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A Whole New Ball Game?
A glorious autumn day. School colors flying. Bands blaring fight songs. Cheerleaders in skimpy skirts kicking up their heels. Stands vibrating from the stomping feet of fans. Fearsome young men raging with the fire of competition. Isn't this what college is all about?
Er...not according to a killjoy named Gordon Gee. In September, Vanderbilt Chancellor Gee grabbed headlines when he announced that he was disbanding the university's athletic department. Granted, no teams were cut, no athletic scholarships lost. But Gee did strike a chord. In trying to pull the athlete back into the academic community, he became the public face of a movement that is making a serious stab at reforming college sports. "Other universities have called and said: 'Good, you jump off that cliff, and if it works, get back to me,"' says Gee. "I suspect they're sweating bullets, with all this national attention."
Why? Because Gee's success or failure just might help foretell the future of an extracurricular activity that has grown into a $3 billion-a-year annual industry, according to Smith College economist Andrew S. Zimbalist, author of Unpaid Professionals. Behind the crowds and TV hype, pressure is building either to turn class-skipping athletes into students or recognize that -- at least at big-time sports schools -- it's too late to turn back the clock. And that's pitting reformers against an army of alumni boosters, politicians who control state schools, TV networks, and commercial interests -- all of whom would feel the impact of downsizing college sports.
The endless debate over the proper role of sports in university life would probably not be raging so fiercely if it weren't for a particularly troubling spate of scandals. Months after Maurice Clarett led Ohio State to the national title in football, the running back was charged with receiving special treatment on an exam and accused of lying to police about what was stolen from a car loaned to him by a school booster. The men's basketball team at Fresno State was put on probation after someone else did players' course work. The University of Washington was hit with a two-year probation for recruiting violations.
And it isn't just the players. Georgia basketball coach Jim Harrick resigned amid charges of academic fraud. Alabama fired head football coach Mike Price for "indecorous" behavior involving a drinking spree and a stripper. Iowa State basketball coach Larry Eustachy resigned after photos surfaced showing him drinking and kissing coeds at a party after a game. Most bizarre, Baylor basketball coach Dave Bliss threw in the towel after trying to cover up illegal payments to a player -- before he was murdered -- by allegedly spreading rumors that he dealt drugs.
Some reforms have already been put in place: stricter academic requirements for entering freshmen and for athletes to remain eligible. Others are long-range and more ambitious. They include shortening the football and basketball seasons, and, most fundamental, pulling back from the commercial forces that have turned college sports into an entertainment spectacle.
Leading the charge are faculty senates, including many from the six athletic conferences that form the Bowl Championship Series (BCS); the powerful Association of Governing Boards of Universities & Colleges; and the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. (NCAA) -- generally considered the marketing arm of college sports. "What's unusual here is having a faculty group and a trustee group aligned," says Robert Eno, co-chair of the faculty group, the Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics (COIA), alluding to trustees' usual fervent support of athletics. "It's odd. It's unprecedented. We're all surprised, but it seems to be working well."
Crisis is nothing new to college sports. Violent deaths in football led President Teddy Roosevelt in 1905 to threaten the game's abolition, which spurred the forming of the NCAA that same year. What's different now is the amount of money sloshing around. Schools that make it to the top bowl games can pull in up to $13 million apiece. And in March, 1999, CBS (VIA ) signed an 11-year, $6 billion TV contract, mostly for basketball. (Football contracts are awarded by individual conferences.) As a result, schedules and seasons have expanded, expenses have skyrocketed, and scandals have multiplied.
Now, says Myles Brand, head of the NCAA since January, "change is in the air." Predictably, the current reform movement started over money. The coalition of faculty members was born in the fall of 2002 after a professor of classic languages at the University of Oregon, James Earl, became alarmed by a single act of university spending. "I picked up my newspaper one morning and read about the university spending $90 million to expand the football stadium," says Earl. "The faculty had never been told about it. We went nuts. We're poor as church mice here. How could you spend $90 million on a stadium when we can't even pay the faculty's salaries?"
Earl was then president of the Oregon faculty senate, and he wrote to the presidents of the other universities in the Pacific 10 Conference. By the beginning of 2003, faculty senates at 45 to 50 universities had contacted the COIA to voice their support. In January, the Association of Governing Boards of Universities & Colleges, the advisory group representing the trustees of over 1,200 institutions elected to join the COIA in its reform push. The final member of the triumvirate to weigh in was the NCAA. Says Brand, the first university president to head the NCAA and the man who fired basketball legend Bobby Knight at Indiana: "Reform was one of the conditions under which I took this job."
The three groups met in Chicago in April and endorsed a series of educational and budgetary reforms. Some had already been enacted by the NCAA over the previous two years, all of them aimed at improving academic performance. One rule stipulates that athletes complete a set percentage of the requirements to graduate each year. Another raises grade-point-averages athletes must achieve in college, and a third boosts the academic qualifications athletes must have to enter.
The reformers also back a carrot-and-stick plan, rewarding teams that do well academically with more scholarship slots and money from television and punishing teams doing poorly by taking away scholarships and ultimately barring them from post-season play. These measures will be voted on by Division 1 presidents in April and are expected to pass. "We are also looking at the kinds of courses that student-athletes should be taking," says Brand. "We want general education courses, not any old course."
Critics, however, point out that stronger regulations aren't enough. They require accurate and honest reporting. "You can toughen up academic standards, but that leads to more academic fraud," says Howard Chudacoff, a history professor at Brown and the university's NCAA faculty representative. Brand insists that maintaining academic integrity is a primary objective and says the NCAA will modestly boost its investigative staff, which now numbers 15.
The April meeting also set longer-term goals involving "transparency" in athletic budgets. The sources of money for college sports are often murky: Cash from boosters often goes unreported and can cover under-the-table payments to coaches and even players. Facilities can be a mystery all their own. "It's always difficult to account for capital spending, athletic or otherwise," says Brand. On Aug. 6, the NCAA received a $50,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to back a study of capital spending on athletics.
What's not murky is that as more money goes to new stadiums, celebrity coaches, and better training facilities, critics of the so-called "athletics arms race" have become more vocal. Some schools have independent athletic departments that support themselves, but the majority are funded by the university. "About 30 schools have separate athletic budgets," says reformer Earl, but around 100 in Division 1 are "sucking money from the schools."
And it isn't just the money that bothers the reformers but the deals made to get that money -- like the Nike (NKE ) swoosh on uniforms at many schools and ads on arena walls. "That's an unpleasant message to a lot of people who care about the idea of the university as a place of inquiry free of commercial taint," says Derek Bok, former president of Harvard and author of Universities in the Marketplace.
The reformers are also training their guns on what may be the most powerful force in today's college sports landscape: television. They believe that TV's scheduling needs -- games during the week, long travel to tournaments -- increasingly clash with academic requirements. One of the movement's long-term goals is regaining control of schedules. They would like to see shorter seasons and smaller squads. The Drake Group, a four-year-old reform organization of about 100 dues-paying professors across the country, wants "to return control of the classroom to the faculty," says its president, Linda Bensel-Meyers of the University of Denver. The group believes many athletic departments currently have the power to get grades changed, and encourage plagiarized papers.
Major ammunition for the reform movement has come from a persuasive set of statistics -- "myth-breaking," Brand calls them -- that challenge the benefits long thought to flow from strong sports programs. One of the biggest myths was shattered when Brand announced in August that "fewer than a dozen universities" make a profit from sports. All of those were Division 1-A schools with major basketball and football programs.
Universities that can't rely on football and men's basketball to pay the bills are often forced into painful downsizing of their sports programs. Since 2000, 31 Division I schools have eliminated at least one intercollegiate sports team, according to the Chronicle of High Education. This year, West Virginia University swung the ax at five, including men's cross-country and men's tennis.
Four studies in the past eight years -- the latest by the NCAA this year -- conclude that winning sports teams do not necessarily inspire alumni to donate, and in those cases when they do, the boost is short-lived. "We only saw an impact in alumni giving if a school wins a bowl game, on average 7.3%," says economist Thomas A. Rhoads, who co-authored a 2000 study. "But when a basketball team was put on probation, there was a decrease of 13.6% in alumni contributions."
Perhaps the most shocking findings came from a 2001 study by the Mellon Foundation that demonstrated the importance afforded athletics at Ivy League and other prestigious schools that downplay sports and profess to give no athletic scholarships. "We say we don't give scholarships, but we really do -- the whole Ivy League does," says Brown's Chudacoff. "We give money to needy students, and we have a lot of needy athletes." The Mellon report revealed that nearly all top schools also lowered admission standards for athletes, opening the door more readily for jocks than for minorities or the children of alumni. Once enrolled, athletes do more poorly than nonathletes -- as much as 20% worse.
"It makes it harder for faculty to teach the way they want to teach because they don't get the commitment or the preparation from the recruited athletes that they get from the other students," says William G. Bowen, head of the Mellon Foundation and co-author of two books based on the study. Bowen adds that nonathletes resent what they see as domination of the campus by athletes, who can make up as much as 35% to 40% of the student body of smaller schools, compared with about 3% at big state universities. The result, he says is "an athletic divide."
Some schools have already taken action to rein in sports. Boston University dropped football in 1997 after 113 years, and Swarthmore ended a 122-year football tradition in 2000 -- both citing an overconcentration on sports. In 2002, 5 of the 11 members of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) decided to reduce the number of athletes it accepted, and the Council of Ivy League Presidents in June voted for the first time to limit the athletes its eight universities can recruit.
"We were willing to trade off SATs and GPAs to get a kid who's a great violinist or a student of color, but we were more willing to make that trade-off for athletes," says President Morton O. Schapiro of Williams, which voted for the NESCAC cuts.
How many schools will follow suit remains to be seen -- and some of the reformers' proposals clearly amount to pigskin in the sky. Many university leaders argue that the benefits of a major sports program still far outweigh the drawbacks. "The idea of sports is to shine a light on the university in a positive manner and to help enrollment," says Robert J. Dwyer, chairman of the board of trustees of Niagara University and a 1965 graduate who helped fund the school's first hockey rink. "Our [men's hockey team] went to the Final Eight in 2000, and our women to the Final Four in 2002. Enrollment has risen steadily."
Besides, college sports are deeply woven into America's tapestry. "Sports offers high visibility that in some mysterious way creates a bond between the university and a broader public," says James Duderstadt, former president of the University of Michigan. The pull that collegiate sports has on the populace is especially true at state schools, where traditions are storied and fans rabid. It was no accident that Gee waited until he had left his previous positions at Ohio State, Colorado, and West Virginia before making his stand at private Vanderbilt. "If I were to try to do this at Ohio State," says Gee, "I would end up pumping gas."
And it is not just emotions that are at play at state schools but money and politics. The governor and legislatures control school budgets, and they stand for election answerable to a sports-crazed electorate. "Because the state has deeper pockets than any single institution, state universities are more likely to spring for new facilities," says sports economist Zimbalist. "Once that investment is made, perhaps hundreds of millions of dollars, it ups the pressure to win."
That's why many think the reform movement will get nowhere -- at least at big-time sports schools. "I can't believe that a Michigan or a Penn State, schools with good academics and successful sports programs, are going to want to cut back," says Bill Cella, chairman of Magna Global USA, the TV negotiating arm of the communications conglomerate Interpublic Group. "I think the reverse is happening. There are efforts now on behalf of the networks to convince the [BCS] conference to go into a real playoff structure. That would generate some real money, and money rules the day." Zimbalist adds that shortening seasons might not loosen money's grip: "With less supply, the price for sponsorship and advertising could go up," he points out.
The question is: Where is it all going to end? Reformer Eno sees a nightmarish future: "If the situation continues to evolve the way it has," he says, "there's going to be increased pressure for the payment of athletes in the revenue sports, even for the outsourcing of big-time football and basketball, to try to distance the universities from the negative associations of commercialism."
That may not be far off. State legislatures in California, Utah, and Nebraska last summer introduced bills to pay athletes and allow them to share in money earned from bowl games, TV, and endorsements. The NCAA firmly opposes "pay-for-play" but is studying a plan to increase scholarship support.
"We're at a crossroads," says Brand. "If this reform fails and schools adopt a pay-for-play professional model, it is the end of college sports as we know it and a serious loss to the educational system." That's why the reformers plan to keep grinding it out on the ground until they make some serious yardage.
By Skip Rozin, with Susan Zegel


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[Date Index]
[Thread Index]
[Author Index]
More Button crashes
Yesterday I posted an intermittent problem I was having related to Button use. I have now found another Button problem that is repeatable. I was not looking for it; it found me.
<<<--- Warning --->>>
This example can crash your kernel or front end. If you run this code, save all your work, exit all kernels and front ends and start a new, isolated front end and kernel.
I have tested this on two different machines and operating systems, OSX and Windows.
Evaluating the PutUpDialog[] function on its own has the expected behavior. Evaluating the same function as a result of pushing the button, however, has ugly results.
--- snip ---
PutUpDialog[] := Module[{ret},
ret = DialogInput[{Row[{DefaultButton[DialogReturn[True]],
CancelButton[DialogReturn[False]]}]}]; If[ret, "Hi", "Bye"]]
Button["Dialog Box", PutUpDialog[]]

subset: commoncrawl


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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 3/3/2014 (1211 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
With the Manitoba government slated to release its next budget on Thursday, we thought it might be worth conducting a little budget priority daydreaming ourselves.
What if you were the premier of western Manitoba — if such a thing existed. Where would you put your spending priorities? And what if money was no object when it came to your Westman budget checklist?
Well, in our Westman universe, we can see plenty of places that could use attention, and if we were premier of the region, here's where we would focus our efforts.
First up, infrastructure. In basically every municipality in Westman, there are roads and bridges that are in need of repair, and one of the most pressing concerns for the southwest corner of our little empire is the oilpatch.
Just last week, Tundra Oil and Gas CEO Dan MacLean called for the spending of $24 million to transform Highway 256 into an "all-weather" road. The highway, what MacLean called the "lifeblood" of the oil industry here, basically shuts down during the spring thaw, forcing heavy tanker traffic down other municipal roads, which only causes further damage.
While we're at it, let's twin Highway 10 properly, all the way to Riding Mountain National Park. Oh, and we should also finish repaving a section of the Trans-Canada Highway near Virden that was improperly surfaced the first time.
Hopefully we'll avoid paving roads to nowhere like the service road off Highway 10 that was completed up to Deer Ridge Road last year — built with a nod to a cloverleaf planned for the section of the Trans-Canada Highway north of Brandon a quarter-century from now. Lord knows the traffic lights at First Street and the Trans-Canada don't look flashy enough.
Speaking of roads and bridges, the bottlenecked Daly Overpass in Brandon sure could use that second northbound lane — the 15-minute drive from the south end of the city to the Trans-Canada takes far too long. And whatever the initial cost to build the fourth lane, no doubt it will ultimately be significantly higher. The original cost estimate for the Thompson Bridge was $17.9 million, but the actual was more like $28 million when it was finally finished.
Let's not forget about the Eighth Street bridge. Among the varied options identified by Dillon Consulting some time ago, the cost to redo the bridge ranged from $20 million to $34 million. A mere drop or two in the budget bucket. Though the city has an infrastructure reserve, Patrick Pulak from Dillon Consulting said Brandon would need to pursue a funding partnership with either the province or the federal government to get it done. Unless of course the bridge becomes pedestrian only.
Airport renovations at McGill Field would be next on the list — certainly a big concern for all Westman residents these days. The ambitious plan for the city, which includes a new baggage carousel, revised arrivals hall, new updated ticketing counters, furniture, lighting and mechanical systems — among other changes — would cost upwards of $1.6 million. Even before WestJet landed in Brandon, the city was on the hunt for provincial and federal funding for this redevelopment.
The recent cold spell has also highlighted the fact that Brandon, like Winnipeg, is having to deal with severely aging sewer and water lines that break and crack from frost and use. And the cost to the city is quite stark: Mayor Shari Decter Hirst told the Sun last year the city had a $165-million infrastructure deficit to contend with.
Meanwhile, the Assiniboine Community College's move from its Victoria Avenue campus to the new North Hill campus remains stuck in limbo. For a moving project that former ACC president Joel Ward predicted would be complete in 2011, it remains half complete and three years past that deadline.
In the final tally, ACC's move to its new home will have cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and the project is stalled. As premier, we would make this project a priority for the upcoming year.
And like other growing communities in Westman — such as Neepawa — Brandon needs cash to build infrastructure for new developments, such as the proposed North Brandon Gateway project between First and 18th streets south of the Trans-Canada Highway.
The reality is, there are plenty of places the NDP could put its spending here in western Manitoba, and we've only mentioned some of the bigger ticket items that require bricks, mortar, steel and asphalt.
To ask the province to attend to every item on this list would come with a heavy dose of wishful thinking, but these are all projects that need attention in our corner of Manitoba.
Let's see if the New Democrats have been paying attention.


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Did nobbling sink Victoria's shipbuilding bid?
Page Tools
Steve Bracks and John Brumby after the verdict.
Photo: James Davies
Victorian committee members still find Canberra's decision hard to swallow, reports David Elias.
The haggling over the price of Australia's three new air warfare destroyers went for three gruelling rounds between January and April.
At each, the Defence Materiel Organisation pushed competing shipbuilders Tenix and ASC to shave their costs and profits, pitting one against the other and both against a destroyer bought "off-the-shelf" from US defence giant Northrop Grumman.
Before the third and final round, a committee of Victorian Government bureaucrats met in the Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development at 55 Collins Street to revisit the figures.
They came away convinced that the Williamstown naval dockyard was in front of the Osborne Maritime Centre in Adelaide by at least $380 million and up to $500 million.
Labour would cost up to $100 million more in South Australia, engineering costs there would be up $100 million to $150 million and infrastructure costs up $100 million for ASC and $150 million should Tenix win its second tender and move from Williamstown to Osborne.
When Defence Minister Robert Hill announced on Tuesday that ASC had won the contract, the Victorian group chaired by Office of Manufacturing executive director Stuart Kells was stunned.
How could they have been so wrong if, in fact, they were wrong?
Victoria has had to swallow a bitter pill. Premier Steve Bracks has not even tried to disguise his disbelief as members of the cabinet's national security committee from Prime Minister John Howard through Treasurer and prime ministerial aspirant Peter Costello to South Australian-based Senator Hill insisted value for money alone had determined the result. Mr Bracks has called for Canberra to release the figures to prove the tender process was transparent, saying the labor costs at Tenix's Williamstown shipyard were about $3 an hour lower than anywhere else.
Canberra was well prepared for Victoria's reaction. As soon as Senator Hill announced the decision, officials there moved to minimise the backlash.
Unsolicited calls were received in media offices from a member of the team that carried out the financial assessment, offering unattributable briefings.
The Victorian Government, he said, had done everything it could have done. Its support package was at least as good as South Australia's.
ASC had not received beneficial treatment because it was government-owned and political considerations had not influenced the evaluation. David Mortimer, the independent chairman of the source selection board, had seen to that.
"It came down to the fact that the ASC financial proposal represented better value for money than the Tenix proposal," the caller said.
Victorian committee members still find the decision hard to swallow.
The public servants, members of Treasury and the Office of Manufacturing, are not allowed to comment publicly. But according to well-placed sources, they insist their figures were correct.
It was not rocket science. They had available myriad detail from comparative labour-force figures to infrastructure requirements at the two locations and they had three weighty reports from consultants that had cost $125,000.
In February, the Allen Consulting Group assessed Williamstown's capabilities and last month produced an assessment of the Australian and global shipbuilding industry.
The first scored Williamstown higher on all points. Its labor market was larger and deeper and highly skilled in the relevant engineering disciplines and specialist trades.
More than 90 per cent of the suppliers were in greater Melbourne, and Williamstown had a proven record of systems integration on surface warships that ASC, a submarine builder, did not.
The second Allen report concluded that awarding the destroyer contract to Williamstown would give Australia the best option for sustaining a competitive and capable ship-building industry because of the way Williamstown would apportion the work to shipyards in other states.
A study by economist Henry Ergas looked at ASC's potential sale and the benefits its owner, the Federal Government, would gain from awarding the destroyer contract to itself.
The Ergas report concluded that the Commonwealth would suffer a direct loss if it awarded the contract to ASC, and a potential buyer would offer less for ASC because the destroyer contract carried risks that could affect profits.
The Victorian committee knew Williamstown had built the Anzac class frigates to a strict budget. The committee also knew that a 60,000-tonne ship would need 3.8 million man-hours to consolidate 600,000 parts supplied by 1500 firms.
They knew how much of this work would be done in Williamstown and how much by shipyards elsewhere and the likely cost of transport. And they had a better-than-educated guess of similar figures for the destroyers to be built in Adelaide.
Tenix had provided its enterprise agreements with pay rises already built in. It also provided estimates of potential wage movements.
Add in what was already known about infrastructure costs and the deals state governments struck to meet these costs. Victoria would pay for everything Tenix needed, about $100 million to enlarge the berthing hall and dry dock, upgrade paint-blasting and dredge the Yarra approaches.
SA was offering $140 million for new ship-lift operations on a greenfields site, of which $60 million would be recovered from the shipyard over time.
If ASC, which already has its submarine operations on an adjacent site, won, there was a $100 million gap in infrastructure costs. If Tenix had to start from the ground up, the shortfall would be $150 million.
So how could the bureaucrats get their figures so wrong? Or did a mix of other business and economic factors and, perhaps above all, politics, nobble them?
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A very tough procedure both mentally and physically. This is not an easy thing to go through and I have had several other cosmetic surgeries in the past. The result was worth it, but you need to be very prepared mentally to take this on. The pain is manageable, but there are aspects that are challenging and painful. The cleaning that has to be done several times a day was the most painful part for me. I took two weeks off work and three would have been better. I felt OK on week 2 but I was still a little uncomfortable being out in public even with the makeup.
In the end I would do this again as the result is great.


text:
- 30"w x 38"h
- 780 Total Watts
- 13 Lights
- Incandescent Output
Tradition and class sum up Crystorama's Majestic Collection. The Historic Brass finish is a nice transitional finish that compliments both brass accents and silver highlighted tones.
The Crystorama 1486-HB-CL-MWP Majestic collection Chandelier Lighting in Historic Brass uses Incandescent light output and brings Antique style. This item is 38"H x 30"W. The total wattage is 780 and the voltage is 120 volts. The Crystorama 1486-HB-CL-MWP requires 13 bulbs. Additional Information: Shade-Clear Majestic Wood Polished Crystal.


text:
|By Pat Romanski
Article Rating:
|April 27, 2017 10:15 PM EDT
What Is the Business Imperative for Cognitive Computing?
Cognitive Computing is becoming the foundation for a new generation of solutions that have the potential to transform business. Unlike traditional approaches to building solutions, a cognitive computing approach allows the data to help determine the way applications are designed. This contrasts with conventional software development that begins with defining logic based on the current way a business operates.
Download Slide Deck: ▸ Here
In her session at 18th Cloud Expo, Judith S. Hurwitz, President and CEO of Hurwitz & Associates, Inc., put cognitive computing into perspective with its value to the business. The session detailed what it takes to build a cognitive application and the types of solutions that are the best fit for this data-driven approach.
Download Slide Deck: ▸ Here
Speaker Bio
Judith S. Hurwitz is president and CEO of Hurwitz & Associates, LLC, a research and consulting firm focused on emerging technology including big data, cognitive computing, cloud computing, service management, software development, and security and governance. She is a technology strategist, consultant, thought leader and author. In 2015 Hurwitz coauthored Cognitive Computing and Big Data Analytics (Wiley, 2015). A pioneer in anticipating technology innovation and adoption, she has served as a trusted advisor to many industry leaders over the years. Judith has helped these companies make the transition to a new business model focused on the business value of emerging platforms. She was the founder of CycleBridge, a life sciences software consulting firm and Hurwitz Group, a research and consulting firm. She has worked in various corporations including Apollo Computer, and John Hancock. Judith has written extensively about all aspects of enterprise and distributed software. Judith is a co-author of six "For Dummies" books including Big Data for Dummies and Hybrid Cloud for Dummies. In 2011 she authored Smart or Lucky? How Technology Leaders Turn Chance into Success. (Jossey Bass, 2011).
Judith holds B.S. and M.S. degrees from Boston University. She serves on several advisory boards of emerging companies. She is on the board of directors of Boston University's Alumni Council. She was named a distinguished alumnus at Boston University's College of Arts & Sciences in 2005. She is also a recipient of the 2005 Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council award.
@ThingsExpo - The World's Largest 'Internet of Things' Event, November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center!
Secrets of Sponsors and Exhibitors ▸ Here
Secrets of Cloud Expo Speakers ▸ Here
All major researchers estimate there will be tens of billions devices - computers, smartphones, tablets, and sensors - connected to the Internet by 2020. This number will continue to grow at a rapid pace for the next several decades.
@CloudExpo / @ThingsExpo 2016 Silicon Valley
(November 1-3, 2016, Santa Clara Convention Center, CA)
@CloudExpo / @ThingsExpo 2017 New York
(June 6-8, 2017, Javits Center, Manhattan)
With major technology companies and startups seriously embracing IoT strategies, now is the perfect time to attend @CloudExpo | @ThingsExpo, November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Learn what is going on, contribute to the discussions, and ensure that your enterprise is as "IoT-Ready" as it can be.
Register for @[email protected] 'FREE' Before Friday! ▸ Here
Track 1: Enterprise Cloud & Digital Transformation
Track 2: Microservices | Cloud Hot Topics
Track 3: Internet of Things & Cloud
Track 4: APIs & Cloud Security
Track 5: Big Data Analytics
Track 6: DevOps, Continuous Delivery & Containers
Track 7: Enterprise IoT & IIoT
Track 8: IoT Developer
Track 9: Consumer IoT | IoT Hot Topics
Delegates to Cloud Expo | @ThingsExpo will be able to attend 9 simultaneous, information-packed education tracks.
There are over 120 breakout sessions in all, with Keynotes, General Sessions, and Power Panels adding to three days of incredibly rich presentations and content.
Join @CloudExpo | @ThingsExpo conference chair Roger Strukhoff (@IoT2040), June 7-9, 2016 in New York City, for three days of intense 'Internet of Things' discussion and focus, including Big Data's indispensable role in IoT, Smart Grids and Industrial Internet of Things, Wearables and Consumer IoT, as well as (new) IoT's use in Vertical Markets.
About SYS-CON Media & Events
SYS-CON Media (www.sys-con.com) has since 1994 been connecting technology companies and customers through a comprehensive content stream - featuring over forty focused subject areas, from Cloud Computing to Web Security - interwoven with market-leading full-scale conferences produced by SYS-CON Events. The company's internationally recognized brands include among others Cloud Expo® (@CloudExpo), Big Data Expo® (@BigDataExpo), DevOps Summit (@DevOpsSummit), @ThingsExpo® (@ThingsExpo), Containers Expo (@ContainersExpo) and Microservices Expo (@MicroservicesE).
Cloud Expo®, Big Data Expo® and @ThingsExpo® are registered trademarks of Cloud Expo, Inc., a SYS-CON Events company.
The current age of digital transformation means that IT organizations must adapt their toolset to cover all digital experiences, beyond just the end users'. Today's businesses can no longer focus solely on the digital interactions they manage with employees or customers; they must now contend with non-traditional factors. Whether it's the power of brand to make or break a company, the need to monitor across all locations 24/7, or the ability to proactively resolve issues, companies must adapt to...
Jun. 26, 2017 03:45 AM EDT Reads: 1,726
IoT solutions exploit operational data generated by Internet-connected smart "things" for the purpose of gaining operational insight and producing "better outcomes" (for example, create new business models, eliminate unscheduled maintenance, etc.). The explosive proliferation of IoT solutions will result in an exponential growth in the volume of IoT data, precipitating significant Information Governance issues: who owns the IoT data, what are the rights/duties of IoT solutions adopters towards t...
Jun. 26, 2017 03:30 AM EDT Reads: 1,669
With the introduction of IoT and Smart Living in every aspect of our lives, one question has become relevant: What are the security implications? To answer this, first we have to look and explore the security models of the technologies that IoT is founded upon. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Nevi Kaja, a Research Engineer at Ford Motor Company, discussed some of the security challenges of the IoT infrastructure and related how these aspects impact Smart Living. The material was delivered interac...
Jun. 26, 2017 03:15 AM EDT Reads: 1,358
With major technology companies and startups seriously embracing Cloud strategies, now is the perfect time to attend 21st Cloud Expo October 31 - November 2, 2017, at the Santa Clara Convention Center, CA, and June 12-14, 2018, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY, and learn what is going on, contribute to the discussions, and ensure that your enterprise is on the right path to Digital Transformation.
Jun. 26, 2017 02:00 AM EDT Reads: 1,180
No hype cycles or predictions of zillions of things here. IoT is big. You get it. You know your business and have great ideas for a business transformation strategy. What comes next? Time to make it happen. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Jay Mason, Associate Partner at M&S Consulting, presented a step-by-step plan to develop your technology implementation strategy. He discussed the evaluation of communication standards and IoT messaging protocols, data analytics considerations, edge-to-cloud tec...
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New competitors, disruptive technologies, and growing expectations are pushing every business to both adopt and deliver new digital services. This 'Digital Transformation' demands rapid delivery and continuous iteration of new competitive services via multiple channels, which in turn demands new service delivery techniques – including DevOps. In this power panel at @DevOpsSummit 20th Cloud Expo, moderated by DevOps Conference Co-Chair Andi Mann, panelists examined how DevOps helps to meet the de...
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Jun. 25, 2017 09:00 AM EDT Reads: 1,381


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Section Navigation
Retirement Program FAQ
What are the ground rules?
1. Is membership mandatory for Massport employees?
Yes. Membership in the Massport Employees' Retirement System is required by law for all regularly employed employees who work at least 21 hours per week.
2. How are changes made to the retirement plan?
The Massport Employees' Retirement System is governed by the provisions of M.G.L., Chapter 32, as are most Massachusetts public pension systems. Any changes in the plan must be made through the legislative process.
3. How is my membership date determined?
For most Massport employees, your hire date is your membership date. Technically, it's the date you first began making contributions from your regular compensation into the retirement system. If you have a period of employment with Massport in which you did not make retirement contributions, you may want to contact the retirement office to inquire about purchasing your prior employment as creditable service.
Contributions…How much and how calculated?
4. How much do members contribute to the retirement system?
The amount each employee is required to contribute to the retirement system is set by statute. If you began employment on or after July 1, 1996, you must contribute nine percent of your regular compensation to the retirement system. If you were hired any time between January 1, 1984 and July 1, 1996 your contribution rate is set at eight percent. Members who joined the system any time between 1975 and 1983 contribute seven percent. Those employees who became members prior to 1975 are contributing five percent.
The law also mandates that for members whose employment commenced on or after January 1, 1979, an additional two percent will be withheld on regular compensation over $30,000. This two percent is in addition to the seven, eight or nine percent that is already being deducted from total regular compensation.
5. Do a member's contributions to the retirement system earn interest? If so, how is the interest calculated?
Your contributions are placed in an individual annuity savings fund, which earns annual interest at a rate comparable to that of a passbook savings account. The interest rate is determined by the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission and the Commissioner of Banks. This annual interest rate is independent of that earned on the retirement system's investments.
6. Does the amount of contributions and interest in a member's annuity savings fund account affect overall retirement benefits?
No. Your future retirement allowance is not based on your annuity savings account balance. It is instead determined by a formula consisting of your age, service and salary average at date of retirement. The money in your account is used to fund a portion of this allowance but the value of your account balance at retirement is not used in calculating your total retirement allowance.
7. Are employee contributions used to fund the administrative expenses of the
retirement system?
No. Employee contributions are never used to fund administrative expenses. Operating expenses, including fees associated with actuarial and audit services, investment management, consultant and custodial fees, are funded solely through the system's investment income.
Benefits…How earned and how allocated?
8. What does it mean to be vested?
When you are vested, you have earned the right to a retirement allowance at a later date. You no longer have to remain in service to be eligible to collect it.
9. When does vesting occur?
You must have ten years of creditable service in order to be considered vested. If you transfer creditable service from another retirement system, or if you buy back prior or military service, such service is added to your Massport service to determine whether you are vested.
10. When is retirement an option?*
If your membership date is prior to April 2, 2012 and you are a member classified in Group 1 or Group 2, you are eligible to retire at age 55 or older if you have at least ten years of creditable service. If you are a member classified in Group 4, you are eligible to retire at age 55 or older. If you have 20 years of service, you can retire at any age.
If your membership date is April 2, 2012 or later and your position is classified in Group 1, you are eligible to retire at age 60 or older if you have at least ten years of creditable service. If your position is classified in Group 2 you are eligible to retire at age 55 or older if you have at least ten years of service. Members classified in Group 4 are eligible to retire at age 55 or older. Please note that you must have performed the duties of the Group 2 or Group 4 position for at least 12 months immediately prior to termination or retirement.
If you are a member of Group 4 you are eligible to retire at age 55 with no service requirement. Please see Question 19 for a definition of group classifications.
11. What is the retirement allowance based on? How is it calculated?*
Because our plan is a defined benefit plan, your retirement allowance is determined by a mathematical formula and is not based on the balance in your annuity account at the time of retirement. The factors used to determine your retirement allowance are; your age, creditable service, group classification, and an average of your three highest consecutive years* of regular compensation at date of retirement.
*If your hire date is April 2, 2012 or later, your retirement allowance will be based on a five-year salary average. Please call the retirement office for more information.
12. Can I purchase creditable service earned in another Massachusetts public retirement system?
If you were a member of another retirement system subject to the provisions of M.G.L., Chapter 32, and you withdrew your retirement funds, it is possible to buy back your prior creditable service. The retirement office will verify your prior service and calculate the amount of your buyback. You must repay the amount withdrawn, plus interest, to the date of repayment. Please note that interest applied to prior service buybacks not initiated within one year of employment will increase by 100%. The current buyback interest rate is 3.8125%. The rate after one year of employment will be 7.625%.
You have several payment options when completing a buyback. You may submit a lump sum payment, contribute through payroll deduction over a period of five years or less, or choose to roll over funds from an IRA, 401(k), 403(b), or 457 plan such as Massport's deferred compensation plan.
13. Will prior creditable service affect my membership date or contribution rate in
Massport's retirement system?
If you have retirement contributions from a previous public employer directly transferred to our system, you are entitled to maintain the level of contribution you were paying previously. Under current regulations, if you received a refund of retirement contributions from your previous retirement system and later became a member of Massport's system, your contribution rate with Massport will be at the new member rate, regardless of what you were paying in your prior system. If you should later purchase your prior creditable service through a buyback, your contribution level will remain at the new member rate and will not be reduced to your previous rate.
14. If I was a temporary employee at Massport, may I apply that time towards my retirement creditable service?
If you were employed by Massport on a temporary basis, prior to becoming regular, full or part time, you may be entitled to purchase this service towards your retirement creditable service. If eligible, you must complete the buyback while you are employed at Massport. Please note that Massport student employment cannot be applied towards a service purchase.
If you had temporary service with another public agency in Massachusetts, you may be entitled to purchase that as well and apply it to your retirement creditable service at Massport. Each person's situation is different and requires research. Please call the retirement office for more information.
15. How is creditable service achieved?
You earn creditable service towards your retirement allowance for the period during which you are contributing to the retirement system. For most full-time employees, this service time starts accruing the day you begin work and continues until the day you separate from service. However, if there is a period of time when you are off the payroll, you should consult with the retirement office as to how this will affect your total creditable service.
16. What if I work part time?
If you are an employee with periods of both part time and full time service, your part time service will be pro-rated based on actual hours worked. However, if you are a part time employee for your entire career, you are entitled to receive full creditable service for retirement calculation purposes. Also, due to a State Supreme Court decision (Nancy Madden vs. Contributory Retirement Appeal Board); if you worked part time before the MPAERS adopted its Supplementary Regulation on Creditable Service on April 26, 1993, you may be eligible to receive full time credit for that service. If you are someone who may be affected by the Madden decision, please contact the retirement office for more information about how it will impact your total creditable service.
17. Is regular compensation the same as total compensation?
No. Regular compensation is the portion of your salary that is subject to retirement contributions. Overtime, bonus pay, severance pay and any payments made for unused sick time are not considered regular compensation, are not subject to retirement contributions, and cannot be used towards your final average salary for the purpose of determining your retirement allowance.
18. Does the amount of my vacation buyback count as regular compensation?
Yes. Any money you receive from the Authority as payment for a vacation buyback is considered regular compensation and is therefore subject to retirement contributions. This means that at retirement, when your final average salary is calculated, the total amount of vacation buybacks purchased during that three-year period (five-year period if you were hired on or after April 2, 2012) gets added to your final salary total and then averaged. This does not apply to final payments made for accumulated vacation time upon separation from service or retirement.
19. What are the group classifications within the retirement system?
The law determines your group classification based on your position. When you retire, your group number determines which age rate is used in the calculation of your retirement allowance. The board assigns employees to one of four groups as set forth in M.G.L., Chapter 32, Section 3:
- Group 1 - General employees, including clerical, administrative and technical workers, laborers and all others not otherwise classified.Most of Massport's employees are classified as Group 1.
- Group 2 - Logan gate guards and maritime port officers.
- Group 3 - State Police officers and inspectors.
- Group 4 - Firefighters, licensed electricians, first- and second-class stationary engineers, watch engineers, steam firemen, utility technicians and other supervisors.
If you have periods of service in more than one group classification, new rules apply. Please contact retirement staff for more information.
20. Does my participation in the 457 deferred compensation plan affect my Massport retirement benefit in any way?
No. Your Massport retirement benefit is separate from and not related to participation in the deferred compensation plan. The 457 plan is an optional savings vehicle, which allows you to supplement your retirement savings on a tax-deferred basis. It is strongly recommended that this plan be considered as an additional savings option by members.
Portability issues…What happens upon departure?
21. If I leave my job at Massport, what happens to my contributions?
If you leave your job at Massport and are not going to work for another governmental agency under the provisions of M.G.L., Chapter 32, you may be eligible to receive a refund of your contributions. If you are leaving to accept a position with a Massachusetts political subdivision subject to M.G.L., Chapter 32, you must transfer your retirement contributions directly to your new retirement system.
22. If I leave Massport and decide to take a refund of my contributions, how much
interest will I receive?
The amount of interest you will receive depends on your length of service and the nature
of your separation from service.
If you have less than 10 years of creditable service and voluntarily resign, you will receive three percent interest on your contributions for each year.
If you have 10 or more years of creditable service and voluntarily resign you will receive 100 percent of the accrued "regular interest" for each year. Regular interest is determined annually by the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC) and the Commissioner of Banks and is comparable to that of a passbook savings account. The regular interest rate for 2014 was set at 0.1%. Please note that if you have more than 10 years of creditable service you are vested and potentially eligible for a future retirement allowance. You should carefully consider any decision to withdraw your funds.
Involuntary Termination:
If you are involuntarily terminated, in most cases, you will receive 100 percent of the accrued regular interest for each year regardless of your length of service. If you have over 10 years of creditable service you could be eligible to receive a future retirement allowance. Contact retirement staff to discuss your options.
23. Is there any time limit after terminating service to request a refund of contributions?
No. You may request a refund of your funds at any time after termination. If you leave your funds on deposit, however, and later seek a refund, your deductions will only earn interest for two years after termination. The previous question outlines the criteria used to determine which interest rate will apply.
24. Can a member who is vested and leaves their job at Massport still be eligible for a refund?
Any member who leaves their job may be eligible to withdraw their retirement funds. If the member is vested and has earned the right to a retirement allowance at a later date, careful consideration should be given to the value of the retirement benefit he or she may be forfeiting in exchange for a refund.
25. If I leave my job at Massport and leave my money in the retirement system, can I retire at a later date?
If you are vested and leave your job at Massport, you can choose to "defer" your retirement by leaving your money in the system until you are ready to retire.
26. Can a member withdraw or borrow money from his or her account in the retirement system without resigning or retiring?
No. There is no loan provision in this plan. An active member cannot withdraw or borrow money from their annuity savings fund account under any circumstances.
27. What are the tax consequences if I take a refund of my retirement contributions?
Your contributions and all of the interest you receive from your account are subject to federal income tax (with the exception of any contributions made prior to January 12, 1988 which were already taxed). When processing a refund of retirement contributions, the retirement office is required to withhold 20% of the taxable portion of your refund for federal tax. This 20% tax payment is required only if the refund is made directly to you. If you are younger than 59½, you may also be subject to an additional 10% IRS early withdrawal penalty.
To defer taxation, you must make a direct rollover of your retirement funds to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) or another type of retirement account with a financial institution. With a direct rollover no tax is withheld and the entire taxable portion of your refund is transferred. If you have both taxable and nontaxable contributions, you may accept receipt of the nontaxable portion of your refund with no tax consequence and the taxable portion may be rolled over.
28. If I die before retirement, what happens to the funds in my account?
If you are married and die before you retire, in most cases, your surviving spouse will have the option of collecting a monthly benefit or receiving a lump sum payment of your contributions. If you are single, the person you designated on your retirement beneficiary form would be eligible to receive a lump sum payment of your contributions. However, you may want to consider designating an "Option D" beneficiary that would allow you to provide a lifetime benefit for a child, parent, sibling, or former spouse who has not remarried, in the event that you die prior to retirement. Please contact the retirement office for more information.
29. Where can I get more information about the retirement plan at Massport?
If you have questions about the plan you should contact the retirement staff. To obtain a copy of either the Massachusetts Public Employee Retirement Guide, the Guide to Disability Retirement for Public Employees, or the Guide to Survivor Benefits for Public Employees please contact the retirement office at (617) 568-3951 or access the guides online at http://www.mass.gov/perac/forms-pubs/retirement-guides/.


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Prior to his scheduled turn with the assembled conference press corps, which is available through the SEC's website, Mullen met with the contingent of MSU-focused media for a separate interview with the Q&A following. Perhaps the lone main-conference comment worth noting was Mullen's response to a question posed earlier to Alabama Coach Nick Saban about offensive trends. Where his Crimson Tide counterpart stressed how their approach is more in-line with professional development, Mullen countered that he had coached more first-round draft quarterback than the other guy with his spread offense systems. This certainly perked ears among the local press corps.
Meanwhile in the prior talk, besides the Bulldog-specific subjects though the topic of agent interference in college football also came up, with Mullen explaining that here State is trying to stay ahead of what is becoming the hottest of pre-season controversies.
Q: Expectations from outside are modest for you this year. What are your expectations? "We come into every season to find a way to win the SEC West and get to Atlanta. To compete for and win a SEC Championship on your side of the league you have to win at home. If we win our home games, and we have a tough road schedule, if we find a way to win a couple of those, we'll find ourselves competing late in the season for a way to go to Atlanta. That's always going to be our expectation."
Q: Talk about momentum from last year going into this season? "Any time you finish a season on a win, and especially a win over a huge rival, and the way we won that game in the fourth quarter and battled and pulled away to win, it's huge. And that really catapulted us into the off-season, the attitude our team had attacking the off-season. I found that they were ready to start playing again right after that game. So they've been really looking forward to getting this season going, I know our coaching staff is, and hopefully we can take that winning edge and continue right into the season."
Q: Can you talk about the rivalry from where it was when you got here? "It's always important to win a rivalry. I know us and that school up north, their fans are passionate and to people around the state it's huge. That's what makes rivalries great, not just people on the field but the fans. But a rivalry also has to be competitive to be great and hopefully we've made it competitive."
Q: You have a couple of new coaches on the staff, you don't have to be as vocal at practice now? "Yeah, Coach (Manny) Diaz and Coach (Chris) Wilson are very, very high energy coaches out there on the field. Every time I want to yell, they've already started yelling at something and running around the field! I love the energy that they coach with and hopefully we see that translate into the energy our defense plays with on the field."
Q: You stress an attack approach to offense, do these new coaches fit your personality on defense as well? "Yeah, it does. And I really love our staff chemistry. Manny does a great job of managing everybody, and when you're in the staff room just the camaraderie of the staff…I really like this situation we're in right now. And I like the fact that they're not afraid to think outside the box, not afraid to try different things and be creative on the defensive side of the ball."
Q: Nobody on your staff focuses on just one overall area; you have co-coordinators on defense, run-offense and pass-offense coordinators on that side, everybody has input in everything? "Yeah, we try to help everybody out that way. Here's the thing: if you give people responsibilities they're going to be accountable for their responsibility. So as we give people these extra responsibilities you're also going to see their performance improve, because they feel accountable to make sure that part of the game is gonna be done the right way."
Q: Last year Anthony Dixon was the player everybody knew. What are the talking-points for this team, this pre-season? "Well, just hopefully a team. I mean, a team from top-to-bottom. I think offensively for us not having that one star player could actually help us; we're not trying to force-feed the ball to somebody, we're just going to run the offense, play the offense, and give a lot of guys the opportunities to make plays.
"Defensively the thing I'm a little more comfortable with is the depth. Not at linebacker, we're still searching for that. But depth at the d-line and depth in the secondary are much better than it was this time last year. So if we can keep ourselves healthy at linebacker we're going to be a deeper defense, we can play more players and hopefully play at a higher level."
Q: Has anything changed since your spring evaluation of the team? Especially concerns about depth and experience at wide receiver? "We're still growing. There is a lot of youth on the team right now and nothing but time can change that factor for us, we're not going to be able to speed that up. But we've had a lot of our guys in summer school working hard. Chris Relf and Tyler Russell have done a good job trying to coach-up the young receivers out there on the field and work with them, get some timing down so we can get some depth at that position."
Q: Do both quarterbacks play this year? "If they both are ready to play and can bring something, then definitely they both play. We have 15 practices in spring and 29 practices before we play a game. So after about practice 20 we'll have a better idea of where we are at that quarterback position. But there's a lot of learning, a lot of developing that still needs to happen at that position before we settle whether we're going to play one quarterback, two quarterbacks, three quarterbacks, or how it's going to shake out."
Q: How is Relf developing his throwing? "Well, throwing is all about fundamentals. I think he's done a tremendous job working on and improving his throwing fundamentals. And then you add that to the second year in the offense where he's much more comfortable with the system, that's where you see great improvement in a player."
Q: Does bringing Chris to Media Days say anything about what you expect of him as a leader? "As far as what we expect of a leader, yeah. One of the things we try to do is bring some of our up-and-coming players and expose them, because a lot of our seniors have already been exposed to a lot of the attention. The idea is for our juniors that are about to have to start dealing with a lot of this exposure, to throw them right in the fire at the beginning."
"Really after the last game of the season Chris has been a completely different person. His approach to workouts, his approach to conditioning, his approach to academics, his whole approach and demeanor has changed. And he really turned the corner having success in that last game of the season and is ready to attack his future."
Q: Along that line what do you expect of Quentin Saulsberry? "Quentin is one of the top leaders on our whole team and does a great job with it. He's continued to do that through the summer as a vocal leader in the off-season and on the field at practice. Especially now he's getting older, he's a junior, he's really having to step up his leadership not only as a rah-rah leader but also as a serious leader and deal with a lot of other situations on the team."
Q: What have you seen from Charles Mitchell in your time here, what kind of potential do you see? "Really, unlimited potential not just as a football player; as a person. We have our Champions Club and he's been a champion every single quarter (of a year) since I've been head coach. Talk to our stretch coach and he's one of the hardest worker in the off-season conditioning. You watch him on the field and he does everything the right way. He could probably start for us on offense for us if we wanted to put him over at offense. He could start on every special team. On top of that, he's a great student and a great person. Give me a whole lot of Charles Mitchells and we'll have a championship team."
Q: Do you see your identity stamped on this team more in the second year? "I do. I thought I saw it some last year, that we were going to be a team that plays with relentless effort and plays for four quarters. You saw that. The final step I guess, just my personality, is not just team that is going to do that; but one that is going to win the game in the fourth quarter. That's the next step for us, not just to battle and come close to all the top-ten teams in the country but actually beat them."
Q: The schedule makers aren't making it easy. "Yeah, I don't control that. I challenge anybody in the Southeastern Conference to find an easy schedule that some team in this league has. When you're playing in this conference you have a tough schedule."
Q: What is your take on the problem with agents and college players, do you educate them on it? "Yeah, we try to educate them, we deal with it. And there's agents trying to contact our players. I guess the good thing is we probably have a couple of good players! But the one hard thing I read, I think Nick (Saban) had some good quotes on it, until the people that are committing the crimes, the agents that are causing the problems, until they have to face consequence it's going to be pretty hard. Right now we're disciplined, the student-athletes are disciplined, the university is disciplined; but the person that is causing the problem has no consequences."
Q: Has the NCAA looked at any of your players? "No, I asked our players and they said no."
Q: Do your tell players inform you of being contacted by agents? "Yeah. And we set up a program, we're in the process of really developing really fine-tuning it right now, of a program for them to talk with agents. The key to me is to make sure everything is done legally. I mean, there are a lot of reputable agents out there that are going to do things the right way and follow the protocol and procedure. They're the ones that are very successful for their clients and their clients are treated well I'm sure and everything goes the right way. If people are going to cheat to get you do something for them, chances are they're going to cheat you once they get you. So, we tell that to our players. If people are going to do it the right way and legally they're probably going to take care of you the right way and legally."
Q: Last year you 'tweeted' before your first Media Day appearance, do you have something to send out this year? "I'll have to find out in a couple of minutes. I don't know, probably not as good as last year. I'll see what I come up with!"
ADDENDUM: As it turned out Mullen didn't need to e-message anyone. Instead he opened his talk to the full press corps with a tweak of the league-hosts sure to play well back home. "For the next ten seconds it's legal to ring your cowbell, then we go into a cowbell-dead zone!" Mullen grinned.
Video of Dan Mullen at SEC Media Day -


text: well im tryin to learn the site and some things about my car. i just bought a 2010 subaru wrx hatch. im not new to the tuner world. ive had 2 cobalt ss a supercharged one and a turbod one. I got a few questions id like to get some suggestions on. Im not gonna be the retarded dude posting crazy **** like i want to make 500 whp. i just want to know as far as mods with the stock turbo for now what would u guys suggest as far as brands of parts and fmic compared to tmic and why? any help id appreciate it. For now until the new year im just gonna do a few basic things since ill be spending some time in the mountains. Like a muffler delete, window tint and a rack just to make it look good and sound better.


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The iPhone 5 launch brought with it a brand new version of the iOS software. iOS 6 takes over from iOS 5.1.1, the first big update in around a year. It'll power iPads, iPhones and iPod touches, but in a world where Windows Phone 8 is about to launch and Google just got rid of a load of problems with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Has Apple done enough to keep up?
iOS 6 Maps
The most dramatic move Apple has made with iOS 6 is in dumping the Google Maps-powered Maps app, replacing it with its own mapping system. Could it be fuelled by the heating up of the already forest fire-like rivalry between Apple and Google? Perhaps, and in making its own solution from the ground up, Apple could be stepping into a giant cow pat.
Loading up the iOS 6 Maps app for the first time in Central London, first impressions are pretty good. The look of the standard view maps is more carefully styled than the often prosaic-looking Google alternative, and it makes key local attractions more clearly-visible than the old app.
What has been much more of a draw in the lead-up to the iOS release is the new fancy 3D graphics in the new app. This takes over from the flat satellite view of its predecessor, and adds to it land contours and even separate building models in cities. It makes Apple Maps look a little like a flight simulator game, and should - in theory at least - make it easier to navigate in a big city, where a flat satellite view can seem like a mush of grey shapes. We don't walk on rooftops, after all.
However, in use Apple Maps has a way to go. Its journey planner engine seems to be pretty idiosyncratic, generally delivering less reliable results than we're used to. And there are many reports that some parts of the UK are not yet well-served by Apple's points of interest database.
Many tech companies release work-in-progress efforts - all the time, in fact - but that the Apple Maps app can feel like a bit of a step back (albeit a pretty one) is a most un-Apple like disappointment. iPhone 4 users don't get the snazzy 3D mode, either, which feels like a bit of an unnecessary cut.
Read our iPhone 5 preview >
iOS 6 Facebook integration
If Apple Maps has more than a hint of Apple ego to it, the improved social network integration in iOS 6 is quite the opposite. It amounts to an opening-up of the Apple system, even if the safe door's only cracked open enough to let a thin sliver of light through.
Facebook and Twitter are the two social networks that have been meshed into iOS 6, and they have been jammed into some of the system's core bits. Most usefully, there's a status posting box in the drag-down notifications bar. While it can leave the bar looking in an Android-like state of busyness once you've plugged a few apps in, it'll come in handy for Twitter addicts in particular.
The uploading part of the Photo Gallery app has been redesigned too. Rather than a dull-looking list of options, Apple has instated a colourful panel of icons for various ports of call including - you guessed it - Facebook and Twitter.
Neither of these feels like a particularly drastic change, though. It's simply jamming Facebook and Twitter into parts of the system that existed beforehand, making us wonder why it took Apple so long.
iOS 6 Siri
Continuing the theme of iterative updates, the Hal-9000-a-like virtual buddy Siri has been given an overhaul. It'll now let you check up information on things such as sports fixtures plus movie information and reviews.
You could ask Siri these sorts of questions before, but it would invariably boot you out into the Safari browser, the equivalent of getting your Mum to do your homework for you. Now, though, it all stays within Siri.
You can now launch apps from Siri too
The info that's available in the UK seems to be pretty limited, though. Film information fared well enough, as there's less of a UK-US disconnect there, but when looking for football details, anything less high-profile than Premiership football led to answers relating to US teams and sports. When asking Siri about Leeds United's latest goings-on, it came back with some nonsense about the MLS league - not what we were after at all. Siri is getting better though, slowly.
iOS 6 Passbook
Another potentially-exciting aspect of iOS 6 that seems to be hampered by being a UK-er is Passbook. This is Apple's main excuse for not including iPhone 5 NFC connectivity as it claims Passbook can do everything you need. We're not so sure.
Passbook is a place to keep things like digital cinema tickets, train tickets, plane boarding passes and so on. It works like a virtual documents folder, and requires you to plug-in apps relating to the companies on the other end, apps downloaded from the App Store.
At the time of writing, only the Lufthansa app turned up from an App Store search. So right now, unless you're a major traveller and a big fan of that German airline, it's not particularly useful. We expect this feature will grow quickly in the coming weeks and months, but for now it doesn't have us feeling confident in Apple's decision to leave out a proper wireless payments standard. Whatever Apple says, Passbook isn't really a replacement for such tech.
I'll stick with iOS 5.11 until Google offer a standalone maps application and I can jailbreak iOS 6.
When comparing the old MAPS & new you have neglected to mention that in iOS 6 we've totally lost Street View!! that's a massive loss.
Unlike in the USA we don't get the automated fly by view in Maps
How badly does this update slow down the 3GS?
Wow. You really have glossed over the numerous, well reported mapping issues.
Until that is resolved either by Apple or Google, I am staying well clear of iOS6 on my iPhone and iPad as I frequently make use of the current map app. I couldn't care less what other new features iOS6 brings when such a basic function has been downgraded like this.
Several of the apps I use overlay stuff on maps and until I understand how they work with the new Apple maps or not, I am stearing clear.
C'mon lets call a spade a spade. The new Apple Maps, in its present form is bad and a step back in functionality for UK users.
I updated my 3GS with iOS6 and the performance is comparable to iOS5.
Very disappointed with iOS6, loaded it on my iPhone 4 without reading the reviews. No youTube or Street Cam. loaded App for youTube, so ok. Now, this morning, Apple tell me my iMac hard drive may fail due to a problem with the 1TB Seagate hard drive. Apple, get your finger out, spend less time in court and more time listening to your customers!
Thanks to Trusted Reviews, I should have listened more!
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NATPE Budapest 2017
Guerra de Idolos (Price of Fame)
Julio Cesar Solar is music's number one star, and his younger brother Mateo Solar is one of the industry's most important composers and producers. They have fame and power, but an unexpected tragedy will shake everything they've built and lead Mateo to embark on a search for answers. What he'll find is an unimaginable network of mafias linked to the music business – all of which he will now have to face.
Doble Tentación
Perdona Nuestros Pecados
Armando Quiroga is the wealthiest and most powerful man in Villa Ruiseñor. Quiroga has achieved all of his dreams but his life is about to be shaken by his own actions. While he partakes in a forbidden affair, his daughter, Maria Elsa quickly becomes seduced by the new priest in town Reynaldo Suarez.


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In assembling backline for the new stage, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame sought a bass amplifier that represented the best of rock 'n' roll: The Ampeg SVT. "We could have called any bass amplification company," Dobo asserts, "but Ampeg is a legendary rock 'n' roll brand…" more »
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Selects Ampeg SVTDecember 6, 2016
Ampeg Sponsors North American Independent Rock Music AwardsFebruary 17, 2016
Created by the North American Independent Music Association to support the nonprofit Foundation for a Sound Solution, the North American Independent Rock Music Awards (NAIRMA) recognizes creative and technical excellence in the independent music community. Mackie and Ampeg are proud sponsors of this event. more »
Ampeg At The NAMM Show 2016January 11, 2016
The NAMM Show is the place where everyone comes to show off their latest and greatest gear, from bass amps to synthesizers and more. This year, Ampeg will be there to give attendees the chance to rock out with all our newest products including the new PF-20T, PF-50T all-tube heads and the insanely popular SCR-DI pedal. more »
Robert Trujillo's Jaco Pastorius Movie Debuts in HollywoodDecember 14, 2015
"Jaco," Metallica's Robert Trujillo's new biopic on the life and legend of Jaco Pastorius, made its world premiere on Sunday, November 22 with a red carpet screening and concert at the Theatre at Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles. The event was sponsored in part by Ampeg, who also provided a host of backline gear for the all-star band's jam after the screening. more »
Ampeg Artist Signings at Winter NAMM 2015!!! Jan. 22nd thru Jan. 25th.January 20, 2015
Come down to beautiful Anaheim California for Winter NAMM 2015 and check out the Ampeg booth for all the latest gear and demos! We'll have several of your favorite Bass Players signing for Ampeg on Friday and Saturday, so check … more »
Ampeg Backlines Ballard Macefield Music FestivalOctober 2, 2014
Seattle's Ballard neighborhood is awesome. There's tons of great bars, restaurants and larger music venues all packed into one walk-able neighborhood. It's BBQ, bourbon and boozy shakes all day. Every night is a great night for music in Ballard, but … more »
Nikolai Fraiture of The Strokes is Taking Over our Instagram PageAugust 18, 2014
#StrokesTakeover! The Strokes are giving fans an exclusive glimpse of their concert at the new state-of-the-art performance center The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas on August 20, 2014. Strokes bassist Nikolai Fraiture is taking over the Ampeg Instagram page for the … more »
GUITARGUITAR launches UK's first Ampeg Heritage Center at flagship Glasgow storeAugust 13, 2014
We love sharing cool Ampeg news from around the world. This awesome story comes from our UK distributor, Polar Audio, telling us about the first UK Ampeg Heritage Center at GUITARGUITAR in Glasgow, Scotland. The new Heritage Center will give … more »
Ampeg at Montreux Jazz Festival 2014August 7, 2014
The world-renowned Montreux Jazz Festival has hosted some of the most notable artists in music history. Aretha Franklin, Herbie Hancock, Led Zeppelin, Miles Davis and Prince – and that's just to name a few – have graced the stages at Montreux since its … more »
Come on Out for Ampeg Day in Daytona Beach Featuring Dino MonoxelosJune 12, 2014
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Welcome to the Vesper Concerts web site announcing the 2016-17 season, our 28th!
From the opening September 25 concert featuring a trio of stellar Omaha musicians to the concluding concert in April 2017 with a Harp trio, the season presents some of the finest musicians of the Omaha area in addition to the internationally renowned Dover Quartet.
In addition to the exciting lineup of performing musicians, Vesper Concerts is pleased to announce its 4th YOUTH COMPOSES competition for student composers in middle school, high school and college undergraduates. As a part of this competition, the 3 top rated compositions in each age bracket will be presented in public concert. I hope that you will support these accomplished, young composers.
All of the concerts are at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoons except the YOUTH COMPOSES program. The Youth Composes program will feature winning compositions from the competition as well as chamber ensembles from the Omaha Area Youth Orchestras on February 18, 2017 at a location to be announced. All concerts except the YOUTH COMPOSES concert are at Presbyterian Church of the Cross, 1517 South 114 Street, Omaha.
And, in keeping with our mission to present all of this great music as a gift to the community, ALL the programs are FREE!
Welcome! And, enjoy the music!
Kristi Treu, Executive Director
Dana Sloan, Artistic Director
Vesper Concerts


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To Notes and Records of the Royal Society, a history of science journal published by the Royal Society, with a strong focus on the Royal Society.
Our resubmission to the Review of Black Political Economy should go in soon too... it's in Marla's hands right now.
Oren Cass on ObamaCare and Death Rates
1 hour ago


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Lindsay Lohan Out of Jail After 5 Hours
Lindsay Lohan has been released from a Los Angeles County jail, just hours after arriving to serve a 30-day sentence for violating probation.
Deputy Tony Moore says Lohan was released from the Century Regional Detention facility in Lynwood early Monday, less than five hours after she reported to the jail south of downtown Los Angeles.
The 25-year-old "Mean Girls" star was booked into the jail at 8:50 p.m. Sunday. It was expected to be a short stay because of jail overcrowding.
The deputy didn't have an exact time of release, but news crews staking out the jail and her Venice home are reporting she was home by 2 a.m.
Lohan had until Nov. 9 to report to the women's jail. A judge last week ordered jail time after finding Lohan violated her probation by being terminated from a community service assignment at a women's shelter.
The judge imposed a complicated sentence, telling Lohan that she will now have to perform all of her community service at the county morgue or risk serving an additional 270 days in jail. It's Lohan's fifth jail sentence since being arrested twice for drunken driving in 2007.


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We're delighted to report that Caroline Powell, on Choppy Crawford's horse Onwards and Upwards and Emily Galbraith, on Timing and our Aussie pal Bill Levett on both his mounts, Silk Stone and Shannondale Titan, have passed the First Inspection and are onto the dressage.
Though as Caroline commented after seeing the course and the size of the jumps – which are reputedly massive:
"It's not going to be a dressage competition. It's really in your face and I'm loving it."
Bill was equally awed but undaunted:
"It is big and relentless and beautifully built with few (if any?) let up fences, and it will take some jumping – it's a proper, proper Badminton track and a true four star test, the biggest four star test I've seen since Wolfgang Feld built Burghley. I'm looking forward to giving it my best shot."
We can't wait it's going to a tough Badminton with plenty of scope for drama.
Aussie rider Bill Levett trotted in style wearing, appropriately enough, Oz brand RM Williams with a Bladen Tweed Sheringham Jacket. Bill's been an A Hume customer for a while so when he contacted us about dressing him for Badminton we were only to happy to help. Partly because he's such a 'darn good bloke' but also because he just wears our clothes so well.
Please show your support for Caroline, Emily, Bill, John and Choppy by 'liking' and 'sharing' this post.


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Affiliations: From the Center for Behavioral Epidemiology and Community Health, Graduate School of Public Health; and the Research Service, San Diego VA Healthcare System,
From the Center for Behavioral Epidemiology and Community Health, Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University,
From the Center for Behavioral Epidemiology and Community Health, Graduate School of Public Health; and the Department of Political Sciences, San Diego State University
1997 by the American College of Chest Physicians
Study objective: To examine the long-term maintenance of a previously reported behavioral counseling intervention to reduce asthmatic children's exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS).
Participants: Families of asthmatic children (6 to 17 years), including at least one parent who smoked in the home, recruited from four pediatric allergy clinics.
Design: Participants were randomized to one of three groups: behavioral counseling to reduce ETS exposure, self-monitoring control, and usual medical care control. Counseling concluded at month 6, and the original trial ended at month 12. Two follow-up interviews occurred at months 20 and 30.
Measurements and results: The originally reported analysis of baseline to 12 months was reanalyzed with a more robust restricted maximum likelihood procedure. The 2-year follow-up period was analyzed similarly. Significantly greater change occurred in the counseling group than the control groups and was sustained throughout the 2 years of follow-up. Further exploratory analyses suggested that printed counseling materials given to all participants at month 12 (conclusion of the original study) were associated with decreased exposure in the control groups.
Conclusion: Such long-term maintenance of behavior change is highly unusual in the general behavioral science literature, let alone for addictive behaviors. We conclude that ETS exposure can be reduced and that a clinician-delivered treatment may provide substantial benefit.
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