text:
This article is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (
Prostate carcinoma (PCa) is one of the most prevalent cancers in men. The rate of PCa-related death increases every year. Prostate carcinogenesis is a multistep process involving progression from localized, low-grade lesions to large, high-grade and metastatic carcinomas. Treatment for prostate cancer may include active surveillance (monitoring for tumor progress or symptoms), surgery, radiation therapy, high-intensity focused ultrasound, chemotherapy, cryosurgery, hormonal therapy, or various combinations of these [
In the present study, BEPT II-1 was isolated from
After ultrafiltration using a PM-10 membrane with a molecular weight cut off of 3 kDa, the filtrates of trypsin digestion were loaded on a gel filtration column (Sephadex G-25). After gel filtration, the sample hydrolyzed by trypsin was divided into three peaks which are named BEPT I, BEPT II and BEPT III, respectively (
Sephadex G-25 Gel chromatography of the antimicrobial peptide from
The high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) chromatogram of BEPTII.
The inhibitory effect of BEPT II and BEPT II-1 on the proliferation of PC-3 cells was studied by MTT assay. As shown in
Additionally, the time course of studies of PC-3 cells found that exposure to BEPT II and BEPT II-1 (5–30 mg/mL) for 24 h showed significant inhibitory effects on cell growth and at the same doses, PC-3 cell proliferation decreased markedly at 48 h and 72 h after BEPT II and BEPT II-1 treatment. This result indicates a possibility that BEPT II and BEPT II-1 did not have an immediate toxic effect on PC-3 cells and might induce a series of cellular events which lead to inhibit cell growth and induce cell death.
Inhibited proliferation of BEPTII and BEPTII-1-treated PC-3 cells. (
IC50 for BEPT II and BEPT II-1.
|IC50 (mg/mL)
|24 h
|48 h
|72 h
|14.06 ± 0.41
|3.68 ± 0.12
|1.16 ± 0.11
|43.97 ± 0.34
|22.19 ± 0.22
|14.62 ± 0.23
The morphologic changes of the PC-3 cells treated with 5 mg/mL and 15 mg/mL of BEPT II-1 for 24 h were observed by AO/EB staining. BEPT II-1-treated PC-3 showed significant morphologic apoptotic changes. The characterization of morphological changes consisted of reduction in cell volume, cell shrinkage, reduction in chromatin condensation and formation of cytoplasmic blebs [
Morphologic observation with acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EB) staining. PC-3 cells (
Annexin V/PI double staining was performed to characterize whether cell death resulting from BEPT II-1 treatment was caused by apoptosis induction. The upper left quadrants represent the early apoptotic cells (Annexin V binding and propidium iodide [PI] negative). As shown in
Apoptosis is an important homeostatic mechanism that balances cell division and cell death and maintains the appropriate number of cells in the body [
Two pathways are involved in cell apoptosis, extrinsic and intrinsic pathways [
Further investigations focused on the mechanisms of BEPT II-1-induced apoptosis in PC-3 cells.
Flow cytometry analysis of PC-3 cells by double-labeling with Annexin-V fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and PI. Quadrants: Lower left—the live cells. Upper left—the early apoptotic cells. Lower right—the necrotic cells, and upper right—late apoptotic cells. Percentages of early apoptotic cells were: (
The conditions of the enzymatic hydrolysis were: temperature of 45 °C, pH 8.7, solid-liquid ratio of 1:1 and time of 8 h. Reactions were terminated by heating the solution to 98 °C for 15 min to inactivate the enzyme. The resulting slurry was centrifuged at 10,000 r/min for 20 min.
Ultrafiltrate was again filtered through a Millipore membrane filter (0.45 μm) and applied to a column (2.6 cm × 100 cm) saturated in Sephadex G-25 resin. Sephadex G-25 column was eluted with distilled water and fractions were collected at 2 min interval with a fraction collector. The absorbance was measured at 280 nm.
The fraction exhibiting the highest anticancer activity was further purified using reverse-phase HPLC on a Primesphere C18 column (10 mm × 250 mm) with a linear gradient of acetonitrile (0%–50% for 20 min) containing 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. The absorbance of eluent was monitored at 280 nm.
The hormone-independent PC-3 cell lines were obtained from the China cell bank of the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology. PC-3 cells were cultured in F-12 medium, supplemented with 10% Fetal Calf Serum (FCS) (1% penicillin/streptomycin; 10,000 U/mL penicillin G sodium, 10,000 mg/mL streptomycin sulfate). All cell lines were cultured at 37 °C in a humidified atmosphere in a 5% CO2 incubator.
Cell proliferation after treatment with BEPT II-1 and BEPT II was measured by MTT assay. PC-3 cells were seed at a density of 1 × 104 cells/100 μL/well in 96-well Plates and allowed an overnight period for attachment. The medium was then removed and 200 μL of medium FCS was added, followed by BEPT II-1 and BEPT II at a final concentration of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 mg/mL. Cells were grown under these conditions for 24, 48, and 72 h at 37 °C in a humidified atmosphere, at 5% CO2 incubator. After designated time, MTT was added to each well 4 h before the end of the incubation period, after which conversion of yellow tetrazolium salt to blue thiazol crystals by metabolically active cells was stopped by adding DMSO to each well. The intensity of blue emission in each well was measured using at 450 nm using a microplate reader. All experiments were performed in triplicate and repeated three times.
The percent inhibition of cell proliferation was calculated as follows:
The AO/EB staining (Acridine orange/Ethidium bromide) method was used to observe the apoptotic morphologic changes. PC-3 cells were suspended at a final concentration of 1 × 105cells/well and cultured above 35 mm slip in 6-well flat-bottomed Plates and allowed to adhere to the bottom of the wells for 24 h before oligopeptide treatment. Cells were exposed to 5, and 15 mg/mL doses of BEPT II-1 for 24 h. F12 medium (10% FCS) was used as a control for the PC-3 cell lines. After designed time, AO/EB mixture [25 μL, containing 100 μg/mL AO and 100 μg/mL EB in PBS (pH 7.4)] was added to cells treated with BEPT II-1. Then the cells were observed under a fluorescence microscope.
Cell apoptosis detection was performed by fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis using a flow cytometer. The exposure of PS on the extracellular side of the cell membrane was quantified by annexin V-FITC /PI staining. PC-3 cells were placed in 6-well plates, and after 24 h of incubation, cells were treated with BEPT II-1 for 24 h and then harvested. After centrifugation, cell pellets were washed twice with cold phosphate-buffered saline. Cells were then incubated with 5 μL of annexin V-FITC and 10 μL of PI at room temperature for 15 min in the dark. After incubation, 400 μL of 1 × binding buffer was added to each tube. The cells were immediately analyzed by FACS Calibur flow cytometry (Becton Dickinson, New York, NY, USA).
Our studies showed that BEPT II-1 significantly inhibited the proliferation of PC-3 cells by inducing apoptosis. BEPT II-1 might be useful as a potential therapeutic agent against prostate cancer. Further examination of the mechanisms of the anticancer actions of BEPT II-1 is under progress.
This research was supported by Zhejiang Province Key Biological Science and Technology Innovation Team Construction Project (Grant No. 2012R10029-10), General Projects of National Natural Science Foundation (Grant No. 81273429), a major program of Technology Office in Zhejiang Province (Grant No. 2010C13009), the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province (Grant No. Y2100805, LY12C2005, LY12C2008 and Y3100129), and Major Specific Project by Science and Technology Department of Zhejiang Province (Grant No. 2011C02003).


text: One of the most extensive horse and pony embroidery design collections on the internet.From Fillies and Colts, Mares and Stallions, Arabians, Morgans, Quarter Horses, Warmbloods, Thoroughbreds, Hunters, Jumpers, Dressage, Driving, Reining, Cutting. Miniatures and Drafts, Cowgirls and Cowboys.... Don't See what you want Call us and together we can create your look! We can also put Horse and pony designs with your horse's name on Mugs, Travel Cups, Director Chairs, Tote Bags. Let your imagination soar!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
User Home Pages: The J. T. Herring Family Home Page
|Researching descendants of Thomas Herring who died in Fayette Co., Ga in 1849.Unable to find where he was born. Married Mary Ann Moore.Children, Mark, Jonathan, Frances and Polly.
Will share info.
|The J. T. Herring Family Home Page
Updated September 5, 2000


text:
Item 4 - PlayStation 2 Controller
Main Function
The function of the PlayStation 2 controller is to translate the human user's commands to the PlayStation 2 console.
The design of the controller takes many requirements into consideration. Most importantly the controller needs to translate the mechanical inputs of the user into simulated motion within a video game. This is truly the main function of the controller, so without this consideration the controller has little use. In addition, the controller must complete these translations nearly simultaneously with the input command. If too much lag is present in the controller's translation, the usability of the device will be significantly diminished.
Finally, the controller must provide as much realism as possible. To achieve this, the magnitude of the input must provide a varied response to the console. In the PlayStation 2 this is done through pressure sensitive buttons. The result is different commands being sent from the controller based on the pressure of the button press. Rumble motors within the controller also add to this realistic experience by providing a simulated feel of action within the game.
Interaction with Humans - Human Machine Interface (HMI)
The PlayStation 2 controller provides three types of command interfaces for the user. The most obvious interface is the dual joystick control. Based upon the user inputs to these joysticks various commands are sent to the PlayStation 2. Also included in the interface are the twelve pressure sensitive buttons. As mentioned earlier, the force with which these buttons are pressed determines the code sent to the console. The last control interface on the controller is the "Analog" button. This button operates as a toggle switch which turns the Joystick controls on with one press and off with another press.
Interactions with the World - Sensing
Interaction with the outside world is another vital feature of the PlayStation 2 controller. This "sensing" aspect of the controller enables the controller to know which command to send to the console based on the force with which a button is pressed. The controller is also able to sense a rumble code sent from the console to enable and disable the rumble motors. Without these features the realism intended to be built into the controller would be lost.
Also key to the operation of the controller are the rumble motors embedded within the handles of the device. These small DC motors spin weights in the controller to create a rumbling sensation when the console demands such a reaction. By offsetting these weights the motors provide a very unbalanced rumbling in the controller's grips.
Power Supply
The power consumed by the rumble motors, pressure sensors, microchip, and "Analog" light is provide to the controller through the cord to the console. The plug from the console to the wall converts the AC power drawn in to DC power for the rumble motors. Since there is no gearing, the speed of the motors can only be controlled by adjusting the power with which they are provided.
Power Conversion
There is no power conversion within the controller. DC power is drawn from the console, so no conversion is necessary to power the controller.
Motion Conversion
The only motion conversion which occurs in the PlayStation 2 controller is by way of the rumble motors. These motors convert their rotation to intentional vibration by way of the attached weights. The center of gravity of these weights is moved off the rotating axis in order to provide an unstable vibration.
Though it may appear simple on the outside, the PlayStation 2 controller is a relatively intelligent device. It is able to communicate the specific human inputs to the console by correctly analyzing which command is being input and sending the corresponding code to the console. In addition, the controller also monitors the codes sent from the console to the controller in order to start and stop the rumble motors at the proper time.


text:
Not that the Washington Redskins are in the market for a new cornerback, but the current feeding frenzy in free agency casts doubt on any team's ability to retain their restricted free agents (RFA). The collective bargaining agreement (CBA) provides franchises the means to protect some players, but sometimes that isn't enough to fend off a raid.
According to the NFL and the CBA:
Restricted free agentsare players who have completed three accrued seasons of service and whose contracts have expired. They have received qualifying offers from their old clubs and are free to negotiate with any club until April 21, at which time their rights revert to their original club. If a player accepts an offer from a new club, the old club will have the right to match the offer and retain the player. If the old club elects not to match the offer, it may receive draft-choice compensation depending on the level of the qualifying offer made to the player.
The signing period for restricted free agents began on March 11 but concludes on April 21.
The key is the "qualifying offer made to the player." The lowest offer is the cheapest in terms of salary, costing $712,000. The "middle" or "first-round" tender allows for a one-year deal worth $1.55 million. The high-level designation has a price tag of $2.069 million. The lower the offer, the easier it is to fit the player under the salary cap.
The lower the offer, the more attractive an RFA is to another team. Compensation is in the form of draft picks. At the low-level, the team that signs the player must surrender a draft pick that is in the same round that player was drafted, as long as the original team declines to match the offer. The middle-level costs a first-round pick and the highest-level commands a first and third-round pick.
The game is making the lowest offer possible without drawing interest from another team. On the side of the hunters, the game may be finding the best value, typically good players drafted in a low round (if at all).
The Pittsburgh Steelers WR Sean Morey was drafted in the 7 th round, the price for this RFA. The Steelers do not seem too worried about losing him. However, the Steelers are more concerned about the fate of CB Ike Taylor. Taylor commanded a middle-tender, but will that be enough to deter would-be suitors?
Before 2003, no middle-level or highest-level RFAs changed teams. Since 1993, an average of 4 RFAs per year would move. With 79 RFAs this year, Taylor leaving Pittsburgh would seem unlikely.
During the off-season in 2003, NFL teams were more aggressive in their pursuit of restricted free agents. Green Bay applied the middle-tender to Kabeer Gbaja Biamila, only to have the Philadelphia Eagles force their hand. The Packers matched the Eagles' offer.
The Redskins chased WR Laveranues Coles, another middle-tender RFA. The New York Jets declined to match, making Coles the first middle-tender RFA to jump ship.
Dan Snyder struck again in 2006, not letting the San Francisco 49ers' middle-tender offer keep him from signing WR Brandon Lloyd. Surprisingly, the 49ers and Redskins worked out a sign-and-trade that resulted in Washington's third-round pick in 2006 and fourth-round pick in 2007 going to San Francisco, instead of the mandated first-round pick.
The Redskins (and Minnesota Vikings) demonstrate that anything is possible, but
like PK Jeff Reed last year, Taylor is safe unless a team makes an
offer the Steelers cannot or will not match. The worst-case scenario is the
front office stuck signing Taylor to a contract beyond what they
thought he is worth.
Troubles at left tackle
March 9, 2006
There is nothing wrong with the Pittsburgh Steelers. They won the Super Bowl. A few players will leave via free agency, but the largest concern may be at left tackle. The Dirt addresses the problems along the offensive line.
To date, the Steelers have struggled to get under the cap. The Dirt speculated that the release of S Mike Logan and the restructuring of RB Duce Staley's signaled preparations to address needs created through free agency. A list of cap adjustments indicates that the Steelers will look primarily to the draft to fill out the roster, though the NFL owners voting to extend the CBA should allow the Steelers to make a move or two in free agency.
If the Steelers are unable to re-sign S Chris Hope, the team is poised to replace him with the first pick in the draft. Unless, there is a bigger hole to fill, such as at the center position.
The Steelers are overly committed to Jeff Hartings and Chukky Okobi. One solution would be to cut them both and chase C Nick Mangold at the end of the first round. Okobi is nothing more than a career back up and Hartings has chronic knee problems.
The Steelers could upgrade this position and the New England Patriots once indicated that they perceived Hartings as the weak link on the offensive line.
Bashing RG Kendall Simmons is common enough, but the interior of the offensive line hasn't been the Achilles' heel. The best indicator of success has been the health of LT Marvel Smith. When Smith doesn't start or is pulled from the game, the Steelers lose.
If you can bank on one thing come April's draft, you can expect the Steelers to draft an offensive lineman in the fourth round or higher. You might be sure that the team will draft for the line on Day 1.
After the disaster of the 2003 season, largely tied to Smith's pinched nerve, the Steelers picked right tackle Max Starks in 2004 and left tackle Trai Essex, both in the third round. The Steelers had Essex ranked as a first round prospect, which means that they think he could start in the NFL.
Despite Smith's health problems, the Steelers would seem well positioned for 2006 at offensive tackle. Starks is a fixture at right tackle and Essex has a year under his belt, getting some playing time thanks to Smith hurting his knee.
Why would the Steelers consider drafting Ryan O'Callaghan, a possible third round talent?
O'Callaghan indicated that the Steelers were interested, suggesting a need little discussed among those following the upcoming draft. The Steelers could be more concerned about depth and their inability to do much in free agency, but another Day 2 pick should suffice.
Lurking are the Steelers rushing Smith back into action, after replacing him with Essex during the 2005 season, and the ineffectiveness of the running game after Smith returned to the field. Somewhat akin to the Hartings-Okobi situation, the Steelers would rather start a hobbled Smith than press Essex into service.
Going into next season, the Steelers have question marks surrounding 3/5 of the starting offensive line (LT, C, and RG). If Essex is as good as the Steelers projected him to be, there is no reason to pick another offensive tackle on Day 1. Teams want to find starters during the first three rounds, not backups.
That bit of draft wisdom makes the Essex pick all the more curious. The Steelers revealed a concern about the long-term availability of Smith during the last draft. In the 2006 draft, the Steelers will reveal their thoughts about the Essex the starter.
Free agents will visit Pittsburgh
March 7, 2006
With NFL players and owners on the cusp of a new collective bargaining agreement, the front office of the Pittsburgh Steelers is getting ready to cash in on their Super Bowl dividend.
Part of what allows the New England Patriots to remain competitive during the first decade of the second millennium are the multiple championships. Aging players looking for a shot at a Super Bowl ring take less money to play for Bill Belichick, instead of signing with a team throwing around ample cap-dollars.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will aim to keep their Super Bowl team together, but other teams are already lining up to overpay the soon-to-be free agents such as WR Antwaan Randle El and S Chris Hope. The draft will fill some of these holes, but depending on rookies to start is not the Steeler Way (nor a smart way to run an NFL franchise).
Recent cuts and restructures indicate that the Steelers are struggling to deal with the current cap ceiling of $94.5 million, but that task shouldn't have been this difficult. Regardless of what the owners decide on Tuesday or Wednesday, Steelers GM Kevin Colbert must prepare to do more than squeak under the cap limit.
The Steelers have already found a few million dollars of breathing room that should help with negotiations with centers Jeff Hartings and Chukky Okobi, which will in turn free up even more cap. DE Brett Keisel may be the target, the Steelers attempting to keep him off of the market and maintain a defensive strength, depth on the defensive line. Keisel would also replace DE Kimo von Oelhoffen as the starter.
Beyond re-signing their own, the free safety position looms the largest. Hope is preparing to test his value on the open market. Exacerbating the problem are the recent cuts of safeties Mike Logan and Russell Stuvaints. Come next week, there is Troy Polamalu and ...
Also gone is CB Deshea Townsend, highlighting a glaring need in the secondary that the Steelers would like to shore up before the draft in late April. The Steelers could sign a new free safety in the next few weeks and still pick Donte Whitner in the first round.
If NFL and NFLPA do extend the CBA, the Steelers will have at least an additional $10 million to use. The Steelers could go from searching for a stop-gap safety to chasing a marquee free agent, preferably one looking for his first Super Bowl ring.
The top available safeties include Hope, Marcus Coleman, Tebucky Jones, Marquand Manuel, Marlon McCree, Lawyer Milloy, and Tank Williams. The Green Bay Packers are set to sign Manuel and Hope could end up a New York Giant. Milloy doesn't need a ring. The others could work, but there are a number of teams hunting for a change at safety, including the Dallas Cowboys.
What the Steelers do won't necessarily tip their draft hand. The Steelers could make news signing CB Sam Madison and still need a safety of the future. Perhaps they pick a safety project in a later round if they are sure about the free agent acquisition, but the Steelers are more than one or two defensive backs short of a 2006 team.
Center of the cap problem
March 4, 2006
The Pittsburgh Steelers are doing their best to squeeze under the cap, but with no CBA extension, they will struggle to play at all in free agency.
After letting QB Tommy Maddox and CB Willie Williams go (and Jerome Bettis retire), the Pittsburgh Steelers had enough room to tender offers to WR Sean Morey and CB Ike Taylor. While those moves place the Steelers on the right side of the cap, they would have no ability to sign or re-sign certain players they need to fill out the roster.
For the sake of chasing a player such as DE Brett Keisel, the organization is busy trying to restructure the contracts of RB Duce Staley, OC Jeff Hartings and OC Chukky Okobi. Reworking Staley's deal is a coup because cutting him would result in no cap savings.
The situation is very different for Hartings and Okobi. Cutting either center would result in considerable cap savings for the Steelers to use for signing new players, but cutting both would result in a glaring hole along an offensive line that helped pave the way to a Super Bowl victory.
Complicating matters is the CBA extension impasse. If the NFL and NFLPA can agree, then the Steelers can expect another $10 million in cap room. Restructuring either center's contract is less of a priority. However, with no CBA extension, the Steelers will be desperate to get a deal done that will provide considerable cap relief.
Ideally, the Steelers won't have to cut anyone else in order to free up some cap room.
The key to this tricky negotiation is to land one, preferably Okobi. If Okobi's deal is more cap-friendly, the Steelers gain leverage with Hartings and his agent. If need be, the Steelers will cut Hartings and start Okobi. They could also find another starter in the draft or in free agency given that Okobi's new numbers will allow him to be a backup for another season.
Collusion between Hartings and Okobi would be a nightmare for GM Kevin Colbert. Without reducing Hartings' cap hit, Okobi would know that he would be Plan A for the center position in 2006. And without redoing Okobi's deal, Hartings knows the Steelers have no fallback plan. Either one is cut at any time, the other one gains the upper hand in his own negotiations.
The Steelers could cut both and try their luck in free agency, but that would be losing two players to gain one. With such a tight cap budget, the Steelers have to make sure they can sign enough players to field a competitive roster.
But Okobi and Hartings are playing a risky game. If they don't land a deal before the CBA is extended, if an agreement between players and management is possible, the added cap room will weaken their positions.
If push does come to shove, cutting Hartings makes the most sense. He is due a roster bonus of $750,000 on March 8th. Regardless of the extra cap space, the Steelers are loathe to tie up so much money in the two centers. Hartings offers the most cap relief and the Steelers may find a cheaper alternative out on the open market.
Would the Steelers be comfortable with a new starting center in 2006? To date, the answer would seem to be no. The
team has shown little faith in Okobi, while overlooking Hartings' degenerative knee condition. The only thing keeping
Okobi a Steeler is the possibility of a new deal with Hartings.
CBA madness
March 3, 2006
Confused? That isn't surprising considering all the conflicting information floating around in the media right now concerning the disagreement between the NFL and NFLPA. The Dirt breaks down the situation.
We've discussed the revenue-sharing debate. Certain owners are making a lot more money than others. The "poor" owners are looking for a little help dealing with escalating player salaries while the "rich" owners claim that they shouldn't be penalized for managing their finances better.
We haven't discussed the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). If reports are to be believed, everything is settled save the percentage of total revenues earmarked for the players. The NFL is offering 56.2%. The NFLPA wants 60%. To date, no compromise is imminent and talks have broken down.
In this disagreement, the players look greedy. Fans have been through this before with the NFL, MLB, and NFL. Players leave town for bigger contracts, but then complain that they aren't getting their fair share. Fans either cannot or will not understand how millions of dollars per year are not enough.
Before we explore the complicated matter of linking the revenue-sharing debate with the CBA debate, let's look at the 3.8% difference currently holding up the show and creating the anxiety among fans.
The players are angling for a greater share of revenues. That number is expressed each year in the cap limit. Meaning, each team is limited as to how much money they can allocate to all their players. This keeps players' contracts in line with how much money the NFL makes.
The new CBA will change the definition of revenues at stake for the calculation of the salary cap. The old CBA limited the amount of revenue the players could share, which is termed "designated gross revenue" (DGR). The new CBA uses "total football revenue" (TFR), which is all the money the entire NFL makes each year, including local revenues.
Looking at the 2006 cap numbers helps to understand the difference between DGR and TFR. The current cap number is set at $94.5 million, using the DGR. Using the TFR, the cap would be about approximately $105 million (some estimates are as high as $110 million).
The Dallas Morning News offered an explanation. They calculated the TFR for the 2005 season to be around $6 billion, resulting in a cap increase of 30%. Moving from the DGR to the TFR is a huge gain for the players, if you accept the numbers of the Dallas Morning News.
There is reason to believe that the TFR number of $6 billion is credible. Using that amount, the 3.8% difference between the NFL and the NFLPA equals $228 million. Divide that up by 32 teams and the individual cap would increase a little over $7 million.
In other words, the NFLPA's offer would allow each team $7 million more in cap room than the NFL's offer. The NFL would rather see an uncapped year than swallow that increase?
Please understand that the NFLPA is proposing that each team have $7 million more to spend on the players per year than what the NFL wants. Granted that moving to the TFR number already provides the players with a significant salary gain, but an extra $130,000 per player doesn't look like too much more money.
Furthermore, teams are not required to max out the cap each year. The Buffalo Bills don't have to spend $7 million more on their players if they don't want to do so. There isn't any controversy here.
Then what is all the fuss about?
The move from the DGR to the TFR is tougher on teams that make less in local revenues. League revenues, the primary source of the DGR number, are split equally among all 32 teams. However, the TFR brings all local revenues under consideration, which is not divided equally among 32 teams.
In the new CBA, as in the old CBA, all teams share the same cap number. But "richer" teams will have more money to spend on players than the "poorer" teams. Under the old agreement, this disparity was minimized. 56.2% or 60% of TFR doesn't make much difference to the poorer teams. Switching from DGR to TFR does.
With that in mind, the NFLPA should take the 56.2% offer and run. They are still getting a huge pay increase. An extra 3.8% is small relative to the gain earned through switching to the TFR. Given the information we have, there is no reason for the NFLPA to be stubborn.
The problem is elsewhere.
Some owners, such as Dan Rooney, are tying a new revenue-sharing agreement to the switch to the TFR number. Lost in the negative publicity aimed at Gene Upshaw and the NFLPA is that the NFL owners have not yet agreed upon how to share, if at all, local the local revenues that will now be included in determining how much money the players will receive.
The real mystery is why the NFLPA seems to care about any revenue-sharing agreement between the owners. Why should a player care if a small-market team can compete with a large-market team for his services?
Cowher era coming to an end?
February 28, 2006
Jerome Bettis punctuated his career in the best way possible, winning the Super Bowl. Bill Cowher is poised to go one better, grabbing a second Lombardi Trophy before his career as an NFL head coach ends after the 2007 season.
Bill Cowher signed his last contract extension after a miserable 6-10 season. Current thinking is that Cowher could break the bank on the heels of two great seasons as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, assuming Cowher wants to come back.
Cowher is looking to get out of Pittsburgh, at least as a resident. Cowher and his wife Kaye secured a million dollar home in Raleigh, NC, following the thousands of economic refugees who left Western Pennsylvania over the past few decades for sunnier climes.
During the long stretch of Cowher's tenure as head coach of the Steelers, which started in 1992, many critiques referred to his ability to shine during the regular season but flop in the playoffs. After failing to win the AFC Championship, again, after the 2001 season, Steelers fans began thinking about life without Cowher.
Despite those shortcomings and a dismal regular season in 2003, the team ownership extended Cowher through the 2007 season. This coincides with his youngest daughter's, Lindsay, junior year at Fox Chapel. Bill Cowher, a fixture at Fox Chapel girls basketball games, wouldn't miss her senior year, making a move anywhere else unlikely.
A one-year extension to Cowher's current deal would be conspicuous, to say the least. But Cowher could simply retire from the NFL and take a year off to reflect on his future occupation.
Consider Cowher's coaching career complete, at least at the professional level. He made noise before and after the Super Bowl victory over the Seattle Seahawks about making good on his promise to the Rooneys when they hired him to bring another championship to Pittsburgh. Mission accomplished.
Cowher could retire now and end up in the Hall of Fame. Anything above and beyond the 2006 season is gravy. Purchasing a home in Raleigh at this stage of his career (they already own a summer home off the coast of North Carolina) only reinforces this sense of closure.
The Cowhers can return to the place where they met, North Carolina State University. Current college football head coach, Chuck Amato, is often mentioned as a replacement for Joe Paterno (Penn State) or Bobby Bowden (Florida State), when those two giants retire. Bigger things await Amato than Wolfpack football.
While Steelers fans are dreaming of the beginning of another
dynasty, it appears Bill Cowher is busy setting the stage to follow Jerome Bettis off
into the sunset.
Free Chris Hope
February 28, 2006
At the NFL Combine, the Pittsburgh Steelers showed considerable interest in Ohio State safety Donte Whitner. Like Hope, Whitner is a strong safety who projects as a free safety in Bill Cowher's scheme.
The prototypical defensive back for the Pittsburgh Steelers is a player who can support one of the best run defenses in the league. The Steelers have drafted college safeties and converted them into cornerbacks (Chad Scott). They have even drafted a linebacker and played him at safety (Carnell Lake).
The Steelers don't draft a large cornerback in order to match up against some of the bigger receivers in the league. They draft a hybrid defensive back who can take down a running back in the open field.
You might think of the 3-4 base alignment as 3 defensive linemen with 8 linebackers (or 8 strong safeties) playing behind them. Outside linebackers are often asked to engage in pass coverage while the defensive backs commonly fill rushing lanes or play up close to the line of scrimmage.
As Chris Hope's departure becomes a sure thing, don't look for a ballhawking centerfielder to replace him. Instead, keep your eyes on versatile strong safeties or cornerbacks who can hit.
Enter Donte Whitner, a safety for The Ohio State University. One NFL scout compared Whitner to Mike Doss, starting strong safety for the Indianapolis Colts. A better match may be the Colts' free safety, Bob Sanders.
Sportswriter Bob McGinn, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, is one of the best sources for reliable prospect information. McGinn has cultivated relationships with a number of general managers, pro personnel directors and scouts in the NFL. The highlights of his draft coverage are actual quotes from these talent evaluators, allowing a glimpse into how various teams view the upcoming rookie class.
Concerning Whitner, McGinn quoted one scout as saying, "He's a short in the box type safety. He's tough as hell. He doesn't have great range."
Does that sound like an ideal free safety to you? The Steelers think he could replace Hope. The front office wouldn't draft a safety so high on Day 1, Whitner to go somewhere in the first two rounds, to back up strong safety Troy Polamalu.
Polamalu was also considered as an "in the box type safety" coming out of USC. What he does with the Steelers defies description. He's all over the field, which can leave him in compromising positions.
Polamalu as a rookie was unable to replace Mike Logan as the starting strong safety, leaving many fans wondering why the Steelers moved so aggressively up in the first round in order to draft him. These same fans overlooked Polamalu's presence in the nickel and dime packages, providing a glimpse of how the coaches planned to use him in the future, as a toy to disrupt the opposition's passing game.
This scheme places more run support responsibility on the free safety, which should have suited Chris Hope's game. Opinions on Hope's effectiveness vary, but critiques of his defensive skills against the pass are unfair.
In order to measure Hope's value, consider the Steelers' ability to stop the run when aligned in a nickel package. That data might be hard to come by, but running backs would gain yards by the chunks when the opposition offered a passing look (three or more wide receivers), forcing Pittsburgh out of its base defense.
Don't let Whitner's alleged lack of range scare you off. Polamalu's is more than enough for both of them. The issue is run support, something McGinn's inside contacts will tell you is Whitner's strength and why he is considered one of the top 50 prospects in the upcoming NFL draft.
Drafting in the deepest pool
February 25, 2006
The NFL Combine is in full swing and fans of every team are thinking about the draft, still two months away. The general manager of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kevin Colbert, is front and center, evaluating the depth of various positions.
GM Kevin Colbert keeps his plans to himself. He does drop a few hints here or there, but guessing which players he is targeting isn't an easy task. He doesn't mind making a few observations about the draft class, saying what every general manager in the NFL already knows.
The wide receiver crop is particularly weak this year, Colbert noting that all the underclassman coming out last year left little for this year's draft. If the Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to replace free agent Antwaan Randle El, they might have to do so early in order to secure someone talented.
On the other hand, Colbert raves about the group of linebackers coming out this year, "It's strong at the top and strong in the middle. I think there will even be some kids you'll get on the second day who will be contributors, if not starters."
Rick Gosselin, of the Dallas Morning News, agrees, "At first glance, I also like the crop of middle linebackers in this draft. There seems to be an abundance of big, smart, productive players at the position."
A strong linebacker class doesn't come around all that often and the Steelers have an aging corps that you could use a fresh infusion of youth, particularly after Kendrell Bell's promising career in Pittsburgh came to a crashing halt.
Colbert will chase a linebacker at some point, but the depth of talent allows him to wait. There will be other needs as the free agency picture clears and personnel guys on the South Side are not afraid to fill those spots with promising rookies, as opposed to expensive veterans.
Gosselin is also excited about the tight ends available in this draft, but the Steelers already scored picking up Heath Miller last April, demonstrating that Colbert will grab value over need if the opportunity presents itself. But Colbert has also shown that he isn't afraid to be aggressive, moving up to grab the player he covets.
The Steelers can wait and see which linebackers fall to them. If the right guy isn't there at the end of the first round, another player will be available in a later round. However, the Steelers may determine that one of the linebackers is special, like they did with Bell, and thus more willing to make a move in order to secure him.
Clouding the draft picture are the needs developing at wide receiver, free safety, defensive end, and possibly running back. Concerning that position, Gosselin has already mentioned UCLA's Maurice Drew, who could replace Verron Haynes as the third-down back and WR Antwaan Randle El at punt returner. Of course, that would mean that the Steelers would go running back on Day 1, which may not be the best idea, letting need overrule the best player available.
The Dallas Cowboys are also in the market for a free safety. Gosselin wouldn't mind Dallas chasing USC safety Darnell Bing in the first round (the Cowboys pick 18 th). Bing has great coverage skills and may be able to step in right away for a departed Chris Hope. The Steelers could also solve this problem in free agency, which would fall in line with past performance.
Given the weakness of the wide receiver class, there is little to stop Colbert from picking a linebacker on Day 1. The Steelers do not have any glaring needs that free agency couldn't solve, even for a team pushed up against the salary cap. In just two months, we will find out who will become part of the next generation of great linebackers to play in Pittsburgh.
Throwing the Steelers under the Bus
February 23, 2006
What could go wrong for the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006? While Steelers fans sweat the looming departure of Chris Hope and Antwaan Randle El, RB Jerome Bettis reminded everyone that Pittsburgh's fortune is still tied to the battle in the trenches.
In 2003, the Pittsburgh Steelers finished with a 6-10 record. The offensive line was missing LT Marvel Smith, QB Tommy Maddox returned to earth, and head coach Bill Cowher was strangely in love with his passing attack. That was a dismal season for RB Jerome Bettis.
Fortune would swing wildly the next year, with rookie QB Ben Roethlisberger leading the Steelers to a 15-1 finish. Smith would return to the starting lineup, anchoring an offensive line that started UDFA Keydrick Vincent at right guard and journeyman Oliver Ross at right tackle.
Ross didn't impress anyone in 2003 and Vincent was a disappointment for the Baltimore Ravens in 2005, defending himself with the claim that their offense didn't suit his style of play. The Steelers did enjoy stability along the offensive line during the 2004 season, but the entire right side didn't prove to be anything special.
There should be some question as to whether Smith or Roethlisberger is more important to the success of the Steelers. When either player has been absent or banged up, Pittsburgh usually struggles. No one understands this better than Bettis.
During a conference call earlier this week, Bettis described the Steelers' most pressing problem to address during the off-season:
"I think first of all they need depth at the offensive line position. There is also the question about is Jeff Hartings going to continue. I think you have to think long-term and start grooming somebody. All around there are not a lot of key areas, depth is definitely the issue."
Bettis killed any speculation that Chukky Okobi is the heir apparent at center. Okobi is due $2 million in salary this coming season, too much money for a backup. The Steelers will need to cut him, while restructuring Hartings' deal before his $750,000 bonus is due (March 8 th). Of course, the Steelers can easily cut Okobi because they gave him such a small signing bonus, not exactly a ringing endorsement.
Behind Smith at left tackle is Trai Essex, arrested at a Miami nightclub for disorderly conduct on Monday. The offensive line struggled when Essex was forced to play in Smith's place during the 2005 season. While he was just a rookie, the Steelers were desperate to press a less-the-healthy Smith into service when the team was on the verge of elimination from the playoffs.
The Steelers thought very highly of Essex and fellow first-year lineman Chris Kemoeatu. Neither would distinguish themselves, with Kemoeatu rarely dressing on game day, despite the poor play of right guard Kendall Simmons. Neither impressed Bettis.
Of course, one could argue that Roethlisberger is the main difference between 6-10 and 15-1. Smith started at left tackle against the Jacksonville Jaguars this past season, with Maddox in for Roethlisberger. Maddox was horrible and the Steelers would lose a game that almost ended up costing them an appearance in the playoffs.
Roethlisberger can slide around enough to compensate for a bad offensive line, but Bettis was likely thinking about the running game. RB Willie Parker could do plenty of damage, if he could find a hole. The rushing attack wasn't the cornerstone of the offense during the playoffs, with Parker effectively bottled up. Parker set a record for the longest run in Super Bowl history, but he did little else during that game.
The Steelers were able to ride the arm of Roethlisberger during the playoffs. Smith didn't look healthy during this run, but the coaches still thought he was a much better option than Essex. There are no votes of confidence for the second string offensive linemen, setting up a scenario that could look similar to the 2003 season. Cowher will once again turn heavily toward the passing game and the Steelers could endure another reversal of fortune.
Don't expect the Steelers to weather a host of injuries on the line like the Patriots did after their most recent Super Bowl victory. Losing your left tackle is difficult for any team, but Pittsburgh is joined at the hip with Smith. If he misses more than 6 games, the Steelers won't have much of a chance at the playoffs.
Can Roethlisberger carry this team? We may find out next season. Regardless, the Steelers will need a body behind Hartings. Okobi isn't the answer and Hartings' knees won't hold up forever.
Rich man, poor man
February 22, 2006
A new revenue-sharing plan between NFL teams is holding up the renegotiation of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Wealthy teams, like the Washington Redskins, would like to see the current plan stay as it is. Less fortunate teams, such as the Pittsburgh Steelers, are arguing for something more equitable.
Rich Tandler, Editor-in-Chief of WarpathInsiders.com, made the case for the Redskins. Tandler claims that taking more money from team owner Dan Snyder could endanger paying off the stadium debt, forcing the team into a financial crisis. Any new revenue-sharing plan could end up being destructive, harming teams currently doing very well financially.
Despite such concerns, Steelers owner Dan Rooney makes the Dan Snyders of the NFL out to be the bad guys:
"There's about eight or 10 of the high-revenue clubs that seem to be united in a block. They want to keep the disparity. They want to knock us down and have us get up at the count of nine, so they can have another fight and knock us down again."
The revenue inequity in the NFL doesn't seem to be slowing down the Steelers, which makes Rooney look like a whiner. Do some NFL franchises need more money? Is Rooney the underdog here? The issue is the health of the league, not the profitability of certain "high-revenue clubs."
Forbes Magazine tracks NFL team valuations each year, ranking the franchises and discussing the business side of football. In 2004, the Redskins did indeed lead the league in revenues, $287 million. This number is the total amount of money a team brings in for all of its home games, after addressing stadium debt.
The Redskins are not facing a financial crisis if NFL teams shared revenue equally. The 2004 average revenue (again, after addressing stadium debt) was $188 million. The Steelers took in $182 million during that year. They don't stand to make much in the way of relative gain with an improved revenue-sharing plan.
Teams like the New York Jets ($172 million) and the New York Giants ($175 million) would appear to benefit from a new plan, but both teams side with the Redskins. Why would two teams that take in less revenue than the Steelers stand on the other side of the debate?
The intrigue concerns the various stadium deals negotiated around the league. The Giants have a lucrative agreement worked out that should considerably boost revenues for the team. They are protecting future assets.
Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, is making bank off his team thanks to ample "premium seating" (e.g. suites and boxes) and large corporate sponsorships (e.g. stadium naming rights). Forbes reported that the owners of the Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Cowboys are enjoying "double-digit returns" on their investments (after adjusting for inflation).
Why should teams that cleverly "maximize" their stadium revenues support teams that don't avail themselves of every avenue of profit?
Teams such as the Steelers could very easily price their local fan base out of the market. There is a question if cities like Pittsburgh or Buffalo could support increased premium seating and elevated ticket prices. Furthermore, local tax payers who helped foot the bill for a new stadium might not look kindly upon what would seem to be a much fatter pocket book for the team owner.
The NFL depends a great deal on their relationship with the average fan, but the owners do not, at least at first glance. The successful branding of the NFL includes teams that do not rank highly in terms of revenues. In this sense, Jerry Jones and Dan Snyder are getting a free ride. They also benefit from being located in a large market that supports a greater number of wealthy people who are willing to pay the price for a seat in a luxury suite.
While a new revenue-sharing deal may dampen the eye-popping returns for the owners of the wealthy teams, the future health of the NFL would improve. Believe it or not, Dan Rooney cares more about the league and the average fan than Dan Snyder. Snyder and Jones are hoping to take the money and run.
Around the AFC North
February 18, 2006
The Cincinnati Bengals are kings of the division, the Pittsburgh Steelers are reigning NFL champions, the Cleveland Browns are rebuilding, and the Baltimore Ravens are busy imploding. The 2006 AFC North battle is already taking shape and now is the time to put the Super Bowl hangover to bed.
Concerning the hornet's nest that is the Baltimore Ravens' clubhouse, this team has more problems than any other team in the division. Team stars Ray Lewis and Chris McAlister are top-notch NFL talents, but they made more news as locker room malcontents. Lewis wants a new contract and McAlister is not living up to his. Baltimore is loathe to accede to Lewis' wishes and the rumor mill is alive with word that Lewis was looking for a way out of Baltimore . There is tension between the team and both players, who could be getting ready for their last season as a Raven.
Last off-season, the Ravens were pitching themselves as Super Bowl contenders, but like the promise of the 46 defense, that was hype. The team has figured out some of the issues at wide receiver, only to see weaknesses at running back, at quarterback, and on the offensive and defensive line continue to haunt them once again in 2006.
As a result, the ownership effectively emasculated head coach Brian Billick and stated that QB Kyle Boller would have to compete with a veteran for the starting job. But there wasn't a housecleaning. The organization is still caught between the team that won the Super Bowl a few years back and the one currently trying to forge its own identity.
The Ravens are poised for a tailspin. The team has too much talent to start from scratch, but too many holes to figure that a quick fix would dramatically turn things around. Just when you think Boller and the other players are putting it all together, the Ravens go and lose to the Cleveland Browns.
The Cleveland Browns were more willing to make a break with past than the Ravens and they could take a step out of last place in the division if they can rebuild the defensive line. The bleeding in Cleveland won't end until the Browns can stop the run, something the Ravens still have going for their team.
The Browns have plenty of cap room to make a number of high-profile signings in free agency, but the team isn't a player or two away from contending. GM Phil Savage will likely avoid overpaying aging stars, instead targeting promising players coming off of their rookie contract.
Of course, there is also the draft, which has been an unmitigated disaster since the NFL returned to Cleveland . However, there have been better years to pick a stud at defensive tackle or defensive end. The Browns might be better off raiding Baltimore 's kitchen, stealing away Ma'ake Kemoeatu and Anthony Weaver.
Regardless, Savage has to hit a few home runs in the draft. That's how he helped Baltimore stay competitive when he worked for the Ravens. Do the Browns go boldly after Haloti Ngata? They could do a lot worse.
If the front office can solve the problems with the run defense, don't overlook this team in 2006.
The Cincinnati Bengals are one or two players away from contending for the Super Bowl. They could throw more money at S Chris Hope than the Steelers are willing to spend and they could line the coffers of DT Grady Jackson. The Bengals have options.
They also have locker room issues.
WR Chad Johnson is an NFL star, but his halftime tirade in the playoff game against the Steelers is a bad omen. The Ravens have the worst team chemistry in the division, but the Bengals didn't show much down the stretch, resting on the laurels of the AFC North championship. Add to that WR Chris Henry's off-the-field problems and QB Carson Palmer's season-ending knee injury, 2006 got off to an ominous start.
Those issues aside, the Bengals have drafted well. They have the most talent in the division. Their offensive line offers some of the best pass protection in the league. Cincinnati should continue to score plenty of points as long as Palmer fully recovers.
Then again, the Bengals benefited from turnovers, which tends to vary from year-to-year. A big swing backwards could be in the offering. They play a tough first-place schedule and character-issues aren't going to go away.
Will Cincinnati change draft strategy? A volatile locker room might demand a review of this approach. The Bengals have yet to prove that they handle adversity very well.
As for the Pittsburgh Steelers, you should ask the Answer Man.
Staley best mind his jewelry
February 17, 2006
Will Duce Staley step in and replace Jerome Bettis as the short-yardage closer in the Steelers' offense? Don't be so certain. Staley's story is starting to read a lot like Kendrell Bell's.
LB Kendrell Bell's career as a Steeler is still shrouded in mystery. During the 2002 season, his injuries were much worse than the team let on, something painfully evident during a game in Pittsburgh against the Cincinnati Bengals. Bell could barely walk during that game, but not one single reporter commented on how he struggled to get off the field after the play was blown dead.
The playoffs revealed, without a doubt, that Bell was playing thanks to painkillers. He was all over the place in the thrilling victory over the Cleveland Browns, but then he was unable to play against the Tennessee Titans, when LB Larry Foote spent the game bouncing off of QB Steve McNair.
Bell swore off painkillers before the 2004 season, but the Steelers hardly played him after that. Foote was the starter and Bell was on his way out of town. The Steelers acted as if Bell wasn't healthy enough to play, but that didn't seem to stop them in 2002.
RB Duce Staley's current situation has some similarities to Bell's. Under the cloak of injury, Staley was inactive. Staley would return to the field, but that experiment didn't last long. Staley replaced Verron Haynes on the active roster against the Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals.
Staley was ineffective in both of those games and there were rumors that he made a few critical mistakes, which landed him back in street clothes. Haynes regained his job and the Steelers wouldn't lose another game.
All the while, Steelers head coach Bill Cowher has fallen madly in love with RB Willie Parker. Staley was brought in to replace Bettis, and now Parker has replaced them both. Suddenly, Parker looks like a one-man wrecking crew.
Bettis is now gone and Haynes is a free agent. The main question about Staley has been his health. But don't forget that he was benched for poor play. The Steelers tried to use Staley as a replacement for Haynes, but they clearly didn't like what they saw. However, the injury story would allow the team to release Staley without really saying he's lost it.
The problem isn't simply Staley's play and his health. His salary goes from $665,000 in 2005 to $2.5 million in 2006, which is too much money for a guy the Steelers don't think is better than Verron Haynes.
The Steelers could cut Staley, breaking even in terms of cap hit, but that would leave them without any running backs under contract. After June 1st would be more likely, when Staley's release would provide significant cap relief that could be used for an extension or to help sign the rookie class.
Meanwhile, Staley's situation keeps getting stranger. The first story described Staley losing $100,000 worth of jewelry in a nightclub during an altercation. Staley would later deny that he was involved in any altercation and that he only lost his bracelet, outside of a "gentleman's club" in Columbia, SC.
Is everything right in Staley's world?
Staley's position with the Steelers is tenuous enough. He doesn't need to give the organization another reason to release him. Already, the gaping hole at running back looks larger.
The Steelers will get Parker under contract, but Staley doesn't offer the team any peace of mind in terms of depth, short yardage, or third down. Pittsburgh doesn't have a lot of spare cap room to throw around at free agents and there are other positions that need attention.
Staley's recent negative publicity only serves to highlight that the Steelers are going fishing for a running back on day 1 of the NFL draft.
Vindicating Bill Cowher
February 15, 2006
Please pardon my blasphemy, but the Steelers fans over at Stillers.com are suffering from an identity crisis. Long home to the most scathing criticisms of the Pittsburgh Steelers and head coach Bill Cowher found in the entire world of fan sites, the membership is struggling to reconcile a Super Bowl victory with an exhaustive negative assessment of the organization.
This tension highlights the questions concerning where Cowher and the Steelers will go from here, the pinnacle of the National Football League.
1) What is the Cowher Way and are we fans now stuck with it?
With a fifth Super Bowl trophy now safely in the confines of Pittsburgh, fans are actually apologizing to Bill Cowher. Some believed (and likely still believe) that Cowher's qualities as a head coach were insufficient for bringing home a championship. However, you would have a hard time convincing anyone of this point after the victory parade.
Fairly or not, many fans perceive Cowher as a motivational coach who doesn't thrive on out-thinking his opponent. He employs a conservative approach, which favors veterans over rookies, sometimes at the expense of talent. And he'd rather eat up some clock and kick a field goal than roll the dice and go for a touchdown.
The result is an impressive number of regular season wins, but an epic choke job in the big game. Cowher is now 2-4 in AFC Championship games. The fact that he has been in 6 of them is impressive enough, but most fans see this as a bottom-line business. When it counts and the pressure is on, Cowher tends to flop.
Captured on NFL Films, Ben Roethlisberger implores his coach during the Super Bowl to stay aggressive offensively, which lends credence to the fan complaints about Cowher's propensity to "turtle" during the second half of a close football game. Cowher's philosophy seems to be one of not losing the game, instead of figuring out how to win.
Now Cowher is on top of the football world. If he did indeed win it all his way, we should expect more of the same in the future.
2) Is Bill Cowher or Ben Roethlisberger more important to the success of the Steelers?
In a recent premium content column in the Dallas Morning News, a Cowboys fan compared Ben Roethlisberger unfavorably to Troy Aikman based on Super Bowl performances, "To me, he's overrated." Sports journalist Rick Gosselin cited Roethlisberger's impressive list of accomplishments at such a young age. When Aikman was 23, he was 0-11 as a starter.
Gosselin contends that the quarterback is the difference maker. Great quarterbacks make great coaches, not the other way around. If Gosselin can't convince you of this, perhaps Tommy Maddox against the Jacksonville Jaguars would. If Cowher has learned anything, he's learned that you can't trust your quarterback.
Roethlisberger has changed everything. The buzz during the playoffs was Cowher's surprising reliance on Roethlisberger's arm during the first half of the game. Cowher has relied on his running game for most of his career and if that failed, the Steelers were usually cooked.
When Roethlisberger struggled in the big game, the Steelers had that familiar playoff look. They stumbled in the role of big game favorite and they appeared to buckle under the weight of expectations. Then there was Roethlisberger trying to keep Cowher from returning to his old ways.
3) What can we expect the Steelers to do during the off-season as they reload for 2006?
Cowher has a franchise quarterback and a Super Bowl ring. The team and its fans are in uncharted waters. What was recently a predictable off-season is now a struggle to stay on top. Forget finding players who fit in with Cowher and his ball control approach to winning the game. The Steelers will look to compliment Roethlisberger's game.
In this sense, retaining Antwaan Randle El would seem to be much more important than re-signing Chris Hope. Better yet, the Steelers could fulfill Roethlisberger's request to draft WR Martin Nance. Randle El wasn't picked with this franchise QB in mind.
Emerging are dinosaurs from Cowher's days mitigating the shortcomings of Kordell Stewart, Neil O'Donnell and Tommy Maddox. Pass blocking become more important than run blocking. Willie Parker becomes more useful than Jerome Bettis.
Don't go looking for the next Bus or the heir apparent to Alan Faneca. Instead, think about how the Seattle Seahawks befuddled Roethlisberger and how the Steelers might solve that riddle with new personnel.
Meanwhile, the anti-fans at Stillers.com should take heart. Roethlisberger will have a few more bad games in the future and the old Cowher will rear his ugly chin. Odds are that the Steelers will fall short next season and we will once again smugly point fingers.
Just as a losing season in New England will remind the press corps that Bill Belichick is a jerk, Cowher forgetting whose team this really is will inflame his worst critics. But Cowher won't likely be the problem over the next few seasons.
Beating Stillers.com to the punch, we should start a weekly "Big Head Ben" watch. Cowher may have killed his demon, but now Roethlisberger has the Yuk Monkey on his back. The big-game-choke haunted Cowher, and now fans are waiting to see which quarterback shows up to the Super Bowl.


text:
DIY AMBIENT TEMP SENSOR (EBAY SENSOR) 2000 328i
View Single Post
Registered User
Location: San Jose
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 93
Mein Auto: 2000 BMW 328i
View My Garage
Originally Posted by
Thanks for your effort, but I'd really be remiss if I didn't try to give some extra tips so those tuning in here don't do so many things wrong. We always recommend buying oem electronic parts rather than discount parts. Way too many failures that makes it not worth the savings. This one in particular won't result in a breakdown, but could leave you without A/C in sweltering weather. That's bad enough for me.
Too bad you didn't have someone who knew how to solder to get one lesson from. It's really very simple when you know how, but your solder connections look less than proper. There are some decent tutorials floating around on the internet so as to teach you what to avoid.
Wnenever I splice wires or use butt connectors, I always try to stagger the connections so as to minimize the possibility of shorts if the unlikely failure of insulation happens. Cuts down on the huge bulge effect at one point in the wiring too.
Sensor end should be completely in free air rather than taped against any other object which might affect the accuracy of a true temperature reading.
After decades of experience, electrical tape has very little application in real life for me. I've seen very few instances where it didn't ooze and unwrap to look pretty messy and unprofessional. Especially unsatisfactory in wrapping around strands of wires.
Thanks for the input. Sorry, I probably didn't do a good job on this DIY. I was just trying to do my best on this DIY. The soldering part, I know i didn't do a good job. In my head, I was like "Am I doing this right?",
haha. The spot where I put the new temp sensor at, I didn't know where else to put it. Anyways, reason why I bought that sensor from ebay instead of the oem sensor is because the seller said in his listing
"- Works on all E39, E38, E46, E90's from 1995-present.
- Easy install - DIY - instructions included
- 10 year manufacture warranty
- "OEM+" Better than OEM unit
- Made in the USA
- Includes FREE mounting hardware.
- This is the only sensor on ebay that comes with a 10 year warranty
Now, if you are anything like me, its embarrassing to have something broken on your car that is so easy to fix.
Until now, the cost of a new OBC temp sensor (about $80) kept all of us from doing it. This unit is far superior to the OEM unit.
Encased in ABS plastic, and sealed with marine grade epoxy, unlike the oem unit, this sensor is virtually indestructible."
He has 100% feedbacks and I reading the reviews on the buyers, and they all said it worked great. They probably did a better installation of the sensor than i did for sure. LOL
View Public Profile
Find all threads started by sjbmw328i
Find all posts by sjbmw328i
View My Garage
Add sjbmw328i to Your Ignore List


text:
A young winner got to stand on the doorstep of Number 10 Downing Street last month.
Emily Reeh, 6, who won a Christmas card competition, had a special treat when asked to accompany MP Chris Grayling to Downing Street.
Emily, from Barnett Wood Lane Infant School, Ashtead, travelled to Westminster to collect her winner's trophy and certificate on January 15.
MP Grayling said: "It was really nice. She was cute.
"They did a picture of us standing outside the Number 10 on the doorstep."


text:
By TRIP CITY Podcast
PODCAST 32: MATT BORS [ 1:09:34 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Trip City Northwest correspondent Ryan Alexander-Tanner talks to Pulitzer-Prize nominated, nationally syndicated political cartoonist Matt Bors, who recently released his first collection of comics, Life Begins at Incorporation, after a successful Kickstarter campaign. The discussion includes Bors' early life as a fanboy, his growing political awareness, his obsessive work ethic, future career plans, and how he may or may not rather be penciling X-Men.
The Trip City Podcast is produced by Chris Miskiewicz, Seth Kushner and Ryan Alexander-Tanner


text:
Fanny's of Westmount
United States › QC › Montreal › Fanny's of Westmount
- Contact
230, St-Jacques ouest
Montreal, QC H2Y 1L9
United States
(151) 448-25824
- (Rated 1/5 based on 2 Reviews)
- http://fannyofwestmount.com/
User Reviews (2)
Stylist: FannyRating:
Worst service ever !! During the masaage the employes next room were screaming ! Not really relaxing! After i wait 45mn for my pedicure because the owner was doing her pedicure !! When I complained to her she was really rude and didnt care about. Never go back !! Plus the product they use are old and are not of quality. They claimed on there websit that celebrety go there but the pictures on the wall are from the 1980. Dont go there !!!!
Stylist: Fanny
I went there once years ago ! never never go back again ! I had puffed frizzy hair like a poodle dog.I can't believe she was proud of what she done.She doesn't care about what you look like after what she done, YOU have to live with your curly hair, and it was very very expansive. No more for me.I've tried of lot of salon in Montreal and I hope that someday one of the most popular salon in New York will open one here. We don't have a lot of hairdressers who learned how to work with curly hair.It would be a big big business here !


text:
Ships by Truck
Affordable Portable Three Well Hot Cafeteria Unit with WALNUT WOODGRAIN WRAPPER, complete with cafeteria breath guard with acrylic panel, 46"L, 24"W, 57"H (35" worksurface height) open storage base, (3) 20" x 12" exposed hot wells, 525-watt per well,
- The Vollrath company has produced quality kitchen products for over a century.
Are you familiar with this product? Be the first to review this item!


text: I don't know if this is feasible. Currently if we install the ports from CD it just copies over the ports tree/directory to the slice. If at any later time one wishes to update the ports tree you must either do it through the system manager or else do it on the command line. Either way, you have to fetch the current snapshot and then extract it, creating the various INDEXes. If possible wouldn't it be better to install the latest ports snapshot to the slice, then run a portsnap extract against that so that it would create the ports tree and INDEXes initially on the install? I'm sure it would take a bit longer for the install but would save time later on. Just a thought. -- Drache - is still walking above ground and traveling between eternities - -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://lists.pcbsd.org/pipermail/testing/attachments/20080828/e6a99764/attachment.html>


text:
Amy Winehouse's Boozy Hospital Breakout
Amy Winehouse had a scandalous lapse in her recovery last night, as she sprung out of the London Clinic for a night of rocking and boozing.
The Grammy-winning British singer, 25, checked into the private hospital after allegedly suffering a drug and alcohol-induced seizure 10 days ago.
Winehouse was also said to have recently given husband Blake Fielder-Civil a farewell romp—from her sick bed—before he was sent back to prison for reportedly failing a drug test.
By last night, the "Rehab" singer was perhaps feeling too cooped up. Amy was snapped by photographers as she caroused throughout East London, spliff in mouth while in the backseat of a car.
Might that be medicinal marijuana?
Winehouse is said to have gone to a friend's house in Camden for a late-night drinking session after spending a few hours in a recording studio on her freedom jaunt.
Alas, all good things must come to an end. Amy returned to the London Clinic in the early a.m. hours.
Her nurses may want to consider double-bolting her door at night. They should also put in for hazard pay.


text:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon minced black truffle (optional), see Note
- 1 teaspoon white truffle oil
- Salt
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup popcorn kernels (7 ounces)
- Freshly ground pepper
In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Stir in the truffle, truffle oil and a pinch of salt; keep warm.
In a large, heavy pot, heat the vegetable oil. Add the popcorn kernels, cover and cook over moderate heat until they start popping. Cook, shaking the pot continuously, until the popping has almost stopped. Carefully pour the popcorn into a very large bowl. Add the truffled butter and toss well. Season with salt and pepper and serve at once.


text:
Law, Policy -- and IT?
Tracy Mitrano explores the intersection where higher education, the Internet and the world meet (and sometimes collide).
Literacy in the Digital Age: Part III
To ask what is "digital literacy" is to ask first from what "literacy" derives? It is inexorably intertwined with history -- articulated self-consciousness. Archeological evidence from the Mesopotamian Valley suggests that trade fostered the first forms of this kind of communication. That makes some sense. As hunter/gatherers transformed into early agricultural societies, social organization inevitably came to assume greater degrees of specialization. Trade among members of the community as well as with outsiders would naturally emerge as a primary activity.
To ask what is "digital literacy" is to ask first from what "literacy" derives? It is inexorably intertwined with history -- articulated self-consciousness. Archeological evidence from the Mesopotamian Valley suggests that trade fostered the first forms of this kind of communication. That makes some sense. As hunter/gatherers transformed into early agricultural societies, social organization inevitably came to assume greater degrees of specialization. Trade among members of the community as well as with outsiders would naturally emerge as a primary activity. Transaction records go hand in hand with the rise of governance structures, the establishment of laws written down for the dual purpose of memorializing and communicating them, all together with the first recorded reflections on human origins and significance.
The role that literacy plays in that overall effort is to give expression to the inclination we have to ask the questions anew for each generation: Who are we? Why are we here? How do we tell our story to the next generation? Well, what is our story? It depends, doesn't it, on what perspective we take, who is doing the telling, how it is being recorded, preserved, "curated" if you will. Once we acknowledge that combination of determining factors, we stumble upon an insight that we cannot ignore.
Each society will deploy literacy in service of its ideal. If our earliest records of literacy are about trade, it is because trade is what defined the core dynamic of that society. If in early Chinese civilization, literacy grew out of what we would call "civil service," it is because attention to social order has long been the hallmark of China's civilization. If literacy in Ancient Egypt reflected the glorious reign of the Pharaohs, we know that that society attributed divinity to leadership. Literacy assumed a very different meaning in Ancient Greece. It was all about the shining new example of governance: democracy. In Ancient Rome, literacy reflected its "grandeur," a kind of beauty that only aggressive empire building and prodigious wealth can display.
What does literacy means for American society? Historically we took our lesson from Ancient Greece: literacy was about citizenship. Different insofar as our government from the beginning was a republic and not direct democracy, literacy nevertheless has been regarded as the necessary tool for governance. Citizens must educate themselves about the issues, positions and people for whom they will vote to represent them in government.
Everything about the history of education comes down to that point. Why were schools bursting forth in the republican period and proliferating throughout antebellum society? To be the means that would meet political ends. Education for girls followed in tandem especially in higher education after the Civil War, and public schools emerged as the norm by the end of the century. Why is higher education the jewel in the crown of American society? Today's colleges and universities are the greatest institutions of learning ever, trans-historically and cross-culturally, the culmination of our founding ideals of freedom, liberty and equality in service of society. Whatever else is imperfect and tarnished about the United States: yesterday, today or tomorrow, higher education remains at the pinnacle of our experience.
So why are we now in a tizzy about literacy? As literacy rates rise globally, they fall in the United States. Illiteracy or sub-literacy, it should surprise no one, is often found to be at the root of many social ills, crime not least and drug traffic the most. Illiteracy and sub-literacy are a reflection of an alarming financial and class disproportion, a trend that is growing rapidly. If the trend, propagated largely by tax policy in the last twenty years, continues unchecked, American society will surely assume the bimodal shape that current sociologists have depicted: a lot of money in the hands of a few people and families at the "top" of the society and many people in need at the "bottom." Through waning or lack of employment opportunity, a drumbeat of market pressure to buy consumer items and more recently licenses and services, often if not always in a posture of debt through credit cards resembling a sophisticated form of debt-peonage of the post-civil war era among ex-slaves in the south, and a middle class that is taxed to death – because no other principal class is paying taxes in the society – a bi-modal society of rich and poor is bound to emerge.
This news is bad for literacy. Literacy in the United States is bound up with the rise of the middle class. In fact, if you asked me "what is the single worry" on my mind about American society, I would pin the tail on this donkey. I place it in bold relief because it has a profound influence on just about everything else I will say.
Information literacy studies find a digital divide that has a logical and deep explanation in this economic landscape. People without access to connectivity or computers – whether they be my Appalachian neighbors five miles down the rural road in Tompkins County where I live or five miles from here in urban poverty – will undoubtedly lack digital or information literacy skills. Often people with even poor bandwidth or quickly outmoded devices have had no or inadequate training to use information technology resources skillfully.
Moreover, even a cursory glance at trends in contemporary higher education in the United States shows that we are entering at least a two-tiered system of haves and have nots, those who have the luxury of a liberal arts education and those who go to college for some form of vocational training. I suspect if we took off our blinders -- blinders we willfully keep on because we don't want to see how we have devolved from the more egalitarian post World War II ideals of higher education into the bimodal, shrinking middle class social structure of the twenty-first century -- we could not fail to notice this two tier system. It is not the failure of administrators. It is not the failure of educators. It is not the failure of students. It is the failure of a society to value education as a social good. Rather than regard education as foundational pillar of citizenship, it has become a brand name to brandish or bandy about in a commercialized and commoditized marketplace, on the one hand, or a certification to get a position or a raise on the other. In the meaning we confer on education we seem to be in transition of what literacy meant from Ancient Greece to Ancient Rome.
Read more by
You may also be interested in...
Opinions on Inside Higher Ed
Inside Higher Ed's Blog U
What Others Are Reading
- Viewed
- Past:
- Day
- Week
- Month
- Year


text:
By Barbara De Lollis, USA TODAY
GREENSBORO, N.C. Honda (HMC), the Japanese giant that has given the USA motorcycles, cars, lawn mowers and weed whackers, puts its newest product on sale starting next month: a little $3 million business jet.
It's a sporty airplane that stands 13 feet tall at the top of its tail, seats six or seven people and flies faster than its closest rivals — as fast as 480 miles per hour. Its distinctive look comes from top-mounted engines on the wings; an elongated, tapered nose; and a striking pearlescent dark-sky-blue color scheme.
How Honda got into jetmaking is largely the story of one doggedly determined engineer who has worked for 20 years to win over skeptics inside and outside the corporation about his unconventional theories on what will fly — literally and in the highly competitive market for business jets.
PHOTOS: Honda's new model is a jet
Japanese-born engineer Michimasa Fujino has overseen Honda's jet unit here at the Greensboro airport since 2001, but his battle to get his employer into jetmaking started long before. It's a battle that has required obsessive attention to detail as well as a willingness to fight tirelessly to see his airplane produced and marketed.
After coming to the USA and finding inspiration in many Americans' personal connection with airplanes, the soft-spoken engineer developed an unconventional lightweight jet concept he believed could fly.
His vision: Place the engines atop the wings. On a typical jet, they'd be on the tail or beneath the wing, but Fujino's design maximizes cabin space. A German airplane maker tried but failed using a similar design in the 1970s.
"It was industry common sense that this was not a good idea," Fujino said in an interview.
Fujino faced other obstacles: internal skepticism about whether he could devise a cutting-edge airplane, his own impatience with the lengthy research process and a Japanese corporate culture that normally stifles individualism.
But the strong-willed engineer, who looks far younger than his age, 44, thrives on challenges. He stuck to his dream with an extraordinary mix of patience, persistence and perfectionism. It helped that he worked for an engine-maker willing to branch out in many directions — from luxury sedans to snowblowers — and that he had an American mentor who discouraged him from quitting.
Very light jets make headlines
In July, Honda announced it would produce the jet commercially. It plans to produce 70 per year in the USA but hasn't announced a location. Potential buyers can buy them through Piper aircraft dealers starting next month.
Honda declined to disclose how much it has spent on the project so far, or when it might see a profit.
Rivals welcome the arrival of Honda, the only carmaker in the jet competition.
"Their entering is strong confirmation that there's a strong market out there" for so-called very light jets, or VLJs, says Rick Adam, CEO of Adam Aircraft. Adam is making the comparable $2.3 million Adam A700.
In an e-mail to USA TODAY, Honda CEO Takeo Fukui said Honda committed to building the aircraft because it believes it has a superior concept and design. He also cited Fujino's "eagerness and motivation" in pushing the project.
In committing to the manufacturing of Fujino's plane, called HondaJet, the company is reaching for a share of a new category of private jets. So far, the only VLJs flying are manufacturers' demonstration planes. But they're coming. The Federal Aviation Administration predicts 4,500 VLJs in the skies within 10 years.
Most VLJs are priced in the $2-million-to-$3-million range, less than the least expensive jet now on the market. Honda says it plans to ask for $3 million to $4 million, though the exact price won't be revealed until next month. It expects to fetch a premium for a roomy interior, fuel efficiency, speed and a reliable brand name.
The small jets are expected to be a hit with several groups: owner-pilots who can afford new toys, businesses that can't afford bigger jets and air-taxi companies planning to sell private flights.
Honda says it will need three or four years to get the jet certified by U.S. safety regulators. Meanwhile, customers are expected to receive jets from Cessna, Adam Aircraft, Eclipse and Embraer before Honda's first deliveries.
Fujino isn't terribly bothered by the lag.
"That's what it takes," he says.
Obsessed with achievement
Contrary to the modesty typical in Japanese culture, Fujino clearly takes pride in his achievement. He refers to the Greensboro-based prototype — the only HondaJet now in existence — as "my plane."
In getting the program going, he obsesses over every detail, from its paint job to the résumés of test pilots. His obsession can be seen even in the stark-white hangar. It's meticulously clean, with its concrete floor polished to a mirror finish.
Fujino grew up the son of a history professor and a homemaker, one of two children. He took a liking to aviation as a child and, in college, studied aeronautical engineering.
He joined Honda's research and development unit after college in 1984 at age 24, initially working on power-steering technology.
In 1986, Honda picked Fujino and a small group of other Honda engineers to study advanced aeronautics at Mississippi State University in Starkville, Miss. Years before the VLJ concept emerged, their work led to the development of an experimental light jet constructed of man-made materials, called the MH02.
Arriving in small-town Starkville from metropolitan Tokyo was a cultural shock. But there, Fujino fell deeply in love with aviation. Even while studying advanced aircraft design in Japan, he'd never had a chance to actually touch an airplane. In Starkville, he met people who built aircraft in their garages.
Starkville also proved pivotal for Fujino because he met Leon Tolve, a retired Lockheed engineer working on MH02 as a consultant. Tolve was nearly a half century older, but the two would develop an almost father-son relationship.
Tolve set such high standards that Fujino recalls having to redo inch-thick reports because of a single mistake. His hard-driving work ethic set a tone for Fujino, as did Tolve's stories about aircraft designers' failed attempts at innovative design. Tolve remained a primary influence for Fujino, "many times" discouraging him from quitting Honda because he wasn't making progress as quickly as he'd wanted.
Honda ended the MH02 project in 1995, believing the research goals had been achieved. But the results were unimpressive.
The group returned to a corner in Honda's research-and-development center in Japan to work without a clear agenda or support. Facing such uncertainty, engineers who had worked with Fujino since the beginning began seeking re-assignment. Fujino remembers it feeling like "a sinking ship."
Fujino grew increasingly anxious over the lack of a significant design breakthrough, but he kept working. It was around this time that he informally sketched a jet with engines mounted over the wings.
By 1997, skepticism had begun to seep into the Honda boardroom in Tokyo. About half of Honda's directors were questioning why they should continue financing aviation research when Honda had other priorities. CEO Fukui said the company's main concerns a decade ago were auto-production technology and the fierceness of the North American pickup market, not aviation.
Fujino, then leader of Honda's aviation-research unit, prepared to face his fate at the December 1997 board meeting.
Honda's then-CEO, Nobuhiko Kawamoto, asked Fujino to make his case for continuing the jet project to the board. Fukui recalls that it "was not a smooth meeting" for Fujino, but ultimately his project survived. He showed board members his sketch and described how the overall design would bring new value to customers, almost like Honda's compact Civic did for U.S. roads years earlier.
Fujino left the meeting determined to return to the USA — the biggest market — to build planes for Honda.
One sign of his determination: When he and his wife started a family in Japan, he prepared their children for American life by giving them names easily understood in both countries: Erin, Mari and Mark. He moved his family to Greensboro in 2001 after years of laying the groundwork for a U.S. base from Japan.
Fujino and his team worked out of two hangars on the edge of the Greensboro airport. He chose the area because it was close enough to the FAA branch in Atlanta, where staff would handle certification, and to Fujino's American friends, such as Tolve. The off-the-beaten path location ensured privacy, yet not total isolation. He has a decent sushi restaurant a 10-minute drive away.
Unconventional design takes off
For the next two years, he worked to prove his concept: the peculiar engine position and the use of man-made composites, instead of aluminum, for the fuselage. He brought small models of the jet to world-class wind tunnels in France, in Japan and at a Boeing facility in Seattle. Each test vindicated his theories, yet in 1999, Fukui recalls, Fujino faced deepening skepticism from corporate leaders. "I knew how Fujino-san must have felt, but I never gave his project preferential treatment above other development projects," Fukui wrote. "It was his challenge. He was the one who would have to win it."
Fujino's project gained momentum with publication in 2003 of articles on his design theories in the journal of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, which is widely respected in academic circles. Starting in early 2003, he and the Greensboro staff worked on assembling the prototype by hand, piece by piece, inside Honda's white hangars.
Honda told Fujino to fly the jet before the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' first flight in Kitty Hawk, N.C. So, on Dec. 3, 2003, two weeks before the Wright anniversary, Honda's flight crew rolled out the jet, fully painted in a color scheme that Fujino chose himself over 50 suggestions from more experienced Honda auto designers in Tokyo.
The flight went beautifully, Fujino recalls.
'A mouth-dropping experience'
In the last few years, Honda has hinted that it was toying with the idea of selling its jet, announcing in 2004, for example, that it partnered with General Electric to manufacture engines for small jets.
And, before committing to production last summer, it teased aviators by having the jet make brief stops at major air shows.
Portland, Ore.-based pilot Dan Pimentel says it was "a mouth-dropping experience" when he saw the HondaJet at the Oshkosh, Wis., air show, shortly before Honda announced its plans.
"We pilots consider airplanes to be beautiful, but they just don't get as beautiful as the HondaJet," Pimentel says.
Fujino, now CEO of the aircraft unit, is still visibly moved by watching the jet. During a recent flight with visitors in a tracking plane to watch the HondaJet fly on its 185th experimental flight, Fujino watched it as if in a trance. When it rolled away to descend, he quietly whispered, "Wow."
Fujino also feels sorrow that his mentor, Tolve, never lived to see the day that Honda announced its intentions. He died at age 88 in May 2004. Fujino's eyes tear up when he talks about Tolve.
"If he stayed alive, this would make him very happy," he says.


text:
If Charlie Parker Was a Gunslinger,
There'd Be a Whole Lot of Dead Copycats
Containing Multitudes Since 2004
Annals of Crime #90
Original Caption:
New York -- Louis Capone and Emanuel "Mendy" Weiss are pictured handcuffed together and under guard aboard train en route to Sing Sing and the electric chair. They joined seventeen other prisoners in the death house and were scheduled to walk to the chair on January 4, 1942, for the murder of Joseph Rosen, a Brooklyn candy store owner. (1941)
This was posted by
Tom Sutpen
your thoughts:
Email This
Share to Twitter
Share to Facebook
Share to Pinterest
The series is:
Annals of Crime
No comments:
Post a Comment
Newer Post
Older Post
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Jourdan Guyton Model
Judith Ann WarrenModel Female New York, New York, US
My Website: The Judith Ann CollectionMy MM URL: http://www.modelmayhem.com/judyblueyes
Mayhem # 3115998
About MeHI my name is Judy and I specialize in bikini and lingerie modeling but I do other types of modeling work as well. I look forward to working with you, but to insure good business dealing please know my requirements before contacting me for a shoot..
If the shoot is out of state I do ask that my travel expenses are paid for before the shoot via pay pal. I need to bring an escort for any nude shoots I do. I need to be paid up front and I prefer to work with a contract. This is to insure the utmost professionalism in my photo shoots.
Have you worked with Judith Ann Warren? Add Credits for Judith Ann Warren! >>
Credit NotesIf the shoot is out of state I do ask that my travel expenses are paid for before the shoot via pay pal and that any nude shoot I do I need to be able to bring a escort and that I am paid at least half upfront and that I am emailed the contract before the shoot. I want to insure that I work with the utmost professionalism in my photo shoots to insure good business dealings So when you contact know these are my requirements
I look forward to working with you!
Jourdan Guyton Model
Jay Jaune Model
JohnRobert Model
Nilsa N Soto Hair Stylist
Crazy photo shoots Photographer
YanHuang Photographer
Loading Content


text:
Your browser does not support iframes.
A Shelbyville woman remains in critical condition at the University of Louisville Hospital after being found viciously beaten and lying beside Mount Eden Road on Saturday.
Police determined that Denisse Escareno, 24, had been assaulted brutally, said Shelby County Sheriff's Det. Jason Rice. Her assailant remains at large.
Escareno was found by passersby shortly before 3 p.m., near Lisby Lane, about two miles south of Interstate 64. She was taken by Shelby County EMS to Jewish Hospital Shelbyville and airlifted from there to UofL.
Emanuel Ruiz, 19, of 5210 Alex Ave. in Louisville was arrested Oct. 30 at 120 Midland Blvd. and charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs, first offense, no operator's license, reckless driving and failure to maintain insurance, first offense.
Charles R. Heightchew, 35, of 301 Lynne Acres was indicted for flagrant nonsupport.
Victor C. Fallis, 27, of 406 Eminence Road in New Castle was indicted for flagrant nonsupport.
Gerald Lee Ramsey, 45, of 10102 Westego Place in Jeffersontown was indicted for fourth-degree assault (domestic violence), third offense or greater in the past 5 years.
Ashley J. Hughes, 38, of 2943 Waddy Road was arrested Oct. 17 at that address and charged with second-degree burglary.
Kristopher S. Brown, 43, of 159 Baker Drive No. 204 was arrested Oct. 21 at that address and charged with third-degree terroristic threatening and menacing.
Alcohol Intoxication
District court
The following cases were heard by Judge Linda Armstrong:
Russell E. Nation, second-offense DUI – plead guilty – 6-month sentence, serve 30 days, balance probated for 2 years, operator's license suspended for 12 months and $878 fine and costs.
Joshua A. Stepp, improper passing and first-offense DUI – plead guilty – operator's license suspended for 30 days and $778 fine and costs.
A 17-year-old Shelbyville boy faces charges in Kansas City, Mo., after he was found naked in bed with a 6-year-old girl, according to news sources in Kansas City.
Kansas City police have charged him with second-degree burglary, and he was accused of having the intent of committing sexual misconduct.
Some media outlets reported the name of the teenager, but because he is a minor and the information could not be corroborated by official sources, The Sentinel-News is withholding the identity.
A Shelbyville man was arrested Wednesday night and charged with a variety of offenses, including impersonating a police officer.
Kentucky State Police Trooper Eddie Whitworth pulled over Travis Beckley, 22, on Main Street in Shelbyville at 11 p.m., after having seen Beckley fail to stop at a stop sign at Henry Clay and 1st streets, police said.
Whitworth said Beckley told him he was a Shelby County sheriff's deputy and was undergoing criminal justice training.
Fernado Garcia-Gonzalez, 22, of 171 Kentucky St. was arrested Sept. 4 on Taylorsville Road and charged with operating a motor a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs, first offense, careless driving, failure to maintain insurance and no operator's license.
More than $8,000 worth of property was stolen from a home on Benson Pike early in the month.
Between Oct. 5 and Oct. 9, in the 6100 block of Benson Pike, someone broke into a residence by using forced entry through the front door.
Property stolen included several rifles and shotguns, jewelry and a jewelry box, musical instruments, a coke can coin bank, a weed eater with a metal blade, a Western roping saddle, a compound bow, and a black powder pistol.
Kenneth Riddle, 47, of 435 E. Brandies Ave. in Louisville was served Sept. 6 at the Detention Center with a Jefferson County warrant for flagrant nonsupport.
Amelia F. Meadows, 50, of 635 Booker Pike was arrested Sept. 6 on 5th Street on a Henry County warrant for probation violation on a misdemeanor offense.
Robert Mitchell Spangler, 58, of 406 Pine Creek Road in Mayking was served Sept. 8 at the Detention Center with a Virginia warrant for being a fugitive from another state.
Copyright © 2017
The Sentinel-News is your source for local news, sports, events and information in Shelby County and Shelbyville, KY, and the surrounding area.