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So I'm the scouting director for the mock draft, I'll do my best to give a good organizational snapshot, and encourage a lively discussion to flesh out possible picks for Los Gigantes. Official administrative assistants are (alpha order) Fla-Giant, free f.p. #14, Gobroks and James Westfall. I am cribbing from Fla-Giant from last year, and I realize I have some big shoes to fill here. Fla-Giant has graciously volunteered for alternate duty on draft day, hopefully we will all be around to participate.
Cannot emphasize enough the importance for collaboration, different points of view and lively debate. Please don't be shy about chiming in. I have a different style that can at times be a little seat of the pants, I don't always cross the t's and dot the i's. So all constructive criticism and organizational reinforcement is also encouraged. I will crib from some of the posts I put up in the past two months at MCC. More after the jump.First Discussion will lay down the basics and look at first round candidates. Anything down the draft is encouraged as well, but as always, most attention is paid to the magic bullet of that first round pick.
THE PICKS: The Giants pick at the 20th, 84th, 115th, 148th and 178th picks in the first five rounds. No supplemental picks. After the 20th pick, there will be a lot of time as players fly off the boards until that 84th pick.
THE MONEY: The Giants are one of the most underfunded teams in the first draft under the new CBA. The bonus pool dictated by MLB for the first 10 rounds is $4,076,400 for 10 overall picks.
Quick note: here is BA's link to the draft basics: http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/draft-basics/2012/2613180.html
THE NEEDS: Let's start the debate right. This goes to the heart of the matter with the Giants. As a rule, do you take the best player available, irregardless? The past two drafts, picking late in the round, the Giants have taken what I categorize as "safe college bats". In 2010, Gary Brown was highly ranked by BA, and not too much of a shock at the 24 spot. In 2011, Joe Panik was considered more of a reach with the 29th overall pick. Since taking over the drafts as scouting director in 2008, John Barr has heavily favored college players. Is this going to continue this year? Just to put it down, here are the first five rounds of picks in the past 4 years: College unless noted with HS, draft round/overall pick:
2011: Joe Panik SS (1/29), Kyle Crick RHP (HS - 1S/49), Andrew Susac C (2/86), Ricky Oropesa 1B (3/116), Bryce Bandilla LHP (4/147) and Chris Marlowe RHP (5/177)
2010: Gary Brown CF (1/24), Jarrett Parker CF (2/74), Carter Jurica SS (3/105), Seth Rosin RHP (4/138), and Heath Hembree RHP (5/168)
2009: Zach Wheeler RHP (HS - 1/6), Tommy Joseph C (HS - 2/55), Chris Dominguez 3B (3/86), Jason Stoffel RHP (4/117) and Brandon Belt 1B (5/147)
2008: Buster Posey C (1/5), Conor Gillaspie 3B (1S/37), Roger Kieschnick RF (3/82), Brandon Crawford SS (4/117) and Edwin Quirarte RHP (5/147)
So the GIants have picked in the 147 spot 3 of 4 years under Barr. Weird. But the main point is they have drafted exactly 3 HS players overall in the first 5 rounds with their 21 picks. 2 pitchers with Wheeler and Crick, and 1 position player in Tommy Joseph. This is a pretty heavy trend, and needs to be acknowledged heavily in planning.
Back to the needs, by position. I put up rambling posts on this earlier in the spring, I'll paraphrase greatly here:
Pitching: The Giants have possible back of the rotation arms kicking around with Eric Surkamp and Mike Kickham, both lefties. Surkamp hasn't pitched yet this year and Kickham has been a mixed bag in AA. The bulk of the talent is extremely young, hanging out in Augusta: Kyle Crick, Clayton Blackburn and Adalberto Mejia are the consensus top 3 among MCC prospect hounds. Chris Marlowe and Bryce Bandilla have also been starting in Augusta, which is a very interesting development.
You can never have enough pitching, and I expect the Giants to target pitchers early and often. I believe the Giants look for two things: fastball velocity and the ability to spot said fastball. Big frames help, but they aren't averse to taking risks on smaller frames, as we quite famously know.
Catcher: The Giants are stacked at catcher. Hector Sanchez is up in the majors struggling a bit with adjustments, but looks to be at the least a solid backup in the show. Tommy Joseph is the third youngest player in the Eastern this year. If he proves out, he will get a ton of national press. The rep with him is light tower power and questionable defense. He has been working steadily on that defense. Andrew Susac is perhaps the most athletic of the top three catchers, he has been struggling in his pro debut, but it is early. The Giants also have other backup types including Johnny Monell, Jeff Arnold, Joe Staley, Dan Burkhart, Jackson Williams and my sleeper Alex Burg. And ol Crash Davis himself, Eli Whiteside. The point here is, the Giants have so many catchers they have problems getting them playing time in the organization. However, the theory of musical chairs with these prospects, who take up a fair amount of the top 10 in the org is a valid one. Buster Posey moves to a corner, Joseph moves to a corner, etc. So I wouldn't rule out the seemingly crazy notion of crafting yet another catcher.
Middle Infield: The woes with the big club kind of accentuate this. The GIants have defensive first very questionable bats with Crawford and Adrianza. Then there are the less heralded guys such as Jurica, Tomlinson, Bond, Noonan and the list goes on. 2B there is Culberson, who is still young and doing well in the hitting environment in Fresno. And of course there is Joe Panik, who's ability to stick at shortstop is a big question mark and debate point. The Giants so far have paid pretty big lip service to Panik sticking. Most of the consensus seems to be for moving him to 2B. As a point of discussion, I'd like to touch on the "move off of SS" debate, particularly with the possible first rounders this year. It is one of the hardest positions to fill, there is a dearth of good hitting SS's in the majors and a dearth of good hitting prospects in the minors. Getting a legit hitting SS is a gigantic positional advantage, so this is something the Giants really need to look at. Now whether they will or not, that is the battle with reality we'll have.
Corner Infield: I'd call it weak. The Giants have been taking shots at highly rated "dinged up" power prospects with potential flaws in their game. As in, not enough contact. Chris Dominguez is the poster boy, and Ricky Oropesa is the next in line. Can't emphasize this enough, the Giants need more production from 3 of 4 corners. With Pablo Sandoval out with the broken hamate (thankfully a procedure we're getting comfortable with as Giants fans), at the moment all 4 corners are not making the grade with MLB power and production. There are a couple of college hitters who would fit the need, and the MO of John Barr.
Outfield: Gary Brown is the big hope, to come and solve the leadoff woes that have been torturing GIants fans for... a very very long time. In addition, the Giants have interesting speedy candidates in Jesus Galindo and Shawn Payne. However, they are not playing Payne in CF and Galindo has leg issues and hasn't played yet. Francisco Peguero, aka Frankie Pegs, is the most tooled up guy in the system (courtesy of Andrew Baggerly) and has much to get excited about although Giants prospect hounds eye his walk rate and shudder. Roger Kieschnick is enjoying some mashing in Fresno and has possibly reignited his prospect flame, after struggling with back injuries and contact issues in Richmond the past 2 years. Giants fans are quite rightly very cynical of AAA numbers though. Other names include Jarrett Parker (big time K rate) and young Chuckie Jones (amazing K rate) and RafRod (injured, hasn't played).
STRATEGY: That is the million dollar question. Do you go high upside high school pitcher or even roll the dice with a position player (please note: I will say less than 5% chance but I do want to discuss this)?? Or do you continue to take shots at a college player who might have a quick turnaround and help supplement the big club and the pitching. It is worth noting that the Giants now have Cain and Bumgarner locked for 5-6 years. They have Vogelsong and Zito for the next 2, depending on how that shakes. The other gigantic question revolves around Tim Lincecum and his struggles. They have 2 years to evaluate that, and at the moment its looking pretty savvy that they didn't go all in with Timmy. But the obvious need to get impact bats has to be a huge debate at this point in time, given the proven ability to not only hit on high draft pick ace types but also scrounge the 20s in the draft as well as the reclamation projects and come up with good pitching.
CANDIDATES: I'm going to cut and paste a few candidates that might be on the board for the first round to look at. There are candidates I like more than others, I'm trying to get an early sense of the guys to choose from. Will update stats as needed/available, and these are in no particular order of preference, we'll chop that up soon. If descriptions are needed, we'll fill in on the comments, I want to keep this shorter than my previous ramblings.
Walker Weickel. HS from Olympia HS (FL), Miami commit 6'6 205, R/R 11/14/1993
Lance McCullers, HS from Jesuit HS (FL), Florida commit 6'1 190 L/R 10/02/1993
Lucas Sims, HS from Brookwood HS (GA), Clemson commit 6'2 195 R/R 5/10/1994
Duane Underwood, HS from Pope HS (GA), Georgia commit 6'2 205 R/R 7/20/1994
Carson Kelly, HS from Westview HS (OR), Oregon commit 6'2 200 R/R 7/14/1994
Ty Hensley, HS from Sante Fe HS (OK), Mississippi commit 6'4 220 B/R 07/30/1993
Hunter Virant HS from Camarillo HS (CA), UCLA commit 6'3 175 R/L 05/22/1994
Nick Travieso, HS from Archbishop McCarthy HS (FL), Miami commit 6'3 205 R/R 1/31/1994
Matt Smoral, HS from Solon HS (OH), UNC commit 6'8 225 L/L 03/18/1994
Zach Eflin, HS from Hagerty HS (FL), Central Florida commit 6'5 200 R/R 5/8/1994
Brian Johnson, Junior from Florida 6'3 225 L/L 12/07/1990
Andrew Heaney, Junior from Oklahoma State 6'2 175 L/L 06/05/1991
Marcus Stroman, Junior from Duke 5'9 185 R/R 5/01/1991
Michael Wacha, Junior from Texas A&M 6'6 195 R/R 7/01/1991
Pierce Johnson, Junior from Missouri State 6'3 180 R/R 5/10/1991
Chris Stratton, Junior from Mississippi State 6'3 200 R/R 8/22/1990
Martin Agosta. Junior from St. Mary's (CA) 6'1 180 R/R
Chris Beck, Junior from Georgia Southern 6'3 220 R/R 9/04/1990
Alex Wood, Red Shirt Sophomore from Georgia 6'4 220 R/L 01/12/1991
Dylan Baker, Sophomore from Western Nevada JC 6'3, 215 R/R
Victor Roache, Junior from Georgia Southern (OF) 6'1 225 R/R 9/17/1991
Richie Shaffer, Junior from Clemson (1B/3B) 6'4 195 R/R 03/15/1991
Travis Jankowski CF Stony Brook (6'3 190 L/R 9/13/1991 JR)
Barrett Barnes CF Texas Tech (6'1 210 R/R 7/29/1991 JR)
Tyler Naquin RF Texas A&M (6'2 175 L/R 4/24/1991 JR)
Stephen Piscotty 3B Stanford (6'3 195 R/R 1/14/1991 JR)
James Ramsey RF Florida State (6'0 190 L/R 12/19/1989 SR)
Deven Marrero, SS ASU 6'1 195 lbs. R/R 08/25/1990 JR
Joey Gallo. HS from Gorman HS (NV), LSU commit (1B/3B/P) 6'4 200 L/R 11/19/1993
Stryker Trahan, HS from Acadiana HS (LA), Ole Miss commit (C) 6'1 220 L/R 4/25/1994
Trey Williams, HS from Valencia HS (CA), Pepperdine commit (3B) 6'1 210 R/R 3/09/1994
David Dahl, HS from Oak Mountain HS (AL), Auburn commit (OF) 6'2 185 L/R 4/1/1994
Lewis Brinson, HS from Tamarac HS (FL), Florida commit (OF) 6'3 180 R/R 5/8/1994
Courtney Hawkins, HS from Carroll HS (TX), Texas commit (OF/P) 6'2 210 R/R
Gavin Cecchini, HS from Barbe HS, LA, Ole Miss commit 6'2 185 lbs. R/R 12/22/1993
Addison Russell. HS from Pace HS, FL, Auburn commit 6'1 205 lbs. R/R DOB: 01/23/1994
So there are 20 pitchers and 16 position players to start. I most likely forgot players and put some on that shouldn't be considered, but I want to start from scratch to not allow my personal biases kick anything off. I am assuming the following players will definitely be off the board, and this is wide open for debate as well:
College Hitters: Zunnino
College Pitchers: Appel, Zimmer, Gausman
HS Hitters: Correa, Buxton, Almora
HS Pitchers: Giolito, Fried
These may be completely wrong, but I feel like they are good assumptions. If you have a case for these guys dropping, throw it down. Definitely some of the candidates I put up above have been falling or losing their shine, but these things can change quick. After some chopping up, I'll put up a narrowed down list with stats and more details.
Excited to do this, lemme know what works and what doesn't.


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Can calling someone gay lead straight to court?
Legal Notes
There is no doubt that, as a nation, Jamaica is far more tolerant of homosexuals than it was even 10 years ago. As tolerance increases, the stigma associated with gays decreases to the point where, in certain countries, it is no longer defamatory to falsely accuse a straight person of being gay. In other countries, it may still be defamatory depending on the circumstances. What about Jamaica?
A defamatory statement is one that tends to lower the person in the estimation of right-thinking members of society generally, or exposes him to public hatred, contempt or ridicule, or causes him to be shunned or avoided. Allegations of sexual immorality could therefore form the basis of a defamation claim, especially if the sexual acts in question (like buggery) were also illegal. 'Buggery laws' (for lack of a better phrase) are being reviewed in many countries to determine whether they are in line with modern attitudes towards privacy and morality.
In May of this year, a New York appellate court reversed decades of authority and ruled that it can no longer be presumed that a false allegation of homosexuality will cause reputational injury. The Court said "In light of the tremendous evolution in social attitudes regarding homosexuality, the elimination of the legal sanctions ... and the considerable legal protection and respect that the law of this state now accords lesbians, gays and bisexuals, it cannot be said that current public opinion supports a rule that would equate statements imputing homosexuality with accusations of serious criminal conduct". They went on to say, "While lesbians, gays and bisexuals have historically faced discrimination and such prejudice has not been completely eradicated, the fact of such prejudice on the part of some does not warrant a judicial holding that gays and lesbians [and bisexuals], merely because of their sexual orientation, belong in the same class as criminals".
The passage above identifies two important factors that led to the decision. First is the evolution of social attitudes. Second is the removal of legal sanctions from homosexual activities.
It is apparent that social attitudes towards gays have changed significantly in Jamaica over time. Until 2004, Sandals Resorts only catered to "two [heterosexual] people in love". In 2008, gays would not be allowed in Cabinet. And it was less than two months ago that Beenie Man apologised for lyrics in which he said he was "dreaming of a new Jamaica" where we would "execute all of the gays". All of that has changed. But has it changed sufficiently so that "right-thinking members of society" no longer hate, ridicule, shun or avoid gays? Who are these so-called right-thinking members of society, anyway? Our parliamentarians, perhaps? Or is that a different kettle of fish?
Certainly, if Parliament were to repeal section 76 of the Offences Against the Person Act, aka the 'Buggery Law', it may be seen as a reflection of the revolution of social attitudes. That, by itself, would not mean that we could go around 'accusing' people of being gay without there being any consequences if it turned out to be untrue. There are many perfectly legal acts that can cause severe reputational damage for which the courts will award compensation. Much depends on the circumstances of the case, the reputation that the person enjoyed as well as society's views, inclusive of double standards. For example, an allegation of adultery is likely to cause more damage to a Jamaican woman's reputation than it would to a Jamaican man's. Conversely, a false allegation of homosexuality is likely to cause more damage if made against a man than if made against a woman. The reality of our society is that "man to man is so unjust" but woman to woman - not so much. We'll get to lesbians in a moment.
Even if Parliament doesn't repeal the Buggery Law, is it reasonable to conclude that homosexuals belong in the same class as criminals? Contrary to popular belief, homosexuality is not illegal in Jamaica. Buggery is illegal in Jamaica. Buggery is nothing more than anal sex between two men or between a man and a woman. Let me repeat, anal sex between a man and a woman is illegal in Jamaica, described as an "unnatural offence" under our law. Therefore, lesbians cannot be caught under the Act but any man who has had anal sex with his wife could face up to 10 years in prison. Imagine what would happen if a disgruntled ex-wife reported her former husband to the police for consensual heterosexual anal sex done in the privacy of their bedroom. Now that's what you would call an unlucky bugger.
Even though straight men may be guilty of buggery, the argument still stands that a gay man is more likely to commit the crime and therefore a false allegation of homosexuality would still imply criminal conduct. There's an obvious danger once we get into the realm of likelihoods. A Rastafarian is arguably more likely to smoke ganja than an Adventist. Does that mean that falsely accusing someone of being a Rastafarian is defamatory unless and until the possession and smoking of Ganja is decriminalised? How does one prove that someone is straight, gay or Rastafarian for that matter? How will Queen Ifrica know if there's really any "fish in her ital dish"?
Obviously, Jamaica is a long way away from the legal or social changes that have led foreign courts to rule that falsely calling someone gay is not necessarily defamatory. Like it or not, the signs of change are everywhere. Recently, the Executive Director of Jamaica Forum of Lesbians All Sexuals and Gays (JFLAG) appeared on Television Jamaica's "All Angles" programme. Yet, because of fear of violence, he refused to allow his face to be seen. His name, however, was prominently displayed on screen. Apparently, JFLAG is only fearful of illiterate Jamaicans, but even that represents change. Surely, a person who advocates violence against anyone because of his or her sexual orientation is not among the right-thinking members of our society. Surely, the statement that our attitude towards gays has not changed at all is more than a little fishy - it's a whale of a lie.
Gavin Goffe is a Partner at Myers, Fletcher & Gordon and is a member of the firm's Litigation Department. Gavin may be contacted via firstname.lastname@example.com or through the firm's website at www.myersfletcher.com. This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Kelly Rowland Gives Us Some Workout "Motivation" On Chelsea Lately
February 8, 2012 1:28 PM
[photogallerylink id=132223]
Damn, girl. Get us those Kelly Rowland abs. Oh, we can just by purchasing her Sexy Abs workout DVD?
We bet there's more to it than that. Like just being genetically superior. If you doubt that statement, take a look at Miss Rowland on Chelsea Lately talking about her hit song," Motivation," and its Grammy nomination for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.
Miss Kelly Rowland on last night's 'Chelsea Lately'? Catch up with her here: goo.gl/fb/Mh4S7—
Kelly Rowland (@OMKelly) February 08, 2012
- Are you a fan of Kelly Rowland? Tell us why in the comments!


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New Email System
The email system used by Isambard has changed and all accounts and existing messages have been migrated across. To access emails students and staff will need to click the webmail link on the website/intranet or go to: http://mail.isambard.swindon.sch.uk.
They can then login using their full email address as the username (i.e. email@example.com) and their usual password.
For the spell check functionality to work on personal devices users are encouraged to upgrade to the most recent version of their chosen web browser (Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox etc.). Devices owned by Isambard will be upgraded during the break.
Full instructions can be found here (PDF).
Governors Meet To Decide How/When To Recruit A New Headteacher
With the imminent retirement of Mrs Mattey, Governors and the Local Authority met to decide when to recruit a new permanent Headteacher and to decide what type of interim measures would need to be put in place between the end of August 2014 and the appointment/arrival of that new Headteacher. A number of options were discussed in relation to both matters. Please click here to read the full letter (PDF).
School Uniform
As we approach the end of term, we would like to remind all students about the guidelines for school uniform to ensure that students return in September appropriately dressed. We have shown students a presentation regarding uniform expectations during assemblies this week, a copy of which can be found here (PDF).
Isambard Opens Its Door To Parents
The Year 7 team has enjoyed meeting up with our new cohort of Year 7 parents. This has given people a chance to drop in on an informal basis, share a cup of coffee and some breakfast with their child's new form tutor, meet their Year Head: Kara Stevens; the Senco: Morag Masters and Kirsty Winnan (senior leader linked to year 7).
Most importantly, parents have enjoyed an opportunity to meet each other, to share questions and concerns about transition to secondary school.
We will be offering the same opportunity to parents of Year 8 and 9 in September and years 10 and 11 in October. We would also like to welcome parents to our new weekly SLT (Senior Leadership Team) drop-in sessions. This is a chance for you to come and share ideas and concerns and we'll let you know more about dates, times and venues when we return to school in September.
Grease Is The Word!
What a fantastic show our students put on! 90 cast and crew and dozens of staff were involved in staging Grease at the Wyvern on the 15th & 16th June. Since the final show wonderful feedback from our audience has been reaching us by tweet and email: Fantastic show tonight! Well done everyone :-), ...an amazing performance of Grease. Well done to all involved :)
Isambard school is proud of the talent, enthusiasm and dedication of its students and staff. The cast, crew and staff have put in hours and hours of work after school and at weekends and we would like to thank everyone involved. Taking part in a show will leave our students with some very happy memories in the future. We are putting together a collection of photographs for the participants and will let you know when this is available.
Changes To The School Day
Please be aware of planned changes to the shape of the school day, effective from 1st July 2014.
Following consultation with staff, students and governors, a decision has been made to implement a Form Tutor system and make adjustments to the timetable of a typical school day. The key changes are:
- Dedicated Form Tutor time from 10.30am to 10.50am each day, one of which will be year group assembly
- New targeted Mentoring system that supplements Form tutoring time, covering a wide range of needs, will be provided for targeted students alongside the new system.
- Move from voluntary Academic Mentoring to compulsory Mentoring sessions within the tutor period from 10.30am to 10.50am
- Lunchtime will remain at 45 minutes starting at 1.15pm rather than 1.00pm
- Break time has been extended from 15 to 25 minutes
- The length of Period 5 reverts back to 60 minutes
- The overall timings of the school day remain unchanged
These changes are the first in a series of alterations to the way Isambard will operate during 2014, we will notify you of others as they are finalised. All of the changes are focused on improving the opportunities of each and every student through better care and challenge. Your role in this partnership is key, helping us to close any gaps in student progress together. Please click here to read the full letter (PDF).
Isambard's Artists Talk To The World
Some of our many Arts Award students were asked to contribute to a film about Artsbox, an online arts resource for young people. This film appears on the Art Award and Artsbox websites and will be shown in schools and arts settings across the country. This opportunity came about because the Arts Council loves the way Isambard Community School delivers the Arts Award to our young people and because we give our young people such fantastic access to digital technology. Click here to view the film.
The End Of An Era, The Start Of A New Age
Eight years ago the, then, temporary governing body for Isambard recruited Mrs Mattey as Headteacher. It was our intention to bring a strong leader to the school that could provide vision and inspiration to the process of building a new school and a new team to run that school. On June 2nd 2014 Mrs Mattey brought this initial phase of the school's journey to an end when she formally announced her retirement from education at the end of the current school year. Please click here to read the full letter (PDF).
Italian Music Tour 2014
During the half term holiday the school choir and jazz band undertook a 21 hour long journey across the continent for a music tour in Italy.
Pictures, video and a student diary of the tour can be found here.
Lantern Parade 2014
Our annual Lantern Parade will be taking place on Wednesday 22nd October.
If you have any spare, empty, jam jars please bring them into reception. They will be transformed at Lantern Workshops (dates TBC) into beautiful lanterns that will light up Redhouse!
Students Design Campaign Posters
On Wednesday 30th April Miss Kent & Mrs Winnan took a group of Year 9 students to the WRc plc for a poster design competition. Cameron, Wes, Jake, Will, Lydia, Laura, Amy and Aaliyah worked alongside staff from Water and Gas suppliers to produce their artwork. A panel chose a winning piece which will be used in future campaigns for the WRc that will be seen by utility supplies across the country. During the day the students were a credit to the school and did a fantastic job of liaising with adults create their posters.
A spokesperson for WRc said: "Please can I say a really big think you to and your students for their hard work. I spoke to quite a few of our guests and they said you all did a great job and really made the workshops a great success with your contributions. They joined in and came up with some brilliant ideas".
Further reading: Swindon Advertiser
Careers Carousel
We recently ran a 'Careers Carousel' event for our Year 10 students. With invaluable support from Vox PR, our students were given a short presentation by people from diverse workplaces in Swindon: an economist from Nationwide, a solicitor from Bevirs, a nurse from SEQOL, a lecturer in Media Make-up, developers from Crest Nicholson, a manager from Thamesdown Bus Company, a recruitment professional from Outsource and a senior manager from Intel. Students listened to a short presentation from the visitors and had the opportunity to question them about their working lives. Read more...
New York Trip
The first New York trip over the Easter holidays was a roaring success. All 50 students Business Studies and Media Studies students had an enjoyable visit to the great city accompanied by 5 members of staff. Students were eager to do as much as they could in the few days we were there.
There was a lot of opportunities for extra sight seeing which included Madison Square Garden, Time Square and Central Park. Over the 4 days students were able to really get a vibe for the energetic city. Read more...
Year 7 Poetry Success
Last term, Year 7 students entered a The Young Writers' "Poetry Games" Competition, a national poetry writing competition. The English Department is delighted to announce that 9 students from Isambard have been chosen as finalists and will have their poems published soon.
We would like to congratulate Charlie, Chester, Michelle, Ethan, Lucia, Richa, Dan, Ehlana and Marianna. We are very proud of you.
Isambard Shows Off Its Talent
On the 12th of March we held our annual talent show which has become a cultural highlight in the school. Its not only the students who compete for the honour of winning points for their house (and a cash prize), but competition for those house points is also fierce amongst staff performers.
Last night Georgia in Year 11 triumphed with her passionate rendition of 'This is a Man's World', but the audience were also treated to Irish Dancing, beat-boxing, Bollywood dancing and extreme skipping! Students from all year groups took part in the show which was attended by an enthusiastic audience of parents and friends. One parent commented:
I had a very enjoyable and entertaining evening in the audience…..the talent was very inspiring and the atmosphere friendly and good fun.
World Book Day 2014
World Book Day took place on Thursday 6th March and was a celebration of authors, illustrators and the pleasure that books bring people of all ages. World Book Day is marked in over 100 countries all over the world.
Isambard celebrated World Book Day by encouraging Year 7 and 8 students (and a few brave members of staff) to dress up as their favourite book characters. The costumes were fantastic with everyone making a huge effort and we were able to raise £156.85 for the Book Trust.
Students Win 2 Awards At STEM Event
On 12th February students from Isambard attended the 'Super Sonic @ The Big Bang' event at the University of the West of England. We were recognised for the outstanding work our students are doing in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
Winner of the 'Best Communicator' award went to Calista and Ben won 'Best Presentation', they received the award from UWE's Vice-Chancellor Professor Steve West. Read more...
Isambard Receives The Prince's Teaching Institute Mark
Isambard Community School is pleased to receive The Prince's Teaching Institute Mark for 2012/13.
The Prince's Teaching Institute (PTI) launched the Schools Programme in 2007 to recognise and reward school departments that develop inspirational ideas and activities which enhance the teaching of Art, English, History, Geography, Science, Mathematics, Modern Foreign Languages and Music, regardless of their pupils' backgrounds or abilities. It is run as a membership group for school departments that choose to commit to increasing the challenge of their subject provision.
Our Mathematics and Science departments received the Mark in recognition of the department's work that was inspired by membership of the Schools Programme carried out in 2012/13.
Mrs Mattey says, 'We are delighted to have been awarded the PTI Mark for our Mathematics and Science department's innovative work, and will be proud to carry the Mark as evidence of our commitment to inspirational teaching.' Read more...
Year 7 Artsblast Performance
What a great way to celebrate the end of term! A choir of over 200 year 7 students sang a selection of songs to an appreciate audience of parents. This was the culmination of a singing project which introduced every year 7 student to the highlights of the American song repertoire. Accompanied by Isambard's excellent jazz band, they gave sweetly sung renditions of classics such as Blue Moon, Somewhere over the Rainbow and King of the Swingers.
Older students supported the event by providing technical and front of house support at what has become an annual event to celebrate the end of a period of intensive arts activities called 'Artsblast'. Our music department staff, Mr Jones and Mr Dobson feel that it is important to give all of our students an opportunity to perform in front of an audience at an early stage in their journey through Isambard. Hopefully, lots of our Year 7 students will be inspired to take part in our production of 'Grease' at the Wyvern Theatre on 16 and 17 July.


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News: Rah Digga Flips Out On Tyler, The Creator, "Get A First Hand Lesson In A Lyrical A** Whoopin" [Audo]
Friday, Apr 6, 2012 5:06PM
Former Flipmode Squad member Rah Digga has unleashed her fury toward Odd Future's Tyler, the Creator on a new track called "N*gga In Me."
In her diss, Digga pokes fun at Tyler's perceived lack of an African American audience.
Tyler, the Creator caught the wrath of Rah Digga by saying Happy Father's Day to her over and over again on Twitter. So she took it another level with thes vitriolic lines: "I was trying to support this young black man / It's too bad, you probably lost your only black fan," she snarls. "Take it any further, and you might catch a backhand, b*tch." (International Business Times)
She also dished out a statement to defend the choice words and direct disses.
In 1999, Rah Digga released Dirty Harriet, one of the best hip hop records in a competitive year. Thirteen years later, a few younger artists have been dropping her name (and MC Lyte's), but not with the respect typically given to artists with their track records. As a result, on her latest track, "The N*gga in Me," Rah Digga calls out both Fat Trel and Tyler, The Creator for their off-color remarks. In an accompanying statement, she says, "I wish em all the best, they just need to understand who is off limits. MC Lyte is off limits. Rah Digga is off limits. Respect those who kept hip hop raw so that we could still have a culture or get a first hand lesson in a lyrical a** whoopin." (The FADER)
Along with the statement, Digga told Twitter fans she is not using the track for publicity purposes.
"In my 20 YEARS of putting out music I've never engaged in publicity stunts. Where I come from u say my name u get served. Simple. &. Plain.," she tweeted April 6th.
"NO I'm not doing the cliche "drop a diss b4 an album"....I'm not promoting anything...I was actually just getting n2 this new Resident Evil."
"@SkyHighKhi_ there's no "beef"...I don't do "rap beefs"....I rap for fun...folks had their fun w/me I'm havin mine...I'm a good sport..." (Rah Digga's Twitter)
Recently, Tyler, the Creator said he would not apologize to rap veteran MC Lyte over dissing her on a record.
"I don't know if she's gay or not," Tyler said referring to Lyte. "It was a joke. But if she took offense, so be it -- I'm not gonna apologize, but I didn't mean for her feelings to get hurt. Usually people in that position, you'd think they would laugh it off and go on with their day. But I guess she caught feelings. I didn't mean to do that, but whatever." (Drama Like The DJ)
Check out Rah Digga's record below:


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Alite Mantis Chair
FEATURES of the Alite Mantis Chair
- Fits in this stuff bag, fits in your bag
- Light + portable
- Breathable, comfy sling perfect for lounging
- Mega strong base for mega support
SPECIFICATIONS of the Alite Mantis Chair
- Lightweight portable chair
- Weight: 1.8 lbs
- 210D ripstop nylon
- Printed: 450D polyester
- 7000 series aluminum
- Folded Dimension: (H x W x D): 13.0 x 5.5 x 5.5"
- Unfolded Dimension: (H x W x D): 29.0 x 21.5 x 22.0"
- Seat Height: 8.0"
- Capacity: 250 lbs
This product can only be shipped within the United States. Please don't hate us.
custy reviews
for the Alite Mantis Chair
Average Custy Rating:
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One of the problems when backpacking is what the heck do you sit on. Purists are resort to a damp log or lumpy rock, but for those willing to carry it, the Mantis offers backcountry luxurypros:-Very Comfortable-Provides some back support-Solid construction-elevated off the groundcons:-still much heavier than a foam pad-hard to get in and out of
It's a little tipsy (but it stands low to the ground) and will blow away in a gentle breeze, but outside of that there is nothing but upside to this chair. I love backpacking and camping but I have a bony butt and the last thing I need to cure my sore legs is a sore rump. I pack this every time I go out, no matter where I go or for how long. It packs so small and light, and it's worth so much to my attitude that I never even consider not taking it.It is incredibly light and super easy to take apart and put back together. It packs up small enough that if you wanted to stuff it in the side pocket of, say, an Osprey pack, you could easily do that. It is made of top notch materials and constructed in the same spirit. I watched a youtube video of this product and that was enough to get me to buy it. It is a steep price, to be sure, but it pays dividends on multi-day hikes.
$119.95 - $124.95
Ships FREE When will I get it?


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Two of the hardest-hitting light heavyweights in mixed martial arts (MMA) will collide in Saitama, Japan, as Wanderlei Silva and Brian Stann are set to headline UFC on FUEL TV 8 this weekend (Mar. 3, 2013) when the promotion heads back to "The Land of the Rising Sun."
The fight will signal a return for both men to the 205-pound weight class after fighting in the middleweight division the past few years.
The "All American," however, will not be making it a permanent home because "wresting with bigger guys doesn't make sense." He simply took the fight at the request of the promotion and saw it as an opportunity to be a part of "The Axe Murder's" storied fighting career; which could be nearing an end with the 36-year-old Silva seemingly in the twilight of his career.
Though Stann admits Silva isn't as dangerous as he was four years ago, he knows he is in for one hell of fight when he steps into the Octagon at Saitama Super Arena, which just so happens to be Wanderlei's old stomping grounds, competing a good portion of his career in the famed arena while ruling the PRIDE FC promotion.
In fact, should the bout go the distance, Stann is prepared to make a subsequent visit to the local plastic surgeon's office.
He explained on his recent appearance on "The MMA Hour:"
"It depends on what Wanderlei comes out, but, I suspect it will the Wanderlei we have seen in recent years where he's a little bit more retreating in the first round, comes forward in the second round and looking to counter-punch with a big right hand. Regardless, I'm going to be aggressive for five rounds. If it goes five rounds, we are both going to need plastic surgery. I suspect it will go no more than three and somebody is going to be unconscious at the end of this fight."
Going under the plastic surgeon's knife is nothing new for 'The Axe Murderer," who underwent a medical facial reconstruction procedure in 2009 to remove scar tissue around his nose and eye area to prevent from getting easily cut and to fix a sleep apnea issue.
Get Silva's full explanation of the procedure here.
Both men are coming off losses with Silva falling to Rich Franklin at UFC 147 in a catchweight fight of 190 pounds while Stann lost a unanimous decision to Michael Bisping at UFC 152 in the middleweight division.
While the bout is a one-time only trip back to the light heavyweight division for Stann, Wanderlei will look to keep his career going a bit longer with a win as he hopes to remain in the weight class he prospered in for the majority of his career.
What say you Maniacs, who wins this battle of heavy-handed brawlers?


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Roger Harvey/Eyewitness News
Putnam County - President Bush is in Vietnam, a country changed drastically since the Vietnam war. Many people compare that conflict with today's war in Iraq. That comparison came up Friday in Putnam County where war protestors held a peace demonstration. The protesters are against the Iraq war, but want to make it clear they are for the troops.
They lined up outside the courthouse in Greencastle. Among the soldiers Jean Walker wants home is her nephew, Sergeant Daniel Fields, and his wife, Sergeant Joanna Fields, both with the Marines.
"Every time they are over there we pray everyday God surrounds them with angels of safety and that they make it home safe," said Walker.
They support the American troops, but are angry they were put in harm's way. The recent election gives them hope a new Congress will determine a plan to bring the war to an end.
"We voted in a new government to get the war over with and I don't want them to forget why they got elected," said Margo Bode, demonstrator.
The demonstration comes at a time when President Bush is in Vietnam. The demonstrators say they see similarities between what happened in Vietnam and what is now taking place in Iraq.
John Dittmer says its important for the country to back the soldiers. "One of the things we learned from Vietnam is some wars are not winnable and we are in one right now. It was a mistake and people realize that now but there's some disagreement about how we get out," said John Dittmer.
Until then, these Hoosiers say they're against the war in Iraq, but for the troops fighting for freedom.


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Based on 7 ratings. Rate it!
Nobu Berkeley St Bar
Imagine a Manga flying saucer crash-landed in an episode of The Twilight Zone and you get some idea of David Collins' brilliant yet bonkers design for the bar at Nobu Berkeley St. It's a real looker, even if some of its strange orange-tanned incumbents are not quite 'on the style pulse' these days. Nevertheless, Nobu's east-meets-west cocktails are still very much on the money – think Japanese mojito, kaffir lime and lychee martini or jasmine ro zu (a vodka, rose petal liqueur and jasmine tea flip). As you might expect, saké features prominently: pay around £13 for entry-level distillations or push the boat out with rarities such as Hokesetsu Cho Dai-Gingo YK 35 at £100 per 300ml serving. Sushi, sashimi and seafood are among the low-calorie foodie choices in a throbbing room where shouting seems to be de rigueur.
Are you the restaurant owner? Click here for Links & Logos
Travel to Nobu Berkeley St (bar) in style with London's leading minicab firm Addison Lee.Get a quote »


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I loved Eric Gordon. I thought he would have been a great person to build around. Then I thought he would complement BG nicely. So naturally, I am sad if he leaves the team. No matter who comes in. Even if it was King James for Gordon, straight up, I would be somewhat sad to see him leave.
However, lets be realistic. Chris Paul is a whole different level from him. Eric Gordon has great D and a beautiful shot. He also started really taking it to the hoop and creating plays for himself. To many post here are trying to find faults with Paul. Also to many "sports writers" are talking about how Clippers lost on the deal(we all know about the one donkey who thinks they won't even make the playoffs).
CP3 creates plays for everyone on the floor. He averages nearly 2 steals a game. This is a move to make the Clippers better, long term. If we can somehow, keep Paul happy and sign him to an extension next year. We can start to get those cheap role players that will take pay cuts to play for us. Teams like the Lakers and now the Heat stay relevant because older, role players, will take a little less money to play for them. We no longer have pay more than the next team to get a player to come here. As long as something ridiculous doesn't happen, I am already excited for the summer of 2012 and how the team can improve further. Of course we won't have Billups anymore and we might make a first round exit in the playoffs at the worst. YET, other than just trying to hit the jackpot in the draft, we will have options for the next couple years. I'm practically drooling at the chance someone might one day demand a trade to the Clippers.
Clippers were all ESPN could talk about tonight. D Sterling will love the added attention and open the purse strings a little more.
This trade is ushering a new era for us. Since I started religiously following the clippers in the early 2000's, the most famous clippers I can think of are Elton Brand, Darius Miles, Sam Cassel, etc. Never have we had a Chris Paul and a Blake Griffin. If you build it...they will come.


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Two people are dead, and one man injured after a freight train slammed into an SUV at a crossing south of Klamath Falls this morning.
The accident happened just before 11 a.m. at a railroad crossing near Midland, about 10 miles south of Klamath Falls.
Oregon State Police say the driver, 33 year old MacKenzie Conway was driving parallel to the tracks when he attempted to cross the tracks at a marked railroad crossing. A northbound freight train smashed into the SUV, killing MacKenzie Conway and 25 year old, Kalla Conway.
27 year old, Nicholas Conway survived. According to OSP, Mackenzie was Nicholas Conway's brother, and Kalla Conway was his wife.
Jan Leeper of the Midland Post Office said Nicholas Conway made his way across the highway to try to get help.
"Terry and Roger Smith were just coming into the post office, and she came to the window and I was helping her, and Roger came running in - said that a man had come from across the street, they'd been hit by a train - and was bleeding badly, and he was asking for a blanket."
The man was taken by ambulance to Sky Lakes Medical Center for treatment.
No one on the train was hurt. The train's speed and the engineer's name are not being released.
Oregon State Police are investigating.


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BFTB Fanpost
So here the bolts sit 4-3 thanks in part to the refs. All the " football experts" and analysts are crowning the Chiefs the Afc West Champs, and calling the Chargers chokers again! However , the Chargers are the only team with a legitimate quarterback, and dont just downright embarrass the AFC West in the playoffs. Their (4-4) playoff record under Turner is respectable. The Chiefs are viewed by other playoff contenders as a bye week, and get steamrolled at home. The Raiders and Broncos don't even know who their coach , quarterback or general manager will be three weeks down the road. So guess what Bolts fans , the division is the Chargers again. Don't let a 4-3 record by the Chiefs fool you. After next week, their schedule gets considerably tougher. The Steelers, Giants and Packers have won the Superbowl after 9-7 regular seasons, and to be quite honest, I think 9-7 will get the Chargers into the playoffs this year, so dont give up yet.


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I may have misuderstood the bet so I am here to rectify the situation....
I forgot the most important person in this whole thing, Big Blue Shoe. I ranted and rambled on and on about the genius that is the Colt's front office but I didn't discuss the genius that is Big Blue. Or as I call him BBS. BBS knows a thing or two about this game of football and he shows it day in and day out. Let's face it, it's why we come here. Well last April the Indy Colt's selected a tough and fast young man from Louisiana State University and while he was the fourth running back taken in the first round, BBS knew that this was the player to be had. How could all the other GM's let him slip this far? Cause they didn't see what BBS could, the sheer running and athletic ability that was Joseph Addai. People scoffed (well, just me) and people thought, "This is how we replace Edge? What about Dominicanica?" (again just me). People screamed "WASTED PICK!" (me) but BBS stood firm. He was not going to let some know-nothings shake him.
And DAMMIT he was right!! So kudos to you BBS on your foresight. An ability I won't soon second guess!
Mazel Tov!
(I will not be accused by my own guys at WCG that I didn't fulfill my end of the deal!!!!! GO COLTS!!!!!)


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I just got through reading about another hugely popular, legitimate Web site hosting malicious code that redirects visitors to a malicious Web site. Once redirected, the new Web site runs a fake virus scanner and -- surprise, surprise -- finds multiple malware programs on the user's computer as it offers to install new "anti-virus" software to the end-user. Of course, users foolish enough to install the software end up installing what is likely to be the only malicious program on their computer.
Gone are the days when you could tell your end-users not to visit "untrusted" Web sites to minimize their exposure to malware. Actually, I gave up on that advice during the Nimda worm attack of September 2001. That was the first time a legitimate Web site tried to infect my computer. These days it is plausible to say that a fairly large percentage of malware is launched against us from innocent, victimized Web sites.
In the latest attack I'm referencing, the malicious attacker placed a malicious Macromedia Flash object on the vendor's Web page. (I also remember the days when media content couldn't hurt you.) How it got there I don't know, but it likely was placed using a Web site vulnerability or malicious ad placement. It might well have been one of the many cases in which you'll find a case of inappropriate transitive trust.
In the computer security world, transitive trust refers to how much implied security trust Party A gives to Party B when acting on behalf of Party A to Party C. Party A expects Parties B and C to use the same security policies and effort as it would use itself in all instances, or perhaps even more. In reality, Party A often assumes too much and fails to impress on the subsequent parties its expected security requirements. And when the compromise or vulnerability hits the news headlines, Party A is left swinging alone in the wind to face the music.
A common transitive trust scenario happening over and over today involves the placement of malicious banner ads on legitimate Web sites. The original Web site owner has a popular Web site and wants to maximize revenue. Often this is accomplished using revolving banner ads. On a big site, it is rare that the Web site administrators actually post or sell the majority of the banner ads themselves. Instead, they contact a trusted, accomplished, often traditional advertising firm to handle request (that is, the first transitive trust baton passing). This first-line trusted firm, not specializing in Internet media, contacts a medium-sized firm specializing in Internet advertising (the second baton pass). This midsize firm then contacts an even smaller firm that specializes in selling banner advertisement (the third baton pass), who promises top-dollar banner ads. The smaller ad firm ends up getting a top-dollar bid for the ad space, not realizing that the top bidder is a front company for a crimeware syndicate.


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How Facebook Helped Mom Locate Missing Teen Daughter
The story of how a local mother was able to create a Facebook page to help find her missing teen daughter, and the very real impact doing so had on Katie Peterson being reunited with her family.
Mom Takes to Facebook to Find Missing Teen: Katie Peterson of Olney
A local mother has created a Facebook page to help find 15-year-old Katie Peterson, who went missing early Friday morning, and is asking area-residents to help spread the word.
One Dead, Two Injured in Olney Crash
One man has been killed and two others injured in a car accident Friday afternoon that has shut down Batchellors Forest Road in Olney.
Police Investigating Drug-Related Shooting in Olney
Montgomery County police are investigating a drug-related shooting Monday night in Olney that left one man seriously injured.


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Saturday, October 16, 2004
This has got to be the gaudiest sink and faucet ever created. Who would wash their hands with this? Blech!
Comments: Post a Comment
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." - Benjamin Franklin, 1759.
"I am the well-armed lamb." - Grandma


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Packers RB Ryan Grant is Guaranteeing a Packer Win
Really ? An injured player , with zero say so in the out come of the game is gonna tell his fans to , and I quote , " Fans might want to start booking flights for February " . Alright , but keep lookin past this week and you won't make it to the next week .


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I was disappointed in today's game and last week's yet I cannot say I am surprised. The Chiefs simply do not have enough talent along the offensive or defensive lines to win.
They continue to start slow and simply cannot score. Last year I will say I thought Cassell was playing well and I admired his grit. This year he has simply been awful. I agree he has been under duress a great deal yet he has not been accurate. His receivers have offered little help (geez they cannot even line up right in week 10).
On defense, everyone knew the Chiefs were going to have to stop the run and they simply do not have the ability to do so as their D-Line is atrocious. Hey Denver....keep running at Tyson Jackson because he will not be involved in the play....I see you figured that out real fast...like all game long.
I think the coaching has been suspect yet personally I think our talent level is our achilles' heel. I put this squarely on our GM. We did NOT UPGRADE either line during the offseason, had gobs of money to spend and did not draft well to help these two areas either.
It is so disappointing to know our team is outgunned in nearly every game we play and the buzz saw we are going to run in to now will show how poor our talent really is.
So, I ask....coaching, the GM or both?


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Longtime IPTAY Donor Credits Wife for Decision to "Do Something for Clemson"
Steve Pearce will be the first to tell you his wife, Priscilla, is the one blessed with the brains.
So, when Priscilla suggested he reconsider the structure of his will to make sure the charities that were important to him got something significant when he was gone, Steve knew she was on to something.
"We're pretty much charitable givers; we do our share if we can," Steve said. "But we had it spread so thin among a lot of little things, it really wasn't going to help any of them very much."
Steve had been an IPTAY member since the 1960s, but it wasn't until years later he met Priscilla and they got a chance to share their love of Clemson.
Pearce grew up in Charleston and followed some of his high school pals to Clemson University in 1953. But after a couple of years, his father had a different plan.
"My daddy suggested after two years that I'd make a good Marine," Pearce said. "In other words, I didn't do very well. I
didn't apply myself."
After eight years in the Marines, Pearce never made it back to Clemson as a student, but instead returned to Charleston and went to work.
He worked as a credit adjuster, then a chemist's assistant, then a salesman and then drove a gasoline tanker for a while.
On one of his deliveries with the tanker truck, Pearce noticed a customer had a small coin laundry adjacent to the gas station.
"It was just a little hut with probably six washers and three or four dryers," he said. "I used to tease him about it and say, 'You make any money with that, just getting a nickel here and quarter there once in awhile?' And he'd say, 'Oh, they pay for themselves.'"
That was the start of Pearce getting into the coin laundry business – completely by accident – and he soon opened up his first washerette. Then another. And another.
Pearce ended up taking over for the salesman from whom he bought his equipment and did well selling laundry equipment, and that eventually led to a distributorship with the company that made the equipment.
"We became the largest distributor in the United States of their products for six or seven years, which is kind of amazing because we were competing with California and New York and all these big states, and we were right here in little South Carolina," Pearce said.
While Pearce never finished his studies at Clemson, a love for the school's athletic teams, particularly football, was sparked during his time on campus.
Pearce's passion for Clemson sports didn't truly start to mature until he moved back to Belton to open his first coin laundry, and he joined IPTAY soon thereafter.
"I really don't know what year I joined IPTAY – back when it was 10 dollars a year," Pearce said. "Frank Howard was the coach back then."
After he retired in 2000, Pearce began doing charity work at a church in Greenville, where he would help the pastor serve meals to the homeless on Sundays.
It was there that he met Priscilla, who also volunteered there and had graduated from Columbia College and gone on to get her Master's Degree from Clemson.
"Priscilla is a genius in mathematics, literally," Steve said.
After heading up the math department at the South Carolina Governor's School, Priscilla eventually got her Doctorate in Theology and went into the Methodist ministry.
"God gave her a late calling in life, but she's been good at everything she's ever done," Steve said.
The couple has been married 10 years now, and with Clemson being such a big part of both their lives – both before and after they met – Priscilla suggested to her husband he do something to give back to the school they love.
"She said, 'Why don't we think about some of the things in your will? You've got too many charities in there, and nobody is really getting enough of anything. Why don't we eliminate a few of those and do something for Clemson?'" he recalled. "So, in my will is left to Clemson, I guess, a pretty substantial amount of money. I didn't ask anything back, and I didn't expect anything back. It's just a way of saying thank you."


text:
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DC SUPER FRIENDS: TM & © DC Comics. (s13)


text:
Seth Whitehead
For the Daily News
St. Anthony gave Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City everything it could handle last month before falling to the state-ranked Lady Hornets, 36-31, in the championship game of the National Trail Conference Tournament.
It was a different story on Thursday at the Enlow Center, however. And the differences were about as subtle as a Micah Jones spin move in the low post.
The Lady Hornets (5-2) dominated on every level this time around, hitting eight of their first nine shots from the floor and never looking back in a 60-32 rout.
CHBC was fueled by a vintage game by senior Micah Jones (19 points, 21 rebounds, seven assists, three blocks) and a career night by up-and-comer Autumn Riley (20 points, four rebounds).
"This time we came out, I think, a little bit more ready to play ball," CHBC coach Carolyn Wendte said. "We just came off the loss to T-Town (on Tuesday), and that's how I challenged them tonight, ÔYou had your loss, we can handle a loss, but you learn from your loss and come out fired up and ready to play. I think they did a very good job today."
After going just 3-for-16 from the floor in CHBC's first meeting with the Bulldogs (4-4), Jones set the tone with an electric first-quarter display.
Jones immediately drew double and triple teams in the post, and unselfishly dished to Kacie Hilt and Ava Paruleski for the Lady Hornets' first two baskets.
Jones then converted on the first of her three first-quarter three-point plays.
CHBC finished 8 for 11 from the field in the first quarter, recording assists on six of those field goals for a 19-7 lead. Jones was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and 3-for-3 from the line in the quarter, playing the role of distributor to boot.
"Micah is a phenemonal, she's a great player," Wiedman said. "Not only scoring, but reading double teams and hitting people for open shots. It's hard to handle and kinda took the wind out of sails in the first quarter."
Jones made 7 of 8 shots and was essentially a point forward.
"Micah did an excellent job," Wendte said. "What we've been working on in practice is, when Micah draws that double or triple team, we've got to cut on the weak side and we've got to find that open man. And our second option is to look up high, and we caught Ava up there a few times up high."
Paruleski finished in double figures for the second straight game, finishing with 11 points, and appears to be returning to full strength after struggling with a lingering illness early on.
"Ava's gradually getting back a little more on her feet," Wendte said. "Her shot's building and she's putting some points on the board for us."
But it was Riley who took game-high honors in the scoring column for CHBC, showing off a diverse array of mid-range and post moves. Riley finished 7-for-12from the field.
"Autumn Riley could be an awesome player for this team," Wendte said "This summer, Micah went down and I told Autumn, ÔThis is your time to shine. She never really had that option with older kids ahead of her. That kid doesn't even know what her potential in basketball is yet."
Jones capped her big night with a rare 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, as a Lady Hornets' team that has struggled mightily from long range hit four trifectas.
"That's what we've got to work on," Wendte said. "That's what made us good last year - we had the inside-out game."
It was a struggle all the way around for the Bulldogs, who were just 15 of 45 from the field, including a seven-minute drought without a field goal in the first quarter. St. Anthony also made just 1 of 7 free throws, but Wiedman was most concerned about his team's defense, which was a strength the first time the Bulldogs played CHBC.
"Defensively, we have been good, but today our defense just wasn't good," Wiedman said. "This is the first time, I can honestly say, since the first game of the year that we weren't ready to play. We weren't mentally in it."
Megan Nuxoll led St. Anthony with 10 points and four rebounds, while Katie Richards had nine points. But it was a game to forget for St. Anthony.
"We were five individuals playing out there tonight," Wiedman said. "We weren't a team. But we're still young and we're playing a team with a lot of experience and an all-stater."
CHBC will host state-ranked Pana tonight. St. Anthony will host T-Town on Monday.
CHBC 60, St. Anthony 33
St. Anthony 7 8 9 8 - 32
CHBC - Ward 1-1 0-0 2, Jones 7-8 4-5 19, Miller 0-1 2-2 2, Edwards 1-4 0-0 2, Riley 7-12 6-10 20, Paruleski 4-9 0-0 11, Hilt 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 22-38 12-17 60.
St. Anthony - Gardewine 1-4 1-4 3, Bushur 2-6 0-0 4, Mumm 1-4 0-2 2, Nuxoll 5-8 0-2 10, Richards 4-8 0-0 9, Walsh 1-11 0-0 2, Dust 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 15-45 1-7 32.
3-point goals - CHBC 4 (Paruleski 3, Jones), St. Anthony 1 (Richards). Rebounds - CHBC 33 (Jones 21, Ward 4, Riley 4), St. Anthony 17 (Nuxoll 4, Richards 3, Bushur 3). Turnovers - CHBC 15, St. Anthony 11. JV Score -ÊCHBC 40, St. Anthony 36.


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Hereford pub to host charity family fun day (From Hereford Times)
Get involved! Send your photos, video, news & views by texting HT NEWS to 80360 or e-mail us
The Imperial, Hereford, to host charity fun day
4:04pm Thursday 5th June 2014 in News
A HEREFORD pub is holding a family fun day for a good cause tomorrow.
The Imperial, on Widemarsh Street, is welcoming families to take part in a number of activities such as face painting, a jumble sale and games, to raise funds for the Variety Children's Charity.
The fun day starts at 11am and ends at 5pm.
Comments are closed on this article.


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Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Wednesday, Jun 01, 2005
Money & Banking
Govt Bonds
RBI fixes FRB, 2009 rate at 5.59 pc
Our Bureau
Mumbai , May 31
THE Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has said that the rate of interest on the Government of India Floating Rate Bonds, 2009 (FRB, 2009) applicable for the half year (June 6, 2005 to December 5, 2005) will be 5.59 per cent per annum.
The rate on FRB, 2009 was set at a mark-up over and above the variable base rate.
"The variable base rate for payment of interest will be the average rate of the implicit yields at cut-off prices of the last six auctions of Government of India 364-day Treasury Bills held up to the commencement of the respective half yearly coupon period," the RBI said.
The variable base rate based on the average rate of the implicit yields at cut-off prices of the said last six auctions of Government of India 364 day Treasury Bills works out to be 5.60 per cent.
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. --- You've probably heard of chain e-mails connecting you to strangers, but a local woman credits a kidney chain for saving her life. WDRB's Jennifer Baileys explains how not finding a match here at home allowed JoAnne Breckenridge to help save others across the country.
"My head was hurting and I couldn't figure out why it was hurting so I went to my doctor, he said my blood pressure was up and then he wanted to run some tests," said JoAnne Breckenridge, kidney recipient.
The tests revealed one of her kidney's was failing. She eventually started dialysis while waiting to find a match and eventually a new kidney.
"I was confined to my room, had to hook up at a certain time, I didn't want to travel like we always do, because if I traveled I had to take everything with me and I didn't want to do that because I wouldn't enjoy myself," said Breckenridge.
While she was going through the painful day to day dialysis, her family and friends including her husband William were being rejected as a life saving match.
"We were down to the point where we had to do something," said William Breckenridge, husband.
That's when they discovered the option of a kidney exchange program at Jewish Hospital.
"You can create a chain that has you know 20, 30 different transplant pairs in it just by having one person who comes forward who is willing to donate to anybody," said Dr. Michael Hughes, transplant surgeon.
Wanting to save his wife, William decided to give one of his kidney's to a complete stranger in California, joining the chain doctors say started with a woman in Greece who gave to a man in Pennsylvania who's friend gave the kidney that saved JoAnne Breckenridge. Her Surgeon, Doctor Michael Marvin says the chain had 17 different transplants.
"There are patients that die everyday waiting for a transplant and there are thousands of people on the kidney transplant waiting list. The majority of patients on the transplant list throughout the country are waiting for kidneys so this definitely gives another option for them to get off dialysis and to improve their life," said Dr. Marvin, transplant surgeon.
In less than two weeks, JoAnne had a new kidney and her husband William had one less. At that time they didn't know who to thank for her kidney and her new life, until their son checked his Facebook page.
"I had a Facebook message and I looked at it, I didn't recognize the person that's sending so I looked at the message and it said 'Hey I believe my brother donated a kidney to your mom,'" William Breckenridge, son.
That message lead to a face-to-face meeting not only with JoAnne's donor Doug, but also with Doug's friend Charlie who started the chain and received a kidney from Greece.
"Tearful we all had a whole bunch of tissues," said JoAnne.
"If you can donate to somebody, it's great you know. You only need one kidney and it's a very easy process and I think it's probably the most rewarding thing I've done," said William.
624 W. Muhammad Ali BlvdLouisville, KY 40203


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John Christie
Questions Arise
After Christie's trial was over, two inquires were held and two Parliamentary debates undertaken to attempt to resolve whether Timothy Evans had been sent to the gallows an innocent man. It seemed incomprehensible that two men living in the same house had both been stranglers. Evans had accused Christie of his wife's murder, after all, and Christie had even confessed, although he had not confessed to killing the Evans baby. For all anyone knew, Evans could still have been guilty of this, and that was the crime for which he was tried.
John Scott Henderson, the Recorder of Portsmouth, was assigned to look into the case to decide whether justice had been done. He was given only 11 days to review all the documents in both cases.
After intensive investigation, Henderson determined that Evans had indeed strangled his own wife and baby. His report was published on the same day that Christie was hanged, and a debate followed. Many people doubted what he had to say and more than a few wrote books and articles to that effect.
Among those were the editors of the National English Review, F. Tennyson Jesse who wrote Trials of Evans and Christie, and the psychiatrist hired in Christie's defense.
Two years later, a delegation of four men, all press editors, approached the Home Secretary to request another inquiry. They believed that Evans was innocent and had his rights. Those rights, they claimed, had been violated.
F. Tennyson Jesse wrote up the case for publication in 1957, believing that Evans was innocent, although he tried to be as fair as possible to those who had handled the case. Ludovic Kennedy concurred on Evans in Ten Rillington Place, published in 1961. Kennedy goes to great lengths to show how poorly the Henderson investigation was carried out. Christie was questioned, but apparently coached to avoid the subject of Geraldine's death. The suggestion is that the police officers involved in the Evans arrest and confession wanted Christie to cover for them. Kennedy's implication is that Henderson was no independent investigator but simply a mouthpiece for the official version — that justice had not miscarried. Bernard Gillis, who represented the interests of Evans' mother, was barred from participation until the last minute and then not allowed to ask his most probing questions. This report is printed in full in Kennedy and Jesse's books, and Kennedy makes telling comments throughout.
To him, the primary question was whether or not there was sexual penetration of Mrs. Evans after death. Evans himself would not have done so but Christie would surely have been so perverse. Kennedy thought this was suggested in a brief to Evans' counsel from Freeborough, Slack & Company. Kennedy also believes the police interrogation went on much longer than admitted by the police, which indicates the possibility of forced false confession from a mentally-impaired man. He also claims that from the evidence that Christie apparently offered medical services to other women for the purpose of luring them into his control indicates a pattern into which Beryl Evans' death fits. He offers a list of points in common among the murders.
These two books helped to form what has been called the Standard Version of the case, in which police bungled their jobs and an innocent man was hanged. Evans, they felt, was under Christie's dominance. Christie said he would abort Beryl as a cover for what he really wanted to do, which was to strangle and rape her. She agreed to allow him to "help" her and he went to her flat, gassed her, and then had his way. When Tim found his wife dead that night, Christie persuaded him against going to the police. Two days later, Christie strangled the baby. He urged Evans to sell his furniture and leave the place. Evans did, but then went to the police. They brainwashed him and beat him until he made a false confession. That made him so confused that he made a poor showing at his trial. It made little sense that by sheer coincidence he would accuse the one man who in fact was killing women in this way. Had the two skeletons in the garden been unearthed before Evans' trial, things would have turned out quite differently. It was also a fact that Christie had told numerous lies throughout his trial, such as, the date of his back pain and claiming that he did not know the furniture dealer.
Everyone criticized the fact that the Henderson inquiry had been closed and rushed. That alone made it suspect, especially in view of the fact that certain documents were refused to the counsel hired by Mrs. Probert. It was also clear that he had failed to really address Christie's new admission or those facts that were in Evans' favor. Nevertheless, a second inquiry was refused. Henderson issued a supplementary report defending why he did and did not do certain things about which he was criticized. Jesse includes this in full in his book. A second debate took place in the House of Commons in 1953, which pointed out that Henderson still had given no weight to the facts that support Evans' innocence. Still, another inquiry was denied.
John Eddowes refuted the Standard Version of the crimes in The Two Killers of Rillington Place. His own father had written a book, The Man on Your Conscience, supporting Evans' innocence, but Eddowes believed his father was suffering from a mental illness and was incapable of contributing anything meaningful to the case. Eddowes believed that, in fact, two murderers lived at Ten Rillington Place at the same time. Evans, he believed, killed both his wife and child. He points out that the chief pathologists of the time, as well as the medical examiner, who interviewed both men, concluded that the evidence supports Evans as a double-murderer.
In an inquiry conducted in 1965, the conclusion from the pathologist was that Evans had strangled his wife but not his daughter. It was Christie who did that and then convinced Evans not to go to the police. High Court Judge, Sir Daniel Brabin, then granted a posthumous pardon to Evans in 1966, which did not declare him innocent, but only innocent of the charge on which he was tried — killing his daughter.
It is unlikely that the case will ever be fully resolved.
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Well the vote for #1 was a landslide.
After capturing 63% of a very encouraging 236 votes, Chris Davis has won the right to be called the LSB Community #1 prospect!
The list so far:
1. Chris Davis
The Beasticon was a pretty clear cut choice for #1, so let's hope we get a little more drama with the vote for #2.
The polls are open, so go ahead and vote in the poll at the bottom and feel free to make any suggestions and/or criticisms in the comments below.
And please don't hesitate to tell me who you want on the list next.


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- BangShowBiz
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|Dedicated to helping citizens of all generations understand how tax and spending policies affect them.
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Press Release
Nearly $100 Billion Separates Kaine's, Allen's Federal Budget Agendas, According to Analysis of Virginia Senate Hopefuls' Platforms
For Immediate Release September 11, 2012
Douglas Kellogg, (703) 683-5700
(Alexandria, VA) – Today, National Taxpayers Union Foundation (NTUF) released candidate studies revealing the bottom line net cost of all the campaign proposals being made by the two major candidates in Virginia's U.S. Senate race. Former Governor Tim Kaine's plans would add an estimated $1.28 billion to the federal budget; and former Senator George Allen seeks to cut $97.74 billion. Compared to the current fiscal year's outlays, Kaine's annualized average would represent an increase of .04 percent, while Allen's would represent a decrease of 2.7 percent.
"During campaigns it can be difficult to decipher the rhetoric and assess what a candidate will really do once in office, and what the end result will be for taxpayers," said NTUF Senior Policy Analyst Demian Brady. "Our study can help citizens to understand the fiscal implications of the promises they keep hearing on the campaign trail."
Here are the major fiscal proposals from these candidates' agendas:
Aside from $100 billion in contrasts, Kaine and Allen agree on one major cost saver: drilling for oil off the Virginia coast. Allen's energy plan is much broader, including more exploration than just Virginia, and would save an estimated $298 million ($102 million through drilling expansion). Kaine's plan only includes issuing new leases in Virginia. Legislation resembling his proposal would send 50 percent of funds from new leases to the U.S. Treasury, and 25 percent to the Commonwealth, though the exact cost is unknown.
For the study, NTUF gathered information from the campaigns and media coverage on any proposals by the two leading Virginia Senate contenders that could impact federal spending. Cost estimates for these items were verified against independent sources such as the Congressional Budget Office, and through NTUF's BillTally system, which since 1991 has tracked all spending bills in Congress.
NTUF identified 24 items in Tim Kaine's platform that could affect federal outlays, six of which would increase spending, none of which would decrease spending, and 18 of which could not be quantified with reasonable precision. George Allen's agenda included two proposals to increase expenditures, 10 to lower them, and 16 with impacts that could not be pinpointed.
Brady noted that the large number of "cost unknown" items was due to lack of specificity in the candidates' platforms. Allen, for example, pledged to "work with the states" in promoting science, math, engineering, and technology education," without indicating whether he intended to expand the number or funding of federal programs in this area. Kaine made reference to reducing "waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid," which has a potential for major savings; however, he did not provide details of the resources he would direct toward this initiative.
Brady concluded, "Like many residents across the country, Virginians will be inundated with crafty messaging about important issues in coming months, but they won't necessarily hear about the numbers behind those words. NTUF's studies are designed to provide some fiscal sunlight amid the 'fall squalls' of campaign season."
Note: NTUF's analysis of the Virginia candidates' agendas is one of several the group is currently conducting. Contests are being selected on factors such as geographic diversity, political significance as rated by outside groups and analysts, and the level of specificity in the candidates' platforms.
NTUF is the research and educational arm of the 362,000-member National Taxpayers Union, a non-profit citizen group.


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Are the New Jersey and New York accents sexy? Yes, if you believe a survey released by a dating website called Cupid.com. The top five are: Southern, New York, Western, New England, and New Jersey.
WTTG FOX 5 & myfoxdc5151 Wisconsin Ave. NWWashington, DC 20016Main Number: (202) 244-5151Newsroom: (202) email@example.com


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by Sonshi.com
Last month, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported:
Like many business executives, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison has famously read The Art of War, the sixth-century B.C. Chinese military treatise, for application in modern times. The book, by Sun Tzu, encourages the judicious use of strategy and outsmarting, rather than overpowering, one's opponent. Has [Bill McDermott, CEO of SAP Americas] read it? "I have." But Oracle, he said, "is the JV team of The Art of War. To beat SAP, you gotta bring the varsity."
While the battle of words goes on between the two software companies' chief executives on who is best at implementing Sun Tzu's Art of War, Marc Benioff, Chairman and CEO of salesforce.com (NYSE symbol: CRM) continues to take action to fulfill his vision and mantra: "The end of software."
As the world leader in on-demand customer relationship management services, salesforce.com has fully embraced the software as a service (SaaS) model. How can SaaS help your company? Instead of investing in hardware and updating and maintaining enterprise software at your facility, salesforce.com takes care of that for you; all you need to do is access the Web and log in. This is much like how you receive electricity from the power company: you pay only for what you use, and not have to invest in the power plant or worry about maintaining the power plant. By 2011, market analysts at Gartner Inc. project 25 percent of all new business software will be delivered by means of SaaS.
Arguably no one is more capable and experienced in SaaS than Mr. Benioff's salesforce.com. Although large and formidable, traditional software companies like Oracle, SAP, and Microsoft should be concerned as their progress in SaaS has been slow and unfocused. SaaS may even perhaps be contradictory to their core business models. With over 500,000 active subscribers now using salesforce.com's services -- grown from 100,000 subscribers when it went public in 2004 -- Marc Benioff is well on his way to ending software as most businesses know it today. Mr. Benioff doesn't just "believe in the Art of War," he effectively applies it.
Therefore, the part we found most remarkable about Marc Benioff and salesforce.com is the seemingly effortless way they apply the heart of Sun Tzu in the midst of the most embattled and dangerous of corporate settings, and with such great success. What he has done and continues to do, and what he describes below in our interview, is what Sun Tzu refers to as 'employing shih' at a very high level, and with wonderful examples of the extraordinary and orthodox as well as forming and transforming. It's effective yet at the same time natural, not contrived. And Mr. Benioff's insistence on the uniting the 'army' and the commander's vision as well as the conviction that bigger objectives -- universal access to software on-demand and the 'end of philanthropy' -- can both be served in business success and be values that can help fulfill business objectives. This is taking whole.
Another observation is the connections between what Marc Benioff does and the text are not explicitly stated in this interview, yet informed readers of Sonshi.com will clearly see them. In our opinion, this understatement makes the example so much stronger, i.e., "the truth is stronger when communicated by implication." Mr. Benioff is understated and gentle in person, yet clearly immovable and resolved like a mountain.
We are honored to have interviewed Marc Benioff and thank him for taking time from his busy schedule to share his business wisdom with Sonshi.com readers. You can learn more about him and his numerous recognitions and accomplishments at salesforce.com. Below is our interview with Mr. Benioff. Enjoy!
Sonshi.com: What concept in Sun Tzu's Art of War do you like the most and why?
Benioff: The concept that I like the most, and the one that I've taken most to heart, is the belief that people can't be united or focused unless they share a common philosophy—a philosophy that gives their effort a greater meaning.
I've seen how important this concept is in business. To be truly successful, companies need to have a corporate mission that is bigger than making a profit. We try to follow that at salesforce.com, where we give 1% of our equity, 1% of our profits, and 1% of our employees' time to the community. By integrating philanthropy into our business model our employees feel that they do much more than just work at our company. By sharing a common and important mission, we are united and focused, and have found a secret weapon that ensures we always win.
Sonshi.com:Would you mind sharing with our readers a time when the book helped you to compete in business and/or helped you in your life?
Benioff: One of the most important tenants of the book focuses on strategic thinking rather than combative thinking. That advice has helped us decide to position ourselves in a way that makes people want to join our mission—rather than attack us. A perfect example of this is exemplified by our decision to open up our platform. If we had been thinking combatively, we would have been afraid about competitors learning too much about us, or we would have had concerns about them duplicating our moves. Instead, we opened up the platform, first with API, then with something called Customforce, a suite of tools behind salesforce.com that allows regular business people to easily extend their current salesforce.com applications, and then with Apex, a breakthrough development platform that lets customers create and run any type of application on demand. By inspiring people to join us and work with us creatively, we gathered an army of innovators who are dedicated to making us better.
Sonshi.com: What is your philosophy on managing people? In other words, how do you motivate your employees to achieve their potential and thus achieve the company's goals?
Benioff: One of the things we touched upon was the "1% Solution," where 1% of our equity, profits, and employees paid work hours are donated to philanthropy. We've found that giving employees paid time off to get involved in the community has motivated them tremendously. They feel a greater sense of personal pride and satisfaction—and they have become happier and more productive at work. What some people don't consider is that this outside work doesn't just give their lives deeper meaning (which is certainly important), but it provides an excellent training ground as well. I've seen how allowing employees to go off and work with nonprofits they have polished their leadership and management skills, built networking opportunities, and sparked their creativity—all of which have made them not only more passionate, but more valuable employees.
Sonshi.com: From your experience, what are a few attributes you usually see in a successful salesperson and/or marketer?
Benioff: The one thing all successful salespeople and marketers have in common is a relentless focus on the customer and a real commitment to his or her success. That requires careful listening skills and then collaborating with the customer to visualize success. It also requires steadfast determination in order to make that vision a reality. These attributes are not exclusive to the sales team; to be successful, the entire organization must pursue this course.
Sonshi.com: In 2004, you wrote a book called "Compassionate Capitalism" and just a few months ago your new book "The Business of Changing the World" was published. Why does philanthropy integrated into a company -- e.g., devoting one percent of revenues, one percent of employees' time, and one percent of the company's stock to the community -- make sense?
Benioff:We have integrated philanthropy into our corporate culture from the inception of our company, and we have seen the difference that can be made with that model. The 1-1-1 model—equity, profits (in the form of product donation), and employee time—was designed to ensure that as our business grew so would our contribution to the communities in which we operate.
By leveraging the energy of our entire ecosystem—employees, partners, and customers—we have been able to make contributions that have even exceeded my expectations. In July 2000 the Foundation opened its first after-school technology center at a neighboring YMCA, providing free access to underserved youth. Since then, we have created more than 60 technology centers and media programs with schools and non-government organizations in 12 countries including Kenya, Israel, Japan, Ireland, and Singapore. Our 2,000+ employees have embraced the effort with fervor and donated over 30,000 hours to the communities that we serve. Corporations including Time Warner, Dell, and Cisco have joined our effort, donating services, time, and people. Together we've been able to reach more than 100,000 people worldwide with access to the Internet and state of the art technology programs.
In the summer of 2004, we witnessed the true financial power of our integrated model. The salesforce.com initial public offering raised more than $12 million for the foundation—and proved the capability of pre-IPO companies to make a positive difference, if only they make an early financial commitment of equity. In addition to funds raised from salesforce.com equity, about half of our employees make annual stock or cash contributions through the matching gifts program; we also receive donations from outside individuals. Today the foundation is worth more than $18 million.
I'm amazed by the potential of more companies employing integrated philanthropic initiatives at earlier stages in their life cycle. What if this were done on an even more massive scale? Consider what would happen if a top-tier venture-capital firm required the companies in which it invested to place 1% of their equity into a foundation serving the communities in which they do business. If embraced, this new model could dramatically increase the percentage of overall corporate donations and even lead to what Fortune magazine writer David Kirkpatrick has called "the end of philanthropy" and prove the true power of the integrated community service model.
Sonshi.com: The mantra at salesforce.com is the "End of Software." How would a company looking for CRM benefit from choosing salesforce.com over more traditional software companies like Oracle or SAP?
Benioff: Every company wants to focus on what they do best, and please their customers. And while the technology models of the past have promised to help them do this, the result was too often cost and complexity. We offer an alternative that allows our customers to focus on what's important.
We think that there has been something fundamentally wrong with the technology industry—particularly for buyers—for a long time. There's been an unnecessary burden placed on customers to ensure that enterprise software delivers on the vendors' promised results. The customer has been required to piece together an overall solution (traditionally of application software, middleware software, database software, networking & telecommunication infrastructure, hardware servers, and client devices). These pieces are assembled after purchase and require continuous fine-tuning and support.
Maybe if these software applications worked, it would be okay. The problem is, they don't. Over the past number of years, enterprise software customers have made large investments—usually more than they had anticipated—and received little in return. In fact, more than half of all new enterprise systems have failed completely!
As an alternative to the current system, salesforce.com offers Web-based applications. It's now been proven that on-demand solutions can deliver immediate benefits at reduced risks and costs. Our application utility model, which we promote as "The End of Software," focuses on eliminating conventional software in favor of a software-as-service model. What we mean by this is that users pay a reasonable monthly fee as opposed to tens of thousands (to millions) of dollars to install and upkeep the CRM solution. Since the solution requires no software or hardware to buy, install, maintain, or upgrade, customers typically realize savings of greater than 90 percent versus similar client/server solutions. The best part is that it works: salesforce.com is designed to be as simple to use as sites like Amazon or Yahoo, while at the same time it's capable of handling a company's complex CRM needs.
Sonshi.com: What are your thoughts on balancing work and personal life?
Benioff: I believe a balanced life is essential, and I try to make sure that all of our employees know that and live that way. It's crucial to me as a manager that I help ensure that our employees are as successful as our customers and partners.
I also think that employees these days expect less of a separation of work and personal life. That doesn't mean that work tasks should encroach upon our personal time, but it does mean that employees today expect more from the companies for whom they work. Why shouldn't your workplace reflect your values? Why is "giving back" not a part of our jobs? The answer for us is to integrate philanthropy with work.
When I explain our company values and the foundation to prospective employees, they realize that they have an opportunity to do much more than change the way businesses manage and share information. When you take a workforce of smart, creative, dedicated people and say "take this company time to serve your community, and bring along your coworkers, customers, and partners" great things happen.
[End of interview]
Can your company implement Marc Benioff's 1% model? Yes. Here's how:


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Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Friday, Mar 18, 2005
Stock Markets
OCL India stock sizzles
Our Bureau
Kolkata , March 17
THE OCL India stock today touched its 52-week high at Rs 703. In the past fortnight, the stock had been seeing a strong run-up from the level at Rs 440. The stock, however, saw a slide later during the session to close at Rs 668.
According to analysts, the current valuation appears somewhat stretched after considering positives such as growth in sales and margins, but for lack of liquidity the counter tends to fetch additional premium.
OCL, a relatively small cement player, has been enjoying the current buoyancy in the steel sector too through its sponge iron and refractory businesses.
"It has taken up a modernisation-cum-expansion plan for 1.2 tonne cement plant, which would bring down the cost and increase the efficiency. In terms of theoretical capacity valuation, its cement business works out to be $85 per tonne, much cheaper than the valuation fetched by others in the country," observed Mr Deepak Jain of Anagram Stock broking. It is also reasonably placed, even in terms of replacement and consolidation benchmarks in the industry (at $75 plus a tonne), he added.
The capacity addition in sponge iron business in 2003-04 has borne fruit this fiscal as improved demand has resulted in higher margins. According to a fund manager, OCL's plan to set up a mini integrated steel complex at an estimated cost of Rs 204 crore at Sundargarh district in Orissa is considered positive in view of continuing upswing in the steel cycle world over.
"The refractory business has also fuelled acceleration in profitability as the consuming steel units are virtually on a roll," said Mr Rajesh Agarwal of CD Equisearch.
According to Mr Ajit Day of Dayco Securities, though fundamentally strong, the supply of stock has always been limited in the closely held company (Dalmias, the promoters hold 75 per cent).
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(Edit: and lighten up)
Loki and I got a thing goin' on.
We're gunna get married and run away together.
Then the zombie apocalypse will come and it'll be up to her and I to keep the human race going.
I would invite you, but everyone knows the black guy always gets bit first.


text:
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text:
Lots of relics on this one. Eddie Sanchez. Soa Palelei. Colin Robinson. Mike Wessel. Jake O'Brien. Randy Couture. Assuereo Silva. Dan Evensen. Andrei Arlovski. Fabricio Werdum. By release or weight cut, all gone from the UFC's heavyweight division.
That leaves a very shallow pool of talent for matchmaker Joe Silva to work with. As a result, a prospect like Cain Velasquez, with all of seven professional fights, is thrust into the deep end of the championship pool. And that's without mentioning Shane Carwin (11 fights), Junior dos Santos (11 fights), and that Brock Lesnar guy (5 fights).
There's a perpetual and inane argument within the MMA community about the depth of the heavyweight division inside and outside of the UFC. If there's any significant advantage to either side (and I don't think there is), it's so marginal as to be a worthless talking point. The real point is this: the heavyweight division, as a whole, is incredibly shallow.


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SALISBURY, Md. - Salisbury's nearly 400 city employees are now one step closer to getting an increase in their wages.
The city council says they passed the first reading of a proposal that would allocate $700,000 for the increases.
The proposal comes from a $40,000 study by Evergreen Solutions LLC, which found 80 percent of the city's employees earn less than the mid point of their pay ranges.
The proposal must pass a second reading next month to go into effect.