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myVermont.gov Account
Not Logged In
July 02, 2014
More than 400 educators came together at the annual Building Effective Strategies for Teaching (BEST) / Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) Summer Institute to learn, share and plan actions for improving the academic and behavioral outcomes of each Vermont learner. The institute, coordinated by the Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) and the BEST Team at the University of Vermont, took place over the course of four days from June 23-26 in Killington.
This year's theme was Making it Happen! Multi-Tiered System of Supports: Strategies in Action. Rebecca Holcombe, AOE Secretary of Education, kicked off the week by sharing her professional wisdom on the importance of social/emotional learning in education. The BEST/MTSS Summer Institute is a learning community that invites school teams of educators, family members, community and human services providers to share and learn strategies for improving and strengthening the systems, data and practices within a multi-tiered system of supports.
"The institute provides a great mix of information, time and technical support for school and supervisory union/district teams to work together and to plan," said Sherry Schoenberg, Vermont BEST/PBIS Project Coordinator. "This venue promotes sharing ideas between teams and utilizing expertise from national and state experts who are on site and available to discuss key points presented throughout the week."
Keynote speaker, Dr. Kathleen Lane from the University of Kansas, engaged the audience in the use of universal screening data to understand each learner's academic, behavioral and social needs. Participants also explored principles of adult learning and collaboration through presentations by Kate Larose and Peter Perkins of Global Learning Partners.
"This year more than ever, teams came to the institute with very intentional learning and planning goals," said Carol Randall, AOE Assistant Director – Integrated Support for Learning. "Time and support to analyze data, learn about and select the best practices, and determine actions for implementing these practices are essential to continuously improving Vermont education."
The BEST/MTSS Summer Institute began in 1996. Learn more here: http://www.uvm.edu/~cdci/best/.
Contact: Angela Ross, 802-479-1240
Source: Agency of Education
Last Updated at: July 02, 2014 14:54:31


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Problem : To understand, evaluate and respond to social engagement activities by rival organizations to better engage with customer / potential customer base.
Who would want this? : All organizations with active social media plan.
How would it work? : The system would analyze open data in real-time and present info graphics to the marketing team.
Why would anyone want this? : To keep effective check measures against your competition and to actively improve your social base, and eventually your customer base.
Phase 1 : Identify few interesting data sources
Continue reading…

subset: commoncrawl


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TEDxManoa to feature inspirational talks by native speakers, networkingUniversity of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Teri Skillman, (808) 956-8688
Outreach Coordinator, Library Services
Outreach Coordinator, Library Services
Posted: Sep 8, 2012
The UH Manoa Library and Native Books announce the names of presenters at TEDxMānoa, which will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, October 5, 2012, at the Hawaii International Imin Center's Keoni Auditorium on the UH Manoa campus.
Presentations will be made by:
Manu Boyd (Cultural Director, Royal Hawaiian Center at Helumoa)
Rick Barboza & Palikapu Schirman (Hui Ku Maoli Ola)
Lisette Flanary (Academy of Creative Media)
Noelle Kahanau (Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum)
Vicky Takamine (Pa'i Foundation)
Pualani Kanahele (Edith Kanaka'ole Foundation)
Brandy McDougall (Hawaiian Poet, UH Manoa)
Wai'ale'ale Sarsona (Hoʻolako Like, Kamehameha Schools)
Puakea Nogelmeier (Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language)
Kealoha Wong (Hawai'i Slam Poetry)
Meyer 'Ohana (Maile, Meleana, Manu)
Brandon Ledward ('Aina-based Learning, Kamehameha Schools)
Tickets may be purchased at Native Books in the Ward Warehouse, 1050 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 1000. General admission cost is $25; student admission is $20.
The purpose of the independently organized event, licensed by TED, is to focus on native ingenuity, knowledge and wisdom for solutions for 21st century issues in Hawai'i. By applying traditional knowledge as part of the solution for issues such as sustainability, a new purpose is given to old wisdom to solve current issues [NOW = New Old Wisdom].
Manoa is the perfect location for this event because of the wealth of learning and knowledge in the valley. It is also a gathering place to exchange ideas.
In addition to the presentations, the event will provide the opportunity for participants and speakers to network with each other at the Resource Fair outside of the Keoni Auditorium. Community organizations are invited to set up booths to disseminate information about their programs and services for the community.
Organizations are encouraged to publicize internships, collaborative initiatives, community programs and service learning positions for high school and college students.
TEDxMānoa is supported in part by a 'Ahahui Grant from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.
For more information on the TEDxMānoa event, please contact Teri Skillman at (808) 956-8688 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
About TEDx, x = independently organized event
In the spirit of "ideas worth spreading," TED has created TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxMānoa, where x = independently organized TED event. At TEDxMānoa, a TEDTalks video and live speakers will be combined to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized.
About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. The annual TED Conference invites the world's leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The annual TED Conference takes place each spring in Long Beach, California, along with the TEDActive simulcast in Palm Springs; the annual TEDGlobal conference is held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.
TED's media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily, the recently launched TED-Ed platform for students and educators, the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide, and TEDBooks, short e-books by speakers that elaborate on a single idea originally presented on TED's stage. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world, and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities. Follow TED on Twitter or on Facebook.
For more information, visit: http://www.hawaii.edu/calendar/uh/2012/10/05/18844.html


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Birthday gifts for guys - pretty easy. 21st birthday gifts for guys - super easy. Birthday gifts for dad - wait, hold on, this might not be so easy. Because birthday presents for dad can run the gamut from engraved barware to personalized golf accessories to custom family artwork. Really, you've got some thinking to do on this one. Thank goodness we have so many awesome birthday gift ideas for dad all in one place.
So you're thinking about what to get dad for his birthday and it's not so simple. Every year is going to change some things, so 40th birthday gifts for men aren't necessarily going to match up with 60th birthday gift ideas for men. Luckily we've sorted these things out so all you have to do is trust our top-notch selections when it comes to gifts for dad's birthday. You're certain to find plenty of unique gifts that appeal to a great range of tastes. The family man, the golfer, the gadget lover, the sentimental romantic - it's all here!
We've got personalized birthday ideas for dad that really do speak volumes without saying a word. Watch cases and valets, cookies and every manner of other gift that will see him smiling as he unwraps that special present you've chosen.
Or maybe you can't be there and you wish you could. We've got personalized photo frames, wall art and other family-centric items that will really tell him you care and that you can't wait to see him as soon as you can! He'll feel your support and making that family connection on such a special day really is priceless.
So whether you know you need 30th birthday gifts for men or you just need some birthday gift ideas for dad, you'll be well prepared once you've taken a look at our personalized, unique and well thought out gifts. Enjoy his smile and give him a hug and save the stress on yourself! Trust and let us show you something assured to be a great gift on that most special of days.


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CHICAGO — The Citizens Utility Board is urging consumers to conserve energy and participate in efficiency programs offered by utilities as the cost of natural gas increases.
CUB is warning consumers of a potential price spike in March after Nicor Gas announced it's preparing for frigid weather this week — including asking large customers to limit usage so there is enough for residential customers.
CUB officials say Nicor's preliminary March gas price is 33 percent higher than February's rate, although that could change.
Nicor provides gas in the Chicago area.
CUB spokesman Jim Chilsen says residents can take steps to ease their utility bills, including by turning down the thermostat and closing doors in empty rooms.
Online: Citizens Utility Board: http://www.citizensutilityboard.org/index.html


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Gerald R. Forsythe Collection
David Hall: In circulated grades, the 1920-S is quite scarce. It is rare in mint state and in Gem condition it is one of the major rarities of the Buffalo nickel series. For the non-varieties, in Gem condition only the 1926-S is rarer, though the 1925-S is close in rarity to the 1920-S. I'd caall the 1920-S the second rarest buffalo nickel in Gem condition after the 1926-S. Strike is a big problem with this issue and most examples have very weakly struck detail of the Buffalo's horn and tail and the Indian's hair braid. Luster, on the rare mint state example, is somewhat frosty.
© 1999-2018 Collectors Universe NASDAQ: CLCT


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GALESBURG — The former manager of the Orpheum Theater will serve four years of probation on one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse as the result of a plea agreement Thursday.
In exchange for his guilty plea, a second count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against Joshua A. Damewood, 27, of Monmouth, was dismissed. Both charges are Class 2 felonies in which Damewood could have served up to seven years in prison.
According to prosecutors, Damewood engaged in oral sex with a male minor known as "CSS" in October 2012 while employed as the theater's manager. The victim was 16 years old at the time.
Additionally, Damewood is said to have exchanged a series of text messages with the minor that contained sexually explicit content.
The incident came to light in December 2012 after "CSS" reported the acts to police. Damewood admitted to investigators in subsequent interviews that the acts took place at the theater, although Damewood also told investigators he believed the victim to be older than 18 at the time.
But interviews and statements from other theater employees showed Damewood knew the victim still was a minor, as he was volunteering at the theater during the incident and had filed necessary paperwork to do so containing his true age.
Damewood, who was named theater manager in August 2012, was dismissed from his position in late December that same year.
As part of the plea agreement, Damewood must serve a period of 60 days in the Knox County Jail on a work-release program.
Further conditions of the deal state Damewood must pay approximately $800 in restitution to the Knox County Child Advocacy Center and must not have unsupervised contact with individuals younger than 18.
Former Orpheum Theater manager gets probation in sex abuse case
GALESBURG — The former manager of the Orpheum Theater will serve four years of probation on one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse as the result of a plea agreement Thursday.


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"Sony has posted a loss again for Q1 2013, totaling to $312 million. Their game division performed poorly too as you can see below, and showed decline in hardware and software."
Atleast the total loss is less than the last fiscal quarter
units (3) | 16m ago XD
Yeah, these numbers were way better than the last fiscal quarter.
Yes, also I seem to remember a certain $380m acquisition lately...
Edit...or does this count as 2nd quarter?
Im no guru at economics, but arent a companys assets included when calculating these things?
Even Kaz Hirai can't turn around the company's fortunes in just a single quarter!
I'm more worried about the fact that they expect sales to stay flat for consoles, which to me suggests no price cut and no slim PS3. unless they're just being conservative.
@ten tons,
yep. far too many peeps only looking at the headline.
Sony's first-quarter figures for 2012 show that despite the company's optimism three months ago, it's made a net loss of $312 million. It pulled in a whopping $19.2 billion in sales for the three months ending June 30th, partly credited to bringing Sony Mobile fully into the family. However, the cost of restructuring the Mobile Products and Communications Division (of which Sony Mobile is a part) came to $143 million, wiping out the additional gains to record a loss of $356 million. Gaming-wise, the PlayStation maker suffered a $45 million loss as falling sales of the PSP and PS3 were only partially offset by the sales of the PS Vita. There was better news in its imaging division, while sales of compact cameras fell, DSLRs and "Professional" products took up the slack, resulting in a profit of $160 million.
In a trend we've seen across the Home Entertainment industry, sales of LCD televisions continued to fall, forcing the company to eat a loss of $126 million. Movie and TV recorded a loss of $62 million, although that's primarily due to a dip in advertising sales in India and the cost of marketing (but not producing) The Amazing Spider-Man, the profits of which won't be recognized until September. Finally, while it spent big to purchase EMI this quarter, big-ticket albums like Usher's Looking 4 Myself and One Direction's Up All Night helped the division make a profit of $92 million. While Sony's treading water to execute Kaz Hirai's "One" Strategy, it's still got $8.4 billion stashed under the mattress, and in the face of lower sales, is hoping that reduced costs will help it make $1.6 billion in profit by the end of March 2013.
"We don't know how much PS3′s they shipped this quarter as they seem to be combining both PS3 and PS2 now"
Doesnt smell good.
I think they expect them to stay flat, rather than falling as we will get the PS3 'Super Slim' to engage new buyers.
I'd love to know what the disagrees are for, and yet the guy who says there will be no super slims has less disagrees when we've all seen the certification pictures...
Yet more cowards who don't post their point of view...
Within 2 years Sony will have taken a huge bite out of Apple's market share. They're making all the right moves, and they've got the resources to take on the likes of Apple and of course Microsoft. I think that only good times are ahead for Sony.
I'm surprised with new hardware, like PS Vita Sony shipped fewer handhelds combined by almost 30% than yoy quarter. Heck the entire division under-performed. MS had similar result, but they got years of earnings to prop them up (and also other very profitable divisions).
Sony is also hiding the PS3 sales number by combining it with PS2. I would have love to see the numbers, as MS too had major decrease in Xbox 360 sales.
It's time for new hardware! I have been waiting for some time now! Kinect was a good start though.
Sony needs to make PS4 price right.
If they make PS4 same way as PS3(making costs more than you sell), then you get loss. Lets hope PS4 makes some profit. If Sony PS4 is loss, then we wont see any more exclusives games from Sony. No Uncharted, No LittleBigPlanet, or new IPs.
Consoles generally always sell for a loss at launch. Money is made back through games.
The only reason ps3 was so expensive is because of blu ray $200 in 06 , now its 2012 and its now under $12 so ps4 will not be as expensive
I wouldn't expect sony to get in too far over their head when it comes to next-gen hardware. They might take the nintendo route and try to make profit right off bat instead of going into debt just to put out a cutting edge console. Or they could just go under and get it over with.
I bet we wont see a ps4 until 2014. They will try to hang onto the ps3 for as long as they can, before going into debt again. If they choose that route that is. Being an investor in sony right now must be grim.
Brosy, Sony has shown that their business model is long term. I'm sure that's what they'll do for the PS4. Even if the PS4 comes out within the next couple of year, people will be buying PS3's well into the next gen just like they did with PS2's.
It's ugly all around for hardware sales this year. PS2 & PS3 sales combined I think were down 14% in this quarter, 360 sales are down 43% for the first six months of the year, Wii sales were down something like 55% last quarter. The whole industry seems to be taking quite a hit.
Let's hope there's some truth to those $150 PS3 super slim rumors. That would certainly give the industry a much needed boost and ramp up some spending in the second half of the calendar year.
I think the thing is... It really is time for new consoles. And here is the reason why -
I was able to go out the other day and buy myself a cheap XBOX 360 for only £80 the other day. They sell for £150 usually. The one I got is 2nd hand fair enough but £80 for a console is a steal, now I can go back and get all the games I missed out on not having one for cheap as well.
What I am trying to say is that its got to a point now where they have sold so many now that its easy to find someone selling one 2nd hand for cheap and so a lot of gamers who want the console and its games for the collections (like me) or casuals who just want one for as cheap as possible are just picking them up used now.
And I dont support the whole "USED MARKET IS KILLING THE INDUSTRY!" thing, but this late into the current generation it probably is not helping...
So yeah to cut it short - I think new hardware is needed because console sales for this generation are not going to really increase significantly any more due to so many very cheap 2nd hand consoles available.
I mean... £80 for an XBOX 360? Thats like, little more than the price of two brand new chart games... That is quite a steal and speaks volumes for the value of current gen consoles.
Are there any companies not posting loses these days
SONY, I am disappoint
http://i.imgur.com/ITcy9.jp... ^_^
The only direction now is up, Sony needs to be picky with their exclusives, it isn't worth supporting a game that is only going to sell 500k or anything below a million. Also they should fire their marketing team. PlayStation mobile is going to help Sony a lot
NO! Sony (like any company) can go bankrupt eventually and nobody wants to touch them with a ten foot pole.
Have you seen Nokia lately?
I'm a optimistic type of guy. I believe all hard work pays off in the end, do you think the PlayStation brand has been lazy in providing games to its fanbase ? I understand the nature of man and its love for watching things burn, but it ain't over till the fat lady sings.
In a ironic way I think this is a good thing cause it gives Sony the perfect excuse not to come out with PS4, they going to get even more loss if Sony does that, I'm guessing when the PS3 hits ten years then PS4.
Too big to fail! - US government
Says differently lol
too bad Sony doesn't have a monopoly to fall back on like MS or a huge amount of sheeps to their brand like Apple does.
But what can they do when they do so much business in the states and the dollar isn't worth much compared to their yen causing even more losses.
You just described Sony's past history in many regards. Not so much a monopoly on electronics anymore although many nations are still monopolized by Sony electronics and have a sheepish mistrust for other brands and sheepish loyalty as shown on this site and all over the developed and undeveloped world.
I'm not sure what you mean by "to big to fail usa"
Are saying the reason MSFT is doing well vs Sony is because MSFT is really doing poorly but my government is bailing MSFT out and into success?
*waits for -nathanexplosion- to call me out for calling out nonsense*
US Government isn't a company!
That said, I have no clue what you are trying to say. Sony did have a monopoly at one point with the Playstation 1 and 2!
They lost that thanks to first MS, then Nintendo did them in.
"I believe all hard work pays off in the end, do you think the PlayStation brand has been lazy in providing games to its fanbase ?"
I disagree, if you work hard in the wrong direction. In business, time and time again has shown that execution is worth far more than ideas and that is where I think Sony isn't doing too well.
Just look at their product history in recent times:
* PS Vita overpriced with lack of software
* PSP Go badly supported
* PS Move non-existant support
* 3D push didn't do much (heck, Sony's own TVs had major 3D crosstalk problems and was among the worst)
One thing they kind of got right ironically, was the PS3 simply because compared to the competition i.e. Xbox 360, it is very very competitively priced from a value stand point. In that respect, Xbox 360 is way expensive!
"it ain't over till the fat lady sings."
True, but it could swing either way!
"too bad Sony doesn't have a monopoly to fall back on like MS or a huge amount of sheeps to their brand like Apple does"
They do have a lot of sheep, do you even read the comment sections in N4G ?
SuperLupe, mind telling how the comments of N4G show that Sony has a lot of sheep?
its called a recession
google it
Microsoft just posted a hefty profit
"Microsoft reports first quarterly loss EVER in 26-year history as a public company.
That $6.2billion hit meant that Microsoft lost nearly $500million in the second quarter of 2012, its first quarterly loss as a publicly traded firm"
They are worth 50+ Billion and the only lost 500M that is nothing.. They seem to be doing much better than sony.
And now that this is happening..
X720 will be a true cross platform console since they own windows and are making it easy for devs to make 360/pc & most likely 720/pc games all on dx11 hardware next gen.
Sony will take a step back if they don't expand to the 600 Million windows pc's with gaikai(though planetside 2 looks amazing).
MS is a strategic beast! But sony make better games.
Sony has been in financial restructure since the mid 1990's more than 4 times. This goes beyond recession.
This current recession just made matters worse for Sony, however Sony has been in financial trouble since the 1990's overall.
Sony needs to abandon some of its less profitable divisions such as HDTV's and Multi-Media devices and Cameras.
Sony expanded when times were great for them (1970's and 1980's)
However when tougher times hit and more competition cam about in the 1990's-2000's, Sony kept the same business model....even when analysts, investors and the market told them they need to change. They did not and look what has and is happening now to them?
Sony will continue to slide until they do some DRASTIC changes. If not. They won't be around in the next10 years or less.
Hmmmm than why companies like MS and Apple are having good profits?
did i mention microsoft?
i didnt mention apple.. i didnt mention alot of corps thats making a profit in this recssion.
Haha ironically you 2 @straight and fel should actually google it.
Theres no hopee for this site.
I think they were just pointing out that Sony's main problem has nothing to do with the recession. Everyone is in a recession, but other companies haven't made the mistakes Sony have. At least they are still projecting a profit for the year. Unless sales continue to decline. They really need a $150 PS3. Sony can't afford another yearly loss. It would probably mean a major restructuring. Far more than the changes made so far.
Or it could be the beginning of the end for the company. Another yearly loss will mean another stock downgrade. If that doesn't happen before the end of the year. And that might lead to the stock being delisted. Which leads to people taking their money out of the company. And that might be the end of Sony.
Yea and I was pointing out recession hits some harder than it hit others...
they have huge loss, but wanna bet they are paying directors and others way to much? i am sure they are getting like 50k $ a month, but if they are doing such a bad job and sony has a loss why they get payed so much?
Sony have recently changed director because the previous ones are what got the company in such a state. You do not fall back from millions in losses overnight.
Director salary doesn't even scratch the surface.
Add to that the new director is the only one who's seen the 'losses' and debt shrink so far.
I don't think Japanese executives are as greedy as American executives. And 50k a month would actually be cheap for a major companies CEO, but might be closer to what many Japanese CEOs make.. A lot of these clowns in the US make 10-20 million a year.
You have to remember that Sony are on a 'road to recovery' from huge losses and debts.
Despite this being a loss, it's better than the same time last year, which is actually a good thing. It's going to take more time before Sony even get back into a safe area when it comes to money.
Add to this, Sony have been around for years providing way more than Gaming consoles and most things they provided due to modern era have become obsolete, which automatically creates loss for a company providing those things.
Then there's the fact that every single company out there(maybe excluding some banks and world money companies etc) come to an end at some point, Sony however are not there yet.
Give them a chance :)
Give them a chance??? How long does a person need to wait... 20+ years? For YEARS I've been waiting... Years... This company is garbage.
You have been waiting over 20 years for a company to fall apart?
well I can understand your frustration.
Specially if you are a share holder!
Come on guys get serious here!
the big reason for Sony's loss is obvious!
the ever more present competition, Sony is not used to it yet!
they are adapting, slowly but surely!
their Mobile division once held the majority of the shares and along came Apple!
when there are more competition there is always declines!
look at Apple, losing its market share to Android recently.
The best though Sony can do is to either shot down the mobile division or bend even lower for Google.
Cause it seems like the mobile division has been struggling for ever!
@kane_1371 Sonys biggest problem is there image and Price.
I love sony products I have 2 Sony TV's Surround sound system and 2 PS3's but they have lost there image of being a WOW company with there products. TV was there biggest market for a long time but Samsung and LG have taken this market off of them. Samsung TV's look just as nice and quality is just as good but the difference between the two is the price. And a lot of people now go for price over name.
But you are also right Sony have lost the following markets over the last 10 years.
MP3 Player to apple, Mobile Market to Apple, Home Console Market to Nintendo and Microsoft, TV Market to Samsung/LG Even the High end PC market sony cant compete in any more.
I think in a way sony did what Microsoft did a few years ago and thought we are to and no one can touch us and then at once they were hit where it hurts but looking at sony as a company they are trying to rebuild this but for them to get back onto the Market in TV's they need to make Low, Middle and high end TV's with a good price point to take on Samsung and LG, In the console department they need to make cheaper consoles and get read of the dead ips or the ones that don't sell that many.
People slag off MS for only giving us a few exclusive games a year but look at the difference is sales over the PS3 exclusives and you can say it is a good business model and at the start of next gen keep them going and add a few more in to the mix as they will have a chance to get a name for its self like Gears has or UC on the PS3.
I do think Sony will get there again but I think it will take another 5 to 10 years.
Sony tv's are being outsold because they sell at a higher premium but have inferior performance.
Sony had a sheeple marketing style. -if they want one they will work harder or work two jobs-
The arrogance from having a monopoly so long has hurt them.
Sony's problem on TVs isn't price. A comparable Samsung model is often the more expensive one now. Sony just isn't the "it" brand anymore. That's Samsung in TVs now. But you are right about the competition thing. Competition has beat then in all of the major categories. They were hit with a perfect storm of problems.
Apple came out with the iPhone. Samsung took over TVs. MS released the 360 and more than that the Wii outsold them both. Apple took over music and companies can no longer cheat people on the price. Companies are competing well against them on everything they make.
Then add the bad decisions like the Cell and Blu-ray. The Cell just needed time for people to get used to it, the Blu-ray cost on the PS3 was much harder to overcome. Consoles are usually in the black per console with the first 18 months, the PS3 was still in the red per console over three years later. It also made gaming a huge drain for a few years instead of the steady income it had been.
I think right now they are struggling to figure out how to increase sales without cutting profits. They know they can't afford another yearly loss. Cut the price of the Vita and cut profits. But sales are bad which cuts profits and support. New PS3 at $150. But can it be sold at enough profit to make up for the Vita shortfall. Can they stop rehashing the same movies and make something that will be a major hit besides Men in Black.
If they can't get it turned around Sony may become a Gaming company only. Or their creditors could make them sell off everything to get their money.
It really is amazing how the mighty fallen. Sony used to be top dog in almost everything. My old Sony TV XBR Wega used to crush the competition. Sony electronics used to be an easy choice for anybody.
And now their products fall somewhere in the middle to the bottom. Their tv's fall behind others like Panasonic and Samsung. Their laptops, cell phones, tablets, mp3 players, etc... are all near the bottom of the list. And of course, their gaming division. The ps3 is still in last place, Move was a flop, and VITA is having troubles.
Sure the recession has hurt them like everybody else, but that doesn't explain why their products are not as good as the competition.
Plain and simple, the mighty Sony has fallen hard!
Their products are still getting good ratings!
it is not the quality that has fallen!
the people's quality expectations has fallen.
They can't afford the more expensive products, not even sumsung or Panasonic's or whatever other company's more expensive products sell very good.
People can't simply dish out, and it hits everybody, specially SONY
Ratings mean nothing when it comes to money
Sony has yet to figure out how to make quality products at affordable prices, that is their problem within the competition.
Sony has always made quality products, they are just so expensive. For the affluent and elitists not the general masses
Panasonic is having 5x bigger loses than sony.
Its not about quality anymore, its price.
Samsung is one of very few from east that is doing good thx to lower prices(more products in low-mid range)and successful copy cat of others.
U dont pull company out of deep sh*t overnight.
You don't know Samsung if you think they make better products than Sony...particularly their s***ty tvs. Google Samsung/dead pixel class action lawsuit. Samsung is the worst electronic manufacturer in the world and the customer service is terrible (google that too).
I'm speaking from experience. I tell them that their s***ty Tv I bought 13 months ago has a huge line down the left side of the tv. They tell me they've never heard of that problem. I google it, and they're currently being sued for it...lol. They told me it would cost $100 just to have a tech look at it, or I could go f*** myself.
Now, my two Sony Bravias work just fine. The one I bought 5 years ago finally had a bulb go out and it costs $30 to replace it. The LCD I bought 3 years ago has never failed....
People need to stop spreading the myth that Sony makes bad products and that they're overpriced. They make some of the best products and they're fairly competitive with pricing.
Trust me....I don't know about Panasonic but DO NOT BUY A SAMSUNG TV unless you like pissing away 2k.
The world knows Samsung is making the better product for less sometimes. It's the reason the brand is taking over in Asia, Europe and has monopolized the Americas.
Samsung is out innovating most competition or taking bigger risks merging tech from other industries first.(primitive Kinect tech in TV etc) They come out with the best looking TV's setting the example. Picture quality starts at Solid and end at excellent throughout series or price points.
I just hope the worldwide VGcharts being used to brainwash away sales news amd facts stops now. I post worldwide 2011 sales numbers from the companies themselves and get VGcharts thrown in my face as a debunk counter to my info despite nothing offered by Sony that would change momentum. A week from now Sony fans will be saying Sony is doing great and PS3 is selling the most worldwide no matter what.
You have to consider that tech is evolving too fast. Only 10 years ago we're almost all stuck with CRT. Now we have 240Hz 3D 1080p LED displays largerly available. And this didn't came in one jump but in a gradual evolution... Resolution evolved from SD to ED, HD and finally Full HD, not to mention we already have better resolutions in R&D. CRT were made HD, than DLP, LCD and LcoS appeared, after that Plasma and more recently LED, soon to become spread AMOLED. Also we moved away from the basic watching TV to many features like interativity, internet, 3D and now even kinect like controls.
And not only tech's evolving much faster, it's getting cheaper faster too, which in such a bad economy, blury the lines between high end and low end even further.
I'm no market researcher but I assume that's what most changed the market in favor of cheaper consumer elctronics that are no longer seen as highly durable goods. The way we perceive quality had changed. Once quality was more about reliability, but right now the features available are much more defining in what is high end or low end.
Don't matter if your TV, phone or PC can last 10 years if you'll probably be willing to buy a new one in 2 or 3 years. Same way, why pay the premium for a realiable high tech TV if you can get the same features on cheaper brand waiting 6 months or 1 year.
Of course not everyone sees the same, but I believe that this change of perception is what demands Sony to start persuing the low end market (not only on TVs, but on many of their electronics).
This also may effect the gaming market in the future, the whole concept of consoles as non-changing hardware may be due, this generation we already had seen HD-DVD and motion controllers added down the road, but I guess this won't affect us much before the generation after next (PS5).
So in essance we people are more after instant gratification than ever. We don't care about how long this TV is going to last on me since we are bound to buy a new one in a year or two.
This instant gratification is BS to me. Nothing but kids with their toys. This is what I've been blaming MS of with x360 for years. The x360 was not a long term plan only a quick cash grab. Don't tell me that deep down most of us people are like this or I'll lose faith in all mankind. Do we all have ADHD? Is that it?
I have plenty of sony products, from tv to tablet and ps vita
I am happy with my purchases. True the tv and tablet may not be the best in the world, but is plenty good. The vita and ps3 has been gaming heaven for me. Sony is a little dumb when it comes tosupport their products, but my experince is very good.
Not perfect, not even the best around, still for my preference sony tvs are my choice. Thetablet is plenty sweet, the ps brand is just great
no doom and gloom talk for the Sony corp then lol. people are funny and if you only understood.
Eh. There recent announcements tell me they will turn things around.
and over saturation of the same shit, and shit that's not even in demand(MotorStorm). If your going to "copy" COD, do it right, But you don't copy from your fellow developers we don't need a "drake" in every fcking Sony game.
I'm really pissed about motorstorm the series suck really bad, because it's an lackluster off-road racer. Decent modern racing games are lacking this gen, Evolution should change motorstorm into a modern car racer, with just your basic CARS, (Tuner Exotic Muscle, no fcking Trucks). I want, to customize my car and race it everywhere the city included, just not only the city.
Oh yeah no generic white males in my racing games please. I want racing to be about racing, not about how John Doe and his main bitch gets from Point A to Point B.
You kidding? Motorstorm is the best offroad racer ever IMO
I love motorstorm, I have all 3 PS3 games. dirt 3 doesnt come close.
So you say that Sony has a lack of creativity and you mention MotorStorm? Wow what a fail.
Care to name a game console that contains more variety, quality, originality, and innovation than the Playstation system? Last I checked, Xbox is currently relying on 3 IPs, 1 of which has had 8 games over the course of 11 years; the Nintendo is still playing off the same old Italian plumber going on 30 years now.
If you're going to criticize one side, how about you bring up a better alternative with real-world examples to build your argument. You're entire comment was a miserable failure to anyone with a 9th grade education or higher.
The problem is Sony's way isn't working. You can put out a ton of exclusive IP and bring in a new disc but it has to be a deciding factor. The exclusives aren't enough to overcome price and the disc system cause the price that kept systems from selling. Nintendo and MS are making millions with the same stuff over and over.
Most people tend to eat the same things over and over because it's what they like. Nintendo and Microsoft is willing to sell them those things. Most people say they want something different, but when it comes they fall back on what they've always known.
New IP is great. But it must introduce something new. Not just a new skin on an old idea. Heavy Rain was something new. It was a poorly executed QTE about mundane stuff like brushing your teeth. New IP has to have new mechanics or physics. And stop trying to sell a product for one group to the wrong group. LBP was casual. But they were trying to sell to a group that considered itself, and brags that it is, hardcore.
Well if it carries on we will probably see Sony for much longer they need to come up with something quick and fast.
I don't know why anyone is surprised by this.
The American market is the most important market for gaming. Sony lost that the moment the 360 was launched. Nintendo has sold more than both, but, out of the main two "HD consoles," ie., the real heavy hitters, Sony lost big time. Market share and mindshare mean something in reality.
Their market share has been sucked up by Microsoft: a company they dismmissed and didn't take seriously, and now they are paying the cost. VITA is/was DOA-no, it's not going to make a comback-and market saturation has taken it's toll on the "Big 3." PS4 won't change this either so don't get your hopes up.
I see Sony going 3rd party like SEGA did back in the day. That or teaming up with Nintendo to survive. Either way, MS has more than proven themselves and (imo) the better console has "won." A bunch of announced exclussives-most of which are mediocre, especially compared to other 3rd party games-many of which havne't been released (FFXIII VS) and wouldn't make a difference anyway.
I think it would be best for them financially to do this also.... Or the company will sink even further. Make those awesome games... Sell them on any platform... Big bucks$$!
If Sony continues to be dragged down by products that don't sell they might have to go that route. If they don't make a profit for this fiscal year they will be downgraded and maybe delisted. They would most likely have to file for bankruptcy and it may no longer be their decision how they handle their divisions.
Third party might be their best bet. But they are apparently far into the process of a new console. Sony phones are 10% of the market and the profit is small on them. Not much of an option. And the power on Tablets is increasing each year and they will become the better option. AMD will launch a tablet chip soon with a desktop level GPU. A tablet with a kickstand and a controller beats a phone every time.
Phones are fine for what the market is right now. But as more hardcore gamers use them as their mobile device the quality will have to rise and a controller will be needed. And tablets can have an advantage there. Sony just may have been too slow to adapt and their time might be over. But it seems that no one at Sony was thinking that way. They have been arrogant in the past and it may cost them everything.
They forecast higher profits for the coming year and so far they have dropped those predictions over 30% after the first quarter. One thing is guaranteed, if that trend continues the rest of the year, they may not be around to go third party.


text:
If I have any loyal followers…I apologize to you for not posting in so long. We have been having a "Thing A Day" challenge at Polymer Clay Central this month. Some of the other TAD participants have been posting their work on their blogs, which makes lots of sense. I, on the other hand, have just been posting my pictures on Flickr and trying to keep up!
When I found PCC last year, the Thing A Day challenge was in full swing. I jumped right in, without realizing how intimidated I could have been. Maybe because I was SUCH a newbie, I didn't even care if my stuff was worth posting…it was all experimental. Well, it's still all experimental, I guess! But now I have a lot more confidence, and a bit more pride. A year's worth of support from the amazing artists at PCC will do that for a person.
I wanted to show you a few of the beautiful things that my cyber-friends have made, but I'm having trouble, both with technology (grrrr!) and decision-making ("That's perfect…ooh! but I like that one, too! No, wait….that one!), so just go click on the links under Polymer Clay Buddies. The TAD participants I've listed there are Kay's Miniatures (find her Flickr site, which is more up to date, here), Knightwork, and The Pleasant Pheasant. Ginger and Ashley are also playing.
And, just so this post won't be completely photoless, here are a few of my Thing A Day projects (since I can't figure out how to post other people's work, grrr):


text:
First attempt at CG
Thank you thank you thank you! Although for some reason that post made me feel like a horrible wanna be artist, so I am never doing that again!
Posts: 715
Joined: 2003.04
Joined: 2003.04
Quote:Originally posted by codemattic
well kewl beans DG!
Oh my god, someone else in the world who says Cool Beans. I thought I was the last one. You don't happen to have a super cute girlfriend name Regina that started you saying that do you?
Anyway, GREAT WORK. Illustrator or Freehand (please don't say Corel)
DO NOT FEAR POSTING YOUR ART. You should be proud, I knew 60 adults in college who were much less talented.
I've known several dozen more trained graphics pro's who could never get anywhere near that kind of technical expression. They should FEAR you!!!
Keep on going and be assured not everything you do has to be "finished", concept art is a perfect start for better things. A dozen sketchy works can breed bigger and better detailed designs.
Just went through the thread and see you used another persons work for reference...don't fear that either, fanart has its place! Next try some photographs from various sources, do what you did here, then combine into a composition!
Thats the secret behind millions of comic books, not everything comes right out of their heads, not everyone is a master of anatomy and architectural rendering.
When you pay big money for college art classes they will teach you...are you ready?...to TRACE. Thats right!
I spent 18 years thinking tracing was bad, then I had to do it for dozens of assignments...it helps tons, believe me!
What else you got on your drive to look at?
Quote:Originally posted by DaFalcon
DarkGold, you didn't tell us that you were drawing a .hack character....
Nor did you tell us that you were working off of somebody else's image.
http://www.lvcm.com/genzou/tsukasa.jpg - note; even this image is not an original, the pose was taken from a promo.
Sorry if I sound mean at all, I just recently read this ( http://www.cutepet.org/faq.html#q18 ) tidbit about copier artists and cut and paste artists.
I know you're learning and I know I did the same thing with my CGing-of-self, but I at least pointed out that I was using a photo of myself as a basis, you should probably have mentioned that this was not your character and that you were using a pre-existing pose.
Erm, genius steals? No-one achieves technical profficiency without a little bit of plagiarism. For one - how would any comic artist get a job if they didn't follow ANY of the guidelines and standards for producing comics? How would your average joe bloggs designer get by on "pure" graphics. I suppose you come from a world where samples in music are bad!
I really got into design, and learned a lot from reproduction art. I never claimed it was mine if I just plain copied it all, however, if I made it "my own", then it was mine. You can only copyright the original - not the idea behind it.
Big up to the guy, hey has done well. Especially as first attempt. Keep up the good!
Posts: 35
Joined: 2002.11
Joined: 2002.11
Quote:Originally posted by dogma
For one - how would any comic artist get a job if they didn't follow ANY of the guidelines and standards for producing comics?
ok who here was deriding Darkgold for "following guidelines and standards"? nobody? ok. that is completely not the issue. perhaps your metaphor would have pertained if you had used an example of a comic artist tracing another comic artist
sorry if i'm an asshole right now, i just got roused from a deep, very hung-over sleep by my girlfriend to drive her to a doctor's appointment that didn't exist. so don't take it personally.
>please don't say Corel
Isn't CorelDraw 11 better than Illustrator. Well, it appears to be from the MW review.
NOTE: I am not a graphic designer so I'm ready for correction by the designers here.
Isn't CorelDraw 11 better than Illustrator. Well, it appears to be from the MW review.
NOTE: I am not a graphic designer so I'm ready for correction by the designers here.
CG - Computer Generated. Now some may think, that, that means, anything done on a computer...but no, it actually has to be GENERATED by the computer. Drawing in a 2D program is no different from drawing on paper (with some magical tools to make youe lines smooth and so forth). For something to be classified as CGI, it has to be computed, mathematics need to be involved. Whilst I know all programs use computing, if we compare it to the real world, I might make more sense. Paper is made up of atoms and molecules...when we draw on paper we move atoms and molecules around...but does this make us nuclear physicists, no? Nor does it make the people who make paper scientists. The programs that let you draw 2D art are merely paper, the only calculations that I believe make them different from paper are those that say, make all your lines curvy. But, not only are there not enough of them, but when we equate it to say, using a chemical to alter a painting (the chemical could even be paint, but I were thinking of that white stuff you put down so you don't paint on certain places you want left white, for say, a water spraying as it hits rocks, effect)...to help you paint, many of these chemicals effectively, in the eyes of some artists, let you cheat. So what does count as CGI then? 3D...whilst doing something in 3D doesn't make you a mathematician, your computer has to actually compute EVERYTHING...again, I know it has to compute in a 2D program, what colour pixel is what...but I go back to my paper example...if I'm making any sense. Well...thats just my opinion anyway, I do hope I've made sense...of course, I expect people to disagree with me .
Posts: 201
Joined: 2002.06
Joined: 2002.06
CG stands for Computer Graphics, not Computer Generated. CG even covers art that was drawn on paper and later scanned in to be edited (which is what I do for my CGs).
Posts: 35
Joined: 2002.11
Joined: 2002.11
a month later the conversation starts again. i'm jumping off a cliff.
Posts: 201
Joined: 2002.06
Joined: 2002.06
Hmm... if everybody else jumped off a cliff, would I do it too?
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The personal transformation that Billy Donovan says is as great as he's ever seen in one of his players is one of the year's best feel good stories. Scottie Wilbekin deserves all the credit in the world for taking charge of his own life and going from an immature kid into a grown man over the span of a summer. His evolution from a defensive pit bull that Donovan could sic on anything from a quick point guard to a small forward to the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and a cold-blooded assassin when he has the ball in his hands as the shot clock winds down, hasn't been the result of an epiphany moment when Wilbekin had to decide how important it was to be a Florida Gator, but it's a compelling story just the same.
As a 17-year-old freshman, Wilbekin's ticket off the bench and into games was his willingness to defend anyone. During the course of the season, Wilbekin earned a reputation as a hard-nosed defender who wouldn't back down from anyone whether it was Vanderbilt's 6-8 small forward Jeffery Taylor or Kentucky's freshman All-American point guard Brandon Knight. He only took 89 shots in 37 games that year, 45 of them from the 3-point line and most of them were bricks but the Gators had five guys who averaged double figures including SEC Player of the Year Chandler Parsons and Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton, two of the top five scorers in school history.
Not much changed as a sophomore. Wilbekin was still the hard nosed defensive specialist but thanks to the additions of Mike Rosario and Bradley Beal to the offense, there were fewer shots to be had. There was modest improvement in the scoring – 2.6 points per game, up from 2.4 as a freshman – but even with limited attempts from the field (76 altogether, 46 from the 3-point line) there was tremendous improvement in his shooting. Wilbekin went from 28.3% from the 3-point line as a freshman to 45.7% as a sophomore.
Donovan says Wilbekin's offensive came around slowly because there were just so many scorers and so many shots to be had.
"I think the hardest thing for Scottie his first two years which probably maybe hurt his development a little bit was he just kind of came in because we had so much offense in the backcourt with Beal and Boynton and Rosario and even (Erik) Murphy stepping away," Donovan said at his Monday press conference before the Gators (34-2) began practice for their Thursday NCAA Sweet 16 game with UCLA (9:45 p.m., CBS) in Memphis. "We never really needed his shooting. What we did need was his defense, and his freshman year he came off the bench, played about 18 minutes a game and gave us great minutes. But a lot of times the ball wasn't in his hands a lot. It was in other guys' hands a lot. Same thing could be said his sophomore year, although he played more."
As a freshman and sophomore, Wilbekin occasionally played the point but the first two options were Walker and Boynton. That changed as a junior. Wilbekin started at the point last season, played his usual stout brand of defense (All-SEC Defensive team) while leading the team in assists and averaging 9.1 points per game on a team that featured Rosario, Boynton and Murphy as the primary scoring options. As a starter and the primary ball handler, he got more shots even though he wasn't the first scoring option.
"I think last year going into being a point guard and really kind of having more responsibility, there was a lot of growth that he had to make, and there was a lot of things he needed to learn," Donovan said.
As a senior, Wilbekin's game – just like his life – has matured. He remains the reliable defender who Donovan says is the best on the perimeter in the country, an assertion that is backed up by numerous analysts who rave about his ability to put the clamps on a scorer. Without Boynton, Rosario and Murphy, he has become Florida's most reliable scoring option. He averages 13.1 points per game and hits nearly 40% (39.7) of his 3-pointers.
With the game on the line or the shot clock winding down to zero, Wilbekin is the Gator most likely to take the shot. Against Pitt in Saturday's NCAA third round game at Orlando's Amway Arena, Florida called time out with 5.0 seconds left in the first half and set up a play during a time out. Wilbekin took the inbounds pass, blew by three Pitt defenders and launched a running 27-foot 3-pointer that extended Florida's lead to five (27-22) at the half.
In the second half, Wilbekin scored 13 of Florida's final 19 points as the Gators pulled away from Pittsburgh for a 61-45 win that punched their ticket to Memphis. Although the casual fan was asking where did that come from after Wilbekin's sensational 21-point performance, it was just another example of how he does whatever the team needs to get a win. If the Gators need shooting, he gives them production. If the driving lanes are open, he's not afraid to take the ball into the paint where he can either score or dump it off to one of the Gators' big men.
Donovan thinks that Wilbekin might have matured as an offensive player sooner if there had been a need. Certainly, Wilbekin has shown constant improvement.
"I think Scottie has always been a good offensive player, it's just maybe some other guys offensively were on a different level than he was at," Donovan said. "But he's gotten better over the course of the last two years of doing everything, understanding how to play in pick‑and‑roll, making decisions, getting guys shots, having an awareness of where players are on the court."
And, of course, he still plays defense.
"His defense has always been the same," Donovan said. "He's always been accountable there. He does a great job, but he's really evolved, I think, as a complete guard maybe from where he was his first two years."


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Miley Cyrus: 'Cosmo' Cover Coming Soon!
Miley Cyrus keeps it snug in a knit turtleneck sweater as she heads to a business meeting in Los Angeles on Thursday morning (November 15).
The 19-year-old singer is gearing up for her 20th birthday — just next week!
PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Miley Cyrus
Miley teased her fans on Twitter earlier this week about her Cosmopolitan mag shoot, "Not sure if I was supposed to drop that ???? yet haha! ? Pix look soooo dope! @ChrisMcMillan @patiprema @RachelZoe @jennahipp."
"The rumors are true: Yes, we just shot @MileyCyrus for her first Cosmo cover. Yes, @RachelZoe was involved. Yes, the photos are UNREAL," Cosmopolitan magazine confirmed.
Can't wait to see the result!
Posted to: Miley Cyrus


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Photos of the day: 11/4
Monday TBO photo gallery.
A hand print remains on the hood of a car covered with volcanic ash Monday from the eruption of Mount Sinabung near Tiga Nderket village, North Sumatra, Indonesia. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Visitors on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange use smartphones and tablets Monday to photograph the opening bell ceremonies. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Charlie Crist formally announces his candidacy for Florida governor Monday at Albert Whitted Park in St. Petersburg CLIFF MCBRIDE/STAFF
The sun rises behind the scaffolding clad Washington Monument in Washington. The National Park Service has announced the decorative lighting will be turned off as work crews begin removing the scaffolding from the monument damaged in an earthquake. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
A tourist is reflected in a puddle as he jumps for a photo on a rainy and cloudy autumn day near the Reichstag building which hosts Germany's parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
A masked dancer performs a traditional dance in a parade to celebrate New Year of the ethnic Newaris in Katmandu, Nepal. Members of the Newar community celebrated their New Year's Day by praying for longevity and performing rituals to purify and empower the soul for the coming year. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Qudrat, 18, right, poses for a photograph as he works at a charcoal shop on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan. As winter approaches, wood and charcoal are getting expensive among other necessities for Afghans. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Boston Red Sox player Shane Victorino is shaved for One Fund Boston, the Boston Marathon charity for bombing victims, during a shave-off in Boston. The Red Sox players' beards became a symbol of their solidarity as they went from worst in the AL East last year to first this year by winning the team's third World Series title in a decade. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Boston Red Sox baseball player David Ortiz stands with his hand in his pocket as he speaks to media after a charity event for One Fund Boston, the Boston Marathon charity for bombing victims, in Boston, Monday, Nov. 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Photos of the day: 11/4
Charlie Crist formally announces his candidacy for Florida governor Monday at Albert Whitted Park in St. Petersburg CLIFF MCBRIDE/STAFF


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architantrix needed a new stationery design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 146 designs submitted by 12 freelance designers.
BiOS Institute
The BiOS Institute is a consultancy, research lab and design studio that fuses the sacred architectural traditions of ancient India (Vastu Shastra) and China (Feng Shui) with the latest advancements in environmental science and technology (Building Biology) to produce sustainable dwellings which are aligned with the universal laws of spatial energy.
Far from the flutes and whistles of your typical feng shui practice, we are a group of architectural scholars whose approach is based on extensive research into natural law. Our marketing materials should reflect this scientific/formal approach.
BiOS defined- latin for "life", the principle that underpins all processes and natural expressions, a law whose content is set by nature and therefore has existence everywhere, an ascertained working sequence or constant order among the phenomena of nature which governs form figuration and growth at all scales, from the fundamental (sub-atomic, nuclear, atomic, molecular, cellular) to the macroscopic (terrestrial, astrophysical and cosmological). It can be expressed mathematically (a "superformula") and geometrically (the Vastu Purusha Mandala, the I Ching)- this forms the basis for our design generation process.
Our clients are upscale, sophisticated, out-of-the box thinkers who are likely already interested in the "green" architecture movement.
The business card will be stainless steel (see examples attached). Dimensions are flexible- the following are suggestions but custom shapes, corners and/or perforated/punctured areas or voids are welcome: standard credit card size (86X54 mm), standard business card size (89X51 mm), mini business card size (2 ½" X 1 3/8"), square business card size (2" x 2"). Portrait or landscape orientation is fine. Imagery and text can be embossed (raised), debossed (etched), and/or cut-through entirely. If etched, it can be (but doesn't have to be) filled with white for contrast. Designs should be double sided (unless all of the information can be clearly displayed on one side without looking cluttered)- keep in mind that any cut-throughs will be seen on both sides and design accordingly.
The business card should contain the following information: company logo (see attached), our services/specialties (Vastu Shastra | Classical Feng Shui | Bau-Biologie), our website(www.BiOSinstitute.com), my name (Michelle O'Carroll, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP), my title (Founder and President), my email(email@example.com), my phone number (917-602-BiOS).


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Top EPA official is keynote speaker at climate conference in KeeneBy MEGHAN PIERCE
Union Leader Correspondent
April 27. 2014 8:04PM
KEENE — A top Environmental Protection Agency official will be the keynote speaker at the Northeast Climate Change Preparedness Conference in Keene next month.
The Antioch University New England event is scheduled for May 19 through May 21.
Bob Perciasepe, deputy administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is scheduled to give the keynote address on May 19, opening the conference.
The conference is the kickoff event for the university's new center for matters of climate change.
In March, Antioch University New England announced the creation of the new Center for Climate Preparedness and Community Resilience in response to President Barack Obama's Climate Data Initiative.
According to the school, the center will encourage "private and public innovators to use data on the risks and effects of climate change to help citizens, businesses, and communities make smart choices."
Other officials set to speak at the conference include Cameron Wake, research associate professor of climatology and glaciology at the University of New Hampshire Climatology and director of Climate Solutions New England; Curt Spaulding, regional administrator for the EPA; Deborah Markowitz, secretary of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources; Sarah Hoveter, Senior Fellow and Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University Law Center; and Perry Plummer, Director of New Hampshire Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
The conference is geared to teach planners how to build resilient communities and how to prepare for severe weather and the impacts of climate change.
To register, contact Christa Daniels at firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
My research interests include modern British poetry and contemporary literary theory. I am the author of a book on W.H. Auden's poetry as well as various articles that deal with Auden's prose, modern poetry and the romantic tradition, Gerard Manly Hopkins, Derrida from a phenomenological perspective, deconstruction, and the application of performative theory to literary texts. I have recently contributed to the Cambridge Companion to W.H. Auden and am working on a study of Irish poet Seamus Heaney.
My graduate teaching interests range over modern and contemporary British poetry, the rhetorical models of Kenneth Burke, critical formalism in its Russian, New Critical, and poststructuralist modes, cultural criticism, postMarxism, and semiotics. Besides these and other accomplishments, I regularly throw a tennis ball for a finicky golden retriever.
Fall 2018
Fall 2018


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Identity Development in Adolescence and Adulthood
Jane Kroger
Psychoanalyst Erik Erikson was the first professional to describe and use the concept of ego identity in his writings on what constitutes healthy personality development for every individual over the course of the life span. Basic to Erikson's view, as well as those of many later identity writers, is the understanding that identity enables one to move with purpose and direction in life, and with a sense of inner sameness and continuity over time and place. Erikson considered identity to be psychosocial in nature, formed by the intersection of individual biological and psychological capacities in combination with the opportunities and supports offered by one's social context. Identity normally becomes a central issue of concern during adolescence, when decisions about future vocational, ideological, and relational issues need to be addressed; however, these key identity concerns often demand further reflection and revision during different phases of adult life as well. Identity, thus, is not something that one resolves once and for all at the end of adolescence, but rather identity may continue to evolve and change over the course of adult life too.
Following Erikson's initial writings, subsequent theorists have laid different emphases on the role of the individual and the role of society in the identity formation process. One very popular elaboration of Erikson's own writings on identity that retains a psychosocial focus is the identity status model of James Marcia. While Erikson had described one's identity resolution as lying somewhere on a continuum between identity achievement and role confusion (and optimally located nearer the achievement end of the spectrum), Marcia defined four very different means by which one may approach identity-defining decisions: identity achievement (commitment following exploration), moratorium (exploration in process), foreclosure (commitment without exploration), and diffusion (no commitment with little or no exploration). These four approaches (or identity statuses) have, over many decades, been the focus of over 1,000 theoretical and research studies that have examined identity status antecedents, behavioral consequences, associated personality characteristics, patterns of interpersonal relations, and developmental forms of movement over time. A further field of study has focused on the implications for intervention that each identity status holds. Current research seeks both to refine the identity statuses and explore their dimensions further through narrative analysis.
Personality and Health
Sarah E. Hampson
Although the belief that personality is linked to health goes back at least to Greek and Roman times, the scientific study of these links began in earnest only during the last century. The field of psychosomatic medicine, which grew out of psychoanalysis, accepted that the body and the mind were closely connected. By the end of the 20th century, the widespread adoption of the five-factor model of personality and the availability of reliable and valid measures of personality traits transformed the study of personality and health. Of the five broad domains of personality (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and intellect/openness), the most consistent findings in relation to health have been obtained for conscientiousness (i.e., hard-working, reliable, self-controlled). People who are more conscientious have better health and live longer lives than those who are less conscientious. These advantages are partly explained by the better health behaviors, good social relationships, and less stress that tend to characterize those who are more conscientious. The causal relation between personality and health may run in both directions; that is, personality influences health, and health influences personality. In addition to disease diagnoses and longevity, changes on biomarkers such as inflammation, cortisol activity, and cellular aging are increasingly used to chart health in relation to personality traits and to test explanatory models. Recognizing that both personality and health change over the life course has promoted longitudinal studies and a life-span approach to the study of personality and health.
Personality Assessment in Clinical Psychology
Katy W. Martin-Fernandez and Yossef S. Ben-Porath
Attempts at informal personality assessment can be traced back to our distant ancestors. As the field of Clinical Psychology emerged and developed over time, efforts were made to create reliable and valid measures of personality and psychopathology that could be used in a variety of contexts. There are many assessment instruments available for clinicians to use, with most utilizing either a projective or self-report format. Individual assessment instruments have specific administration, scoring, and interpretive guidelines to aid clinicians in making accurate decisions based on a test taker's answers. These measures are continuously adapted to reflect the current conceptualization of personality and psychopathology and the latest technology. Additionally, measures are adapted and validated to be used in a variety of settings, with a variety of populations. Personality assessment continues to be a dynamic process that can be utilized to accurately and informatively represent the test taker and aid in clinical decision making and planning.
Physical Activity and Personality Traits
Ryan E. Rhodes and Patrick Boudreau
The physical, psychological, and economic benefits of regular moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity are well substantiated. Unfortunately, few people in developed countries engage in enough physical activity to reap these benefits. Thus, a strong theoretical understanding of what factors are associated with physical activity is warranted in order to create effective and targeted interventions. Social/ecological approaches to understanding physical activity demonstrate the breadth of correlates that encompass intra-individual, inter-individual, environmental, and policy-related variables in physical activity performance. One longstanding intrapersonal correlate of interest is the relationship between personality traits—enduring individual-level differences in tendencies to show consistent patterns of thoughts, feelings, and actions—and physical activity.
Personality trait theories are broad in focus and differ in terms of proposed etiology, yet much of the recent research in physical activity has been with super traits in the five-factor model: neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. Meta-analytic reviews suggest that conscientiousness and extraversion are positively associated with physical activity with some mixed evidence for a small negative relationship with neuroticism. The effect appears to be most pronounced with vigorous physical activities and less so with lower-intensity lifestyle activities and shows mixed evidence for whether proximal social cognitive variables (intention, self-efficacy) can mediate this relationship. More specific sub-traits show that facets of extraversion (excitement-seeking, activity) or conscientiousness (self-discipline, industriousness/ambition) have larger and more specific associations with particular types of physical activity or moderate key processes like the intention-behavior gap. Furthermore, personality appears to be linked to higher-intensity and adventure activities more than lower-intensity leisure physical activities. Contemporary longitudinal assessments of the bi-directionality of personality and physical activity have begun to advance our understanding of interconnectedness. Interventions that target personality traits to improve physical activity have been relatively understudied but hold some promise when used in tandem with larger theoretical approaches and behavioral change strategies.
Schema Therapy With Older Adults
A.C. Videler
Schema therapy has evolved since the late 1980s as an efficacious and increasingly widely used psychotherapeutic treatment for personality disorders and many other complex disorders that correlate with underlying maladaptive schemas. Only recently, attention among clinical geropsychologists has been growing for the application of schema therapy in older adults. Schema therapy is very feasible for both therapists and older patients. Schema therapy is an integrative psychotherapy, which draws on the cognitive-behavioral, attachment, psychodynamic, and emotion-focused traditions. In this treatment model, early maladaptive schemas are considered core elements of persistent and pervasive psychopathology, including personality disorders. The goal of treatment is to decrease the impact of maladaptive schemas and to replace negative coping responses and maladaptive schema modes with more healthy alternatives so that patients succeed in getting their core emotional needs met. The emerging attention for schema therapy in older adults is in line with the increased attention for personality disorders in later life, and also with the maturing field of psychotherapy for older adults. The first scientific evidence for the feasibility and the effectiveness of schema therapy has recently been shown. Despite these developments, much work is still to be done. The question is whether schema theory, which was developed for adults in young and middle adulthood, equally applies to those in later life. Although the first tests of effectiveness of schema therapy in older adults are encouraging, age-specific adaptations of existing therapy protocols, both for individual and group schema therapy, are wanted. Furthermore, the research that has been conducted so far has focused on the young-old. Especially for the growing and highly complex group of oldest-old patients, the development of feasible and effective schema-based interventions is needed. Integrating age-specific moderators for change, such as wisdom enhancement, attitudes to aging, and integrating the action of positive schemas, deserves recommendation.


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Suffolk, ss. Division of Administrative Law Appeals
Rhonda Sowden,
v. Docket No. CR-06-246
Norfolk County
Retirement System,
Appearance for Petitioner:
Richard A. Mullane, Esq.
Mass. Teachers Association
20 Ashburton Place
Boston, MA 02108
Appearance for Respondent:
Michael J. Pacinda, Esq.
Murphy Hesse Toomey & Lehane
300 Crown Colony Drive
Quincy, MA 02169
Administrative Magistrate:
Maria A. Imparato, Esq.
Rhonda Sowden filed a timely appeal under G. L. c. 21, s. 16 (4) of the March 29, 2006 decision of the Norfolk County Retirement Board not to allow her to purchase credit for her work with the Bi-County Collaborative from January 1973 through June 30, 1977. (Exs. 1, 2)
I held a hearing on October 23, 2007 at the office of the Division of Administrative Law Appeals, 98 North Washington Street, Boston. I admitted documents into evidence. (Exs. 1 - 6) I marked the Petitioner's pre-hearing memorandum "A" for identification, and the Respondent's pre-hearing memorandum "B" for identification. The Petitioner testified. There is one tape cassette of the hearing. I took administrative notice of St. 1974, c. 797; St. 1975, c. 323; St. 1978, c. 481; the Superior Court decision in the case of Gomes v. CRAB, CA No. 94-5927-B, 10/11/1995; and DALA decisions in the cases of Dora G. Fuentes v. State Board of Retirement, CR-92-029 (DALA dec. 11/4/1994, no CRAB dec.); Amanda Chalmers v. State Board of Retirement, CR-92-460 (DALA dec. 10/15/1993, no CRAB dec.) and Richard Talbot v. Teachers' Retirement Board, CR-96-1552 (DALA dec. 2/17/1995; no CRAB dec.). The record closed on November 28, 2007 with the filing of briefs.
1. Rhonda Sowden, d.o.b. 4/18/1949, is employed in the King Philip Regional School District as a full-time Teaching Assistant and is a member of the Norfolk County Retirement System. (Testimony, "A")
2. By letter of January 26, 1977, the Commissioner of Education, under the provisions of G. L. c. 40, s. 4E, approved the April 16, 1976 agreement, known as the Bi-County Collaborative, entered into by the School Districts of Attleboro, Easton, Foxboro, Franklin, Norfolk, North Attleboro, Norton, Plainville, Dighton/Rehoboth, Seekonk, Somerset, Swansea, Wrentham, Manfield and the King Philip Regional School District to jointly conduct educational programs and/or services for special needs students as defined by G. L. c. 71B, (Chapter 766 of the Acts of 1972). (Ex. 6)
3. The Bi-County Collaborative established an educational Collaborative Trust Fund to deposit all funds and reimbursements from the member school districts, grants from the federal government, state government, charitable Foundations, private corporations or any other source. (Ex. 6)
4. From September 1, 1977 through January 31, 1980 Ms. Sowden worked full-time as a teaching assistant for the Bi-County Collaborative. At that time, work at the Collaborative did not qualify for membership in the state retirement system. (Ex. 3)
5. Ms. Sowden did not pay into social security during that time. (Testimony)
6. Ms. Sowden requested that the Board allow her to purchase credit for her work at the Bi-County Collaborative.
7. The Board denied her request because the State Board of Retirement refused to accept liability for this service because Ms. Sowden was not eligible for membership in the State Retirement System based on this service, and she was not erroneously excluded or omitted from membership. (Exs. 4, 5) Ms. Sowden appealed. (Ex. 2)
The decision of the Norfolk County Retirement Board is reversed. Rhonda Sowden shall be permitted to purchase credit for her work as a teaching assistant for the Bi-County Collaborative from September 1, 1977 to January 31, 1980.
G. L. c. 32, s. 3 (5) provides in pertinent part:
Any member of any system who had rendered service as an employee
of any governmental unit other than that by which he is presently
employed, for any previous period during which the first governmental
unit had no contributory retirement system, … or in a position which was
not subject to an existing retirement system, or which was specifically
excluded therefrom but which would be covered under the law now in
effect …may, before the date any retirement allowance becomes effective
for him, pay into the annuity savings fund of the system … an amount equal to that which would have been withheld …
In 1985, G. L. c. 40, s. 4E was amended by St. 1985, c. 631 to include the following language:
The board of directors of the education collaborative shall be deemed
to be a public employer and have the authority to employ personnel,
including teachers, to carry out the purposes and functions of the education collaborative.
The education collaborative shall be deemed to be a public entity and
shall have standing to sue and to be sued to the same extent as a city, town
or regional school district.
As a result of this amendment, G. L. c. 32, s.28 (4) (c) was amended to allow collaborative members to become members of the state board of retirement.
[E]ducational collaboratives, as authorized by the provisions of section four E of chapter forty, shall annually reimburse the state board of retirement for the employer's normal cost … of benefits earned during each year by such collaborative employees who are members of the state employees' retirement systems.
Although an education collaborative was not deemed to be a public employer until the amendment of G. L. c. 40, s. 4E in 1985, the issue raised here is whether the Bi-County Collaborative should have been deemed a governmental unit prior to 1985. A governmental unit defined in G. L. c. 32, s. 1 is the commonwealth, or any political subdivision thereof. A political subdivision under the same section is defined, in part, as any city, town or "any other public unit in the commonwealth." An employee under the same section is defined as a person whose regular compensation is paid by any political subdivision of the commonwealth. In view of the fact that the Bi-County Collaborative was formed by a group of towns (each of which is a political subdivision) to act in concert to meet certain educational needs that each town independently would not have been able to meet, and that it was funded in part by funds from the member school committees, and state and federal grants, I must conclude that the Bi-County Collaborative should be deemed to have been a governmental unit prior to 1985 for purposes of purchasing creditable service under G. L. c. 32, s. 3 (5).
The Petitioner is a member of the retirement system who rendered service as an employee of a governmental unit other than that by which she is presently employed, during a time when the governmental unit (the Bi-County Collaborative) was not subject to an existing retirement system, "but which would be covered under the law now in effect."
I note that my decision in the Fuentes case (concluding that an education collaborative was not a governmental unit until 1985 when the legislature amended G. L. c. 40, s. 4E to recognize the collaborative as a public employer) was based on CRAB's decision in Gomes, and was decided prior to the Superior Court decision in the Gomes case. The Superior Court reversed CRAB's decision in Gomes and concluded that a member who worked for the Yarmouth Consortium administering the CETA program was deemed to be employed by "any governmental unit" for the purposes of G. L. c. 32, s.3 (5).
The decision of the Board is reversed. The Petitioner shall be permitted to purchase credit for her service at the Bi-County Collaborative.
Maria A. Imparato
Administrative Magistrate
This information is provided by the Division of Administrative Law Appeals .


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House Speaker John Boehner offered a "framework" including new revenue to reduce the U.S. budget deficit during talks with President Barack Obama and Congress leaders on averting a year-end fiscal crisis.
Boehner joined White House Press Secretary Jay Carney in describing today's meeting, the first in a series, as "constructive." The session featured the same actors, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, both Democrats, who failed to reach a $4 trillion debt compromise in mid-2011.
Democrats and Republicans agreed the meeting was more symbolic than substantive. It was "a photo op for the president, so be it," said Georgia Republican Tom Price.
"I wouldn't expect a lot of movement," Peter Orszag, Obama's former director of the Office of Management and Budget, said today on Bloomberg Television. "That'll come after Thanksgiving."
While both sides expressed optimism about prospects for a deal, there's no evidence they narrowed their differences.
"We're prepared to put revenue on the table, provided we fix the real problems," including entitlement costs, said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
Higher Taxes
Obama is insisting on higher taxes for top earners and Republicans are refusing to raise rates, leaving negotiators with arithmetically complex and politically fraught choices. Following the talks, a House Republican aide said Boehner's framework didn't include increases in marginal tax rates for any group of taxpayers. Obama leaves for Asia tomorrow and Congress is departing Washington until Nov. 26, for its Thanksgiving recess.
The $607 billion fiscal cliff is a combination of tax increases and spending cuts that will take effect in January if Congress doesn't act. Lawmakers of both parties want to avoid a short-term shock to the economy while making progress on long- term deficit reduction.
Reid, of Nevada, said leaders will meet again with Obama the week after Thanksgiving. "This isn't something that we're going to wait until the last minute" to get done, he said.
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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Nothing's scarier than being invisible on a bike, and that can happen too often with the sun still setting before 6 p.m. That's why there's no excuse not to carry bike lights along, especially when some of the new ones are so convenient and compact that they'll stow in the smallest fanny pack, pocket or tool bag.
Little stars
Serfas Thunderbolt UTL-6 Headlight and Taillight: Tiny, powerful lights weigh 2 ounces each, measure about 31/2-by-3/4-by-1-inch, are chargeable via USB cords and can be attached to almost any part of the bike in a few seconds with two dedicated rubber stretch bands.
Likes: Super bright and super convenient. Cars will see one mile away in each direction, the company claims. The headlight has a high beam (1.5-hour run time), low beam (6.5-hour run time) and two blinking modes (3.5 and 9 hours). The red taillight has a steady beam and a blinker. They're fully charged by a USB cord (included) in three to four hours. The small size and endless mounting options make it a must-carry accessory.
Dislikes: None, although you are out of luck if you run out of juice, given that it is only USB chargeable. Also, you can easily lose the rubber bands and the USB cords, which are not attached to the units, as they are with the Knog lights.
Price: $45 each. http://www.serfas.com
All in wonders
Knog Blinder 4 Front Bike Light and Blinder 4v Rear Bike Light: White headlights and red taillights include a built-in, flip-out USB-charger and locking buckle-strap.
Likes: A functional, tool-free, all-in-one design with integrated lights/charger, strap. No cords to lose. Bright at 44 lumens; the company rates it at 800 yards of visibility. Although the headlight is not quite as bright as the Thunderbolt, it lasts longer (2.5 to three hours) in beam mode and up to 50 in eco-mode, one of four flash modes. The stylish, waterproof, aluminum-shell lights clamp securely to round handlebars, seat post, and seat- and chainstays.
Dislikes: The 4-LED headlight model doesn't have a low-beam setting — only a high-beam and blinkers. And the lights may not clamp well to non-round aero tubing shapes.
Price: $44.95 each. http://www.knog.com.au and http://www.rei.com
Simple tail light
Nite Ize BikeLit LED: The silicone-rubber-encased, 1-ounce, 1.25-inch-diameter red rear light has built-in hooks that snap in place on the rails of your bike seat with no tools.
Likes: Good visibility. Simple to use: It's one big button — you squeeze it between your thumb and forefinger to turn it on and off and toggle between a solid beam and a flashing light. At 3/4 inch deep and 2 by 21/4 inches wide and long, it stows anywhere or can just be left in place on your bike. It's water resistant and uses two replaceable 3V lithium batteries (included). Claimed battery life is 20 hours for the solid glow and 25 in flashing mode.
Dislikes: There is no room for the BikeLit if you already have a tool bag hanging from your seat rails, and it doesn't have anywhere else to go. Although one of the hooks will snap onto the brake cable (as well as on shifter cables), it does not angle toward rear traffic well.
Price: $8.29. http://www.niteize.com
All head, no tail
Light & Motion Solite 250 Velo: Multipurpose, high-output headlight and separate USB-rechargeable battery (total weight, 4 ounces) for hiking and biking can be used as a helmet light, headlamp, handlebar light or flashlight. It includes the headlight, battery pack and head strap.
Likes: Powerful 100-lumen beam that gives you 100 hours of use on the low setting, 21/2 hours on the highest setting and up to 60 in flash mode. Small red LEDs on the side add visibility. A four-stage light indicates battery life. Battery fully recharges from any standard USB port in five hours (cable included). Bike mounts for light and battery are an extra $15.
Dislikes: It'd be nice to have a small taillight (like the Nite Ize BikeLit) attached to the battery case to make it an all-inclusive system when strapped over a bike helmet. A less-sophisticated light, the 75-lumen Black Diamond Sprinter ($69.99; reviewed in this column in February 2012), combined a head- and taillight to fine functional effect.
Price: $149. http://www.lightandmotion.com
Wallack is coauthor of "Bike for Life: How to Ride to 100" and "Barefoot Running Step by Step."


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|Charlottesville, VA
|High School:
|St. Annes-Belfield School
2009: Appeared in three games...Picked up two ground balls 2008: Started in two games while appearing in eight on the season...Scored four goals and one assist 2007: Scored three goals in the two games he played during the season 2006: Played in three games and picked up two ground balls At St. Annes-Belfield School: Tallied 112 goals and 40 assists in varsity career... Two- time All-Central Virginia first-team pick... All-prep league for two years... Ranked as high as No. 2 nationally in squash Boys Under 19 division in 2005... Received the Deroy Sportsmanship Award... His squash team was Dogwood Tournament Champions from 2002-2005 and played No. 2 on the high school squad as a sixth grader... Went undefeated on the court from 7th grade through 12th... Received the John G. McCrory Award given to top male senior athlete... Personal: Francis Pearce Johnson is the son of Pearce and Mary Johnson... Member of Morse College... Member of Yale squash team... High school rival of current teammate Devon Kelley... Played percussion in Charlottesville Youth Orchestra...


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Brentwood's Carson Cross, the Athlete of the Month, making major stridesStaff Report
June 24. 2013 7:24PM
Carson Cross is beginning to see the fruits of his labor.
Earlier this month, the University of Connecticut redshirt sophomore pitcher from Brentwood was selected in the 24th round of the Major League Baseball first-year player draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
This week, Cross was honored by the New Hampshire Union Leader as its Athlete of the Month for May after compiling a 3-1 record with a 2.75 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP in five postseason outings.
The righthander received 25 points from the nine-member Union Leader Board of Judges, nudging Bri Keenan of Greenland, a softball outfielder for Tufts University, and Sydney Strout, a high school softball pitcher from Gilford. Both received 24 points from the judges.
Cross, who has the option of returning to UConn next season, posted a 9-4 record with a 2.44 ERA. He fanned 86 batters and walked 24 in 110 2/3 innings. Those numbers were good enough to land him on the All-Big East second team.
In May, in the opening round of the Big East tournament, the 6-for-5 Cross pitched 7 2/3 innings in a 3-1 win over Rutgers. He scattered eight hits and fanned four. He surrendered five earned runs in an 8-0 loss to Louisville, but bounced back to earn the decision in a 7-3 win at George Mason. In that game he struck out seven in six innings.
His best performance of the month was a no-decision in a 3-2 win over Louisville in the Big East final. Cross pitched into the 10th inning, allowing seven hits and two runs with three strikeouts and no walks.
He capped his season in the NCAA Division I tournament by earning the win in a 5-2 victory at Virginia Tech, allowing one run on six hits over 6 1/3 innings.
Cross graduated from Exeter High and is the son of Jeff Cross, who was the first former New Hampshire high school player to play in the National Basketball Association. Jeff Cross played in 21 games for the Los Angeles Clippers. His father played for Portsmouth High and the University of Maine.
A sophomore left fielder, Keenan batted .400 (14-for-35) with 10 runs batted in and 10 scored in 11 May games. In one stretch, Keenan had two hits in six of eight games, with nine RBIs.
Strout, a senior left-handed pitcher who had a 10-0 record in May with seven strikeouts, set the Gilford softball program's record for career strikeouts. She struck out 12 during a 4-1 victory over Franklin, giving her 621 strikeouts. Strout had a 10-0 record in May, with seven shutouts. She tossed a no-hitter with 18 strikeouts in a 3-0 first round playoff win against Prospect Mountain of Alton.


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Sentiment improved after Obama said Nov. 18 that he was confident of striking a deal with Republican Congressional leaders. Signs of a stalemate in the talks sent the Dollar Index to a one-month low today.
In televised interviews broadcast over the weekend, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner and House Speaker John Boehner blamed each other for the standoff. The Dollar Index slid as much as 0.3 percent to 79.942, the least since Oct. 31.
Two-thirds of the 862 analysts surveyed in the Bloomberg Global Poll described the world economy as either stable or improving last month, the largest proportion since May 2011 and up from just over half in September.
Base metals were four of the top five performers on the GSCI index last month, with aluminum rising 10 percent. Zinc was second, with a 9.7 percent gain. Soybeans and natural gas were the biggest losers, dropping 7.1 percent and 6.9 percent, respectively. The GSCI is up 0.7 percent in 2012.
European Rally
West Texas Intermediate oil advanced 3.1 percent on the New York Mercantile Exchange, leaving it $22.32 below Brent on the ICE Futures Europe exchange, $5.56 short of the widest spread ever. WTI has slipped 10 percent this year. Brent has risen 3.6 percent.
WTI may recover 13 percent in 2013, according to the median of 33 analyst forecasts compiled by Bloomberg. Copper may be little changed, a separate survey of 23 analysts showed.
The Stoxx Europe 600 Index rose 2.2 percent last month, bringing its advance this year to 17 percent. It was the sixth straight month of gains, its longest rally since 2006. The S&P 500 climbed 0.6 percent, extending its increase in 2012 to 15 percent. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index added 2.4 percent, bringing its growth this year to 13 percent.
The U.S. equity benchmark will fall 1.2 percent to 1,399 by the end of the year, according to the average of 14 Wall Street strategists tracked by Bloomberg. It will recover 11 percent in 2013, the average of eight forecasts showed.
Equities as measured by the Stoxx 600 slid to the lowest in more than two months on Nov. 15 after the European Union's statistics office in Luxembourg said gross domestic product in the 17-nation currency bloc slipped 0.1 percent in the third quarter, after a 0.2 percent drop in the previous three months.
Corporate Earnings
Fourth-quarter earnings at Standard & Poor's 500 Index companies will grow 3.9 percent, according to analysts' estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Excluding financial companies, profits will grow 0.8 percent, the data showed.
The dollar strengthened 3.4 percent against the yen in November, partly as Shinzo Abe, the front-runner to become Japan's next prime minister, called for unlimited stimulus. Japan's cabinet approved 880 billion yen ($10.7 billion) of additional stimulus on Nov. 30.
"The U.S. economy is better than people expected," said Hiroki Shimazu, an economist in Tokyo at SMBC Nikko Securities Inc., a unit of Japan's third-largest publicly traded bank by assets. "In Japan, the central bank would have to print a lot of money, and the yen will weaken. I don't think the decline is over."
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Fixed mortgage rates on long-term loans in the United States hit record lows in the week, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. said Wednesday.
In a weekly tracking report released a day early due to the Thanksgiving holiday, Freddie Mac said the average 30-year fixed mortgage interest rate dropped from 3.34 percent to 3.31 percent with an average 0.7 points, Freddie Mac said.
A year earlier, interest rates for 30-year, fixed-rate loans were at 3.98 percent.
For 15-year loans, interest rates fell from 2.65 percent to 2.63 percent with an average 0.7 points. A year ago, 15-year loan rates averaged 3.3 percent.
Average interest rates for five-year adjustable-rate mortgages were at 2.74 percent with 0.6 point, unchanged from the previous week. In the same week of 2011, rates for five-year ARM contracts stood at 2.91 percent.
The average interest rate for one-year ARM contracts climbed from 2.55 percent to 2.56 percent in the week with 0.5 points. A year earlier, rates for one-year ARM loans stood at 2.79 percent.