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Just a few months ago Arsenal were riding high, as they still had credible chances to win trophies in four competitions. However, a late defeat to unfancied Birmingham City in the Carling Cup final initiated an awful sequence of events. Elimination by Barcelona in the Champions League was maybe predictable, though hopes had been high after a scintillating victory in the first leg, but the collapse of form in the Premier League was less understandable.
The fans were not best pleased by the club's decision to raise ticket prices by 6.5% after another disappointing end to a season, especially against the backdrop of a takeover by one of the world's wealthiest individuals, Stan Kroenke. Their mood was not exactly improved when the club sold its best two players, Cesc Fàbregas and Samir Nasri, in the summer.
Although there were sound reasons for these departures (Fàbregas wanted to return to his home town team; Nasri was entering the final year of his contract), it still seemed to underline Arsenal's diminishing status and reinforce the label of a selling club. As manager Arsène Wenger said a few weeks earlier, "Imagine the worst situation, that we lose Fàbregas and Nasri. You cannot convince people that you are ambitious after that."
"Oh Mickey, you're so fine"
That was a bitter pill to swallow, but could have been sweetened by the arrival of world-class replacements. The rumour mill spoke of hefty bids for the likes of Eden Hazard, Yann M'Vila, Mario Götze, Juan Mata and Santi Cazorla, but the fans had to make do with the last minute arrival of lesser lights like Mikel Arteta, Yossi Benayoun, Per Mertesacker, André Santos and Park Chu-Young. All fine professionals, no doubt, but not really the players to take Arsenal to the next level. These purchases in the latter stages of the transfer window smacked of desperation, rather than any coherent strategy.
The early signs for the new Arsenal have not been promising, as the club has endured its worst start to a campaign for over 50 years. Although the club has done pretty well in the Champions League, drawing away to Borussia Dortmund and winning at home against Olympiacos, the performances have not displayed Arsenal's customary assured passing style. In the Premier League, it has been even worse with four defeats in the first seven games, including a humiliating 8-2 thrashing by Manchester United, a scarcely believable 4-3 loss to Blackburn Rovers and, most painfully of all, a 2-1 reverse against Spurs in the North London derby.
Arsenal's support has always found some comfort in their self-sustaining business model, as the performance off the pitch has been the envy of most other clubs. However, even here, matters appear to have taken a turn for the worse in the recently announced financial results for 2011 with revenue falling from £380 million to £256 million and profit before tax declining from £56 million to £15 million. Clearly, that's still far from shabby, but if you consider the magnitude of Arsenal's profits in the last three years (2008 - £37 million, 2009 - £46 million), it's a fair old fall.
Of course, headline figures can be highly misleading, so, with apologies to 50 Cent, let's take a closer look at the underlying factors behind the numbers with 21 questions.
1. Why did the profit fall by so much?
There are two segments in Arsenal's business: property development's profit before tax actually rose by £2 million from £11 million to £13 million, while football dramatically fell £43 million from £45 million to just £2 million. Interestingly, chief executive Ivan Gazidis's report partly attributed lower profits to a "reduced level of exceptional gains… from our property business", but, even though the revenue was much lower, the profit is definitely higher after the write-back of an £8 million impairment provision and a £4 million reduction in interest payable, as all property debt has been cleared.
The principal reason for the huge decrease in football profit is much lower profit on player sales, which fell from £38 million in 2010 (mainly the sales of Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Touré to Manchester City) to £6 million in 2011 (largely Eduardo to Shakhtar Donetsk). The big money sales of Fàbregas, Nasri, Gäel Clichy and Emmanuel Eboué were not included in the 2011 results, as they took place after the accounting close of 31 May.
However, operating profit has also fallen by £11 million from £20 million to £9 million, as revenue was essentially flat at £225 million, while the wage bill surged 12% from £111 million to £124 million. Although player amortisation was £3 million lower, due to the limited investment in new players, this was offset by £3 million of exceptional costs associated with the takeover of the club.
2. Is the football business still profitable?
Yes, but the latest profit of £2 million emphasises how reliant the business model has become on player sales. Excluding the £6 million profit from this activity in 2011 would result in a loss of £4 million, partly due to the annual interest payments of £14 million that the club has had to cover since the club moved to the Emirates stadium.
The graph above highlights how much lower the football profit would have been if Arsenal had not been so financially astute in the transfer market. For example, the thumping great £56 million profit last year included £11 million from property development and £38 million from player sales. Without these exceptional factors, the pure football profit was only £7 million.
It is true that Arsenal still generated a healthy cash operating profit of £46 million in 2011, albeit £11 million less than the previous year, but that excludes non cash flow expenses like player amortisation and depreciation, which have to be absorbed via asset payments.
3. So Arsenal's profitability is no good?
Far from it. Chairman Peter Hill-Wood observed, "We have had a robust financial performance, reporting another profitable set of full year results" and that's fair comment. In the highly demanding world of football, very few clubs actually make money, as can be seen by looking at last year's results when only four teams in the Premier League were profitable: Arsenal way ahead of the rest at £56 million, Wolverhampton Wanderers £9 million, West Bromwich Albion £0.5 million and Birmingham City £0.1 million.
This is emphasised by the huge losses reported by Arsenal's perennial challengers: Chelsea £70 million, Manchester United £80 million and new kids on the block Manchester City £121 million. In fairness to United, their loss include many exceptional expenses related to the restructuring of their loans and they have recently announced a £30 million profit before tax for 2011.
To underline the Gunners' focus on financials, Arsenal's 2011/12 profit should be sensational with the inclusion of this summer's player sales.
"Robin Reliant"
4. Why did revenue fall so much?
Revenue dropped by £124 million from £380 million to £256 million, but football revenue actually slightly increased by £2 million from £223 million to £225 million, so the fall was entirely due to the expected slow-down in property development, which declined £126 million from £157 million to £30 million.
The Highbury Square business peaked last year with the sale of 362 apartments worth £134 million plus the disposal of the Queensland Road social housing element for £23 million. This year only 69 flats were sold, as the club "sought to achieve value rather than sell off the remaining flats at the fastest possible rate."
"Unlucky, Theo"
5. So is the property business over?
Not quite, but it's nearing the end. Only 16 of the original Highbury Square apartments remain to be sold, though 21 additional property units adjacent to that development will also be available from spring 2012.
Three months ago, the Queensland Road market residential element was sold to Barratt, though the revenue and costs associated with this development will only be recognised in the accounts when legal completion occurs. This is estimated to be in summer 2012, so would only be included in the 2012/13 results. No financial details of this sale have been released, but The News of the World estimated that it was worth £25 million to Arsenal.
Discussions are ongoing with Islington Council's planning department relating to the two remaining property sites on Hornsey Road and Holloway Road.
Importantly, whatever the accounting treatment, these developments will generate a useful chunk of cash, which has been estimated at £40 million in total by the Arsenal Supporters' Trust. When commenting on the most recent results, Ivan Gazidis specifically noted this factor, "Our property business is debt-free, so any new sales of property do accumulate cash, which is very positive for the future."
6. What's happened to the revenue growth?
There has been zero growth since 2009 in the football operation, where revenue has been at the same level for three years: 2009 £225 million, 2010 £223 million and 2011 £225 million.
The only revenue stream that has grown in this period is broadcasting as a result of centrally negotiated deals by the Premier League and UEFA (for the Champions League). Both of the other revenue categories have declined, most notably match day income from £100 million to £93 million. Although the much maligned commercial area rose £2 million last year to £46 million, this is incredibly still £2 million lower than the £48 million reported in 2009.
7. Are other clubs suffering from no revenue growth?
Back in 2005 Arsenal's revenue of £115 million was the lowest of the traditional Big Four English clubs, £51 million behind Manchester United's £166 million. The move to the Emirates stadium in 2006 helped drive Arsenal to second place in the English money league, a position they have held since then.
So far so good, but as we have seen, the wheels have come off in the last two years. Chelsea and Liverpool also experienced virtually no growth in 2010, though I would expect Chelsea's revenue to increase following new sponsorship deals with Samsung and Adidas. Liverpool have also signed lucrative new deals with Standard Chartered and Warrior, though their figures will be hit by the failure to qualify for the Champions League.
The problem for Arsenal (and the other clubs) is that Manchester United's revenue is still growing apace – from £286 million in 2010 to £331 million in 2011 on the back of significant commercial advances. Not only that, but the Spanish giants have also reported substantial gains in 2001: Real Madrid from £359 million to £417 million and Barcelona from £326 million to £392 million.
8. So is Arsenal's revenue on the low side?
By no means. Last season Arsenal's revenue was the fifth highest in Deloitte's Money League, only behind Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United and Bayern Munich, so they're hardly on the poverty line.
The issue is that Arsenal are struggling to increase their revenue, while the others are powering ahead. This was explicitly acknowledged by Arsène Wenger, "Barca and Real Madrid have much more financial power than they had 14 years ago, because they have individualised their TV rights."
That's certainly true, but Arsenal have also fallen behind on commercial income, where they only stand 13th highest in Europe. Last season their revenue of £44 million in this category was dwarfed by Bayern Munich £142 million, Real Madrid £124 million, Barcelona £100 million and Manchester United £81 million.
Not only that, but the gap is getting wider. While Arsenal's commercial revenue slightly increased to £46 million in 2011, other leading clubs have all reported substantial improvement. In particular, Manchester United became the first English club to top £100 million from this revenue stream. Their £103 million is now £57 million more than Arsenal. Put another way, that's the equivalent of ten players on £100,000 a week. A similar level of sponsorship money would revolutionise Arsenal's wage structure.
9. Why is commercial revenue so low?
Arsenal's weakness in this area arises from the fact they had to tie themselves into long-term deals to provide security for the stadium financing, which arguably made sense at the time, but recent deals by other clubs have highlighted the lost opportunities. The Emirates deal was worth £90 million, covering 15 years of stadium naming rights (£42 million) running until 2020/21 and 8 years of shirt sponsorship (£48 million) until 2014. Similarly, the club signed a 7-year kit supplier deal with Nike for £55 million until 2012, but that has since been extended by 3 years until 2014.
So, following step-ups, the shirt sponsorship deal is reportedly worth £5.5 million a season, which compares highly unfavourably to the £20 million earned by Liverpool from Standard Chartered, Manchester United from Aon and (reportedly) Manchester City from Etihad. Even more galling is that Tottenham now earn £12.5 million a season from shirt sponsorship (Auresma £10 million plus Investec £2.5 million). It's the same story on the continent with Barcelona's first-ever shirt sponsorship deal with the Qatar Foundation worth £26 million.
The news is no better with Arsenal's kit deal, which now delivers £8 million a season, compared to the £25 million deal recently announced by Liverpool with Warrior Sports and the £25.4 million paid to Manchester United by Nike.
It's not overly dramatic to say that Arsenal leave at least £30 million a season on the table, because of these historical commercial deals, which would fund the purchase of one great player every season. One of the club's biggest challenges is how to bridge this gap until 2014, when these deals are up for renewal.
10. What is the club doing about commercial revenue?
New owner Stan Kroenke has said that he "intends to use his experience to help Arsenal continue to grow its global brand", pledging that they "will be able to do as well as Manchester United." Quite frankly, that seems a long way off, as United continue to raise the bar, most spectacularly the amazing DHL deal to sponsor training kit for £10 million a season, which exceeds the value of all but four of the main shirt sponsorship deals in the Premier League.
Arsenal have restructured their executive team at great expense, recruiting Tom Fox from the NBA in August 2009 as Commercial Director to "drive long-term commercial success." However, the proof of the pudding is in the eating and so far there has been a lot of talk about "jam tomorrow", as opposed to tangible revenue growth.
To be fair, it's relatively early days in the club's five-year plan and there are some signs of progress. In particular, a few secondary sponsors have been signed up recently, including Carlsberg at around £3 million a year and Indesit in a "multi-million" deal. In addition, Citroen extended their deal for a higher sum, while there were new agreements with Thomas Cook, replacing Thompson Sport, and on-line gambling firm Betsson. However, Arsenal still have less than half the number of sponsors that partner with Manchester United.
Arsenal's tour to Malaysia and China was their first long-distance pre-season tour in 12 years and should help grow the club's global fan base in this valuable market, potentially boosted by the signing of South Korea captain Park Chu-Young. The Guardian reported that the tour would generate £15 million, which seems on the high side, but there's little doubt that this was a positive financial move, although may not have been ideal in terms of fitness conditioning.
Other improvements are less visible, but may deliver in the future, such as refurbishing the club premium areas and, most intriguingly, signing a multimedia distribution agreement with MP & Silva.
11. What happens if the club fails to qualify for the Champions League?
Arsenal have managed to qualify for the Champions League a remarkable 14 years in succession, though this season the side had to demonstrated impressive resilience to get through a tricky qualifying tie against Udinese. In other words, they have become accustomed to a regular infusion of substantial funds from playing in Europe.
Last season Arsenal received €30 million (£26 million) for reaching the last 16 in the Champions League, which was €3 million less than the previous year, when they progressed a round further. Even if they did not make it out of the group, they would still receive around £25 million, but the prize for doing better is considerable, e.g. last year's finalists Barcelona and Manchester United received £44 million and £46 million respectively.
Those are just the television distributions, but there are also be additional gate receipts and bonus clauses in various sponsorship deals, increasing the amount of money at stake. In total, we're probably looking at a £35-45 million potential revenue reduction.
The Europa League's TV distribution is very low in comparison. Last season, the two English representatives, Manchester City and Liverpool, each earned just €6 million for reaching the last 16, while the highest pay-out was only €9 million. However, at least this tournament would still deliver significant gate receipts. As the season ticket includes seven cup games, the price of the ticket would surely have to come down without Europe, so qualification for the Europa League is still worthwhile from that perspective.
In the past, Gazidis has claimed that Arsenal budget so that the club could survive missing a year of Champions League football without selling players, but there's no doubting the importance of qualification, not least in terms of attracting the right calibre of player to the club, though Liverpool have managed to secure the services of the likes of Luis Suarez, despite being absent from Europe's flagship competition.
12. What are the implications of slipping down the Premier League?
Even though Arsenal dropped a place to fourth in 2010/11, the Premier League distribution increased £5 million to £56 million, almost entirely due to the substantial increase in overseas rights for the new three-year deal that commenced last season. Excluding overall contract changes, there's actually not an enormous difference between finishing third and fourth, due to the equitable nature of the distribution methodology.
Each club gets an equal share of 50% of the domestic rights (£13.8 million) and 100% of the overseas rights (£17.9 million). However, facility fees (25% of domestic rights) depend on how many times each club is broadcast live, and this was worth £11.6 million. Finally, merit payments (25% of domestic rights) are worth £757,000 per place in the league table. For example, if Arsenal were to drop, say, four places to eighth that would equate to a £3 million decrease in revenue.
13. Could they have avoided raising ticket prices?
The short answer is, of course they could, as nobody put a gun against their head, especially given that Arsenal enjoy the third highest match day income in the world, only behind Manchester United and Real Madrid. This fell slightly in 2011 from £93.9 million to £93.1 million, even though there was one more home match, as the mix was not so favourable, due to two fewer games in the Champions League. Arsenal's season ticket prices are already among the highest in the world, though comparisons are difficult, as they include seven cup games.
Arsène Wenger made the reasonable point that the 6.5% price rise was necessary in order "to increase our income to fight with the other clubs", but there would have been other ways of making a similar sum. For example, a bit more success on the pitch would have generated additional funds, either via a higher Premier League place (second was there for the taking) or more victories in the Champions League (remember Shakhtar Donetsk and Braga away?). Or how about one of the board directors that coined it after the sale of their shares to Kroenke paying the £3 million takeover costs borne by the club?
As the old saying goes, where there's a will, there's a way. Unfortunately, the club's stance was explained by Tom Fox in an interview with an American magazine. After seeing the 40,000 waiting list for season tickets, he said "As a US sports executive… you think, you're not charging enough for tickets." In the business world, price increases are often considered the path of least resistance, and football club owners are proving increasingly happy to adopt the same approach, as their "customers" have the fiercest brand loyalty around. After all, an Arsenal fan is hardly likely to switch his allegiance to Spurs.
14. Will the crowd levels hold up?
Arsenal's average attendance of 60,000 is the second highest in England, only surpassed by Manchester United's 75,000. In fact, it is the seventh best in Europe. All good, but this level of support should not be taken for granted. Not only is the team less successful, but the quality of football at the Emirates has faded, leading to a less attractive "product" (to use a marketing term). In addition, the effects of the economic crisis mean that some fans will simply be unable to afford to follow Arsenal, a fact acknowledged by Wenger, "The stadiums will be less quickly full and we have noticed that already."
15. Is it true that Arsenal have spent much less than other clubs on transfers?
Absolutely true. In fact, Arsenal are the only leading club to make money from buying and selling players in the era of foreign ownership (starting from the arrival of Roman Abramovich at Chelsea). Since 2003/04, Arsenal have net proceeds of £21 million, while Chelsea and Manchester City have spent well over £400 million. In the same period, Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester United have all spent around £100 million.
Billy Beane, one of the pioneers of the Moneyball approach to buying under-valued players, is a big fan of Wenger's approach, "When I think of Wenger, I think of Warren Buffett. He runs his football club like he is going to own it for 100 years." Stan Kroenke clearly shares his view, praising Wenger for "his ability to spend money and extract value."
This is all well and good, but in a time when other leading clubs are generously funded by benefactor owners, some compromise might be in order. Indeed, Gazidis promised a busy summer and Arsenal splashed out £53 million on new players. Of course, they still ended up with net sales proceeds of £18 million, as players leaving brought in £71 million. If decent offers had come in for the likes of Nicklas Bendtner, Manuel Almunia, Sébastien Squillaci and Denilson, this sum may well have been even higher.
"Jackie Wilshere said"
16. How much is available to spend on transfers?
Before the summer transfer window, Ivan Gazidis said that Arsenal had a substantial transfer budget, "Financially, we're in a strong position. We have resources to spend. We're certainly not sitting there saying 'Let's hold back on our resources for some reason.' Why would we? The resources are there." My own estimate was that the club had £35 million available excluding any surplus cash from property development. Everything else being equal, as we have seen, the summer's activity should have produced another £18 million, which would theoretically mean a transfer budget of £53 million.
Some fans look at the club's cash balances of £160 million, up from £128 million a year ago, and think that more money must be available, but the club has to maintain a debt service reserve for the stadium financing and also has to consider the seasonal nature of cash flows, e.g. money taken from season ticket renewals at the beginning of summer will be used to pay expenses over the next few months.
Nevertheless, it is clear that a sizeable war chest is still there, as Gazidis recently confirmed, "We deliberately kept some powder dry… There are funds available to invest in a significant way in January and next summer." Whether the club does so is another matter, though any expenditure in January might pay for itself if it makes the difference between qualifying for the Champions League or not.
17. But what about the wages?
While Arsenal could almost certainly afford to pay transfer fees for new players, there remains the question of whether they could also afford to pay the wages. On the face of it, this should not be a problem, as Arsenal's wage bill of £124 million is one of the highest in England. Although it is £29 million lower than Manchester United's £153 million, that was inflated by performance-related bonus payments, so the real difference is much lower.
That said, Arsenal's wage bill in 2010 of £111 million was overtaken by both Manchester City £133 million and Liverpool £114 million, plus it was considerably lower than Chelsea's £173 million, though that should reduce following the departure of a number of senior players.
The pressure to compete is obvious by the deterioration in Arsenal's wage to turnover ratio from 46% in 2009 to 55% in 2011. Although this is still one of the best in the Premier League, it is the logical result of flat revenue and 20% growth in wages (12% last season alone).
Given the magnitude of Arsenal's wage bill, it seems strange that they do not pay top dollar to their star players, but this is due to a couple of factors. First of all, Arsenal have a very large squad with a vast number of "young professionals", but more importantly they operate an equitable wage structure, which means that the best players are not particularly well remunerated (by modern standards), while fringe players like Abou Diaby, Thomas Rosicky and Marouane Chamakh are handsomely rewarded for their efforts. Not only does this reduce the money available to attract world class players, but it also makes it difficult to move on under-performers, hence loans for Bendtner and Denilson.
This approach needs a root and branch review, as it cannot be adjusted for an individual player or others will soon demand equivalent pay rises. This is a concern with some key players entering the final year of their contracts like Robin Van Persie, Thomas Vermaelen and Theo Walcott. Van Persie has already complained that Arsenal will not pay "enormous amounts of money", hinting that this encourages a player's decision to "go elsewhere." This issue was tacitly confirmed by Wenger, "I cannot today say that if we go to the maximum we are sure to sign a player."
18. Can the club pay off its debt?
Following the elimination of the property debt, the club has managed to reduce its gross debt to £258 million, leaving just the long-term bonds that represent the "mortgage" on the Emirates Stadium (£231 million) and the debentures held by supporters (£27 million). Once cash balances of £160 million are deducted, net debt is down to only £98 million, which is a significant reduction from the £136 million last year and the £318 million peak in 2008.
It's not clear whether it would be possible for Arsenal to pay off the outstanding debt early in order to reduce the interest charges, but my guess is that they are in no hurry to do so, as Gazidis has previously argued that not all debt is bad, "The debt that we're left with is what I would call 'healthy debt' – it's long term, low rates and very affordable for the club." In any case, the 2010 accounts clearly stated, "Further significant falls in debt are unlikely in the foreseeable future. The stadium finance bonds have a fixed repayment profile over the next 21 years and we currently expect to make repayments of debt in accordance with that profile."
"No doubting Thomas"
19. Will UEFA's Financial Fair Play help Arsenal?
Many fans believe that the FFP regulations will benefit Arsenal, as they force clubs to live within their means if they wish to compete in Europe. The theory was that this would lead to the demise of the big spending, benefactor model, while encouraging those teams who adopted a self-sustaining approach. Clearly, Arsenal will have no problem complying with the new rules, but other leading clubs are maybe not so badly placed as once feared.
Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have been consistently profitable, thanks to their huge revenue, while Barcelona have also reported regular profits except when there is a change in club president. Even Manchester United now make profits despite their ample interest payments.
Clearly, FFP will be more of a challenge for clubs like Manchester City and Chelsea, who make huge losses, but UEFA have made it easier for such clubs to conform. First, UEFA's break-even calculation is not exactly the same as a club's statutory accounts, as it excludes certain expenses, including depreciation on tangible fixed assets and expenditure on youth development and community development activities.
"Most ox-cellent"
Second, wealthy owners will be allowed to absorb aggregate losses (so-called "acceptable deviations") of €45 million (£39 million), initially over two years and then over a three-year monitoring period, as long as they are willing to cover the deficit by making equity contributions.
If that wasn't enough, clubs will be allowed to exclude wages from players signed before June 2010, so long as they are reporting an improving trend in their accounts. Granted, that "loophole" only exists for the first two monitoring periods (2013/14 and 2014/15), but it will buy the clubs time to improve their finances.
Finally, there has to be a concern that accountants and lawyers will look to bend the rules. Wenger accused Manchester City of doing just this with their £400 million Etihad deal, "They give us the message that they can get around it by doing what they want. It means financial fair play will not come in."
In short, FFP may not prove to be the cavalry coming over the hill that some imagined for Arsenal. If it is, then it will be a good few years before it bites.
"Rambo - first touch"
20. What are Stan Kroenke's plans?
All indications point to Kroenke being an owner that prefers not to interfere with those running the club, which he confirmed in a recent interview with the Daily Telegraph, "The idea is to put good people in place and trust them to do their jobs." In fact, he has said that Arsène Wenger can remain at Arsenal for as long as he likes. However, you would have to think that he would take steps to protect his investment if it looked like Arsenal were struggling financially.
Although he is unlikely to push for a massive spending spree ("There's a risk of going backwards if you over-react and start throwing money around in an attempt to solve your problems"), he is not afraid to spend, e.g. his Denver teams are among the top spenders in the NBA and NHL, while the St Louis Rams have spent the maximum allowed under the NFL salary cap rules.
He is a long-term investor who has never sold a share in one of his sporting clubs, but if he did want an exit route at Arsenal, then Alisher Usmanov, who holds just over 29% of the club's shares, would happily provide it. He has offered £14,000 a share, which is considerably higher than the £11,750 that Kroenke paid to take his stake to around 67%. That seems unlikely, given Kroenke's excitement about the potential at Arsenal, not least the global opportunities offered by broadcasting the Premier League.
"Pole apart"
21. What could Arsenal do to improve their finances?
Bearing in mind Peter Hill-Wood's assertion that "strong financial performance is not an end in itself, but creates the platform from which the club can build and sustain the on-field success which is always the main objective", there are a few actions that Arsenal could take:
a. Renegotiate the main sponsorship deals. Although these are only due for renewal in 2014, there must be some mileage in trying to negotiate an increase now in return for guaranteed renewal. Obviously, Arsenal's ability to maximise value would be stronger if the team is winning trophies.
b. Review the wages structure to make it easier to attract world-class stars.
c. Offload under-achieving players, even if they are sold cheaply or given away, in order to have some room to manoeuvre in the wage bill.
d. Buy quality in January. This could boost the team's performance in the second half of the season, as happened with Liverpool last season, and ensure that the likes of Van Persie don't jump ship.
e. Rebuild the famous scouting network. It seems like ages since they beat other clubs to the best talent worldwide.
"Don't look Bac in anger"
f. Kroenke could loan the club funds to fill the hole until the commercial machine starts buzzing. He might even pay off the outstanding debt to remove the interest burden.
g. Consider a rights issue. Although an expensive (and unlikely) option, this would also raise money and might even extend the fans' ownership scheme.
h. Inject some new blood onto the board. Former director Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith suggested that the current directors should be replaced by a more "dynamic, pro-active, younger board", while Usmanov accused the board of lacking ambition.
i. Review the training and medical practices. Arsenal's lengthy injury list, including crucial players like jack Wilshere and Thomas Vermaelen, has severely damaged their prospects for a few seasons. There surely must be more to it than simple misfortune.
Obviously, it's not all doom and gloom at Arsenal. They have a fabulous stadium, a renowned academy, a great manager and a few top quality players. However, it does feel as if the club is at a crossroads and the decisions they take over the next few months could be very important for Arsenal's future, both on and off the pitch.


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In the last post, part three of this series, we discussed the logic behind citing a census record. However, we only cited part of the record we used. As selected in the last post, we chose to use the following sample record:
So that you can all see what record I am citing, I have included a link to an image of the 1860 census page containing my 3 x great-grandfather, Calvin Hait: http://www.footnote.com/image/#87912598 If you do not have a paid subscription to Footnote.com, you can sign up for a free 7-day trial to view this image. The image is also available on Ancestry.com. The free index entry on FamilySearch.org (while not the image) is available using the following short link: http://bit.ly/muMV9U
The citation for this record as it stood at the conclusion of the last post is as follows:
1860 U. S. Census, Suffolk County, New York, population schedule, Town of Brookhaven, Patchogue post office, page 115, dwelling 877, family 920, Calvin Hait household …
So where do we go from here?
We have already cited the record itself–or more clearly stated, we have cited the census household. But we have not fully cited the actual source that we are using. In order to fully cite the source we are using, we have to specify what we are actually looking at.
For example, if you are looking at the actual original paper census record, you would cite this as such. For most of us, this is not the case.
My first exposure to census records came as a teenager at the National Archives in Washington, D. C. In those days, before any of the microfilm had been digitized, we would cite the microfilm. The National Archives microfilm publication for the 1860 U. S. Census is M653. So we would cite this as
NARA microfilm publication M653
As with the census itself, this is akin to a title, but is not a title, so it would not be italicized.
M653 consists of 1,438 rolls of microfilm. So, of course, it is necessary to indicate which roll of microfilm holds the record we are using. In this case it is roll number 865.
The full citation for this census record, as I read it on the National Archives microfilm years ago, would thus be:
1860 U. S. Census, Suffolk County, New York, population schedule, Town of Brookhaven, Patchogue post office, page 115, dwelling 877, family 920, Calvin Hait household; NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 865.
Of course, unless you lived near Washington, D. C., you probably did not view the original NARA microfilm. Most researchers were more likely to use the Family History Library microfilm, which would have been indicated by citing "… FHL microfilm no. 803,865."
Today, few people actually still use the microfilm–either the NARA publication or FHL's copy–to access federal census records. Instead, we use the digital images provided online by Ancestry, Footnote, HeritageQuest, etc. This is how we would cite these:
First we must specify that this was a digital image (as opposed to a transcription, database, or some other format). The easiest way to state this is plainly.
We previously discussed the elements to citing a website, in part two of this series. These are no different in this case than in any other.
In the case of a digital image of a census record appearing on a website, the website itself is the publication. Think of it like you would a book, with the census image being an article or chapter within the book. Again, we must remember that the census record does not bear a title, so it would not be enclosed in quotation marks the way a traditional chapter would be.
Using the principles outlined in part two of this series, we would cite the creator, title, and publication information (URL and date accessed) of the website publication. In this case, the citation would appear as follows:
digital images, Footnote.com (http://www.footnote.com : accessed 25 June 2011)
In this case, in order to provide the most accurate information possible, we would also want to cite the source of the digital image, as cited by the website itself. This is indicated by the use of the word "citing." Footnote includes the source information as seen here:
This information includes the microfilm publication number, but not the roll number. So in this case we would state exactly what Footnote cites:
citing NARA microfilm publication M653, roll not identified.
Here we also get into proper use of punctuation. According to the Chicago Manual of Style Online (16th Edition), a semicolon is used for various reasons:
In regular prose, a semicolon is most commonly used between two independent clauses not joined by a conjunction to signal a closer connection between them than a period would.[1]
When items in a series themselves contain internal punctuation, separating the items with semicolons can aid clarity. If ambiguity seems unlikely, commas may be used instead.[2]
Both of these apply in this case (and many others). First, we are combining multiple clauses into the formation of the full citation. The citation of the census household is one clause, the citation of the digital image is the second, and the citation provided by the website is a third. These multiple clauses should be separated by semicolons. The second reason cited above, for a series containing internal punctuation, also applies. The first two "clauses" both contain internal punctuation, and therefore must be separated by semicolons.
Evidence Explained, by Elizabeth Shown Mills, specifically addresses the use of semicolons in this context:
When we use a published source that cites its own source, our citation will focus upon the derivative that we actually used. However, it is good practice to record also where our source obtained his or her information. Depending upon the complexity of the situation, we may need to separate the two with a semicolon, … or we may separate them more simply with a comma ….[3]
Given all of this information, the full citation for the 1860 federal census record for Calvin Hait, as viewed on Footnote.com, would be as follows:
1860 U. S. Census, Suffolk County, New York, population schedule, Town of Brookhaven, Patchogue post office, page 115, dwelling 877, family 920, Calvin Hait household; digital images, Footnote.com (http://www.footnote.com : accessed 25 June 2011); citing NARA microfilm publication M653, roll not identified.
Future posts in this series will discuss other common record groups and citation formats.
[1] The Chicago Manual of Style Online (http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html : accessed 25 June 2011), chapter 6.54, "Use of the semicolon."
[2] The Chicago Manual of Style Online 6.58, "Semicolons in a complex series."
[3] Elizabeth Shown Mills, Evidence Explained (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2007), p. 88.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Vegetable jars are ideal when starting to wean, after 4 months. Menu jar varieties are suitable for older babies. Our junior menus from 8 months onwards help to make the transition to family meals easy.
More info on use, ingredients, nutritional values & more
Water, pumpkin* 31 %, chicken** 8 %, rice semolina**
*from biodynamic agriculture
**from organic agriculture
Stir before use. Warm a whole jar or a portion in a pot of boiling water. Start feeding 2-4 teaspoons and increase the amount up to one jar.
For all Holle jars the following applies: No added sugar or salt, no milk protein, no binding agent, no yeast, no egg, no lactose, the majority of jars is gluten-free and numerous are low in allergens.
To increase the availability of essential fatty acids we recommend fortifying with 2 teaspoons weaning oil. When introducing solid foods begin with a few spoons and increase the amount slowly according to your baby's needs. Unused food can be kept in the closed jar in the fridge for two days.


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85260 480,602,623 AZ Scottsdale... Granite Countertop ESTIMATE
Type: ESTIMATE
Status: Dead
Date: 10/26/2022 8:59:00 PM
The instant Estimator has 3 basic price factors unless previously defined for a specific stone or color group. This would be direct to fabricator pricing and not in the margin tiers which I will get to in a minute.
If you are intested in receiveing a Scottsdale countertop price estimator we provide you with typical pricing per square foot for Granite counter tops and any variations that are typical to the Granite style and demand for the Granite. You may use the special price to define price points for Scottsdale granite countertops estimate, Scottsdale laminet countertop estimate, Scottsdale ceasar stone countertop estimate, Scottsdale Solid surfaces countertop estimate, Scottsdale Quartz counter top estimate, Scottsdale marble counter top estimate, Scottsdale onyx countertop estimate, Scottsdale concrete countertop estimate, Scottsdale soapstone counter tops estimate, or any other Scottsdale countertop surface estimate.
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© 2018 Professional Remarketing Group, LLC All rights reserved.


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Yes, there's a mathematical explanation for why this one seems to have come around so fast: As you get older, each year becomes a small fraction of the whole. But that math takes some getting used to, doesn't it?
One of my gifts was a trip with friends to the wonderful new Broadway production of South Pacific, and I'd hoped today to read and write about the book that inspired it, James Michener's Tales of the South Pacific. But that will have to wait wait until my toes stop tapping out all those great tunes — "Bali Ha'i," "Honey Bun," "Happy Talk," "Bloody Mary," "Some Enchanted Evening," "There Is Nothin' Like a Dame," "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair" and others. Even as the fractions get smaller, we can feel "Younger Than Springtime," can't we?
(c) 2008 Janice Harayda. All rights reserved.


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Jonathan Papelbon doesn't feel safe in crowds of fans, thinks Pres. Obama wants to take his guns
The Phillies' closer reacts to the Boston Marathon bombing -- just watch the video.
One of the biggest changes in my philosophy about writing and reporting over the last decade involves athletes and their off-the-field views. I don't write about sports, I write about people is what I used to tell myself. Well, now I write about sports. There are some exceptions. If an athlete says or does something off of the field that adds something substantive to the public discourse, then I am all ears. For the most part, though, the attraction of sports is the way in which various talents and personalities manifest themselves in the heat of competition. These guys are not paid to think. In fact, thinking is often counterproductive, particularly in baseball. It is a singular sport, and I've found that the people who are most successful at it are often those whose mindset is simularly singular. They are focused on themselves, on their swing, on the pitcher, on the ball. Everything else -- the fans, the venue, the media, society at large -- is just white noise. It is not a sport that lends itself to introspection.
So rather than offer a critical dissection of the interview that Jonathan Papelbon gave to the Boston media yesterday with regard to the marathon bombing, I think I'm just going to relay the quotes and let them stand as another example of why we should not expect a lot of players to step outside of their comfort zone and think critically about serious issues.
Papelbon was asked about the safety at sporting events in the wake of the marathon attack and pointed to the Phillies' home opening tradition of having the players introduced as they enter the field from the stands.
"The Phillies did this thing the other day where we came down through the bleachers for one opening game, and I don't feel comfortable doing that," Papelbon said. "I really, truly don't. Today's day and age has gotten so crazy, everything. You know, all this stuff going on. Shoot, man, Obama wants to take our guns from us and everything, you've got this kind of stuff going on. It's a little bit insane for me. I really don't know how to take it."
The man clearly did not major in classical philosophy when he was at Mississippi State, so we probably should not be surprised if there is anything two-dimensional or self-centered about his processing of the events of the last 48 hours. He gets paid money (a lot) to pitch (one inning). This is an example of why we are better off letting him concentrate on that.


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Obama launches push for immigration overhaul
Seeking swift action on immigration, President Barack Obama on Tuesday will try to rally public support behind his proposals for giving millions of illegal immigrants a pathway to citizenship, as well as making improvements to the legal immigration system and border security.
The president will launch his push in a campaign-style event in Las Vegas, a day after a bipartisan group of senators unveiled their own plan for addressing an issue that has languished in Washington for years.
Administration officials said Obama would largely endorse the senators' efforts, though immigration advocates said they expected the president's own proposals to be more progressive than the Senate group's plan, including a faster pathway to citizenship.
The simultaneous immigration campaigns were spurred by the November presidential election, in which Obama won an overwhelming majority of Hispanic voters. The results caused Republican lawmakers who had previously opposed immigration reform to reconsider in order to rebuild the party's reputation among Hispanics, an increasingly powerful political force.
Most of the recommendations Obama will make Tuesday are not new. He outlined an immigration blueprint in May 2011 but exerted little political capital to get it passed by Congress, to the disappointment of many Hispanics.
Obama "will certainly note today the promising signs we've seen in Congress, most specifically the bipartisan principles put together by the group of senators that mirror his own principles," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Nevada. "That is cause for hope. And what you'll hear from the president today is how we need to take these initial positive steps and continue to move forward so that actual legislation is produced."
The president was to make his pitch in Nevada, a political battleground he carried in November, in large part because of support from Hispanics in the state.
Nationally, Obama won 71 percent of the Hispanic vote, giving him a key advantage over Republican rival Mitt Romney.
Administration officials said the president would bolster his 2011 immigration blueprint with some fresh details. His original plan centered on four key areas: a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S., improved border security, an overhaul of the legal immigration system, and an easier process for businesses to verify the legal status of workers.
Administration officials said they were encouraged to see the Senate backing the same broad principles. In part because of the fast action on Capitol Hill, Obama does not currently plan to send lawmakers formal immigration legislation.
However, officials said the White House does have legislation drafted and could fall back on it should the Senate process stall. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss internal strategy.
Carney said the president believes the package also should include recognition of gay couples where one partner is American and another is not.
"The president has long believed that Americans with same-sex partners from other countries should not be faced with the painful choice between staying with the person they love or staying in the country they love," Carney said.
Sen. John McCain called the issue a "red flag" in an interview Tuesday on "CBS This Morning."
The Arizona Republican also said he didn't think the issue was of "paramount importance at this time."
"We'll have to look at it," McCain said. But he added that the highest priority is finding a "broad consensus" behind the immigration bill already being planned. He said the country must do something about 11 million people "living in the shadows."
Obama's previous proposals for creating a pathway to citizenship required those already in the U.S. illegally to register with the government and submit to security checks; pay registration fees, a series of fines and back taxes; and learn English. After eight years, individuals would be allowed to become legal permanent residents and could eventually become citizens five years later.
The Senate group's pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the U.S. would be contingent upon securing the border and improving tracking of people in the U.S. on visas. Linking citizenship to border security could become a sticking point between the White House and lawmakers.
The Senate framework would also require those here illegally to pass background checks and pay fines and taxes in order to qualify for a "probationary legal status" that would allow them to live and work here — but not qualify for federal benefits — before being able to apply for permanent residency, a critical step toward citizenship. Once they are allowed to apply they would do so behind everyone else already waiting for a green card within the current immigration system.
Passage of legislation by the full Democratic-controlled Senate is far from assured, but the tallest hurdle could come in the House, which is dominated by conservative Republicans who've shown little interest in immigration reform.
The senators involved in formulating the immigration proposals, in addition to McCain, are Democrats Charles Schumer of New York, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Michael Bennet of Colorado; and Republicans Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marco Rubio of Florida and Jeff Flake of Arizona.
Several of these lawmakers have worked for years on the issue. McCain collaborated with the late Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy on comprehensive immigration legislation pushed by then-President George W. Bush in 2007, only to see it collapse in the Senate when it couldn't get enough GOP support.
Associated Press writer Erica Werner contributed to this report.
Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC


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The New Testament of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. London: Oxford University Press, undated. The book contains the New Testament and the Psalms. It measures approximately 10 cm x 7 cm x 2 cm. Inside the front cover is written "Charles Haight" and "1908". "Charles Haight" is scribbled over, and the initials "M J H" and the name "Mary Jane" and date "1908" — apparently in a child's handwriting — are written.
The following entries are handwritten on the blank pages in the back:
Helen Mae Fite
Born April 24, 1906
Charles Nathan Haight
Born Aug. 9, 1900
Married July 7, 1924
Richard Charles Haight
Born Apri. 26, 1930
Baptized Oct. 19, 1930
by Arthur B. Hess
Mary Jane Haight
Born Sept 6, 1934
Baptized June 9, 1935
by Rev. Clayton Griswald
The 1930 U. S. Census contains the following family:
Charles Haight, age 29, b. New York (both parents b. New York)
Helen [Haight], age 23, b. Pennsylvania (both parents b. Pennsylvania)
[1930 U. S. Census, Schuyler Co., New York, population schedule, Watkins Glen village, Dix township, ED 49-5, SD 13, pg. 17A, dwg. 429, fam. 429; NARA microfilm T626, roll 1647]
The Social Security Death Index has the following entries:
Charles Haight, b. 9 Aug 1900, d. Sep 1982, Watkins Glen, Schuyler Co., New York; SS#094-03-8038
Helen F. Haight, b. 24 Apr 1906, d. 14 Mar 1998, Watkins Glen, Schuyler Co., New York; SS#061-20-1815
There is a Richard C. Haight listed in the U. S. Public Records Index on Ancestry.com, living at Sebring, Highlands Co., Florida.


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The layers of flavor and texture in this salad are not only beautiful to look at, they are deeply satisfying: you get peppery, crisp, creamy, salty, and crunchy bites all in one dish!
INGREDIENTS makes 2 meal-sized salads
- 1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
- sea salt, a pinch or two
- 1/2 cup Extra Virgin olive oil
- 4 cups fresh baby arugula leaves
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced fennel bulb
- 1 avocado, sliced and peeled
- 1/2 cup Marcona almonds (or toasted pine nuts)
- 1 ounce best quality Parmesan, shaved
- freshly ground Black pepper
First, make your dressing. Scoop the Dijon into a 16 ounce Mason Jar, giving you plenty of room for whisking the dressing. Pour in 2 tablespoons of vinegar and a pinch of nice salt. Use a fork or small whisk to fully incorporate the ingredients. This next part is essential to a successful dressing: whisk vigorously and continually as you slowly drizzle your olive oil into the jar. Stop periodically to make sure the oil is emulsifying, giving it a few extra whisks before you continue drizzling in the oil. You will end up with a really nice creamy dressing for your salad. Taste and add more salt if you need it. Set aside. You will have leftover dressing for later use - always a nice thing to have on hand.
Wash and thoroughly dry your arugula. Scatter even amounts of greens onto two pretty plates or low bowls. Using a mandolin, if you've got one, slice the fennel bulb into thin rounds. Scatter fennel slivers over the arugula. Next layer on the avocado slices. Then sprinkle on the Marcona almonds. Finally, using a vegetable peeler, shave thick pieces of Parmesan over the salads. Drizzle a tablespoon or two of dressing onto each salad and give a few grinds of the pepper mill.


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Welcome to the Bucknell Maker Spaces.
The following links are virtual breadcrumbs marking the 12 most recent pages you have visited in Bucknell.edu. If you want to remember a specific page forever click the pin in the top right corner and we will be sure not to replace it. Close this message.


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The Lawyer's Daily will provide the same trusted content our readers have relied on for over 30 years in The Lawyers Weekly, but delivered on a daily basis, online in your browser, on your mobile device, and through daily newsletters specific to your areas of practice. Additionally, The Lawyer's Daily will provide the critical breaking news and coverage as-it- happens – keeping you informed and ahead of the curve. Subscribers to The Lawyer's Daily receive in-depth analysis of legal developments, illuminating thought leadership and access to historical news and digests in The Lawyer's Daily.
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Designed for trail riding in loose snow, Vanhelga brings traction technology to an entirely new level. Dual compound rubber lengthens tread life in the center of the tire while enhancing cornering control on the sides. Triple-siped shoulder knobs boost traction on ice. The tubeless ready design delivers a super supple ride quality, further enhances grip, and saves weight. In addition to these technological advancements, Vanhelga's deep and open tread pattern sheds snow and tracks flawlessly when the trail becomes soft and sloppy.
Going tubeless allows you to run lower tire pressures without the added weight of a tube. Lower tire pressure has many benefits, including greater traction, lower rolling resistance over rough surfaces, and decreased risk of a puncture-related flat.
Tubeless-ready rims and tires are parts of a complete system that eliminate the need for tubes by creating an airtight chamber between the rim and tire. Liquid sealant is added to the chamber to fill small punctures and maintain air pressure while you ride.
UST (Universal Standard for Tubeless) is a specific type of tubeless system that dictates the shape of the rim and tire bead. UST rims should be paired with UST-specific tires for best results.
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|Black / 60 TPI / 27.5 x 4.0


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Measha Brueggergosman
Born in 1977 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, the daughter of an employee of the Canadian Broadcasting Company grew up listening to classical music on CBC radio. When her remarkable sense of pitch and fearlessness as a performer were recognized by her first-grade teacher, her parents were encouraged to sign her up for both piano and singing lessons. At the age of fifteen she decided in favour of a singing career and subsequently studied at the University of Toronto with soprano Mary Morrison and after graduation continued her musical education with soprano and Lieder expert Edith Wiens in Germany. She later also worked with such distinguished musicians as Margaret Baker-Genovesi, Christoph Eschenbach, Brigitte Fassbaender, Margo Garrett, Håkan Hagegård, Jessye Norman, Rudolf Piernay, Thomas Quasthoff and Jean-Yves Thibaudet.


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The Royals are in Baltimore, but they will be out of here way too soon. I say that because the O's could use more games against sub-par teams like KC in order to boost their record and get to that .500 mark that they are dying for.
The Royals come into tonight's game at 14-24, opposed to the O's disgusting 12-26. Looking at the Royals schedule though, the O's would have probably had a few more wins with a few series against the disappointing White Sox as opposed to all of these games versus the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays.
Royals hitters are actually 4th in all of baseball in batting average overall at .272 (Orioles are 20th at .250). But just like the Orioles, these Royals hitters have no timely hitting, being 22nd in the league in runs scored, which is cause for most of their losses. They match up with the O's in the way that their starting pitching is very impressive at times, and their lineup is pretty stacked with guys who should be producing more but haven't been in clutch situations.
I am more interested in this two game stint between the league's worst duo because of the storylines behind each of the two games. Let's look at the pitching matchups, and that will explain everything (with an extra stat thrown in at the end):
Tonight (Monday, 7:05 ET): Kyle Davies, RHP (2-2, 5.22) at Brad Bergesen, RHP (3-2, 5.76)
Tomorrow (Tuesday, 7:05 ET): Zack Greinke, RHP (1-4, 2.73) at Kevin Millwood, RHP (0-4, 3.69)
The extra stat is that Billy Butler is hitting .338 on the season for KC in 148 at-bats, with 8 doubles, 4 homeruns, and 22 RBIs.
I bring up the stat because of last season. The most interesting storyline behind tonight's game will be the moment that Billy Butler steps into the batter's box for his first at-bat against Bergesen since last season when he was in the box and smacked a line drive right at Bergy's knee. That one swing ended his season, and eventually threw his mechanics completely off to give Brad a horrendous start to this year.
In the second game, everybody expects a pitcher's duel between two quality starters that have gotten no opportunities this season to really show off their power as a solid pitcher due to lack of run support (and in many cases, defensive support) by the other 8 guys on the field. Both pitchers have pitched 50+ innings in their 8 starts each this season (Greinke 52.2, Millwood 53.2), so it will be interesting to see how each lineup fares with the opposing pitcher when placed in a situation where neither team is really expected to score many runs.
The O's came into this 8 game homestand hoping to take 6 games or so against lower quality teams as compared to the AL East they have been faring poorly with. If the Orioles could pull out both wins over the Royals, they would take 5 wins and hit the road. That after a heartbreaker on Saturday, which threw the momentum off our side completely for the game the next afternoon, and eventually losing us the series to the Indians. Hopefully the O's can come out and back Bergesen up for a 4th straight start, and then again Tuesday to hopefully pull Millwood his 1st W of the season.


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Marvin Sapp: Surviving Loss, 'Keeping It Moving'
And if you're just joining us, this is WEEKENDS on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Guy Raz. And it's time now for music.
MARVIN SAPP: (Singing) Never would have made it, never could have made it without you.
RAZ: This is the biggest hit in gospel music in the past decade. It's called "Never Would Have Made It," and the man singing it is quite possibly the biggest name in gospel today: Marvin Sapp. His last record debuted at number two on the Billboard charts, the highest debut for a gospel record in half a century. Since then, Marvin Sapp has dealt with the tragic loss of his wife in 2010.
His new record is a tribute to her and to his faith. It's called "I Win." And I'm delighted to welcome Marvin Sapp here in the studio with me. It's great to have you.
SAPP: It's great to be here, Guy. Thank you very much.
RAZ: I imagine it's been a tough two years since the passing of your wife, Melinda.
SAPP: Very challenging, you know, trying to really learn new normals and really trying to find out who I am as a 45-year-old man versus when I married her at 23. So - but it's been good. You know, my kids are adjusting well and just trying to navigate through life.
RAZ: You know, before you came to the studio, I was talking to some folks in the building, and so many people mention the song "Never Would Have Made It" and how that song has helped so many people through really tough times. It came out in 2007. And the video of it is of you - you are a pastor, I should mention.
SAPP: Yeah.
RAZ: And we'll get to that in a moment, but you in the church, and it's almost sung like a sermon. Man - I mean, people listen to that song to get through tough times.
SAPP: Man, I'm blown away at how that song has had such the impact that it has had on so many people, selling millions of ringtones, being number one at radio for like 47 or 48 weeks or something like that. And you never think that something so simple would have such an impact. The song is just simply never would've, never could've, stronger, wiser, better. And, you know, I never thought in my wildest imagination that it would have the impact.
RAZ: That song, of course, is about God.
SAPP: Absolutely. Without question. You know, all of us have gone through never-would-have-made-it moments, and that's the reason why I believe that it resonates so strongly in so many people's lives.
RAZ: You met Melinda when you were in third grade.
SAPP: Yeah.
RAZ: When you were a kid.
SAPP: On the playground.
RAZ: You were married, I remember, when you were like 25 years old?
SAPP: We got married at 25, but we were together for 20 years. We started dating at 23.
RAZ: And of course she tragically passed after a battle with cancer. How long does it take you before you were even able to just get up in the morning?
SAPP: Well, you know, it's funny. The truth of the matter is, is that, you know, being people of faith and really having a real strong connection to God, and then also being a pastor, you know, you tend to understand the sovereignty of God. And honestly, I really wanted to have a real pity party and lay there and just sit back and, you know, just give up, YOU KNOW?
But I have three children, number one. And my children - believe it or not, my 13-year-old, who was 11 at that point, a statement that she made changed my life, literally. My wife passed away, and the day after she passed, that morning at, like, 6:00 a.m., my kids were up getting ready for school.
And, you know, I hadn't slept much that night. So I got up out of my bed, and I walked, and I saw my baby girl, you know, brushing her teeth in the bathroom. And I said: Madison, what are you doing? She's like, Dad, we're getting ready for school. And I was like, well, you don't have to go to school today. You know, Mommy just went on to be with the Lord yesterday.
And she said: No, no, Daddy. We got to go to school because Mommy would want us to keep it moving. You know, my wife had a slogan, a statement that she would say all the time: Keep it moving, people. Keep it moving. She would get up in the morning while she's cooking breakfast and fussing with the kids: Come on, keep it moving, children. Keep it moving.
At the church, she would tell the people: Keep it moving, faith. Keep it moving. So my daughter said that, and immediately, I went back into the bedroom crying and cut on the shower - jumped in the shower, got out, got dressed, and that's what we've been doing ever since. Me and my children, we've been keeping it moving.
RAZ: You have a song on this record of course called "Keep it Moving."
SAPP: Yeah. Yeah. That song was actually written based on her statement.
SAPP: (Singing) Don't let anyone really make you forget that I am with you, I am for you. So keep it moving, people. Just keep it moving. You keep it moving ahead, keep moving ahead. Just keep on moving.
What I've learned is, is that the best way to honor someone that has passed on is to live. And that's what me and my kids have done. We've just decided, you know, through counseling, to just keep living.
RAZ: I'm speaking with the acclaimed gospel singer Marvin Sapp. His new record is called "I Win." Marvin, how did you go from being obviously a charismatic and talented pastor, minister, to a hugely successful recording artist? I mean, how did you - first of all, did you know that you had this voice?
SAPP: I've been singing since the age of 4, you know...
RAZ: In the shower, everywhere.
SAPP: No, no. Actually, I started singing at the church, my church that I went to, True Life Missionary Baptist Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. My father was a singer. So it just kind of happened that one Sunday while my dad was singing, I just walked out and stood next to him, and I started singing the song that he was leading, and I sang it in perfect pitch. So at the age of 4, I started singing.
They used to put me on a box so I could stand up and get to the microphone. And by the age of 10, I was traveling all over the Midwest doing music. And my mom would teach me all of the songs that I knew. And never had a passion. It's a funny thing, you know, I think about it, my mom asked me a question at the age of 12. Actually, she gave me a choice.
She said: Marvin, either you're going to sing in church or you're going to sing secular music, but you can't do both. So you need to decide which one you want to do. So at the age of 12, I decided to sing gospel music, and that's all I've ever done all my life. And I never imagined that I would be at this level, because you don't think about this in gospel. In gospel music, you just...
RAZ: I mean, you play - you're playing arenas. You're selling out huge stadiums.
SAPP: Yeah. It's like 15, 17,000 seat places.
RAZ: That's incredible.
SAPP: It is. It's incredible, and it's mind blowing. But that's not something that you map out and you plan out. You just - when it happens, you just accept it.
RAZ: You have had to counsel people as a minister in your professional life, people who have experienced loss. Who counseled you?
SAPP: Who counseled me? My wife's adviser. My wife was a licensed psychologist by profession and a college professor of psychology. So it was a natural progression for us to immediately transition upon her passing and me get myself and my kids into counseling.
RAZ: You call this album "I Win."
SAPP: Mm-hmm.
RAZ: And you have a track on the record with that same title, which is remarkable because so many people in your place would look at what happened and say, I lost.
SAPP: Mm-hmm.
RAZ: I suffered loss. What did you win?
SAPP: You know, what I won was, you know, having a stronger faith in God. I didn't lose my mind in it. My faith remained intact. And now I understand what my assignment is. My assignment is to take my situation and to use it to help others who feel hopeless and/or helpless because of loss.
It may not be because of a loss of a spouse but because of loss in general. So when I look at being a winner, I look at it from the standpoint of as that, I've come through this and now that I'm going to use it to help so many others. And hopefully, you know, my witness will be a blessing to so many.
RAZ: Marvin Sapp, thank you so much for coming in.
SAPP: Thank you.
RAZ: That's gospel singer Marvin Sapp. His latest album is called "I Win." You can hear a few tracks at our website, nprmusic.org.
SAPP: (Singing) I decree it and I declare it. I know that I shall win. All you've got to say is this. Say I decree it and I declare it. Oh, I can win every...
RAZ: And for Sunday, that's WEEKENDS on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Guy Raz. Remember to check out our podcast. It's called WEEKENDS on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. Find it at iTunes or at npr.org/weekendatc. We're back on the radio next weekend. Until then, thanks for listening and have a great week.
Copyright © 2012 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio record.


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Billy Zane
Maturity Number 6
" For me it's always about first impressions. I trust my instincts. I love to prepare if it's something that requires training. But I don't like to prepare the psychology too much. I enjoy the psychology of the character but I work better from a first impression."
Billy Zane is an American actor and producer of Greek descent, who played a role in the films Back to the Future and its sequel, Dead Calm, the television series Twin Peaks, Tombstone, Demon Knight, The Phantom and the video game Kingdom Hearts, and is best known for his villainous role as Caledon Hockley in the epic romantic disaster film Titanic.
He was born on Thursday February 24th 1966, in Chicago, Illinois, United States.
Throughout his life Billy Zane will be concerned with the welfare of others. He will make his home the focus of his life, and fill his world with as much beauty as possible. In his later years Billy will find himself surrounded by friends and family. This will ensure his joy and contentment.
As he matures, Zane will become increasingly concerned with the well-being of family, friends, and community. He will be drawn to the role as healer, counselor, and teacher - due to his growing ability to give comfort and sound advice to those in need.
Billy Zane's naturally assume the role of patriarch or matriarch of those in his care, no matter how old they are. Billy becomes more responsible and protective, and he may well become involved in environmental protection, volunteer work or politics.
Billy Zane is naturally idealistic and strives to realize those ideals as he grows in maturity and in personal resources.
His careful and balanced approach to business and financial matters provides Zane with sound and secure success later in life. Maturity Number 6 provides an outstanding financial foundation for the future.
In addition, the influence of the 6 promises an old age surrounded by loved ones.
One or two 6s in Billy's numerological chart promis the close relationships that Billy Zane has strived for most of his life.
You and Billy
About Billy's Maturity number
Billy Zane's Maturity number indicates an underlying wish or desire that gradually surfaces around age thirty to thirty-five. This underlying goal begins to emerge as Billy gains a better understanding of himself.
With self-knowledge comes a greater awareness of who Zane is, what his true goals in life are, and what direction he wants to set for his life.
Read more about our numerological interpretation of Billy Zane's maturity


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Except for a few books by H. G. Wells and others, most science-fiction classics were published in the 20th century. How many essential novels in the genre have appeared since 2000?
Stephen E. Andrews and Nick Rennison name only two in their 100 Must-Read Science Fiction Novels (A & C Black, 294 pp., $8.95, paperback) www.acblack.com, part of the Bloomsbury Good Reading Guides series. Here are their choices and part of their explanation for them:
Super-Cannes (Picador, 400 pp., $15, paperback) by J. G. Ballard: In the near future or maybe the present, publisher Paul Sinclair visits an emerging corporate utopia on the French Riviera and finds that "a new kind of cathartic brutality is arising from a most unexpected source." Andrews and Rennison say that although Ballard has written only one pure science fiction novel, Hello America, since the late 1960s: "Super-Cannes is masterful speculation in social science that can arguably be claimed for the genre." First published in 2000. Foreword by Christopher Priest. us.macmillan.com/supercannes
Altered Carbon: A Takeshi Kovacs Novel (Del Rey, 544 pp., $7.99, paperback) by Richard K. Morgan: Andrews and Rennison call Altered Carbon "authentic cyberbpunk" that envisions a future in which only the poor die: "the majority of people have their personality backed up regularly and recorded in microstacks embedded in the flesh at the back of the neck, ready to be retrieved and 'resleeved' in a new body" that had belonged to someone else. "Much has been made of the book's debt to noir fiction, but a contemporary hard-boiled writer like James Crumley would be a more fitting comparison than the more chivalric Raymond Chandler, given Morgan's penchant for extreme violence, explicit sex and Gordian-knot plotting," the authors say. First published 2002. www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780345457691
© 2008 Janice Harayda. All rights reserved.


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Mackinaw does escort duty
Call it a case of helping out a brother in need.
The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw did exactly that when the icebreaking buoy-tender sailed down Lake Huron accompanying the cutter Biscayne Bay to a Detroit shipyard.
The Biscayne Bay, home-ported in St. Ignace, developed an engine problem that needed repair so the Mac hiked along to be ready in case the situation developed to the point that the Biscayne Bay lost power and needed immediate assistance, if not moral support.
If that should happen, what better vessel to have nearby than the Mackinaw?
Estimates are that the work on the Biscayne Bay's engine should take about 10 days, when it would be ready to return to the Straits of Mackinac for duty breaking ice that is expected to form within the next two weeks.
The Mackinaw spent Thursday in the river north of Lake St. Clair, always a trouble spot for ice jams. The reconnaissance will likely prove invaluable later in the spring when ships resume moving commerce downbound through the Soo Locks.
The Soo Locks closed at midnight Tuesday, hours after the season's final vessel, the 767-foot Cason J. Callaway, locked through the Poe Lock just after 6 p.m. downbound with 25,000 tons of taconite pellets.
In a news release, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District office said that district personnel will perform a 5-year periodic inspection of the MacArthur Lock, while work crews repair watertight doors and miter gates, and install a new air bubbler ice suppression system on the MacArthur Lock gates.
Concrete upgrades and installation of gate fenders are also planned in the MacArthur Lock. Piping will be installed in the Poe Lock for a new hydraulic system to operate the gates, booms and valves.
Built in 1968, the Poe is 1,200 feet long. The MacArthur was built in 1943 and is 800 feet long. Once winter maintenance is complete, the locks will reopen in March.
During the 2012 navigation season, 4,086 cargo vessels passed through the Soo Locks carrying about 75 million tons of iron ore, coal, grain and other commodities. In addition to cargo vessels, a total of 3,278 tour boats, private boats and other recreational vessels used the locks this past year.


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Apple will release a new "micro tablet" soon called the iPad nano.
Formerly known as the "iPod Touch" Apple is recasting this product as an affordable, easy-to-handle tablet. Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing described the new iPad nano as "...the thinnest, smallest iPad ever. It features a brilliant 4-inch Retina display; a 5 megapixel iSight camera with 1080p HD video recording; Apple's A5 chip; Siri, the intelligent assistant; and iOS 6, the world's most advanced mobile operating system."
The iPad nano weighs in at a mere 88 grams (3.1 ounces). The device's height is 123.4mm (4.86 inches), width 58.6 mm (2.31 inches) and depth just 6.1 mm (0.24 inches). "It fits comfortably even in children's hands" says Schiller
The iPad nano will be available through the Apple Online Store for a suggested price of $299 (US) for the 32GB model and $399 for the 64GB model.
"It's also an excellent music player" said Schiller, who added "don't believe everything you read.".