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In House With Roscoe Dash
Roscoe Dash looks back on his years as a jock with a satisfied grin. Once a small forward playing hoops, the 21-year-old Atlanta native threw the basketball to the wayside just a few years ago, put pen to paper and began crafting undeniable hooks that made him a staple in rap circles. His name should surely be familiar with big looks on Waka Flocka Flame's rhythmic banger 'No Hands' and Big Sean's anthemic 'Marvin & Chardonnay.' He's rubbed elbows with top rhymers in the hip-hop community and earned respect for his pen game but he's done it all with a "clean-up guy" image that he's trying to shake.
Known for rounding out tracks for others in the industry, Dash is now looking for recognition as a sole entity. The tattooed MC, who has one album, 2010's 'Ready, Set, Go,' in the bag, delivers a new effort that proves he's more than just the king of catchy choruses. The 'J.U.I.C.E.' EP, out Dec. 20, is the slam dunk he's been looking to score. With seven tracks, including the celebratory 'Good Good Night,' he's looking to earn a coveted MVP nod.
Read on as the beaming dad explains how he juggles fatherhood and rap stardom, gives his picks for the best artists of the year and reveals the one song sure to shock his legion of supporters.
How do you balance your rapping life and the fatherhood role?
Well, really I do this for my child. I'm like a superhero to her [laughs]. It's crazy. She doesn't tell anybody [Roscoe Dash is] her dad. She just says "My dad, my dad, my dad." I had my child when I was in high school. I was a sophomore. I was playing basketball, I wasn't really rapping like that. Music was always something I did on the side. I had to learn how to make that transition and learn how to do both, learn what time was right to do what. It's a long process to grow up especially when you're only 17 [at the time]. I had to do a lot of growing up really fast. That caused me to get my G.E.D. so I could spend more time at home with her. That's when I made my choice to be an artist and keep creating. I'm always having creative energy. I'm always thinking about something with music.
We've heard 'Good Good Night' off the 'J.U.I.C.E.' EP. What other song are you excited for fans to hear?
I have a record on my album called 'Very First Time.' Sonny Digital produced it. When you hear the song, you would think it's about your very first time [having sex]. But it's really not just that. It's a little deeper than that. When I was making the song, all I could think about was when I was growing up, I used to listen to Ludacris and all the big artists, OutKast. Me being from Atlanta, [I listened to ] T.I., Lil Jon. I was really one-dimensional when it came to music.
Then my mom introduced me to Brian McKnight, Gerald Levert, Luther Vandorss, Marvin Gaye. She always said, "No woman wants a man who can't listen to this kinda stuff, 'cause if you can't listen to it, it means you don't have any rhythm." I flashed back to that when I made this record because you would think it's your very first time. The song is like, "She said she never tried and it'll be her very first time/ Her very first time/ I told her everything would be alright/ Buckle up tight and leave the rest to me." I used a bit of an Atlantic Starr sample. So I just flashed back to that time and it made me think like, if I had to pass that message along to somebody else, how would I do that.
Everyone knows you at this point for supporting other rappers like Waka Flocka and Big Sean on their tracks. This EP proves you can stand alone as a talent. What else are trying to showcase with the effort?
I named it 'J.U.I.C.E' — Just Understand I Control Everything — for a couple of different reasons. One, I've been a very big feature artist for the last year-and-a-half and people only know me for doing the hooks and being the clean-up guy, last verse type of thing. I felt like I needed to stand up on my own two feet and show people that I can do more than just that and do more than just the club thing, slow tempo with all the bass. I did a little bit of everything on the [EP]. Like I said 'Very First Time' is like an oldies sample over an 808. It's introducing a new sound. I have an R&B record called 'The Impossible' that's really smooth. People are gonna be like, "Wow I didn't know he could do that."
Your first album, 'Ready, Set, Go,' was released last year around this time. I want to know how you felt about the overall public reception of that, whether it was sales or the tracks?
Well, the album got leaked so I had to kinda chock it up and just kinda like charge it to the game. We had a couple of different release dates with that album and we were tryna find out exactly how we were gonna go about releasing it. We needed another single after 'Show Out.' I felt like 'All the Way Turnt Up' from 'Show Out' was a decline rather than an incline. I wanted to come up with something that would really sell the people, where they'd be like, "We know he can do more than this and I understand." And I want people to understand me as an artist rather than just my music. It's really not about selling the albums to me. I like to make feel-good music. I like to inspire people to have a better day and brighten their day. I don't really care about album sales cause at the end of the day I can buy my own album. It's more about introducing myself as a person and really showing people my passion for music and hoping we can share that.
I haven't really heard you talk about your inspirations. Who influences you?
My biggest influence is Andre 3000. I think he's dope in every aspect of the word. From his style — I remember when he wore a tutu to the Hip-Hop Awards and performed with a perm. After that everybody started perming their hair. Stuff like that, where you can set trends rather than being a follower. Like if everybody followed somebody we wouldn't have any leaders . So I try to just beat that in people's heads a lot.
What about outside of hip-hop?
I think it was my first BET Awards that I went to, the year before last. I saw that John Legend had got the Humanitarian award for being just that. I think that's so dope. Any time you can step outside of your element and do something to make something else a better place that doesn't have anything to do with you, that's really dope. It's really inspiring. I feel like everybody should be like that and find something… it doesn't necessarily have to be donating a million dollars. Go stop by a Boys & Girls Club or a YMCA or somewhere in the hood where people don't really have anybody to lean on or look up to. Take somebody under your wing and do something for them for once. I do it all the time. I go to schools and Boys & Girls Clubs to talk. I recently just played a basketball in the hood in Charlotte. That was really dope. I enjoyed it.
2012 is almost upon us. Looking back on this year, what moment in hip-hop is memorable for you?
The thing that really hit me the most I guess was Heavy D passing away. The reason why I say that is because, one, I just love his whole persona. He's a real positive dude. I noticed that when I went to his Twitter page the day of [his passing] and the last thing he tweeted was "Be inspired." I feel like anytime you can use something as a positive tool and send a message to somebody, to make what their doing a little bit easier — you never know what somebody else is going through. So like as I scrolled down his page more, all of his tweets were motivational and inspirational. I recently had just saw him at the BET Hip-Hop Awards when I performed 'Marvin & Chardonnay.' That was his last performance [there] so I just felt really blessed to be able to see that and see him get up there and go crazy like he used to. It was dope.
What moment blew your moment — something that you were happy or disgusted with?
The [NBA] Lockout, man. I felt like the world was about to end. I've been playing sports my entire life. So without sports, I don't have a hobby. I'm like, what am I gonna do without basketball? It got me really in tune with football and baseball. I didn't really pay attention to baseball too much before unless it was like the end of the game. It kinda expanded me a little bit more and kinda opened my eyes to everything rather than be so focused on what you're used to.
Which artists do you think were at the top of their game this year?
Chris Brown and Drake. But I'll say Chris Brown because he went through so much negative, you know, it's just a lot to deal with. He's actually a really good friend of mine too. But when all of that [2009 Rihanna situation] was going on, a lot of people gave him the cold shoulder a little bit. And I was one of the people that actually was around to kinda see what was going on. I just liked how he picked himself back up and brushed all that off and put it behind him. Everybody makes mistakes, it's how you recover from them.
What about a female artist?
Beyonce, always. She has a lot of competition especially with Lady Gaga being out there. It's kinda hard, you can't deny that whatsoever. She's still doing her thing. Pushing hard. Big ups for her.
Watch 'Learn About the History of Rap'


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Ingersoll-Rand (IR) shareholders got some good news over the weekend. According to dispatches by Bloomberg and Reuters, the company will sell assets worth about $1.5 billion, raise its dividend and buy back some of its own shares.
Ingersoll-Rand has its headquarters in Swords, Ireland, but gets about two-thirds of its revenue in the U.S. Its biggest subsidiary is Trane, which makes air conditioning, heating and ventilation systems.
Nelson Peltz, the corporate raider and agitator, has been pressing Ingersoll-Rand to take steps to bump up the stock and make the business more cohesive. People such as Peltz aren't necessarily popular in corporate America, but they do a lot of good.
What Ingersoll-Rand will sell wasn't clear yet Sunday night, when I wrote this comment. Most likely, it will be the commercial and residential security units, as reported by Reuters.
Ingersoll-Rand's sales this year will be about $14 billion. The market value of its stock is just above that, about $14.6 billion.
While the Peltz-inspired shakeup is probably good for shareholders, I can think of three other reasons to buy Ingersoll-Rand shares.
First, the Trane unit should have a good year in 2013, as multi-unit and residential construction improves.
Second, the company's geographical mix is well suited to current conditions. It gets less than 6% of its revenue from Europe, where recessions prevails, and about 66% from the U.S., which I believe is in good shape unless Congress completely bungles the fiscal-cliff negotiations.
Third, profitability has been improving. Ingersoll-Rand posted a 13.6% return on stockholders' equity in the latest quarter – the fourth consecutive quarter in which that figure increased. Pretax margins have improved for three quarters in a row and hit almost 11% last quarter, the best showing since June 2008.
The stock's valuations -- about 1.1x sales and 14x earnings -- are normal compared with the stock's own history. But I expect earnings to improve. The security divisions, which are most likely being hived off, had the worst growth of any of the company's major operations in the past few years. So the sales now in progress could help ensure that profitability continues to improve.
Top managers are incentivized to do the right thing for shareholders. CEO Mike Lamach owns almost $9 million worth of stock. Chief financial officer Steven Shawley owns close to $7 million.

subset: commoncrawl


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A culture of empowerment, engagement, and innovation makes Cisco one of the most admired companies in the world and one of the best places to work. Our people are part of a global community that values inclusion and diversity in a highly connected workplace.
Cisco puts the power of networked technologies and human collaboration to work to help all employees attain work-life balance.
Highly skilled and motivated employees are critical to Cisco multiplying impact in both our industry and society--keeping them inspired is one of our highest priorities.
We believe that an inclusive and diverse culture fosters innovation, creativity, and collaboration. We recruit a diverse workforce and foster an inclusive culture where everyone feels welcomed, valued, respected, and heard.
Our commitment to giving employees control over where and when they work:
Read the Our People section in the Cisco CSR Report.


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TRIBUTES have been paid to Hampshire's oldest woman who has died aged 108.
Molly Green passed away peacefully on June 2 in her 109th year at her home in Christchurch Road in Winchester.
Her life will be remembered at a special service at the Church of St Cross on July 4 by the family she left behind – her two sons John, 74, Edward, 70, and her daughter and son-in-law with whom she lived, Hermione, 77, and Ben Goulding, 86.
Mrs Goulding said: "Her mother and her grandmother both lived into their nineties but my mother hardly ever ate anything at all.
"Above all she loved chatting and throwing parties. Right up until last month when she'd have people over from one of the nearby care homes for coffee, she was always very social."
Mrs Green was born on January 15 in 1906 in London, to William and Alice Sommerville, and grew up in Southwark. She met her husband, Captain William Seager Green, when she was 24 and he was 36, at a rugby match in 1928 and they were engaged two days later.
However, Captain Green was stationed at China for two years before the wedding could take place, as it eventually did in 1930. Then a lieutenant, he was a prisoner of war during World War One but continually escaped forcing his German captors to reposition him further and further east.
Eventually, while at a labour camp in Silesia, in Poland, he was released and he helped to liberate the camp and marched to the coast for transport. They arrived in time to be rescued on Christmas Day.
Molly and William moved to Bath when he retired in 1936 after he was made the Deputy Director of Ordinance. She gave birth to Hermione a year later.
"She was quite bright and intelligent, a great raconteur," Mrs Goulding added. People have written to us talking about how amusing and entertaining she was.
"About four or five years ago she broke her leg and the medics were thrilled to meet someone who could remember the sinking of the Titanic!"
Mrs Green lived through two world wars, a Russian revolution and witnessed Haile Selassie at a special ceremony after he was exiled during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. She was also a red gown at Winchester Cathedral for about 10 years and would welcome people in.
She leaves behind her grandchildren, Nicholas, Giles, Alice, Harriet, Anna, William, Sasha and Toby and 12 great-grandchildren.


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The pirate site plans to ignore the lawsuits from Elsevier and the American Chemical Society.
Settlement Signal
January 9, 2014|
A marine bacterium generates contractile structures that are essential for the metamorphosis of a tubeworm.
January 9, 2014|
A marine bacterium generates contractile structures that are essential for the metamorphosis of a tubeworm.
December 19, 2013|
During HIV infection, CD4 T cells in lymphoid tissues initiate a highly inflammatory form of cell death that helps cripple the immune system.
December 17, 2013|
Water samples collected from natural gas extraction sites in Colorado contain hormone-disrupting chemicals linked to birth defects, infertility, and cancer.
December 16, 2013|
Dust-borne bacteria from houses with dogs can prevent allergies in mice by changing their gut microbes.
December 16, 2013|
Mouse colon cancer cells can fuse with macrophages, leading to changes in tumor growth.
December 5, 2013|
Scientists discover that cancer can drive the autoimmune disorder scleroderma.
December 1, 2013|
Mouse mothers can improve their pups' memories by altering levels of immune chemicals in their milk.
December 1, 2013|
Joel Cohen uses the tools of mathematics to deconstruct questions of life.
December 1, 2013|
A century's worth of collected butterflies shed light on how climate change threatens the survival of early-emerging species.
December 1, 2013|
The Scientist's annual competition uncovered a bonanza of interesting technologies that made their way onto the market and into labs this year.


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News Posts
Tough Tardigrades
by AMNH on
These microscopic animals are among nature's hardiest survivors. That's why they're headlining the new exhibition Life at the Limits, opening this weekend.
What is a Cepheid Variable Star?
by AMNH on
Women working at the Harvard Observatory in the early 20th century made big advances in astronomy, including the discovery of stars used to measure distances throughout the universe.
Fast Facts: Axolotl
by AMNH on
With its frilly gills and variety of colorations, the axolotl is a popular pet in aquariums around the world.
SciCafe: Explore21 - Papua New Guinea
by AMNH on
Brett Benz, Paul Sweet, and Christopher Raxworthy talk about the discoveries they made in Papua New Guinea last fall, as well as the adventures they had along the way.
Q&A: Why Walk on Two Legs?
by AMNH on
At the next SciCafe, Curator Brian Richmond and Boston University's Jeremy DeSilva will talk about why walking on two legs makes us human—and how our bodies still aren't quite designed for bipedalism.


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PENSACOLA – A Florida Panhandle man has been charged with negligence in the death of his toddler son, the Escambia County Sheriff's Office said.
Twenty-eight-year-old Sheldon Cleavon Salter was arrested Friday, The Pensacola News Journal reports.
"If a weapon is left within easy reach or access of a child and it results in the injury or death of a person, we take those situations very seriously," Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille said.
Salter told deputies he was with his 2-year-old son and the child's mother watching television at home on March 1, the day of the shooting.
As the parents sat on the couch, they reportedly asked the child to get a fresh diaper from the bedroom. When the child entered the bedroom, authorities say he found Salter's loaded Glock pistol between a mattress and box spring.
Investigators say Salter heard a gunshot as he went to check in on him. He found the child lying on the bed with a gunshot wound to his head. The gun was on the floor near an open closet.
Deputies responding to the scene found a bag of marijuana on the couch and a digital scale with cocaine reside in the refrigerator, according to an arrest report.
Salter was charged with one count of culpable negligence for leaving the firearm in a place where it was capable of inflicting the injury that resulted in his son's death, the sheriff's office said in a news release. He was also charged with one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.
Salter has been released on $17,500 bail.


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In Praise of Doubt: How to Have Convictions Without Becoming a Fanatic (Paperback)
How to Have Convictions Without Becoming a Fanatic
HarperOne, 9780061778179, 189pp.
Publication Date: September 7, 2010
--Dallas Willard, author of Knowing Christ Today In In Praise of Doubt, two world-renowned social scientists, Peter L. Berger (The Homeless Mind, Questions of Faith) and Anton C. Zijderveld (The Abstract Society, On Cliches), map out how we can survive the political, moral, and religious challenges raised by the extreme poles of relativism and fundamentalism. A book that asks and answers Big Questions, In Praise of Doubt offers invaluable guidance on how to have convictions without becoming a fanatic.
Praise For In Praise of Doubt: How to Have Convictions Without Becoming a Fanatic…
"We need more books like this: books that advance an argument, and do so concisely, wittily, with great learning lightly worn."
-John Wilson, editor, Books & Culture
"IN PRAISE OF DOUBT is a book of great practical wisdom by authors who have profound insight into the intellectual dynamics governing contemporary life.."
-Dallas Willard, author of Knowing Christ Today
"Brilliant yet clear, highly illuminating and often humorous, this is vintage Berger spiced with Zijderveld's philosophical perspectives. In Praise of Doubt is essential reading for people of all faiths - and not least secularists."
-Os Guinness, author of The Case for Civility
"The best parts of In Praise of Doubt explore the cultural battlegrounds where a consensus has broken down or not yet coalesced . . . Messrs. Berger and Zijderveld are optimistic: They believe that moral progress is on the march and that moderation is a virtue everyone can agree on."
-Wall Street Journal
"In his new book In Praise of Doubt, sociologist Peter Berger discusses the dangers of absolute certainty and [quotes] Oliver Cromwell: 'I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, think it possible you may be mistaken.' That seems an appropriate caveat in the matter of the sanctuary as well."
-Trenton NJ Times
"This is . . . a serious attempt to explain how to find middle ground between conviction - religious and otherwise - and doubt. . . . In fact, Berger and Zijderveld argue that doubt -- especially as expressed in the idea of a loyal opposition -- is at the heart of a democratic system."
-Los Angeles Times
"Peter Berger along with co-author Anton Zijderveld has written… the kind of book that, well, just from the cover I would have to buy it and read it. And then to see Peter Berger's name on it, that just clinches the deal…. he is literally without peer."
-Albert Mohler, AlbertMohler.com
"This book addresses, both broadly and individually, how to balance dedication to strong religious and moral beliefs, while simultaneously being objective and discerning. This book grapples, in a thoughtful, entertaining way with these and other meaty philosophical questions."
-Reference & Research Book News


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Observations on the Play! framework
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tl;dr No hard feelings. Life goes on. FNH is safe. So, NHibernate 3.2 comes with a Fluent Interface (sorry Fabio, a "loquacious" interface), fluent configuration, and an externally available alternate mapping in the shape of ConfORM. I made some remarks … Continue reading
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Git E-VAN recording
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Fluent NHibernate 1.0 RTM
It's here. For those of you that don't know, Fluent NHibernate is for helping you map entities with NHibernate. It's based firmly on the practice of convention-over-configuration, and can be used in a mapping-per-class style using our fluent interface, or … Continue reading
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Preventing debugger property evaluation for side-effect laden properties
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Eleven years after the launch, Toyota's luxury brand Lexus has celebrated its one millionth hybrid vehicle sold. As part of the celebration, a Lexus NX 300h was handed over in Milan, Italy, by Alain Uyttenhoven, head of Lexus Europe, to a Lexus customer, Aldo Pirronello. Lexus traces its Toyota-derived heritage to the RX 400h, a […]+ Read More
Toyota Motor Corp said it will be recalling on a world-wide basis around 200,000 hybrid SUVs including the Lexus RX 400h. The issue is with the hybrid system's inverter, and affects RX 400h models built between March 2005 and June 2011. The total number of hybrids Toyota is recalling are around 141,000 vehicles in North […]+ Read More
Lexus hybrid vehicles have reached the milestone of over 500,000 units sold and registered around the world. Since the first RX 400h took to the road in 2005, through to the end of November this year, Lexus has sold more than 506,000 vehicles equipped with its Lexus Hybrid Drive system. Lexus says there has been […]+ Read More
The updated Lexus SUV hybrid, the Lexus RX 450h, is due out this Spring—with promised improvements in both performance and fuel economy compared with its predecessor. So we took out a test-loaner for a spin last week to see for ourselves. Our route was a 127-mile course from Aberdeen, Maryland to York, Pennsylvania and back […]+ Read More
Fans of hybrid SUVs have a new model from Lexus to consider. The premium carmaker debuted its all-new 2010 RX450h hybrid crossover at the 2008 Los Angeles International Auto Show last week. The 450h replaces for the brand's current generation RX400h SUV, which was on the market for only two model years. The new 450h […]+ Read More
Toyota has announced that it will recall more than 82,000 hybrid SUVs in the United States this summer, due to faulty soldering in the vehicles' Intelligent Power Module, which is located within the Hybrid System Inverter. The vehicles included are model years 2006 and 2007 Toyota Highlander and Lexus RX 400h hybrids. The voluntary recall […]+ Read More
> Subscribe to the HybridCars.com Market Dashboard Hybrid car sales fell for the third consecutive year, dropping nearly 6 percent in a year when overall vehicle sales jumped by 11 percent. That harsh reality could give ammunition to hybrid critics who argue that gas-electric vehicles were never viable, or that they only serve as a […]+ Read More
> Subscribe to the HybridCars.com Market Dashboard Sales of hybrid models in February fared somewhat better than the overall market—falling "only" 29 percent. Incentive spending on all vehicles ballooned as manufacturers desperately tried to "move metal." Hybrid Heatmap In this month's version, we take a look at where buyers purchased luxury hybrids in 2008. We […]+ Read More
Contents Trends Top Quotes Award Winners Biggest News Top Sellers 2008 Introductions What kind of year has it been for the 2008 Hybrid? GM's product chief called global warming a "crock of shit." An eight-cylinder SUV Hybrid won "Green Car of the Year" award. Prius waiting lists returned and then evaporated. Plug-in Hybrid Mania. The […]+ Read More
Hybrids will take center stage at 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show, which opens to the public on Nov. 21. Thirty hybrid models will be on display—revealing the diversity of options coming to the market, including small affordable hybrid cars, luxury hybrids, sporty hybrids, hybrid crossover SUVs, hybrid pickups, and even a Toyota Camry Hybrid concept […]+ Read More


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+myConnections: Engage your community - connect to news, events and information you care about. View more information...
View your community's facilities and features online with the new Facilities Module.
Personalize your online experience to stay up-to-date on news, events and other information.
109 James St. Geneva, IL 60134
200 East Side Drive Geneva, IL 60134
20 Police Plaza Geneva, IL 60134
1800 South St. Geneva, IL 60134


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Don't miss out on a lower price on this hotel
Get an overview of this hotelSmart, family-friendly hotel in theme park central
Popular property highlights
Shops and rollercoasters
Sheraton Vistana Villages Resort Villas, I-Drive/Orlando is located within 20 miles (32 km) of SeaWorld® Orlando, Universal Studios, and Walt Disney World Resort. Shoppers can stock up at Orlando Premium Outlets, a 3-minute drive from the resort.
Pirates in the pool
The hotel includes 3 fitness centers and 3 pools, one of which boasts a huge pirate ship for kids. Guests can play some tennis and basketball, relax with a drink at Pirate's Cove Pool Bar, and grab a burger at Flagler Station.
Garden views, free WiFi
Ample villas feature tropical garden or water views and include kitchenettes and dark wood furnishings. Guests can relax on the couch and watch some TV, use the free WiFi to plan their next theme park excursion, and sink into a Sheraton Sweet Sleeper® Bed.
Guest Highlights
- Good location
- Family-friendly amenities
- Pool
- WiFi
- Clean guestrooms
- Comfy beds
Sheraton Vistana Villages Resort Villas, I-Drive/Orlando
Renovations & Closures
- Swimming pool
- One of the swimming pools
- Bar/lounge
Property Amenities
Property Amenities
In addition to a child friendly pool, Sheraton Vistana Villages Resort Villas, I-Drive/Orlando features a waterslide, a sauna and 3 outdoor pools. This 3.5-star property offers access to a business center and a meeting room.
Public areas are equipped with complimentary high-speed wireless Internet access. This family-friendly condominium resort also offers a children's club (surcharge), children's pool, a 24-hour fitness center, and a steam room. Onsite self parking is complimentary and a theme park shuttle is available for a surcharge.
- Children's pool
- Steam room
- Sauna
- Children's club (surcharge)
- Breakfast available (surcharge)
- Business center
- Porter/bellhop
- Express check-out
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- 24-hour front desk
- Multilingual staff
- ATM/banking
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Barbecue grill(s)
- Elevator/lift
- Number of poolside bars - 2
- 24-hour fitness facilities
- Theme park shuttle (surcharge)
- Number of outdoor pools - 3
- Total number of rooms - 1156
- Children's club
- Number of floors - 6
- One meeting room
- Restaurant
- Snack bar/deli
- Free self parking
- Gift shops or newsstand
- Pool umbrellas
- Waterslide
- Billiards or pool table
- Grocery/convenience store
- Tours/ticket assistance
- Free WiFi
- Picnic area
- Year Built 2000
- Area shuttle (surcharge)
- Tennis on site
Family Friendly Amenities
- Family Hotel
- Outdoor pools
- Children's pool
- Waterslide
- Free Wi-Fi
- Grocery/convenience store
- Snack bar/deli
- Playground on site
- Separate dining area
- Sofa bed
- Washer/dryer
- Refrigerator
- Microwave
- Cribs/infant beds (complimentary)
- DVD player
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
Free self parking
Room Amenities
- Premium TV channels
- DVD player
- Pay movies
- Premium bedding
- Hypo-allergenic bedding available
- Separate sitting area
- Access via exterior corridors
- Air conditioning
- Ceiling fan
- In-room climate control (air conditioning)
- Phone
- Refrigerator
- Coffee/tea maker
- Microwave
- Shower/tub combination
- Jetted bathtub
- Hair dryer
- Iron/ironing board
- In-room safe
- Cable TV service
- Sofa bed
- Flat-panel TV
- Stovetop
- Private bathroom
- Egyptian-cotton sheets
- Free cribs/infant beds
- Sofa bed size
- Free WiFi
- Washer/dryer
- Cookware, dishware, and utensils
- Separate dining area
- Dishwasher
- Room service (limited hours)
- Pillowtop mattress
Where to Eat
Flagler Station - This venue features American fare and a bar for guests to enjoy.
A snack bar/deli is available. Room service (during limited hours) is also offered.
Nearby Things to Do
Recreational amenities at the condominium resort include a water park, a waterslide, a sauna, and a steam room. In addition to a children's pool, other recreational amenities include a 24-hour fitness center.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
- Golfing nearby
- Personal motorized watercraft on site
- Water skiing nearby
- Skydiving nearby
- Fitness classes on site
- Basketball on site
- Playground on site
- Volleyball on site
- Ecotours nearby
- Golf lessons available nearby
If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please note them at check-out when you book your room.
- Accessible bathroom
- Roll-in shower
- In-room accessibility
Property Policies
Check-in time starts at 4 PM
Minimum check-in age is 18
Check-out time is 10 AM
Payment types
Children and extra beds
- Children are welcome.
- Kids stay free! Children 17 years old and younger stay free when using existing bedding.
- Rollaway/extra beds are not available.
- Free cribs (infant beds)!
- Pets not allowed
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy.
Optional extras
- Breakfast fee: between USD 9.79 and USD 9.99 per person (approximately)
Property Name
- Sheraton Villages Resort Villas I-Drive
- Sheraton Villages Villas I-Drive
- Sheraton Vistana Villages Resort Villas I-Drive Orlando
- Sheraton Vistana Villages Villas I-Drive Orlando
- Sheraton Vistana Villages Resort Villas I-Drive/Orlando Orlando
- Sheraton Vistana Villages Resort Villas I-Drive/Orlando
- Sheraton Vistana Villages Villas I-Drive/Orlando Orlando
- Sheraton Vistana Villages Villas I-Drive/Orlando
We should mention
Children 17 years old and younger stay free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding.


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In the Fall of 2008, Concordia University began its Exchange Program with the University of Ghana in Accra, which is the capitol of Ghana located in West Africa. With over thirty thousand students, the University hosts an average of one thousand foreign students each year. The following is a glance into Rebecca Brandt's experience who is an art major with an art education emphasis at CUI.
Rafiki, Ghana
In the fall of 2009, I had the thrilling opportunity to teach art at the Rafiki Orphanage in Ghana, West Africa. The Rafiki Foundation began in 1985 by Rosemary Jenkins, a recent CUI honorary doctorate receiver. As a Christian organization, Rafiki strives to help Africa's orphaned and vulnerable children become Godly contributors to their communities and the world. What I found unique about Rafiki was their approach to create a Christian home environment as well as excellent education and medical care for their children. The Rafiki Village functions as a community of families. Each family consists of 4-9 orphaned children and a "Mama" to love, cherish and raise them up in a Godly manner. Although these families are not related by blood, they become brothers, sisters, mamas and children.
When I first arrived at the Rafiki Orphanage, I wasn't sure what to expect. The property was beautiful and the students were remarkably well behaved; yet my role of creating an art program was still yet to be defined. About two weeks into my internship, I walked over to the room where I would be working. The room was completely bare and infested with spider webs, but as my first real art room, it appeared flawless to me. After a day's work, the classroom was stocked and ready for some creative students.
By studying the Rafiki and Ghanaian Public Schools art curriculum, I developed my own projects, which focused on the basic elements of art. As prepared as I thought I was, however, the students' caution and apprehension towards the subject caught me off guard. Art had always been part of my education, and honestly I had taken it for granted. These children were surrounded by beautiful African patterns and vibrant colors, but this was all primarily functional art and thus had little guidance towards innovation and creativity in the classroom. It didn't take long for the students to show interest in their own ability and before long the walls of my first art room were filled with African masterpieces.
I feel blessed to have been given the unique opportunity to share my passion for the arts with the children at the Rafiki Orphanage. What a rare privilege to teach my own art classes while I am still a student.
East Legon, Ghana
Only a fifteen-minute walk from the University of Ghana resides Gracie's Batik and Tie Dye Factory. A traditional wax-resist dying technique, batiking creates the exotic prints and vibrant colors often associated with Africa. Grace, traditionally referred to as "Auntie Grace", began her business in her own home. Since then it has grown to one of the most respected Textile Factories in Legon, Ghana. Grace's property includes her home, shop, seamstress shop and backyard "factory" where all the one-of-a-kind textiles are produced. The business employs over thirty seamstresses, interns and professional batik artists. As a successful businesswoman, she has found great value in education and currently houses about fifteen family members, friends and international students while in school.
My experience at Gracie's was one I could never have imagined. When I first heard the term "Batik Factory", I pictured machines and concrete, heat and serious business. Thank goodness, this was not the case. With a porch covering the length of her home, the batik artists work in the open air of her backyard. Our day always began by filling ten tubs with well water. Of course, the workers got quite a kick out of my attempt to carry the jugs on my head as directed. As the senior batik artists began stamping cloth with wax, the interns and newly hired would assist in any way possible. Whether the dies needed to be mixed, wax melted, clothes dried, I was expected to perform all the tasks required to run a traditional African batik factory.
By the end of my four months, working side by side with professional batik artists, I was able to successfully complete a small portfolio of traditional batik and tie-dye textiles. While I am proud of the handmade cloths I was able to bring home to the U.S., the friendships I made and knowledge I learned from my coworkers at Gracie's is what I cherish the most. The sense of family I experienced as simply being a part of Gracie's team as an intern not only comforted me far from home but seriously changed the way I view my future occupation. Joy in the workplace was the biggest lesson I learned from Gracie's Batik and Tie Dye.


text: Every year the name Matt Harrington comes up around draft time for the ultimate folly of being drafted 5 times and never signing. I always wondered what happened to the kid and what went on from every angle of the situation. Ran into this ESPN story about Matt and his family thought I'd share it. Hopefully Aaron Crow has read it.


text: Texas Among States Warned of Possible al-Qaeda Attacks Monday Before Election By Aaron Savage November 4, 2016 under $s Subscribe to Mix 94.1 on U.S. intelligence officials have warned federal and local law enforcement of chatter indicating potential attacks by al-Qaeda terrorists in Texas, Virginia, and New York Monday. (more…) Send to a friend! Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Pin it! Reddit This! Share on Tumblr!


text:
Lisbon 202 - Amazing view in Chiado!
Size64 m²
Floor No.5(with elevator)
- Kitchen
- Air conditioning
- Elevator in building
- Family/child friendly
- Washer/dryer
- Internet/WiFi
- Baby cot
Accommodation summary
|Rua Nova do Almada, 1100 Lisbon, Portugal
|Property type
|Property ID
|Acceptance rate
|Response time
|A few hours
|Calendar updated
This luxury apartment is set in the old part of the city center, in the same building as one of our other apartments. It's bright and filled with daylight, set on the 5th floor (with elevator till the 4th) of a recently refurbished building at the heart of the elegant neighbourhood of Chiado.
This acommodation has a privileged situation and an impressive view over the castle, the river and the roofs of old Lisbon.
Located on one of the main streets of chic and active Chiado, you will be surrounded by trendy cafés and shops. Definitely it is ideal for a stay in the city during holidays or for business...
The subway is at a few steps away and is it also walking distance to the train stations that can take you to the beaches around Lisbon, to Sintra and to all the sightseeing in and outside the city.
The apartment is 64 m2 and has been renovated to include the following:
- a bedroom with double bed (165 cm x 200 cm);
- one living room with dining and sitting areas, one single sofa bed, flat screen TV, DVD and stereo;
- a complete kitchen with stove, oven, microwave, washing machine and dish washer;
- a bathroom with bathtub.
The apartment is provided with central heating and air conditioning.
The building has an elevator.
Wireless broadband access available for those who have their own laptop with Wi-Fi compatible equipment.
We will welcome you with a bottle of cold "vinho verde".
You will also find in the apartment various CDs of Portuguese music to complete your cultural experience.
House rulesCheck-in and check-out:
- Check-in is after 4 PM (You can always come after 11 to leave you luggage and get the keys, but if we have someone else leaving on the same day the apartment won't be ready before 4 PM).
- Check-out is until 11 AM.
In labour days, you can leave the luggage in our office before 11AM in the day of your check-in and/or after 4PM in the day of your check-out.
Please call us 30 minutes before your arrival.
Check-in Monday to Friday from 4PM to 9:30PM is free of charge, except on Portuguese public holidays.
Particular situations:
- additional 30 Euro for check-in from 9:30 PM to 00:00 AM everyday;
- additional 45 Euro for check-in from 00:00 AM to 8:30 AM everyday;
- additional 25 Euro for check-in on Week-ends and on Portuguese public holidays till 9:30 PM.
Please note that, for security reasons, you must bring a copy of your id card or passport when you check-in.
Kindly note that a damage deposit of 150€ OR a credit card responsability term will also be asked upon arrival.
Cleaning and maintenance:
The apartment will be cleaned prior to the arrival of each tenant.
When leaving, the tenant is obliged to leave the apartment in a reasonable condition.
The tenant signing the check-in form will be liable for the correct and decent behavior of all the persons accompanying him/her, and specifically avoiding any activity that is against any law or health policy.
Don't forget that you are going to stay in residential buildings. Guests staying in one of our apartments should know that if parties or loud music are heard, or neighbors complain and/or police is called, it can result in immediate eviction. This will also result in loss of prepaid rent.
Quiet time is from 10 PM to 10 AM. We are sure that you understand that the nightly rest of other inhabitants must be respected.
Smoking is not permitted in the apartments unless stated otherwise.
|Price for > 2 guests
|€ 21 per guest/night extra
|Check-in After
|Check-in before
|On arrangement
|Check-out Before
|Cancellation Policy
Reviews of this property
Excellent apartment. Perfect location. Great view. GDS efficient and very professional.
Excellent appartement. Emplacement parfait. Vue superbe. Loueur efficace et très professionnel.
Reviews for this host's other properties
Buenos días : Lo mejor de la estancia: Thiago , nos recomendó sitios que ver, comery relajarse. El barrio muy típico y la casa rehabilitada con gusto , te encuentras bien en el pequeño pero coqueto apartamento. . Para la perfección mejorar pequeños detalles como el jabonero oxidado del lavabo o apenas papel higiénico en el servicio. La escalera del inmueble estuvo sin limpiar toda la estancia.
De todo ello me quedo con la simpatía de Thiago y la tranquilidad y la magia del barrio. Saludos
It's a great appartement at a great locaties. It is in the middle of the centrum And just a minute away from metro station rossio. The airco, bathrooms And bedrooms are great. Although one of the beds Isn't that comfortable, which is unfortunately the bed in the room with Airco. They might switch the beds around? So the place And appartement Its self is great, But the service.. We arrived And were told a wrong house number. After we arrived we got no instructions about the appartement. Apparently the Airco is leaking so you have to empty Some buckets which are standing underneath a van outside of the appartement otherwhise people at a restaurant get a little bit wet. We weren't told anything about that. They didn't Explain How the warm water was regulated And that was a little uncomfy, Because sometimes you have to be Hans klok to fix warm water. The most frustrating thing however was that we weren't told about a houskeeper. One day she just tried to walk in in the early Morning while we just came out the shower. I had put the door on lock otherwhise she would just have been looking at me who just came out of the shower... she started to call someone And left without saying a word. The organisation didn't call us for an apology And to Tell that she would come back later, Because she did that without us knowing that. Don't get me wrong it is great that the appartement is cleaned, but leave in mind we didn't get the chance to hide our valuables. There were a lot of things which are very valuable Laying in our appartement And it is not a very relaxed feeling that someone might walk in without you knowing it.
Bellissimo appartamento
La posizione ottima per potersi muovere senza mezzi in questa spendida città.
El apartamento estaba muy bien, buen mobiliario y situado en el centro de la ciudad. La faena fue que nos robaron. Se nos quedo una ventana abierta y de madrugada mientras dormíamos alguien entro y se llevo un par de moviles y dinero. Mucho cuidado con las ventanas!!!.
La prise en charge par l'hôte a été parfaite. L'appartement est très bien situé et tout à fait conforme au descriptif.
Wunderschöne Wohnung mit atemberaubender Aussicht. Sehr nette und unkomplizierte Betreuung vor Ort. Sehr empfehlenswert.
Appartement confortable au troisième étage avec une vue très jolie de Lisbonne.
La terrasse est peu utilisable , enclavée , petite et à l'ombre le soir.
L'accès à l'appartement est pratique sous réserve d'utiliser les ascenseurs ! Ce que l'agence a omis de nous préciser et nous indiquer car les GPS de smartphone indique le chemin le plus court mais pas le plus facile avec des valises !
- Quality assured accommodation
- Every host is verified by telephone
- Secure payment via SSL encryption


text:
The tomatillos in my garden are all ripening at once. Have you ever cooked with tomatillos? They look like little lanterns, with their green papery husks.
Sometimes people mistake them for green tomatoes (doesn't help that their Spanish name is "tomate verde"); they are related to tomatoes (same family, different genus), but the taste is quite different.
They are used to make the distinctive Mexican salsa verde or green salsa. In this chicken enchiladas recipe, the sauce is made with boiled tomatillos (you could also roast them), serrano chile peppers, and sour cream.
The filling is made with shredded meat from chicken thighs; the deeper flavor of the dark meat holds up much better to the chile and tomatillo sauce than chicken breasts.
I made these for dinner tonight and even the kid, my young nephew, went for seconds. Not a smidgen of sauce was left on any of our plates.
Chicken Enchiladas Verdes RecipePrint
A shortcut for this recipe is to use already prepared bottled salsa verde (heat the sauce and add sour cream at the end) which should be available at any market that carries Mexican foods. Use 2-3 cups. You can also use rotisserie chicken instead of poaching your own.
Packaged tortillas vary in their thickness and quality. Thicker corn tortillas will hold up better to the frying, softening, and dipping in sauce than thin ones, which can tend to fall apart.
- 4 skinless chicken thighs, boneless or bone-in (about 1 1/2 pounds boneless or 1 3/4 lbs bone-in)
- 1 1/2 lbs tomatillos, papery husks removed, rinsed
- 4 serrano chile peppers, top cut off to expose interior and to remove stems
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup white or yellow onion, chopped
- 1/4 of a whole white or yellow onion
- Salt
- 1 bunch cilantro, rinsed and chopped, stems included
- High smoke point cooking oil such as canola oil, peanut oil or grapeseed oil
- 12 corn tortillas
- 3 Tbsp sour cream
- 1/2 cup crumbled Mexican Cotija or Queso Fresco cheese
1 Poach chicken thighs: Put chicken thighs in a medium sized saucepan and just cover with water. Add one clove of garlic that has been cut in half, 1/4 of an onion, and 1 teaspoon of salt to the water.
Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to maintain a very low simmer, and cook, covered, for 15 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked through. Remove chicken thighs to a separate bowl and let cool enough to touch.
2 Make tomatillo salsa verde: While the chicken is cooking, put the tomatillos and 3 serrano chile peppers in a separate sauce pan and cover them with water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the tomatillos are cooked, and have changed color, but are not mushy, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer tomatillos and serrano chiles to a blender. Add 1/2 cup of the tomatillo cooking liquid to the blender, as well as 2 cloves of garlic, a third a cup of the chopped onion, and about 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro (packed). (Remaining chopped onion and cilantro will be used for garnish.) Add one teaspoon of salt.
Purée until completely blended, 15 to 30 seconds. Taste for heat. If not spicy enough add another chile pepper (doesn't have to be cooked). Note that sour cream will eventually be added to the sauce which will cool down a lot of the spiciness. Add more salt to taste if necessary.
Pour sauce into a skillet, bring to a simmer and let simmer for 5 minutes. Then remove from heat.
3 Shred chicken meat, toss with salsa verde: Remove the cooked chicken meat from the bones (if using bone-in thighs). Shred the meat with a fork or knife. Put the chicken in a bowl and add 1/3 to a 1/2 cup of the tomatillo sauce to the chicken. Taste the chicken; if it needs salt, add a little.
4 Soften the tortillas: Heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan on medium high heat. Add a tortilla to the pan and use a metal spatula to flip it to the other side. Place another tortilla on top of this one (to soak up the excess oil) and flip again.
When the tortillas are heated through, remove them to a plate lined with paper towel. Add a little more oil to the pan, and add another couple tortillas.
Continue to heat through and soften all of the tortillas. Note that if you are using just made homemade tortillas you can skip this step because the tortillas are already hot, softened, and ready to eat.
4 Roll up tortillas with chicken and sauce: Warm the oven to 200°F. Dip a tortilla in the salsa verde tomatillo sauce and place it on a casserole dish. Scoop a spoonful of chicken into the center of the tortilla and roll up the tortilla. Place in the casserole dish and repeat with all of the tortillas. Put into the warm oven to keep the enchiladas warm while you finish the sauce.
5 Add sour cream to salsa verde, pour over enchiladas: Heat the salsa verde sauce again until simmering, then remove from heat. Stir in the sour cream until well blended. Remove the warming enchiladas from the oven and pour salsa verde sauce over all of them.
Top with chopped onion, cheese, and cilantro.
Serve immediately. Serve with extra garnishes of onion, cheese, and cilantro on the side.
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text:
I'm a home DIY-er looking for tips on how to save energy in my 80 year old home in Pennsylvania. I'm here to learn.
Hi Jason,
Welcome to Home Energy Pros. Feel free to join the conversation in the Forum and Groups. And share your energy efficiency photos, videos and upcoming events. If you're blogging about home performance, this is the place for you!
Don't forget to upload your profile photo. And add your location on our Member Map.
Diane, HEP Moderator
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text:
Iran, Pakistan Gas Pipeline Project Awaits Breakthrough
Pakistan and Iran are expected to reach an agreement regarding the proposed 1,500 kilometer-long India-Iran gas pipeline project during the upcoming visit of Pakistani Military leader Pervez Musharraf to Tehran.
Pakistan would receive $ 600-700 million per year for providing transit service for the pipeline from Iran to India passing through its territory, the Hindustan times reported.
Local newspapers report that Musharraf will convey his nation's formal consent to Iranian authorities over the tripartite gas pipeline project during his visit to Tehran in connection with the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) summit. Musharraf is also expected to meet Iranian President Mohammed Khatami, with the gas pipeline project to be a foremost point of discussion.
Talks on the massive pipeline date back to the early 1990s when Iran found large quantities of oil and gas and Tehran decided to export it to Pakistan and India. Security concerns by Pakistan over allowing the usage of its territory for natural gas supply to India delayed the project's progression.
Pakistan, with its enriched and with huge oil, gas and minerals reserves, currently has 23 world-renowned companies engaged in such projects on its soil.
- albawaba.com
© 2000 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)


text:
Take the AAA eTourBook Guide for Tampa.
Download Now
There's a side of Tampa Bay all visitors should see its best-kept secrets and for travelers in the know, experiencing these local treasures can turn a great vacation into the Best...Vacation...Ever.
Save up to 35% at participating hotels plus get your exclusive perks. There's no better value in Tampa Bay. Guaranteed.


text:
The music portal serving the people of Bihar and Jharkhand around the world
Bihar and Jharkhand Music & Video
Tambura Bhajans
of Fiji
Singer: Ajes Ram Jesh,
Sigatoka, Fiji
Tambura Bhajan
The music of Bihar and Jharkhand collected from various
sources and given on this site are meant to popularize it and to create an
awareness about the cultural heritage of Bihar and
Jharkhand. It is not meant for any commercial purpose. Any
copyright violation may be brought to our
notice for necessary action.


text:
Question: Would there be any value in a section in the FAQ about statistics and data? Folks tend to hate on stats pretty strongly, sometimes without know what what the stat purports to tell. We could explain the +/- and the PER for starters.
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Question: Would there be any value in a section in the FAQ about statistics and data? Folks tend to hate on stats pretty strongly, sometimes without know what what the stat purports to tell. We could explain the +/- and the PER for starters.
And I won't be here to see the day
It all dries up and blows away
I'd hang around just to see
But they never had much use for me
In Levelland. (James McMurtry)
Could we also perhaps limit Naptime to that section permanently?
Odd thing about Orien's contract: He was paid exactly the league minimum. However, the MPE is only available for contracts up to two years in length. The Celtics offered a three year deal (at the league min salary) to Orien, therefore, they had to use part of their MLE.
What I'm not sure of his how the league would've viewed Orien's contract at the time the Pacers claimed him off of waivers. With the exception of the actual establishment of the MPE, Coon's FAQ only talks about players "making the league minimum." Orien's contract, at the time we claimed him, only had two years left. In that situation, I wonder if we (or any other team) could've exercised the MPE to acquire him, or if we ended up actually needing the TE.
But not being able to discuss issues of race on a forum dedicated to professional basketball seems awfully constrictive and unnecessary. It weakens the discussion and makes for a worse site overall.
I won't mention it again because it obviously makes the mods uncofortable.
Fair enough.
For what it's worth, I never really thought 'RATS' was meant to be demeaning. More of just a cute nickname with a bit of teasing as opposed to an outright insult.
You're caught up in the Internet / you think it's such a great asset / but you're wrong, wrong, wrong
All that fiber optic gear / still cannot take away the fear / like an island song
- Jimmy Buffett
The way I see it: not all insults are a 10 on the scale. I'd say this is more like a 2.
Something I've unsuccessfully been trying to find info on lately and would
like to see explained is the use of "Cash Considerations".
There certainly has to be more to "Cash Considerations" than just paying
cash to another team as an incentive to get a deal done.
What are the restrictions, if any, on the use of "Cash Considerations" in getting
a deal done?
When can it be used?
Any limitations on how much can be used?
Must the amount paid be reported to the league?
Is it counted against the salary cap?
I believe the limit is 3 million, but I don't think it counts against the cap. I'm sure it must be reported.
I think it can always be used, but it wouldn't surprise me if there are times it's not allowed.
Thank you Hicks.
One other question - can Cash Considerations be used to balance out a
trade if the players to be traded salaries are not not close enough to
matching (is it within 125%?), or is it simply an "incentive" to get the deal done?
Isn't there already a pretty good Salary Cap FAQ out there? Are we 'reinventing the wheel' by including a lot of detail in ours?
You're caught up in the Internet / you think it's such a great asset / but you're wrong, wrong, wrong
All that fiber optic gear / still cannot take away the fear / like an island song
- Jimmy Buffett
No. Cash considerations are not included in Salary Cap calculations.
Yes - my apologies. I wasn't googling correctly to find what I was looking
Tried searching for "nba salary cap faq" and found this one which appears to
be pretty inclusive:
Yeah, that's the one. Coon is the man.
This space for rent.
Yowser! Here is a quote from that salary cap faq previously mentioned:
( http://members.cox.net/lmcoon/salarycap.htm )
After looking at this and glancing over the rest of the FAQ am coming toThe Collective Bargaining Agreement is a very long legal contract between the league and the Players Association, and is written in dense legalese. It is my hope that this FAQ answers all your questions. However, if you really want the CBA, it is available from the Players Association's web site at http://www.nbpa.com/cba_articles.php. At the time of this writing, bound copies of the CBA are not available from the league office.
Unfortunately, the CBA doesn't answer every question. The NBA, like most organizations, has by-laws, which are separate and apart from whatever contracts it may make with other entities such as the Players Association. Many of the rules are contained in the NBA By-Laws, and in a third document, the NBA Constitution. While it is possible for the public to obtain the CBA, the league office says the By-Laws and Constitution are absolutely off-limits.
realize how incredibly complex this stuff is!
Yeah...pretty much.
Getting caught up in trade exceptions, waiver claims and renouncing free agent rights is pretty counter productive. They all happen so infrequently and have such little real-world usage that the complexities of them are not really worth knowing. The trade exception thing seems to be picking up a little bit Leaguewide, but there are still only a handful of meaningful deals in NBA history that actually made use of them, with out blockbuster acquisition of future Hall of Famer Al Harrington topping the list.
Understanding the annual cap number, luxury tax, MLE/LLE, maximum/minimum salaries, Bird Rights, and RFA vs. FA are really the only things even a hardcore fan really ought to know unless he or she plans to write a thesis on the topic, which count55 clearly has.
Last edited by JayRedd; 09-22-2008 at 09:38 AM.
I agree that this FAQ should only cover the basics of the CBA as JayRedd is listing: the annual cap number, luxury tax, MLE/LLE, maximum/minimum salaries, Bird Rights, and RFA vs. FA.
I think beyond that we should just point to Coon's CBA site.
I've just added several placeholders for the basics regarding free agency, trades, and the salary cap.
I'm looking for people to fill those in.
I'm going to go back over the Trade Exception pieces written earlier and see if I think it needs to be condensed or not, then I'll put that up.
As always, remember this FAQ is meant for newbies and moderates first and foremost when it comes to background knowledge coming in.
I actually had thought Larry Coon's FAQ was linked at the top of the board here, but that's on RealGM. Though I've quoted him extensively (with credit), I got out of the practice of linking to it, because I thought it was already done.
The only additional thing that I think people should understand is the idea of cap holds and renouncing free agents. These are things that impact the league every single year. They have not been relevant to us to this point because we have always been over the cap. However, with more and more of our large contracts approaching expiration, there will be a significant difference between our payroll as listed on Shamsports and our actual available capspace. This particular issue has created a great deal of debate/confusion about plans for next summer.
Cap holds, I agree on. Most people assume the "loop hole" of waiting to sign your own guy will allow you to beat the system. But...The system thought of that a while ago and added cap holds.
But as far as renouncing rights goes...When does this ever happen? Elton is the first guy making more than, say, $3 million I've can recall. To me, it seems like a one-time anomoly rather than something the average NBA enthusiast need concern themselves with.
I mean, I'm not quite as big of a CBA head as you, but I've read it and been through Larry Coon's thing at least a half-dozen times and there are still minute details of the Gilbert Arenas rules, the "Over-36 rule"
and even what you can do with trade exceptions that escape me. And I can honestly say none of these things really have any practical barring on my rooting for a team or understanding what a GM will end up doing to acquire players 99.5% of the time. I'm still curious cause I'm a dork, but there's no real reason to know it.
But what I do often see this minutiae do is confuse people and divert otherwise production hoops conversations into the "But what if we trade Johnny No-Handles to the Bobcats for a trade exception first, then draft Stevie Hops-A-Lot and package him with a 2011 second rounder and the TE to the Bulls for Tyrus Thomas and a deep dish pizza. All we need to do is renounce our rights to Rik Smits and then add some cash considerations. It works under the CBA and I have no idea why Bird isn't pursuing this option."
Basically...all this stuff clutters the discussion and it will never (or very, very rarely anyway) happen.
Also...This whole post has nothing to do with the PD FAQ really...just saying that despite all the CBA offseason talk, very little of it is relevant and there are like 5-6 aspects that a fan should try to learn and fully understand before even attempting to bother with the fine print.
Last edited by JayRedd; 09-22-2008 at 12:20 PM.
Truth be told, renouncing rights only becomes an issue when a team has a payroll that is under the cap. Since most teams operate over the cap most of the time, renouncing rights to players becomes a meaningless gesture. Even if they don't plan to re-sign the guy, they can keep the rights "just in case" w/o penalty (since they don't have any cap space anyway).
I'd say deal with significant league issues first rather than worry about the details of something that has happened with two players in the recent LAC drama and, maybe, another time with Bonzi Wells several years ago. That doesn't really pass the "Frequently" caveat of the mission you're on, IMO. In terms of rank, renouncing rights rates about 6573* on priority list.
* (Understanding what Naptime means ranks second.)
Last edited by JayRedd; 09-22-2008 at 01:01 PM.


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Mark Selby rocked Ronnie O'Sullivan with one of the great Crucible comebacks as his tenacity and sheer appetite for the task was rewarded with a first World Championship title.
The great 'Grinder' of the sport, Canada's Cliff Thorburn, was on hand to witness Selby gnaw at O'Sullivan's supreme confidence, wearing down the man who was chasing a third successive world title, and sixth of his career.
Selby ran out an 18-14 winner of snooker's ultimate prize, having been 8-3 and 10-5 behind and looking primed to become another in a long line of O'Sullivans victim in Sheffield.
He clinched it with an exceptional clearance of the colours, holding his nerve as though it was he who had won this title five times in the past.
Selby punched the air in delight, the new world number one feeling the emotion before laying his hands on the trophy for the first time.
Selby told BBC2: "(It's) amazing really.
"It couldn't be better. You want to win it with Ronnie in the tournament and there's no better way than playing him in the final.
"I want to thank all my supporters, my wife Vikki and the family and everyone who's stuck by me."
Reflecting on his comeback, he added: "I was just my usual self, dug in and never gave in. I didn't play pretty snooker early in the match but towards the end I played well.
"It was a tough day yesterday. The last two frames were huge. To get back to 10-7 - any other score, I had no chance."
Having lost the finals of this season's UK Championship and World Open, Selby was relieved to find his form on the big occasion this time around.
"I was sort of half-dreading coming to the World Championship because my form wasn't great," he said.
"I got back from China, I didn't play that well out there, and I just put in the hard work. Something seemed to click, and I came here confident."
O'Sullivan began his interview in what has become his trademark style, saying: "I just want to congratulate Mark on a fantastic tournament.
"He's been the best player these last 17 days and had another good season."
O'Sullivan missed a simple pink in the final frame of Monday afternoon's session which would have taken him 12-11 up, but he said: "The black last night at 10-5 was the more important one.
"If we'd both been going hammer and tongs, a ball like that (pink) could have been a turning point but it was more about safety at that point.
"He just outfought me, outbattled me. It was tough. He had me in all sorts of trouble for two days. I tried my best but he was too tough and he's a worthy champion.
"Four or five years ago I would have freaked out in that match but I never gave up. I'm sorry for not giving the performance but I tried my hardest."
O'Sullivan had won 14 matches in a row at the Crucible, taking the 2012 and 2013 titles and charging to his sixth final this year.
But where he had won each of those previous five finals, in Selby he struck upon an opponent who believed he could succeed where John Higgins, Graeme Dott, Ali Carter - twice - and Barry Hawkins all fell short.
And even when his hopes looked forlorn, Selby stuck at his task, crucially winning the final two frames on Sunday night to cut his arrears to three.
Selby had lost in the finals of the UK Championship and Masters already this season, so a hat-trick of such defeats in the tournaments that make up snooker's triple crown would have been tough to bear.
In the opening 11 frames, his highest break was a mere 42, and until he reaped a total clearance of 127 in the 30th frame his best was 74, contrasting with O'Sullivan's three centuries.
The new champion was chiselling out chances but needing two, three or four to win frames, but it was telling that O'Sullivan was presenting him with the openings. It was far from a classic O'Sullivan performance, with the 38-year-old looking deflated a long time before Selby passed the winning post.
In his recent book, O'Sullivan branded Selby a snooker 'torturer', and the drip, drip, drip of pressure, hard match play, and pedestrian pace added up to agony for a man with a history of struggling when such factors are pieced together by a high-class opponent.
O'Sullivan began the evening with a seven-minute century to get back to 12-12, but Selby soon restored his advantage, and the scrappier the frames became, the more the pre-match underdog appeared to have the edge.
He added the next to lead 14-12 - two frames ahead for the first time - and it meant he had taken nine of the last 11, having trailed 9-5 at one stage on Sunday.
And when a run of 56 nudged Selby three clear at the interval, he was just a further three from the winning line.
O'Sullivan cut his arrears with a solid response, including a break of 49, and made it 15-14 after a terrific run of 37 at the business end of the next frame, its highlight being a stunning long yellow.
It was Selby's turn to show the reaction of a champion, and his first century of the match showed he was not merely coping but thriving under the pressure.
He was two away, and on the brink after the next frame when he fired in 87 to lead 17-14.
He clinched it in style, the final piece in the jigsaw of his career secured for a man with multiple titles elsewhere, including UK Championship and Masters crowns.


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Mothers who consumed milk during pregnancy are more likely to have taller teens than moms who don't, according to new study published in the September issue of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
According to Medical Daily, researchers from the United States, Iceland and Denmark initially collected data on babies born to more than 800 Danish moms in the 1980's. Twenty years later, the researchers followed up with the growing teens. See the study here.
The results showed that women who consumed milk during pregnancy reported taller teens. These teens also had higher levels of insulin in their bloodstream, which suggests a lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later in life.
Read, "A Daily Glass Of Milk During Pregnancy Makes Your Child Taller Well Into Adulthood, Cuts Risk Of Diabetes."
"Maternal milk consumption may have a growth-promoting effect with respect to weight and length at birth," the researchers told the Daily Mail. "These results also provide some suggestion that this effect may even track into early adult age."
Last year, another study from Japan found that babies born to women who consumed cheese and other dairy products during pregnancy were likely to have better dental health than those born to moms who didn't consume dairy. Read more here.


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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Danica Patrick said last year when she made her Sprint Cup debut that she thought she could win the Daytona 500.
So it is no surprise that she believes she has a chance to win Sunday when she starts from the pole at Daytona International Speedway.
MORE: Danica's crew chief brings old-school approach
Pole sitters have won nine times in the 54-year history of the Daytona 500.
"Can I win?" Patrick said. "Yeah. Absolutely. I believe the statistic is a 17 percent chance starting from the pole. … I feel comfortable in this kind of race situation.
"I feel comfortable in the draft. Speeds are not a problem. For me, it's just about finding out how to pass cars and who I need to do it with, if I need somebody, how to use them and the best ways to get by."
Patrick, who started 29th and was collected in a crash after just one lap a year ago, has more confidence this year after having run 10 Sprint Cup races last season. She also has a fast racecar.
In her second full NASCAR season and fourth overall, Patrick is trying to become the first winner from the pole since Dale Jarrett in 2000.
She said she will race aggressively and worry less about making friends or getting shuffled to the back.
"One of the things that I've worried a little bit too much about on these speedways is being really fair and caring about every single driver out there and trying to show them I'm loyal," Patrick said.
"You end up noticing a lot of the guys in the front that they go. When other drivers see someone that wants to go, they want to go, too, and they will go with them. I just need to be a little more aggressive from that standpoint."
The 30-year-old driver played it safe during her qualifying race Thursday, finishing 17th while accomplishing her mission of avoiding a wreck with her pole-winning car. She ran 32 laps in practice Friday in a pack of five cars at the most.
She won't practice Saturday and really hasn't worked her way through the field in the draft.
"It's a 500-mile race—she's going to learn a lot during the race as well from what she learned (Thursday)," said her team owner Tony Stewart. "Her car was tight. She just didn't have the car to get up there. She had speed, and today in practice, her car was really fast.
"She has the car she needs. It's just a matter of being in the right positions. We saw (Thursday), it's hard to be in the right positions. The 500 miles will be a trial-and-error process, including her."
Patrick will start from the outside lane Sunday because the high line worked better during the qualifying races Thursday.
"She has got the talent," crew chief Tony Gibson said. "She has got the ability. And she's already proven in the Nationwide Series, on the speedway stuff, she definitely gets the respect.
"She's fast. She can draft. She knows how the air works. She gets a lot of that from IndyCar. I am 100 percent confident she can win the Daytona 500."
Gibson has confidence because he thinks Patrick has a car capable of running up front.
"We've got speed and she can definitely get it done," Gibson said. "We've got some partners out there that seem to be committed to helping us.
"We've been holding her back. We haven't been letting her race and I know it's frustrating to try to protect your racecar. We're going to cut her loose on Sunday. I told her she can treat it like a video game."
In a video game, though, there is a reset button and another race if it ends because of a crash. Patrick has crashed more than she has finished on the lead lap in her career at Daytona.
"I'm thinking about more of what I have to do more than what's going to happen," Patrick said. "It doesn't do me any good to think about what's going to happen."
But can she really win?
"I know I'm inexperienced, and I know that I'm a rookie out there," Patrick said. "I will do the best job I can. I believe I do have a chance to win.
"I do believe experience would help, but it doesn't mean that I don't have a chance to win."


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Military Veterans of UB meeting
- When:
- Location:
- Student Center
- Room:
- 301
- Description:
The next Military Veterans of UB (MVUB) meeting will be on Thursday October 11, 2012 at 4:15pm in the Student Center Room 301- across from the Career Center. Meetings are generally every Thursday at this time. All are welcome. Please email Sean Byrne for more firstname.lastname@example.com
- Contact Name:
- Sean Byrne
- Contact Email:
- firstname.lastname@example.com
If you need accommodations to participate in this event, please contact the person listed above at least 10 days prior to the event.


text:
THE SQL Server Blog Spot on the Web
I'd briefly played around with user-defined aggregates in StreamInsight with CTP3 but when I started working with the new Count Windows, I found I had to have one working. I learned a few things along the way that I hope will help someone.
The first thing you have to do is define a class:
public class IntegerAverage: CepAggregate<int, int>
public override int GenerateOutput(IEnumerable<int> eventData)
if (eventData.Count() == 0)
return 0;
return eventData.Sum() / eventData.Count();
In this case, I've defined an IntegerAverage class that inherits from CepAggregate. CepAggregate is then declared as a generic type taking an int input parameter and providing an int output. The GenerateOutput method is overriden and called when it's time to process the input. In this case, I've just checked if there are any values, returned zero if not and returned an integer average if there are values.
This is fine but to make it work with Intellisense and make the compiler play nicely, etc. you need to do more. The following code helps:
public static class UDAExtensionMethods
public static int IntAvg<T>(this CepWindow<T> window,
Expression<Func<T, int>> map)
throw CepUtility.DoNotCall();
We define the name that we will use in code (in this case IntAvg). As this should never be called directly, we throw an exception if it is ever called.
The part that tricked me at first was this:
Expression<Func<T, int>> map
I had seen it used in the doco in Books Online but BOL didn't ever mention where it came from. To use this, you need to add a using statement in your code as:
using System.Linq.Expressions;
This is the line that maps the function signature. Without it, you'll get an error telling you that your aggregate has no overload taking one parameter. This allows me to then call it in code via:
select new { AverageMilliseconds = w.IntAvg(e =>
e.MillisecondsToPassSpeedCheckPoint) };
Passing The Event Instead
An alternative to this would be to build an aggregate that's specific to the the event type. You could then call it via:
select new { AverageMilliseconds = w.SomeAvg() };
but then your user-defined aggregate would have to be defined via:
public class SomeAverage: CepAggregate<TollPointEvent, int>
In this case, TollPointEvent was the name of the event type that the window is being created over. You'd need to then access members of the event class inside your aggregate code, like:
public override int GenerateOutput(IEnumerable<TollPointEvent> events)
if (events.Count() == 0)
return 0;
return events.Sum(e => e.MillisecondsToPassSpeedCheckPoint)
/ events.Count();
Finally, you'd need to modify your declaration similar to:
public static int SomeAvg<T>(this CepWindow<T> window)
throw CepUtility.DoNotCall();
Note that the Expression section would not be needed as the whole event was being passed.
While you can do this, I'd only look to do this where your aggregate is very specific to the event class and where it involved multiple fields from within the event.
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Greg, many thanks for posting this - saved me a lot of time and effort. Much appreciated.


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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia University is joining a safety campaign adopted by the federal Department of Homeland Security in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The Morgantown school says it's the first organization in the state to join the "If you see something, say something" campaign. The campaign is launching ahead of WVU's first home football game Saturday.
The campaign featuring the university police department's bomb-sniffing dogs will include posters and public announcements around campus. It will also be promoted on various social media outlets.
The university's campaign urges anyone who "sees something" suspicious to "say something" by calling a toll-free line monitored by the West Virginia Intelligence Fusion Center.
Officials say the campaign is one more tool to help law enforcement ensure the safety of everyone on campus.
— The Associated Press


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i want a system in my house which can water my plants automatically once a day!
cheers!!! ;D
the can needs to be balanced so it tips back when empty.
the dripping tap will eventually fill it to the point where it tips forward and dumps the water into the tray to water the plants.


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The arrest of 11 members of an alleged Russian military procurement ring in Houston earlier this month was an exceptional but not isolated example of foreign interests attempting to acquire advanced technologies by skirting U.S. export control laws. "This is exceptional in the sense of the scale and scope. But these types of procurement networks are very common," said Douglas Jacobson, an international trade attorney who specializes in export controls. "Efforts to procure a variety of U.S. [products] are common from Iran, from China, from other countries," he added.
On October 3 the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York announced charges against the principals of Arc Electronics of Houston and Moscow-based Apex System for illegally exporting microelectronics from the U.S. to Russian military and intelligence agencies, often through intermediary procurement firms. According to the attorney's office, the defendants "engaged in a surreptitious and systematic conspiracy" since 2008 to obtain and ship export-controlled items such as analog-to-digital converters, static random access memory chips, microcontrollers and microprocessors. The items could be applied in a range of military systems, including radar and surveillance systems, missile guidance systems and detonation triggers. The main port of export was John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
In conjunction with the charges, the U.S. Department of Commerce added to its "Entity List" the names of 165 foreign persons and companies "who received, trans-shipped or otherwise facilitated" the export of the controlled items by Arc Electronics. Those on the list are subject to specific license requirements before exporting items from the U.S., with the "presumption that no such license will be granted," the U.S. attorney's office said. In response to the listing, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said, "None of them supplied anything to us," according to RIA Novosti news agency. "We are currently consolidating assets to build our own electronic components base," Rogozin added.
Jacobson said the case stands out because it implicates Russia, combines the efforts of numerous federal agencies and adds a large number of names to the Entity List. But there are other examples of foreign-affiliated procurement rings. In September the U.S. attorney's office announced charges against a Chinese man for attempting to export "thousands of pounds" of aerospace-grade carbon fiber from the U.S. to China.
"There's always going to be a procurement network like this that [will go] to elaborate means to disguise the ultimate destination. It's difficult, even for the most compliant company, to know for sure that the goods are going to be used for their intended purpose," Jacobson told AIN.


text:
A slightly personal question: my wife and I are in our early thirties and currently childless, but she has recently become keen on having 1-2 children. I used to share her interest, but since getting on The Path about a year ago I feel like children would become a massive inhibitor of spiritual progress due to time & money stress. Does anybody have thoughts on the consequences that having children has for Path pursuit?
Thank you,


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A new film tells the story of the Stermers and the Wexlers, two related families who shared a remarkable struggle during the Holocaust.
For Chris Nicola, a veteran caver, a typical day's exploration of underground caverns takes no more than eight hours. But a journey that began the day he first explored a 77-mile-long gypsum cave in Ukraine in 1993 took 20 years to complete.
It was in those caves that he discovered the first threads of one of the more incredible tales of survival during the Holocaust.
While exploring the cave system with his local guides, Nicola came upon artifacts that had no business being there: shoes, a key, combs, earthen benches — indications of lives lived in subterranean darkness.
"When I found them, the guides were trying to rush me by this one site with all of these artifacts," recalls Nicola. They weren't trying to cover up anything, he says — they knew next to nothing about the local history of the Holocaust. "It didn't interest them — 'We're interested in finding new passages, not old shoes,' they said to me."
Nicola, whose job is to investigate allegations of criminal activity against licensed professionals in the state of New York, took careful note of what he found. When he returned home, he began trying to piece together the evidence that ultimately resulted, two decades later, in the release of No Place on Earth, a new documentary by Janet Tobias, a veteran producer of programs like 60 Minutes and Frontline.
The film tells the story of the Stermers and the Wexlers, two related families who shared a remarkable struggle.
In 1942, when the Nazis began rounding up the Jews of their village of Korolowka, Esther Stermer, the matriarch of the family, knew that if they were put on the trains, they were as good as dead. She instructed everyone to dig out hiding places around their farm. But they soon realized that between the Nazis' relentless searches and the potential for their neighbors' turning on them, a better, safer place was needed.
The solution: the Stermers and Wexlers packed up their belongings and, from 1942 to 1944 — a total of 511 days — 38 family members went to hide in the caves near their town.
For those 18 months, which Tobias claims is the longest recorded instance of living underground ever, the women and children never left the caves, and the men left only under cover of darkness to bring back supplies like firewood and millstones to grind wheat for their bread.
As Sima Dodyk, who was only 5 years old when she first entered the caves, recalls in the film, "When we finally left the cave, I asked someone to blow out the candle, because I had forgotten that the sun" — which she had mistaken for a blindingly bright candle — "even existed."
If not for a colleague of Tobias' at PBS, the story of Nicola's cave finds and the story of the Stermers and Wexlers might have been relegated to family lore and a 2003 article in National Geographic Adventure magazine. Tobias remembers saying to her colleague, 'There are so many great Holocaust stories in the canon already; I'm just not sure that it makes sense for me.' "
So what changed her mind? "It's one of the best stories I have ever heard in my life," she exclaims. "The family told their story with such pride and accomplishment, and they had such joy and spirit in living — it was so different from what I had heard about other survivors."
Tobias wasn't alone — she says that Shoah Foundation interviewers told her that the family was the happiest group of people they ever interviewed.
And why not? Despite living underground for an inconceivable length of time and dealing with privations like constant hunger, inadequate supplies and only a few candles to combat the absolute darkness, the families beat overwhelming odds to survive the Holocaust.
"When problems came their way, like when they were buried alive by villagers, they solved them, they didn't just give up" Tobias says, referring to an incident dramatized in the film. Former neighbors discovered their first hiding place in the caves and filled in the entrance, forcing the family to search frantically until they were able to successfully dig a new, camouflaged, passageway
To a person, the family members interviewed by Tobias speak fondly of their time in the cave (Tobias says that Saul Wexler, Esther's nephew, still refers to the cave as his "mother") and, when the filmmaker offered the survivors the chance to go visit their cave, she says, four of them jumped at the chance.
For Tobias, the survivors' desire to be reunited with their cave is completely understandable. "In a world that had gone crazy, where everything was upside down, and evil and good had switched places, the cave became a warm, protective place. The scary place was outside."
No Place on Earth
Opens April 26
at Ritz at the Bourse


text:
Over the weekend as I was cooking and thinking, one of my favorite parts of being in the kitchen is the time to think. What I got to wondering was how you feel about this blog. Do you like the content? Would you like to see different content and what kind of content might that be? We want to provide you with information that you find useful and interesting. To inspire your answers, I'm going to give away another signed edition of our new Bob's Red Mill Cookbook. I'll select a winner randomly from those of you who comment between now and Thursday, January 14th at midnight.
Here's your opportunity to tell us what you like and dislike about this blog. I promise not to take it personal… unless it's good, in which case, thankyouverymuch *courtsey*.


text:
Natalie Portman is headed to Scotland on the big screen.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actress has been cast opposite Michael Fassbender in a new big screen adaptation of Shakespeare's "Macbeth."
The Oscar winner will play Lady Macbeth with Fassbender in the title role.
PHOTOS: Hot Shots Of Natalie Portman!
The latest version of the classic play – filled with plenty of blood and gore – will keep Shakespeare's language and takes place in the 11th-century.
This marks the pair's second collaboration, as they just wrapped production on Terrence Malick's latest untitled film (which also stars Ryan Gosling, Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale and Rooney Mara) about the music scene in Austin, Texas.
PHOTOS: Hollywood's Hottest Moms & Their Loveable Little Ones
Production of the Justin Kurzel-directed movie is slated to start later this year, but first up audiences will see Natalie in "Thor: The Dark World," which hits theaters in November.


text:
Basketball didn't come naturally to Schuyler Rimmer. Unlike some of his fellow high-major signees, it took Rimmer, a member of Stanford's 2013 basketball recruiting class, a few years to get the hang of the sport.
"Before I started getting recruited I really didn't think I would actually be able to play college basketball," Rimmer said. "When I first started playing basketball in like sixth grade, that's when I started playing seriously, I was tall but I was really clumsy and I was kind of goofy. I wasn't very good at all. I played volleyball and soccer and I swam and I thought one of those sports was going to be really where I kind of excelled."
Once Rimmer's body began to mature, however, his basketball talents emerged.
"As I kind of grew into my size and got more coordinated, I got better and it seemed like it was more of an option," Rimmer said. "When I really kind of realized that I'd be able to play in college, it wasn't really until like ninth grade when I started playing against older guys and played really well against them."
Colleges took notice. Over the course of the recruiting process, Rimmer received dozens of offers, including an estimated 35 high-major offers, according to his AAU coach Reggie Tucker.
After narrowing down his extensive list of options, Rimmer initially made a verbal commitment to the home-state Florida Gators in August before re-opening his recruitment in September. According to multiple media reports Florida asked Rimmer to enter the program as a walk-on, which might have prompted him to reconsider his original decision.
"I think the whole Florida situation will be a learning process for me, just really thinking things through before I make big decisions, because that's really what happened," Rimmer said. "I made a decision before I really thought about everything that really would go into, all of the consequences from that decision. I think I'm really just going to take that as a learning process."
Florida's loss was Stanford's gain. The Cardinal was the first school Rimmer contacted after parting ways with the Gators, and was one of four schools (along with USC, Vanderbilt and Virginia) that he ultimately considered.
"It was always definitely one of my top choices," Rimmer said of the Cardinal. "The second time around I really wanted to make sure I was making the right decision. Stanford was actually the first school I called and let know that I was opening my recruiting process back up. But I only contacted four schools and they were the four schools …once it got out there that I was back on the market a bunch of schools started contacting me, but I just stuck with the four schools I was looking at."
In a sense, even when he was solidly committed to Florida, the door was never closed on the possibility that Stanford would remain a viable option. Or perhaps more accurately, Rimmer's parents ensured that Stanford was still in the picture.
"I got a (Stanford) application over the summer and even after I committed to Florida I kept it around," Rimmer said. "Or I didn't keep it around, my parents kept it around, and just kind of had it pinned up on the board in my kitchen so I just kind of saw it every day. So when I re-opened my commitment I had most of the pieces to it. I started working on it, finished it in about a week-and-a-half, two weeks. And when I went on my official visit I brought it with me and we turned it in to the admissions office."
Rimmer found out he was admitted about a week after his official visit.
But before making a commitment, Rimmer wanted to be entirely sure of his decision. He followed through on plans to visit Vanderbilt and Virginia before signing day. In the hours before Rimmer announced his decision, speculation ran rampant on the Internet that the Commodores, not the Cardinal, were the team to beat.
"I didn't know that Vanderbilt was what everyone thought was the favorite until somebody was like, 'Oh, yeah on Twitter it says that you're going to commit to Vanderbilt,'" Rimmer said. "One of my friends told me that. And I was like well, I don't know who said that but through the process I really just tried to keep an open mind and especially to the media I didn't want to make it look like I was favoring one school or not so I really just tried to stay kind of neutral. But seeing that stuff online, it didn't really sway my decision at all. It was my decision to make, not anyone else's. "
And so on Thursday, Nov. 8, Rimmer called the Stanford coaches to deliver his verbal commitment. He signed his letter-of-intent with Stanford last Wednesday.
Rimmer said that his decision was motivated primarily by basketball factors.
"The reason I narrowed it down to four schools that I did was because so that way I could really just focus on the basketball aspect of the decision," Rimmer said. "Academically with Vanderbilt, Virginia, Southern Cal and Stanford, there's definitely some separation, but you're still going to go to a top-25 school either way. That really just helped make it a one-dimensional decision. Instead of having to think about am I going to sacrifice academics for basketball, with those four schools you're not going to have to do that."
Rimmer certainly didn't lack for other options.
"I contacted the four schools (after decommitting) and then I started hearing from schools like UCLA, Cal, Notre Dame, Texas, Duke, NC State, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, so I mean I started hearing from a bunch of schools," Rimmer said. "Towards the end I was really just set on Stanford, but hearing from Duke, for me, it was more of just kind of like the culmination of all the hard work I've put in the last four years, hearing from a school like Duke. When I heard from them my mind was kind of set on Stanford, but it was just nice to know that a school like that was recognizing me as a high-caliber player."
Rimmer has the versatility to help Stanford both in the post and on the perimeter.
"They see me playing as a four," Rimmer said. "(I will be) spending some time in the post but also spending some time on the perimeter. I'm really working just trying to expand my game so that way when I do finally get there I'll be ready to contribute."
The preceeding was a free preview of normally premium Cardinal Sports Report content. Consider purchasing a gift subscription to Rivals.com today, just in time for the holiday season.