text:
and Publications
and Events
Conferences & Events
Annual Conference
EDUCAUSE Connect Events
EDUCAUSE Institute Programs
ELI Annual Meeting
ECAR Annual Meeting
NERCOMP Annual Conference
Security Professionals Conference
Enterprise IT Summit
Online Events
Webinars/Online Events Calendar
Event Resources
Fellowship/Scholarship Program
Presenter Concierge
EDUCAUSE On Campus
Other Higher Ed Event Calendar
Events for all Levels and Interests
Whether you're looking for a conference to attend face-to-face to connect with peers, or for an online event for team professional development, see what's upcoming.Stay
Career Center
EDUCAUSE Institute
Leadership and Management Programs
Project Management
Fellowships and Awards
Getting Involved
Jump Start Your Career Growth
Explore EDUCAUSE professional development opportunities that match your career aspirations and desired level of time investment through our interactive online guide.Stay
Focus Areas
and Initiatives
EDUCAUSE organizes its efforts around three IT Focus Areas
Join These Programs If Your Focus IsStay
and Contribute
Find Others
Get on the Higher Ed IT Map
Employees of EDUCAUSE member institutions and organizations are invited to create individual profiles.
Uncommon Thinking for the Common Good™
EDUCAUSE is the foremost community of higher education IT leaders and professionals.
Tags from the EDUCAUSE Community
Search results
- A National Action Plan for Addressing the Critical Needs of the U.S. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education System
October 30, 2007
The United States possesses the most innovative, technologically capable economy in the world, and yet its science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education system is failing to …
- Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies
June 26, 2009
A systematic search of the research literature from 1996 through July 2008 identified more than a thousand empirical studies of online learning. Analysts screened these studies to find those that…
- EDUCAUSE Comments to FCC on National Broadband
June 8, 2009
The members of EDUCAUSE/Internet2/ACUTA are concerned about the inadequate level of broadband connectivity in the United States and the impact this shortage of broadband facilities is having on e…
- PandemicFlu.gov
April 29, 2009
One-stop access to U.S. Government swine, avian and pandemic flu information. One-stop access to U.S. Government swine, avian …
- Federal Resources Educational Excellence
April 2, 2009
FREE has more than 1,500 federally supported teaching and learning resources are included from dozens of federal agencies. New sites are added regularly. …
- The Quilt-StateNets Comments to the NTIA Regarding the Federal Broadband Stimulus Grant Program
April 17, 2009
The Quilt and StateNets, representing 30 state and regional research and education networks, submitted comments to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) concerning…
- Family Educational Rights and Privacy; Final Rule
December 10, 2008
The Education Department wanting to assure colleges about the student information they can release, recently announced new FERPA rules. The Edu…
- Joint Guidance on the Application of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) And the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) To Student Health Records
December 4, 2008
The purpose of this guidance is to explain the relationship between the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPA…
- Identity Theft Red Flags and Address Discrepancies under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003
October 15, 2007
The OCC, Board, FDIC, OTS, NCUA and FTC (the Agencies) are jointly issuing final rules and guidelines implementing section 114 of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 (FACT Act) …
- Disposal of Consumer Report Information and Records
June 30, 2005
The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 ("FACT Act" or "Act") requires the Federal Reserve Board, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Federal Deposit Insu…
Your Selections:
- Government Documents, Laws, Letters or Testimonies [x]


text:
As a Malaysian who has been in Britain for the past six years for higher education, I, like many other Malaysians living overseas have had the painfully frustrating ordeal of witnessing the socio-political travesties that have developed in recent years back home.
You have apologized for your comments: 'If I gave the impression that there is a particular problem in the Pakistani community, I was wrong ... I believe the Pakistani community has enriched this country a great deal as I know full well from my extensive contact with the community over a number of years ... I'm sorry if I have caused any offence.
The stereotype that students can't cook is not true, according to my experience. Having left university and moved away from home, I am now cooking recipes with names like Shivid Polow, Sai Mai Lo and Rajma - all of which I picked up from Student Halls.
The third week of teaching has almost ended and already there are secretive, hushed meeting between freshers about our place here. Why are we here and What are we doing? Dare we even voice such questions?
On Monday, Nick Clegg 'promised' the government would not raise tuition fees to £16,000. Today, thousands of young people will continue to apply to a...
Britain's poor show in the Times Higher Education rankings is a direct result of the government's financially reckless decision to try and keep out wealthy immigrants. But this self-inflicted academic decline has been a long time coming, and no one on Downing Street should feign surprise.
I pulled an awkward smile, my brain now racing furiously to translate the humour. Half a second, then one second, then two - the window to exercise herd mentality was shutting me in! Ah, whatever, I thought to myself as I tightened my diaphragm to echo the chorus of boisterous laughter in the room.
Last summer, I had the opportunity of visiting several research universities and liberal arts colleges in the New England region. I was particularly impressed with several aspects that really attract international students to study in America: collaboration, innovation and individuality. This journey excited me so much that I wish there was a time capsule to take me into the future...
Having spent the past academic year at Maryland's Washington College, I aim to share some of the things I learned during my time in America that will help you get the most of your time studying abroad...
The law essentially means that working class Brits are banned from marrying (non-EU) foreigners. Yes, you read that correctly. Almost half of the UK population has been stripped of its right to family life.
Students deserve better. That's why NUS is calling on the Home Office to developed clear service standards for their treatment of international students. They need to make it far clearer to applicants what costs and documentation will be required of them and to provide greater flexibility in the case of genuine mistakes.
As we have discovered, sometimes we have to look a little further to find those university photos. We look at five famous faces who were once simply known as 'the international student', and consider how these earlier sojourns studying abroad may influenced where they ended up.
One thing that any student has to remember is how to manage time, and when your school places equal weight to academics and community service, it can feel somewhat overwhelming at times.
Before I arrived, people kept telling me that there's this feeling you get where you're sure you've seen everything before on film at some point, because in all likelihood you have. And they weren't wrong. It's all just as big and tall, the taxis just as yellow and the bagels just as bagel-ly as in the movies.
Before beginning my year abroad in Paris, which I am currently halfway through, I had repeatedly heard three seemingly disconnected facts about the French culture: the French are cold, they are overtly nationalistic and they make baking an envied art form.
As an undergrad about to embark on a year abroad, I was gobsmacked to recently discover that international students are being disgracefully overcharged by sneaky banks for transferring money abroad. Yes, apparently the average undergrad paying £9,000 per year ends up paying £335 in hidden bank charges.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Cottage & Studio - with Outdoor Pool & Sea Views, Sheep's Head Near Bantry - The Cottage
The owner has been emailed.
To book this property, you need to complete your booking through checkout on the VRBO website. We can't protect your payment if we don't know you've booked through us. Learn more
Partner Offers
Request to book
By clicking 'Send Request' you are agreeing to our Terms and Conditions


text:
From our best Christmas cookies to festive Yuletide menus, we've got everything you need to plan perfect Christmas parties, dinner on Christmas Day and a special plate of cookies for Santa's visit the night before.
Jelly Roll Cakes for the Holidays
Three beautiful jelly roll recipes and expert advice on making them.
Top Gifts for the Mixology-Minded
From bar tools to handcrafted cocktail mixers, we've got something for your cocktail-savvy loved one.
15 Manly Gifts for His Kitchen
Thrill the man in your life with our selection of the best men-in-mind gifts for the kitchen.
Our Favorite Gifts for the Serious Home Cook
A collection of our favorite gift-able kitchen products of 2013—all handpicked by Relish editors.
20 Artists and Retailers Making Kitchens Beautiful
A collection of superior artists and retailers transforming our kitchens into things of beauty.
Relish Holiday Gift Guide 2012
From food to gadgets to fashion, here are our top picks for the holidays
25 Holiday Cookies We Love
We're celebrating Santa's favorite holiday sweet with 25 of our very best
Kentucky Bourbon Balls
The grandson of the inventor of Bourbon Balls reflects on the holiday favorite and offers a recipe.
Low-Maintenance, Big Flavor: 6 Holiday Casseroles
Delicious and comforting holiday casserole recipes, plus a few useful tips for making the most of your bakeware this season.
New Year's Sparklers
More affordable than Champagne, Prosecco is taking New Year's eve parties by storm.
Christmas at The White House
Find out why you never need to cut your own meat at a White House Christmas reception and which President served his guests plum pudding.
Italian Seafood Stew
An Italian Christmas seafood stew rich with tradition and the flavors of the sea is the perfect Christmas Eve dinner.


text:
Checking inventory..
Celebrate your fandom with this Philadelphia Eagles Shoe bottle stopper. It features Philadelphia Eagles graphics and rhinestone accents. Your Philadelphia Eagles spirit will be highlighted perfectly in your kitchen with this festive wine cork!
Help us make our site better for everyone! Let us know you've found something wrong
or frustrating on this page and we will improve it. Please mark each that apply.
If you have a question for customer service or if you would just like to leave us
some feedback, please view our FAQs.
Stay updated on sales, new items and more:
© 2016 Fanatics, Inc., All Rights Reserved. No portion of this site may be reproduced or duplicated without the express permission of Fanatics, Inc.


text:
Popular Lyrics
Billboard Hot 100
Upcoming Lyrics
Recently Added
Top Lyrics of 2011
Top Lyrics of 2010
Top Lyrics of 2009
More »
Popular Artists
Artists A-Z
Popular Albums
Upcoming Albums
Katy Perry
Lady Gaga
Lil Wayne
Hip Hop/Rap
All Genres »
All News
Daily Roundup
Album Reviews
Song Reviews
Sign InRegister
Artist: Xiu Xiu
Album: La Foret
Genre: Rock
A witch has come from under the ocean
And with a pointed and sharp finger
Snatched my baby by the crook of her jaw
And hooked her breath away
And bloated and cut her soft,
Dearest skin and face
Her hair has gone from black to green
She used to complain when I used
Too much water to wash her hair
I can't imagine what it was like for her
To have died swallowing the sea
I want to pause and offer
Your lonely grave farewell but it is covered in mud
It is nowhere there is no way
To light an altar for you
Everything is too wet
Tight around my neck
Tie me with this rotten wire
That snaps its quiet snap
I've poured my life into this world and here I am
Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
Get the embed code
Xiu Xiu Lyrics provided by SongLyrics.com
Note: When you embed the widget in your site, it will match your site's styles (CSS). This is just a preview!
Preview the embedded widget
Cannot annotate a non-flat selection. Make sure your selection
starts and ends within the same node.
An annotation cannot contain another annotation.


text:
Juliska 'Berry And Thread' Rectangular Baker, Size One Size
A pretty and prodigious baker crafted from whitewash-glazed ceramic is embellished with a scalloped edge in Juliska's signature berry and thread motif for an old-world French feel. This oversized baking dish is perfect for feeding a crowd and an excellent way to lend vintage sophistication to your dinner table. Color(s): whitewash. Brand: Juliska. ... Learn More
Bodum 'Chambord Classic' French Press, Size One Size
Elegant, timeless lines define an 8-cup French press that's perfect for serving guests or gifting to your favorite coffee connoisseur. Polished copper-hued trim adds to its appeal as a chic display piece. Color(s): copper. Brand: bodum. Style Name:Bodum 'Chambord Classic' French Press. Style Number: 5056381. Available in stores. Learn More
Novis 'Vita' Juicer, Size One Size - Red
Take home juicing to the next level with a compact and powerful machine that combines four uses in a single, convenient package: juicing, pureeing, Citromax citrus press and patented Vitatec function to produce twenty percent more juice. Every element is designed for ease of operation, from the one-touch power button to the ... Learn More
Cathy's Concepts 'Grillmaster' Bbq Multi Tool, Size One
A new essential for tailgating, backyard BBQs and outdoor adventures, this ingenious multi-tool comes fitted with five barbecue accessories-spatula, grill fork, basting brush, bottle opener and corkscrew-all brought together in a single wood-handled utensil. Color(s): brown. Brand: CATHY'S CONCEPTS. Style Name:Cathy's Concepts 'Grillmaster' Bbq Multi Tool. Style Number: 5234944. Available ... Learn More
Kate Spade New York 'All In Good Taste'
Ideal for brewing yourself a cozy cuppa and bringing signature kate spade style to your stovetop, this cheery enameled tea kettle is etched with the phrase, "whistle while you work" for a quick kitchen pick-me-up. Color(s): turquoise, white/ black. Brand: KATE SPADE NEW YORK. Style Name:Kate Spade New York 'All ... Learn More
Mauviel 'M'Héritage - M'150S' 5-Piece Copper & Stainless
Break out your best French recipe and sear, simmer, poach, fry or sauté anything with this five-piece cookware set crafted in Villedieu-les-Poêles, France, the city of copper. The metallic copper construction and easy-to-clean stainless-steel interior ensure food is cooked evenly and much faster than other metal pans, letting your flavors ... Learn More


text:
Odor Eaters, Odor-Destroying Insoles, Ultra-Comfort, 3 Pairs
By Odor Eaters
Our Price:
You Save:
$0.60 (5)
Volume Discount
Buy 2+Save 5%
Earn 10% Loyalty Credit ?
Loyalty Program
- You earn loyalty credit for every order you place at iHerb!
- Loyalty credit is equal to 10% of the value of your order, excluding shipping charges.
- Your loyalty credit will be applied towards your next order as soon as your current order has shipped.
- Your loyalty credits are valid for up to 60 days from the date of your last purchase.
This product is already in your Wish List.
View Wish List
This product is now in your Wish List.
In Stock - Only 4 left
Shipping Weight:?0.42 lbs (0.19 kg)Shipping WeightThe Shipping Weight includes the product, protective packaging material and the actual shipping box. In addition, the Shipping Weight may be adjusted for the Dimensional Weight (e.g. length, width & height) of a package. It is important to note that certain types of products (e.g. glass containers, liquids, fragile, refrigerated or ice packed) will often require protective packaging material. As such, these products will reflect a higher Shipping Weight compared to the unprotected product.
- Product Code: ODO-06710
- UPC Code: 041388067100
- Package Quantity: 3 Pairs
- Dimensions: 0.9 x 3.8 x 12.5 in, 0.25 lbs (0.11 kg)
Bundle Offer
Save $4.00 when you purchase these items today for only $15.39
|Combo Discount:
|- $4.00
Product Overview
- 3 Pair Economy Pack
- Now! 30% More Odor Fighters
- Slim Comfortable Fit
- 3 Advanced Odor & Wetness Fighters
- Destroy Odor & Controls Wetness
- All Day Effectiveness Stop Odor Guaranteed!
- 3 PairsTrim to Fit
Long-Lasting Odor & Wetness Protection...Guaranteed!
- Destroys odor on contact with Super-Activated Charcoal, baking soda, zinc oxide and two powerful odor-blocking technologies.
- Absorbs perspiration so feet stay drier and feel more comfortable.
- Slim, comfortable fit. Cushions Without Crowding.
- Advanced Odor-Blockers Stop Odor
- Super-Activated Charcoal Provides Long-Lasting Protection
- Powerful Odor Neutralizers Destroy Odor on Contact
- Ventilated for All-Day Comfort
Suggested Use
- Select shoe size on bottom of insole: M = men, L= ladies, B = boys, G = girls.
- Trim insoles along guidelines with sharp scissors.
- Place into shoe with cloth side up.


text:
Sony reports $2.1 billion quarterly loss, $2.9 billion annual loss looming
Similar Topics
Add New Comment
You need to be a member to leave a comment. Join thousands of tech enthusiasts and participate.
TechSpot Account
Sign up for free, it takes 30 seconds.
Already have an account? Login now.
|You may also...


text:
Trendy Entertainment won't be able to release the 360, PS3, and PC versions of Dungeon Defenders in November as intended (according to Trendy, it's due to "certain parties requiring platform launch windows & requirements to do a simultaneous launch") so they're going to delay its debut a bit to January 2011. To make it up to the players, they'll be adding more content to the core game.
Two DLC maps, item packs, and some new enemies that were meant to be DLC add-ons will now be a part of the initial version of the game. Post-release DLC available immediately after Defenders' release will be free to download; it'll include one new hero class and one new map.


text:
Kim Strong, Better World Books' Senior Logistics Specialist, volunteers using her Volunteer […]
Max Lucado
Hello, I'm an eBook!
ATTENTION: This item is an eBook. It can be read on iOS, Android, MAC and PC's with a supported eReader. It is not a physical book. eBooks are available via download immediately after you've checked out.
Meet the Garden gang before they grew up!
Sitting around a camp fire on a beautiful star-lit night, the garden gang is talking about their favorite memories. Antonio recounts the Garden Olympics, but admits he was a scrawny kid-ant whose parents did not think he would ever amount to much. Flo confesses she used to be shy and introverted. Turns out all Hermie and Friends' adventures are made possible by the things that happened to them as kids. And it's also clear that God has had a plan for all of the garden characters right from the start - as long as they had the sense to listen and follow God's message. Includes new and previous animation.
Our best deal on used books 3 for $10 and just $3 each additional book. Shop and Save
Our gift certificates are quick, easy and sure to suit everyone, perfectly. Order Gift Certificates »
We match every book you purchase with a book donation. Learn more »
Sign up now to get news, sales and special promotions!
Manage Subscriptions
© Better World Books (BetterWorldBooks.com)
- All Rights Reserved Deals | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Copyright | Legal


text:
Beggars in the House of Plenty
John Patrick Shanleys semiautobiographical one-act about growing up in a dysfunctional working-class Irish-American Catholic family is smartly directed by Larry Moss. The play opens when Johnny (Chris Payne Gilbert) is 5 years old and is only dimly aware that love is missing from his life. His sister, Sheila (Lena Georgas), is escaping the household through early marriage, so the real problems dont start until brother Joey (the excellent David Gail) returns home from the Navy. His death-obsessed mother (Francesca Casale) is disappointed by the gifts he brings, and nothing he can say or do will please his father (Jack Conley). Moss bold directorial style is most evident in the darkly comedic scenes, with exaggerated line deliveries such as when cousin Sister Mary Kate (Denise Crosby) leads the family in a mangled version of Hail Mary. The action jumps ahead 15 years, as Johnnys just been thrown out of college and hes doing battle with his elder brother. The final segment is a dream sequence thats been effectively lit by Leigh Allen to emphasize the hellish qualities of home life. Johnny knows that his escape from his family will come when he has the words, for he doesnt want to just hate his parents he wants to understand them. Conley is superb as the violent father who wields a meat cleaver with ease. Theatre/Theater, 5041 W. Pico Blvd., L.A.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; through March 29. (800) 838-3006.
Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m. Starts: Feb. 20. Continues through March 29, 2009
Get the Things to Do Newsletter
Sign up for our weekly guide to events in Los Angeles, and never be bored again. With suggestions for every day of the week, our recommendations will keep you busy on any budget.
Upcoming Events
The Fray
TicketsMon., Oct. 24, 7:00pm
Kishi Bashi
TicketsMon., Oct. 24, 7:00pm
TicketsMon., Oct. 24, 7:30pm
Reeve Carney
TicketsMon., Oct. 24, 8:00pm
Sponsor Content


text:
realmagick.com The shrine of knowledge.
Paris Basin
A selection of articles related to paris basin.
Original articles from our library related to the Paris Basin. See Table of Contents for further available material (downloadable resources) on Paris Basin.
- Pendulum Divination
- The Pendulum is a divination tool made of a piece of string and a weight. The weight can be almost anything: a metal washer, a gold or silver ring, even a paper clip. Pendulum divination has survived through the centuries. The two most common pendulum models...
Divination >> Pendulums
- Bringing it Down to Earth: A Fractal Approach
- 'Clouds are not spheres, mountains are not cones, coastlines are not circles, and bark is not smooth, nor does lightning travel in a straight line.' B. Mandelbrot W e want to think about the future - it's our nature. Unlike other creatures, humans possess an...
Mystic Sciences >> Astrology
- King James Bible: John, Chapter 13
- Chapter 13 13:1 Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. 13:2 And supper being ended, the...
New Testament >> John
- The Horned God in India and Europe
- Of all of the Gods that we honor in Paganism today probably the most revered is the Horned God, in the shape and form of Cernunnos. Pick up some modern Pagan literature and chances are he is in there, listen to conversation at a Moot and you will hear him...
Deities & Heros >> Celtic, Welsh, Irish & Brittish
- King James Bible: Exodus, Chapter 12
- Chapter 12 12:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 12:2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. 12:3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the...
Old Testament >> Exodus
Paris Basin is described in multiple online sources, as addition to our editors' articles, see section below for printable documents, Paris Basin books and related discussion.
Suggested News Resources
- Exclusive Steven Gerrard interview: "I don't think I'll ever be at peace"
- Once rolling ranchland, it has turned more recently into a vista of shopping malls and giant warehouses typical of the southern LA Basin. Even here, there is no avoiding the odd brush with superstardom. Earlier this week ...
- Shale drillers seeing signs of reprieve
- The Paris-based adviser to 29 countries estimates non-OPEC output will drop by 750,000 barrels a day this year, a better forecast than its last estimate of a 600,000 barrel-per-day decline, as low oil prices continue to pelt U.S. oil drillers.
- International Energy Agency Says Oil Price May Have Bottomed As Shrinking US
- The Paris-based International Energy Agency said Friday there are signs that oil prices passed their lowest point at $28.50 a barrel in mid-January. Since then, Brent ...
- LA 2024 mulls temporary Olympic facilities — a raised Coliseum track, maybe?
- Additional temporary venues would be required for archery on Bunker Hill and various events at the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area. A rowing venue has yet to be confirmed. Los Angeles is competing against Paris, Rome and Budapest, Hungary, for the ...
- Would Saving A Livable Climate Destroy Buffett's Fossil Fuel Empire?
- Now whether or not you believe the world is going to achieve the plan it unanimously embraced in Paris in December, surely Buffett ought to at least mention to his shareholders the risks to Berkshire Hathaway if the world does.
Great care has been taken to prepare the information on this page. Elements of the content come from factual and lexical knowledge databases, realmagick.com library and third-party sources. We appreciate your suggestions and comments on further improvements of the site.
Paris Basin Topics
Related searchestaos revolt
spiritual density
seismometer modern instruments
dhanur veda
grove city college history
richest british politicians
Related books
About - Contact - Advertising
© 2000 - 2016 Realmagick.com, All Rights Reserved.
© 2000 - 2016 Realmagick.com, All Rights Reserved.


text:
FASB Rejects Deferral of Statement 157 for Financial Assets and Liabilities
November 15, 2007
During its November 15 Board meeting, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) reaffirmed its vote against a blanket deferral of Statement 157, Fair Value Measurements. The Board did, however, provide a one year deferral for the implementation of Statement 157 for other nonfinancial assets and liabilities. A FASB Staff Position (FSP) will be issued for comment in the near future on this partial deferral.It is not uncommon for the endowments of independent institutions to contain significant nonfinancial assets, such as real estate, oil and gas, intangibles, and so on. At this time, it is not clear if the FSP will include nonfinancial assets that are part of an endowment.
FASB Statement No.157, Fair Value Measurements (SFAS 157), issued in September 2006, defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. Because of the FASB's ever-increasing use of fair value, many had expressed concerns about the ability to measure fair value reliably, especially for assets and liabilities that do not have quoted market values. This standard is the FASB's response to those concerns. SFAS 157 does not require any new fair value measurements. Instead, it provides standards to be applied under other accounting pronouncements that require or permit fair value measurements.
SFAS 157 emphasizes that fair value is a market-based measurement, not an entity-specific measurement. Therefore, a fair value measurement should be determined based on the assumptions—referred to as "inputs"—that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. The standard establishes a fair value hierarchy that distinguishes between market participant assumptions and the reporting entity's own assumptions about market participant assumptions.
NACUBO Contact: Sue Menditto, director accounting policy
Stay Current
Latest Headlines
- Comments on Form 1098-T Reporting Due Soon
- New ITIN Procedures For Certifying Acceptance Agents and International Students
- Higher Education Community Offers Comments on Web Accessibility Proposal
Join Us
Distance Learning
- ON-DEMAND: The CBO's Role in Diversity and Inclusion on Campus
- ON-DEMAND: The Clery Act: Strategic Planning to Mitigate Institutional Risk
- ON-DEMAND: Title IX: Key Issues Surrounding Institutional Compliance
- ON-DEMAND: NACUBO Live! Higher Education Accounting Forum
- ON-DEMAND: Responsibility Center Management: Two Different Perspectives


text:
Greg Oden is going to have another microfracture surgery on his knee. It may be that what could have been a Hall of Fame career based on his physical talents and tools will never come to pass.
It got us to wondering who were some of the great careers that were cut off due to either a plethora or severity of injuries.
There are a couple of players who aren't on here intentionally, like Reggie Lewis and Len Bias. Both of them were taken from the NBA world prematurely by horrible, tragic incidents. They weren't, so to speak, "broken down."
I considered both players who had their careers ripped out from them before they even got started and I considered the players who were having great careers but were cut off by serious or repeating injuries.
These are all top-five picks who ended up being a disappointment because of injuries.
The players appear in chronological order based on the date they played their last game, not in order of greatness.


text:
Donna Armes wants to
Minister of Public Health Thi Kim TIEN
End the culture of dog and cat meat in Vietnam
End the culture of dog and cat meat in Vietnam
Lobbying for tougher enforcement & control to end dog and cat meat smuggling of peoples pets from Thailand into Vietnam
Because this is horrendous and hideous. Can you imagine the fear these animals must be in the last minutes of their
As many as 200 million females are missing because of gendercide. Stand up for girls and women everywhere.
Nous devons agir en masse contre cette injustice et cette cruauté. SVP partagez cette pétition le plus que vous pouvez


text:
Results 1 to 2 of 2
- 04-26-2014, 11:55 PM Thread Author #1
- Posts
- 77 Posts
Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014) update unrooted my device
I updated my note 10.1 2014 to 4.4.2 today. This has unrooted my device. All the root threads in this and other forums are for JellyBean only, and are not working on my note.
Can someone help, or maybe the root thread has to be updated to include 4.4.2?
thanks so much.
- 04-29-2014, 10:34 PM Thread Author #2
Similar Threads
Galaxy Note 10.1: Which one to buyBy trucksmoveamerica#AC in forum Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1Replies: 15Last Post: 05-13-2014, 08:08 PM
Galaxy S5: What is the hidden circuit in the battery cover?By TomosTB in forum Samsung Galaxy S5Replies: 6Last Post: 04-28-2014, 11:13 AM
Galaxy S3 I9300: App wont let me log in - thinks I am outside UKBy tiptap in forum Samsung Galaxy S3 I9300Replies: 2Last Post: 04-27-2014, 01:41 PM
Samsung Galaxy Camera Photo app compatibility?By springerspaniel in forum General Help and How ToReplies: 2Last Post: 04-27-2014, 11:44 AM


text:
Entrepreneurial Couple Sees Potential in Emerging Customizable Fast-Casual Pizza Brand Galloway, N.J. – (Jan. 4, 2016) – 1000 Degrees Neapolitan Pizza, a fast-casual restaurant serving authentic, hand-tossed Neapolitan pizza with an American spin, has signed a franchise agreement to bring 12 units to South Florida, the first of which is expected to open by March … More »
Industry News
PIZZAFIRE Expands To Cleveland's West Side With New Rocky River location!
Cleveland, OH—Cleveland based chef and national pizza guru Sean Brauser is leading the new pizza revolution…and he's just opened his 5th PIZZAFIRE restaurant in only 13 months in Rocky River on Center Ridge Road! PIZZAFIRE is FAST! It's a casual, create your favorite pizza restaurant where your custom masterpiece is fire baked in only 180 … More »
Pizza Hut Introduces Category's First $5 Flavor Menu
Beginning Jan. 4, new menu features seven items, including pizza, WingStreet® Wings, Hershey's® desserts, Tuscani® pasta, signature sides, and Pepsi® beverages, for $5 each when ordering two or more PLANO, TEXAS (Jan. 4, 2016) – The days of having to sacrifice quality to get a great deal from a pizza company are over with … More »
Pizza Hut introduces "Life Unboxed Edu" program to provide continuing education opportunities to employees and their families
PLANO, TEXAS (Dec. 16, 2015) – Pizza Hut, the world's largest pizza company, announced today an education program in partnership with Excelsior College to provide continuing education opportunities to its employees and their immediate family members. The program, called Life Unboxed EDU, allows employees to apply their on-the-job management-level training courses as credits (up to … More »
A Mano Launches Pizza "Doughnation" Program to Benefit Local Charities
(RIDGEWOOD, NJ, DECEMBER 16, 2015) — Ridgewood, New Jersey's premiere authentic Neapolitan trattoria A Mano, has proudly introduced a pizza program to benefit local charities. In the "Pizza in Sospeso" (so-SPEY-zo) initiative, customers can purchase a full size Margherita pizza at half price for $6, to be donated to help feed the less fortunate. Each … More »
Legendary Frank Pepe Pizzeria to Open Chestnut Hill Location on December 16
Iconic "Frank Pepe" opens the doors to its first Massachusetts location at The Chestnut Hill Mall (NEW HAVEN, CT) – Dec. 16, 2015 – New Haven, Connecticut-based Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana (widely-known as "Pepe's"), world-famous for New Haven-style pizzas since 1925, is pleased to announce the public opening of their first Boston Area location … More »
Five Bold Bacon Pizzas
People love bacon, right? What's not to love? Let's give them what they want. Here are five bacon pizza recipes to test in your pizzeria: California BLT A popular sandwich made pizza style with an Alfredo base, bacon, mozzarella and white cheddar cheese, California tomatoes, romaine lettuce, Italian vinaigrette and Parmesan. Click here for the … More »
Five winter soups (recipes) are…
Of course, January is National Soup Month. It's winter and warm soup hits the spot. Five customer-pleasing, comfort winter soups to menu are: Click each soup title to go to a full recipe with instructions. For more winter recipe ideas, check out the 2016 Pizza Today Menu Guide.
Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers is Now Open in Newport News, Virginia
Newport News, Va.—Nov. 23, 2015—Handcrafted pizza and a unique art filled environment inspired by the history of Newport News and its commercial and military shipyard industry are just a couple of reasons to stop into Mellow Mushroom Newport News today. Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers is now open in Newport News at The Marketplace at Tech … More »
American Pizza Community Salutes Small Business Saturday
Washington, D.C. – November 24, 2015 – Pizza store owners around the country will share their support with local small businesses on Saturday, November 28th to celebrate Small Business Saturday™ and encourage everyone to "buy local, eat local." With 54 percent of the 73,000 pizzerias in the U.S. independently-owned, there is no industry more reflective … More »


text:
NBA Games
NBA Playoffs: Atlanta Hawks at Indiana Pacers
44 of 180 | Show all photos
Miami Heat forward LeBron James slips during the first quarter of Game 1 in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the Indiana Pacers against the Miami Heat in Miami on Wednesday, May 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Miami Herald, C.W. Griffin)


text:
realmagick.com The shrine of knowledge.
A selection of articles related to animal sexuality.
Original articles from our library related to the Animal Sexuality. See Table of Contents for further available material (downloadable resources) on Animal Sexuality.
- Pagan Sexuality and Sexual Freedom
- Old Traditions Live Today! Pagans like me who believe in, talk about and practice sexual freedom are protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. As individuals, and as Americans, we pagans have the freedom to choose the manner in which we...
Religions >> Paganism & Wicca
- Animal Magic
- (Its More Familiar Than You Think!) A Circle fills the room with its special glow. Fragrant herbs perfume the air; candles light the night. And two small eyes glow up at you, knowing that they too are part of the magic. People and animals have worked magic...
Mystic Sciences >> Magick
- Basics of Magick: The Use of Color in Magick
- White | Silver | Grey | Pink | Red | Purple | Brown | Blue | Green | Yellow | Gold | Black In magick, colors represent certain energies, goals, people and non-physical beings, such as deities or spiritual forces. For this reason, you should include candles,...
Symbology >> Colorology
- An Overview of Core Shamanism
- Core shamanism developed out of research done by Dr. Michael Harner. He discovered that all over the world, while the overall approaches to shamanism may be different, there were key elements in common. Dr. Harner then set about synthesizing these elements so...
Religions >> Native American, Shamanism
- Questions and Answers about Power Animals
- Question : So, what does it mean to work with 'power' animals? Are we working with an individual animal, say the 'possum down the street or the wolf at the zoo? Answer : Well, sorry to say, no. When you work with a 'power' animal (I've got to find a better...
Symbology >> Animals
- An Essay on Sex and Sex Magick: Liber Conjunctus / Liber Two
- SEX Sex begins and ends at Conception. For those loving people who have chosen to so Conceive, the lustful Penetration, the willing Acceptance has its finale when Sperma conjuncts Ovum. The Fruit of this Union transforms the relationship that an individual...
Body Mysteries >> Sexuality
Animal Sexuality is described in multiple online sources, as addition to our editors' articles, see section below for printable documents, Animal Sexuality books and related discussion.
Suggested News Resources
- What's a Keith Haring limited-edition coloring book worth?
- Keith Haring was an American artist and social activist whose work responded to the New York City street culture of the 1980s by expressing concepts of birth, death, sexuality and war.
- Gloucester Goings On
- Registration is now open for "Talking with Your Middle-Schooler About Sexuality," a six-week class for parents, caregivers and those who work with middle-school-aged youth. Class meets Thursdays, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
- What's happening Thursday in the north valley
- Chico Creek Nature Center: 11 a.m.-3 p.
- Why is everyone so weird about women's nipples?
- If anything it is men's nipples that should be banned for being persistently unemployed and almost only ever utilised during sex times. And that is actually what TLC's 'No ...
- Event Calendar: Mar. 24 – Mar. 30
- She will discuss the neurochemistry of cyberporn use, sex differences, the dangers of porn and treatments for addiction. Cyberporn ... Big Apple Circus promises more acts and animal shows than ever before, so be prepared to cheer for an encore.
Great care has been taken to prepare the information on this page. Elements of the content come from factual and lexical knowledge databases, realmagick.com library and third-party sources. We appreciate your suggestions and comments on further improvements of the site.
Animal Sexuality Topics
Related searchesoperation desert fox reaction
belle brezing
mortal kombat movies and television
dream symbol bead
mapp v ohio arguments
About - Contact - Advertising
© 2000 - 2016 Realmagick.com, All Rights Reserved.
© 2000 - 2016 Realmagick.com, All Rights Reserved.


text:
172 search results for McCoy
Fort McCoy
Type: Event | Date: Friday, Aug 15, 2014Eric Stoltz leads the cast in this WWII drama.
Blue Bloods: Home Sweet Home
Type: Video | Date: Tuesday, Aug 23, 2016A homeless teenager claims his aunt was murdered by her boyfriend so Jamie tries to help the kid and he enlists Dannys assistance with the case. Elsewhere Erins displeased when McCoy replaces her on a case concerning a corrections officer.
20 years ago today: The 'Doctor Who' TV movie was a light in the dark 1990s
Type: Article | Date: Friday, May 27, 2016Plus: 'Pan's Labyrinth' turns 10, U2 set off earthquake alarms, and more
LisaRaye: The Real McCoy
Type: Event | Date: Thursday, May 26, 2011LisaRaye's season finale is tonight.
Game Over
Type: Video | Date: Tuesday, Aug 16, 2016No Description Available
LisaRaye: The Real McCoy
Type: Event | Date: Thursday, Apr 8, 2010Learn all about LisaRaye on her new reality show.
Real McCoy - 3.0
Type: Event | Date: Tuesday, Nov 17, 2009Real McCoy - 3.0
Star Trek - Kirk meets McCoy
Type: Video | Date: Thursday, Apr 9, 2009
Blake Shelton sets 2014 tour dates
Type: Post | Date: Friday, Feb 21, 2014Country superstar will hit the road after 'The Voice' season 6 concludes
Tommy McCoy - Live Blues In Britain
Type: Event | Date: Tuesday, Sep 8, 2009Tommy McCoy - Live Blues In Britain


text:
Přidal: 2006-07-26 Wally
Změnil: 2014-09-28 udm
|Nissan Patrol
The Nissan L series of automobile engines ranged from 1.3 L to 2.8 L in both inline-four and inline-six configurations and were produced from 1967 through 1986. This was the engine of the Datsun 240Z sports car as well as the Datsun 510 and the first Nissan Maxima. These engines are known for their extreme reliability, durability, and parts interchangeability. It is a two-valves per cylinder SOHC non-crossflow engine, with an iron block and an aluminium head. The four-cylinder L series engines were replaced with the Z series and later the CA series, while the six-cylinder L series engines were replaced with the VG series and RB series.
The design is often incorrectly attributed to Mercedes-Benz. In 1966 Prince Motor Company merged with Nissan. At the time of the merger, Prince was licensed to produce copies of the four- and six-cylinder engines. Prince Motor Company later refined the design such that it no longer needed licensing. The engine still resembles a Mercedes in many ways, particularly the valve train.


text:
Skip to Content
Military ExperienceClinical Associate Professor of Surgery
- Pediatric Surgery
Primary Office: 2966 JPPIowa City, IA 52242
Phone: 319-356-1766
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
MBBCh, University of the Witwatersrand
Internship, Internal Medicine, J.G. Strijdom HospitalInternship, Surgery, J.G. Strijdom HospitalResidency, General Surgery, Johannesburg HospitalResidency, General Surgery, Coronation HospitalResidency, General Surgery, Johannesburg HospitalFellowship, Pediatric Surgery, Johannesburg HospitalFellowship, Pediatric Surgery, Royal Hospital for Sick ChildrenFellowship, Transplant Surgery, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Primary Examination in Surgery, Primary Examination in Surgery of the South African College of Medicine Iowa Medical License, Iowa Board of MedicineHealth Professionals Council , Health Professionals Council (South Africa) Pediatric Surgery Subspecialty Certified Advanced Trauma Life Support Instructor Certified Advanced Trauma Life Support Provider Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics , Department of Health, South Africa
Date Last Modified: 09/30/2016 -
Copyright © 2015 The University of Iowa. All Rights Reserved.
Web Privacy Policy


text:
Atlantic Cup 2014
Ep 3
Segeln /
Ep 3 - The Atlantic Cup is the United States' premier Class40 sailing race. The race was created and designed to grow the audience for short-handed, offshore racing with hard fought competition and exciting shore based events while also being the most environmentally sustainable sailing race.
TV-Sender aus Österreich
Mehr Informationen und Programmüberischten von Sendern:


text:
Monica Kåredal
E-post: monica [dot] karedal [at] med [dot] lu [dot] se
(hämtat ur Lunds universitets publikationsdatabas)
- 2016
- 2015
- A Cross-Sectional Study of the Cardiovascular Effects of Welding Fumes.
- Analysis of nanoparticle-protein coronas formed in vitro between nanosized welding particles and nasal lavage proteins.
- Characterization of Hairdresser Exposure to Airborne Particles during Hair Bleaching.
- Targeted Proteomic Analyses of Nasal Lavage Fluid in Persulfate-Challenged Hairdressers with Bleaching Powder-Associated Rhinitis
- 2014
- Health effects of combined exposure to diesel exhaust and traffic noise
- Inflammatory biomarkers in serum in subjects with and without work related neck/shoulder complaints
- Toxicity of metal NPs in the Air-Liquid interface
- Toxicity of metal nanoparticles and determination of dose in the Air-Liquid interface
- 2013
- 2012
- 2011
- Health Effects in Healthy Volunteers in Controlled Experimental Exposure to Diesel Exhaust and Traffic Noise
- Health Effects of Combined Exposure to Diesel Particles and Traffic Noise - a Methodology for Controlled Chamber Study
- Searching for early breast cancer biomarkers by serum protein profiling of pre-diagnostic serum; a nested case-control study
- Strategy for identification and detection of multiple oxidative modifications within proteins applied on persulfate-oxidized hemoglobin and human serum albumin.
- Workplace Measurements and Studies of Physiological Responses of Welding Fume Exposure
- 2010
- 2009
- 2008
- Evaluation of an immunoaffinity extraction column for enrichment of adducts between human serum albumin and hexahydrophthalic anhydride in plasma.
- Identification of Covalent Binding Sites of Phthalic Anhydride in Human Hemoglobin.
- Method for exposure chamber studies to examine effects on humans of airborne nanoparticles from welding and burning candles
- Methodology for Examination of Respiratory and Cardiovascular Effects of Airborne Nanoparticles Abundant in Indoor Environments
- 2007
- 2005
- 2004
- 2003
- 2002


text:
- About Us
- Study With Us
- Student Life
- Research
- Resources
- Alumni
Dr Anna-Louise Milne
Senior Lecturer, Director of Graduate Studies and Research
I completed my first degree in Philosophy and French Studies at Balliol College, Oxford University, embarked on graduate work in philosophy in France before deciding that the Comparative Literature Department of Columbia University in New York was the best place to pursue my interdisciplinary interests. My research and writing first focused on the work of Jean Paulhan, the milieu he established around the Nouvelle Revue Française and the connections between this review and the broader moment of European literary modernism (The Extreme In-Between. Jean Paulhan's Place in the Twentieth Century, Legenda, 2006, and a joint issue of The Romanic Review, La Nouvelle Revue Française and Modernism, 2008). More recently my interests in the literary review as a place of intersection and confrontation has extended to the broader frame of the city Paris as a crossroads: the different modes and locations of encounter and experiment, particularly between different migrant and expatriate communities. This work led to a Cambridge Companion to the Literature of Paris (CUP, 2013) and an edited collection of essays on May 68 (Palgrave/Macmillan, 2010). It has involved me in workshop initiatives particularly in association with the CINQ Studios in the Centquatre Arts Centre and the Kolone Association working with young migrants and asylum seekers in Paris in the north-east of Paris where I also live. My lastest book explores the dailyness of this extraordinary contact zone, where the pressures of generalized migration are everywhere apparent, in a narrative experiment in urban poetics and history:
I also have a strong interest in translation studies and practice and have published and spoken on translations of Proust, Gide, Conrad, James, Sartre, Tournier and Chamoiseau. This work has involved me in the MA in Cultural Translation at the American University of Paris and in work being carried out in Transcultural Psychiatry at the Maison de Solenn.
I would be happy to consider working with students on research projects relating to urban cultural studies and/or literary studies with relevance to the further exploration of the history and representation of the city of Paris.
For more information on my work, please see allophonia.hypotheses.org/anna-louise-milne
Other Activities
The Paris Centre for Migrant Writing and Expression is a collaborative endeavor to focus attention on the way the age of migration requires us to think about how our languages(s) and expressivities shape and serve our trajectories through the world. Read more here…
Currently recipient of a British Academy/Leverhulme Small Grant for a project entitled Plural Cultures – Plural Spaces: Franco-British Comparative Perspectives on the Institute for Islamic Cultures (Paris) / Cultures plurielles – Espaces pluriels : Perspectives franco-britanniques sur l'Institut des Cultures d'Islam à Paris. Read more here…


text:
When will the women of professional softball get the attention they deserve?
When will the women of professional softball get the attention they deserve? Kelly Kretschman didn't cry. Her eyes looked watery, but maybe that was just a reflection off the white war paint smeared on her cheekbones. She took a seat at the long table next to her teammates for a press conference after a devastating loss in the National Pro Fastpitch championship series.
When her coach suggested that the veteran softball player should be proud of her team, of her effort, Kretschman nodded, but her eyes stayed focused on her lap. She certainly should be proud of her season with the USSSA Pride--of her entire career. At 36 years old, she's a four-time All-American and a two-time Olympic medalist in right field. Just a few days before this championship series began, Kretschman became the first player in history to win the triple crown for the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league--meaning she led the league in batting average (.466), home runs (13), and runs batted in (45). She's a dominant force in a competitive league. But no one, really, is paying attention.
"You see Major League Baseball and you see guys that get the opportunity to play on the biggest stage. We're playing that biggest stage for us right now," Kretschman's coach Lonnie Alameda said in the same post-game press conference. Their team, the Pride, had just lost a three-game series to the Chicago Bandits by one run. After the final out, Kretschman compared the rivalry between the two teams to another great rivalry: the Red Sox and the Yankees.
"The biggest thing is, no matter who's on our team and who's on theirs, it's still one of the greatest rivalries in sports," Kretschman paused. "It kind of gets overlooked because our league gets overlooked."
In the bottom of the fourth inning in game two of the championship series, the Bandits had runners on second and third. And the Bandits are a loud team. An apparent leader stands in the dugout and acts as a kind of director, getting her teammates' attention and then commanding them to perform synchronized chants. Some of these chants are simple, like yelling "two balls" to try and get inside a pitcher's head, and some are so complicated I can't even follow them.
When left fielder Natalie Hernandez connected her bat to a rising slider, though, they went silent. Hernandez fouled a ball high over the protective netting and into the stands. A section over from me, an older man sitting alone in the middle of a sea of empty seats reached over his head to catch it. He missed. The ball slid through his fingers before bouncing on the concrete behind him.
A man in my section cupped his hands around his mouth and jokingly shouted the name of the man who'd bobbled the ball. Most of the fans at these games knew each other. They were parents of the women on the field, or longtime devoted softball fans. "You catch like a girl," he teased the man who failed. I looked around, waiting for someone to rebuke him. The Bandit players began their chant again.
On the field stood some of the best catchers in the world--catchers who happened to be women, who had once been girls. Just a week before, Sporting Goods company Rawlings had announced that it would begin awarding the Golden Glove, one of the most iconic defensive awards in baseball, to women's softball players. The first one had been presented to A.J. Andrews of the Akron Racers on the same field in front of us two days earlier. Over the course of this three-game series, I saw a left fielder make an incredible diving catch, a third baseman sprint into foul territory to catch a ball, and several amazing line-drive cutoffs. Yet all around me, fans laughed at the joke.
The stereotype that women are poor athletes, that to mess up or fail is to "play like a girl," permeates almost all of women's athleticism. It's this argument that has been used for decades as an excuse to ignore women's work. For the media, it's easy to dismiss covering something if you can dismiss the athleticism involved. But it's truly impossible to dismiss the athleticism of the NPF.
"There is incredible talent in this league," commissioner Cheri Kempf told me on the phone before the series started. "As we look at the championship, we expect to see incredible plays, incredible athleticism."
And she was right. There were remarkable hits, pitches, and plays in every game I saw, throughout every team's lineup. Meghan Wiggins, the first player to walk up to home plate for the USSSA Pride in the opening game for the championship series, went yard in her first at-bat. In the final game of the series, Chicago Bandits players Taylor Edwards and Brittany Cervantes hit back-to-back home runs and pitcher Angel Bunner only gave up a single.
Before the games, the Pride players loosened up by playing a game of hacky sack in a circle on the field in plain view of fans. The Bandits patted everyone who got a hit on the head when they returned to the dugout. They're professional ballplayers, but it still looks fun. And after a great play, there is no gentle clapping from the dugout. The Bandits poured out of their dugout for home runs, and the Pride cheered so loud for their own defensive plays that the fans couldn't be heard over them.
There are six teams in the NPF: the Akron Racers, the Chicago Bandits, the Dallas Charge, the Pennsylvania Rebellion, the Houston Scrapyard Dawgs, and Florida's USSSA Pride. As in any professional sports league, some teams are better than others. The Bandits, the USSA Pride, and the newly established Scrapyard Dawgs were the best teams in 2016. For the most part, though, the teams are pretty evenly matched. Even though the Pride came into the postseason in first place, they lost the cup to the Bandits, who entered the series ranked third.
Those six teams located across the country may have just played a 50-game season, but very few people know they exist. Even sports trivia buffs can't name three National Pro Fastpitch players, despite the fact that they are some of the best athletes in the country. Though Kelly Kretschman plays right field, she is essentially the Ted Williams of pro softball. Williams played 19 years of Major League Baseball; this is Kretschman's 11th season. Both won the triple crown and MVP trophies. Both were outstanding outfielders and the kind of players that center a team. Kretschman's so good that the USSSA Pride essentially built the team around her eight years ago. But unlike Williams, she won't get the headlines, the fans, or the Hall of Fame unless something changes.
"If somebody doesn't know [about this league], they think about beer-league softball. They don't take it seriously," Kempf told me. "Once they see it played, all of that is gone. I don't care who they are. Even Major League Baseball players are impressed when they watch this game."
The National Pro Softball league isn't new. In its current iteration, it's been around since 2004. Women's softball has been played professionally in the United States since the first league, the International Women's Professional Softball Association (IWPSA), was founded in 1976. That 10-team organization only survived four seasons, ultimately crumbling because of a lack of funding and inadequate playing facilities, but its very existence encouraged women's college softball to be taken more seriously. In 1982, the NCAA sanctioned the Women's College World Series.
The NPF owes its creation to Jane Cowles, a former Utah State softball player who conceived a blueprint for the league in 1989 and convinced her parents to financially back her in creating it. Today, the cup awarded at the end of the championship series is named after Cowles. She and her family spent eight years planning before the Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL) officially launched a four-team league in 1997. But the league seriously struggled to make money. In 2002, the season was suspended so that the WPSL could rebrand. In 2004, the NPF launched as a franchise-based organization where teams are individually owned and managed, just like Major League Baseball.
Right now the league has 135 players, each team with no more than 23. According to the NPF website, the league expects to average around 1,500 to 2,500 people in attendance at each game. That's about a third of the draw of the National Women's Soccer League, which pulls in a little more than 5,000 fans a game, and significantly less than that of Major League Baseball games, which on average welcome crowds of around 30,000. And tickets are fairly cheap. It only cost $15 to get in the door for the championship series.
"The game is awesome to watch at this level. Hopefully we can continue to grow it," USSSA Pride coach Alameda said at a post-game press conference. "It's going to be an outstanding game if we keep contributing to it."
The players, coaches, and managers of the league are certainly contributing. They are playing the best softball possibly in the world, and breaking records. The league added a brand new team this year, signed its first million-dollar contract, and had record attendance at the championship series. Though final attendance numbers for the year haven't been calculated yet, the NPF thinks they'll probably be the highest in history. Even that record attendance, though, at times felt sparse. There were never lines for hot dogs, and every single row had seats open, even behind home plate. Along the baselines, whole sections shone with the exposed aluminum of empty stands. The NPF hasn't broken through to the mainstream the way that women's soccer has. That might be because softball was dumped from the Olympic games in 2008, keeping one less spotlight off the sport. But maybe softball hasn't broken through yet because it just doesn't have the support its players deserve.
This year's NPF championship series was held at Rhoads Stadium at the University of Alabama. Only half the teams in the league have their own stadium, and to alternate locations throughout a three-game series would be a little ridiculous for a league of this size. So instead the game is played on neutral territory, in a town that loves sports.
There's a light mist in the air before the second game, and fans stay huddled up higher in the stands to stay under the roof of the stadium. On the television broadcast, the stadium must have looked empty. At that game, I happened to find myself sitting next to a Tuscaloosa legend named John Ed Belvin and his wife Brenda. John Ed, as Warren St. John wrote in his book on Alabama football culture Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer, is a "wheeling and dealing ticket scalper whose access to good seats gives him power on par with the governor." In a past life, he was a softball umpire, and from our seats behind home plate he watched the calls with a quizzical eye. John Ed sees a lot of Alabama games in every sport and particularly a lot of softball games. "At the college level, there are still pitchers who dominate," he told me between innings, "But these girls, they can hit."
Brenda sat right next to me for most of the game. She told me she doesn't do much anymore now that she's retired, but later admitted that she sings in several bands around Tuscaloosa. Because she's paid, I joked, "Oh, so you're actually a professional musician!" She laughed.
"Honey, it's like saying you're a professional softball player." She raised her eyebrows at the girls on the field. "You could buy a used car with what these girls are paid… maybe."
She's right. Teams in the NPF must squeeze their 18- to 23-player roster into an $150,000 salary cap. Very few players earn more than $20,000 a season. The average pay for an NPF player is between $5,000 and $6,000 for the three-month season, which lasts from May to August. That's less money than minor league baseball players are paid at the A, AA, and AAA levels. The minimum salary for a single Major League Baseball player ($507,500) is three times the salary cap for an entire NPF team.
There are a few exceptions. Monica Abbott, a pitcher for the Scrapyard Dawgs, recently signed the first million-dollar contract in NPF history. (To fit the structure of the league salary cap, Abbott will be paid $20,000 for each of the next six seasons and given "attendance bonuses" to make up the rest of her cost.) The first million-dollar contract in Major League Baseball was given to Nolan Ryan in 1979, for just a single year of play. But Abbott's contract is meant to be hopeful, to spark a little attention to a sport that should get more.
In the final game of the semifinals versus the Bandits, Abbott threw 101 pitches, on par with what a great ace in Major League Baseball might throw. Sixty-six of those were strikes, and she struck out eight players. To say Abbott is the most dominant pitcher in the NPF, and among the most dominant pitchers in the world, isn't an opinion. It's a quantifiable fact. In 2016, she went 19-3 for the Scrapyard Dawgs with an ERA of .98 and 185 strikeouts in 142 innings pitched. If she were an MLB player, those kind of numbers would make her a Hall of Famer, no question.
"U.S. women's soccer made such a huge statement for all female athletes," Monica Abbott told ESPNW in July. "It's time for [the National Pro Fastpitch League] to be seen by the world."
Softball, like other women's sports, is constantly demeaned by its existing position of inferiority when arguing for better representation. "Sure, our average crowd is less than Major League Baseball, and our players aren't paid the same," commissioner Cheri Kempf told me, "But those are products of partnerships, exposure, and the activation of those partnerships. On merit, on entertainment value, on talent, and on product, it's the same game. The only difference is the engagement of corporate sponsorships."
The way Kempf sees it, the league can't be expected to churn out the same kind of numbers as Major League Baseball without the same kind of advertising support that their brother league enjoys. She's not wrong. The only corporate sponsorships the NPF has right now are tied to the sporting goods business. There are no major advertisers like Coca-Cola, Chevrolet, or Comcast. By contrast, almost everything about a Major League Baseball game has a brand slapped on it, from novelty soda cups to free T-shirts. Those sponsorships make the league the money it needs to pay its athletes. Kempf's four-person staff is trying their best, but there's only so much they can do without financial backing.
"I think the mindset of corporate america is equivalent to about 1942. We need someone to understand that we can deliver, that we have value. Before Branch Rickey [the executive who integrated Jackie Robinson into MLB in 1947], people did not believe that black men had entertainment value on the same scale," Kempf told me. "We're the same way. We're like the Negro league. Here we are playing. There's a dedicated committed audience that follows us and supports us […] But the mainstream doesn't realize it, because we are not able to play in that space, because we don't have the partnership dollars of corporate America."
Kempf, and many other players I talked to over the course of the championship series in Alabama, were insistent about one thing. There might be a reason softball hasn't broken through to mainstream America, but whatever it is, it's not the level of play happening on the field. Everyone felt the need to push back against that argument, whether or not I brought it up. There's a misconception out there in the world that if women's sports deserved to be covered, they would be. That if excellent athleticism is happening, fans will find it. That if something is valuable, people will learn about it. But the women of professional softball know that's not true. They know how good they are.
I was the only reporter from a national outlet at this championship series. ESPN was not there. Sports Illustrated was not there. SBNation was not there. The press in the press box was almost entirely local. This is normal. According to a study published last year in the journal Communication & Sport, ESPN's SportsCenter only spent 2% of its airtime focusing on female athletes. Most other broadcasts did about the same. This study suggests this neglect of women's sports in mainstream media coverage has been happening for at least a quarter of a century.
Though the researchers found that sports coverage over the past 25 years has gotten much more "respectful"--meaning fewer sexist and degrading comments--those comments haven't been replaced by positive analysis of the work women do. They've been replaced by silence. "The media plays a huge role in building and sustaining audiences for sport and they do it very well for men's sports and they do it horribly for women's sports," Cheryl Cooky, an author of the study and a professor of women's studies at Purdue, told The Atlantic.
The NPF championship series was broadcast on the CBS Sports Network--a channel only available if you have a cable subscription and pay for an additional sports package--and on the league's online player, NPFTV. There were three cameras on the field at the game--one in left field, one in the press box behind the plate, and one carried by a mobile camera operator on the field. Compare that to a Major League Baseball game, where (in most stadiums) there are three cameras in each dugout alone. Watching the game on television could, then, make softball seem slower than it actually is. With fewer cuts, fewer replays, and fewer camera angles, it simply looks less exciting.
This CBS deal, which was signed before the 2014 season, is progress for the league. They broadcast 18 games in 2014, 22 games in 2015, and 20 games in 2016. Before that, no one aired the NPF's games on national television at all. Although the league declined to comment upon how much money they make off the CBS deal, it is, at least, a boost in exposure. And that's what the NPF really needs to fix its money problems. Even though the talent is already there, the league needs people to write about them, and their games to be broadcast, so that advertisers will see their sport as valuable.
"No one else wants to be the first," commissioner Kempf told me. "But somebody's gonna have to step outside the box. We need that person to step up and say, 'You know what? We don't have to invest all of us on this league.' They could be a title sponsor of a 12-week television package for a fraction of a cost for the 85th college football game that gets seen by 2,000 people."
And Kempf has reason to believe that if more of their games were aired on television, the audience would come with them. The ratings for the league's broadcast championship series won't be available until the fourth quarter, but the games must have done fairly well, because the 22 games shown on CBSSN in 2015 were replayed 25 times in total. (CBSSN did not respond to a request for the ratings of the NPF league games.) The last available ratings are from the 2013 National Pro Fastpitch championship series, which came in at .1--that's 10 times lower than the least-viewed MLB game.
But general audiences have proven that they will watch high-level softball if they can access it easily and it's given a choice time slot. In 2015 the Women's College World Series outperformed the College Baseball World Series by 31%. The final game of that series brought more than 2.2 million viewers. And the league itself is growing in size, too. The Dallas Charge was just created in 2015, and the Houston Scrapyard Dawgs made their debut this year.
Once people can find high-level softball, there's good reasons why they'll watch. If you made a list of every common complaint lodged against professional baseball, then changed the game to fix all of those problems, what you would get is something remarkably similar to professional softball. Baseball games, people complain, are too long. Softball games are seven innings instead of nine, and average around two hours. That's a full hour less than MLB's three hours and four minutes.
Just a few weeks ago, Zach Schonbrun wrote a New York Times article bemoaning the lack of creativity in baseball. As the sport becomes more technical, he argued, the mystique of the game is lost. But the National Pro Fastpitch League is teeming with obvious displays of eccentricity, even inside the box. Megan Wiggins, centerfield for the USSSA Pride, has a batting stance so wide it almost takes up the entire box. The batter who follows her, Kelly Kretschman, lines her feet up parallel to the back line of the box. Monica Abbott's pitching motion makes her look like a windup toy, but it also makes her the best player in the game.
In Major League Baseball, most plays are predictable the minute the ball leaves the bat. Unless a fielder truly messes up, an infield ground ball will almost never result in a hit. The distance between home plate and first base in the MLB is 90 feet, but in professional softball, that distance is only 60 feet. That means that every play has potential. If a runner is fast enough, she can outrun even a simple ground ball. That makes the game feel faster, and more equitable. A great pitcher can still win you a game, but that's rarer and rarer. Softball, for now at least, is much more dependent on whole team efforts than on single home runs by individual players.
After watching four games in Tuscaloosa and many more streaming, I can tell you it's impossible to deny how entertaining of a game the women of the NPF are playing. The games are often nail-biters into the final inning. The players are powerful. Their energy and enthusiasm are strong. The level of play is on par with any professional sport. The only thing not on par is the attention they receive.
The stadium where the national championship series happens is less than a mile from University Boulevard, the main drag of the University of Alabama. In between the stately pillars of old row fraternities and the sports complexes, there are a few strip malls filled with restaurants. At Chipotle, the cashier handed out free tickets to the final game the night before it was played.
It was a Tuesday evening before classes began, but after Greek rush week. Two students in oversized T-shirts took tickets from the top of a large stack. "I played softball in high school, but I would have had to go to a smaller school to keep playing, you know?" a girl named Caroline told me between bites of her burrito bowl. Her friend nodded. "I kind of stopped trying to get any better because there wasn't any point. I loved softball but it's not, like, a career."
"I didn't even know there was pro softball," the friend chimed in. They told me they probably won't go to the game. "I kind of just took them to be nice," Caroline shrugged.
You don't exactly give away tickets at a Chipotle for a game you expect to have good attendance. The final game, held on a Tuesday evening, had the lowest attendance of the three. (The series totaled 7,048 fans according to Kempf, but the NPF did not provide attendance numbers for individual games.) But everything that could happen to make this game great did. It featured two of the oldest and most storied teams in NPF history. The weather wasn't too hot and it wasn't raining. The score stayed close up until the very end.
The Chicago Bandits won the third game by one run, and they celebrated like any championship team would. They piled on top of each other. One player gave another a piggyback ride. Someone from the league brought out championship T-shirts and hats, and each of the women pulled hers on over her jersey. From cannons beside the dugouts, red, white, and blue confetti blasted into the air and landed on the field. As a man read the game's stats through the loudspeaker, one of the players made snow angels in the pile of confetti on the field. They were jubilant.
But unlike other championship teams, they celebrated almost alone. By the end of the game, the stands were mostly empty. I did a rough head count and got to almost 300 spectators by the time the confetti cannons blew. The best players in the country deserve more than an audience of family members. They deserve to have their plays reviewed on SportsCenter, their faces printed on magazines, and their names known by more than a select few.
When the man over the speaker announced the Chicago Bandits as the winners of the 2016 National Pro Fastpitch championship series and presented them with the league's greatest prize. The loudest cheers came not from the stands, but from the players themselves. They knew they should be proud of themselves. Even if no one else did.
Source: Fusion
They did not play, but they sure can coach
Fresh out of SUNY Cortland, John Coletta was offered a job teaching physical education at his old high school.
It came with a catch.
He also needed to coach the school's boys' junior varsity volleyball team.
"I was scared. I was terrified. Very nervous," Coletta said, remembering back to his first coaching season with Shenendehowa in 2004. "I knew the kids in the gym would know more about the game than me."
Coletta had played soccer, basketball and baseball growing up. In college, he ran cross country and competed in track.
Volleyball? He'd played it in youth physical education classes and had taken a course his sophomore year of college that taught the fundamentals of the game.
"But I didn't leave that class thinking I'd be a volleyball coach," Coletta said. "It was just something I had to take."
Like a number of coaches across Section II's various levels of high school athletics, Coletta got his start in coaching by taking on the job for a team that simply needed a coach. Many -- like Coletta, now 34 years old and coming off a 2015 season in which he led the Shenendehowa varsity team to the state final four -- have developed from novices to experts, such as Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake girls' volleyball's Gary Bynon and Amsterdam boys' track and field's Kevin Wilary.
To do so is a long journey. For Coletta, it started in 2004 with a JV team he led to a winless season. The lone set that team won was the last it played.
"That was like winning a championship for us," Coletta said.
The next season didn't go much better; Coletta's team won one match. During those first few years, Coletta read books about volleyball, attended clinics and found online tutorials to study -- but progress came in slow gains.
"Compared to now, yeah, I had no idea what was going on," said Coletta, who is now in his sixth season as the Plainsmen varsity team's head coach. "But I cared. I really cared. Going home, I remember sharing with my wife [Colleen] the frustration of what I was going through with trying to get my kids better. There were a lot of hard seasons, personally, because I really wanted the kids to be successful."
Amsterdam's Wilary finds that last part especially relatable. Baseball and football were the sports of his youth, but he showed up anyway at the school's track as a volunteer timer during his first year teaching as a favor to coach Stu Palczak. Soon he was attending practices. Then he was an assistant coach. Next, he took over the boys' program and focused most of his efforts on teaching the school's sprinters.
That role quickly became a more important one than normal. In Wilary's second season as head coach, sprinter Izaiah Brown -- now a sophomore at Rutgers University who is coming off a freshman season in which he won the 400-meter dash at both the Big Ten indoor and outdoor championship meets -- showed up, pushing Wilary to spend even more time learning the finer points of sprint training.
"I didn't want to screw him up," Wilary said of Brown, who won multiple state championships in high school. "Having him, there was pressure. There were such high expectations for him every year and one thing I wanted to make sure he did was get better every year so he could get to where he is today."
By his third year of coaching volleyball, Coletta started to make significant progress. He'd started playing the game on a men's team, and his teammates there taught him how to use his 6-foot-4 frame on the court.
"That really made a difference for me," Coletta said. "They'd kind of coach me as we played."
Coletta gained enough comfort during the next few years with the sport he quickly grew to love to accept the varsity coaching position prior to the 2011 season. By his fourth season at the varsity level, he'd developed a high-level command of the sport, able to break down the game's complicated nuances in a direct fashion and with complete confidence.
It took Burnt Hills' Bynon about a decade to get to that point, too. Despite all the winning his program has done since he took control of it in 1988, Bynon said it wasn't until the 1997 season that he fully shed the final remnants of being a "basketball, football guy" in his youth.
"That's when I really started to feel comfortable with our system, how to train our kids," he said. "That took our program to another level."
Bynon's now the president of the New York Volleyball Coaches Association, and his program has won six state titles. What keeps him motivated, though, is the memory of when he felt inferior to some of his coaching peers.
"One of the reasons for the success of people who coach a sport they didn't play is that they . . . go out there and feel like they have to prove themselves to other coaches that played the game," said Bynon, whose program carries a 377-match league winning streak into Suburban Council play this year. "I don't ever want to not be prepared because of [my past inexperience]. I still to this day think that way."
At times, too, those early days of inexperience pay dividends for a coach. During Shenendehowa's run to the state tournament last season, the Plainsmen's toughest match came during the sectional semifinals against Niskayuna when they dropped the first two sets.
"Everyone was all tight. Frantic," said Ross Halpern, Coletta's assistant and former player during those JV years. "But you looked over at John, and he's sitting there, smiling, saying we're going to be OK... He kept everyone cool, relaxed and focused."
Shenendehowa won the next three sets to advance to the area title game. Coletta's demeanor throughout that semifinal stayed calm, as is his custom. Even when a bad call goes against his team, Coletta keeps his cool. He developed that even-keeled approach back when he was starting out as a coach, and knew his knowledge of the game needed improvement before he'd ever take on an official
"The whistles would blow sometimes and I'd be like, 'What's happening?'" he remembered, laughing.
Now, he knows, but wants to know more. Volleyball has become Coletta's game, and he's as much a teacher of it as he is a student.
"But that's one of the neat parts about volleyball: trying to be a student of the game and understanding there's more than one way to do things," he said. "So I'll always be open to learning new things with it."
Source: Schenectady Daily Gazette
Parents, don't go rogue in youth sports
It was the championship game and, after a long tournament series, both the fans and players were showing signs of strain.
A batter was at the plate with a runner at third. When the batter hit the ball, the runner -- unaware that the ball had been caught -- darted for home. A female fan jumped out of the stands and began pushing the runner back to third base. The runner got back just before the center fielder's throw arrived.
"Safe!" shouted the umpire.
"Fans are not allowed on the field!" shouted the opposing team's manager, running onto the field. "The runner is out!"
"The runner is safe!" shouted the female fan.
A heated discussion ensued. The manager berated the umpire for not knowing the rules. The female fan shouted at the manager and the umpire. The umpire was humiliated in front of several fans.
If you are a die-hard Major League Baseball observer, you'd probably get a laugh out of this. You'd think it was funny that an overzealous fan lost control and jumped onto the field.
But this didn't happen in the Major League. It happened at a softball tournament for 8-year-old girls.
"It was the most ridiculous thing I ever saw," said one player's father. "They're just little kids for goodness sakes!"
But this fact was overlooked by some parents, who must believe that winning should come at all costs. Later in the same game, the male coach got into another shout-out with the umpire.
Here's what happened: One girl, who couldn't hit the side of a barn with a telephone pole, finally got a hit. The ball may have contacted the bat at the edge of her pinky finger. Under Major League rules, if the ball touched her finger, the hit would be a foul.
But if you're like most decent people, you wouldn't care whether the ball hit the girl's pinky or not. You'd be glad that she was able to finally get a hit.
But not in this game.
"Foul!" shouted the male manager, running onto the field again. "The ball is foul!"
When I played Little League many years ago, there were occasional idiot parents and coaches who did such things.
One coach kicked a fence in because the umpire made a bad call. And one kid's grandparents constantly tormented the umpire from the stands. But, for the most part, most parents were like my own.
My father believed that the purpose of sports -- especially sports for children -- was for kids to have fun and to learn basic lessons about life.
Winning in life is important, he believed. But there are more important things, such as fairness, honesty and integrity.
My father taught me to always try my best, regardless of the outcome. He taught me to have fun, and I had a lot of fun playing baseball.
But, alas, that was more than 30 years ago, when more folks still believed in the virtues -- and believed their kid wasn't a gift to the world from the heavens.
Today, stop by any Little League competition and you'll see kid-worshipping parents in the stands, griping about teen umpires who don't know the rules. You'll see parents complaining to coaches that their kid should be batting fourth, not eighth. And you'll fear that the next bad call will cause a brawl to break out.
Because, I suppose, the philosophy has changed since my father coached my Little League team, and it goes something like this: Fairness, honesty and integrity are nice but -- especially where 8-year-old girls are concerned -- winning isn't everything.
It's the only thing.
Source: Fergus Falls Journal
Rochester Amateur update: Changes coming with ASA softball
This past week a couple of staff members from the Sports Commission attended the 2016 Connect Sports Conference.
The Sports Commission attends a couple of conferences a year to get educated on trends in the sports tourism industry as well as to look for new events we could potentially bring to Rochester in the future.
Sometimes these meetings also include maintaining relationships with some of the groups we already work with, such as ASA softball.
Rochester has hosted an ASA Fastpitch Softball Northern National tournament for several years in a row and has a national tournament through 2017. We have been honored to host these national tournaments as the impact on our community is over a million dollars in estimated economic impact for each of these events.
It is also great hosting teams from across the Midwest in our city and watching volunteers, vendors and our community rally around putting on a great event.
As we met with the Director of ASA in Texas, we came away with a couple of interesting changes that will be happening with ASA branding as well as their championship events.
With the Rio Olympics still fresh in our mind, it was exciting to talk about softball being added to the Olympics games for 2020. This will be the first time since 2008 softball will be part of the Olympic Games.
With that, ASA will begin to change over to USA Softball as a way to emulate other USA sports such as hockey, basketball, volleyball etc. The goal is that ASA will be completely changed over to USA Softball by 2018.
The reason is that umpires and tournament hosts need time to change out umpire and tournament equipment to the new USA logo. So, if you are out playing slow pitch softball in the near future at McQuillan, chances are you will begin to see USA Softball hats and shirts worn by umpires.
Secondly, ASA Softball will be changing how bids are divided up, beginning in 2018. Currently, age groups available for bid are rotated between regions. Minnesota is currently in Region 11 and bids against North and South Dakota for national events. In the future, ASA Softball will look to go from 15 Regions to 8-10, which would create more states bidding against each other for more age groups.
As with anything, there are pros and cons but the impact of this change would benefit Rochester in a way that would allow us to bid on larger age groups on an annual basis, as more of these age groups would be available in our region. So looking into the future, we will continue to work to keep a good relationship with now USA Softball. With sporting events consistently changing we have learned to embrace change. We will do so again in this case as the changes to the bidding process and branding to USA Softball are in the best interest of the sport moving forward.
Source: Rochester Post Bulletin
Many kids are overdoing it when it comes to sports, and that's dangerous
Last spring, a student I was tutoring told me his back hurt. The boy, a 14-year-old in Northwest Washington, had played on school and travel soccer teams in the fall. Despite his pain, he was still playing travel ball, competing in weekend tournaments and practicing twice a week. I watched him struggle to squeeze in schoolwork around these commitments -- even when he was reduced to lying on the floor with his feet up against the wall as we worked to prepare him for quizzes.
After a few weeks of this, he saw a doctor, who diagnosed a spinal stress fracture. In an email to me, his mother faulted all the soccer he had played -- even after his back began to hurt.
This story is hardly unique. Every year, thousands of kids suffer injuries -- including stress fractures and jumper's knee -- caused by intense sport specialization and overuse. As a tutor and a medical writer, I see how students are affected. Having suffered from overuse injuries when I was a youth athlete, I also know how they feel.
Injuries from specializing in one sport at a young age have long been discussed in medical journals, and it remains an ongoing issue. Meanwhile, studies reject many of specialization's purported benefits, finding that it leads to overuse injuries and emotional burnout among pre- and early adolescents -- often without generating the competitive advantage promised over multi-sport athletes. That said, are we finally ready to address this problem?
In September 1989, the American Journal of Sports Medicine published "The accident-prone and overuse-prone profiles of the young athlete," an article that found muscle and ligament issues among college freshmen who specialized in a sport. "The overuse-prone profile is mainly based on physical traits: A combination of muscle weakness, ligamentous laxity, and muscle tightness predisposes [such athletes] to stress injuries."
Overdoing it
By coincidence, I played football as an 11-year-old that fall, then in winter competed on two basketball teams and in spring played on two baseball teams. I continued this pattern for a couple of more years.
During the spring of my freshman year of high school, though, my right knee began to ache. I told nobody about it, practicing or playing nearly every day even as a sharp bone began to protrude out of the joint, masked only by a stretched layer of skin.
After meekly running out a ground ball during one game, I limped back to the dugout. My coach -- a friend's father who had known me since I was 7 -- pulled me aside. My doctor -- also my father -- jogged down from the stands and demanded that I show him my leg. I was later diagnosed with Osgood-Schlatter disease, a painful condition that occurs during adolescent growth spurts and more often in people who participate in running and jumping sports that put stress on bones and muscles (and caused the bone to protrude from my knee). I was lucky. I missed only two weeks of action, and was able to play the rest of the season wearing a felt brace on the knee.
I clearly overdid it with too much running and jumping sports, then failed to say that I was hurting. I was a hyperactive, stubborn kid who loved sports.
Today, the issue is often that parents, kids and coaches feel the pressure to pick one sport to specialize as the best way to become an elite athlete. It's not just because of the premium on being "best" in something; there's also a financial incentive to make a child stand out for a college scholarship, or, however unlikely, a future in professional sports.
Peer pressure
And they want to keep up with the Joneses: The father of another teen I was tutoring last year explained to me that, because his son wanted to excel in soccer and because the family could afford the travel, what choice did he have but to fly his son to tournaments on weekends, like other players?
Moderating sports time "can be a hard concept for parents to accept," Kelsey Logan, a sports medicine director in Cincinnati, wrote in the Journal of Pediatrics last year, "as we seem to have adopted the 'more is better' culture when it comes to sports." One result: "With this hyperfocus [come] stressors for which the immature skeleton is not prepared. Accordingly overuse injuries are a common reason to visit pediatricians and sports medicine specialists."
In fact, sports researchers have recently found that specialization leads to overuse injuries, with risk increasing in proportion with degree of specialization. It also stifles motor-skill development in preadolescents, increasing injury risk. A study published in February found that high school athletes who played one sport for more than eight months in a year were nearly three times as likely as others to suffer overuse knee injuries, for example. Playing only one sport and doing it year-round are the chief catalysts for the dozen overuse injuries that pediatrician Brent Thibodeaux, who practices in Northern Virginia, examines every week. (Until recently, I was a writer for Thibodeaux's medical group, and I have worked with him.)
Parents and kids often ignore doctors' advice; worried about what taking time off will do to the youth's status on a team, the child returns to action before injuries have healed.
Thibodeaux's consultations often turn into negotiations, he says. When he recommends that athletes rest for two weeks after an injury, they often respond: "Two days?" He recalls one high school pitcher saying it was "not an option" to sit for two weeks with pain often referred to as Little League elbow (the result of overstressing the growth plate inside the elbow). The boy had college showcases coming up and games to play. "Usually I can get the kids to agree to three to five days off" at most, Thibodeaux says.
Hiding the pain
For every kid like my tutee, who acknowledged his pain and followed doctor's orders to rest (if kicking a soccer ball against the wall constitutes rest), there are many others who try to hide it, like I did, and play through the pain.
But by hiding an overuse injury or returning to action too soon, Thibodeaux says, kids risk sustaining major injuries such as ligament tears and broken bones, which can sideline them for far more than two weeks. But, he adds, "parents don't think that will happen to their kid."
As for the adults on the field, many coaches are paid to improve kids' skills and win games -- even at the youth level -- and they get very invested in both tasks. But, Thibodeaux says, ultimately "it's a parent's responsibility to say, 'This is enough.' They've got to stick up for their kid, who is still a minor."
Kids who don't slow down when injured can suffer debilitating effects from overuse injuries that last into adulthood, according to new research, including, counterintuitively, burnout and "lost development of lifetime sports skills."
The latest research
If kids and parents don't pay attention to their doctors' advice, they should at least spend some time with the latest research on how to best nurture athletic success. It turns out that the much-ballyhooed 10,000-hours rule for mastery of an activity may not be the best way to become an elite athlete. Instead, researchers suggest that engaging in unstructured activities and sampling multiple sports before adolescence best predict long-term athletic success (and psychological maturity, to boot).
"Sport samplers, who have had the opportunity to develop essential fundamental motor skills, will have many different sports available to them across the life span," the researchers wrote in Kinesiology Review last year. "Sport sampling in the formative youth years is clearly superior to early sport specialization."
National organizations agree with this perspective; the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine and the National Strength and Conditioning Association recommend against early sports specialization.
In addition, free play is getting a renewed push as a more healthful way to develop athleticism in young people.
"During free play, when a child gets cold, tired, hungry, bored, or sore, she or he will typically stop," researchers wrote last year in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, of children ages 7 to 18. "But when being supervised by an adult or when participating in organized competition, the child may feel an expectation to continue and therefore be more likely to push through pain or soreness."
I may not have listeI may not have listened to that advice as a kid. Pushing through pain or soreness was what you did.
But today I encourage my tutees and others to do what I say, not what I did: Stop pushing through the pain. Go see your doctor if something hurts. Enjoy sports. Don't wait until a bone is protruding from a joint to act.
Source: Washington Post


text:
Wine And Ivory
Comments (5)
k879 on
Beautiful! I love all of the details. :)
lizziesmom430 on
Absolutely beautiful! Love your bow!
MiaT on
Gorgeous bow, looks so realistic!
KathysCC on
This is a beautiful cake! It is going in my favorites. Do you make all the pieces of the ribbon in advance and let them dry hard? I'd like to know how you did this.
ps3884 on
Thanks everyone! Yes, I make the pieces of the bow ahead and let them dry. Then I assemble it inside of a cake pan (I used an 8" round for this bow) to help assemble it more evenly.
Login To Leave A Comment


text:
it seems like it
There are no dividends because the value that you are investing for is realized to a higher degree when you keep the money in buffett's pocket and not your's.
Who do you think increases the chances of a higher return on your investment, you or Warren Buffett?
Don't even bother answering that question, we both already know the answer to it.
Hi there,
Warren Buffett is not another Bernie Madoff in one very important respect: Both guys had very successful investing careers, that then went in very different directions. Madoff decided to bank on his reputation by selling nothing (new investors 'bought' into the investment and that was used to pay off old investors, not buy actual assets). Mr. Buffett is not taking in new money from investors (if you invest, the money is not going to Berkshire, it is going to the now former partners that are selling the shares to you). Mr. Buffett is taking company money from the roughly 80 businesses to and investment income to buy more businesses... soon to include the Heinz family of food companies.
Sentiment: Strong Buy
You sure are a pest. Sell some calls or shares. Your logic doesn't even make sense.
Sometimes I wonder...