text:
The Second Building, 1892
The legislature of 1885 was aware of the progress that Concord Normal School was making. They were impressed by the service given to the state by the school, and appropriated $5000 for a new brick building. Work was started in July of 1886, and the building was completed in June, 1887.
Captain French, who was principal in 1887, was unable to leave his room because of illness. Captain Sweeney was in the legislature, so James French Holroyd began the session in the new building. In 1888 an appropriation of $3000 was made to provide an addition to the building.
Shown here, left to right, are C. A. Fulwider, who graduated from Concord in 1886, and began to teach in that same year; Harvey French, first principal; Miss Nannie Mcreery, who finished Concord Normal in 1883, and came back to teach in 1889; J.D. Sweeney, appointed first assistant in 1855, became principal in 1891; and James F. Holroyd, whose name appears on the roster for the faculty from 1877.
From the beginning, the faculty have been dedicated to the growth and advancement of the school, and to the training of young minds entrusted to their care. All through the years, Concord has been very fortunate in obtaining faculty members with excellent educational backgrounds, devotion to teaching and personalities that have made them good teachers. Concord Faculty, about 1890
Today, the faculty carry on the tradition of scholarship and excellence in teaching. The faculty include persons who are graduates of major American and foreign universities, from many different states and from several foreign countries.


text:
Dale of Norway Wyller Jacket
4-star: 0
3-star: 0
2-star: 0
1-star: 0
High performance, stylish jacket. This is a very functional…
Source: bought it new
Price Paid: $125
High performance, stylish jacket.
- Functional
- Stylish
- Only two pockets
This is a very functional and stylish jacket. The WINDSTOPPER fabric makes it absolutely windproof and the treatment of the wool makes it quite water and snow resistant as well.
The wool is quite durable and comfortable and so far has held up for two seasons of regular use. I've been quite impressed with how the garment was put together in such a way that the wool was transformed into such a technical fabric.
It only has two pockets, so don't be surprised.
It is quite slim fitting which is a nice alternative to the mostly bagging outdoors clothing currently sold in the US. If you're fit and don't have a big belly, then the fit will be very welcome.
As a disclaimer, I am affiliated with Gore for product testing of Gore-tex products for the purpose of product review and recommendation. I do receive items from Gore for these purposes.
Retailers' Descriptions
Here's what other sites are saying:
The Dale of Norway Men's Wyller Jacket exemplifies the resurgence of wool in technical outerwear, combining weatherproof Hielo yarn with Gore Windstopper technology. The Wyller presents a refined yet sturdy appearance, perfect for a day on piste followed by a drink in front of the lodge fireplace. You'll find yourself pulling it on for every task, from splitting cordwood for the stove, to walking the dogs during the overnight flurry, because the unmatched warmth and durability of the Wyller Jacket's Gore Windstopper-backed Hielo wool makes every other jacket seem, well, superfluous.
- Backcountry Outlet
CLOSEOUTS . Don't let icy winds impede your plans; let Dale of Norway's Wyller jacket use its comfortable combination of wind-chill-blocking Windstopper(R) and a three-layer Knitshell membrane show the weather who's boss. Unique fabric design blocks out wind, cuts the cold and repels water Wool blend exterior has inlaid soft shell panels on the shoulders and sides Zip hand pockets Length: 28" (based on large) Weight: 2 lb. Fabric: At least 75% virgin wool, remainder polyester and PTFE Care: Hand wash, dry flat Made in Latvia or Poland. Available Colors: OFF WHITE/BLACK, DARK BROWN. Sizes: 2XL, L, M, S, XL.
- Sierra Trading Post
Dale of Norway Wyller Jacket
$191.92 - $191.96
The Dale of Norway Wyller Jacket is not available from the stores we monitor. It was last seen December 24, 2010 at Sierra Trading Post.
If you're looking for a new snowsport jacket, check out the best reviewed current models.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
By Christian Jennings - bio | emailDecember 30, 2008
THOMASVILLE, GA (WALB) - A man shot in the buttocks almost two months ago when he was caught breaking into a Thomasville man's car apparently didn't learn his lesson.
Police say 22-year-old Jonathan Samuel broke into another car parked in a residential driveway in the 1300 block of Margaret Street over the weekend.
Hours later police found him and arrested him. He's in jail tonight.
Samuel got out of the hospital a few weeks ago after being shot by a homeowner who caught him breaking into a vehicle on Warren Avenue in early November. Feedback
P.O. Box 3130
Albany, GA 31706
(229) 446-1010
FCC Public File
(229) 446-4005
EEO Report
Closed Captioning


text:
- Mobile site
- E-Newsletters
- News feed
- Find us on Twitter
Food & feature writer Katherine MacAlister
Music Editor Tim Hughes
Oxford United from Oxford Mail
Oxford Mail on Twitter
Follow our Features Editor on Twitter
- Find us on Facebook
Oxford Mail
Like and follow us on Facebook
MOTORSPORT: Bottas claims his first F1 podium for Williams (From Oxford Mail)
Get involved: send your photos, videos, news & views by texting OXFORD NEWS to 80360 or email us
Sport RSS Feed
MOTORSPORT: Bottas claims his first F1 podium for Williams
Updated 3:42pm Sunday 22nd June 2014 in Sport
Valtteri Bottas claimed the first podium finish of his Formula 1 career for the Grove-based Williams team by coming third in the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg.
Bottas's teammate, Felipa Massa, finished fourth after starting from pole position as Nico Rosberg claimed his third victory this season to spearhead a sixth one-two for Mercedes as title rival Lewis Hamilton was forced to settle for second best.
Pastor Maldonado and Romain Grosjean, driving the Enstone-based Lotus cars, finish 12 and 14th respectively.
Jules Bianchi was 15th for Banbury outfit Marussia, with teammate Max Chilton 17th, while Kamui Kobayashi brought the first Leafield-based Caterham car home in 16th, ahead of teammate Marcus Ericsson in 18th.
Comments are closed on this article.


text:
Team Porscha by Team Porscha - about 3 years ago
"My girlfriend signed up for a 3.2-mile swim in Seattle. We're from Chicago, but some of our friends, her parents, and my family came out to support her in the race. We surprised her with the Team Porscha t-shirts from CustomInk and she loved it! She's not in the picture because she's swimming, but she did very well and put her Team Porscha shirt on when she finished. Go Team Porscha!"


text:
Retail sector migrating rapidly to mobile optimised web says Adyen
An extremely interesting insight into how the online transactions industry is progressing was provided when GoMo News met with Roelant Prins, Chief Commerce Officer, with Adyen. Prins joined the company when it was just a Dutch company but now Adyen is truly global. Although Adyen supports no fewer than 250 payment methods, Prins was sharing his company's knowledge of what is happening in the mobile sector with us. Data from the just released third Adyen Mobile Payments Index showed that mobile contributed an average of 18.5 per cent to global transactions over the four months of September to December [2013].
It's interesting to note what kind of transactions Ayden is tracking. The company has very little to do with direct carrier billing, Prins admitted – so that sector isn't really covered by the index.
Nor are the millions of mobile micropayments carried over specialist systems such as M-Pesa in Africa.
However, the trends in mobile payments were very easy to spot.
For example, Ayden splits payments for 'travel' by which it means big items like flights from smaller payments which it calls ticketing.
If you look at average payments for travel, then the split is PCs – €131 vs tablets – €89 versus smartphone -€44.
With ticketing it is tablets – €46 versus smartphones – €44 versus PCs – €42.
As readers can spot immediately, there are variations as to which device is used by consumers for specific transaction types.
Ayden believes that the tablet – with its combination of a bigger screen, touch interface and portability may account for a better browsing experience and longer shopping sessions.
Whereas at work or during commuting, smartphones and PCs may be used for spontaneous, lower value purchases.
Mobile transaction volume in retail has also risen by a third, up to 23 per cent.
This is where Prins explained that retail is leading the transactions market currently. The most important customers for his company are the big retailers.
And it is the retailers who are moving rapidly towards mobile optimised web sites.
The data shows that retailers who only have desktop orientated web sites aren't getting the transaction volumes that their rivals do.
One thing which didn't come out in the Mobile Payments Index is the great extent by which payment methods vary from territory to territory.
In Brazil, for example, you'd be mad if you didn't support a system known as Boleto whereas the Dutch favour a system called Ideal.
Additionally, the UK market is quite advanced – Prins revealed, because consumers are prepared to accept systems such as 'Verified by Visa'.
As Prins told GoMo News, "One good [online shopping] experience is all it takes and consumers will revisit the site."
This adds another stage into the payment process and Ayden normally finds that its inclusion leads to a payment not being concluded.
But not in Britain, where the Brits have apparently got used to it.
There are lots of juicy stats in the third Ayden Mobile Payments Index, so we have published the full summary here.
It makes for really interesting reading – especially for those in retail.


text:
An asinine affair
I've not blogged on the Eason Jordan spectacle very much in part because the big boys have been doing that very nicely. (Summary and links galore here)
But it seems to me the end result is a victory for the little people. Jordan speaks at an elitest, economic forum at an exclusive resort in Switzerland. The session is deemed "off the record" and yet there's a videotape of the session that included, among other people, at least a couple of U.S. congressmen.
That's one of the most asinine arrangements I've ever heard of. Anything involving two or more people is not off the record. And as some people are increasingly learning, the Internet and blogs means virtually nothing is off the record.
I've always had rather simple advice for people: If you don't want to see it in print, (or in this case on a computer screen), then don't say it.
And yet, people at this Davos Conference apparently still refuse to release the videotape of Jordan's remarks. I agree with Bill Hobbs and others that clearly the tape should be released.
In the meantime, though, the common folk, including members of the U.S. military, know what was said.


text:
Commenting as a Guest. Sign in or Join.
Reality star Kim Kardashian and her fiance Kanye West walk hand-in-hand as they go shopping in Givenchy, Balmain and Lanvin on April 14, 2014 in Paris, France. Before arriving at Lanvin, Kim Kardashian changed her dress in the van!
Remember Me
Sign in with Facebook


text:
TOLEDO - Three Toledo women's cross country runners were selected to the 2012-13 Academic All-Mid-American Conference Team, the league office announced on Monday. Senior Kaylin Belair, sophomores Megan Wright and sophomore Priscilla Timmons each earned the recognition for the first time based on their efforts inside and outside of the classroom.
The Rockets and Miami led the league with three runners appearing on the list.
Belair was the top runner for the 2012 MAC champions, leading the Rockets in nearly every race en route to the program's highest national ranking in team and conference history (No. 15). An All-MAC first-team performer, Belairplaced second overall at the MAC Championship and 11th in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional race. She was recognized as the MAC Runner of the Week following her performance at the prestigious Wisconsin Adidas Invitational when she set a personal-best time of 20:22.00. The senior was also the team's top finisher at the NCAA Championship in 49th place. Belair has accumulated a 3.43 grade-point average and competes on the UT indoor and outdoor track squad.
Wright was also a first-team all-conference runner for the three-time defending MAC champions. She finished third at the MAC meet, which ended up being her final race of the season after suffering an injury. Wright stepped up as a reliable runner when sophomore Mackenzie Chojnacky experienced an illness towards the end of the season. The pre-occupational therapy major posted a personal-best mark of 20:46.00 on the course and has a cumulative GPA of 3.35. Wright also runs on the indoor and outdoor track team.
Timmons earned second-team all-league honors following her eighth-place finish at the conference championship meet. Most notably, Timmons raised her level of performance at the National Championship to finish second among UT runners. The sophomore also placed 29th at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional and recorded a personal-best time of 20:48.00 over the course of the season. A physical therapy major, Timmons carries the highest GPA of the three UT selections with a 3.71 mark. She runs on the indoor and outdoor track team as well.
The Midnight Blue & Gold spent the entire fall ranked in the USTFCCCA National Top-30 Coaches' Poll and captured its fifth MAC title in 2012. UT also made its third-straight appearance at the National Championship meet, finishing in 28th place.


text:
skip to main content
Join 3,519 readers in helping fund MetaFilter
Best Of
New User
How to form an equitable business partnership
November 4, 2009
How to setup a business partnership in an old-school brick-and-mortar manufacturing business between four friends - two of whom will be the major investors (say A and B), one guy is partial investor who will work full time but is new to this business and doing business in general (C ie: me), and the last guy is the one (D) with the entire business knowledge. He is in the field for past 7 years, already running a profitable trading shop (buying in Saudi, selling in India) in this field and is interested in expanding by setting up 'our own' manufacturing facility in Saudi.
This is my first time venturing into a business setup after quitting my job. Some things which are different than the norm. We don't plan to take any debt. This is an all cash setup we are planning in Saudi and there would be no lawyer involved it's all mutual agreement and trust between us. Treat this as business amongst friends. There are no trust issues and nobody is fighting for the last margincal percentage. All of us are pretty ok with the plan being a bit flexible and we cover each others backs anyways. As long as it 'looks good and fair overall' it's game.
The investment capital ratio is :
C - 10% (ie me)
Entire capital is going to be invested upfront in setting up the business, visas, licence, machinery etc. There is no staggered investment. The only thing variable in the above plan is: B might decide to remain as just investor or investor + working full/half time based on the need.
D having the full business knowledge is going to do the initial work of sourcing raw materials, setting up shop and selling. He is the only one at this point with all contacts, knowledge the works. Apart from my 10% investment, the idea is I (and maybe B) be working full time alongside with him and learn the trade, eventually come to a position 6 months down the line where I (and B) be managing the Saudi shop and he'll concentrate on the selling side in India.
I will be working full time on this. But since I'm new to it, one way to look at this is also that I'm getting an opportunity to learn the trade. Same applies to B if he becomes a working partner.
All the working partners C, D (and B) are okay with not taking a salary for, say first 6 months or so.
How should we divide the stake in this setup between all of us and how much salary (or any other form of compensation - increased stake in lieu of agreeing to not take any salary) should C, D (and maybe B) get?
posted by
Work & Money
(10 answers total)
1 user marked this as a favorite
there would be no lawyer involved it's all mutual agreement and trust between us
Even among friends,
start a business by having a partnership agreement drawn up by an experienced lawyer. Not only so that the equity distribution is decided in an orderly way, but so that you have a formal and recorded agreement as to what happens to the equity of a partner who decides to leave (or, let's say, dies).
I speak as a partner with old friends in two companies. For the sake of the company and of the friendships, lawyer up.
posted by
on November 4, 2009 [
1 favorite
As to how I'd split the equity in your situation: essentially, D has a going business and wants to fund expansion. He should make a straightforward pitch to A and B for investment, dividends, and potential exit; your minimal initial investment gives you a minimal role in that negotiation. You're really primarily an employee; put a cash value on 6 months of your work (at a discount, possibly, since you're not an expert in this business yet) and have that much equity vest at the end of 6 months, at the founders' price.
posted by
on November 4, 2009
it's all mutual agreement and trust between us.
That's a beautiful thing. It's worth hammering out an explicit agreement now, so that everybody is on the same page and mutual agreement and trust don't get lost along the way.
Treat this as business amongst friends.
Businesses amongst friends need
care in initial setup, because friends are not something you should throw away lightly, and businesses among friends have an unfortunate history - the friendships tend to go first, and that often buggers the business.
There are no trust issues and nobody is fighting for the last margincal percentage.
Good. So you need to have an explicit, up-front, on-paper agreement that you've all put your signature to
as well as
your handshakes.
All the working partners C, D (and B) are okay with not taking a salary for, say first 6 months or so.
How should we divide the stake in this setup between all of us and how much salary (or any other form of compensation - increased stake in lieu of agreeing to not take any salary) should C, D (and maybe B) get?
I would strongly suggest that you get agreement between yourselves on what your
pay scales will be, once the business is making enough money to pay salaries. These scales should
be set based on initial stake; they should be set on the basis of what similar skills can command when working for
businesses. So, each of you needs to figure out what you'd be making if you were doing your proposed set of jobs for somebody else; then you all need to vet those figures, and make sure you all agree they're reasonable; then convert them to
of the highest figure. Then, once the business starts making enough that paying salaries becomes feasible, start paying them at whatever rate the business can afford while still remaining solvent, but
make sure the relative percentages
are as agreed.
Once the business is prospering enough that it's able to pay you the
salaries you decided on up front, it should pay that and no more
as salary
. At that point, the business is breaking even, and you can all have a little party.
Once the thing is beyond breaking even and is actually returning a yearly profit, you need to get together and work out how much of that profit should be ploughed back in to keep the thing going next year, or grow it, or whatever you want to do with it. And any left over
on top of that amount
should be split as pro-rata dividends according to initial stake.
You also need to agree on contingency plans in the event that one or more of you ends up wanting to pull out.
Work all this out between you.
Put it in writing. All sign it.
And then get on with enjoying each other's friendship as you build your business, secure in the knowledge that you're all clear on exactly where you stand.
posted by
on November 4, 2009 [
3 favorites
And yes - nicwolff's point about foregone salary being added onto initial stake equity is fair and correct, and is why it's important to agree on formal pay scales before you go any further.
posted by
on November 4, 2009
I'm sorry. Looks like I overstated the no-lawyer and friendly business clause which has taken this thread a little offtrack. I just wanted to indicate that it's not as if we are four big individuals with our own lawyers and month-long meetings and negotiations. It's just four fast friends, three of whom have previosly invested with each other at various levels. Ultimately yes, we'll hire a lawyer who'll make a formal legal agreement with all of us signing onto it.
nicwolff: what do you mean by vest in 6 months? Also, yes, I do realise that I am essentially an employee in this scenario. But here's the difference: I won't be working like an employee (fixed 8-10 hrs + overtime etc). I'll be working like one of the owners (whenever work demands 24x7). Apart from four of us, it will be basically a small 8-10 worker shop which I'll be managing. Along with learning from D, I'll also create my own channels, buyers, sellers the works. Right now we are estimating I'll be handling the shop and fully responsible for it within 6 months. As you realise this is slightly more than being a fixed salary employee. What I lose in not having the business knowledge, I put in terms of full management responsibility of operating the shop. That is why I asked how much salary should I (and maybe B) get for our fulltime work or if not salary what other way can we be recompensed for it? increased stake in business down the line, one time lumpsum bonus of our annual profits..? I've never done business but have vague ideas that that's how these things are done. So try to be as plain-englishy as possible.
It's my own idea to put in my own 10% stake as a way to force myself to act as a business owner and also it indicates to the other 3 friends that I'm pretty serious about it.
Without getting into our personal friendship details: In short, think of it this way. D wants to outgrow his current trading business. A and B and to some extent C (me) are initially using D's help to setup our (as in owned by all four of us) manufacturing shop. I'll learn the trade as D's apprentice in the initial 6 months or so after which I'll handle the sourcing/manufacturing/shipping part and D can concentrate solely on selling and increasing margins. The increased returns of this combined effort will be shared amongst the four of us.
How do we share that?
It would help if subsequent responders would focus on actualy facts and figures of our sharing agreement and delve not too much in our friendship details.
posted by
on November 5, 2009
How do we share that?
By starting from pre-agreed salary equivalent. If you like, work out the salaries as an hourly rate instead of a monthly rate; the rate should be what all of you agree you
pay a hypothetical somebody who was not one of you, to do the same mix of work with the same skills as the one of you you're figuring for, assuming you could already afford to do that.
Then, each of you works
that salary, but you
for it as if it were an additional contribution to your stake; and once the business is actually capable of paying you the salaries you've agreed on, those augmented amounts become the amounts you base the pro-rata split of withdrawn profits on.
As well as a lawyer to help you draw up the agreement, you're going to need a competent though probably part-time bookkeeper to keep track of all this stuff for you. If that's not one of you, it needs to be somebody you hire.
posted by
on November 5, 2009
Too many people get so bogged down in the initial contract that nothing ever happens. Personally, I start with a simple deal memo in ordinary English, could even be in the form of an email. You'll most likely find that you're not all on the exact same page already. Once that is in place, proceed until a few dollars are made. Then write a real contract with legal help. Perhaps not the most standard way to go, but that's how I do it.
posted by
on November 5, 2009
Super interesting question!
Ignore all the stuff above about using theoretical salaries as a basis for equity calculations. To reduce it to the absurd: if a primary school teacher and an IT contractor go into business to produce educational software for kids, they're not going to split the shares 20:80 just because the teacher earns so much less teaching kids than the contractor does writing VBA for banks.
It feels to me like for simplicity you should treat C and D as the founders and A and B as the investors. The founders will work full-time, and the investors will put money in. The founders need to decide what the investors' upfront capital is worth in terms of an equity stake, and agree with it the investors.
In terms of D: I'd be a bit worried about him not having any skin in the game. I can see that you have more to prove than him but I'd suggest he put in 2% and you put in 8%. You're both working full-time, he's got more experience but you're putting in more cash - I'd say you have a good claim to get the same equity stake as him; if he disagrees (and he will - but it's a negotiation right?) then talk to him and meet somewhere in the middle where you're both still motivated.
Finally, in terms of B possibly coming in and working full-time: you should agree that he has a window to do that in, and within that window if he does join then you will issue X shares to him which will dilute everybody's holdings.
In summary: don't overcomplicate it, and make sure that everybody has enough % to keep them motivated for the long term in whatever capacity you need to make the business a success.
Good luck!
posted by
on November 5, 2009 [
1 favorite
Thanks everyone, especially flabdablet and thanks for your well wishes.
I showed this response to D, he's quite impressed about my ability to tap resources and get such thoughtful exchanges from the net.
I'm super excited about this venture and what it holds for in future in terms of changing my career trajectory! I'm sure I'll have a lot to ask and need more handholding from the hivemind in the future.
posted by
on November 5, 2009
The idea is that the contribution that each team member makes before the business can pay salaries as actual money should be rewarded with equity instead, and at a rate that reflects the relative values of all contributions.
To reduce it to the absurd: if a primary school teacher and an IT contractor go into business to produce educational software for kids, they're not going to split the shares 20:80 just because the teacher earns so much less teaching kids than the contractor does writing VBA for banks.
If a primary school teacher and an IT contractor go into business to produce educational software for kids, then on my proposed model above, the primary school teacher's role in the business would be as a consultant with teaching expertise, not as a teacher per se, and the proposed salary worked out accordingly.
The most important features of the proposed salaries are that (a) all parties agree, before anybody does anything, that they are fair and reasonable (b) they are all
written down
so that they can all be
to have been agreed to. That way, anybody who feels hard done by at the end of the day can quite reasonably be told to suck it up by everybody else, and will in fact probably do so rather than prolong a business-eroding and friendship-threatening dispute.
posted by
on November 5, 2009
« Older
I have about 30 surplus SIM ca... | Celebrating Thanksgiving by my...
Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
Related Questions
Looking for advice starting a web development...
October 6, 2010
How to split business ownership fairly?
December 7, 2009
How to not get screwed over in a business...
November 15, 2009
My partner, my nemesis
October 5, 2009
how to divide ownership shares in a side-project...
September 5, 2007
New User
MeFi Wiki
Buy a Shirt
© 1999-2014
MetaFilter Network Inc.
All posts are © their original authors.
| ☃


text:
Jared William Landers
Jared William Landers, age 31 of Maryville, passed away Wednesday, August 24, 2011. He was a member of Immanuel Baptist Church and was preceded in death by his cousin, Vanessa Williams.
Survivors include his son, Conner Landers; daughter, Kaya Landers; mother and father, Diane Williams and Tony Landers; sister, Sarah Landers; brother and sister-in-law, Josh and Amy Landers; nephew, Graham Landers; grandparents, Grady and Etheleen Landers, Edward and Wannell Williams; uncles and aunts, Ted and Janice Williams, Tom and Susan Raulston, Andy and Pam Landers, Cindy Landers, Koki and Mark Best, Micah and Jana Landers; foster brother, La'auli Leitula; several cousins.
Funeral services will be at 7:00 p.m. Saturday in McCammon-Ammons-Click Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Gary Stinnett, Rev. Gabe Brown and Rev. David Hammonds officiating. Family and friends will meet at 2:00 p.m. Sunday at Salem Cemetery for the interment service.
The family will receive friends from 5-7:00 p.m. Saturday at McCammon-Ammons-Click Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Blount County Salvation Army, DESIGNATED FOR CELEBRATE RECOVERY, 1414 Sevierville Road, Maryville, TN 37804.
McCammon-Ammons-Click Funeral Home 982-6812


text:
In The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook Alan Lee reveals in pictures and in words how he created the watercolor paintings for the special centenary edition of The Lord of the Rings. These images would prove so powerful and evocative that they would eventually define the look of Peter Jackson's movie trilogy and earn him a coveted Academy Award.
The book is filled with more than 150 of his sketches and early conceptual pieces showing how the project progressed from idea to finished art. It also contains a selection of full-page paintings reproduced in full color, together with numerous examples of previously unseen conceptual art produced for the films and many new works drawn specially for this book.
The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook provides an insight into the imagination of the man who painted Tolkien's vision, first on the page and then in three dimensions on the movie screen. It will also be of interest to many of the thousands of people who have bought the illustrated Lord of the Rings as well as to budding artists who want to unlock the secrets of book illustration.
There are currently no product reviews for this product.
Overstock.com values your opinion. Please take a moment and share what you like or don't like about a product.
Items must be returned in new or unused condition and contain all original materials included with the shipment. More details
FINAL SALE EXCLUSION: Items marked as FINAL SALE are not returnable unless the problem you experience is the result of our error.
* For your safety, some orders go through our loss prevention department. If we select your order for this process, we will immediately notify you that there may be up to a 3-day delay on your order.
** Most Oversize orders are delivered within 1-4 weeks. Some orders may take 6 weeks to be delivered.


text:
Pulse Report: Nicki Minaj Gives Her Best Interview Ever, Earl Sweatshirt Takes Tyler, The Creator's Spot, Nas Turns Into God's Doggy
Friday, Mar 23, 2012 12:15PM
In this week's Pulse Report, doggies, we're gonna rip the pages up to see quite possibly Nicki Minaj's best interview...ever, find out why Tyler, the Creator could lose his leadership role to Earl Sweatshirt, give props to Nas for being God's Doggy and oh SOHH much more!
1. How Far She's
Cum Come
I'll be the first doggy to tell y'all that I thought Nicki Minaj's career was a fluke. Point. Blank. Period. No John Cusack. LOL. I thought she was just some chick that had a fatty, a set of knockers and could spit a few bars courtesy of sex-laced rhymes that made you think of Lil Kim from start to finish. Oh how wrong I was, doggies. Since 2009, Nicki took her loyal mixtape Barbies to the top with millions of Twitter followers, magazine covers, platinum-selling album, chart-topping success, immaculate photo spreads, hot co-signs, and rumors galore. Did I mention she buried the career of Lil Kim? I mean, what she did to the career of Lil Kim is just horrible. Baiting her in and then making the success drown her? SMH.
So with all of that said, I came across quite possibly the best interview (print, audio or video) that I've ever read courtesy of Nicki's chat with the one-and-only Miss Info. For the record, I've had a crush on Info since those Hot 97 morning show days. LOL. Anyway though, maybe it was the setting they were in, the fact it was Info or just because it was Complex Magazine's 10th anniversary issue, Minaj had a doggy reading word-for-word uhh, every word. LOL. The interview was SOHH good that I had to feature it in here. While it would be silly to post the whole interview in here, just click here to peep it, I had to pull out certain parts from the Q&A that stood out. Kick back and enjoy doggies, Nicki opens up and oozes out goodness. LOL!
What wows you these days? Everything that comes your way keeps becoming bigger, bigger, bigger.
If I wasn't doing it, I wouldn't believe it's possible. I remember when I was working with Jay-Z. It was like, "Oh my God. Did I really just do a song with Jay?" I worked with Mariah and it wasn't commercially successful. But I had fun and I made a real friendship with her. It was, obviously, a life-changing moment for me. It does feel like every moment is getting bigger and bigger. Not only did I get a call to do a song with Madonna, but then I got a call to do a video with Madonna, and then--oh, by the way--you're going to do the Super Bowl with Madonna. This is not really happening.
When you're constantly exceeding your own expectations, how do you set new goals?
Doing the Super Bowl with Madonna doesn't really change Nicki Minaj's personal goals. My goal right now is still to put out Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, sell five million copies eventually, and tour every country in the world. That's what I've been working toward. So while the world is talking about, "Oh my God, I can't believe Nicki Minaj was at the Super Bowl!" I'm mixing and mastering my music. In my scheme of things it's way bigger.
When I look at the Nicki Minaj franchise--the fashion, the success of songs like "Superbass," the media thirst--I don't see you in any kind of supporting role.
When you're told something for a long time, even when it changes, your mind frame doesn't change and you're subconsciously trying to prove everyone wrong. Even though I know what I'm capable of, I still haven't had a performance where I would say, "I want this to go down in the Nicki Minaj history book." I am my own worst critic. For instance, the American Music Awards was set to be an amazing performance, but then I had a horrible malfunction with the clothes and the hair ten minutes before I opened. So I was backstage having a fucking nervous breakdown.
What happened?
My hair was supposed to light up, my choker was too small. So while I was in the box, waiting for the show to open, I had to rip the shit off, throw it to the side, and act like nothing happened. When I got off stage I freaked out because it was just so emotional. I really, really, really wanted that to be a dope show.
But I was watching and didn't notice anything wrong.
I know.
Does that ease the frustration at all?
No, because I'm not doing it for everyone else. I'm doing it to prove to myself that I can do it. To prove to myself that I don't have to settle for less because I'm a female rapper or because I'm black. And until I prove it to myself, it's not gonna matter. No one's opinion is going to matter. I really just have to perfect something.
What's your off-stage persona?
I'm the biggest homebody. But I've been like this. Nothing about me has changed since I got fame. I never liked to go to clubs. I never liked to go out. I don't know where that public craziness came from. I was always like a comedian to my friends and family, but in a lot of ways I'm shy. I think people read my shyness as being mean. They misinterpret it. The first and only person who ever called me out for being shy was Wayne.
Like so many women, it sounds like you're hyper-aware of both your action and the world's reaction. With all the hundreds of photos you have to take, do you feel more confident with cameras?
I hate cameras. I hate cameras and I hate camera phones. The camera's my worst enemy and my best friend. It's the way I convey my emotions to the world without saying a word, so I use it. People always say, "You come alive as soon as the camera's on!"
I always got a kick out of the endless debates over who was managing you. I've known you through three sets of managers [Deb Antney, Puffy and James Cruz, and Hip Hop Since 1978] and in every case, it was always clear that...
Little do they know, I manage myself.
Yes. You were always the first and last word.
Right. People assume that I am not the brains behind this operation, and they don't give me my credit. I could give two fucks about credit. I just want you to leave me the fuck alone. Let me do me. Don't tell me how to pose; I know how to pose. When I'm recording, I just have to go in and do it, you know? Even my engineer thinks I'm crazy because I'll hear something different on a track, and he'll insist, "No, no, nothing was moved." [But I tell him] "Tony, something was moved." And later, sure enough, "You were right, there was a two-second delay here."
This being Complex's 10th Anniversary issue, it seems fitting to look forward to the next 10 years... Where do you think you'll be in 2022?
In 2022, I'll definitely be married and I'll definitely have my two children.
Why just two?
OK, I might have three, but I do want at least one boy.
Maybe if you get a full set early, you can stop there.
No, no, no. I don't think I even need a girl. I need a boy though.
Wait, you don't feel like you need a girl?
Yeah, 'cause you think I'm going to dress her up in wigs. No. [Laughs] I really need a boy in my life. A baby boy. Because...I'm so attached to my little brother and I felt like that was my real son. And boys, they're just so, I don't know... My heart just melts when I see them.
OK, so in the next 10 years, married...
Oh, I will definitely be married.
And two children.
They're definitely trying. It's the Nicki Effect. Since the success of Pink Friday you must see that the industry has changed. Corporations see a female rapper who has more visibility and more income streams than her male counterparts. So new female artists are viable, and that creates a more competitive atmosphere.
When I first got in, doing freestyles and mixtapes, I did a song called "Still I Rise." I was talking about how so many women were pulling me down and ripping me apart. I said, "Every time a door opens for me/That means you just got a better opportunity to do you/Better understand these labels look at numbers and statistics/If I win, you win, it's just logistics."
So in order for my theory to be proven right, I have to open doors for women. The up-and-coming females who wanted to get in--when you guys are coming out and dissing me, and all that negativity....They saw me as a threat instead of seeing me as "she's going to open the door for us." I never came into what I'm doing dissing anyone. I gave everyone their props and it's unfortunate that people felt intimidated and attacked me. Then it became a ripple effect. But now it's all love. My music is a way for me to have fun. Sometimes I'll say things and I'll laugh. But it's all love. I'm in a great place and I just wish everybody the best.
2. Guess Who's Bizzack
For the record, doggies, I do not consider myself an Odd Future fan. Now the mayhem and dope music they've created over the past year and a half? Yeah, I'm a fan of that. But what I'm even more of a fan of is this whole Earl Sweatshirt story. To make a short story even shorter, Earl was gone during OF's rise to fame and is now back with the crew. Now if y'all are like me, y'all are to believe Tyler, the Creator is the group's leader, right? But something is telling me that Earl, who is supposedly the best lyricist out the crew, is out for the power. Is it just me or are y'all starting to think about an Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell situation popping off right here? LOL. Peep the logic to my madness, doggies:
"Were you talking to people, aware that s---'s going bananas?" the venerable DJ asks an extremely timid Earl who was put in boarding school in June of 2010, just as Odd Future began their meteoric rise to fame. "I was aware, I mean, because ... the Internet." "Were you aware that you were missing out on something this insane? Were you pissed? Were you annoyed?" Rosenberg responded. "Yeah initially, but then I also got to f---ing see that all this s--- isn't fun all the time." Earl, of course, was speaking of the block that he grew up on. An area of Los Angeles where he could skate and mess around on the pavement until the sun went down. But with the group's rise in fame, Sweatshirt can't walk through his home turf without fans asking for pictures and autographs. (The Boom Box)
^ Go to the two-minute mark of the video and y'all will see EXACTLY why Tyler is shook of Earl's return. LOL. Doggies, this is merely my opinion, do not go making big deals over this. LOL. They make a great group, but I see Earl taking that shine. Don't believe it? Peep the reaction doggies gave him in NYC.
Rapper Earl Sweatshirt made his live debut with his Odd Future cohorts at Tuesday night's sold out Hammerstein Ballroom concert in New York, confirming rumors that had been circulating in the days before. The concert marked his first public appearance since returning from a reform boarding school in Samoa, where he'd spent the last year disconnected from Odd Future's ascent. "Y'all better act like y'all missed me," Earl shouted to the crowd before launching into "Orange Juice" and "A**Milk," fan-favorite collaborations with group founder Tyler, the Creator. The surprise performance came on the heels of Earl's appearance in the music video for Odd Future's latest single, "Oldie," as well as an interview with New York radio station Hot 97's Peter Rosenberg, his first since returning. "We waited so long for that sh*t," Tyler added from the stage. "You have no idea how awesome this is." (Rolling Stone)
^ Truth be told, I think they'll be able to EVENTUALLY coexist, but once Earl gets a hang of the spotlight? SMH. It's a wrizzy. Use your own judgement, doggies, but I see Earl leading this team, word to Mark Sanchez over Tim Tebow. SMH!!!!
3. Doggy of the Week: Nas
Any doggy that paid even the slightest attention to hip-hop this past week would have thought Nas was putting out an album come Tuesday. Doggy. Was. EVERYWHERE. I mean, it's one thing to have a dope record out, "The Don," but to be over at South By Southwest dropping those Illmatic gems, having Steve Stoute tell a funny Queensbridge story that even made me laugh, admitting that doing a duet with the late Amy Winehouse was tougher than tough, side-jabbing Chingy on the low and hopping on Nicki Minaj's next LP, it's no mystery that Nas is THAT doggy. Now if only we could get an album release date. LOL. Make some noise doggies, Nas has earned his spot!
1. From Ill Doggies To Trill Doggies
The stage was expertly dressed to resemble a New York street corner, complete with a graffiti, a subway entrance, and an authentic-looking NYC trash can. For the many traveling New Yorkers weary on the last night of the festival, it was a little tempting to pull out a Metrocard and ride the imaginary train all the way back home. Nas was also looking to take a trip to another time and place. Much like Jay-Z's recent Carnegie Hall debut (which featured a Nas cameo), this New York-centric show splashed the wall with large, postcard-ready images of Big Apple icons like the Empire State Building and the Brooklyn Bridge. The decor cemented what many had hoped: Nas would be serving up llmatic, the album that helped shape the East Coast sound. (Entertainment Weekly)
^ Word is Nas also performed "The Don," but finding out that he went the Las Vegas-route by doing his old records? That's hot. But it's hot specifically because it's not Stillmatic, It Was Writen or even that Nastadamus, but ILLMATIC. Arguably one of the best hip-hop debut album, given doggy's age, of all time. Glad doggy heated things up in Texas.
"We were at a hotel one time gettin' ready for a show," Stoute told the audience. "Nas always felt like guys that were gonna be after us. So Nas told his guy, 'Go back to Queens and go get the iron. We gonna have a problem.' The guy really comes back with an iron." Nas, laughing along with the audience, chimed in: "I remember that. That guy was dumb." (SOHH)
^ Take all of the bravado out of what makes up Nas and you're left with a regular doggy. Lazy, bad acting but realistic. This story that Steve Stoute told? LOL!!!!! I just hope it was really real and not some cornball made-up stuff just to get a kick out of audience members. C'mon doggies, an iron? An actual iron!? LOL!!!!
One collaboration that never fully came to fruition was a planned recording session with Amy Winehouse, a personal friend of Nas' who wanted to record a sequel to her song "Me And Mr. Jones" from 2007's "Back To Black." When Winehouse passed away, Nas reluctantly agreed to record a guest rhyme for the song "Like Smoke" on her posthumous release "Lioness" in December. "Part of me didn't want to do the song," he said. "Amy and I share a birthday, so she was my sister. And she was just so much fun to be around. She would say things about well-known people in the industry that she didn't like and it would just crack me up... We were all hoping she would pull through and come back." (Billboard)
^ Respect to Nas for that one. I was going to put in the mention when he opened up about the Kelis divorce but this touched a doggy a bit more. Nas admitting that he didn't want to get down with this collabo? For what it's worth, I always saw Nas as a doggy that did things for the money. I mean, what was all that Bravehearts stuff about back in the day, right? LOL. Tax write-offs? But seeing him admit that her death made him think twice about doing a collabo, yeah, that touched a doggy like me. Respect to Nas for keeping it a 100.
4. Ching-A-Lingin' Doggies All Day
"I have to be totally honest," Nas said. "I didn't feel anything about Chingy or anybody else's success during that time. Tell you the truth, it kind of gave me some time off. Time off to not have to keep coming and coming and coming. It just balances things - you can't have everything... It is messed up for that real stuff when the pop-fluff stuff is everywhere; that does damage to things. But when you have faith in the artists that you love, you know they gonna pull through and bring something to the table." (Billboard)
^ LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SHOTS FIRED! Say what you want, but that's a shot. Sorry Chingy, I know you're going to take the manly approach and accept it like he just used you as a general example, but doggies weren't hyped over that Jackpot stuff. LOL!!!!
5. Get In Where You Fit In, Doggy
"Nicki hit us up, I got love, so it was nothin' -- I did the record," Nas told MTV News on Saturday night before his show at South by Southwest. While fans wait to see how Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded holds up sonically, Nas gives his own assurance for "Champion." For the Queensbridge, New York, MC, it all boils down to a simple feeling: "It's hip-hop music; music is music. If I feel it, I can get on it. I heard the track, I felt it, I loved it." (MTV)
^ As much as I hate to admit it, this is a power move for Nas. You may think it's the other way around, believing Nicki should thank her lucky stars that he would even collaborate but nahhhhhh, doggies. Think about it. Nicki Minaj is easily the Top 5 hottest doggy out. You have Rick Ross, Drake, Lil Wayne and you can say it's a draw between T.I./Diddy. Nicki Minaj belongs somewhere in there. (Yeah, Jay-Z and Kanye West haven't dropped any albums lately, so they're Top 10 hottest out right now). The fact Nas still gets courted for these situations? That's big. If y'all think I'm bugging, then just tell me how many times KRS-One, Kool G Rap or Melle Mel appear on there. EXACTLY!
4. Mrs. Butterworth: Niki Sharelle
Doggies, is it just me or have y'all been craving cakes these past few weeks? Maybe I should blame it on Rihanna's ear-pounding record, the remix with Chris Brown or maybe that tweet J.R. Smith did of Tahiry a few weeks back! LOL!. Whatever the case, I'm sharing my craving of cakes in this week's Pulse Report and what better way than to do it here, right? I mean, if there's one cake a doggy would practically marry, it'd have to belong to the one and only Niki Sharelle. The cocoa brown velvet-like chocolatey smooth skin, the voluptuous curves, natural knockers (or at least I'd like to believe)? SMH. That should be outlawed, doggies! Scoop up your ice cream and grab a few napkins, Niki is warming up this week's Mrs. Buttersworth competition.
One reason why I rode with Niki this week is because she seems like a real down-to-Earth Mrs. Butterworth contender. Just peep how she gets down in her videos. There's no way you can knock a woman like that. SMH.
5. Doggies Say The Darnest Things
LOL! I told y'all doggies I was coining this section! LOL. For the doggies that are still a bit confused, we've retired "STFU" Honors and christened a new, better, nicer, OK, so maybe just the title has changed but there's new energy. Just like doggies switch up their jerseys in professional sports, the same thing has happened here. And what better way to kick things off than Game saying his R.E.D. Album is destined for platinum? Ummm...that August 2011 album? LOL!!! It only gets better when Questlove tries to make you think that Jay-Z "DOESN'T" want to be the richest doggy in hip-hop. SMH. C'mon Quest. Keep it real, doggy! Then the snowball only gets bigger with Dame Grease over-hyping DMX, T.I. giving Taylor Swift some type of funky street credit and oh yeah, that HORRIBLE Charles Hamilton J. Cole diss. SMH. In case y'all didn't know it yet, welcome to "Doggies Say The Darnest Things."
"We about to put out the last video for The R.E.D. Album. The R.E.D. Album exceeded my expectations and did well. No matter what an album comes out and sells the first week, it'll end up catching platinum in the long run, 'cause I definitely have a million fans out there somewhere. I don't know what they be doing the first week, but my albums always have legs. But just for that album to come out and be No. 1, that's all I wanted. So I got what I wanted.
"(Jay-Z) didn't want to be known as the bad guy that killed The Roots," Questlove said. I told Jay, "Like man, that would be nice to have all my records debut at No. 1 and stuff." But he's like, "Yeah, but you're just looking at that. I got to deal with beef with this cat and that cat. Every year some rapper's going to take a potshot and I got to take the gloves out the closet and start training." ... And (Jay-Z) sees me as an artist making my dream come true. Like, he wants to be seen as a true artist, not the richest guy in hip-hop. Meanwhile, I would like 13 zeros in my account."
"It's not even DMX 'coming back,'" Grease said in an interview. "I don't even want to say DMX is coming back. We could check a chart right now, and the sh*t is still waving. X ain't put out an album in a couple years. Everybody's aware of all the situations. He's got the controversy, the arrest, all the different things and all that. But as far as an artist, a rapper, a human being, there's nobody that's touching him. Like I always said, I came in the game with a lot of people that's great but he's a person to look up to from my standpoint."
Grand Hustle boss T.I. openly confirmed the partnership saying, "I can. I heard it" and shared further, "Taylor's extended Hustle Gang. She a part of the crew. She just ain't got her dog tags yet, but she's a part of the crew though."
"I remember when I met you, you was dissin' Jay/ Sh*t bothered me anyway/It's not that I didn't like him, I just heard rumors/ And I heard you was my junior/ Throwin' up the Roc sign/I assumed that you knew what it meant/Apparently, you didn't/N*gga you was fishin', barely was livin'/ And I'm the one who put you in your new position/Just remember, n*gga -- Diss me back, I'm waiting on the diss track/I ain't Drizzy, but I will rip a track and diss you on it/On this, I vomit, sh*t and comment/A grip, palm it, get off of my d*ck..."
***SMH. Doggies, I was tempted to do an entire post on this Tim Tebow/Jets f*ckery. SMH. Seriously, really, HUH!? How do we go from trying to sign Peyton Manning to getting Tim Tebow traded here? I know the majority of my Jets doggies are tighter than...well, I won't go that far, but let's just say "upset" is an understatement. I can't lie, if we get the wins and it works out, eh, maybe I'll change my mind and backtrack all of this but until then? F*CK YOU, PROVE US WRONG! Compared to the Giants, we're looking like a circus. Sorry doggies, I gotta vent. LOL! I'll catch y'all on Tuesday! --BB***
[Editor's Note: The views expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect those of SOHH]


text:
Discover Adionomy, Your Online Radio Advertising Campaign, Fast, Easy and Custom-Made!
Little Joy is formed by Binki Shapiro, Rodrigo Amarante and Fabrizio Moretti, three friends who dropped their routine at their respective hometowns to make a record in Los Angeles, California in 2007. Through a chance encounter at a Portuguese festival in Lisbon, where both Amarante (Singer/Guitarist of Los Hermanos) and Moretti (drummer of The Strokes) had performed, the two chatted well through the night and into the morning by the side of the river, humoring the idea of working together on music that had no affiliation to their particular bands.
0 played on Radionomy


text:
TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is scheduled to pay a one-day visit to Turkey today to discuss bilateral and regional issues with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu.
The latest developments in Syria and Iraq and Iran's nuclear deal with the six major powers are expected to be discussed during Zarif's visit, a Turkish foreign ministry official told Today's Zaman, Turkish Cihan daily reported on Thursday.
When asked if Turkey's recent graft probe would be on the agenda of the visit, the Turkish official said that Zarif would not discuss the issue with Davutoglu.
Following a police operation on December 17, the sons of two Turkish ministers, state-run Halkbank General Manager Suleyman Aslan, and businessman Reza Zarrab were arrested along with 20 others.
Davutoglu had paid a visit to Tehran in November.
Subscribe to our RSS feed to stay in touch and receive all of TT updates right in your feed reader


text: This is the first year all taxpayers have been eligible to switch into Roth IRAs, which promise tax-free withdrawals in the future. [...] But the decision to convert can be tricky, involving assumptions about future investment returns and tax laws. So we asked CPAs Ed Slott and Robert Keebler, and attorneys Seymour Goldberg and Natalie Choate what they are doing with their own accounts.


text:
Get LISNews via email! Enter Your Email Address:
College & Research Libraries Goes FULLY Open Access
"In spite of economicuncertainty, I am pleased that ACRL has endorsed full open access in practice for its primary research journal. The intellectual value of open access, I believe, justifies its cost. Now the content of our journal will be freely available online to all around the world. Those of us involved in the production
of College & Research Libraries applaud its move to open access, but we are well aware of the financial challenges we face with our scholarly journal."
The Pareto Principle and the True Cunning of HarperCollins
So here's the cunning. By focusing on popularity-driven revenue mechanisms, HarperCollins is pushing money towards the smash hits and away from the long tail. Libraries may be adversely affected, but they're collateral damage. It's the long tail publishers that HarperCollins is trying to destroy.
Project MUSE has been the go-to source for scholarly ejournals in academic libraries for years, and now that go-to source will soon include ebooks from the University Press e-book Consortium. The two recently announced the merger, which will launch on January 1, 2012.
The sometimes uneasy relationship between librarians and book publishers reached a new level of tension after HarperCollins—citing the explosive growth of e-book sales—announced a new e-book lending policy beginning March 7 that will limit the length of its library licenses to a maximum of 26 loans per e-title. The revised policy has outraged librarians, who say the new policy will strain budgets and is shortsighted, ignoring the role of libraries in encouraging literacy and building an e-book market for publishers. The issue has become so emotional that some librarians have organized a boycott of HarperCollins new books over the issue.
Beginning Tuesday, Random House will join other major book publishers in selling its e-books using the so-called agency model, setting its own prices for e-books while the retailer takes a commission.
Five of the six largest publishers switched to the agency model last spring after Apple introduced its iPad.
"The agency model guarantees a higher margin for retailers than did our previous sales terms," Random House, publisher of Stieg Larsson, George W. Bush and John Grisham, said in a statement on Monday. "We are making this change both as an investment in the successful digital transition of our existing partners and in order to give us the opportunity to forge new retail relationships."
Blog post by publishing consultant Mike Shatzkin:
But it has seemed clear to me for a long time that ebooks offered compelling advantages over print — portability, ease of purchase, and a lower cost basis that must inexorably lead to lower prices — that would increasingly sway many of the inevitably growing number of people who had a readable handheld screen in reach most of the time. And my long experience dealing with bookstore economics made it clear to me that the consequent sales subtraction from brick-and-mortar stores would lead to closures, which would lead to longer travel times for customers to get to the stores, which in turn would drive more people to purchase print or digital books online. And that would lead to more closures. This is a virtuous circle if you're in the ebook business or sell print online. Or if you want to see Americans consume less gasoline.
It is a vicious cycle — a death spiral — if you're a bookstore. - Full article
From the Scholarly Kitchen Blog
With the recent surge in library e-book sales, serials aggregators are racing to add e-books to their platforms. ProQuest's recent acquisition of ebrary and JSTOR's expansion into current journals and e-books signal a shift from standalone e-book and e-journal aggregator platforms to mixed content gateways, with e-books and e-journals living cheek by jowl in the same aggregation..... Read more.
The (O'Reilly)Tools of Change in Publishing Conference is happening right now in New York; the event is sold out, but there are a lot of streaming events and sessions that you can take in on line, for example, the Future of e-books Technology and Copyright, Intellectual Property Rights, and Licensing Issues in the Digital Era. Check them out here.
Information technology and economic change: The impact of the printing press
Historians argue that the printing press was among the most revolutionary inventions in human history, responsible for a diffusion of knowledge and ideas, "dwarfing in scale anything which had occurred since the invention of writing" (Roberts 1996, p. 220). Yet economists have struggled to find any evidence of this information technology revolution in measures of aggregate productivity or per capita income (Clark 2001, Mokyr 2005). The historical data thus present us with a puzzle analogous to the famous Solow productivity paradox – that, until the mid-1990s, the data on macroeconomic productivity showed no effect of innovations in computer-based information technology.
Don't miss Figure 1. The diffusion of the printing press
The SOAP (Study of Open Access Publishing) project has run a large-scale survey of the attitudes of researchers on, and the experiences with, open access publishing. Around forty thousands answers were collected across disciplines and around the world, showing an overwhelming support for the idea of open access, while highlighting funding and (perceived) quality as the main barriers to publishing in open access journals. This article serves as an introduction to the survey and presents this and other highlights from a preliminary analysis of the survey responses. To allow a maximal re-use of the information collected by this survey, the data are hereby released under a CC0 waiver, so to allow libraries, publishers, funding agencies and academics to further analyse risks and opportunities, drivers and barriers, in the transition to open access publishing.


text:
Investigators are still trying to piece together what caused the Christmas day fire that claimed the lives of a young married couple. The fire started early Tuesday morning at a mobile home park off Boulder Highway near Sahara.
Click here to read the full story.
Updated: 8/28/2014 8:20:00 AM
Updated: 8/28/2014 8:07:33 PM
Updated: 8/27/2014 7:18:35 AM
Updated: 8/5/2014 7:48:07 PM


text:
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The battle over tax increases at the first of the year comes to Louisville.
Republican Senate minority leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell, spoke to delegates to the Kentucky Farm Bureau convention Friday afternoon.
His comments come as both parties point fingers and accuse each other of a "slow walk" toward the fiscal cliff -- 25 days and counting down.
"It leads me to believe that the President would like to drive us right off the cliff. How I think that benefits him is beyond me," McConnell said.
McConnell said he sees little progress in extending current tax cuts after the first of the year.
He had just flown from Washington.
He sees little compromise right now from President Obama and Democrats.
"He's now asking for more taxes than he was before, more spending than we was before and unlimited authority by the president to borrow money from the Chinese in perpetuity. And that's not going to be given him, I can tell you."
McConnell says the president should move to the "center" as other presidents have, to reach a compromise on such a huge issue.
When asked if "he" had done so, McConnell said yes.
It's one dispute that means these Farm Bureau delegates -- and everyone else -- could find thousands of dollars extra in federal taxes taken out of their paychecks as early as next month.
That is, unless there's a deal.
"We know who won the election, but the problem is still there. And maybe, maybe he'll have an epiphany here somewhere along the way," McConnell said.
McConnell said deadline pressure over the holidays could force movement from both sides, but it's hard to tell right now.
Copyright 2012 WDRB News. All Rights Reserved.
624 W. Muhammad Ali BlvdLouisville, KY 40203


text:
Posting ID : B1008517777
Date Posted : 2012-04-30
Category : Travel Vacation Services
Private door to door service to and form the airports throughout South Florida provided by A AARDVARK SERVICE LLC. We are a family owned buisness wich provides comfortable service for people throughout Cape Coral, Pine Island including the marinas and water taxis to North Captiva, North Ft Myers, South Ft Myers, Ft Myers Beach and the rest of Lee County. We are licenced and insured and our service is second to none. Call 239-542-4396 for availability and price. Reservations are required. We transport you like you are part of our family.
BEWARE SOME ADVERTISERS FOR THIS SERVICE ARE NOT LICENCED NOR INSURED. STANDARD AUTO POLICIES ARE VOIDED WHEN A VEHICLE IS USED AS A VEHICLE FOR HIRE. Be sure the vendor is licenced and insured for your protection.


text:
starting drunken fist
Original Poster: bradwong77
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 28-10-2006, 01:18
Orginal Post: bradwong77: i'm thinking of starting drunken fist.
have you got any tips on starting this style. any tips would be great[color=darkblue [/color [/b
Post: bamboo:
Make sure you get to spar on a regular basis.>
Post: Haas:
all too true. make sure its kool with your teacher ^_^
Read books on it and observe the style, if you can find a teacher that's great, but if you cant try your best on developing the style based on the style you are already learning.
I am a self trained zui quan stylist and as you might know this way of fighting requires some extreme flexibility and speed so train every day, use it in sparring when you can and don't neglect your first style.
Find an open field if you can somewhere were you wont be disturbed by passerby's and practis rolling staggering falling maybe eaven fliping and kick-ups (something i have yet to master) windmills and extended backwerd roll and extended forward rolls. then try combining strikes with rolls and handstands and stuff. blah i hope this has been of some help>
Post: bradwong77:
what would be a good style to start because i don't have a base style to work on.>
Post: bamboo:
Quote: all too true. make sure its kool with your teacher ^_^
If your teacher won't alow sparring, ask why. If you get the "deadly" excuse.........>
Post: Haas:
Karate or Taekwondo are good basic styles, that is if you dont have any Wushu or Choy Lay Fut schools near by...if so you will wanna join one of them.>
Post: nbotary:
What do you mean that you don't have a style to start with??? Are you just starting MA for the first time and just thought, "Hmmmm, I think I'd like to learn drunken kung fu..." or do you have a background in something else and you want to learn drunken in order to gain more experience??? I can tell you, if you don't have a base to work from, learning drunken is going to be VERY difficult.>
Post: setsu nin to:
what would be a good style to start because i don't have a base style to work on.
Its much more important who is your teacher than which style you practice. When you find good teacher you will find good style. So start with good teacher.>
Post: WushuPadawan001:
Drunken Kung Fu is too different a style from karate/TKD for a karate/TKD base to be very helpful. Odds are that youÂ'd build up a base only to have it torn down. If you want to learn drunken kung fu then build up a kung fu base. Longfist is great, so is Hung Gar (sp?)
Just an fyi: trying to learn drunken kung fu without a kung fu background* is like trying to scuba dive when you donÂ't know how to swim.
*Kung fu background: IMHO at least three years of experience.>
Post: Stazzy:
I was planning on getting Bloody and Dawei to help me use drunken kung fu for conditioning purposes via the falls and suicide flips. I agree with the people that said it's not a style you should start out with. If you've ever seen Drunken Master or The Legend of Drunken Master, you'll see that Jackie Chan started learning drunken only after he'd already studied his father's style of kung fu for many years. If you haven't seen either of those, watch the first one just to get it overwith, and then watch the second one for some real entertainment.>
Post: WushuPadawan001:
The first Drunken Master did suck, it sucked hard.>
Post: Haas:
[quote=WushuPadawan001 Drunken Kung Fu is too different a style from karate/TKD for a karate/TKD base to be very helpful. Odds are that youÂ'd build up a base only to have it torn down. If you want to learn drunken kung fu then build up a kung fu base. Longfist is great, so is Hung Gar (sp?)
Just an fyi: trying to learn drunken kung fu without a kung fu background* is like trying to scuba dive when you donÂ't know how to swim.
*Kung fu background: IMHO at least three years of experience.[/quote
thats part of what i was trying to say, in order to lern this style one must first know of how it came to be. the first person or persons to come up with this style and kata didnt just get drunk and start fighting. rather they were already masters of different kung fu and brought it to a different level. so you must see that this is an advanced form of fighting, a style that like with wine gets better with age and experience so LERN A STYLE FIRST AND NON OF THE MC DOJO CRAP.
{p.s this message is nowhere near professionally written.}>
Post: bradwong77:
thanks guys for all your replies it was really helpful>
Post: Haas:
Quote: all too true. make sure its kool with your teacher ^_^
If your teacher won't alow sparring, ask why. If you get the "deadly" excuse.........[/quote
i think you misunderstood my post bamboo ^_^ i ment make sure its ok that you can use drunken fist>
Post: Bloodybirds:
First, as someone who practices xin jin quan along with my bird styles and tai chi, drunken is a form or movement, not a complete style. Most Northern, and a few Southern, have drunken technique or a complete form for drunken practice. For instance, Ying Jow Pai, or northern eagle claw, has a specific form at the end of the curriculum after 77 other empty hand and weapon forms before it. My Shaolin teacher incorporated drunken technique into our various animal styles as a way of teaching excellent dodging, relaxation, rolling, and fast movement. If you want to appropriately learn drunkard, as my compatriots have stated have as a base a kung fu style that will give you solid stance training and ingrained relaxation...there is NO tenseness in Drunkard or the purpose is defeated. Also, whether Pour the Wine Technique, Fairy plays the flute, etc. , all drunkard techniques require a knowledge of such things as straight drops, rolls, suicide flips, and other strenuous body movements. Therefore, find a master that can teach internal qigong, nei gung, and/or iron training to complement Drunkard.
Lastly, remember that to be a good Drunkard, one must be fearless inside, sacrifice the body, and absorb punishment to give it out. Dragon is also reknowned for this, but Drunkard takes less pounding. In effect, using drunkard is an excellent complement to understanding "going empty, dodging while attacking, and closing the gap."
To be good, like any other major style of martial arts, will take you 8-15 years, and a change in mental training.
Otherwise, I toast your ambition with my plum wine jug, and wish you many bruises and lack of fear from falling......and that is without the drunken straight sword and drunken staff form you must also learn....LOL....those really hurt!!!>
Post: buicken:
I have tried drunken fisting training, it left me sore for days, good luck.>
Post: bradwong77:
was it really that hard>
Post: zefff:
Surely for a youth who is not used to all the bending and stretching to accomodate new positions and rigourous motions, the harder the better no?...
... :lol: I'm sorry. I just cant believe Buiken got a bite with that one. :lol:>
Post: bradwong77:
thanks for all the replies i now know that i have to practice a easier style before moving on to the complex ones>
Post: zefff:
Stop and re-read the pink belts post again. It was a joke. You dont have to do anything 'easy'. Do what you like. If your body can take it, do it.>
Post: nbotary:
Bradwong - you still have yet to answer whether or not you studied anything at all. Have you ever done martial arts or are you looking to start in martial arts??? If you've never done martial arts, drunken is NOT the way to start. If you have studied something before - Karate, TKD, Kung Fu - then drunken will be easier to learn. HOWEVER, you need to re-read what Bloodybirds wrote about it and make sure that you follow his advise. He's taught me some drunken and it is not for someone who can't learn to relax or take some abuse.>
Post: Haas:
found this thought it was funny
Post: buicken:
Zefff is correct, if your body can take it, go for it!!>
Post: bradwong77:
to answer nbotary's question i haven't studied a style before>
Post: nbotary:
[quote=bradwong77 to answer nbotary's question i haven't studied a style before[/quote Then I'm sorry to say, drunken is not for you. You need to pick a style, find a school and start there. After time, seek out someone who can teach you drunken techniques and movements. Good luck!!!>
Post: Haas:
Sorry for the necropost but i just have to point out what an AWSOME avatar bradwong77 has. end of message>
Post: bradwong77:
Thanks for all the replies :)>
Post: nbotary:
NECROPHILIA = When one has an uncontrollable urge to crack open a cold one...>
Post: Haas:
all cmon its just a month old, its still worm :wink:>
Post: Bloodybirds:
BradWong, one must also be careful when seeking a drunken teacher as xin jin quan or at least the form in a particular style is usually taught near the end of a curriculum and only after loyalty has been proven. Now, to be sure, drunken as taught by current Wushu curriculum (modern day usage of Wushu to connote post Mao in the mainland) is great and acrobatic, but IS not the same as traditional xin jin quan....so be careful when seeking a teacher. I would study long fist, or a favorable animal style like eagle claw, mantis, snake, monkey, etc for a few years before attempting drunken.
Otherwise, the key in any art is to spend the first 5-7 years learning the basics well as a foundation....then attempting the impossible...LOL!!
I am insistent upon this because I get truly irritated when other arts say kung fu cannot fight!! That usually means the modern art was taught, no real painful training, and the teacher was bad and did not really know the internal training to complement the external manifestations!! Fighting comes through fighting, applying learned methodologies until they are no longer techniques, but natural reactions to negative stimuli!!! Thus, Brad, learn the art well, and then the martial will come!! This applies to any art or derivative, whether Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Filipino, etc. All require years of hard work and pain to get it right.....>
Post: Haas:
nice post : ) verry deep i feel the same way when people say TKD cant fight>
|< Prev
|Next >


text:
|Taylor reminds Ohioans flood insurance not included in standard coverage
|Friday, March 14, 2014 8:00 PM
Information submitted
COLUMBUS – National Flood Safety Awareness Week is March 16-22 and Ohio Lieutenant Governor and Department of Insurance Director Mary Taylor is reminding Ohioans that financial protection against flood damage is not included in a standard homeowner's or renter's insurance policy. Flood coverage has to be purchased separately and there is a 30-day waiting period before it becomes effective.
"As we head into Spring, Ohioans should evaluate their need for flood insurance and talk with their insurance agent about coverage options," Taylor said. "Anyone with questions about flood insurance should contact the Ohio Department of Insurance, their insurer or an agent."
The Department has created a flood insurance toolkit on its website, www.insurance.ohio.gov, that includes information about how to secure coverage, what to do after a flood, how to file a claim and an agent locator tool.
Flood insurance is available through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) by calling 1-888-379-9531 for any community that participates in the program. The NFIP website, www.floodsmart.gov, is filled with consumer- and agent-friendly material. Even though flood insurance is administered by a federal program, private insurers sell the policies. An insurance agent can tell you if your community is part of NFIP and assist in helping you secure coverage. This would also be a good time to also inquire with your agent if coverage for damage caused by a sewer or drain back-up is available and appropriate to add to your standard homeowners policy.
Taylor advises that all Ohioans – whether they live in a flood-prone area or not – consider coverage. According to the NFIP, people living outside of high-risk areas file more than 20 percent of NFIP claims and receive one-third of disaster assistance for flooding.
Flood insurance is available to protect homes, condominiums, apartments and non-residential buildings, including commercial structures and their contents. The NFIP offers basement flood coverage for structural elements, essential equipment and other basic items normally located in a basement. In addition, the NFIP encourages people to purchase both building and contents coverage for the broadest protection.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has a floodplain management program that helps citizens and agents learn about flood hazard areas. Information is available at www.ohiodnr.com and by calling 614-265-6750.
Ohioans with insurance questions or concerns can call the Department's consumer hotline at 1-800-686-1526 and visit www.insurance.ohio.gov for free information. You can follow the Ohio Department of Insurance on Facebook and twitter. Visit the Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness website at www.weathersafety.ohio.gov for flooding information and tips.