text:
Quick Consultant: Financial Benchmarking & Golden Parachutes
Financial benchmarking and golden parachutes—what do they share in common? I'll begin by telling you a brief story about a gentleman with a golden parachute (something we would all love to have) and the problems he has encountered trying to purchase a profitable printing firm.
A couple of months ago a gentleman in his late 40's (we'll call him Bob) asked me to help him find a printing firm he could purchase. His home is in the Northwest and for the past six years he had been COO at a large corporation involved in the music industry.
Last fall the company downsized and his position was terminated. He had been earning $140,000 a year plus benefits and bonuses that, in some years, were equal to twice his salary. He received a very generous severance package, in the $300,000+ range.
As generous as it was, Bob still needs to work, so he began to research various industries and businesses he might purchase. Printing was one of those industries. He told me he wanted to purchase a business with a solid record of performance—one that could produce enough earnings to pay him at least $125,000 to $140,000, while still generating enough additional cash flow to purchase the business.
"First things first," I told him. "You need to call NAQP and purchase the 2008-2009 Operating Ratio Study and read it thoroughly. If you do, you will most likely know and understand this industry better than most of those who are already in it." Well, Bob followed my advice and hired me to help him search for some ideal candidates.
Now I want to connect the dots and explain how a golden parachute and financial benchmarking relate to Bob's search to buy a printing company.
Benchmarking Study Launched
In mid-February, NAQP launched its 2010 Financial Benchmarking Survey. This biennial survey (previously called the Operating Ratio Survey) is one of the most important surveys conducted by NAQP. If you did not receive an email invitation to participate, there's still time, but you must act right away. The deadline for returning this survey is March 22, 2010, and this deadline will not be extended.
Based upon more than 30 years of consulting and research in this industry, my advice is quite simple. As sexy as studies dealing with pricing or wages and benefits might be to readers, the value of these types of studies pale in comparison to the contributions that a financial benchmarking survey can offer to your business.
NAQP's 2010 Financial Benchmarking Survey asks 65 key questions regarding the financial health of your business. The vast majority of these questions can be answered using your company's 2009 year-end financial statements, i.e.: your P&L report and balance sheets. With this information, even if it is only preliminary, it should take no more than one hour to complete the survey and submit it electronically. You may also return your survey by mail, but you will still have to download the survey PDF. Getting your bookkeeper or CPA to complete this survey is also an option.
Participating in this survey involves a two-step process. First, go to www.surveyadvantage.com/NAQP10financial, read the instructions, and print out a PDF of the survey. It should take no more than 40 minutes to enter the data. You then have two choices, you can either enter your data electronically, or you can return the survey by mail, being sure to include your business card.
So, what do you get in return for your participation in this biennial survey? You will receive a customized Financial Benchmarking Study that compares your P&L statement, balance sheet, and key financial ratios, side-by-side, against other participating companies.
These customized reports were offered for the first time in 2008, and they received praise from virtually all 345 companies that participated. Please note that these customized reports are made available at no charge only to participants. NAQP will, however, sell a much larger 2010 Financial Benchmarking Study in May 2010.
Despite all the economic challenges facing this industry, we know that some companies will continue to far out perform others. In 75% of these cases, the answers to why they prosper while others struggle to stay afloat can be found in these financial benchmarking studies. How much have sales dropped, what's happened to payroll costs, healthcare costs, and the other key ratios affecting our industry? These are questions this study will answer, but we need your participation in order to succeed.
While many industries charge a fee to obtain key industry studies, NAQP has historically provided the results of its industry studies for free to all companies that participate, whether or not they are members of the association. However, there is one catch: Your survey must be completed and submitted no later than the March 22 deadline. If you don't submit your data by the deadline, you don't get a customized report. It's as simple as that. Remember, this is the website you must visit: www.surveyadvantage.com/NAQP10financial.
He Knows What He Wants
So, let's get back to Bob's story and how it relates to NAQP's benchmarking surveys and the reports they generate. Bob decided early on that he wanted to start looking for printing companies with annual sales in the $1.5 to $2 million range, especially companies with above average profits.
Why that size? Because working backwards and using information from the 2008-09 Operating Ratio Study, Bob knew that a well run printing firm of that size could pay him what he expected and generate enough excess earnings to finance 60-70% of the purchase price, with the remainder of the purchase being financed from his severance package. Note that Bob wasn't interested in a "turn around" or troubled company. He was, and still is, looking for a profitable company with good earnings.
Despite a direct mail campaign, and many calls to printers in his market area, Bob is still looking. Why? Well, most of the shops for sale are in some stage of decline; some more serious than others. Those companies that do meet Bob's criteria are way overpriced.
The irony is that Bob, having purchased and studied the Operating Ratio Study, knows more about the printing industry than many of the owners he has encountered because most of them have never read or purchased one of these key studies. Bob knows the ratios. He knows what to look for. The majority of the printers he has met know little about their industry or its potential. They don't seem to realize that, even in troubled times, there is a vast difference in performance and profit levels between companies at the top and those at the bottom.
Here's another irony Bob has encountered. Most of the firms at the top, those with healthy profits and steady growth appear not to be interested in selling. That's too bad, because my February column dealt with this specific subject and argued that many printers sell for the wrong reasons at the wrong time.
If you read my column last month you'll remember Allan Bark, the California printer who sold his business in 2006 for a healthy profit. He is now retired. In his letter, Allen offered four specific pieces of advice, one of which is appropriate to Bob's current dilemma.
Allen noted that, "Selling a business for profit is counterintuitive. You (should) sell when business is good and you are making profits. Over the years, I saw too many owners try to sell a business that was in trouble. Losing your biggest customer is not a very good reason to put your business up for sale. I was approached several times during my printing career to buy a troubled print shop. Typically, the desperate seller was not able to value his business rationally, with the net result of having to close the doors before any sale ever occurred."
Still Looking But No Luck
Bob is still looking. Last week he visited three printers in his market area. Two of the firms were simply too small to generate the income he needs to withdraw. The third company is in the $1.8 million range, is relatively healthy, and the owner is interested in selling. Unfortunately, the owner is only interested in selling a minority share of the business, and even that portion, as it is in so many cases, is woefully overpriced using even the most generous valuation approaches.
The lesson to be learned in all of this is that there are qualified buyers out there, many with golden parachutes, who are interested in buying printing businesses. The problem is that many printers lack a specific exit strategy. Consequently, the first time they think of selling their business is when the business enters a downward cycle. That's not a good time to be selling—unless you are desperate and ready to shut the doors.
The better strategy, especially if you are thinking about selling, is to do what my client did and purchase the 2010 Financial Benchmarking Study when it is released in late May. At least then you'll have an idea of where your firm stands in comparison to others. And remember that if you complete the survey you will receive the latest study for free. At the very least, you will discover some of the key financial differences between those firms at the top and those at the bottom.
P.S. If you worry about confidentiality, don't! Only Larry Hunt and I see the surveys. The identities of individual participants are held in the strictest confidence, and all raw data is destroyed once the data is entered into our database.
Senior contributing columnist John Stewart is president of Q.P. Consulting. He is co-author of the industry best seller "Print Shop For Sale" (www.printshopsforsale.net). Follow John's blog on his website at www.quickconsultant.com. Contact him at 2110 S. Dairy Road, West Melbourne, FL 32904, call 321/727-2444, or email email@example.com. This article is available as a podcast at www.quickprinting.com/podcast and from iTunes.


text:
Subscribe to Crain's
E-mail alerts
This Week's Issue
This Week's Issue
Weekly Editorial Feature
Weekly Issue PDFs
2016 Republican National Convention
Breaking News
Health Care
HR/Staffing News
Ohio Energy
Real Estate
Small Business
Akron News
Sports Business
John Campanelli Blog
Scott Suttell Blogs
Kevin Kleps Blogs
Kathy Carr Blogs
Tim Magaw Blogs
Stan Bullard Blog
Rachel McCafferty Blog
Guest Blogs
Latest Issue
Shale News
Shale Blogs
Summit Coverage
Crain Events
Archer Awards
CIO of the Year
CFO of the Year
Crain's 52
Event Expo
Family Business Forum
Forty Under 40
Health Care Heroes + Forum
In-House and General Counsel
Manufacturing Assembly
Who to Watch
Who's Who in Business
Who's Who in Law
Women of Note
Lists & Directories
Purchase Book of Lists
Bioscience Directory
Economic Development Organizations Directory
Executive Search Firms & Staffing Firms Directory
Food Economy Directory
Health Care Directory
Logistics Directory
Marketing Services Directory
Minority-Owned Business Directory
Ohio MBA Directory
Women-Owned Business Directory
House Calls
Video Gallery
Photo Gallery
Local Business Events
Coming Crain Events
Contact Us
Customer Service
E-mail signup
Mobile Alerts
Custom publishing
Renew Now
RSS/XML Feeds
Send letter to the editor
Crain's Cleveland Business Staff
Subscribe Now
Advertising Information
Crain's Media Kit
Crain's SHALE magazine
2015 Editorial Calendar
Most Read
Recent Comments
With few words, Duke Realty Corp. says goodbye to Northeast Ohio
Indians' recent trend of starting seasons slow, finishing fast and falling short is in full swing
State of steel discussed at panel with industry leaders
Eleven signs you're doing digital marketing wrong
Senate Democrats plan to take populist stance on free trade deals in effort to win back majority
Two former partners at big law firms in Cleveland launch Matasar Jacobs LLC
Marriott International Inc. out as Renaissance Cleveland Hotel operator effective June 30
Eleven signs you're doing digital marketing wrong
The Centers for Families and Children names Elizabeth Newman president, CEO
Kent State University names Eboni Pringle as dean of University College
Buffalo takes a page out of Cleveland's entrepreneurship playbook
Blog Entry:
January 31, 2013 4:30 AM | Author: SCOTT SUTTELL
When it comes to entrepreneurship, officials in Buffalo are
following a model
developed in Cleveland by
JumpStart Inc.
The Buffalo News
runs a Q&A with David Colligan, a corporate attorney and chairman of a group called the Buffalo Angels, part of the 80-member Western New York Venture Association. He's also one of the directors of the regional Launch NY nonprofit, the mission of which is to support the startup and growth of new businesses. (
Mr. Colligan is one of five managers of the new Buffalo Angels LLC, a pooled investment fund that is seeking to raise $3 million to invest in startups in western New York. Busy guy.)
He tells
The Buffalo News
that western New York, as a launching pad for promising companies, is where Cleveland was nearly a decade ago.
"Cleveland eight years ago was the same as Buffalo. It lacked both funds and entrepreneurs, and they started something called JumpStart," Mr. Colligan says in the interview. "They train entrepreneurs in the skills of starting a business and how to run a business. Cleveland found the Valley of Death (a difficult early stage for a start-up] was 18 months in Cleveland. They compressed that to as short as four months. … So we created Launch NY. ... Launch NY hopes to duplicate what Jumpstart in Cleveland has done."
Mr. Colligan says Launch NY has raised about $1.2 million so far and expects to raise about $3 million by the end of 2013. But it will need much more.
"This goes back to the Cleveland experience, and this is the main reason we're adopting a Cleveland template," he tells the newspaper. "Cleveland, when they started their JumpStart program, had three early-stage venture capital funds. They now have 23... And most of those funds are going to be linking up with venture capital funds from the coast and doing co-managed deals or co-investments. That's what we want to achieve."
Creating a buzz around recycling
A Cleveland company called
gets some attention in
Las Vegas Business Press
about the increasingly popular concept called "zero-landfill waste."
As the name suggests, the process is a philosophy that encourages the reuse of almost all products, minimizing — or in some cases, eliminating — trash sent to landfills and incinerators. The story notes that Las Vegas "doesn't yet have any major zero-waste businesses, but some are close, and more hope to get there."
Among big companies making an effort are Caesars Entertainment Corp., which plans to divert 50% of its waste from landfills by 2020, and MGM Resorts International, which recycles or reuses more than 90% of waste from trade shows at Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
Christy Gray, chief story officer for BeeDance, an environmental consulting and tech company that has launched ZeroLandfill programs in San Diego, Seattle and Boise, Idaho, among other markets, tells the newspaper that there's now a high level of recognition that recycling is the right thing to do for the environment.
"People are interested in what they can do to contribute to better resources for our future, and not putting more stuff in the garbage is one way to do that," Ms. Gray says.
Cindy Ortega, senior vice president of MGM Resorts' energy and environmental services division, adds, "We believe we should be more mindful of the way we use natural resources. The fact is, our planet will not support unlimited demands. We think we have an obligation and a responsibility to reduce our demands on the planet however we can."
Market forces
Real estate developer
NRP Group
of Cleveland is playing a key role in
the housing market in downtown St. Petersburg, Fla.
TampaBayOnline reports that the popularity of towering luxury condominiums there "is giving way to a wave of low-rise apartment buildings to be built in the next few years. After a quiet spell for construction, two apartment buildings are going up, and construction on another three is set to begin soon, adding more than 1,200 rental units downtown."
NRP Group plans to build a four-story, 326-unit apartment complex on a 4.3-acre parking lot that had been owned by the
Tampa Bay Times
The story notes that the property will be aimed at young professionals, older families and seniors, with rents from $900 to $1,800, according to Kurt Kehoe, NRP Group's vice president of development.
Building a luxury high-rise building would drive rent prices too high for many people in today's market, Mr. Kehoe says.
"Those rent levels exceed what's currently in the market and what people are really willing to pay," he tells the website.
You also can
follow me on Twitter
for more news about business and Northeast Ohio
Reader Comments
Readers are solely responsible for the content of the comments they post here. Comments are subject to the site's
terms and conditions
of use and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or approval of
Crain's Cleveland Business
. Readers whose comments violate the terms of use may have their comments removed or all of their content blocked from viewing by other users without notification. Comments may be used in the print edition at editorial discretion.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Big-Block Bruiser -- Engine Masters
Written by on February 9, 2006 How Did BES Racing Engines make 838hp from 5008 cubic inches and 91 octane? Very carefully, that's how.Tony Bischoff and his team at BES Racing Engines are all about making power, and they proved it at the 2005 Engine Masters Challenge. Tony has been a professional engine builder since the age of 22, and a competitor for longer than that. When asked how he liked the competition, he joked, "I liked everybody but Lennart," referring to Lennart Bergquist, who walked away with the top spot. A three-time competitor, Tony is always playing to win. On a more serious note, Tony related that one of the best parts of the Engine Masters competition has been getting to know the other builders, "All the people there are really good, so I really enjoyed that part of it." Tony's BES Racing Engines has been in the competition for the last three years, and their big-block Chevy entry came home in the runner-up spot with a 1265.67 score in the finals, making as much as 838 hp at 6,200 rpm. That's pretty astounding, and made us want to go in for a closer look.
Racers and engine builders aren't too quick to spill their hard-earned speed secrets, and Tony was no exception, but he was more than willing to elaborate on the detailed aspects of his build--after we twisted his arm pretty hard. The toughest part for Tony is managing the day-to-day duties of the business, and working in enough time for adequate testing. This year, the engine was finished only a week before the contest. Tony says, "You don't necessarily start it that late, but end up finishing it that late." Tony doesn't subscribe to a grandiose philosophy when it comes to a combination for the overall engine configuration, "You can get theories on bores and strokes that go both ways, and they're just theories." Tony continued, "I've never done a real small-bore, long-stroke combo. Of course, those are the guys who keep winning, so maybe that's the best way to go, but I'm not really convinced that that's the case." Tony built a bigger bore engine, with a 4.421-inch bore and a 4.140-inch stroke. According to Bischoff, the bore and stroke was arrived at because he already had the crank.Tony does believe that a relatively short rod versus the stroke is a good thing, especially down low at 2,500 rpm.
Tony explained, "I think the rod angle helps torque on the bottom; then there's the thing about the dwell at TDC being faster so it doesn't detonate so bad. I don't know if that's actually true or not, but I do know it makes more torque down low." Tony utilized a 6.300-inch Eagle rod, and conceded that he would have gone with even a shorter rod, but the added piston length and weight can be a problem. Tony pointed out, "It would pull the pin so far to the bottom of the cylinder that short of sleeving the block and hanging the sleeves down lower, it will hurt more than help, so I didn't want to go any shorter."
Bischoff believes the real secret to the competition is getting done with everything you want to do in time and testing extensively. Because the engine was completed so close to the deadline, Bischoff felt additional testing could have made a difference. "Ideally, you'd want to try a bunch of different cams and intakes, but as the timing worked out, we didn't have a chance to try a lot of different parts, and just worked on the tune-up."
The compression ratio was pretty stout at 12.5:1, and that may have been pushing it. Bischoff disclosed, "It may have been a mistake. Lennart was smart enough to test with 89 octane, while I was really thrilled when I was testing, since the engine didn't rattle at all, but that testing was on 93 octane. When we put the 91 [octane fuel] in it in New York, we had 5 or 6 degrees less timing in it than in testing." In the qualifying tune-up period the BES crew worked to dial in the timing for the local conditions and spec fuel with extensive tune-up pulls. Tony relates it can be difficult to tune within the time limitations of the competition: "It's tough to see the gains you're going to get with one- or two-degree changes in timing during the tune-up period of competition, since the (engine) temperature can change."
Competing in an event like the Engine Masters Challenge demands that the total combination is working optimally for the rpm range. Tony was quick to point out that much of the development of his engine was directed at producing power down low, while keeping out of detonation. Here, Tony applied some conventional techniques, as well as some unusual tricks. The fire slots on the pistons were something Tony had little previous experience with, at least that he would admit to. Tony laughs, "I have no idea what they do, this is the first motor I've put together like that, and it wasn't tested before and after, so I don't have any idea of whether it helped." We did note that the engine did not detonate, and upon tech inspection after the competition the pistons and rings didn't show any signs of scuffing.
On a more conventional front, to help control detonation, Tony went pretty tight on the quench clearance, about 0.035 inch, which was about as tight as he was willing to cut it with the weight of the pistons and the stroke length. An area Tony would have liked to explore further is the use of thermal coatings. Pressed by time constraints, there was a worry about getting the parts back in time for the competition. Some thermal management techniques were employed, basically trying to keep heat away from where it hurts, and keep it in where it can help. Here again, the thermal coating would have been a useful tool, but some other tricks were employed. The lower valley tray of the intake manifold was cut out, and a divorced valley plate was substituted to try to keep the heat out of the manifold. As is usually the case, Bischoff had more ideas than time, "I wanted to make some phenolic spacers for it but didn't have time to get it done. I know that stuff works."
The heads, needless to say, are extensively modified, with the work performed in-house at BES Racing. Starting at the chambers, the sparkplug side was filled in to produce a squish zone on both sides of the chamber. A noticeable modification was the use of a very small diameter sparkplug. Bischoff explained, "I moved the plug closer to the center of the chamber, and Brodix runs coolant around their plugs; without knowing exactly where the water is, the smaller plug let me remove less material when moving the plug from one side to the other." Filling out the chamber were large 2.300-inch intake valves and 1.800-inch exhaust valves.
Bischoff saw some room for improvement with the valves, "I originally had Manley No. 424 springs in it, and just before shipping the motor, I took the centers out of the springs. I knocked a bunch of spring pressure out of it, taking the load from 290 closed and 675 open to 220/500. It picked up my score a couple of numbers, so I left it that way, but if you look at my dyno sheet, I believe it was going into valve float at 6,400 or 6,500 rpm. I wish I had put in lighter valves, maybe put 5/16-inch stems in it and it might have let it carry the higher rpm. Peak power changed from above 6,600 to just 6,300 after taking out the inner spring." The Brodix-4 heads were fully ported at BES, but Tony saw more potential there, too, "I think my intake port was a little too big, and the exhaust was way too small; I just left it too small." The final size of the intake port was given as 3.9 square-inches. Asked about what it takes to cut a good intake port for the competition, Bischoff replied, "Make it flow as good as possible without making it too big."
The intake manifold and induction configuration is another vital aspect of a competition engine. Tony finds that the operating rpm range used in the competition adds a level of difficulty to getting the ideal combinations, "What works at 2,500 in the manifold is exactly the opposite of what works at 6,500. All the work we did on the manifold hurt peak horsepower a little, but at 2,500 we picked up 50 to 60 ft-lbs." The BES racing dyno is equipped with individual Lambda sensors for each cylinder, which helped to dial in the air/fuel ratio. Tony continued, "The work we did on the manifold may not have helped or even hurt the top-end. The end cylinders at 2,500 are really lean, and at 4,500 it would cross over and everything would go the other way. Basically you need a lot of air speed to keep the fuel in the air suspended, and at low speed it gets separated. That's why you need to try to direct the fuel where you want it to go. We dammed the center runners at the floor with epoxy to richen the end cylinders at low speeds. The end cylinders were dead lean that low; the air/fuel ratio was in the range of 16 or 17:1. As rpm went up they would even up; it was just at the low-end. Interestingly, the dams were originally just crudely put in there at the four center runners, making a rough 1/8- or 3/16-inch ridge, and that helped the score a bunch. Then I took the manifold off and polished it all out and made it real nice, and it actually hurt my score a couple of numbers. The HVH spacer helped the low-end numbers too, but didn't really make much difference at the top."
To make the most of the induction and heads, the camshaft is a critical component. Here, experience is the key. Tony used a custom 256/268 Comp roller cam with 0.846-inch lift. When selecting lobe profiles, Tony revealed that he was after high intensity: "We looked in the Comp book and found the quickest lobes we could find, and put that in it. I've never seen a quicker cam not make more power everywhere. They may make some faster ones, but that was the quickest one they had in the book." The quick lobes were linked to the valves with Crane 1.8:1 rockers, while a Jesel belt drive provided the spin. Speaking on the cam's timing, Bischoff elaborated, "Originally the cam went in at a 102-degree intake centerline; I would have liked to try putting it in a little more advanced, but it didn't have enough valve-to-piston clearance. Advancing and retarding did exactly what you'd expect; retarding would pick up the top-end numbers, but cost down low."
An extensively modified Eagle crank was the main player down at the bottom end. We asked Tony about the small journals, and how they fit in with his plan. Tony replied, "Oil control is important, but I never use scrapers. I'm a firm believer in controlling the flow of pressurized oil. You have to set the bearing clearances for the oil viscosity you are going to run. The small journals bleed-off less oil with tight clearances, and also help with the slower bearing speed. The roller cam bearings were used primarily to control oil. Restricting the oil to the top end is a big help. I like to spread the drainback though the whole motor instead of putting it all in the front or the back. Unless you can get it completely away from the crankshaft, dumping it all on top of the (No.) 7 and 8 cylinders isn't such a good idea. If your oil is restricted enough to the top end, keeping just enough to keep your pushrods in, there will be very little drainback anyway. The trick is to restrict it right.
Bischoff's big-block carried tricks and custom touches practically everywhere we looked, and probably a few we missed. That's this racer's edge. Most of the modifications were learned with hard work by the builder and his team, and done in-house at BES. You've got to respect the competitiveness of a man willing to work that hard for that little bit of an edge. The BES racing crew's performance at the Engine Masters Challenge proves the point.
Basic Engine Specs: | |
Size: | 508 ci |
Bore: | 4.421-inch, Dart block |
Stroke: | 4.140-inch, {{{Eagle}}} crank |
Rods: | 6.{{{300}}}-inch, Eagle |
Compression ratio: | 12.5:1 compression, Ross pistons |
Heads: | Brodix-4 Extra |
Intake: | Edelbrock |
Carb: | 1100 Pro Systems Holley |
Camshaft: | Comp, 256/268-duration, 0.{{{850}}}-inch lift, 108 LSA |
Score: | 1,260.33 |
Top horsepower: | 834 at 6,300 rpm |


text:
Airbus lands order for 102 jets; Boeing gets nod for six 777s
Lufthansa has ordered 100 Airbus single-aisle jets, including 70 A320 new engine option family aircraft like the one shown here.
Lufthansa's $11.2 billion order to Airbus included a request for two more A380 super jumbo jets.
Airbus delivered the 100th A380 super jumbo jet on Thursday. The aircraft was handed over to Malaysia Airlines at Airbus' delivery center in Toulouse, France.
The order consists of 70 of Airbus' A320 new engine option aircraft as well as 30 of the existing model of A320 jets. Germany's Lufthansa Group also agreed to buy two additional A380 super jumbo jets.
The $11.2 billion value for Lufthansa's order is based on list prices, from which jet makers like Airbus tend to discount.
"We are delighted to add again two more A380s to our fleet and together with the 100 new A320 Family aircraft these new jets will contribute to cutting our operational costs significantly," Nico Buchholz, executive vice president, Lufthansa Group Fleet Management, said in a statement.
The Lufthansa Group already has 10 A380s and 271 A320 family aircraft in service.
The request pushes Airbus close to the 2,000-order mark for its upgraded A320neo aircraft, said John Leahy, Airbus' chief operating officer for customers.
The Lufthansa Group also said on Thursday that it will purchase six Boeing Co. 777-300 Extended Range jets for Swiss International Airlines. The order, valued at $1.9 billion at list prices, hasn't been finalized yet.
Also on Thursday, Airbus delivered the 100th A380 jet. The super jumbo was delivered to Malaysia Airlines at Airbus' delivery center in Toulouse, France. The A380 is in its sixth year of commercial service and is being flown by nine airlines.
Most recent Aerospace blog posts
Share your comments: Log in using your HeraldNet account or your Facebook, Twitter or Disqus profile. Comments that violate the rules are subject to removal. Please see our terms of use. Please note that you must verify your email address for your comments to appear.
You are logged in using your HeraldNet ID. Click here to update your profile. | Log out.
Our new comment system is not supported in IE 7. Please upgrade your browser here.


text:
After two comeback wins, Royals eye sweep
KC sends Santana to the hill to oppose the Rays' Hernandez
The Royals enjoyed a strong April, closing the month with a 14-10 record, a half-game back in the American League Central. So far, nothing has changed in May.
The Royals opened the new month by eeking out a 9-8 win over the Rays on Wednesday, setting them up to potentially finish a three-game sweep on Thursday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium. Ervin Santana, one of the reasons for the strong start, will take the ball against the Rays' Roberto Hernandez.
Santana (3-1, 2.00 ERA) will be going for his 100th career win as he looks to make Kansas City 5-2 on its homestand. The right-hander racked up the first 96 of those victories with the Angels, but seems re-energized with the Royals following a rough 2012 season.
Kansas City has won each of Santana's past four starts, during which he posted a 1.20 ERA. In 14 innings over his past two outings, he hasn't walked a batter or allowed a home run.
"I saw a lot of great stuff," Royals manager Ned Yost said after Santana struck out five over seven scoreless innings on Saturday. "But, for me, the key was his slider -- he had a lot of bite to it. Throwing good two-seamers, keeping the ball down in the zone. He just pitched a fantastic game."
Things have not been going so smoothly for Hernandez (1-4, 5.28), who has surrendered three or more earned runs in all but one of his five starts. The righty lost his command within the strike zone on Friday against the White Sox, serving up a career-high three home runs -- and allowing five runs total -- over six innings.
"When he's gotten hit a couple of times, he's speeding up a little bit, and the ball gets up in the zone," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "Because he has a tendency to want to over-boogie sometimes. To me, he's a classic example of a guy who could try easier, or try less, when it gets hotter. Don't try to throw harder, try actually to throw softer when things get hotter. And I think to this point, he's done the opposite of that, where he tries to do more. My point is, if he tried to do less, the ball would move more down and work to his benefit.
"I know he's been playing awhile, but I still think that's a part of the game to be learned by him. To know when to get softer. ... And I think that would benefit him."
Rays: Joyce powering up
Outfielder Matt Joyce has homered in four of his past five games after going deep twice in his first 18 contests of the season. Overall, he is 7-for-22 with seven RBIs during that stretch.
Historically, May has been Joyce's most productive month, with a .320/.410/.610 batting line and 17 home runs in 73 games.
Joyce isn't alone. As a team, the Rays have hit a homer in 16 straight games, the longest streak in the Major Leagues this season
Royals: Johnson playing well against former club
Infielder Elliot Johnson started both of the first two games at second base against the Rays, the organization with which he had spent his entire career until this season. Johnson went 2-for-3 on Tuesday -- his first multi-hit game of the season -- then smacked his first homer of the year on Wednesday.
Kansas City's regular second baseman, Chris Getz, has been dealing with allergies, as have some other players. Yost said Getz would probably be back in the lineup on Thursday.
Worth noting
• The Royals have won five straight games against the Rays at Kauffman Stadium and nine of their past 12.
• Santana was voted the Royals Pitcher of the Month for April by the Kansas City media, while left fielder Alex Gordon was voted Player of the Month.
• Hernandez has a 6.35 ERA in eight career games at Kauffman Stadium, the last coming in 2010.
• Gordon is 15-for-31 (.484) with four doubles and a home run off Hernandez.
• Santana has a 5.47 ERA in 13 career outings against the Rays.


text:
I just saw the Windows 8 interface :(
Printable View
I just saw the Windows 8 interface :(
I think it sucks. I don't want my computer to behave like a mobile phone.
Looks like a big smartphone OS.
Honestly only touch users/tablets are going to use that interface, even if it supports mouse/keyboard. And tablets are devices that are primarly used while sitting on the coach and watching TV, as recent studies have shown (maybe that's why I don't have one).
I guess you weren't serious with the thread title in the first place, but no, Linux and Mac are definitly not screwed because of that thing.
My arm already hurts just from watching that. Do they also want to rename tennis elbow to win8 elbow?
There are some cool/interesting ideas there, but I'm not really sold on it even as a tablet interface (for which it's obviously optimized). I think they're taking a risk changing the overall experience that much when the main draw of Windows is the ability to natively run Windows apps, many of which will never be updated at all, let alone changed to conform to the new UI concept. A couple times in the video he says something like "because it's a PC...", but this interface arguably makes more sense for the ARM port.
This is the most easy to understand interface on the planet. And for tablets this interface is a big win.
Of course on your PC you will soon discover the desktop tile.
PS: In fact, this is probably the first moronproof interface. This is not what I expected from MS at all... In fact I think this interface is brilliant.
Do note that I'm a big fan of KDE, so this isn't going to make my desktop!


text:
Title: | Head Coach |
Phone: | (352) 588-8220 |
Email: | firstname.lastname@example.com |
His pedigree for success is no fluke; Lance Randall has the magic touch when it comes to hoops.
Hired as the 10th coach in nearly a half-century of men's basketball at Saint Leo University prior to the 2011-12 season, Randall immediately went to work breathing life into a program that hadn't had a winning season in the previous 14 years.
It was a life that took on a whole new meaning during the 2012-13 season as Randall piloted a Lions' team the school's first ever Sunshine State Conference Regular Season men's basketball title and only the second ever for any men's sport at Saint Leo. With a 22-8 overall record and a 12-4 conference mark, Randall's team set new standards for most wins in a season, most conference wins. In addition, the 22 wins were all against NCAA Division II opponents; breaking the mark of 15 Division II wins which he set his first year. It was a season that washed away the futility of years past as the Lions won the most games in a single-season in Saint Leo history and he helped guide the Lions to a repeat appearance at the NCAA Tournament. It was a season that saw three Lions take home SSC honors as the Player of the Year (Marcus Ruh), Defensive Player of the Year (Shaun Adams) and Newcomer of the Year (Jerrel Harris) all wore the Green and Gold. In addition, The Lions were the only team to defeat ACC Champion Miami Hurricanes 69-67 at Miami this season in an exhibition game to start the year out.
During the 2013-2014 season, the Lions, under Randall's guidence, would surpass that record mark of 22 wins set during the previous campaign when Saint Leo posted a 24-9 slate (10-6 SSC). The Lions also advanced to their third consecutive NCAA Division II Tournament and an apperance in the South Regional semifinal.
Randall's players would also continue their impressive development on the hardwood. Harris was named an NABC Division II All-District Team, was selected NCAA All-South Region Tournament Team and was a First Team, All-Sunshine State Conference selection. Harris also was tabbbed a first team All-SSC selection and was named to the SSC All-Tournament Team.
Prior to Coach Randall's arrival, in the previous 35 years in the Sunshine State Conference, Saint Leo men's basketball had the lowest winning percentage of the nine SSC teams. In his three seasons with the Lions, Coach Randall's Lions have the most regular season wins (32) of any of the nine SSC schools. Getting it done with defense, once again the Lions led the SSC in defensive field goal percentages, 3 point field goal percentage defense and was third in scoring defense.
During the conference championship season Randall also coached the first and only Saint Leo University student-athlete to be named the Capital One Academic All-America® of the Year as senior Marcus Ruh claimed that honor, along with many more. The award signifies the highest academic honor one can receive in a specific sport. Randall has now coached seven players that have gone on to be player of the year along, he has brought in four newcomers of the years in his five seasons as a collegiate head coach to go with eight All Americans and multiple all region, all state and all conference players. The Lion's team gpa has been over 3.0 combined for both years as a head coach and numerous players have been named to the Dean's list and the Presidents club.
In his debut season at Saint Leo, Randall led a resurgence in the Lions basketball program that propelled it to a first-ever NCAA Tournament berth. He inherited a team that was picked last in the Sunshine State Conference preseason poll and led it to a third-place finish in the regular-season standings with a 10-6 conference mark. Finishing the season with a 18-12 overall record, the Lions won nine consecutive games at one point, breaking a program record that dates back to 1987. The hallmark of Randall's squad is hard-nosed defense, and his Lions lead the league in scoring defense and were sixth in the nation, permitting just 58.3 points per game. Saint Leo also led the league in holding its opponents to a 39.9 percent field goal percentage and 30.6 percent three-point percentage.
His immediate and overwhelming success saw him earn SSC Coach of the Year honors in 2012, joining former athletic director and coach Norm Kaye who earned the honor in 1977, and Gary Richert who earned it twice in 1984 and 1988 as only the third coach from Saint Leo to win the award.
Two days after taking home the SSC hardware, Randall guided the Lions in the conference's Tournament Championship Game for just the program's second time. Two weeks later he was on the sidelines when Saint Leo tipped-off in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Huntsville, Ala.
Randall has a proven coaching resume on a variety of levels at both the high school and collegiate basketball ranks over the past 18 years since his time as a student-athlete at Beloit College. During his most recent stint, where he served as associate head coach at Stevens Point since 2009, Randall helped guide a squad that took home the 2010 NCAA Division III National Championship.
Randall, who has taken teams to the NCAA tournament as player, an assistant and as a head coach at all three divisions, guided a Wisconsin high school to consecutive state titles after taking over the program prior to the 2005 season. In three seasons with the Oshkosh West High School boys' basketball team, Randall led his squad to an impressive 71-3 overall record. His 2006 team posted a perfect 26-0 record on its way to the state title.
His tenure at Oshkosh West marked the first of two times Randall tackled the high school ranks as he also served as the head coach, Dean of Students and Assistant Athletic Director at Cedarburg High School in Cedarburg, Wisconsin during the 2008-2009 school year. Prior to his return to high school basketball in 2008, Randall spent one season as assistant coach for Loyola University in Chicago.
The task set forth when Saint Leo Director of Athletics Francis X. Reidy announced his hiring on April 8, 2011 was not an easy one for the championship-winning coach as he looked at a forelorn 12-16 program that won just two Sunshine State Conference games in 2010-11. His skills as a talented recruiter and coach were immediately put to the test as he transformed a team that last posted a winning record during the 1997-98 season (19-9) into a national and conference contender.
It was the mark of a man who is familiar with transofrming programs, as he assumed the reins of a 2-23 Webster University team in 1997 and turned them into conference champions and NCAA contenders as the Gorlocks claimed the 1999-2000 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship. Becoming the winningest coach in Webster history, Randall was twice named the SLIAC Coach of the Year, leading the program to the best turnaround in the NCAA in all divisions.
After Webster, Randall served a two-year stint as the head coach and vice president of operations for the Pertemps Birmingham Bullets professional team in Birmingham, England. He then returned to the States, making his entrance into the Division I ranks as he joined Brad Soderberg's staff at Saint Louis University from 2002 to 2004.
The Montfort, Wisc., native began his coaching career as an assistant coach for his alma mater from 1994 through 1997, winning two Midwest Conference Championships for the Bucs during that time.
Randall is a 1994 graduate of Beloit College with a degree in Government and also holds a Masters of Arts in Teaching, from Webster University. At Beloit, Randall was a two-time basketball team captain and Johnny Orr Leadership award winner on a nationally ranked squad and team MVP.
A highly touted motivational speaker and clinician, Randall has spoken all over the country. He has produced numerous national bestselling videotapes on offensive and defensive strategies of coaching basketball. This is in addition to his wide variety of skills and talents within the support staff ranks as he also served as an Assistant Athletic Director, Sports Information and Community Events Coordinator, a College Instructor and a Summer Camps Director.
Randall is a member of the NABC and also served as an executive board member of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association prior to moving to Saint Leo.
Randall and his wife, Pamela, have four children, Evelyn, River, Ruby, and Rocco. The Randall Family resides in the Saint Leo area.


text:
Darvish aims to stay dominant in makeup vs. D-backs
After three straight walk-offs, Texas two shy of Arizona's all-time mark
Two second-place clubs trying for a second-half postseason push will clash in Thursday's Interleague makeup game between the D-backs and the Rangers.
After going 32 days without picking up a game on the division-leading A's, the Rangers' three-game sweep of the Angels has them only four games behind Oakland. The D-backs, who ended a three-game skid with a 7-0 victory over the Rays on Wednesday night, are in a similar position behind the red-hot Dodgers in the NL West.
D-backs righty Zeke Spruill will make his first big league start at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington in the makeup of a May 29 game. Spruill has already proved he has big league stuff, allowing just one run in four relief appearances (4 1/3 innings) for Arizona.
Spruill, 23, also carried a 3.24 ERA in 12 starts with Triple-A Reno, highlighted by the eight scoreless innings he tossed in his last Minor League start Saturday.
"Spruill is probably coming off his best outing on Saturday, when he probably threw one of the best games ever in the history of Reno Ballpark," D-backs general manager Kevin Towers said. "He's kind of got the hot hand right now; he's got a taste of what it's like up here."
Arizona will try to keep its offense rolling against one of the best arms in the big leagues in Yu Darvish, who fanned 11 and allowed just one run over six innings in his last start but still picked up the loss, as the Rangers could not produce a run and fell to the Indians, 1-0.
That run is the only one given up by the Rangers' ace in two starts back from the disabled list, and his 172 strikeouts lead the Majors.
The Rangers took each game from the Angels with improbable flair, Adrian Beltre the hero Wednesday night as Texas won its third straight game on a walk-off homer. It was just their second series victory of the month, but Rangers manager Ron Washington finally saw the offense he envisioned come to life against Los Angeles.
"Right now we're getting our legs back," Washington said. "Two weeks ago our legs didn't look as fast. Now they are. That's what we've been looking forward to, is getting our legs back. That's our game. When we play it, it looks good."
D-backs: Kennedy traded to Padres
The D-backs sent starting pitcher Ian Kennedy to the Padres on Wednesday in exchange for reliever Joe Thatcher, Minor League righty Matt Stites and a 2014 Competitive Balance Round B Draft pick.
A Cy Young finalist in 2011, Kennedy struggled with a 5.23 ERA and 3-8 record in 21 starts this year. The surprising move came just before the end of the non-waiver Trade Deadline and reunited him with former D-backs and current Padres general manager Josh Byrnes.
In search of a left-handed reliever, Arizona grabbed Thatcher, who boasts a 2.10 ERA in 50 appearances. Thatcher has allowed just one run in 12 games (eight innings) this month.
Stites projects as a bullpen arm and has a 2.08 ERA and 14 saves over 52 innings with Double-A San Antonio.
Rangers: After drought, walk-offs pour in
Before pounding three straight walk-off homers in a sweep of the Angels, the Rangers had gone more than a year without a game-ending homer. Now, they're just two games shy of the all-time record of five consecutive walk-offs -- held, coincidentally, by the D-backs, who did it to the Expos on May 10-12, 1999.
Texas' walk-off trifecta marked the first time in franchise history the Rangers won three consecutive games with walk-off homers, and it had been more than 30 years since they won back-to-back games on walk-off home runs.
Though the Rangers' surging offense produced just two runs Wednesday night, Texas logged season highs in hits, runs and walks in Tuesday's 14-11, 10-inning shootout with the Angels.
Worth noting
• Arizona first baseman Paul Goldschmidt has a hit in eight of his last nine Interleague games. He's 16-for-38 over that span and a career .333 hitter in games against the American League.
• Texas has dropped two of three against Arizona this year, losing both games of a doubleheader in Phoenix before picking up a win in Arlington.
• The May 29 date between the Rangers and D-backs was postponed due to field conditions, and Thursday's game will be just the second one-game makeup date in the 19-year history of Rangers Ballpark.
Ian McCue is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
This is a "machine-selection optional" part.Please choose a vehicle to see the options specific to your machine,choose from all of the options below and add to cart.
User Tip: If you're unsure of your vehicle type, you may skip the machine type selection box.
"Customer service is priority #1 at Rocky Mountain ATV/MC. We value our customers and strive to be the best shopping experience- when you buy from us, you are buying lifetime service."
-Dan Thomas, CEO and Founder
We take pride in offering no hassle returns. In the event of a return, please call, email or chat with us to receive a solution to the problem. For apparel that doesn't fit quite right, Click here to see our Fit Guaranteed Program.
We will stand behind all products we sell with regards to manufacturing defects in workmanship and material. Most products are limited to the manufacturer's warranty. However, we will do everything in our power to take care of the problem.
Live chat: Click here
(Leave email if after hours)
Call us: 1 800 336-5437
7am-7pm Mon-Fri 8am-4pm Sat (Mountain Standard Time)
Each review submitted enters you into a $100 gift card monthly drawing, and a $500 gift card quarterly drawing!
Comments On May 06, 2015:These are good tires for turning, but for hill climbs are below average. Sand here in Colorado is a bit different consistancy so that may play a factor into them.
Was this review helpful?
Comments On Dec 27, 2014:Great tires. Handle and slide with very good control and hook-up nice ! If you have the power these are great paddle tires.
Was this review helpful?
Comments On Dec 12, 2014:These are overall a great tuff tire. No quite as light as you will see with a cut tire. But for a molded paddle they are still fairly light. IF you want a good all around sand tire that will still let you turn and slash these are a great choice.
Was this review helpful?
Comments On Sep 28, 2014:Always ran these and have lasted 2 years (6 dune trips). Great grip and havent had any problems.
Was this review helpful?
Comments On Sep 17, 2014:I had these tires with the fronts for one summer now and i love them. I had haulers last summer and these hook just as well for me. They do take a trip to get used to compared to the hauler because they like to slide out, which i like. But on hill climbs if you're hitting it at an angle the rear end likes to start to slide out which is why it took a day or two to get used to. Took 3 trips for the hairs to start falling out even riding on soft dirt instead of sand, and some rocky areas. After a summer they still look new and they wear great. I will buy these again. Superb buy for the price.
Was this review helpful?
Comments On Aug 23, 2014:I have bought several other tires for less $$ over the seasons. don't bother, just get these and get your dune on!!
Was this review helpful?
Comments On Jul 14, 2014:Perfect for the basic duner
Was this review helpful?
Comments On Apr 14, 2014:Ok great looking tires, but I am concerned with the load capacity. I have yet to take them in the sand but the RZR is heavier than a Quad and I have a feeling I might blow these tires out! We shall see.
Was this review helpful?
Comments On Mar 17, 2014:i have used these on about 10 to 15 rides at silver lake sand dunes and have held up great. they dont pull as well as stright paddles but turning is good.
Was this review helpful?
Comments On Dec 01, 2013:I love these paddles they hook up great and last a very long time!
Was this review helpful?


text:
Seems we've all forgotten about the bond holders at General Motors. About all they got was a note telling them the unions now owned GM, too bad for them. Apparently for governments it's ok to borrow with no expectation of having to pay back debt. I find it interesting that when you borrow the money these investors are helping you, but when they expect their money back they're a "vulture fund". Following that same logic, any worker who expects to be paid for their labor would in turn also be classified as a "vulture fund". I guess a contract for services means nothing in the world any more, honesty has become an insulting trait instead.
It is called bankrupcy, and it happens... and it is bad for everyone. Don't you know? Do you think that when a company goes kaput, it is really good for the workers? They usually loose their pensions (if company held), they typically loose their jobs, they typically have to accept many cuts in salaries or benefits.
Apparently you aren't that familiar with a true bankruptcy, as opposed to a government bailout. Bankruptcies are designed to protect workers and investors alike. It isn't true that workers usually lose their jobs, as they did in the GM takeover. And many pension funds were destroyed with the giving away of GM too. Dealers were closed, investors lost their money, mutual fund owners lost their money, part suppliers went out of business, just to protect a limited number of workers at GM. Let's use and example of a company that filed a true bankruptcy, as opposed to a liquidation that you're comparing it to. American Airlines is in the middle of a bankruptcy right now. Workers are keeping their jobs, and yes they aren't going to get a guaranteed raise, the planes continue to fly, and investors, while losing some of the value of their investment, still hold all the stocks and bonds they originally held. And the reason that happens is because the investments, workers jobs, etc. are protected under bankruptcy laws. What a bankruptcy does is allow the organization to restructure their payoffs of investments so that they don't have to go out of business, and it doesn't create a false value in a company like the subsidizing of GM did. To this day, GM has never gotten back to the value of the stocks they sold when they were reissued, they're still in debt to the United States for over $23 billion. Meanwhile, American Airlines which didn't put anyone out of business, or laid off any employees, is increasing in value now and getting back on it's feet by using bankruptcy laws. They reduced their employee pool by early retirement payoffs, and just not replacing them. Another airline that used bankruptcy to stay in business is United Airlines, a stock that would have made you rich had you invested when they were in bankruptcy. Now I know unions and the liberal press would like you to believe bankruptcy is an evil thing, but it's designed to help a company stay in business, not destroy them. The problem is that union contracts have created an environment where profit doesn't match the pay,m and benefits, contracts the unions negotiated. And in a lot of those instances, for example Hostess, the only answer is to liquidate. I'm sure you understand that, a business can't pay out more than it makes. Look at it this way, does a union care about workers? Apparently not, they drove Hostess out of business, but of course all the union officers are still collecting their pay. Fortunately for them in the case of GM, they had a President who had the money, and wanted to keep getting those union donations for his campaign. You really should read more than just news about bankruptcy, you might be enlightened as to how it really works.


text:
The Morning Show with Joel Karnick
DJ Rick's Blog
The DJ's
Read All About Us!
Local Sports Scores
Upcoming Sports
Archived Sportcasts
Brewer Schedule
Packer Schedule
Archived Sportcasts
Other Archived Audio
NEW Listen Live Link
Stream of WPFP Sports
Related Content
Content found for
Wausau Wayne
Louella M. Schoch, 77, Glidden
Louella M. Schoch, age 77, of Glidden, died on Tuesday January 31, 2012 at Park Manor Nursing Home in Park Falls. She was bor...
Melody Morgan
Midnight to 5am


text:
Kosher Drink/Spirits
Hibiscus Sweet Tea |
KosherEye.comBy Chef Laura Frankel I couldn't just write any old sweet tea recipe, not for KosherEye! Coming from the North, I would be at an extreme disadvantage. So, I went with a gorgeous ruby colored Hibiscus tea. Ingredients 48 ounces water Directions Bring water to light boil, turn off heat add the hibiscus and sugar. Cover and steep for 20 minutes. Notes Recipe: Kosher, parve |


text:
- Esophagogastric (1)
- everolimus (1)
- exercise (1)
- gastric (1)
- immune function (1)
- mitomycin C (1)
- prostate cancer (1)
- Medizin (5)
- Georg-Speyer-Haus (2)
- Sportwissenschaften (1)
- untitled document (2006)
- Following publication of the data presented by von Minckwitz and colleagues [1] it has been brought to our attention that some patients should be scored differently. Stable disease was seen in three of the eighteen patients instead of two of the eighteen patients: one patient with transitional cell carcinoma treated at 4 micro g/kg scFv(FRP5)-ETA per day, and two breast cancer patients treated at 4 and 12.5 micro g/kg scFv(FRP5)-ETA per day. Disease progression occured in 9 of the eighteen patients evaluated (see corrected Table 2 overleaf). This does not affect the conclusions of our study. In addition we would like to correct the following errors: patient IDs for patients U01 and U02 in the original Table 2 were interchanged. In addition, patient N03 had a grade 3 elevation of gamma-glutamyl transferase, and not grade 2 (see corrected Table 2 overleaf). http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/volltexte/2005/1156/
- Phase I clinical study of the recombinant antibody toxin scFv(FRP5)-ETA specific for the ErbB2/HER2 receptor in patients with advanced solid malignomas (2005)
- Introduction: ScFv(FRP5)-ETA is a recombinant antibody toxin with binding specificity for ErbB2 (HER2). It consists of an N-terminal single-chain antibody fragment (scFv), genetically linked to truncated Pseudomonas exotoxin A (ETA). Potent antitumoral activity of scFv(FRP5)-ETA against ErbB2-overexpressing tumor cells was previously demonstrated in vitro and in animal models. Here we report the first systemic application of scFv(FRP5)-ETA in human cancer patients. Methods: We have performed a phase I dose-finding study, with the objective to assess the maximum tolerated dose and the dose-limiting toxicity of intravenously injected scFv(FRP5)-ETA. Eighteen patients suffering from ErbB2-expressing metastatic breast cancers, prostate cancers, head and neck cancer, non small cell lung cancer, or transitional cell carcinoma were treated. Dose levels of 2, 4, 10, 12.5, and 20 μg/kg scFv(FRP5)-ETA were administered as five daily infusions each for two consecutive weeks. Results: No hematologic, renal, and/or cardiovascular toxicities were noted in any of the patients treated. However, transient elevation of liver enzymes was observed, and considered dose limiting, in one of six patients at the maximum tolerated dose of 12.5 μg/kg, and in two of three patients at 20 μg/kg. Fifteen minutes after injection, peak concentrations of more than 100 ng/ml scFv(FRP5)-ETA were obtained at a dose of 10 μg/kg, indicating that predicted therapeutic levels of the recombinant protein can be applied without inducing toxic side effects. Induction of antibodies against scFv(FRP5)-ETA was observed 8 days after initiation of therapy in 13 patients investigated, but only in five of these patients could neutralizing activity be detected. Two patients showed stable disease and in three patients clinical signs of activity in terms of signs and symptoms were observed (all treated at doses ≥ 10 μg/kg). Disease progression occurred in 11 of the patients. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that systemic therapy with scFv(FRP5)-ETA can be safely administered up to a maximum tolerated dose of 12.5 μg/kg in patients with ErbB2-expressing tumors, justifying further clinical development.
- Krebs: Bewegung tut gut : leichter Sport fördert körperliches und psychisches Wohlbefinden (2009)
- Jährlich erkranken etwa 425 000 Menschen in Deutschland an Krebs. Die Tendenz ist steigend: Experten gehen davon aus, dass die Zahl der Neuerkrankungen bis zum Jahr 2030 um 50 Prozent zunehmen wird. Doch zu dieser schlechten Nachricht gibt es auch eine gute: Körperliche Aktivität und Sport können das allgemeine Risiko, an bestimmten Krebsformen zu erkranken, vermindern. Dazu zählen vor allem Darmkrebs sowie der nach den Wechseljahren auftretende Brust- und Gebärmutterschleimhautkrebs. Aber auch wer schon erkrankt ist, kann sein Wohlbefinden und Selbstvertrauen durch spezielle Bewegungsprogramme, wie sie an der Goethe-Universität entwickelt werden, steigern. Selbst die Leiden von Patienten mit fortgeschrittenen Krebserkrankungen lassen sich auf diese Weise lindern. Denn Bewegung beeinflusst nicht nur die unmittelbar tumorbedingten Symptome, sondern auch therapiebedingte Nebenwirkungen, insbesondere die der Chemotherapie.
- Influence of a six month endurance exercise program on the immune function of prostate cancer patients undergoing Antiandrogen or Chemotherapy: design and rationale of the ProImmun study (2013)
- Background: Exercise seems to minimize prostate cancer specific mortality risk and treatment related side effects like fatigue and incontinence. However the influence of physical activity on the immunological level remains uncertain. Even prostate cancer patients undergoing palliative treatment often have a relatively long life span compared to other cancer entities. To optimize exercise programs and their outcomes it is essential to investigate the underlying mechanisms. Further, it is important to discriminate between different exercise protocols and therapy regimes. Methods/Design: The ProImmun study is a prospective multicenter patient preference randomized controlled trial investigating the influence of a 24 week endurance exercise program in 80–100 prostate cancer patients by comparing patients undergoing Antiandrogen therapy combined with exercise (AE), Antiandrogen therapy without exercise (A), Chemotherapy with exercise(CE) or Chemotherapy without exercise (C). The primary outcome of the study is a change in prostate cancer relevant cytokines and hormones (IL-6, MIF, IGF-1, Testosterone). Secondary endpoints are immune cell ratios, oxidative stress and antioxidative capacity levels, VO2 peak, fatigue and quality of life. Patients of the intervention group exercise five times per week, while two sessions are supervised. During the supervised sessions patients (AE and CE) exercise for 33 minutes on a bicycle ergometer at 70-75% of their VO2 peak. To assess long term effects and sustainability of the intervention two follow-up assessments are arranged 12 and 18 month after the intervention. Discussion: The ProImmun study is the first trial which primarily investigates immunological effects of a six month endurance exercise program in prostate cancer patients during palliative care. Separating patients treated with Antiandrogen therapy from those who are additionally treated with Chemotherapy might allow a more specific view on the influence of endurance training interventions and the impact of different therapy protocols on the immune function. Trial registration: German Clinical Trials Register: DRKS00004739
- Phase I study of everolimus and mitomycin C for patients with metastatic esophagogastric adenocarcinoma (2013)
- This study aimed at determining the recommended dose of the mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor everolimus in combination with mitomycin C (MMC) in patients with previously treated metastatic esophagogastric cancer. In this phase I trial, patients received escalated doses of oral everolimus (5, 7.5, and 10 mg/day) in combination with intravenous MMC 5 mg/m2 every 3 weeks. Endpoints were the dose-limiting toxicity (DLT), safety, and response rates. Tumor tissues were tested for HER2-status and mutations in the PTEN, PIK3CA, AKT1, CTNNB1, and E-cadherin type 1 genes. Sixteen patients (12 male, four female) with gastric/gastroesophageal junction cancer were included. All patients were previously treated with a platinum-based chemotherapy. Treatment cohorts were: 5 mg/day, three patients; 7.5 mg/day, three patients; and 10 mg/day, 10 patients. No DLTs occurred during dose escalation. Most frequent grade 3 toxicities were leukopenia (18.8%) and neutropenia (18.8%). All other grade 3 toxicities were below 10%. No grade 4 toxicities occurred. Three (18.8%) patients experienced partial responses and four patients had stable disease (SD). Antitumor activity according to Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST)-criteria was highest in the 10 mg/day cohort. No associations between HER2-status or detected mutations and response were observed. The recommended dose of everolimus combined with MMC is 10 mg/day. Encouraging signs of antitumor activity were seen (http://www.ClinicalTrials.gov; Clinical trial registration number: NCT01042782).


text:
Playing Hard to Get
Microsoft recently announced an upcoming price increase for the XBox Live Gold membership fee. When this news broke, a few retailers such as NewEgg responded by pushing their existing stock of gift cards (selling the membership at the older, lower price). It was fascinating to watch people scramble to get their hands on the remaining gift cards. Even people who hadn't yet tried XBox Live purchased some of the gift cards, explaining, "they won't be around for long—now's the last chance to buy a year membership at the current price."
But why?
The simple answer is that people infer special value in something that has limited availability. This is true in dating, commerce, gaming and other fields. Everything from gold and diamonds to "limited edition" candy bars to baseball cards prove this point.
But what about web applications? In most cases, we're not dealing with physical goods, but rather with digital content that be copied or throttled as needed with little to no costs. Where everything is digital and scarcity should be a quaint notion, does this same idea hold true? And can we use this to influence behaviors? Or get people to do more than just purchase something?
Using Scarcity in Commerce
The most obvious application of scarcity is in retail and e-commerce. A retailer may only have few shirts left in your size. A car dealership may only have one car on the lot with the features you want. Collectible items fetch a lot more money in aftermarket auctions. These same sales tactics apply to online shopping as well: A travel site shows "only three tickets left at this price," or an artist only has "six copies of this print remaining."
This idea has also been used in domain name "land grabs." There is a very real scarcity of domain names on the Web. But custom URLs, such as stephen.somereallycoolnewsite.com can also leverage this scarcity to encourage signups.
But scarcity can be used for more than simply encouraging purchasing behaviors; because people value things that are scarce (the reason we feel pressured to purchase something), this same principle can be applied in other creative ways.
Using Scarcity to Increase Quality
Foodspotting is a site where people share photos of their favorite dishes. Rather than review a restaurant, you can see and share favorite dishes at a restaurant. You like the Pad Woon Sen at that Thai place? Let people know by taking a photo of the dish next time you eat there. Foodspotters, as Foodspotting users are called, love sharing these photos. In fact, before there was Foodspotting, there have been photo groups on Flickr where people shared interesting photos of dishes.
So how is Foodspotting using scarcity?
If you're making the effort to photograph your dinner, you probably at least enjoy that dish. But what about your favorite dishes—the ones you rave about to your friends? For these, all users get "noms"—special ribbons reserved for those dishes you've tried and loved best. But there's a catch: Foodspotting states, "You only get 5 noms to start with and must earn the right to nom more foods after that!"
By limiting noms, Foodspotting encourages people to be more selective about which foods deserve special recognition. The site claims "the blue ribbon (the 'nom') means more because it's hard to get." People won't give every dish a nomination lest they have no remaining noms to give to a dish that really is exceptional.
This idea could be applied in other, more familiar contexts. Imagine YouTube limiting each person to a handful of five-star ratings per month. Or what if Facebook limited the number of "likes" a user can use per day? While this isn't the behavior Facebook wants to encourage, introducing a limited supply would change how people use the "like" button.
Here's another way designers are using scarcity to encourage quality:
Remember "show and tell" from elementary school? Dribbble is a new site where designers, developers, and other creative pros can share sneak peeks (or "shots") of their current work. Just as Foodspotting encourages people to be selective about their noms, Dribbble encourages people to be selective about what they share by limiting how many shots users can share each month.
Dribbble's founders don't hide their use of scarcity to encourage high quality submissions:
In case it isn't obvious, the reason we throttle shots is to encourage players to post with care— we hope scarcity induces quality. (So far, so good.) We'll be introducing other ways to accrue shots for meritorious behavior, but we want everyone to know that you'll always have a base of 24 shots to work with each month.
So far, the high quality of the submissions that have accumulated on Dribbble is impressive. This is partly attributable to the caliber of the designers who were among the first to contribute to the site, but also to conscious planning by the site founders. Through scarcity and other intentional design decisions, they hope that people will post with care and maintain the quality of images shared.
Using Scarcity to Encourage Participation
There's another twist on scarcity, one that may seem contrary everything stated so far. This twist is one of creating artificial limits—specifically, character limits. By enforcing a scarcity of characters, you can actually encourage participation (this is different from creating desire as with the examples above). Twitter is the perfect example of this.
The technical limits of mobile text messaging were the original constraint behind Twitter's 140-character limit. But it is precisely this character limit that has driven a new form of written expression. Prior to Twitter, there were blogging tools such as Blogger, Wordpress, and SixApart. Anyone could certainly have written short, 1–2 sentence blog posts. But we didn't. I would have never written a blog post about eating my last piece of Leonidas chocolate, but I can certainly tweet about that. It's this character limit that allows people to be more casual about what they write—after all, it's only 140 characters! It's okay to say less, speak informally, or make typos in such brief messages; this isn't an essay paper, after all. The context lowers the bar on what can be "published" on the Web. It's liberating to have none of the expectations inherent in other forms of written communication.
To be clear, this is a very different kind of scarcity than if you were allowed say only one tweet per week. If this were the case, we might see much more thoughtful 140-character exclamations. But the character limit has made it much easier to post (and, in doing so, lowered expectations). Tweets are unlimited, more like words in a conversation. Why? Because a tweet can't exceed 140 characters. By making this number so low, Twitter is essentially saying, "It's easy, what's stopping you?" Scarcity encourages participation, by making it that much easier to join in.
Rypple uses this same insight to make feedback and coaching easy. With Rypple, users can request peer reviews to help them get better at their jobs. If you want candid feedback on that presentation you just gave or your management skills, Rypple creates a safe environment to solicit and give such critiques. Co-founder Daniel Debow observed that "the most senior people tend to send very brief emails." While people would like to give feedback to others, there isn't always the time to do so. By limiting comments to 400 characters, the "cost [in terms of time] to the reviewer is much lower, especially in contrast to long surveys and other corporate tools.
This number, along with other variables, has been iteratively tested over the past year. Rypple wants to encourage people to respond, and to do this the team has tested limits as low as 120 characters. However, they also want to leave enough room for constructive feedback, so the team has tested much higher limits. 400 characters seems to strike the best balance between increasing the number of responses while still allowing for substantive feedback. Debow also adds that "when you encourage and design for brevity, you also encourage people focus their feedback."
This idea of using scarcity to increase participation isn't limited to characters. What if email inboxes could only receive 15 mail items at a time before they were literally full? Would that encourage us to clean out our inboxes? Or what if a signup form allowed users to list only three of their favorite movies in a signup form? Would that limit be less intimidating to complete than a big, empty textbox?
Why Does Scarcity Work?
One explanation of why scarcity works so well on us has to with decision-making. It's easier to "go along with the crowd" and buy the thing that is scarce. Why? According to persuasion expert Robert Cialdini, things "that are difficult to possess are typically better than those that are easy to possess." (Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, 1998). People use this defining attribute—limited availability—to aid in their decision-making processes. If a bakery is running low on one kind of pastry but has plenty of the alternatives, that might be a good indication of what is popular (and what's to be avoided!). Scarcity is often a shortcut to the best choice.
This helps explain scarcity as a selling tactic, and possibly why character limits might help people choose a restrictive format over an open-ended one that offers no constraints. But what about the kind of scarcity (as with Foodspotting or Dribbble) that improves quality?
Another explanation of why scarcity works has to do with freedom—or rather loss of freedom. If something is scarce, it may be unavailable in the near future. And that idea doesn't sit too well with people—it violates our sense of control over a situation: "If I don't act today, I won't be able to…" Psychologist Jack Brehm writes about "psychological reactance," or the ways people fight against restrictions on their freedom. Brehm explains why teenagers who are only mildly interested in each other will continue dating as protest to their parents disapproval, or why people rush to protest government restrictions on their rights, even when the issue means very little to them personally. Scarcity of something is essentially a threat to freedom of choice. But this threat isn't necessarily a bad thing; it can be a useful means of encouraging desirable user behaviors.
Scarcity and UX
While the aim of this article has been to suggest creative ways to use scarcity, this idea shouldn't be used to the detriment of your users. Scarcity is a powerful persuasive tactic, one that's frequently used in sales. Whether people feel pressured or pleased depends on how scarcity is applied. Customers might feel regret after purchasing something they didn't really want. But they might also feel relieved to have made the right choice or to have gained something exclusive. Scarcity has value beyond being a sales tactic; it can encourage participation and quality as well. Many games create a thrill by making something scarce. Imagine Monopoly with unlimited cash or any arcade game with unlimited lives. Yes, there's certainly a pressure that's coupled with scarcity. But it's the kind of pressure that creates a appropriate level of anxiety, which can actually make things more fun, playful and exciting. Scarcity is a useful psychological tool that can be applied to software and web design in many creative, constructive ways. We can cause people to value something more by introducing simple economics into our designs.
Add new comment
I'd go one step farther and say people hunger for scarcity. It makes buying decisions so much easier and interesting. Don't we all need help making decisions?
I'm ashamed to say how many times I've bought something because I might not be able to get it later.
Fantastic article! It really puts perspective on how we value everything. It's definitely opened my eyes to a new field of study. Thank you for sharing this with us!
This tactic works EXTREMELY well for questionable businesses such as miracle teeth whiteners and fat burning websites. You'd be amazed at how many people are lured into signing up only to be burned by the fine print. "Act now! Only 10 free trials left!" brings 'em in in droves. Scarcity - especially when combined with the word "free" - is one of the most effective tools there is. It WORKS... for better or worse.
Thanks for the shoutout, and I love this topic in general, as well as the insightful comments.
The limited noms rating system is one of the ideas I secretly hoped would get its fair deconstruction in the UX world one day. But oddly, users don't say much about that, or points.
Curious if you have any suggestions for how to test (via metrics, or qualitative methods) whether it's actually a motivating factor, or, more importantly, contributing to better quality in ratings.
"Supply and demand," as economists have labelled it, is one thing when the consumer has an endless need/want for a product. The demand for Tickle-Me-Elmo drove people to murder each other in the aisles of Toys 'R' Us. If the latest hot movie is sold out, people come back another time. If one store doesn't have the salad spinner you need, you go to a different store and don't hang out in the parking lot awaiting a shopper with a salad spinner you can clunk over the head for that valuable piece of plastic.
Scarcity does not always translate to increased desire. As an illustrator's representative, many years ago, I had one artists who kept turning down work from a very good client of the studio. I asked him how he could be so busy when I hadn't been able to book him anything and he replied that his turning down work would only make the client want him even more. They didn't, nor did they call anymore because they were tired of hearing "no."
He was dropped from representation and ended up leaving the field. His scarcity plan only made the clients and work scarce. Artificial shortages only works with video games and oil. Things people really need!
"The simple answer is that people infer special value in something that has limited availability."
If the Xbox Live Gold membership fee were dropped, the existing stock of gift cards would not become saught after. If anything, retailers would have tried to clear the stock by dropping the price to match or beat the new membership fee.
If the artist only has "six copies of this print remaining" but he/she is an terrible artist, there isn't going to be a great rush to snap up his last prints.
Limiting 'noms' makes them valuable, but not just because they are limited. Imagine you were limited to turning 5 pages a slightly darker shade of grey. You'd place no significant value in that outcome. But 'noms' are actually limiting your ability to express your appreciation of a dish. Since most people would consider it valuable to be able to do this, the 'nom' (as a symbol) becomes valuable and you ration yourself in its use.
@Michael's anecdote is another example. The scarcity of poker chips doesn't really matter unless the chips represent something of value in the first place - in this case, money.
Claiming that "people value things that are scarce" appears to overlook all the other factors involved in decision making and value assessment. People don't value things *just* because they are scarce. The scarcity provides impetus to take definitive action, to assess (or reassess) the value of the object/subject in relation to others, or to ration and cherish things that you already have.
Kudos, Stephen. I love learning about cognitive biases, but I'll admit that I often take them for face value (scarcity = scarcity of products on the market). Your article pushes it much further and provides real-world examples. A blog well written. Thanks!
I'm reminded of trying to teach my sister-in-law poker. She didn't want to play for money. I said that poker relies on the concept that you might lose something of value, and if you take that out of the equation, there's no strategy to the game. After ten minutes of playing her way, she said the game seemed pointless. I convinced her to play for a few bucks, and suddenly she understood the game's allure. The game was more exciting when there was something at stake, you could lose it all, and your funds were limited (or scarce).


text:
South Carolina ETV
Lifeline Home |
Overview |
Education |
Transparency in Gov |
Public Safety |
Quality of Life |
Citizens & Communities
Dear Viewers and Listeners:
We ring in the New Year with an exciting rundown of programs and initiatives across ETV channels. ETV Radio's new national series, Piano Jazz: Rising Stars with host Jon Weber, kicks off in January. Chicago Tribune writer Howard Reich says, "It's hard to imagine a better choice...than Weber, considering his rare combination of gifts: brilliant technique, photographic memory, enormous repertory of songs, and the ability to read perfectly at sight virtually any score placed before him."
For the first time ever, ETV's South Carolina Channel will be airing SoCon Basketball. We are proud to be bringing you live games on Saturdays at 3 p.m., which include teams from Wofford, the Citadel, College of Charleston and Furman.
Also starting in January, ETV will again be broadcasting live coverage of the General Assembly in action. You can find State House Today on ETV World Tuesdays-Thursdays when the legislature is in session. You can also watch this coverage online at SCETV.org, along with streaming video of sessions of the Budget and Control Board and other key governmental meetings.
ETV is proud to be offering these and many more programs that reflect a rich diversity of arts, culture, public affairs, and team spirit in this state. Hope you will join us for a great start in 2012!
Linda O'Bryon
President and CEO


text:
mTOT: The Next Diabetes Pill Game-Changer?
What would you say if someone offered you a safe pill that could lower your blood sugar, help you lose weight, preserve beta cell function, and keep Alzheimer's at bay?
Actually, that's the wrong question. The question isn't what you would say, but what would you pay?
That's likely the question that was on the boardroom table at bio-tech firm Metabolic Solutions Development Company (MSDC), when they bet the $55-million farm on their pair of…


text:
Fife looking to keep up strong pace vs. Giants
Kickham to face Dodgers in second big league start
Ninth on the starter depth chart in Spring Training, it would have been easy to assume that Dodgers right-hander Stephen Fife would see little time on a Major League mound this season.
However, Fife has been a valuable asset as Los Angeles' fifth starter since Josh Beckett and Ted Lilly were knocked out of the rotation by injuries.
In four starts since being called up at the beginning of June, Fife has a 2.35 ERA and has allowed no more than two earned runs in each start.
"It's been great. Stephen has really given us good starts every time out," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "He's been pretty solid. Every time he goes out there, he keeps us in the game and gives us a chance. It's been huge for us."
He'll look to keep up that pace Tuesday against the Giants at Dodger Stadium.
Fife allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits in six innings for the no-decision Thursday against the Padres. He also struck out six batters.
Meanwhile, left-hander Mike Kickham will make an emergency start for the Giants in place of Chad Gaudin, who was put on the 15-day disabled list Monday.
Kickham made his Major League debut May 28 at Oakland, taking a loss in 2 1/3 innings, while allowing four runs on four hits.
Kickham went 3-5 with a 4.81 ERA in 14 starts for Fresno this season, striking out 69 batters and walking 33 in 78 2/3 innings. Working on his mechanics during that time in Triple-A, Kickham has focused on making sure his front shoulder doesn't fly open.
"I kind of know what to expect," Kickham said of his return to the Majors. "Having been there before will benefit me."
Giants: Pagan to have surgery
Angel Pagan will undergo surgery Tuesday on his left hamstring, which could sideline him for the rest of the season.
Manager Bruce Bochy said Monday that Pagan's procedure, which will be performed in Los Angeles, could keep the leadoff hitter out for up to 12 weeks.
Pagan, who will turn 32 on July 2, resisted surgery when it was an option after he initially injured himself. The switch-hitter instead focused his efforts toward healing himself enough to rejoin the lineup. However, he hasn't played since May 25.
"After getting a second opinion, the consensus was that surgery's the best option right now," Bochy said.
Dodgers: Kemp, Van Slyke nearing return
Matt Kemp and Scott Van Slyke could be activated from the disabled list by the end of the Dodgers' three-game series against the Giants.
Kemp and Van Slyke each played in their third Minor League rehab game with Triple-A Albuquerque on Monday and will return to Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, when the club's medical staff will evaluate them.
"We still feel like he needs at-bats," Mattingly said about Kemp before Monday's series opener against the Giants. "I'll get a chance to talk to him tomorrow and we'll see how he feels. I don't think he wants come back until he's ready to go and has his timing."
Worth noting
• Dodgers outfielder Carl Crawford continues to rehab his strained left hamstring in Arizona at the Dodgers' Spring Training facility at Camelback Ranch-Glendale, but Mattingly said the left fielder has not progressed to running full speed.
• The Giants are 24-12 when they score first this season. However, the team is 14-26 when the opposition scores first.


text:
Minn. approves bill to legalize gay marriage
Governor still must sign legislation
Minnesota is expected to become the twelfth state to legalize same-sex marriage after the state Senate on Monday voted 37-30 in favor of approving it.
Gov. Mark Dayton has said he would sign the bill. After the vote, he posted online, "Join us tomorrow as we make history on the Capitol steps."
The bill follows a failed attempt last year to define marriage as between one man and one woman with an amendment to the state constitution.
The state House approved the measure last Thursday.
The divisive issue drew crowds to Washington earlier this year when the Supreme Court heard arguments on a federal and state marriage law. The court heard challenges to the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between one man and one woman, and to California's Proposition 8, a ban on same-sex marriage approved by voters.
The 11th state to legalize same-sex marriage, Delaware, did so last week.
Copyright 2013 by CNN NewSource. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
Herb Alpert brings show to Pabst Theater
Trumpeter/music producer Herb Alpert of Tijuana Brass fame will perform at the Pabst Theater at 8 p.m. June 1.
Tickets are $55.50 and $39.50 and go on sale noon Friday at the Pabst and Riverside Box offices and on the Pabst site. »Read Full Article
TRUE Skool arts program celebrates 10 years of helping at-risk kids
Daleshontai Tate realized he was on a bad road.
When he was 17, he was caught with marijuana and kicked out of Bradley Tech High School. »Read Full Article
Jason Segel, Cameron Diaz lack chemistry in unsexy 'Sex Tape'
When Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel are in a movie called "Sex Tape," it would seem safe to expect something sexy and funny. Unfortunately, a promising idea and two usually engaging stars add up to something that falls short on both counts.
There are some funny moments, but the former "Bad Teacher" co-stars are surprisingly chemistry-free. »Read Full Article
Milwaukee movies off the grid: July 18-24
Milwaukee-area alternative movie options include:
Point Fish Fry & a Flick
"American Hustle": Point Fish Fry & a Flick, the popular outdoor movie series at Discovery World, starts its season with one of 2013's best, starring Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. Dusk Friday. Free. »Read Full Article
'The Purge: Anarchy' brings more government-approved mayhem
"The Purge: Anarchy" checks almost all the boxes when it comes to movie genres: a bit of sci-fi, a big helping of violence and a dash of political commentary.
It's also a sequel to "The Purge," a 2013 flick starring Ethan Hawke that, despite tepid reviews and a nomination for a Fangoria Chainsaw Award for worst film (true story), was No. 1 at the box office its opening weekend and wound up with enough of a haul that it earned a second shot. »Read Full Article
Elaine Stritch, dead at 89; watch her sing, 'Here's to the Ladies Who Lunch'
The New York Times reports that television and stage actress Elaine Stritch has died at the age of 89.
She appeared at last year's Milwaukee Film Festival in conjunction with a documentary about her life. »Read Full Blog Post
Wayans brothers come together for rare comedy show at Potawatomi Casino
Marlon Wayans is getting a special present for his 42nd birthday Wednesday: "some long lost brother time." And it's happening in Milwaukee.
While Marlon is part of the first generation of arguably the most successful comedy family in America — along with brothers Keenen Ivory,Damon and Shawn — it's rare that they all get together, much less for one another's movie and TV projects. »Read Full Article(2)
Polanski's 'Venus in Fur' a disturbing sexual power struggle
"Venus in Fur," the disturbing and provocative Roman Polanski film of David Ives' Broadway play, portrays a power struggle between the object of obsession and the eye of the beholder.
It is the Oscar-winning director's second consecutive stage-to-film adaptation. »Read Full Article
'Planes: Fire & Rescue' flies faster, harder than original
Dusty Crophopper's air racing career comes to a sudden stop when he learns of an imminent health problem — a busted gearbox.
But in "Planes: Fire & Rescue," the 3-D sequel to Disney's "Planes," Dusty (voice of Dane Cook) does not give up and go back to crop-dusting. Instead, he decides to join an elite crew of firefighting aircraft. »Read Full Article
'Persecuted' struggles to turn plot into thrills
At times, "Persecuted" doth protest too much. And sometimes, not enough.
The new religion-minded thriller centers on a popular evangelist with a troubled past, played by James Remar. When he refuses to support a powerful senator's (Bruce Davison) bill that would give all religions equal access to one another's flocks — and give government access, too — the evangelist is framed for a teenage girl's murder. »Read Full Article
New DVD releases July 22: 'Transcendence,' 'Heaven Is for Real'
TRANSCENDENCE (Warner) After anti-technology extremists fatally injure the world's leading expert in artificial intelligence (Johnny Depp), his wife and fellow researcher "saves" him and his work by downloading his intelligence and consciousness — creating a monster instead. Directorial debut of Oscar-winning cinematographer Wally Pfister ("Inception," "Dark Knight" movies), with Rebecca Hall, Paul Bettany, Morgan Freeman. (PG-13; violence, some gore, brief language, sensuality) Not reviewed. »Read Full Article
Natalie Merchant postpones tour, Pabst Theater show
Singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant has postponed her seven remaining July concerts--including a July 25 show at the Pabst Theater--due to illness, her publicist has announced.
Further information regarding rescheduled dates will be posted at nataliemerchant.com and pabsttheater.org when it becomes available. »Read Full Article


text:
Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., are among six U.S. senators demanding the Department of Justice investigate gas price spikes on the west coast.
The new demand for a refinery-by-refinery probe comes after a report from an Oregon-based research group. It found that refineries which claimed to be offline, therefore causing gas prices to rise above $4 in May and October, were actually still in operation.
A McCullough Research report ... revealed information that showed that the price spikes in May and October occurred while crude oil prices were declining, inventories were increasing, and possibly in conjunction with misleading market-making information, wrote the senators.
Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) also signed the letter to Attorney General Eric Holder.
The senators want the case assigned to the Oil and Gas Price Fraud Working Group, which is designed to investigate potential manipulation in the markets.
West Coast families and businesses are reeling from elevated and extremely volatile prices at the pump, impacting family budgets, inflation levels, and overall economic activity, wrote the senators.
Read or Share this story: http://www.kgw.com/story/news/2014/07/24/12389200/


text:
View large image
Save: 32%
Out of Stock
Availability: Sold out
Original Buff is a multifunctional tubular accessory ideal for many activities. Designed to keep you warm in the cold, Original Buff will also wick moisture (sweat) away from your skin to keep you cool when it's hot.
The lightweight, breathable, microfibre fabric is also wind resistant and extremely comfortable to wear. Original Buff can be worn as a neckerchief, headband, wristband, mask, hair-band, balaclava, scarf, headband, scrunchie, saharaine, pirate cap, beanie and bandana.
Key Features:
Please check the stock availability notice on your item when placing your order. This item is: Sold out
Please remember to add postal time (2-3 working days) to obtain a complete estimate of delivery to your door.
You will receive an email to confirm when your item has been sent.
You can also check the status of your order and individual items by accessing your account details and following the prompts.
Please allow 10 working days from dispatch of your order before notifying us of any late deliveries.
It may be advisable to check with your neighbours to see if a parcel has been left with them, check any outhouses you might have where it may be left if it cannot fit through your letterbox and contact your local sorting office to see if the item has been returned to the depot as undelivered and awaiting collection.
Please see our returns policy.
No more then 1000 characters long please.
There are currently no reviews.
Buff Original Tubular Headwear - Fujico
Select image