
After sticking up nets and hiring Buddhist monks to teach people how to be calm, Foxconn thinks that the only way forward is to hire people who are old enough to know that life is a bit crap and you may as well make the most out of it.
The latest person to top herself was a female employee, who fell to her death on August 4 at Foxconn's Shenzhen plant. Police have already ruled out the possibility of murder but they indicate that among the victim's belongings, were chlorprothixene and risperidone, drugs used to treat and control mental disorders.
New employee evaluations at Foxconn plants include applicants to have mature mental state and psyche exams before they get the job.
Published in News
Foxconns wants older workers
by Nick Farrell on09 August 2010
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The young ones keep killing themselves


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2 Weeks, 6 Workouts, 1 Hour Each GET IT!!!
Camp Includes: 6 Team Bootcamp workouts, 2 Weeks Food Delivery from Klean, & 7 Indoor Cycling classes at either of our Flywheel locations. You must take 2 rest days & 1 mandatory Team Flywheel Class.
Start Date:
Monday March 27th – Meal Delivery Begins (potential rest day OR Flywheel Class)
Official Team Start Date: Tuesday March 28th, -Team Bootcamp from 730am -830am
When: Team Bootcamps
3X per week for 2 Weeks
Tuesdays March 28th & April 4thth: 730am-830am Thursdays March 30th & April 6th: 730m-830am
Saturdays the April 1st & 8th -1230pm-130pm
*(Limited Showers at LockBoxLA for all camp days)
Lockbox LA – 5925 W Pico Blvd, 90035, almost exactly between West Hollywood & Larchmont.
Tuesdays & Thursdays: 730am-830am
Saturdays: 1230pm-130pm
What Else:
2 Rest Days, choices: Between the Monday March 27th – Saturday April 8th you can take any rest days except for Team Bootcamp days and our Special Saturday at Flywheel on April 8th, Bang-Bang Double (Details Below).
SPECIAL SATURDAY, Saturday April 8th Mandatory Fly Ride: Team Bang-Bang Double. 930am Team Ride w/ me at Flywheel Larchmont & 1230pm Team Bootcamp at LockboxLA
Flywheel Rides: Take 7 classes at Flywheel over the 2 week camp for best results. There will be 1 mandatory team ride on April 8th.
What & Why:
6 Bootcamp Style Workouts designed to lean you out and lose those extra pesky 5-10lbs. The Bootcamps are athletic inspired focusing on your Ass, Abs, Legs, & Arms, High Energy, High Cardio… BIG RESULTS!
24/7 attention, at camp and outside of camp. Bi-Weekly email motivation and follow-up directly from me. A consistent Team of determined people working along side you to get the most out of these 2 weeks. A Strong Team accelerates everything… I've seen extreme results with my motivational coaching method.
Healthy Eating:
Along with the Ass Kicking workouts all participants must participate in the Klean food delivery service. Hard work without a healthy diet is a waste of time. Lets make the most of these 2 weeks by working you from the inside out. But Lacey, "food delivery service is to pricey." My response, "I want you to focus on your health and happiness for the next 2 weeks. A healthy, happy, sexy body is priceless… If you don't invest in it now you'll have to "pay" for it later. You have one body to live in so it's in your best interest to love it with everything you have. Take these next 2 weeks and splurge on you."
No Drinking Alcohol: For 14 days we are not drinking.
Cost of Camp:
Team Camp: 6 One Hour Team Tailored workouts $650
Klean Discount & Offer:2 Weeks of Results Tailored Nutrition, KLean
Klean normally costs $336/week or $672 for the 2 weeks but you will get $50 off each week since you are doing the camp with me. For the BEST results, it's mandatory that you commit to the Klean food program. Through Team Lacey you get a special offer of $50 off the 6, 24 or 30 day package (the 12 days are around $47/day) by using the camp discount code upon checkout.
This come out to $572 total for the 2 week camp.
Flywheel: Monthly members standard rates apply, new to Flywheel your first class is free which covers our Team Ride on the 8th. For the other rides you will need to purchase a package to participate in the 7 optional time-slot rides.
TOTAL COST: $650 + $572 (You gotta Eat) = $1,222
Sign-up Now: This camp has limited spots. Email email@example.com for more details and the invoice to secure your spot.BACK


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Private corporations tendering for the contract to run the UK's court computer systems could end up running most of the systems.
The process is already under way for a planned handover around May next year but despite a statutory requirement the Lord Chancellor's Department (LCD) has not consulted the judiciary in full on its plans.
The LCD has confirmed that details of the privatisation are in the two-part 'statement of requirement' tender document.
The first part describes the general elements required for privatisation.
But the second section invites companies to supply other services, undertake "total operation" of the three centres in Northampton and Cardiff, and support other LCD systems.
It includes running the criminal courts' Crest listing system and undertaking "routine administration elements" of Crown and County Court work, said the LCD.


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asprintf(3) -- Linux man page
NAMEasprintf, vasprintf - print to allocated string
SYNOPSIS#define _GNU_SOURCE
#include <stdio.h>
int asprintf(char **strp, const char *fmt, ...);
int vasprintf(char **strp, const char *fmt, va_list ap);
DESCRIPTIONThe functions asprintf and vasprintf are analogues of sprintf and vsprintf, except that they allocate a string large enough to hold the output including the terminating NUL, and return a pointer to it via the first parameter. This pointer should be passed to free(3) to release the allocated storage when it is no longer needed.
RETURN VALUEWhen successful, these functions return the number of bytes printed, just like sprintf(3). If memory allocation wasn't possible, or some other error occurs, these functions will return -1, and the contents of strp is undefined.
NOTESThese functions are GNU extensions, not in C or POSIX. They are also available under *BSD. The FreeBSD implementation sets strp to NULL on error.
SEE ALSOfree(3), malloc(3), printf(3)


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Contact Bazaarvoice
We will contact you shortly to talk about our solutions.
Can't wait? Call us now at (866) 522-9227.
If you are already a customer and have a question, access our Support Community.
At Bazaarvoice, we pride ourselves on our unique culture.
This gallery is powered by social media photos from Bazaarvoicers around the world and curated by Bazaarvoice Curations »
-Sueann Chun, Client Partner
Annual global get-together
Meet your colleagues from around the world at our annual All Hands meeting.
Bizarre Committees in every office
Plan the social events that interest you, whether it's happy hours or team trips.
Join the band!
We have our very own house band, Feedback, that's always on the lookout for new members
Weekly global round-up
Get the latest news, meet the new hires and celebrate success - with a giant gong!
Giving back to our communities is a huge part of who we are.
Volunteer Week
Find a project in your local community and rally your fellow BV-ers to get involved.
Charity matching
We help BV-ers make even more of an impact, by matching employee charitable donations.
Competitive medical, dental and vision plans
We've got a choice of medical plans, for whichever way you prefer to do healthcare.
Flexible vacation
Working hard is important - but so is your R&R time! Our vacation policy is as flexible as they come.
Wellness and peer recognition
We want you to take care of yourself, that's why we've got a fun recognition scheme that rewards you when you're treating yourself with TLC.
Food and snacks
Each office has a wide selection of snacks and drinks. Some healthy, some not so much.
What starts here changes the world. We take pride in developing interns and recent graduates into talented employees.
Exciting business challenges
You'll find yourself trusted with real business challenges from your very first day.
Make a huge impact
Your work will be helping some of the world's biggest and best brands succeed, with the chance to impact millions of users around the globe.
Think you'd enjoy working at Bazaarvoice? We'd love to talk!


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Kingdom Hearts (PlayStation 2)
Published by
Developed by
ESRB Rating
Critic Score
100 point score based on reviews from various critics.
User Score
5 point score based on user ratings.
0 out of 5 people found this review helpfulwrite a review of this game
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SummaryIt's all about the adventure!
The GoodVisiting Disney Worlds and interacting with the characters who live there is very entertaining.
The real-time combat is a lot of fun and often very challenging.
Visuals are nice and colorful. Enough variation to keep you interested.
The bits of Final Fantasy spread throughout the game are fun to keep an eye out for.
Lots of exploration to be done and secrets to be found.
The BadThe exposition and overarching story can be embarrassingly poor at times.
Flying to each level is very repetitive and dull.
I recommend grinding as much as you can, or else you will get really stuck on some parts.
The pacing could really have been better.
The Bottom LineIn Kingdom Hearts the player takes on the role of Sora, a young boy who spends his days playing on an island with his friends Riku and Kairi. They do typical kid stuff, like play-fighting and racing, but their true wish is to build a raft and explore what lies beyond the horizon. This wish is partly granted when the island is attacked by shadows and Sora is teleported to a city he has never seen. As it turns out, an evil force known as "The Heartless" has been invading worlds and making them vanish, just like what happened to Sora's island. Furthermore, a mystical weapon known as the "The keyblade" has chosen Sora as its master and thus he teams up with Donald and Goofy to try and stop the world-vanishing shenanigans of The Heartless and their masters.
As everybody probably knows by know, these worlds are all themed after famous Disney movies, with the exclusion of some later stages and Traverse Town, which serves as a shopping district. These worlds are the game's biggest selling points, as they have the player meddle in the affairs of well-known Disney characters and thus become part of their stories. It's very entertaining to do stuff like training with Hercules or proving Alice's innocence before the unfair rule of the Queen of Hearts. The progression of each stage is also designed to give the game an adventurous and varied feel, often relying on having the player explore areas in order to progress.
There is an overarching plot where famous Disney villains, acting in service of Maleficant, are trying to capture the princesses. This may seem like juvenile villainy, but instead of locking them up in a tower, they wish to use their hearths to open a way into a vaguely explained paradise that is said to grant wishes. This overall plot is alright for the most part, but it gets very cheesy in later stages, when words like "heart(s)" and "destiny" become more common than commas. Most people also played this game at a young age and, like me at the time, didn't really give two fucks about all that shit. Since this game is a cross-over between Disney and Squaresoft, I naturally expected some Final Fantasy influences, but please keep that stuff limited to side-plots, will ya?
Gameplay is also somewhat of a mixed bag. It's really fun and challenging when you're fighting bosses, but when casually exploring levels or grinding, you start to notice how unpolished it is. Sora can attack enemies with his keyblade by hammering the X-button, but the trick is that, in true Final Fantasy fashion, you have to select your spells, items and abilities from a menu. Since the game is real-time, this means that you have to stop attacking in order to navigate the menu via the arrows or right analog stick. If the right analog stick has to serve menu-duty, then that means camera controls are bound to the shoulder-buttons, leaving you at the mercy of an auto-target function with a serious grudge against crates and barrels.
That's not even the worst part; the AI for Goofy and Donald is very poor and usually only serves to get in the way. I've lost count of how many times Donald wasted all his mana casting the useless Gravira spell on every enemy on the field, or how often Goofy would die by pursuing a single flying enemy while ground-based Heartless pummeled him mercilessly. Even when taking matters in my own hand, I often noticed the two would cheekily knock an enemy out of my combo or block my view while playing charades with the White Mushroom enemy.
Furthermore, enemies are usually designed to be as obnoxious as possible. One very common trick a lot of them pull is vanishing whenever they want and reappearing somewhere else. This often comes with a brief moment of invincibility, which often caused me to swing at the air before taking an undodgable hit right into the face. Other filthy tricks include jumping around, flying too high for me to see or constantly creating distance while preparing charge-attacks. It's a shame, because the visual design on enemies is very creative and varied, with lots of cute creatures to face off against.
Visual design as a whole is a very strong point. The graphics look nice, characters are modeled very well, there is plenty of color and the level-design is, once again, very good. The music also brilliantly matches the style and feel of each world and it always changes into something more exciting when combat starts, which is a nice inclusion. Facial animations on side-characters is, perhaps, the only visual flaw I could point out.
Of all the Kingdom Hearts games out there nowadays, I think this one would be the best to start and stick with. It's the only title in the now long-running franchise which actually succeeded in marrying the two cooperating studios in a happy marriage, whereas later entries would reveal the dominating nature of Square (Enix). The story may sometimes be cheesy and the gameplay is not very refined, but fans of Disney will love it and the exploration-heavy stages are going to make a lot of veteran gamers very happy.


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Local golf notebook: Williams Academy teaching site opens at Redstone
Updated 9:54 pm, Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Three years in the making, the Dave Williams Golf Academy officially became a reality at Redstone Golf Club last week.
A little more than a year after ground was broken, the much-anticipated academy opened Aug. 24. At the ceremony were representatives from the University of Houston and Redstone and family members of the late legendary coach Williams, who guided the Cougars to 16 NCAA golf championships.
Also in attendance were former members of those great UH golf teams, including former PGA Tour players Billy Ray Brown, Ed Fiori and Steve Elkington, as well as Paul Marchand, general manager and head professional at Shadow Hawk Golf Club.
"I never expected something like this," said Brown, who won the 1982 NCAA individual championship as a freshman at the University of Houston and works for the Golf Channel as an on-course commentator. "I can't imagine, as a young kid, having the opportunity to come into a facility like this and also have the access to a good university."
Fiori, seeing it for the first time, was equally impressed.
"It's a home for them, and that's what they need," said Fiori, who played on the 1977 UH national championship squad. "It will help with recruiting, and we'll get better players. And better players generate better players."
The Academy has four indoor/outdoor hitting bays, which include launch monitors and the sophisticated SAM Putt Lab. There's also a players' lounge and reception area that showcases the golf program's history.
In addition, head coach Jonathan Dismuke, who just finished his third year, and assistant coach Chris Hill have offices there. Dismuke and the former players believe this is what the program needed to bring it back to national prominence.
"As we continue to elevate our program to the highest levels, we are thrilled to see this day come," said Dismuke, who recently took his team to the NCAA regionals. "One of my goals was to find our program a home and to build a state-of-the-art teaching facility that would help recruit student-athletes to the city and to the University of Houston.
"Having the Dave Williams Golf Academy at the home of the PGA Tour's Shell Houston Open will showcase our outstanding facility to a national audience every year."
While the Golf Academy serves as the home to the UH golf team, it's also open to the public. The facility is operated by Redstone Golf Club and led by Redstone director of golf Charlie Epps, and Redstone's teaching professionals have access to the facility to offer lessons.
The opening was also part of an ongoing relationship between Redstone and UH. Last year, the Cougars and the club reached an agreement under which Redstone will serve as the home course of Houston Golf. Redstone Golf Club also will serve as the site for the Redstone Collegiate Championships, which will be hosted by UH and Rice on Feb. 22-24.
Williams served as the head golf coach at UH from 1952-87. During his tenure, the Cougars won national championships covering four decades, with eight of his student-athletes winning NCAA individual titles. His teams won 341 tournaments in 24 states and countries.
"It is altogether fitting that this new facility is named in honor of one of the most respected men in college athletics," said Mack Rhoades, Houston vice president of Intercollegiate Athletics. "No coach in history can boast of more team and individual success or had a greater impact on the lives of the student-athletes with whom he worked than Dave Williams."
Victoria to host open
The Texas Senior Open, set for Nov. 7-9, is returning to Victoria Country Club for the second year in a row.
Former PGA Tour player Dave Rummells of Kissimmee, Fla., won the event in a playoff last year over Mitch Adcock of Apopka, Fla. Ron Schroeder of Montgomery finished third.
Pros and amateurs 50 and over with a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 8.4 are eligible. There's also a pro-am featuring teams of one professional and four amateurs.
For details, call the Southern Texas PGA office (832-442-2404) or visit the tournament Information page on www.stpga.com. You may also call the Victoria Country Club golf shop (361-575-6161).
Dennis leads qualifiers
Stacy Dennis of Huntsville fired a 73 on Tuesday at River Oaks Country Club to win medalist and qualify for the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Championship, which is Oct. 6-11 at Briggs Ranch in San Antonio.
Dennis, general manager at Elkins Lake Country Club in Huntsville, was one of nine golfers who qualified for the national championship tournament for amateur women age 25 and up.
Other local qualifiers included Lecia Alexander of Stafford (79), Meghan Moake of Houston (82), Marlene Summers of Montgomery (82) and Erica Pressley of The Woodlands (83).
Mike Bailey is a senior staff writer for the TravelGolf Network. He can be reached at email@example.com.


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Cats lead the way on #Fridays.


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Tis the season for limited edition brews to come out of the woodwork. There's a WTF moment while I'm learning about Valiant Brewing's holiday saison named MPG. Instead of miles per gallon, it represents an infusion of molasses, persimmon and graham. Wait, what?
My knowledge of its origins comes from Cody Storts' kitchen gang known as the Culinary Militia, as they consulted on this particular blend. Despite an unusual combination, the 10.5 ABV is legit. As I'm sipping, it tastes less like a fruity cider and more robust–like a beer should.
Co-owner Brian Schroepfer sought out a cinnamon flavor without the spicy bite. Working with a textured product like graham crackers produced the desired effect. After Valiant posted a Facebook request for persimmons, they extracted the fruit's delicate sweetness using a sous vide method. Its presence can be detected in both the bouquet and delicate mouthfeel. Rich molasses rounds out the taste, making for one drinkable treat.
Available until it's gone, MPG is doing well at HopScotch. At Chapter One: The Modern Local in Santa Ana, it was "On Deck", which isn't the same as being available (Hopefully you'll be able to request it by now). Rumor has it that you'll also find a tap at Anaheim's sold-out Brew Ho Ho inside The Phoenix Club. By the end of the year, it'll be a fleeting memory.
Follow Stick a Fork In It on Twitter @ocweeklyfood or on Facebook! And don't forget to download our free Best Of App here!


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Ongoing training?
Do your employers encourage this? What kind of additional training have you done for your role?
I am currently in college earning my BS. That is to further my role at the company. I also go to the payroll seminar put on by our payroll company to learn about the new stuff coming up.
I have to take 10 hours every year ... but luckily I get to pick them :)
Human Services job: We have to do at least 20 hours of training a year and most of them are picked out (they're boring and mostly common sense)
CVS: We have a few onliine traings to do every year, mostly dealing with theft
Hospital: I only have to take Crisis Prevention every 2 years
I am currently in a year long certificate course for my field, employer paid. I also frequently go to one day seminars for specific topics, or law update breakfasts for example... I think its great your employer encourages this and provides the funding. I understand how you are coming up dry, after a certain point, you can exhaust the training choices...
I am also in the Human Services field. We have to do at least 24 training hours a year, some of which are mandatory and offered by the company ( first aid, CPR, etc). The other hours we can get through the job or go outside to conferences or other trainings. I did not do much outside the job this past year, but I usually like to get away even if it just for the day.
My "company" was a school system and there was an expectation of enhancing your skills each year. I started as a math and English teacher, and over the years earned almost enough credits for a masters in math, and did earn an M.B.A. and the certification beyond that needed to be a school administrator.
I have to complete 20 hours of training every year. Training isn't specific~ as long as it relates in some way to my job I can go. Our company doesn't pay/reimburse for attendance at any conference but they do provide an online program for paraeducators and training sessions during our opening inservices in August.


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This Level 3 Accountancy study programme leads on from the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) Level 2 training programme, and will further develop your skills in costing, financial accounting, cash management, indirect tax, ethics and spreadsheets.
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text: On Sat, 2012-01-14 at 14:21 -0600, Mike Mestnik wrote:> On 01/13/12 21:17, Mike Mestnik wrote:> > I've dealt with applications taking extended time off for a number of> > years. I typically attribute it to applications being overly zealous> > about eating memory as most every application tends to do these days. I> > had always figured that there a likely plenty of ppl complaining and I> > didn't want to get the boiler plat answer that resources are cheap.> >> > I refuse to buy into the idea that Z computers can get an additional Y> > resource to run application X, when instead application X could be> > engineered once and for all. This ideology is not sustainable and> > eventually will crash upon it's self. I call this Z * Y < X. The> > application source becomes the single location where every computers> > resources can be increased at the cost of much less then to adjust the> > running environment of every location that the code may run.> >> > Here is a 84MB video that demonstrates the issue.> > http://j.mp/wavbCO> > http://bitly.com/wavbCO+> I'm glad to see a number of you have clicked on this link.> > Does this behavior look normal or is it just my system? If it is normal> how difficult would it be to make corrections and would those> corrections likely be kernel or application related?That "Backup complete" makes me suspect a classic case of IO-itis. Ifbits of your GUI were pushed out or ram (or weren't previously used),and live on a disk you're beating hell out of, you get to experiencehorrid interactivity while those missing bits are being retrieved. -Mike


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49ers' assistants draw interest elsewhere
Updated 10:47 pm, Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Penn State apparently has decided, again, to pass on making Greg Roman its head coach.
On Wednesday night, ESPN reported that the school will offer Vanderbilt's James Franklin the job in Happy Valley on Thursday.
The network had reported earlier Wednesday that the school had interviewed the 49ers' offensive coordinator for the second time in just more than two years Monday in Chicago. The interview was conducted after the 49ers' win at Green Bay on Sunday.
During the 2011 season, Penn State conducted a phone interview with Roman as it searched for Joe Paterno's successor. The school eventually hired Bill O'Brien, who recently left to become the Houston Texans' head coach.
Roman, a native of Ventnor City, N.J., which is about 250 miles from State College, Pa., has called the position at Penn State a "lifetime job."
Roman reportedly is still a candidate for head-coaching openings with Minnesota and Washington. On Wednesday, SiriusXM reported the Vikings are expected to request an interview with defensive line coach Jim Tomsula. Washington has reportedly asked for permission to interview defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh said the interest in his assistants wouldn't affect the 49ers' preparation in advance of their visit to Carolina for a divisional-playoff game Sunday.
"I know our people," Harbaugh said. "So, their focus is right here on this game."
Since Harbaugh arrived in 2011, the 49ers' coaching staff has stayed nearly intact. That will change after this season.
On Wednesday, Scout.com reported that offensive assistant Paul Wulff, the former head coach at Washington State, has been hired as the offensive coordinator at the University of South Florida.
In addition, co-offensive line coach Tim Drevno has been hired for the same role at USC. Drevno and Wulff will leave after the 49ers' season.
Injury report: Cornerback Carlos Rogers remained sidelined because of a hamstring injury. He was hurt in the regular-season finale Dec. 29. Rogers hasn't practiced since he was injured. Defensive tackle Demarcus Dobbs (knee, shoulder), who was injured Sunday against the Packers, also didn't practice.
Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith (knee), who missed Week 17 with a sprained PCL, was limited in practice. Smith has said he will play against the 49ers.
Eric Branch is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.


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August 4, 2011
Women's locker room at natatorium inaccessible through Aug. 14
Service interruption notification
Contact person: Dale Rivett, 2-1773
Service to be interrupted: Women's locker room at the Natatorium.
Building involved: Natatorium
Interruption date: Now until 5 p.m. Sunday Aug. 14
What does this affect: Women's locker room, showers and restrooms.
Reason for interruption: Renovation


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[address-policy-wg] Cosmetic Surgery Project: Review Period on Version 2 of Draft Document, for Reverse Address Delegation of IPv4 and IPv6 Address Space
Emilio Madaio emadaio at ripe.net
Wed Sep 5 14:52:18 CEST 2012
Dear colleagues, As part of the Cosmetic Surgery Project, the RIPE NCC is moving forward with a review of the policy document ripe-302, "Policy for Reverse Address Delegation of IPv4 and IPv6 address space in the RIPE NCC Service Region". After the feedback in the previous review phase, a new draft (2.0) of the policy document is online and ready for community review at: https://www.ripe.net/ripe/readability/improving-the-readability-of-ripe-documents The highlights of the changes from the previous version include: -the removal of all unnecessary references to "reverse resolution" -the rewording and simplification of section 4.0 In response to the community's request: -section 3.0 focuses on who is able to ask for the delegation -the reference to the obsolete RFC 2874 has been replaced with the relevant active RFCs The Address Policy Working Group Co-Chairs decided to extend the review period until 3 October 2012 to allow the community more time to give their feedback. Please send your feedback on this draft document to the Address Policy Working Group at: <address-policy-wg at ripe.net>. Kind regards, Emilio Madaio Policy Development Officer RIPE NCC