text:
MOBILE, Alabama -- Defense has been South Alabama's strongsuit, not only this season but in past seasons as well. Head coach Rick Pietri stresses that aspect of the Lady Jags' game.
But truth be told -- and he has noted this on more than one occasion this season -- he wouldn't mind if his team's offensive efforts kept pace.
Pietri got his wish Wednesday afternoon when the Lady Jags, shooting 51.9 percent in the first half and 51.7 percent in the second half, made baskets from the perimeter and in the paint en route to a 74-58 win over in-state and Sun Belt Conference foe Troy at the Mitchell Center.
Perhaps the Lady Jags were inspired by the crowd of 3,487 in the team's "Pack the House'' game that featured free admission to everyone and attendance by several groups of loud, enthusiastic youngsters from area elementary schools. Whatever the reason, USA put together one of its best performances of the season in the first game of a three-game homestand and on the heels of a dismal offensive showing in a loss at Arkansas-Little Rock.
The crowd is the largest stand-alone crowd in the Lady Jags' history, breaking the record set at last year's "Pack the House'' game.
The victory improved South Alabama's record to 13-10 overall and 6-8 in Sun Belt games. Troy, which ended a long losing streak -- 11 games overall, 10 straight Sun Belt games -- last Saturday with a win over Louisiana-Lafayette, fell to 4-18 and 1-12.
"There is no question that the energy -- 3,487 adults don't create that kind of energy -- the energy created by those kids is genuine and it is real and in back-to-back years we've started exceptionally well and I'm telling you, a lot of it has to do with the energy our (players) feed off from those kids,'' Pietri said. "It's significant.
"As far as the game itself goes, I'm super proud of our defense because that's one of the best offensive teams int he country. They're 16th in the country out of 343 in scoring. I thought we did a very good job today of making it challenging for them.''
And there was the offense, too.
"One of the things that helped us cover even better, wasn't just the energy we fed off from the crowd, but the energy we had from making baskets,'' Pietri said. "When you make baskets, that gives you a little bit more juice anyway. So you get that juice and the juice you get from the kids and that's a nice concoction you've got going on right there.''
Indeed. South Alabama zoomed out to a 12-3 lead that soon became a 27-11 lead and a 36-17 lead. At halftime, the Lady Jags led Troy 39-21. The lady Trojans shot just 28.6 percent in the half.
The second half would be better for Troy -- it was outscored only 37-35 by USA in the final 20 minutes -- but the Lady Jags were never threatened. When Troy pushed its defensive concentration to the perimeter, USA countered with forward Brianna Wright under the basket.
Wright, a freshman, was 8-of-15 from the floor, scoring 16 points and grabbing six rebounds. Senior Mark Nixon added 12 points, with Mansa El and Ronneka Robertson scoring 10 points each. Robertson also had seven rebounds as the Lady Jags outrebounded Troy 38-30.
Troy's Joanna Harden was the game's top scorer with 19 points. Sarah McAppion added 13 points and seven rebounds.
"They came out here on fire. I think they crowd really helped them,'' Troy head coach Chanda Rigby said of USA. "It was a crowd that anybody would be proud of. We weren't proud of the way we shot at the start, but it was a good game and a good effort by South Alabama.''


text:
This book has interesting and comical characters and is full of witty dialogue!
It was an easy read, and a perfect weekend book!
Burning Terrors by Amanda Alexander
Absolutely! That is, if you don't take it too seriously! (:
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Average Josephine is running into a minor fashion dilemma with her preteen daughter. With just weeks left in the school year, a growth spurt has left Little Josie with very few items that still fit.
While Average Josephine's other daughter, Little Jo Jo, is tickled by this recent occurrence (the hand-me-downs result in a huge boost to her wardrobe), Average Josephine ran into a bit of snag when heading to the mall to pick up some items for her oldest.
Little Josie is getting to the top sizes in the girls department. Sheís quite thin, but she has a really long torso. So while her size L T-shirts are showing her midriff, the size XL T-shirts hang on her.
Average Josephine did come to the rescue -- and decided to share some of her tips for dealing with your child's sudden growth spurt.
Tip 1: Even if your child is not in junior sizes yet, check to see if there is something in that department that works.
For instance, Average Josephine discovered that, at Old Navy, a size XS women's T-shirt is narrower than a girls XL. It really is the perfect fit for Little Josie, because it's longer than the girls' version. However, stick with the crew neck, because a woman's V-neck t-shirt is too low cut for a preteen girl.
Tip 2: When your daughter outgrows all her jeans in a single week, eBay is your friend. When Average Josephine sees a growth spurt is coming, she looks for a lot of jeans in her daughter's next size on eBay. Especially in the case of girls, who don't seem to wear out their jeans like boys do, moms will take four, six or eight pairs of gently used jeans and sell them together.
Average Josephine usually tries to pay $5-7 per pair, including shipping. So, if someone wants $20 plus $15 in shipping for a lot containing eight pair of jeans, it's still worth it. Buying jeans new at Justice, Old Navy, Gap or JC Penney is much costlier.
Average Josephine has had extremely good luck using eBay for both jeans and sundresses.
Tip 3: If a friend offers you a bag of clothes her kid has outgrown, take it. And if you have a bag of clothes your kid has outgrown, put it on eBay or give it to a friend.
In Average Josephine's circle of friends, this is a common practice both moms and kids like. It's not that new clothes are never purchased, but if you buy quality pieces, they don't wear out and can be worn by more than one child. This is good for the environment and good for the pocketbook.
Plus it's fun to see your friend's daughter in a dress you remember your own daughter wearing.
Find Average Josephine on Facebook at facebook.com/AverageJosephineNews. Email her at email@example.com.


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Media Highlights
Media Highlights
- 10/9/15
Penn State Berks students turn Opportunity House into a 5-Star restaurant.
- 10/11/15
Article on Hack Day with Penn State Berks students featured.
- 10/12/15
A research team's "error" has unexpectedly led to a new technique for rapidly drawing and erasing optical computing circuits.
- 10/9/15
United States health care is in a revolution that is starting to shake up one of the most conservative parts of medicine: its antiquated model for training doctors.
- 9/11/15
For some patients, seeing a specialist no longer means a two hour-plus drive. Health care is going portable with programs such as LionNet.
- 9/25/15
Many people hold on to extra prescription drugs, but saving old medications is unwise, a Penn State Hershey pharmacist warns.
- 10/2/15
Women who suffer from a leading cause of infertility may increase their odds of conception if they exercise and lose weight, a new study suggests.
- 10/8/15
The patient navigator program is a great example of how Penn State College of Medicine is preparing students for evolving needs in health care.
- 10/8/15
A new study from Penn State found that people who reported higher positive psychological states were more likely to be physically active.
- 10/8/15
David Gamson, associate professor of education theory and policy, discusses teaching as a profession and why it is at risk.


text:
Helmer sez 'extending childhood' one of his motivations
Peter Jackson capped off a week full of accolades Saturday night, when he collected the Modern Master award Saturday night at the Santa Barbara Film Festival. Jackson had already picked up two Golden Globes, an L.A. Film Critics Assn. awards and 11 Oscar nominations for "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."
After a brief intro by Sean Astin, Elvis Mitchell led the aud through a career retrospective. Upon revisiting clips of "Bad Taste," his aptly titled low-budget horror debut, Jackson quipped, "If the people of Santa Barbara want to change their minds about the Modern Master Award, I'll shake hands and leave it at that."
Jackson has often credited "Monty Python's Flying Circus" with having shaped his sense of humor. In a surprise appearance, Python member John Cleese appeared to present a visibly stunned Jackson with the award, but only after some good-natured ribbing. "The idea that someone from New Zealand made these masterpieces," joked Cleese, "is the artistic equivalent of someone from Bakersfield painting the Sistine Chapel."
"I don't feel like a modern master," Jackson said. "I feel like a kid who started making movies at seven or eight with a Super-8 camera. The same things that motivated me then motivate me now: extending childhood and having fun."
After the ceremony, Jackson celebrated with revelers at the Mar Vista Estate in Montecito, where a flame-thrower and hip-hop dancers entertained the crowd.


text:
Krewe of Atlantis Presents Ball
The Krewe of Atlantis held its fifteenth annual ball and pageant at
8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2011 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Lafayette. The theme of the ball was "Broadway, Beauties and Bling, Oh My!"
Reigning over the festivities was Queen Hera XIV, Pamela Bergeron. Married to Troy Bergeron, Pamela is the mother to Christian Graffagnino and
Blake Bergeron. She is grandmother to Antonio and Charlie Graffagnino, and
Gracie, Gavin and Gibson Bergeron.
A graduate of Rayne High School, she is a self-employed Premier
Designs Jeweler. Pamela is a charter member of the Krewe of Atlantis, past and
current board member, Ball Mistress, and a Royal Maid in 1999, 2006 and 2010. She is
a member of the Krewe of Olympus, Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Choir and board
member for the Catholic School Golf Tournament. She is a past president and
current member of "Le Jumelage de Scott et St. Aubin," France and Memramcook,
NB, Canada.
The queen wore a pewter polished strapless ball gown embroidered and beaded with a sweetheart neckline, scalloped waistline that was belted at the wait with center cicular rhnestone brooch. The pick-up skirt was accented with enrboidered rhinesone appliques and had an entra-long corset back.
Pamela was escorted by her husband, Troy Bergeron, and her
attendant was her granddaughter, Gracie Bergeron.
Serving as Royal Maids were:
Kristie Montoucet- Representing the Broadway play - "The Lion King". She was escorted by Rev. Fr. Mark Melancon. Kristie is mother to Taylor and Luke Guidry.
She is a graduate of Acadiana High School, and LSU Medical School in New
Orleans as a Physical Therapist. Owner of Pilates Bodies in Lafayette,
she is a member of Sts. Peter and Paul Church and Choir and stays busy
with her children's activities. She is a charter member of the Krewe of Atlantis
and has served on the board of directors and served as Royal Maid in 2007. She wore a long, flowing Cheetah printed sateen gown with a small train.
Roxann Guidry - Representing the Broadway play - "Cats". She was escorted by
Steve Dronet. Roxann is mother to Ryan and April Guidry. She is a graduate
of Carencro High School and has been the owner of Burger Best for 25 years.
She is a charter member of the Krewe of Atlantis and a past member of the board
of directors. She was Queen Hera IX in 2006, Royal Maid in 1997 and past ball mistress. She wore an exotic Grecian one-shoulder gown creted with accordian pleated fabric in shades of aqua, beige anf copper. Adorning the gown was a beaded and rhinestone trim along the neckline and empire waist.
Sandra Montoucet - Representing the Broadway play - "The Phantom of the
Opera". Her escort was Jack Montoucet. Sandra is mother to Kristie
Montoucet and grandmother to Taylor and Luke Guidry. She is a graduate of
Scott High School and is self-employed. A charter member of the
Krewe of Atlantis, she is a charter board member and has served as President,
Ball Mistress and reigned as Queen Hera V. She is a member of Sts. Peter and
Paul Church and choir and active in a prayer group. She enjoys traveling with
family and friends. Her attire was a black flowing chiffon gown with embezzled neckline of rhinestones. A high-neck white shrug also featured a splash of rhinestones.
Gwen Hilburn - Representing the Broadway play - "Hello Dolly". Her escort was Gary Hilburn. Gwen is mother to Nancy, Ally and Kelli, and grandmother
to Jackson, Kennedy, Farrah, Alex, Bryce and Andrew. She is a graduate of
Church Point High School, T. H. Harris Technical college and USL. She is a
member of the Krewe of Atlantis, Cajun Sisters Red Hatter's Society, "BBS"
Group member of St. Basil Church and Andrew By the Sea in Orange Beach, Ala.
She enjoys spending time with family and friends, beach fun, reading and
traveling. She wore a vintage-style cinnamon and gold iridescent duchess taffeta gown with a cinnamon tulle skirt. The bodice was accented with alecon lace, beading sequins and iridescent crystals. A showgirl headpiece of gold feather and sequins complete her ensemble.
Serving as ball mistress was Cindy LeBlanc, with Lori Meaux Steele mistress of ceremony.


text:
As you covered the corpus in dirt, was there a part of Jesus' body that struck you anew?
Yes, definitely. The most powerful moments for me have come while working on the feet and the sides of the torso. Hard to explain why those places stand out in particular, maybe because both are such sensitive and vulnerable parts of the body. Also the inner arms. The piece being so close to life-size makes those volumes seem very real.
Once when I was working on the feet, I had a flashback to the story from Luke of the woman anointing Jesus' feet with oil. I had to stop and think about that for a while.
How do you respond to comparisons of Corpus to other artwork that combine religious imagery with the profane—most famously Andres Serrano's Piss Christand Chris Ofili's The Holy Virgin Mary, which depicted Mary using elephant dung and images from pornography? In what ways does Corpus fit and not fit such comparisons?
That is a great and a tough question. Certainly I see Corpus in dialogue with those pieces. But I also see it in dialogue with other contemporary artworks that combine religious imagery with the profane, or the mundane, in a more positive way. Can't we include in that dialog Anish Kapoor's Ascension, or Hawkinson'sPentecost, or even Laib's recent Pollen from Hazelnut? Ultimately I hope the piece will have a kind of redemptive quality that will keep it from being read as sarcastic or sacrilegious. I see it as redemptive. My intent is for the piece to be redemptive. I have to trust that.
How does Corpus speak to the dynamics at Wheaton specifically, being a Christian college in the Midwest, and the surrounding Wheaton suburb?
I guess the obvious answer to that is related to the dirt, which is specifically taken from the Wheaton College community. I really hope that the piece will be a real, tangible way to see how our community participates in both the death and resurrection of Christ. Tangible might be the key word here. While I love the college, I feel at times that things become very "heady" and abstract. While I love that, I don't want us to miss the very personal and real substance of the gospel. While I can't say I fully understand how real that substance is, I feel like sculpture is a good way to explore that notion.
Corpus was commissioned not by the art department in which you work, but rather the biblical and theological studies department. Why?
Really, PAC officially commissioned me. PAC is the President's Art Commission, a new committee that facilitates collecting and displaying art on campus. PAC got me in touch with Jeffrey Greenman, associate dean of the BiTh department. Jeff wanted new work for the new space BiTh was moving into, and he approached three of us from the art department.


text:
SOLON, Ohio — They don't have a lot of vehicle thefts in Solon. In 2011, there were only five, with three of them in the last two months. And if you throw in a couple of snow blowers, a lawn mower and leaf blower ripped off in December, you can call it a crime spree.
So when a van was swiped in February from the same neighborhood, Solon police Detective Thomas Terwilliger got busy.
He interviewed the victims, looked at hours of surveillance video from businesses and eventually found the suspect's DNA on a cigarette butt in a stolen car.
The result of his work: Last week a Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted Maurice Jones, 42, of Cleveland, on 14 charges including grand theft auto and burglary.
Jones is suspected of stealing four vehicles, including those three late last year, and several pieces of yard equipment, police said. All the thefts were from homes or a business within a half-mile of each other. Police said Jones has a history of arrests and convictions for car theft and other offenses.
While there may be an indictment, as of Friday, there was no Jones.
"He's in the wind," said Terwilliger. "But we'll get him."
The detective's first break came from the surveillance cameras.
"In one video, you could see a figure walk up and steal the vehicle," he said. "Two days later, the same figure is shown getting out of an unusual car. We could not identify the man, but we got a good look at the car he got out of."
Police located the car, which turned out to belong to Jones' girlfriend, they said.
The thefts that had stopped in December resumed on Feb. 17 when a truck was stolen from an Edgemoor Avenue driveway. Another car, stolen from Garfield Heights, was recovered during the investigation. It was running, unoccupied, next door, police said.
"We found a cigarette butt in the car from Garfield Heights," Terwilliger said. "We sent it to BCI [the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Information and Investigation], and they got a DNA match to Jones. That was all we needed."
"We have not had a car theft since," Terwilliger said.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: email@example.com, 216-999-4890


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Vertiflite Commentary, July/Aug 2016
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The old John Marshall High School building caught fire Saturday night. On Sunday, KOCO learned a company wants to tear down the building to build apartments.
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Cedar Hill Gallery
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Photo: G.J. McCarthy/Staff Photographer
South Grand Prairie's Meghan Wright battles Cedar Hill's Kendra Howard for possession during the second half of the Warriors' 62-29 loss Tuesday, December 13, 2011 at Warrior Coliseum in Grand Prairie.
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Slicker than your average
Join Date: Feb 2007
Age: 35
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Rep Power: 59
What are the most painful illnesses you have had
What are the most painful illnesses you have had ? elaborate on how severe/ bad the symptoms were.
The reason i made this thread is because im suffering from swimmers ear (ear inffection) at the moment (cant sleep because of the pain) and its one of the most severe nagging pains ive ever had.
A year back i neglected my tooth and it became infected and man that was extremely painful to.
Bare in mind ive been attacked by a Police Dog before and almost had my arm torn to pieces. I had 27 stitches in my arm when i was 10 year old but nothing compares to the tooth ache i had etc.
Whats your tail ? and has anyone else has swimmers ear before ?
-Texan For Life-
Join Date: Apr 2007
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I have been very lucky to not get any real bad illnesses. The only time i remember was when i was like in 3rd grade, i just think it was a real bad flu. I was vomiting for like 2 weeks.
Anyways im way over due to get really sick. I been so lucky that i deserve to be in the hospital one of these days
Slicker than your average
Join Date: Feb 2007
Age: 35
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You have time on your side
Ive never really caught flu, i dont know why because its such a common illness you would of thought most people have had it. Ive had colds and **** but never straight up flu.
vas Normandy
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pneumonia was the most pain i've felt. everytime i took a breath, it felt like i was being stabbed in the back. sleeping was almost impossible because i had to take little breaths to minimize the pain.
i've also had a pinch nerve and that was also painful enough to remember. it hurt so bad i started to question god.
Sex Tape Flop Artist
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: In a bunny hole
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In 2006 I had tonsillitis. That is the most painful and excruciatin **** I've ever been thru in my life. It's a sore throat x50. I couldn't even swallow a sip of water to take the pills I was takin without damn near bein in tears from the pain. I couldn't sleep at nite cuz it hurt so bad. Breathin thru my mouth all the time took all my water outta me. I couldn't eat anything but applesauce for weeks. I dried out like a skeleton and lost about 30 ****in lbs. I str8 up looked and felt like I was near death. I wouldn't wish tonsillitis on anybody. **** is harsh.
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I have been pretty fortunate to not have anything TOO awful except for back spasms. That was savage and debilitating.
I broke my collarbone in two spots playing tackle football w/ no pads.
I tried out for my HS basketball team my freshman year w/ pneumonia. I played with that **** for two ****in weeks and had no idea why I was so run down and had **** stamina compared to some of the other guys. I made the team easy peasy though.
I know the first two aren't illnesses but I thought I'd mention em because I have never really been too sick or anything.
Slicker than your average
Join Date: Feb 2007
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Hell just thinking about what you guys had to go through there makes me think im pretty lucky now.
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oh also when i got circumcised. it was kinda old school when i got mine done. i was on my 5th grade. there was gauze around my dick and replacing it is the most fuucking painful i ever felt. the fresh skin on the head of my dick sticks to the gauze so when u peel it out some part of the skins peels out too. if u take a look at the head of my dick it doens't have a color pattern. there are spots that it is color flesh and some parts look lighter
Slicker than your average
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I hear it can take upto 7 days to clear up to.
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It's difficult to make hobbies involving countryside observation sexy. Trainspotting had to follow heroin addicts to sustain a feature-length runtime. But it's a challenge embraced by one film playing at this year's Edinburgh Film Festival. Pelican Blood, based on the cult novel of the same name, is all about bird watching – sort of – but it's still as sexually charged as an average episode of Skins.
How is this apparently impossible feat achieved? By avoiding the bird watching bit, mostly. Harry Treadaway is the twitcher we follow, but his curious hobby only rarely comes into a coming of age tale, which divides itself between Britain's expansive countryside and London's grey urban sprawl.
Treadaway plays Nikko with all the swagger of Liam Gallagher as he traipses across fields and through forests with a pair of friends to snag sightings of some 500 different species of bird – a number he's edging ever closer to. Their Yoko is Nikko's former squeeze, Stevie (Emma Booth), who prefers dark bedrooms and darker talk, of suicide and sex and animal rights. His friends think she's bad news, and all evidence suggests she is, but Nikko remains drawn to Stevie's sexual magnetism, and will follow her anywhere, even to their deaths. Meanwhile, his flagrant disregard for responsibility is irking his sister, who became the victim of her brother's cries for help when she walked in on his last suicide attempt and ended up with a knife in the arm.
The details may be different but the chemistry is the same as any number of films to have come out of the British industry in recent years. Cast some hot, teen actors, have them get all kinds of naked and set it to a soundtrack featuring whoever might be in the charts at any given moment.
Sometimes it works – see David Mackenzie's brilliant Hallam Foe, which opened Edinburgh a few years back – and mostly it doesn't. Cherrybomb took everyone's favourite Weasley, Rupert Grint, and turned him into a sex-crazed Northern Ireland layabout. Chatroom went to Cannes to make a sexual predator out of Kick-Ass star Aaron Johnson. Neither of them came close to finding the right tone (read our Chatroom review here). Pelican Blood has a little more style and decidedly more energy, but it's no more successful.
Its real trouble is that none of it ever feels authentic. Its characters exist in a hip, sexy fantasy world that doesn't resemble reality. Treadaway goes out of his way to be as obnoxious as possible, and while his performance is probably the best thing about the film, his character is tough to care about – a real issue as the film edges closer to its conclusion.
Indeed, its characters are so unlikable as to make the whole experience rather frustrating. As Nikko and Stevie flirt with thoughts of suicide and engage in ever more irritating attempts at acting out, it's less interesting to wonder what'll happen next and more compelling to hope that they'll get on with taking their own lives as quickly as possible.
Pelican Blood checks all of the boxes that this dangerously hip subgenre of British film demands, but the formula needs something more to make worthwhile cinema. What's disappointing about this film, though, is that the creation of worthwhile cinema was clearly never on the agenda.
categories Reviews, Cinematical


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lick her out her more cunts hornie
30 minutes banging her nice fucking nice body and tits
gawd i would tear that pussy up for her..and fuk those titties too...mmmmmm
Except for her voice... Fuck
She defo wouldn't b my ex gf with a body like that. Fit as fuck
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oh man,her tits are awesome
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by far the best body i've seen on this site, and that's saying alot.
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sounds like a tea kettle
"If she was your gf, you wouldn't be watching porn." Haha really man? Have you never had a beautiful girl? They can be bitches too. Also something about behind every hot woman, is a man who's tired of fucking her. I'd take porn over a relationship any day. Sometimes even over sex. I can turn off my pc after I unload. Try turning off a woman mouth who wants to cuddle now all sweaty.


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cuban refugee, one who is known to travel over water in an el camino,vega or pacer. often wears designer clothes but no deodorant.
i bought this el camino from a banana boater, it has rust from the sea salt.
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BOB TUR AND MARIKA GERRARD-TUR are shuffling papers in their office-cum-hangar at Santa Monica Airport, when one of their scanners squawks word of a serious fire in South Central Los Angeles, nine miles away. "We're going after this one!" Bob shouts, dashing 100 yards to the couple's $1.1 million helicopter. In minutes, Tur, 34, and his pilot, Lawrence Welk III (grandson of the bubblemeister), 24, are orbiting a plume of black smoke over Vermont Avenue, while on the ground Marika, 39, stays in radio contact.
"We're here first, we're here first!" cries Tur, who has won two local Emmys. "We're always first!" He slides back the chopper's door and, to the sound of thwacking overhead blades, hoists a 35-pound video camera to his shoulder and trains it on the inferno. Then he delivers, first to TV and then to radio audiences, a live report of the blaze. "It's not enough to beat the competition," he exults later. "You've got to make them miserable."
Founders, owners and stars of Los Angeles News Service (LANS), the Turs are the premier team in helicopter reporting, a journalistic genre particularly important in sprawling, traffic-choked L.A. When O.J. Simpson and Al Cowlings took their slow, strange freeway spin in the white Bronco, an airborne Bob Tur was the first journalist to spot the pair and break the news to a mesmerized nation. When rioting broke out in April 1992 after the acquittal of the police officers charged with beating Rodney King, it was Marika's camera work—with Bob reporting—that captured live the savage attack on trucker Reginald Denny. In 1985, Bob took the plum aerial shots at the Madonna-Sean Penn wedding in Malibu. ("I made $100,000 in the first hour from the still-photo sales," he says.)
The Turs owe much of their success and seven-figure income (they have contracts with KCBS-TV and KNX radio and sell stock video to other broadcasters) to intuition. When Simpson took his tour of the freeways, they put themselves, as Marika says, "in the head" of the ex-football star. After O.J.'s friend Robert Kardashian read an anguished letter from the fugitive on national TY the Turs perceived it as a public suicide note. "So we thought this [suicide] would be very public," Marika says. "Then we thought: cemetery, Nicole, ex-wife." They found O.J., with the police close behind him, on the San Diego Freeway not far from Nicole Brown Simpson's grave site.
Above all, perhaps, the Tur magic derives from an alchemy of opposites. Bob is high-strung and impetuous. Marika is cool and logical, a lapsed UCLA Ph.D. student in art and philosophy. "I'll bounce my ideas off her and get a reasoned response," Bob says, adding puckishly, "then I can ignore it and do whatever I want."
When they met in 1978, Bob was an 18-year-old college dropout employed as a part-time wire service reporter and photographer; Marika, then 23, was working at a Westwood movie house—where Bob visited her daily for three months until she finally agreed to a Halloween date. Since then, they've spent just two weeks apart, though they didn't marry until 1983, when Marika was pregnant with daughter Katy, now 10. They also have a son, Jamie, 8.
In 1979 the Turs founded LANS and did freelance reporting and photography for magazines and newspapers. By 1985 they had branched into television and bought their first chopper. In time their kids began going along for the ride. "When they heard sirens," Marika recalls, "instead of saying, 'There's an ambulance!' they'd say, 'There's a story!' "
In 1988, Bob became locally famous when he plucked 54 people from the storm-lashed Pacific—making 13 trips in an hour—after part of the Portofino Inn at Redondo Beach collapsed. The Turs relish such derring-do. So far they have rescued 66 people, found seven lost planes and, just last year, roused from his camper a vacationing transplant candidate with this message, bellowed from above by loudspeaker: "Charles Ridge way, we have your kidney!"
Heroics notwithstanding, the tenacious Turs rankle some colleagues. "We get better pictures than they do, so they figure we're doing something wrong," scoffs Marika. Bob, especially, is criticized as recklessly aggressive, and last year L.A. entertainment reporter Sam Rubin said on KTLA-TV that he was "the most dangerous pilot in the air and on the air." In 1991 the FAA revoked Tur's pilot's license for five years for reckless flying—citing in part a fire department charge that Tur had flown too close over a pier fire. Tur, who for now rides with other pilots, denies the allegations. Last week he won a lawsuit against the fire department and the city of L.A.; a suit against Rubin and KTLA is pending.
There are also more intimate pressures, since the Turs are like any other married couple crammed into a helicopter. "We could be moving 150 miles an hour, 1,000 feet over the city, and we're arguing about the kids," Bob says.
"And then this news story happens," adds Marika, "and we're quiet, working with precision and ease." She glances toward her husband. "Then as soon as it's over, we're back arguing."
STANLEY YOUNG in Los Angeles
Hot Shots
updated 09/12/1994 AT 01:00 AM EDT
•originally published 09/12/1994 AT 01:00 AM EDT


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text:
And Gerald Kohn is still obsessing over the Harrisburg School District.
Only, not from the riverfront district office he was fired from more than a year ago, but rather holed up in his downtown Harrisburg high-rise apartment.
The venue might have changed, but his mission has not.
Because Kohn remains as determined as ever to prove that he was on the cusp of rescuing the urban school district from decades of failure.
Following his March 15, 2010, dismissal, Kohn can no longer do this by raising city students' scores on make-or-break state assessment tests.
But even as the programs he launched are dismantled one by one in the financially strapped city school system, Kohn is driving to make his case.
First, he hopes to prove himself in court by winning the federal lawsuit he has filed against the district over his firing.
Then he'd like to explain himself and his methods in the book he's penning about his years leading Harrisburg's public schools.
"Harrisburg was right on the edge of systemic reform," Kohn says from his penthouselike apartment on the 24th floor of Pennsylvania Place. It remains his primary residence, even though his wife lives in Boston.
"We were on a trajectory," he continues, urgently yet wistfully. "We figure in another five years we would have had 75 to 80 percent of the kids passing the test."
As if for emphasis, Kohn plucks a sheet from the piles of documents that have overtaken his apartment's guest bedroom and overwhelm a large Colonial dining room table that he's converted into an expansive writing and work space.
The color-coded sheet charts a dozen years of state test scores in Harrisburg.
The chart begins with a tall, blue line representing the 68.1 percent of city students who failed the test during the 1998-99 school year, nearly three years before Kohn arrived.
But it is bookended by a much shorter blue line, this one reflecting a district failure rate of 39.6 percent in 2009-10.
A total victory? Hardly. But a sustained, determined trend headed in the right direction, according to Kohn.
The difference was the bevy of multimillion-dollar educational initiatives — early childhood education, all-day kindergarten, behavioral alternative schools, intensive teacher training, enhanced safety and security, Sci-Tech High and more — that Kohn and his team installed over his nine school years.
Little more than a year after his dismissal, which was precipitated by Mayor Linda Thompson's rise to power, Kohn says all those changes are nearly gone, as the district continues to cut.
"Those programs and teachers are no longer there, for the most part," he laments. "Harrisburg lost out on an opportunity to greatly improve the community and the future of its kids. That's what upsets me the most."
Other than to express confidence in its outcome, Kohn declines to comment on his pending federal lawsuit to collect what was owed on his contract when he was let go.
But he's expansive about the book he's been researching and writing for months.
Currently, he's calling it, "The Mission Is Possible: Urban School Reform That Worked." But the title keeps changing.
What hasn't vacillated through his research and revision is the book's perspective.
It's told in the first person. Everything is viewed through Kohn's eyes.
So what if the lenses of his glasses are a bit thicker these days? He'll get rid of the Coke bottles as soon as he undergoes cataract surgery in a few weeks.
For Kohn, the memories of the battles, triumphs and tragedies that defined his near decade in the Harrisburg schools remain real enough to touch.
There's his first job interview with then-Mayor Stephen R. Reed, who had just been handed the district's reins, and his many political wrestling matches with community leaders, state Sen. Jeffrey Piccola and former state Education Secretary Gerald L. Zahorchak, to name a few.
Coloring it all is Kohn's image of himself struggling to push a very big rock up an even larger hill.
It's a mission that would be all the more difficult now, in the "New Normal," with today's across-the-board budget cuts and renewed pushes toward vouchers and wider school choice.
Kohn sees it as part of a systematic money grab to control a bigger piece of the roughly $1 trillion America spends on public education.
The bottom line is that resources are being bled away from school districts that need them most. Namely, the urban public schools where impoverished students show up hopelessly behind.
The cuts are happening, Kohn says, because no one accounts for the cost of the college degrees and other resources held by middle- and upper-class parents that bestow those children with such a decided advantage.
Worse, the windfall of advantaged students' higher test scores goes to already-rich districts. And the prophecy of poorer districts fulfills itself, Kohn says.
"The test scores are mostly reflecting of the students' family income level," he says, insisting that all we're doing is testing for poverty.
Districts such as Harrisburg, with its high poverty rate, are left to fill the great gap of all those costly college degrees that their parents do not possess.
And the only way to level the playing field is with resources. Lots of them.
The kind Kohn says he delivered with a patchwork of grants and special legislative funding that slowly came apart at the seams.
"We were able to give the kids the kind of support that middle- and upper-income families have traditionally given their families since birth," he proudly says. "We were able to give that to them in school."
And this will be the message of the book: that anything less than a highly trained teacher who can all but read each student's mind to know how he or she thinks and learns will not be enough. Anything less than heavily resourced urban schools with manageable class sizes and trained, motivated, enlightened staffs will not be enough.
Yet in an age of budget cuts, teacher union bashing and for-profit public school alternatives, it will be a hard sell.
Kohn is in talks with several publishers but says the book market isn't especially kind to education these days. This is especially true for the "more-is-more" message that Kohn is evangelizing.
This only makes the superintendent without a school system even more determined to tell it. To document it. To prove it almost happened in a place called Harrisburg.
It's why Kohn stays here, even though his superintendent wife, Claire, is retired and living in Massachusetts.
For his part, Kohn, 67, refuses to use the "R-word" that would end his 26 years as a superintendent.
For a time, there was even talk among some elected school board members about bringing Kohn back to Harrisburg. It's part of the reason he's stuck around.
Mostly, though, he just can't seem to bring himself to close the book on Harrisburg. Not until he writes it himself, something Kohn hopes to finish early next year.
Until then, his life will remain very much like his life in the district. He even has his former district spokeswoman, Lisa Paige, tapping away on a laptop to take down his latest musing or record yet another of his interviews for the book.
And of course, Gerald Kohn sits surrounded by documents as the Susquehanna River flows mutely by outside his window.
Almost as if he never left.


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Should CPA working in private industry maintain Active status?
Hey all,
I'm a CPA, former auditor, now working in the private sector as a Controller. How important is it for me to keep my CPA status as "active"? I've been "inactive" now for about two years, but part of me would like to maintain that active status even though I don't have a real need for it. Plus I'd have to convince my company to pay for the training units I'll need to reactivate my status. That's a lot of time and money to spend for something I wouldn't necessarily need.
What are your thoughts?
Company: Dominion Development Group, LLC
LinkedIn Profile
Here's my 2 cents. Keep it in case an opportunity arises that you need it. Hopefully you will not find yourself dismissed from the company, but if you do, you should be able to get a job much quicker with an active CPA license.
My controller let his go inactive. Now a need at our company has come up for him to be an active CPA license holder. He is taking lots of time, money, and effort to get recertified. Luckily he only has to catch up on CPE.
Plus, if you keep it active it will ensure you continue to sharpen your skills in the workplace.
Company: Executive Essentials
Look at your longer-term goal, Anonymous. If it is a CFO someday, even in the private sector, CPAs still have an edge. As Chris said, recertification is a lengthy, time-consuming, expensive process and having to "catch up" to bring yourself up-to-speed is never a good position. Neither is missing a dream opportunity because a CPA was required and you didn't have that credential.
Company: Gibney Anthony & Flaherty LLP
LinkedIn Profile
The requirement to take continuing education via CPE credit may seem like a pain, but it makes tremendous sense. So many professionals complete their undergraduate and graduate education and then stop. Continued learning is essential in the financial world. Now to your question. If I need to take the continuing education anyway, and I already have the certification, I would never let it lapse, assuming the fee is no issue. The longer you keep it inactive, the harder it will be to re-activate. Those three letters can only help you. If for no other reason but by placing you above your competition when looking for a job, as that person may not have a CPA.
When you say active, I assume you mean "licensed to audit."
Most companies today don't require job seekers to have a license to practice public accounting, but they want evidence that you have passed the CPA exam and have the required work experience as a professional who understands GAAP and can coordinate an external audit successfully.
Today employers are NOT paying for CPE. Robert Half conducted a survey of major company CFOs and 75% responded they are not paying for CPE. They will still let you have days away to take CPE, but they won't pay for it.
Let's just say this, if it comes down to who takes their career as an accountant seriously, its going to the one who can put CPA after their name, and not have to explain why its a retired certificate. In my State if you no longer meet the CPE requirement, you cannot say you are a CPA or were one on any document. Meaning if you go around saying "I used to be a CPA" State law in my State sees that as a con of the public trust. You either are a CPA or you are not in my State.
There are a lot of CFOs that put CPA certificate on their resume, but they are not allowed to do that unless they meet the CPE requirements in State.
You have to know who you are talking to and most businesses don't have a clue.
The State Board in my State just says "you get what you pay for."
So there you go.
Company: Pine Island Chemicals
One thought to consider for the CPE question is that there is a lot of free CPE available online from KPMG, E&Y and so forth from the webcasts they do periodically. You can get 15-20 (or more) hours in 1-2 hour segments and pay pretty close to nothing. All you need is a couple of hours of uninterrupted time and a web connection.
Company: Daktronics
Valerie, either call it luck or against the norm, but I have been with two companies since I left public accounting and they both have paid for my CPE and license renewals including renewals to state CPA societies and the AICPA. Although in full disclosure this could be because my main focus has been in SEC Reporting and training is key to stay up to date with regulations. So I think wether a company pays for a person to have an active CPA license depends on the job description. If they wanted to hire someone with and active CPA license then they should pay to help keep it active. I think if someone wants a company to help re-activate their CPA license then they need to make a value proposition and note how they will use their training to come back and train other employees that could benefit from that knowledge.
Company: JGB
I agree with Valerie. It looks a lot better professionally if you can say that you are a CPA without having to explain that you did not want to pay the fee or keep up with the continuing ed.
Company: Fleming, Nolen & Jez L.L.P.
In Texas you are either a CPA or not a CPA. You must maintain your license and CPE to utilize the CPA designation. My entire career is in industry and it is a CPA credential is important to your business contacts either within or outside the financial field. The general public places a value on a CPA. They assume the individual is both knowledgeable and trustworthy.
Continuing education can be expensive and time consuming. These are options, like Harold states, for this requirement. I always negotiate this during the interview process. If a CPA is important for a company to hire me, it should be equally important to continue the designation. If you pay for your own CPA, then you can tailor it to your individual interests and career path.
This is a career decision, not a position preference. If you don't look out for your career, who will???
Company: FCB Homes
If you are a CPA stay current with your CPE because the world is constantly changing. Be the best CPA that you can be regardless of who is paying for the CPE. An investment in yourself pays the best dividend.
I let mine go inactive and now would need to go back to school (42 hours!) to meet the education requirement. It was a huge mistake that is now costing me opportunities to get past the gatekeepers. Spend the time and money to keep your license active. Even if you won't need it now or in the near future, you may well need it someday.
Company: John Harmon CPA
Maintaining your license demonstrates commitment and respect for the profession. I think the states' boards should do a more thorough job of policing who is representing the certification.
Company: Bunker Hill
After all the time and hard work you put in to get your CPA in the first place, isn't it worth a small investment to keep you license active? Especially since there are now high quality programs for under $150 (my favorite is Sequoiacpe.com), I really think you would be best served staying active!
Company: Crawford Consulting Services, Inc
CPE is such a pain, but well worth the time and $$; keep the license active, you will not regret
- 24660 views


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How do colors affect how you spend?
Did you know that the colors you see in stores, on shopping bags, on signs, and doors can actual affect how you spend your money? Click through to find out how colors affect how you spend.
Information from the March edition of Real Simple magazine.


text:
A long time ago, initial public offerings were the end game for many technology start-ups: you could go public, get acquired, or die a spectacular death.
Or just muddle along and die a slower, more painful death.
And then one company came along and changed all that.
While everyone has been obsessing over Facebook's IPO today, the great irony is that Facebook itself has made IPOs less relevant than ever before.
Here's how the IPO process normally works when you're at a bank, and what Facebook did to upend most of that – and make thousands of people very wealthy in the process:
What is an Initial Public Offering (IPO)?
It's the first time that a previously private company can sell its shares to "the general public" (mostly institutional investors at first).
Usually the company issues around 20-30% of its shares (free float), though this varies by industry, company stage, and so on.
Most investors consider it riskier if the company only makes available a low number of shares – but if the company is "hot" enough (see: Facebook, with its 11% offering) they'll overlook this and dive in head-over-heels anyway.
Why Go Public?
You probably associate IPOs with tech, healthcare, or biotech start-ups, but they apply to a much wider range of companies than that.
You see everything from mature business service companies to energy firms to transportation firms going public, but they get far less attention than hot tech start-ups (see Renaissance Capital for updated lists).
Most companies go public to:
- Raise capital for expansion efforts or to pay back debt.
- Provide an exit for existing investors – whether the company is PE-owned, VC-backed, or owned by a small group of individuals or a single person.
- Get an acquisition currency – most private companies' stock is not highly valued, so it is much easier to acquire other companies using stock once they're public. And raising debt to do deals can be easier once you're public as well.
- Reward employees – Making employees work crazy hours for 5-10 years is tough to pull off, but the lure of an IPO that will make them all wealthy is a great incentive for them to stick around.
- Market themselves – Especially for lesser-known companies in "boring" industries, an IPO is a great way to increase prestige and attract new investors, partners, and customers.
And sometimes there are technical reasons as well: in the US, for example, the "500 shareholder rule" used to require any private companies with more than 500 shareholders to publicly disclose their financial statements…
…So they might as well just go public and get the other benefits – this was one of the key reasons why Google decided to go public in 2004.
Why is Facebook going public? None of the above!
- It's cash-rich and massively profitable, so it has no need for capital.
- Many of its investors and early employees have already exited by selling to others via secondary exchanges or in late-stage growth equity financings – options that didn't exist in the past.
- It has always had a great acquisition currency because its private stock was worth a lot and was actively traded on these secondary exchanges.
- Come on, does it really need more marketing and hype?
- And oh yeah, the 500-shareholder rule is in the midst of a revamp and Facebook got around it anyway by issuing Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) rather than actual shares or options to employees as the company grew.
A number of theories have been put forth for why it's really going public:
- Some people still think the 500-shareholder rule forced their hand even though it's being raised to 2,000 shareholders soon.
- Many believe that long-term capital gains tax rates will increase in the near future – if they go public and employees sell stock now, they'll pay 15% rather than a potentially much higher rate. You can ask Eduardo Saverin about that one…
- Others have theorized that they're using the money for mysterious new monetization methods that will expand their revenue base beyond advertising.
Personally, I don't buy into any of those as individual reasons – it was likely a combination of some of the points above, plus the fact that late-stage investors still need someone to sell their shares to.
The Downsides of Going Public… and Why Facebook Made IPOs Irrelevant?
Some companies don't want to go public (or can't go public) because:
- They have to give up control and answer to shareholders with quarterly earnings reports.
- They aren't VC or PE-backed and therefore don't need an exit.
- They're already highly profitable and have no need for cash.
- Compliance costs are much higher as a public company due to legislation like Sarbanes-Oxley.
- They're too small – it's tough to go public if you have under $50 million in revenue.
But Facebook changed the rules here because:
1) Mark Zuckerberg maintained far more control than typical founders by splitting the stock into voting and non-voting shares, by controlling the Board, and by selling almost nothing along the way; and
2) It raised $200 million from Digital Sky Technologies (DST) in May 2009, and then an even bigger round of $1.5 billion in January 2011, which effectively gave early investors the exit they needed.
The rise of secondary exchanges like Second Market, where investors can buy and sell private company shares, has made it much easier for early employees to cash out long before the company ever goes public.
(Private company valuation is tricky, but is getting easier over time as the lines between public and private companies blur.)
Who Decides if the Company Should Go Public?
In most cases, it's up to the Board and major shareholders.
So if a private equity firm owns a company and they need to achieve an exit in year 4 or 5 to get acceptable returns, they might push for the company to go public (or get acquired) around then.
And it has traditionally worked the same way with venture capital firms that often end up controlling tech start-ups.
But since Facebook's CEO owns 28% of its stock and 56% of its voting rights, he has significantly more leeway than the usual founder/CEO – and can make decisions on billion-dollar acquisitions in a weekend without even notifying the Board.
Even with that much control, though, he would not be able to initiate something like an IPO without pulling in everyone else – there's far too much work to do and too many decisions to be made in the process.
The IPO Process, Part 1 – The Pitch
In most cases, bankers from many firms have been speaking with the company in question and developing relationships for years – so they're likely to know the company's intentions well in advance.
If not, the company itself will reach out to bankers and invite them in to pitch for the business.
This is when you, the banking analyst or associate, get to stay up all night crafting 100-page pitch books and hoping you've remembered to dot all your i's and cross all your t's.
Afterwards, the company selects banks for book runner roles and picks other banks to be co-managers, based on its relationships with them, their pitches, and what the banks have done for them in the past.
Other factors might include banks' IPO track records and their reputation and relationships with institutional investors.
In the case of Facebook, at first people thought that Goldman Sachs would land the lead role because it helped arrange $1.5 billion of financing in 2011…
But then GS botched the deal by getting on the SEC's bad side when it included its US clients at first, and then revoked the offer later – resulting in Morgan Stanley winning the lead spot.
Most IPOs have at least 1-2 banks as book runners and then a few more as co-managers; Facebook is unusual because it has 12 banks due to the size and prestige of the offering.
Part 2 – The Kick-Off Meeting
Everyone involved in the IPO – company management, auditors, accountants, the underwriting banks, and lawyers from all sides – attends this meeting.
You spend the day discussing the offering, the required registration forms, figure out who's doing what, and determining the timing for the filing.
And then you have similar all-hands meetings like this throughout the rest of the process.
It's actually quite boring for you as a junior banker attending these because you don't participate too much – you're mostly just there to take notes.
Ongoing Due Diligence
After that initial kick-off meeting, all the bankers, accountants, and lawyers involved need to do a lot of due diligence on the company to make sure that their registration statements are accurate.
Common tasks here include:
- Customer Calls – This is probably the most interesting task, because sometimes you hear crazy / interesting things from customers that you'd never learn about otherwise.
- Industry / Market Due Diligence – You'll have to research the market, speak with experts, and figure out where it might be headed in the future.
- Legal and IP Due Diligence – Lawyers handle most of this – it consists of reviewing contracts, registrations, and other documents. Aren't you glad you don't want to be a lawyer?
- Financial and Tax Due Diligence – Accountants do most of this and comb through historical financial statements, tax returns, and so on, and look for irregularities.
Facebook is an interesting example because "customer calls" apply in a different way from what you might expect – their "customers" are not individual users so much as the companies that advertise on the site.
So bankers here likely called the larger advertisers and also spent time talking to key partners such as Zynga.
They might ask questions like:
- Are you planning to increase / decrease advertising spending?
- What's your relationship with the company been like so far?
- What do you see as key risks going forward?
- What other social networks do you advertise on, and what do you think of them?
Part 3 – The S-1 Filing
The end result of this entire process, which might take months, is the S-1 Registration Statement (names vary in other countries).
This is where all the juicy information comes out – historical financial statements, key data, who's selling shares and how many they're selling, the company overview, risk factors, and more.
When Facebook filed its own S-1, there were so many visitors that the government's site actually crashed.
The company waits 30 calendar days for comments from the SEC (or equivalent organization in other countries), and the legal team responds to everything once they hear back.
Note that the company never lists projected financial statements in its S-1 – they might have projections internally, of course, but they're not part of the registration statement.
Part 4 – Pre-Selling the Offering
Once the S-1 is filed and the team is working through revisions, the company can hold a pre-IPO analyst meeting where they educate bankers and analysts on the company and "teach" them how to sell it to investors.
It can also start speaking to investors and issue a "red herring" (preliminary prospectus), which bankers draft (similar to the S-1, but shorter and more focused on sales).
Companies are encouraged to wait until the SEC responds to the S-1 with comments before printing the red herring.
This document may omit the offering price, underwriting discounts / commissions, discounts / commissions to dealers, the amount of the proceeds, and so on – it's just about selling the company's story to investors.
Once this document is in place, pre-marketing starts and usually lasts around 2 weeks.
Research analysts meet with institutional investors 1 on 1 and tell them about the company, and sales teams at banks maintain close contact with investors and figure out what they think – do they like the sector? The company itself? What price will they pay?
Based on feedback from these meetings and their own internal valuations, banks set a price range for the offering.
With some companies this can be enlightening; with Facebook it was quite boring because the company had already been actively traded on secondary exchanges long before the IPO, so everyone knew what the rough price range would be.
Picking Investors to Market To
A bank doesn't just pick the investors randomly – they select firms based on criteria like:
- Brokerage Commissions – If you're making tons of money from certain institutional investors, they'll be high on the priority list.
- Interest and Track Record – If the firm never does tech investments, for example, the bank may just skip showing them tech IPOs.
- Potential Brokerage Fees – If a bank wants to win more business from institutions in the future it might show them a "hot" IPO as a favor.
The equity syndicate, sales, and road show management teams handle this process.
Amending the S-1 Filing
After all this pre-marketing work is done, banks amend the S-1 filing with a revised price range based on feedback from investors.
Sometimes there are dramatic shifts in the price range, but it's more common to see small moves in one direction or the other.
Once again, since Facebook stock had already been actively traded long before the offering, this part of the process likely wasn't as interesting for them.
Part 5 – The Roadshow
And now for the fun, exhausting part of the process: management gets to travel all over to meet with investors and market the company for 1-2 weeks.
Sometimes management teams make themselves very open and accessible and go out of their way to win over investors and answer questions.
Mark Zuckerberg took the exact opposite approach, mostly because he could afford to – he could show up to 0 meetings and investors would still be falling all over themselves to get shares.
For normal companies, though, this process is extremely important because orders are also taken at this time – investors can state how many shares they want and what price they're willing to pay.
Management gets daily updates on what the orders are looking like, and the banks involved in the process all try to one-up each other by claiming that they won the biggest orders from investors.
During this time, bankers keep getting more and more feedback from investors and may further revise the price range – that's why Facebook changed its own range from $28 – $34 to $34 – $38.
It's a tricky balancing act because no one wants to leave money on the table – bankers want a higher share price so they can earn higher fees, shareholders who are selling obviously want a higher price, and the company wants as high a price as possible to maximize their cash proceeds.
But if the price range is set too high, bankers may have to revise it downward, which sends a negative signal to the market.
During this time, the company might also increase or decrease the number of shares it's offering – but if it does that too much (in either direction) it may be taken as a negative sign because investors might think the company doesn't know what it's doing with the proceeds.
There's been a lot of debate over both the size of Facebook's offering (as a percentage of the company, small, but very high in absolute dollar terms) and the price.
Relatively few companies worldwide are actually worth more than $100 billion USD, sand many observers think that Facebook may be overvalued at its current price range and that growth could be flattening out.
Part of what makes Facebook's valuation so uncertain is that its future business might be far different from what it looks like today – advertising revenue might not even be significant in 5-10 years and payments, mobile, or something else entirely might take over.
Part 6 – The Pricing Meeting
Once the roadshow is over and the order book is closed, the management team will meet with bankers and decide on the final price of the deal based on the orders received.
If a deal is over-subscribed, the company will price the company at the high end of the range and will do the opposite for under-subscribed deals.
Sometimes management will deliberately price the company at a lower price (leaving some money on the table) so the stock can trade up on the 1st day of trading – always a positive indicator to the market.
Usually companies that tank after the 1st day of trading have a hard time recovering and getting back to their initial price.
Feedback was clearly very positive for Facebook, since it set its price at $38 – the high end of the range.
Part 7 – Allocation
Once the deal is priced, the syndicate team of the banks will allocate shares to investors.
While banks try to allocate to investors who will be long-term holders of the stock, banks may be biased at times to reward investors that generate the highest brokerage commissions (e.g. hedge funds who are trade very actively).
The syndicate team usually works overnight to allocate the deal.
Part 8 – Trading
Once the deal is allocated and everyone has their shares, the stock starts trading and "the general public" can buy and sell shares.
So, How Much Do Banks Earn From All This?
IPO fees typically range from 3 – 7% depending on the size of the company, how well-known it is, and how much extra work and risk banks have to take on to sell it.
Yes, you read that correctly: for a $100 million offering, banks could potentially make $7 million (now you really understand why they make so much money).
But for extremely large offerings the fee drops, and it drops even further when it's "hot" and everyone wants to be involved.
So Facebook is only paying bankers a 1.1% fee on its offering, which will still equal $176 million when all is said and done.
For bankers, being involved in the largest tech IPO ever is worth far more than even a substantial increase in fees because they market themselves based on their track records.
Are the Fees Justified?
It depends on how much the bankers actually help.
For something like Facebook, the fees are less justified than normal– sure, the bankers help manage the process and do a lot of the grunt work, but who really needs convincing to buy Facebook stock?
The fees are more justifiable for smaller and lesser-known companies that require real selling – and when bankers actually help with addressing key investor concerns and winning more interest in the company.
Back in the day banks used to take on substantial risk themselves by buying the shares first and then re-selling them ("firm commitment"), which they used to justify higher fees.
But this is less common now, so there's certainly downward pressure on fees.
Will You Be Buying FB Shares?
I'm staying away because great companies don't necessarily make for great investments.
Also, IPOs have historically under-performed the market by 2-3% – not a great sign if you're going by statistics.
Of course, by the time you read this the share price will probably have "popped" to a much higher number and I'll look silly for not having invested.
But we'll see where things stand after a month, 6 months, or a year.
And if you decide to invest, let us know how it goes and what price you get in (and out?) at.
For Further Reading:


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Carbon Management Companies in Malta
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Malta Environment & Planning Authority (MEPA)
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The Malta Environment & Planning Authority is committed to ensure that land use and the protection of the environment meet the needs of today`s society and future communities. We are working to ensure a quality of life that will be in harmony with the our natural, cultural and built environment. In so doing we are seeking to implement sustainable development that ...


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Feb. 28, 2004
NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL February 28, 2004
Richmond 75 GW 67
Postgame comments
GW Coach Karl Hobbs
[Was the team to tight coming into the game.]
[on the play of Richmond freshmen Daon Merritt and Gaston Moliva]
[on the crowd support]
[What do you take from this loss]
"I don't want to get carried away [with analyzing the loss]...I don't want to make this out to be more than it needs to be. We lost a basketball game, we need to shore up our defense, we've got to play better against the zone, and we've got to do things better on the basketball court. That's as simple as it is."
GW junior T.J. Thompson
"There was pressure to win, but like Coach said, I think we did come in a little too loose. We usually play better when we're the underdog and scared of the opponent. We just came in lackadaisical."
"We have to never get satisfied with winning. We're only as good as our last game. We can't go into every game thinking that teams are just going to fold for us. We have to come prepared and ready to play for every game...You can tell we weren't focused because we got a technical before the game. That's never happened to us. That right there should have showed that our focus wasn't really about winning today."
GW freshman J.R. Pinnock
Richmond Coach Jerry Wainwright
"We withstood the early knockout punch, hung in there, and got a late spurt, which is what you have to do on the road. We were able in the last few minutes to make free throws, which is something else you have to do. A very hard-fought game. They're obviously a team that's going to not only going to be a factor in the A-10 tournament, but also a factor in post-season play. My hat's off to them."
[on Richmond's ability to win in difficult venues such as Smith Center]
[on shutting down GW's perimeter game]
"I thought we did a pretty good job contesting their shots, but you give something else away. They hurt us on the glass in the zone. But we felt we had to stop their 3-point shooting and their transition 3s...They're a very hard team to guard. We just kept reaching in a hat to make up stuff, but finally got in a rhythm of something we can do."
"Again, I think [GW] will play for the title. They have a big game coming up with Xavier. I think they'll bounce right back I think they're one of the best teams in our league. We said that after we played them the first time. We're very fortunate to win here."


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Schexnider discusses shade gardening
By: Jeannine LeJeune
CROWLEY - When Kirk Schexnider speaks at clubs, such as the Rotary Club on Tuesday, he likes to focus on one particular topic.
Tuesday, Schexnider focused on shade gardening, or gardens planted and grown in areas with little or no direct sunlight during the day, either under trees or on the shady sides of buildings.
According to Schexnider, if the shade garden is set for a location under a tree; the tree must first be cleaned up with 15 to 20 feet being left clear to give the plants some sunlight.
He also recommends layers and lots of textures and reminded Rotarians that blooms are not always the most important thing.
"If you use a variety of levels and textures, your yard will always be interesting," he said.
Schexnider explained that a shade garden can be broken down into three main levels and a fourth level of seasonal plants.
The highest level can actually be smaller trees such as camellia japonicas, little gem magnolias, D.D. Blanchard magnolias, brackens brown beauty magnolias, Japanese magnolias of the Jane, Ann and Soulangiana varieties, red and sliver Japanese maples and dogwoods.
In the next level of shade gardens, Schexnider recommends evergreen shrubbery such as azaleas, rhododendron, japonica and sasanqua camellias, gardenias, pittosporums, nandinas (also known as "heavenly bamboo"), carissa, yaupon and helleri hollies, mahonias and curly wax plants.
The final basic level is made up of perennials, grasses and vines. The lowest level of basic plants is made up of a wide variety of flowers, such as forms of lilies and jasmines, and other plant life, such as ferns and mondo (which is commonly referred to as "monkey grass").
"In the front, I always suggest leaving some spaces for seasonal plants," said Schexnider.
He also cautioned against using tropical varieties, such as the bird of paradise, red and green banana and dwarf shell, shell and variegated gingers.
"Even though this is the south, tropicals just don't do well in Louisiana. So I don't and I recommend not using them much," said Schexnider.
As he turned his attention toward questions from the audience, Schexnider was given the opportunity to reiterate why grass doesn't typically do well under trees, particularly large trees like live oaks.
"Trees just suck up too much moisture," he explained. "Think about how much moisture we need, now imagine if you were 50 feet tall by 50 feet wide or 100 feet tall by 100 feet wide. That's a lot of moisture."
Schexnider also added that he likes to make sure his clients are taken care of once the initial work is done as well. He either makes sure the client has the tools and knowledge to upkeep the landscape or, as is the case with some of the larger rental properties he has done, he adds the maintenance fee into the original quote and comes out and does the work himself. Something Rotarian Ted Carmichael was very complimentary of.
"Kirk doesn't just do your yard," he said, "he comes back and helps you keep it up afterward."


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U.S. Military Can't Enforce 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
The U.S. military was ordered to stop discharging gays and lesbians who reveal their sexual orientation as a federal judge put into effect a ruling that its "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge Virginia A. Phillips in Riverside, California, today ordered the military to "immediately suspend and discontinue any investigation, or discharge, separation, or other proceeding" under the policy against anyone in its command.
Phillips ruled last month that the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy was unconstitutional. Today, she rejected the government's request to limit the earlier ruling only to members of the Log Cabin Republicans, the group promoting equal rights for gays and lesbians that sued the Defense Department to overturn the policy.
"This order from Judge Phillips is another historic and courageous step in the right direction, a step that Congress has been noticeably slow in taking," Alexander Nicholson, executive director of Servicemembers United, a gay and lesbian troops organization, said in an e-mailed statement.
The U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco may delay enforcement of Phillips's ruling during an appeal, according to the statement.
"We have just learned of this ruling," Cynthia Smith, a Defense Department spokeswoman said in an e-mail. "We are now studying it and we will be in consultation with the Department of Justice."
Tracy Schmaler, a Justice Department spokeswoman, didn't immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment.
Free Speech
Phillips ruled Sept. 9 that the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy violates constitutionally protected due process and free speech rights.
President Barack Obama pledged in his January 2010 State of the Union address to lift the prohibition on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military, and the Defense Department is conducting a review of how the ban would be ended.
The House of Representatives passed legislation on May 28 that would repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy issued by President Bill Clinton in 1993. The Senate on Sept. 21 failed to pass legislation that would repeal the ban.
Discharge Moratorium
"Until the Senate can act on the repeal of this policy and send it to the president's desk, the administration should place a moratorium on all dismissals under this policy," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from San Francisco, said in an e-mailed statement.
Phillips today rejected a request by the government to not issue an injunction until it had time to review the ruling and request a delay in enforcing it.
"As the court previously noted, defendants cite no authority for the proposition that district courts should stay litigation concerning the constitutionality of federal laws for an indefinite period merely because the legislative and executive branches have expressed doubts concerning the continued wisdom of the challenged laws," Phillips said.
The military discharged 259 men and 169 women last year under the law. As many as 66,000 gay men and women may be serving in the U.S. military, about 2.2 percent of all personnel, including 13,000 on active duty, according to a study by the Williams Institute of the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law.
The case is Log Cabin Republicans v. U.S., 04-08425, U.S. District Court, Central District of California (Riverside).


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The term dysgerminoma was introduced by Meyer to designate a rare type of ovarian tumor formerly referred to by a variety of names—seminoma, embryoma, sex cell carcinoma and large round cell sarcoma. A similar tumor occurring in the testis has been long recognized. Chenot in 1911 first called attention to the corresponding tumor in the ovary, although in this location its occurrence is far more infrequent. Chenot used the name seminoma because he considered the tumor to be derived from the anlage of the seminiferous tubules. Pick in 1912 described such a tumor as chorioepithelioma ectodermale; he concluded that it is teratoid and is derived from the cells of the chorionic villi. Meyer in 1925 made a comprehensive review of all the cases reported in the literature to that date and stressed that this tumor is the most frequent form found in the gonads of hermaphrodites and pseudohermaphrodites. Since
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By Evelyn BurnsSeptember 10, 2012
FORT HOOD, TEXAS -- Soldiers of the 1st Cavalry Division today began a field test of an innovative system that harnesses Army training technology in a new way.
The system is called the Integrated Training Environment (ITE), which is the backbone of the Army Training Concept. It is also the key to providing the complex training environments necessary to develop agile, adaptive leaders and versatile units.
For the field test, the ITE links live, virtual and constructive training simulations and simulators to provide the complex conditions found in current and predicted future operational environments--conditions that the Army cannot afford to replicate solely in live training.
The ITE's goals are to save the Army money, save commanders time, develop leaders, improve unit readiness and expand the training area of operations. The ITE also will contribute to readiness as more units focus on conducting higher-level decisive action exercises and other training at home stations.
At Fort Hood, the Army's TRADOC Project Office -- Integrating Architecture (TPO-IA) from Fort Leavenworth, Kan., is conducting the First Use Assessment to determine if the training system is ready for other posts. The field test will involve more than 600 Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division and will end Sept. 28.
The important component of the ITE is the Integrating Architecture (IA). The IA is computer software and hardware, linking training systems that initially were not designed to work together.
"The Army had developed stovepipe training systems that worked well independently, but didn't communicate with each other," said Lt. Col. Shane Cipolla, director of the TPO-IA. "Now the IA allows the training systems to work together to provide commanders and staffs with realistic battlefield information on their digital mission command systems (MCS). The IA is the glue that holds the ITE together."
All of the action -- even action in simulations -- will look live on the MCS as commanders and staff members use the information to make decisions.
In live training, Soldiers are wearing Instrumentable-Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (I-MILES) and a new training enabler that works with I-MILES. It's called the Homestation Instrumentation Training System (HITS).
In virtual training, helicopter crews are in Aviation Combined Arms Tactical Trainer (AVCATT), and tank and infantry fighting vehicle crews are in the Close Combat Tactical Trainer (CCTT).
In constructive training, participants work on PC-like systems, using a computer mouse to move icons that portray units and equipment. The current constructive simulation is the Joint Conflict and Tactical Simulation (JCATS).
The Fort Hood field test will identify issues requiring resolution before the system is fielded to other posts. With each fielding, the Army will address problems, add capabilities, and retrofit systems previously fielded with new capabilities. For example, gaming was not a requirement for the Fort Hood exercise, but will be added to the next increment of the ITE.
The Army plans to provide ITE capabilities to Forts Bliss, Campbell and Drum as well as to units in South Korea during fiscal year 2013. In FY14, the Army projects to provide ITE capabilities to Forts Carson, Riley, and Stewart and to Hawaii.


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The coaching staff of the Green Bay Packers have had a number of opportunities to look at the players so far this offseason. The team has had a rookie minicamp, a mandatory minicamp for all players and two sets of OTAs (organized team activities).
The Packers will have their final set of OTAs starting on Tuesday, June 11, which will run through the 14th, and after that comes the big test to impress the coaches. That would be training camp, which starts on July 26th.
So far, a number of players have been impressive in the workouts the team has had. There have also been a number of things seen on the field which would make you turn your head at first glance.
Things like seeing Bryan Bulaga at left tackle now, or seeing Mike Neal playing outside linebacker.
Remember though, all of these workouts are just in shorts. The big exam will come in training camp when the pads come on and the hitting is for real.
I'm going to name eight players who have definitely turned some heads so far in workouts this offseason for the Packers.


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Top Definition
Restaurant industry term used to describe a stubborn cook's continued use of a technique after being told not to by management. The Ohio Chop needs to be minor enough that the cook's employment never comes into jeopardy.
"Yeah, the boss told him to quit cutting the eggs that way but he just kept giving them the ole' Ohio Chop."
dodane przez The Zensylvanian sierpień 17, 2011
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Can you define these popular missing words?


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hen (from Howard Collins)
- Turkey
- duck
- hen
It's a lot of fun to let your guests think you're serving them a regular holiday turkey. When you start to carve the "turkey," they'll be quite surprised to see you cut through its "bones!"
Since the Turducken takes about 8 hours to cook (and then it needs to cool at least 1 hour before it's carved), you will need to plan your time wisely. First, be sure your oven temperature control is accurate by using (or purchasing) an inexpensive oven thermometer to monitor the oven's temperature instead of relying on the oven temperature control. Otherwise, your Turducken may take considerably less or more time than you have planned.
The quickest way to prepare your Turducken is to get friends or family members to help make the dressings and de-bone the fowl. (If you're on your own, you will need to allow more time for preparation of the Turducken). We get letters every year from "Turducken Teams" — friends and relatives who gather together to make (and eat!) their Turduckens as a group activity! It might be fun to take pictures along the way so that you can look back and have "Turducken" memories year-round!
It's also nice to serve additional dressing in bowls at the table, so our dressing recipe will make about 8 cups extra of each dressing. If you do not want to serve extra dressing with your Turducken, you can cut each dressing recipe in half.
If you're inexperienced at de-boning fowl, start with the turkey; because of its size, you can more easily see the bone structure. After de-boning the turkey, the duck and chicken will go much faster. And remember, each time you do a Turducken it gets easier; it doesn't take magical cooking abilities, it just takes care. What is magical is the way people eating your Turducken will feel about your food!
1 (15 to 20 pound) turkey
1 (5 to 6 pound) domestic duckling
1 (3 to 4 pound) chicken
Andouille Sausage Dressing (recipe follows)
Cornbread Dressing (recipe follows)
Shrimp Dressing (recipe follows)
Sweet Potato Eggplant Gravy (recipe follows)
1 (15 x 11-inch) ungreased baking pan, at least 2


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To evaluate the effectiveness of a low-vision rehabilitation program.
A multicenter randomized clinical trial was conducted from November 2004 to November 2006 with a 4-month follow-up. A total of 126 patients were included, 98% of whom were white and male. The patients were referred from eye or low-vision clinics and blind rehabilitation centers with a visual acuity in the better-seeing eye worse than 20/100 and better than 20/500 and were eligible for Veterans Affairs (VA) services. Telephone interviews of patients were conducted in their homes before and after participation in an outpatient low-vision program at a VA medical care facility or a (waiting list) control group. The interviewer administering questionnaires by telephone was masked to patients' assignments. Interventions included low-vision examination, counseling, and prescription and provision of low-vision devices and 6 weekly sessions provided by a low-vision therapist to teach use of assistive devices and adaptive strategies to perform daily living tasks independently.
Main Outcome Measure
Change in patients' visual reading ability estimated from participant responses to the Veterans Affairs Low-Vision Visual Functioning Questionnaire (LV VFQ–48) reading items completed at baseline compared with 4 months after enrollment for the treatment and control groups. The secondary outcomes were changes in other visual ability domains (mobility, visual information processing, visual motor skills) and overall visual ability from baseline to 4 months estimated from VA LV VFQ-48 difficulty ratings for subsets of items.
The treatment group demonstrated significant improvement in all aspects of visual function compared with the control group. The difference in mean changes was 2.43 logits (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.07-2.77; P < .001; effect size, 2.51) for visual reading ability; 0.84 logit (95% CI, 0.58-1.10; P < .001; effect size, 1.14) for mobility; 1.38 logits (95% CI, 1.15-1.62; P < .001; effect size, 2.03) for visual information processing; 1.51 logits (95% CI, 1.22-1.80; P < .001; effect size, 1.82) for visual motor skills; and 1.63 logits (95% CI, 1.40-1.86; P < .001; effect size, 2.51) for overall visual function.
The program effectively provided low-vision rehabilitation for patients with macular diseases.
Applications to Clinical Practice
At least 10 hours of low-vision therapy, including a home visit and assigned homework to encourage practice, is justified for patients with moderate and severe vision loss from macular diseases. Because the waiting-list control patients demonstrated a decline in functional ability, low-vision services should be offered as early as possible.
Trial Registration
clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00223756
The flow diagram describes the flow of participants through each stage of the Veterans Affairs Low Vision Intervention Trial.
Differences in mean changes in reading ability (A), mobility (B), visual information processing (C), visual motor skills (D), and overall visual ability (E) for all patients and within subgroups of patients defined by age, baseline distance visual acuity, and presence or absence of visual fluctuations. The data points represent differences in mean 4-month changes between the treatment and control groups. All patients: n=126; age ≤ 80 y: n=61; age > 80 y: n=65; distance VA ≤ 20/250: n=66; distance VA > 20/250: n=60; no vision fluctuation: n=96; vision fluctuation: n=30. VA indicates visual acuity.
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Have you ever wanted to try playing Golf? I will admit I never imagined myself playing anything other than Mini-Golf, but through programs started by the PGA called Play Golf America and Get Golf Ready, my kids and I took our first Golf Lesson, and I must tell you: We are hooked.
We met Golf Pro Josh Alpert on the driving range at The Lakes in El Segundo. Josh runs Good Swings Happen Junior Golf Academy.
Josh got us started first by going over safety rules, which are clearly important, given how hard golf balls and clubs are and how sweet and sensitive our little bodies are.
Once we knew the rules, Josh gave us the basic pointers for how to hit golf balls correctly. And it's not what you might think. Contrary to how Happy Gilmore plays in the movie by the same name, hitting the ball as hard as you possibly can does no good in golf. There's much more finesse involved and Josh, who's a great teacher, made sure to show us how.
(By the way, Josh is the kind of teacher you want every kid to have for every sport or subject they'll ever learn: he loves what he does, he wants to make you love it, too, and he wants to make sure you have fun while you're learning. Mission accomplished, Josh.)
My kids and I all enjoyed ourselves and can't wait to get back to play more. We'll even take my husband next time. Playing Golf as a family is an amazing way to get outdoors, have fun, and get some exercise, too. Walking around all 9 holes adds up to a lot of steps!
Yvonne and her kids also took a lesson that day and we did, in fact, compete a bit to see who could hit the ball the farthest and straightest. I would like to say it was a tie, but my team did win, so legally I have to tell you that my family won. Of course I don't count Team Yvonne out for long, so I'd better get practicing.
Have you and your family ever tried Golf together? Let us know in the comments!
{This post is part of a sponsored campaign. We and our families were comped a Golf Lesson for the purpose of this review. The fact that I beat Yvonne is all my doing.}
Editor's Note: I let her win.


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An early-morning crash in Polk County claimed two lives Tuesday.
The crash happened at about 6 a.m. on Highway 60 and involved a tractor-trailer and a car.
Deputies said the car was traveling west in the eastbound lanes of Highway 60 when the head-on collision occurred.
Both lanes of travel were shut down until about 2:15 p.m.
The roadway has been reduced to two lanes because of damage to the roadway. Repairs are expected to be completed Thursday.


text:
firstname.lastname@example.com wrote in news:1111535432.233051.154890
> << Click On Link (Link deleted because it is bad.)
Could you stop posting this bull**** in the linux newsgroup, please? Not
once, but twice you do it, two days in a row. Any website that yanks my
browser window immediately to full screen must be evil, there is no reason
to tamper with one's settings like this, if I wanted full screen, I know
darned well how to do it myself. This happened with Firefox, I could only
shudder to think of what would have happened had I used IE instead and
allowed whatever evil scripts you have on that site to run. Woe's the word,
bad news folks. Stay away from this evil website.
ohmster at newsguy dot com