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Guitar Center Your Next Record with Steve Aoki
1. OVERVIEW: The Guitar Center Your Next Record with Steve Aoki Contest ("Contest") consists of two parts (i) a phase that measures and ranks the online activity (as defined and set forth in paragraph 5, below) of each Entrant's Submission (as defined below) and whereby five (5) weekly leaders (the "Top Five Weekly") are selected per week of the Contest Period based on such ranking (collectively, "Round One"); and (ii) the grand prize round (the "Grand Prize Round") whereby the Judging Panel (as defined below) will judge and choose the Winner of the Grand Prize (as defined below) from the Round One Top Five Weekly leaders as further set forth herein. By participating in the Contest, each Entrant (as defined below) agrees to comply with and be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of Sponsor, which shall be final and binding in all respects. No purchase is necessary to enter or win. Void where prohibited.
2. ELIGIBILITY: The Contest is open only to individual artists who: (i) are legal residents of the contiguous 48 states of the U.S. and the District of Columbia (excluding HI, AK and Puerto Rico); (ii) at the time of entry are at least 16 years of age or older; (iii) from the time of entry throughout the Contest Period (as defined below) are not, individually, or as part of any musical group: (a) under an exclusive recording contract and/or a recording contract with a "major" record label or distributed by a "major" distributor or record label (as determined by Sponsor) or (b) bound by a contract with any publisher or label under an exclusive agreement or contractual arrangement which would prohibit such individual from participation hereunder or restrict rights and/or obligations as provided for in these Official Rules or where Entrant's acceptance of any prize awarded herein would violate the terms of such contract; (iv) have not individually or collectively received adjusted gross earnings in excess of $100,000 for the prior tax year from their professional musical activities (not including any teaching or instruction of music); (v) are not Contest Parties or Prize Partners as further set forth and defined below; and (vi) are not related to or an acquaintance of any of the individuals on the Judging Panel (collectively, the "Eligibility Criteria"). For purposes of this Contest an "individual artist" is one single person who has composed and produced his/her own musical compositions and sound recordings. For purposes of this Contest, "Designated Agent" means the person who actually submits the Submission (as defined below) on behalf of himself/herself individually or on behalf of an individual which he/she manages. With respect to participation by any minor (as defined in his or her state of residence), such individual shall clear his or her participation in this Contest and his or her understanding of the Official Rules in connection herewith with his or her respective parent and/or legal guardian(s) who shall be a Designated Agent for such individual hereunder. "Entrant" shall mean the individual whose name is entered as the "Entrant" during the registration process and who is also featured as the individual musician in the Submission (as defined below). Void in Puerto Rico, Alaska, Hawaii and wherever prohibited or restricted by law. Subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws. Employees, contractors, directors and officers of Guitar Center Stores, Inc. ("Sponsor"), Amplifier Media, Inc. ("Administrator"), DJ Kid Millionaire, Steve Aoki, other Prize Partners (as defined below), and each of their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliated companies, promotional partners, distributors, web design, advertising, fulfillment and promotion agencies (collectively, the "Affiliated Parties") involved in the administration, development, providing of prizes and execution of this Contest, and the immediate family members and those living in the same households of each are not eligible to participate in the Contest. Sponsor and Administrator and their respective Affiliated Parties are hereinafter collectively referred to as the "Contest Parties". Prize providers and their respective Affiliated Parties are hereinafter collectively referred to as the "Prize Partners". For the avoidance of doubt, if it is found, at any time during or after the Contest Period (as defined below), that any of the eligibility criteria above are not met with respect to any Entrant, such Entrant may be disqualified from the Contest (as determined by Sponsor).
3. TIMING: The Contest begins at 12:00:01 a.m. Eastern Time ("ET") on August 1, 2014 and ends at 11:59:59 p.m. ET on November 6, 2014 (the "Contest Period"). All Submissions must be entered into the Contest between 12:00:00 a.m. ET on August 1, 2014 and 11:59:59 p.m. ET on October 31, 2014 (the "Submission Period"). All Submissions must be received by Sponsor as required herein prior to the expiration of the Submission Period. Administrator's server shall be official clock of the Contest.
4. HOW TO PARTICIPATE: Any Designated Agent may register any Entrant for the Contest by visiting www.guitarcenter.com/aoki (the "Website") and navigate to the Contest registration page. Entrants must be registered members of YouTube in order to enter the Contest (if Entrant is an eligible individual below the age of 18, Entrant must be a registered member with legal guardian and/or parental consent, as applicable, as required pursuant to the YouTube terms of use). To enter, complete the following steps:
a. Navigate to the Website and follow the prompts on the Website to register. The Designated Agent must agree to the Official Rules of the Contest and Administrator's Terms of Use ("TOU") prior to completing the registration form.
b. Once the registration form has been completed and submitted, the Designated Agent must upload the Submission video(s) onto YouTube, then copy and paste the YouTube URL of the video(s) into the Contest platform Channel Manager to display the video in Entrant's timeline. Sponsor is not responsible if video URLs are copied or uploaded incorrectly. Entrants must submit one (1) video for Part A. of their Submission, must submit at least one (1) video (but no more than four (4) videos) for Part B. of their Submission (Part A and Part B as defined below).
c. Entrant's Submission videos must remain on Entrant's YouTube account and Entrant must remain a YouTube account holder, through the end of the Contest Period and for a period of at least sixty (60) days thereafter.
d. All Submissions must meet all Submission Requirements set forth below in order to be eligible, must comply with the Official Rules and the then-current YouTube terms of service.
A submission ("Submission") consists of two parts:
- Part A: one (1) performance oriented video of Entrant performing a Remix (defined below), no longer than seven (7) minutes in length. "Remix" shall mean one (1) original recording embodying an original musical composition recorded in a format compatible with the specifications as set forth by YouTube and incorporating a substantial portion of the stems from the Steve Aoki musical track to be posted on August 1, 2014 on the Website (the "Aoki Track"). The Aoki Track stems downloaded from the website in conjunction with this Contest are being provided solely for the purpose of the Contest and the Remix to be submitted hereunder. No further rights are granted in the Aoki Track and no other use of the Aoki Track or the stems thereof shall be permitted except as specifically set forth herein. By "original", this means that all Remixes must be composed of: (a) original content, music, sounds, loops, creations or other components (collectively, "content") created by Entrant; (b) content that the Entrant has acquired the necessary license or rights from the appropriate copyright holder (for the avoidance of doubt, a limited license to use the Aoki Track solely in connection with the Remix hereunder is hereby granted to Entrant solely for the Contest Period in connection with the Contest); and (c) compositions submitted consistent with these Official Rules, the YouTube terms of service and the permissions and rights provided herein.
- Part B: at least one (1), but no more than four (4), performance oriented video(s) of Entrant performing an original Mix (defined below) recording(s) no longer than seven (7) minutes in length each. "Mix" shall mean an original recording which embodies an original musical composition that must be composed of: (a) original content created by Entrant; (b) content that Entrant has acquired the necessary license or rights from the appropriate copyright holder; and (c) compositions submitted consistent with these Official Rules, the YouTube terms of service and the permissions and rights provided herein.
- For the avoidance of doubt, Entrant is solely responsible for ensuring it has any and all licenses and rights for the content included in his or her Submission, except for the Aoki Track. Sponsor shall have the right, in its sole discretion and/or at the request of any third party copyright holder, to require documentation evidencing any clearances or licenses to any and all content used in an Entrant's Submission, and as applicable with respect to use of any portion of any pre-existing works with respect to any Remix or Mix submitted hereunder and at any point during and after the Contest Period. In the event that any Entrant is unable to provide sufficient evidence of its rights to use any third party property or materials in connection with its Submission, Sponsor may disqualify Entrant from the Contest in its sole discretion.
*No Sponsorship, endorsement or authorization of the Contest Parties or Prize Parties by YouTube is intended or implied by such use in this Contest; nor is YouTube associated with the Contest in any way. Any questions, comments or complaints about the Contest should be directed to Sponsor. Except for content specifically uploaded to Entrant's YouTube account, all other information and content is being provided to Sponsor and Administrator. It is the sole responsibility of the Designated Agent and Entrant to review and comply with all policies of YouTube (including, but not limited to any terms of service, community guidelines and privacy policies).
ONLY ONE SUBMISSION WILL BE ACCEPTED FROM EACH ENTRANT. By uploading a Submission in the Contest, Entrants and Designated Agents hereby warrant and represent that the entire Submission meets the following entry requirements (collectively, the "Submission Requirements"):
• Remix and Mix(es) are original works composed by Entrant and controlled by Entrant and Entrant has the right to use and perform the Remix and Mix(es) throughout the Contest and after the Contest as contemplated hereunder in all regards and grant the rights herein;
• Submission is not sexually explicit or suggestive, unnecessarily violent or derogatory of any ethnic, racial, gender, religious, professional or age group, profane or pornographic, and does not contain nudity;
• Submission does not promote alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco, firearms/weapons (or the use of any of the foregoing), any activities that may appear unsafe or dangerous, or any particular political agenda or message;
• Submission is not obscene or offensive and does not endorse any form of hate or hate group;
• Submission does not defame, misrepresent or contain disparaging remarks about Sponsor or its products, or other people, products or companies, including Contest Parties and Prize Partners;
• Submission does not contain trademarks, logos or trade dress owned by others, or advertise or promote any brand or product of any kind, without written permission, and does not contain any personal identification, such as license plate numbers, personal names, e-mail addresses or street addresses;
• Submission does not contain copyrighted materials owned by others (including photographs, sculptures, paintings and other works of art or images published on or in websites, television, movies or other media or musical material or "samples" other than the Aoki Track provided or portions of songs otherwise licensed in writing from the applicable copyright holder or its designee for the uses permitted hereunder);
• Submission does not contain materials embodying the names, likenesses, photographs, or other indicia identifying any person, living or dead, other than the Entrant, without written permission;
• Submission has been submitted with consent of parent and/or legal guardian if Entrant is a minor, as defined in Entrant's state of residence;
• Submission does not communicate messages or images inconsistent with the positive images and/or goodwill to which the Contest Parties or Prize Partners wish to associate or otherwise be objectionable or inappropriate as determined by Sponsor; and
• Submission is not and does not depict a violation of any law or regulation.
Compliance with the foregoing requirements shall be determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion, provided, that, Entrant takes full responsibility with respect to verification of the above criteria, including with respect to Entrant's representations to Sponsor that the works, or portions of the works, created and submitted hereunder are original works created by Entrant. Contest Parties and Prize Partners may, in their sole discretion, remove and/or disqualify any Submission that is deemed to be inappropriate or otherwise non-compliant with these Official Rules. All Submissions must also comply with the Contest Terms of Use located at http://aoki.amplifiertv.com/terms.
5. SELECTION OF WINNER: Winner selection will occur in two (2) stages, as follows:
ROUND ONE: During the Contest Period, the Contest platform will track each Submission's popularity using a proprietary ranking algorithm ("online activity"). Online activity tracking will be measured weekly throughout the Contest Period. Each week during the Contest Period, the Contest platform will identify the five (5) Entrants with the highest online activity during that week (the Top Five Weekly and the "Weekly Ranking" respectively). Each Entrant who's Submission (i) is in the Top Five Weekly (in the highest Weekly Ranking) as determined by Administrator and (ii) also meets the Submission Requirements is guaranteed to have at least one (1) work from their Submission be reviewed by the Judging Panel in the Grand Prize Round. In the event that an Entrant has a Top Five Weekly ranking in the Weekly Ranking on more than one occasion, the Judging Panel shall also review the next highest ranked Entrant so that there are a total of seventy (70) Entrants that are guaranteed to have at least one (1) work in their Submission be reviewed by the Judging Panel (the "Finalists") in the Grand Prize Round. Any attempt by a Designated Agent or an Entrant and/or his or her family/friends to use fraudulent mechanisms to unfairly affect the outcome, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion, shall give Sponsor the right to disqualify the Entrant. Entrants will not be notified if they are being judged in the Grand Prize Round.
GRAND PRIZE ROUND: At the end of the Contest Period a qualified panel of judges, which shall include electronic dance music industry professionals and/or Sponsor executives, each possessing knowledge and/or experience concerning electronic dance music abilities in the music industry (the "Judging Panel"), as determined by Sponsor, will review and judge the Submissions of the seventy (70) top Entrants based on the ranking and process described in the Round One above. In the event that the Judging Panel, in its sole discretion, believes that it needs to draw from a larger number of Entrants, the Judging Panel reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to review additional Entrants. Except as otherwise set forth in these Official Rules, only the top seventy (70) Entrants chosen as described in Round One above are guaranteed to be judged by the Judging Panel and, for the avoidance of doubt, only if such Entrants have not otherwise been disqualified pursuant to these Official Rules. After the close of the Content Period, the Judging Panel will select the Grand Prize winning Entrant (the "Winner") using the Judging Criteria set forth below.
6. JUDGING CRITERIA: The Winner will be selected by the Judging Panel based on the following criteria: (i) melody, tune, originality, demonstration of technical ability and emotional and creative quality of music; (ii) commercial viability of Remix and Mix(es) presented in Submission and Entrant, and which may or may not include consideration of the online activity in connection with such Entrant; and (iii) Entrant entertainment value (collectively, the "Judging Criteria"). The Judging Panel will decide the Winner in its sole discretion. One Winner will be selected. THE DECISIONS OF THE JUDGING PANEL ARE FINAL AND BINDING AS TO ALL ENTRANTS AND DESIGNATED AGENTS.
7. NOTIFICATION AND VERIFICATION: Potential Winner will be notified on or around mid-December 2014, by telephone and/or email using the contact information provided during registration by the Designated Agent, that they have been selected to potentially advance to the Grand Prize Round. Potential Winner will then be provided with (i) an Affidavit of Eligibility and Release of Liability/Publicity agreement and (ii) any additional documentation required by Sponsor (the "Releases"). Additional documentation will include a License Agreement with Dim Mak Records and such other documents as otherwise required by Sponsor. All Releases and other required forms must be returned by Entrant within five (5) calendar days of the date of notification or other date provided by Sponsor before the Entrant can be declared the Winner. If potential Winner (a) fails to execute required documentation in the designated time period; (b) has his/her prize notification returned; (c) does not respond to Sponsor's notification within five (5) calendar days of notification; (d) is unavailable to travel to the Single Recording (defined below); or (e) otherwise is found to have violated the Official Rules or to have otherwise become ineligible will be disqualified and will forfeit the prize and Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, select an alternate potential Winner. If at any time and for any reason a potential Winner or Winner becomes ineligible or unable to participate in the Single Recording, Sponsor will use reasonable efforts, time and circumstances permitting, to choose an alternative Winner. The Grand Prize Winner will be announced on or about mid-December 2014.
One (1) Grand Prize will be awarded and will consist of:
- A trip to a city designated by Sponsor ("Trip") to record a single (1) song executive produced by Steve Aoki to be released by Dim Mak Records (the "Single Recording"), including studio time, engineer, mix and master. Trip will include round trip coach airfare from the nearest metropolitan airport for the Winner; transportation from airport to hotel and to and from hotel to recording studio; double occupancy hotel accommodations of Sponsor's choice; duration of Single Recording and Trip to be determined by Sponsor, but shall be no more than seven (7) days' time. If Winner lives within a 300-mile radius of the Trip location, round-trip ground transportation will be provided in lieu of air transportation and no additional compensation will be provided in place of the air transportation portion of the prize. The ARV of the Trip is $4,500. The ARV of the Single Recording is indeterminable.
- Electro-Voice: (2) ETX-18SP 18" Powered Subwoofers, (2) ETX-15P 15" Two-Way Powered Loudspeakers, (2) N/D767a Dynamic Supercardioid Vocal Mics, ARV: $5,860
- AVIDL (1) AVID HD Native Thunderbolt + HD OMNI System, ARV: $5,000
- Pioneer: (2) CDJ-900 Nexus Performance Tabletop Digital Multi Player, (1) DJM-900SRT Serato DJ Mixer, HDJ-2000 Pro DJ Headphones, DJE-2000 In-Ear Headphones, S-DJ50X Studio Monitor Pair,ARV: $5,994
- 8DM: 8DIO Bundle 1: All products Invitation to the exclusive V8P loyalty program, ARV: $7,999
- GoPro: GoPro HERO3+ Black Edition/Music Bundle, ARV: $400
- TuneCore: TuneCore blog feature, free 1-year album music distribution, and free music publishing administration account, ARV: $110
Total ARV of the Grand Prize is $40,802
Unless specifically stated above, Winner is responsible for all other costs and expenses associated with the prizes (if any), including, but not limited to, transportation, transportation/transfers to and from their respective residences, airports, and hotels; any taxes, duties, fees, or other charges imposed by airlines, hotels and governmental bodies; food; gratuities; personal conveniences and expenses; and insurance. If the Grand Prize winning Entrant is an eligible minor as defined in his/her state of residence, Winner must be accompanied for any travel in connection with this Contest, including the Trip, by his/her parent/legal guardian, and the parent/legal guardian must consent to the minor winning the Contest (including any travel in connection herewith), such consent to be included in the Releases returned by the potential Grand Prize winner. All travel dates and travel and hotel arrangements are subject to change and availability, holiday and blackout dates. Additional travel conditions, limitations, and restrictions may apply. Sponsor is not responsible for flight cancellations or delays. Sponsor will not replace any lost or stolen tickets, travel vouchers, certificates, or prize items.
Actual retail value of the travel portion of prize will vary depending on the Winner's residence and may fluctuate due to market conditions, changes in value of components (e.g., air transportation and hotel rates), and other reasons; actual retail value at time of actual prize award may be different than ARV stated herein due to such conditions. Any difference between stated ARV and actual value of prizes will not be awarded. Winner is solely responsible for any taxes on the prize. Selection of airline, hotel, dates of travel and other transportation are solely within Sponsor's sole discretion. Winner will receive an IRS form 1099 at the end of the calendar year, and a copy of such form will be filed with the IRS. No cash equivalent or substitution of any prize is offered, except at the sole discretion of the Sponsor. Prizes are non-transferable and non-refundable.
If a prize, or any portion thereof, cannot be awarded for any reason, through no fault of Winner, Sponsor reserves the right to substitute such prize with another prize of equal or greater value, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. The prizes are a single indivisible package; and any refusal of the Winner (or potential Winner as the case may be) to accept any terms or any portion of a prize package or any attempt to transfer, sell, fail to cooperate with, renounce, repudiate and/or refuse any part of a prize package may immediately disqualify the Winner (or potential Winner) from the Contest and/or cause such Winner (or potential Winner) to forfeit all or any portion of the prize package in the Sponsor's sole discretion. In the event of disqualification of the Winner, Sponsor may select the Entrant with the next highest ranking as determined by the Judging Panel during the Grand Prize Round as the alternate potential Winner. In the event the Winner is unable for any reason to attend or complete the Single Recording, through no fault of Sponsor, then all or any remaining portion of such prize shall be forfeited and the Contest Parties and Prize Partners shall have no further obligation or liability to Winner with respect to said prize. ALL PRIZES ARE AWARDED "AS IS" AND WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE), AND ALL SUCH WARRANTIES ARE HEREBY DISCLAIMED.
10. ENTRANT REPRESENTATIONS, GRANT OF RIGHTS: BY SUBMITTING A SUBMISSION, ENTRANTS AND DESIGNATED AGENTS ACKNOWLEDGE THAT (A) THE SUBMISSION MAY BE POSTED, IN SPONSOR'S DISCRETION, ON CONTEST PARTIES' AND/OR SPONSOR'S AND/OR PRIZE PARTNERS' WEBSITE(S) IN CONNECTION WITH THE CONTEST, SUBJECT TO YOUTUBE'S LICENSING AGREEMENT AND AVAILABILITY OF THE SUBMISSION ON THE YOUTUBE WEBSITE; AND (B) THE REMIX AND MIX(ES) AND THE SONG (INCLUDING THE MUSICAL COMPOSITION AND CORRESPONDING MASTER RECORDING) PRODUCED PURSUANT TO THE SINGLE RECORDING MAY BE POSTED ON CONTEST PARTIES' AND/OR SPONSOR'S AND/OR PRIZE PARTNERS' WEBSITE(S) AND OTHERWISE PUBLISHED, AIRED OR DISPLAYED BY CONTEST PARTIES AND/OR PRIZE PARTNERS' IN CONNECTION WITH THE CONTEST. Entrants and Designated Agent warrant and represent that their entry into the Contest and/or winning of any prize does not and will not violate the terms of any agreement to which they are a party, including but not limited to, any music publishing agreement, distribution agreement, recording agreement, production agreement, or union or guild agreement, or conflict with any other obligation of Entrants or Designated Agent. Further, Entrants and Designated Agents warrant and represent that the Submission: (i) is, other than as permitted hereunder with respect to use of the Aoki Track in the Remix, Entrant's original work (and is not based on or derived from any other materials) and embodies an original musical composition written and controlled by Entrant and Entrant has the right to use and perform the Submission throughout the Contest in all regards and grant the rights herein without the need for permission from or payment to any other party; (ii) does not infringe upon the copyrights, trademarks, rights of privacy, publicity or other intellectual property or other rights of any person or entity; (iii) Designated Agents have obtained written permission from Entrant and each person whose name, likeness, voice or other intellectual property is used in the Submission to enter Entrant (and his/her Submission) in Contest; and (iv) the publication of the Submission via various media (including web posting) will not infringe the rights of any third party. EACH ENTRANT AND SUCH ENTRANT'S DESIGNATED AGENT (IF APPLICABLE) WILL, JOINTLY AND SEVERALLY, INDEMNIFY AND HOLD HARMLESS (I.E., EACH OF ENTRANT AND SUCH ENTRANT'S AGENT WILL BE FULLY LIABLE, INDIVIDUALLY, TO PAY ANY AND ALL DAMAGES), SPONSOR AND THE OTHER CONTEST PARTIES AND/OR PRIZE PARTNERS FROM ANY FEES, ROYALTIES, COSTS AND EXPENSES (COLLECTIVELY, "COSTS") ARISING OUT OF ANY THIRD PARTY CLAIMS, LAWSUITS, COMPLAINTS, ACTIONS, CAUSES OF ACTION, DAMAGES, LIABILITIES, ("CLAIMS") TO THE CONTRARY AND ANY CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO ENTRANT'S SUBMISSION OR PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST OR EACH OF THE CONTEST PARTIES' AND/OR EACH OF THE PRIZE PARTNERS' EXERCISE OF THE RIGHTS GRANTED AND CONTEMPLATED HEREIN.
By submitting a Submission and thereby entering the Contest, Entrants and Designated Agents grant to each of the Contest Parties and each of the Prize Partners, a worldwide, perpetual, unlimited, irrevocable, royalty-free right and license to use, display, distribute, reproduce, host, publish, transmit and publicly perform (and Entrants and Designated Agents grants all necessary rights required to make such use, including but not limited to distribution rights, synchronization rights and all master recording rights), the Submission, the song produced pursuant to the Single Recording, their individual name (first and/or last), musical/professional name (if any) or other identification, their hometown, place of residence, entry information uploaded to the Website, photo, image, voice, and likeness, in connection with the Contest and/or Submission in any manner and in any media and content whether now existing or hereinafter devised, without any restrictions, including without limitation, by means of electronic transmission or other means, in future trade, publicity and/or advertising for such Contest Parties and/or Prize Partners products and/or services, unless prohibited by law. Entrants and Designated Agents further agree: (i) that each of the Contest Parties and/or each of the Prize Partners may exercise any and all rights hereunder without attribution, notification or compensation to Entrants or Designated Agents; (ii) that each of the Contest Parties and/or each of the Prize Partners shall have the right to freely assign their rights hereunder, in whole or in part, to any other person or entity, without notification or approval by Entrant or Designated Agent; (iii) that the Contest Parties and/or the Prize Partners shall have no obligation (express or implied) to use the Submission (or any part thereof), or song produced pursuant to the Single Recording in any manner (other than as expressly stated herein) and Entrants and Designated Agent shall not be entitled to any damages or other relief by reason of the Contest Parties and/or the Prize Partners use or non-use of Entrants' Submission (or any part thereof) or the Single Recording; (iv) to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the judges; (v) that Entrants and Designated Agent may be contacted by any of the Contest Parties and/or any of the Prize Partners by telephone, mail or email regarding this Contest; and (vi) to sign and deliver to such Contest Parties and/or Prize Partners any documents as such Contest Parties and/or Prize Partners may reasonably require to effectuate the rights granted herein and/or verify the obligations of Entrant hereunder.
Winner acknowledges and agrees that the Single Recording may be recorded by the Contest Parties and/or Prize Partners in electronic, audio and/or video formats for possible broadcast on television, the Internet and/or in any and all media whether now existing or later invented. As between Sponsor and Winner, Sponsor or its designee shall own any and all rights to such Single Recording and may use such recording, in whole or in part, for any lawful purpose without further notice or compensation to Winner. Winner agrees that, upon request, it will execute any and all such documents or take any such actions deemed necessary by Sponsor to effect, record or perfect Sponsor's, or its designee's, ownership rights to such recordings.
11. GENERAL TERMS: Sponsor or its designated representative has the right, but not the obligation, to monitor/screen entries and Entrant's Contest account. By entering, Entrant and Designated Agent acknowledge that Sponsor and Administrator have no obligation to use or post any Submission or permit any Entrant to participate who enters a Submission that violates or is not eligible under these Official Rules. If for any reason the Contest is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the Contest, Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to cancel, modify or terminate the Contest or any portion thereof. any attempt by an entrant or other individual to deliberately damage or undermine the legitimate operation of this CONTEST, including but not limited to any fraudulent claims, may be a violation of criminal and civil laws – and should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek remedies and damages from any such individual, to the fullest extent permitted by law, including criminal prosecution. Proof of entering or making a Submission will not be deemed to be proof of receipt by Sponsor of entry. Any use of robotic, automatic, programmed or like entry methods will void all Submissions affected by such methods and be deemed tampering. Persons engaging in any of the foregoing activities may be disqualified. Sponsor's failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. By participating, Entrants and Designated Agents agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of Sponsor and Judging Panel and waive any right to claim ambiguity in the Contest or these Official Rules. In addition, Entrants and Designated Agents agree to receive news and offers from Sponsor and Sponsor's affiliates and promotional partners. Sponsor reserves the right to make changes or additions to these Official Rules and/or change the dates of the Contest at any time without further notice. This Contest is offered only in the contiguous 48 states of the U.S. and the District of Columbia, and is governed by the laws of the State of California. By entering, Entrants and Designated Agents consent to the jurisdiction and venue of the federal, state and local courts located in Los Angeles, California for the resolution of any disputes.
12. LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY AND RELEASE: Sponsor and other Contest Parties and/or Prize Partners are not responsible for: (i) technical problems or technical malfunction which may affect the operation of the Contest, including but not limited to any of the following occurrences (a) hardware or software errors; (b) faulty computer, telephone, cable, satellite, network, electronic, wireless or Internet connectivity or other online communication problems; (c) errors or limitations of any Internet service providers, servers, hosts or providers; (d) garbled, jumbled or faulty data transmissions; (e) failure of any e-mail transmissions to be sent to or received; (f) any inability to upload or download any information in connection with participation in the Contest; (g) inaccessibility of Contest platform or the Website, in whole or in part for any reason, or traffic congestions on the Internet; (h) lost, late, delayed, corrupted or intercepted e-mail or Submission transmissions; (i) unauthorized human or non-human intervention of the operation of the Contest, including without limitation, unauthorized tampering, hacking, theft, virus, bugs, worms; (j) destruction of any aspect of the Contest, or loss, miscount, misdirection, inaccessibility or unavailability of an account used in connection with the Contest, including but not limited to, undeliverable contact attempts that result from any form of active or passive e-mail filtering by a user's Internet service provider and/or email client or for insufficient space in user's account to receive e-mail; (k) any typographical errors in the announcement of prizes or these Official Rules, or any inaccurate or incorrect data contained on the Website or Contest platform; (ii) flood, earthquake or other acts of God; (iii) work stoppages or other labor interruptions; or (iv) any personal injury, or property damage or losses of any kind which may be sustained to user's or any other person's computer equipment resulting from participation in the Contest, use of the Website, contest platform or the download of any information from the Website or Contest platform.
Entrant acknowledges that Sponsor and other Contest Parties and/or Prize Partners, and their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, successors, assigns, and prize providers (collectively "Released Parties" and individually "Released Party") maintain no control over the personnel, equipment, or operation of any air, water or surface carrier, ship line, bus or limousine company, transportation company, hotel, restaurant, or other person or entity furnishing services, products, or accommodations supplied by others as a part of the Contest. Entrant and Designated Agent agree that Released Parties shall not be liable for any injury, damage, loss, expense, accident, delay, inconvenience, or other irregularity that may be caused or contributed to (i) by any wrongful, negligent, or unauthorized act or omission on the part of any other suppliers or any of their agents, servants, employees, or independent contractors (collectively, "Suppliers"); (ii) by any defect in or failure of any vehicle, equipment, accessories, instrumentality, service, product, or accommodation that is owned, operated, furnished, or used by any of those Suppliers; (iii) by the wrongful, negligent, or unauthorized act or omission on the part of any other person or entity not directly employed by that Released Party; or (iv) by any cause, condition, or event whatsoever beyond the reasonable control of that Released Party. Entrant and Designated Agent hereby waive, release and discharge each Released Party from and against any claims, damages or liability, even if caused by the negligence or willful misconduct of the Released Party, for any injury (including to person, property or reputation), damage, loss, expense, accident, delay, inconvenience, or irregularity arising out of or relating to any person (including death) or property of any kind resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from participation in this Contest or in any Contest-related activity or from acceptance, possession, use or misuse of any prize.
By entering the Contest, Entrants and Designated Agents acknowledge that they are familiar with the provisions of California Civil Code Section 1542, which provides as follows:
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text:
Total number of comments: 43 (since 2013-11-28 16:50:22)
deborah conner
Showing comments 43 - 1
Page: 1
- Disgust as Corporate Media and DC Politicians Gush Over Trump's New War
deborah conner 04/08/2017 at 1:22 pm
And you choose msnbc to attack on this? and Nance, who has been trying to tell us about Russian intervention, the total lack of security online, since long before the election? Tell me again how awful Clinton would have been. I think you are tools.
- Isolated Saudi Arabia pivots to Asia; but will it spread Extremism There?
deborah conner 03/22/2017 at 5:29 pm
So. Oil, Trump, Russia, Tillerson, the Saudi Opec agreement to lower production and raise prices. This all seems to be about keeping oil in power, defusing the momentum for alternatives, Paris accord. Why isn't this the main entree on our what the hell is happening menu?
- It is Comey who should be Investigated
deborah conner 03/23/2017 at 11:06 am
The FBI knew well that Russia has us by the balls. Our security is illusion. News, banking, physical control of industry, your very city depends on the internet. So does the military.
deborah conner 03/22/2017 at 5:28 pm
Press played into this disaster, even NYTimes. Remember the front page?link to mediamatters.org
Wasn't the "news" of the emails already leaked to Chaffetz? Imagine letting him frame the story -- and right before the election.
- How Rupert Murdoch & Fox Created the Fake News Industry
deborah conner 12/01/2016 at 12:45 pm
And so the deal cut with the Saudis to stop flooding the oil market, making its value rise, the stock market rejoice.... and saving deeply carbon/oil-invested Russia. (And fracking invested America.) And what was bargained? The middle east shaped and culled to their liking--? Isn't this the real story that's being drowned out, barely a blip on the news? Where does it leave the American hawks on Iran? Do we avert that war, the new Crusades, anything, as we see the planet broil, livable land, water, whole populations and species disappeared? Whose gated community will be left standing? ( As we lose our way, living life behind glass screens, living dramas written by who? for what? rather than our own lives...)
Americans ask -- freedom or security, what will you bargain? When what we all really desire and need is autonomy. A chance to live life. To pass life on
- The Trump Golem Runs Amok
deborah conner 11/05/2016 at 11:39 am
Ryan told us as much:
"I stand where I've stood all fall and all summer," Ryan said during an appearance on "Fox and Friends." "In fact I already voted here in Janesville for our nominee last week in early voting. We need to support our entire Republican ticket."
He didn't say Trump. Pence is also the Republican nominee. TELL DONALD! He'll tweetstorm!
deborah conner 11/05/2016 at 11:34 am
So true. Trump: spawn in the Republican swamp, blessed with eye of Newt, musk of Fox, educated in the dark back woods of Roy Cohn. But maybe the masters have learned to play their golem. Trump has broken so many laws it will be easy to unload him. If elected, he goes down, Pence becomes Pres, the alt.right evangelicals who interpret the Bible as a magic book will have WH, SCOTUS, House. My God! It's always been the plan. TELL DONALD! He'll tweetstorm!
- Does this Change Everything? Russia's first strikes on Syria from Iran Airbases
d conner 08/17/2016 at 5:10 pm
US has long been allied with SA, less so recently.
- Sanders: "Tough Guy Trump" is afraid to Debate me
deborah conner 05/28/2016 at 11:38 am
He's handing things over to Trump, not to mention FOX.
- If World Refuses to Act on Carbon, Oceans Doomed to 'Irreversible' Damage
deborah conner 07/07/2015 at 3:00 pm
The rats keep winning.
link to wallstreetscope.com
- Kurdish Muslims abandoning Islam for Zoroastrianism in Disgust at ISIL/ Daesh?
deborah conner 06/01/2015 at 2:39 pm
related: The Phony Islam of ISIS
link to theatlantic.com
- BP Defends Tar Balls still washing up in Gulf
deborah conner 04/28/2015 at 10:22 am
Keeping oil energy costs low sustains the use of oil. And so the flood of its production maintains its power and the power of those who produce it, even as its profit drops.
Isn't that why the Saudi's are flooding the world with crude? That's what I'm asking here.
Yes, of course, it's the means of production that determines the environmental impact. I'm hoping to get across the point that an individual's personal consumption of fossil fuel -- the choices they make re car, home heat, etc., -- is a fraction of the impact made by the production and delivery of all they consume.
deborah conner 04/27/2015 at 11:55 am with 1 replies
Dr Cole,
The use of fossil fuel as energy endangers us all, driving changes in water, land, air, and the resulting destabilization of entire regions. This is a given. Yet we continue to see denial by those who could address the problems, the corporate and ideological opportunists that take advantage with no thought of the future but their own empowerment. Such is the world. We're left only with the choices we make as individuals. As the Saudis, as government subsidized corporate oil, gas, coal continue to flood the world with ever cheaper fossil fuel, we work to invest in solar, wind, and energy effective homes and cars. But the far bigger portion of energy consumption comes from the things we buy. From industry, its methods of manufacturing and delivery. We know we can affect their behavior by making choices -- where we shop, our awareness of how we bring things into our lives. So we need information, actualities, and what we mostly get is spin. But this is exactly where we need to direct our energies -- knowing who makes stuff, how they make it, and that *they have the lion's share of impact in global warming*. You are one of the few people who even mention this.
- All the Wars and Coups of President Ted Cruz
deborah conner 03/24/2015 at 12:40 pm
Here's his real danger. He knows how to run on emotion, keywords that get the juices of the disinformed flowing. We think to dismiss him with reason, facts, justice, fairness. Republicans know hate and fear gets people to the polls. Gerrymandering and voter suppression by race also helps.
deborah conner 03/23/2015 at 10:45 am with 3 replies
All of which demonstrates the logic of someone devoted to nurturing an Armageddon. Cruz is obsessed with self-fulfilling prophecy, and has been brought up to think himself anointed. link to youtube.com
This is his cognitive filter, the iron-clad belief that shapes his acts. I'm watching the end-time TV ministers salivate.
A few weeks ago, we saw Scott Walker spin tales of the magic of Reagan's Bible, as if it were the Blutfahne, the Fahnenweihe style power of consecration. This is the psychosis infecting the Republican party.
- GOP's Scott Walker: Pitches possible Syria War to make us Like Him
deborah conner 02/03/2015 at 4:40 pm
Here's Walker's "boots on the ground" rah rah on youtube:
link to youtube.com
Refreshing they way he's not allowed to get away with the usual name dropping puffery. So unlike the Rep Pres "debates"
- Netanyahu Imported by GOP to ensure Iran War
deborah conner 01/22/2015 at 3:36 pm
Americans need to turn on their over-the-air TV and stomach a sampling of the Fundamentalist Christian channels. Many are all out pushing for the "end-times" -- their self fulfilling prophecy(sic) (and of course cash cow). How frightening to think of the number in the present Congress who agree. I'm sorry to harp on this so often, but it seems no one pays attention. This cognitive filter is a psychosis, a distortion of reality, not religion.
- Why the Founding Fathers thought banning Torture Foundational to the US Constitution
deborah conner 12/09/2014 at 6:27 pm
Time for a John Yoo interview. Cue Colbert or Stewart, turkey basters and syringes for set decorations just to set the mood...
Seriously, he has to answer.
- 3rd Possibility: Coming Civil War in West Bank/ Jerusalem?
deborah conner 11/19/2014 at 2:45 pm
We're assuming that the incoming Congress will listen to the majority of the American people. They are skewed far to the right, and many (Cruz for instance) believe in a strange interpretation of literal Biblical prophecy, the same of which helps to fund those new squatter settlements. Israel is a only a pawn in their imagined New Jerusalem. We need to speak about these things -- to stop those on all sides who seek all out war.
- Jon Stewart Talks Press Freedom at Rosewater Premiere
deborah conner 11/16/2014 at 11:31 pm
Jon Stewart's Rosewater was brilliant. 2 points to take away: Revolutions have to grow up, and (and this is on all sides, esp since Nov 4) we are ruled by unimaginative men.
"In this world, there is nothing softer or thinner than water. But to compel the hard and unyielding, it has no equal. That the weak overcomes the strong, that the hard gives way to the gentle -- this everyone knows. Yet no one acts accordingly."
~ Lao Tse
- Top 5 Disasters If GOP Senate derails Iran talks
deborah Conner 11/14/2014 at 5:52 pm
Scariest to me is that so many in power believe Biblical end time prophecy -- literally believe it -- and now hold the power to shape their nightmare into reality. (And those who don't "believe" have been willing to play along to get into power. Remember John McCain courting John Hagee?) "I'm driven with a mission from God," Bush told us. "God speaks through me." How is this not psychosis?
- How a Republican Congress could Entangle the US further in the Middle East
deborah Conner 11/06/2014 at 10:59 am
All this, the background of changing to non-carbon based renewable energy -- questions of the forms it will take, who will control it, how do we bridge our way there. Questions of mass protocol. We need science and cooperation -- wisdom -- to guide us, but have instead people (both human and corporate) with unimaginable wealth and a proven myopathy shaping direction and policy. I fear the Republicans will continue to be unable to control their own party, their Tea Party monster armed to the teeth and disinformed, the C St. patriarchs and Ted Cruz, hell-bent to bring jesus (tm) back to rule. There's no rational dealing with people who see you as their devil. I don't want to see them that way, but camps of bitter opposition seems to be the atmosphere created to rule the masses. Democracy requires individuals, and we don't seem to be able to get to the polls. A time of chaos. But when was it ever easy?
deborah Conner 11/05/2014 at 9:50 am
John Hagee is jumping for joy. And I am terrified. Yes, they will push for war. What was essentially oil driven -- the courting and shaping of fundamentalism on all side -- is now become their Frankenstein monster. Cruz believes he is the anointed one. All sides, religion ruled by self-fulfilling prophecy. I've been following this story for years -- link to themoonsfavors.blogspot.com
- $22 Billion to Fight ISIL in same Year Congress cut $8.7 bn in Food Stamps
deborah conner 10/01/2014 at 2:56 pm
ISIL. Muslims who destroy Mosques? Their own historical artifacts? Makes no sense. Only Oil explains it all. As we change to new forms of energy, these corporations have again shown themselves morally bankrupt. We have to get out from under them. Vote -- and remember every dollar you spend also empowers something. One by one, we step to our future.
- Middle East "Allies" decline to Commit Forces, Resources against ISIL
Deborah Conner 09/13/2014 at 4:03 pm
As Jon Stewart pointed out, "our" coalition looks awfully Christian. Who really wants this "holy war"? Who does it benefit?
Let's get off oil. Lean towards the light. (Good motto for solar!)
- Israelis Alarmed as al-Qaeda Captures Golan, UN Peacekeepers
deborah conner 08/30/2014 at 1:05 pm with 1 replies
What a train-wreck you've wrought, Bibi. John Hagee must be dancing with glee.
- Iraq: If Terrorists hit Southern Iraq oil fields, $5-$7 a gallon Gas?
deborah conner 08/23/2014 at 6:02 pm
As ever. So much we don't know.
deborah conner 08/23/2014 at 1:18 pm
Yes, of course. But this is part of paying its true cost of production. The strife of destroying cultures, human beings. All the blood on the money. If we can see our connection, our part, we can disempower oil.
deborah conner 08/23/2014 at 1:15 pm
This would please John Hagee and the American Taliban to NO END.
deborah conner 08/22/2014 at 2:45 pm
Big silver lining here. We need to lose our addiction to oil as an energy source, and protect the reserve for pharmaceuticals, etc. Paying the true cost of oil puts the economics in perspective which helps accelerate the development and use of alternative energy. It would also, one hopes, help people in the US see the need for Congress to actively lead and do its job, rather than serve ideologies of -- where to begin? But so many problems to solve, which means people need to come together constructively. Lets.
- Israel Bombs Gaza back to Stone Age: Razes only Power Plant & Plunges Strip into Darkness
Deborah Conner 07/30/2014 at 2:24 pm
So what do the masters of expanding the borders have to say about all this? John Hagee and friends, and the many enRaptured Messianics and C St. types in the US House?
- Night of Destiny in Palestine: A Third Uprising?
deborah conner 07/25/2014 at 11:57 am
If they can sue the president.... One of the reasons Roger Ailes and Murdocian Fox friends call their handiwork entertainment is that labeling it as news requires actual responsibility for what they say. Or so we (O Democracy) hold dear. Disinformation that's documented, deliberate, professionally marketed -- isn't it like yelling fire in a crowded theater? I'm no attorney, but -- this goes beyond the obvious culpability of the viewer. We live in a world where Beck and Rush teach "history" and actual teachers of history, those essential high school courses, are hamstrung by teaching to tests. Those bound for college take advance placement classes and never read another book.
- Rand Paul to Rick Perry: Why Send US Troops to an Iraq that Won't Defend Self?
Deborah Conner 07/16/2014 at 10:16 pm with 1 replies
Rand Paul, like Ted Cruz, has been "anointed" as god's chosen in the Messianic camp. Experience has shown us he'll say whatever needs to be said to be elected. Nothing more frightening than the more equal in the service of self fulfilling prophecy
link to youtube.com
Deborah Conner 07/15/2014 at 6:38 pm
Right on, Mr. Perry, send them all BOOTSTRAPS!
The thing is, the Republicans know there is a such a filter bubble going on in America, the internet, the Murdochian empire, that they can say anything they like and know it will be heard and undisputed by their self-enraptured evil empire believing followers. Clips of his and the other anointed ones, Cruz and Paul, will be trumpeted to the faithful, proof that they are right. A third of the people in this land believe in devils and Evil. Why not Rick Perry?
- ABC News' Diane Sawyer Mistakes Stricken Palestinians for Israelis
deborah Conner 07/10/2014 at 11:48 am
86 tweets, 134 facebook shares, google+2. And this is important to know.
"In his fascinating book Carbon Detox, George Marshall argues that people are not persuaded by information. Our views are formed by the views of the people with whom we mix. Of the narratives that might penetrate these circles, we are more likely to listen to those which offer us some reward. A story which tells us that the world is cooking and that we'll have to make sacrifices for the sake of future generations is less likely to be accepted than the more rewarding idea that climate change is a conspiracy hatched by scheming governments and venal scientists, and that strong, independent-minded people should unite to defend their freedoms.~George Monbiot"
Again, we see the internet, its social networking, acting more as insulator and filter. What a great loss, all of us pawns, simply grazing.
- Bring Back our Children: Palestine-Israel Children's Crusade by the Numbers
deborah Conner 07/07/2014 at 11:44 am
Jake: Thoughtful, needed, discussion here: link to huffingtonpost.com
- Why you need an EV: Radicalism in Iraq Menaces the World's most Important Oil Fields
Deborah Conner 06/25/2014 at 11:44 am
Divest, divest from oil. I love what the Harvard students are doing.
Have a look. What's in your mutual fund, ira's.
Divest, divest. It's the most effective way to steer energy.
deborah conner 06/24/2014 at 1:42 pm
You say: I have avoided about 2 tons of carbon dioxide pollution so far this year. Each American on average produces 16 tons of CO2 each year, though just driving and powering one's home is much less than that (the extra comes from the factories that make the things we buy) [...]
So to really make an impact, we need to encourage companies that go solar. They need to get their mad men on this, and we need to create a reverse boycott movement: buy from solar powered companies.
- Koch Bros. Laguna Beach Black Sabbath targets Green Energy Activists with Greenbacks
Deborah Mattingly Conner 06/22/2014 at 12:16 pm
David Koch has said in an interview that he does "God's work." Very dangerous, very inflated. Like Ted Cruz, blinded by self-fulfilling prophecy.
- Obama and the End of Al-Qaeda
Thanks for this and all your work. You've been the sane voice we could turn to, helping us see through walls of disinformation.
PS. May we all, east west north south, be protected from Theocracy.
- Sea Water for Honolulu Air Conditioning
The article says the money for this comes from the state. Is this stimulus money finally getting out there?
- MSNBC's Phil Griffith the Worst Person in the World, as Olbermann Joins Donahue, Banfield
deborah conner 11/07/2010 at 12:40 pm
Ask Cicero.
deborah conner 11/07/2010 at 12:39 pm
They ARE the wind that blows. Corporate owned, they create the hunger, the thirst for what they deliver. They create their own truth. How often was Keith the rare bit of sunlight. Look back.
Turn them off.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- A woman strangled her husband and kept his body in a sleeping bag on her apartment's balcony, Russian investigators said Tuesday.
The woman, in the far eastern territory of Khabarovsk, killed her husband during an argument earlier this month about his alcohol addiction, RIA Novosti reported.
She told her three children their father had gone on a trip to nearby Vladivostok.
When one of the daughters and a baby sitter later discovered the body, the woman told them not to talk about it, investigators said.
The woman buried the body outside the city where investigators found it.


text:
Benny Gantz to Take Over as IDF Chief Today After Tense Cabinet Meeting Okays Appointment
Gantz will be promoted this morning to lieutenant general at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, followed by a military ceremony at the Kirya defense compound in Tel Aviv.
The cabinet voted unanimously yesterday to appoint Maj. Gen. Benny Gantz the Israel Defense Forces' next chief of staff, but Minister Michael Eitan clashed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak over the process that won Gantz the job.
Gantz will be promoted this morning to lieutenant general at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, followed by a military ceremony at the Kirya defense compound in Tel Aviv.
The storm at the cabinet meeting began when Improvement of Government Services Minister Eitan, who had led the fight against the appointment of Maj. Gen. Yoav Galant as chief of staff, asked for the floor. He said the rescinding of the appointment had been appropriate after Galant's improper use of public land came to light.
Netanyahu then said to Eitan: "This isn't a discussion about Galant, we're talking about Gantz's appointment." Eitan, who seemed to feel under attack, quickly responded: "There is an obligation to fight corruption."
Netanyahu continued to try to silence Eitan, finally saying: "Enough. If you have an opinion about the Gantz appointment, say it."
At this point, Eitan said: "I welcome the Gantz appointment. He made a mistake like anyone can," referring to Gantz's own infractions regarding the use of public land. "But with Galant it's a matter of a person who was given several warnings but persisted in his actions, so he was taken out of the game. In the second case, we're giving the green light."
Netanyahu said: "I don't accept terms like mafioso, this is not the place."
Sources at the meeting said that at that point Eitan lost his cool and said: "There is a desire to uproot corruption. We must not ignore it. What I said was that Galant acted like a mafioso. The cabinet must convey a message that along with its appreciation for his work in the military, we must fight corruption and not allow officials to use their position to harm the public interest."
Netanyahu then told Eitan: "One of the things you have not been blessed with is wisdom with words. Control yourself."
Barak then said: "I don't accept Miki's heated tone," referring to Eitan. "They suit statements you go to the police with."
According to sources at the meeting, Eitan then lashed out at Barak. "You're commenting on style to me? You're the man with the ugliest style in Israel," he said.
The shouted exchanges went on for 20 minutes.
After the meeting, Eitan told Haaretz that at no point in the discussion did he lose his cool. He said describing the meeting that way was tendentious.
The IDF's official farewell to outgoing Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi took place last night in the presence of government officials and hundreds of senior officers past and present.
At the farewell event for Ashkenazi at Tel Aviv University, short films were shown showing the major general at various stages of his nearly four decades in uniform. IDF values were mentioned during the films such as professionalism, comradeship and a sense of mission.
It almost seemed as if the script to the presentation was a response to Barak, who was present. Barak said less than two weeks ago that he would not extend Ashkenazi's term because his values were flawed.
A number of senior officers addressed the audience, hardly mentioning Barak, who appeared in none of the hundreds of pictures shown in the presentation on Ashkenazi.
Among the speakers were Miriam Peretz, whose two sons were killed while serving as officers in the Golani Brigade and who represented bereaved families. Sa'ar Ziv, a young man from Sderot who is about to begin his military service, also spoke. Also, guest of honor Mike Mullen, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he and Ashkenazi were great friends, just as the United States and Israel were great friends.
Barak said from the rostrum that the evening was "one of farewell and not soul-searching." As he spoke, the main monitor focused on Ashkenazi, who wore a thin-lipped smile.
Like Barak, Netanyahu's remarks focused on Ashkenazi's soldiering skills.
Lt. Col. (res. ) Meir Kraus, who served with Ashkenazi as a company commander in the Golani Brigade, said of the outgoing IDF chief: "On your watch we knew the power of restraint." He called on Ashkenazi to speak up in the future to advance peace in the region.
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text:
Ethics and effectiveness - communications for financial services
The Guardian
Thursday, October 27, 2011 from 9:30 AM to 1:00 PM (BST)
Ethics and effectiveness - communications for financial services
A Guardian Sustainable Business Network seminar in association with Futerra.
The financial services sector has faced numerous challenges in recent years; accusations of miss-selling of products, poorly marketed 'green' bank accounts and unclear ethical positioning to name but a few. Yet following the financial crisis consumers are increasingly interested in genuinely ethical banking, but many institutions have failed to capitalise on this new demand.
What constitutes an ethical bank account? How should this be marketed to consumers? How do you avoid accusations of financial 'greenwash'? The Guardian's half-day seminar in association with Futerra will ensure you have the knowledge, tools and vision to tackle the challenges you face.
The "Ethics and effectiveness" session will enable you to:
Who should attend?
Ed Gillespie, Director and co-founder of Futerra Sustainability Communications.
Futerra is one of the few UK communications consultancies – if not the only one – to specialise solely in sustainable development and corporate social responsibility. It offers the full range of communications services from internal engagement, PR and strategy, to design, digital, web, advertising and brand development.Ed has driven the creative direction of Futerra's work since its foundation, and has worked with a wide range of clients, ranging from E.ON, Barclays Bank, Eurostar, BT, to Defra, UNEP and the BBC.
He holds masters degrees in both marine biology and sustainable development and his interesting career history has brought him from working as a marine biologist in Australia, New Caledonia and Orkney, to environmental issues for Transport for London, to, in the last 10 years, communications professional.
Aside from writing regularly for the Guardian, Ed is a highly sought after public speaker. You can see his recent TEDx talk in Stockholm here and Ed speaking on Youtube here. In 2007/8 Ed travelled around the world without flying. You can read about his journey at www.lowcarbontravel.com - he's currently working on the book! He was also recently appointed as a London Sustainable Development Commissioner and is a director of the carbon emissions campaigning organisation Sandbag.
Follow Ed on twitter @frucool
To claim the Guardian Sustainable Business Network rate, simply sign up here - it's quick, simple and absolutely free. Guardian Sustainable Business will ensure you are always at the cutting edge of your sector, providing the best sustainability news, comment and analysis for corporate sustainability professionals.
Please arrive 30 minutes prior to the seminar commencing.
For more information, call 0203 353 4059 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
For more information, call 0203 353 4059 or email email@example.com.
In order to purchase these tickets in installments, you'll need an Eventbrite account. Log in or sign up for a free account to continue.


text:
I had the pleasure of staying at La Maison Arabe on my very first and recent trip to Marrakech.
This wonderful hotel is a converted riad, the very first of it's kind in the Medina, and is in a terrific location. The decor is pure Moroccan and you feel the connection to the magical city of Marrakech throughout the public spaces as well as the rooms.
The food at the restaurant is fantastic... from the fresh vegetable juices and homemade yogurt at breakfast, to the exquisite chicken and preserved lemon tagine at dinner.
But what really sets this hotel apart, and I believe what made this trip such a memorable experience for me is the entire
hotel staff. The very gracious and accommodating hotel managers Taoufik and Nabila were ever present, but very low key and just kept the place humming; the guest relations manager Adil is a national treasure - he can make anything happen and always with a warm and welcoming smile; the entire staff (too numerous to name) is unparalleled. They all made me feel like I was a good friend visiting the home of good friends.
I can't wait to return to Marrakech and will look forward to seeing my new friends at
La Maison Arabe.
- Official Description (provided by the hotel):
- This legendary and prestigious hotel boasts 26 exquisitely decorated rooms and suites, 2 restaurants, a new spa, and a choice of 2 large swimming pools (on-site in the medina or at the hotel's country annex, 15 minutes away by complimentary shuttle). The hotel's world-famous Moroccan cooking workshops have become a "must-do" activity in Marrakech. Frommer's describes La Maison Arabe as "the epitome of Moroccan elegance." ... more less
- Reservation Options:
- TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Booking.com, Expedia, Priceline, Hotels.com, Agoda, Hotwire, Cancelon, getaroom.com, Evoline ltd and TripOnline SA so you can book your La Maison Arabe reservations with confidence. We help millions of travelers each month to find the perfect hotel for both vacation and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.
- Also Known As:
- La Maison Arabe Marrakech
- La Maison Arabe Hotel Marrakech


text:
So all TV is going digital?
No, it's not. All "full-power" US TV stations will make the transition to digital, but a host of small stations can continue analog broadcasts if they choose to do so. Low-power stations and "translator" stations, for instance, are not under orders to switch.
Translator stations operate like repeaters that rebroadcast full-power stations, usually extending them into communities that the signals would not otherwise reach. Low-power stations are generally hyperlocal channels.
Knowing whether you watch such channels is important, since making the switch to digital TV could make it harder to receive them. Most current TVs will tune both digital (ATSC) and analog (NTSC) signals, but the problem arises for those who stick to older TVs and pick up converter boxes. If low-power or translator stations are important to you, make sure to pick up a box that offers "analog pass-through" of those stations (see a list of such boxes); otherwise, additional fiddling with the set and its connections is required to tune the remaining mix of analog and digital stations.
If you're not sure if this affects you, it probably doesn't. When I checked the low-power stations available to my ZIP code, I learned that there were 10—and I had never heard of or watched any of them.
Why did my signal quality get worse/become unwatchable?
As the transition occurs, some people are going to get very, very angry, feeling like they've just been sold a bill of goods. While digital signals generally come in impeccably or not at all, sometimes a bit of snow is preferable to no signal. When Wilmington did its transition, callers complained that stations previously available would not longer come in. Others would be intermittent.
This can occur for several reasons. A station, for instance, may have its digital transmitter in a different location from its older analog tower. But the most common reason is that stations are generally switching frequencies as they switch to digital.
Major network stations are often located in the VHF band (channels 2-13), but their digital signals can't actually broadcast on the same channel as the analog signal at the same time (most stations have been running both signals simultaneously). To make this transition period work, the stations often broadcast their digital signals high in the UHF band, while the TVs still show the new signal as belonging to the lower-numbered station. That is, a digital TV might display channel 2 on "channel" 2.1, even though it is actually being broadcast on channel 59.
Once the analog signal is shut off, some stations are moving frequencies again (there's a lot of variability here, so check with your local station if you're curious what it's doing with its signal). The bottom line is clear, though: people used to tuning only VHF or UHF signals are now likely to find at least some of their favorite stations in the other band.
For those with VHF/UHF antennas, this isn't a problem, though the different propagation characteristics of the bands may mean that stations may now be tougher or easier to receive. The main problems will occur for those with VHF-only or UHF-only antennas. If you have one of these and can no longer tune "channel" 2 after it shuts off its analog signal, it could be because "channel" 2 has actually moved into the UHF band.
Specialized "HDTV" antennas aren't required to pick up digital signals, but if you do plan to pick up a new antenna, make sure it can tune both UHF and VHF signals. To see what stations are in range of a particular address (and what sort of antenna is required to tune them) check out sources such as the Consumer Electronics Association's AntennaWeb.
How many people will the transition affect, anyway?
Good question, and one that depends on who you ask. If you ask the National Association of Broadcasters, which represents over-the-air stations, they will tell you that "at least 19.6 million households" rely on OTA signals exclusively, with 14.9 million households using OTA signals for secondary TV sets in bedrooms, etc. NAB estimates that 70 million total TV sets could be affected.
Nielsen, the TV measurement company, has done its own surveys and concluded that 6.5 million US households have analog TVs that will be affected by the switch. The numbers have been getting better as the transition day approaches; hopefully, with the delay in the mandatory switchover and the resulting press coverage, the actual transition won't blindside many people.
What about those who live in nursing homes?
The federal converter box program provides only two coupons per address—no more, even if you lose the first ones. This poses problems for those who live together in groups at the same address, but the government has made provision for these cases.
The most common scenario that falls under these special rules is living in a state-licensed nursing home or long-term care facility. The government will send one coupon to each resident who applies, but residents must use a special mail-in application instead of the phone number or website (the form can be downloaded from DTV2009.gov, however). For those who cannot fill out the form on their own, caregivers or administrators are allowed to complete the application.
Remember that this only applies in cases where residents have their own TVs and antennas—cable and satellite service will not be affected.
These coupons are valuable! Can I eBay this sucker?
With the well-publicized recent problems with converter box coupon distribution, a huge backlog of requests has built up. That creates an obvious incentive for households to request two coupons, then attempt to sell one or both. Unfortunately for these budding entrepreneurs, this is explicitly illegal under the terms of the program.
Giving coupons away, however, is allowed—or, as the government puts it, is "not prohibited." This has lead to the creation of websites that match up those who need coupons with those who have extras. It's all legal, so long as no cash changes hands.
Sites like Retrevo now offer DTV coupon-sharing services that try to match up homes with extra coupons with senior citizens and low-income households which, for whatever reason, don't have coupons of their own. (As one story on the site explains, "I was in denial. No excuses, I guess. I just couldn't believe that the government would force low-income retirees into buying boxes for TVs. I purchased both my TVs at yard sales for $5 apiece. The idea of paying $50 or $60 to make them work is absurd. I hope someone can help.")
Faking the government out by getting the coupons, buying the boxes, and then returning them to the stores for cash or credit won't work, either. The government has worked with retailers to ensure that consumers will get no cash or credit for the coupons if they return converter box hardware; they can receive cash or credit for the amount paid directly by the end-user, however.
What if the coupon expires?
Coupons originally expired 90 days after mailing—and the government wouldn't replace them. But the DTV Delay Act allowed the government to "issue to a household, upon request by the household, one replacement coupon for each coupon that was issued to such household and that expired without being redeemed."
If you're in a household with expired coupons, you now have a second chance to pick up a valid one.
Pass it on
Unlike true gnostics, this is information we hope you'll pass on, especially in the form of troubleshooting advice to those struggling with converter box issues. And those unprepared for the transition aren't necessarily the groups you'd most expect—Nielsen found that it was households under 35 years of age that were least prepared for the switch.


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"But to fans in New England in the 1950s and '60s, his was the voice that told the stories of the Red Sox to a generation of fans," said Dr. Charles Steinberg, the Red Sox' Executive Vice President/Public Affairs. "He was the voice under the pillow."
Red Sox fans were able to bid farewell to the warm-voiced story-teller at Fenway Park last August 28, when he was honored in a pre-game ceremony.
"We knew he was in failing health, and we wanted fans to have an opportunity to show their appreciation with their ovation," Steinberg said. "Often, announcers don't get to enjoy the live reaction to their words or voice, and we had an opportunity to provide that to him. It was a memorable moment."
The Red Sox and Viacom also created a half-hour documentary on his life that aired in the fall on Channel 38 as part of the station's "Red Sox Stories" series.
Funeral arrangements will be announced shortly.
Curt Gowdy Obituary
Curt Gowdy, who over a span of seven decades brought a warmth and smooth delivery to his radio, TV and cable sportscasts and was known to millions of fishermen and hunters as "The American Sportsman," died at 3:10 a.m. Monday, February 20 at the age of 86.
Gowdy passed away at his winter home in Palm Beach, Fla., surrounded by his immediate family. Since 1951 he lived in the Boston Mass., area, first in the suburb of Wellesley Hills, then the city of Boston and also retained a summer residence in Sugar Hill, N.H.
The cause of death was acute leukemia.
A pioneer of radio sportscasting in the 1940s and TV in the early 1950s, Gowdy was the most prolific and versatile national sportscaster of the 1960s and 1970s. Working for four major networks, he enjoyed a wide fan base, critical acclaim and the respect of his peers for his in-depth preparation.
Born and raised in Wyoming, the "cowboy at the mike," reported the action in a distinctively warm, articulate and relaxing manner. On the air, he diligently strived for a blend of accuracy, pacing and balance.
Of his first sports love, he said, "Baseball unfolds like a story, providing drama, character revelation, and surprise; and there is always time for the reporter to enrich the moment with color, narrative and anecdote." As host and producer of the long-running The American Sportsman television series, ubiquitous with a Stetson hat and casting a dry fly, he garnered a public following that endured for the rest of life; many referring to him as the "true American sportsman." Because of his versatility with a wide range of sports he was also described as the "voice of all seasons."
Man of many talents...and many honors including 20 Halls of Fame
Although in sports the words "Legend" and "Hall of Fame" usually refer to those who have earned their reputations on the field, they are used quite accurately to describe the man behind the microphone and fly rod. His demanding schedule called upon to cover more major sports events than anyone in broadcasting history. It included coverage of an astounding 16 World Series, 12 Rose Bowls, nine Super Bowls, 16 MLB All-Star Games, eight Olympic Games and 24 NCAA Final Fours of collegiate basketball.
Gowdy is probably the only man who has been inducted into a total of 20 Halls of Fame comprising sports, broadcasting, conservation and fishing including the most recent, the 2006 Rose Bowl in early January. Gowdy's other Hall of Fame inductions include The National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame in 1981, the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984, The American Sportscasters Hall of Fame in 1985, The American Football League Hall of Fame in 1995 and The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) Fishing Hall of Fame in 2003 to name a few.
He is also the man for whom the Basketball Hall of Fame's two prestigious broadcasting and print awards were named for in 1990, presented annually to the top basketball journalists and sportscasters. He also served as its president for seven years.
Gowdy is the first individual sports figure to ever win the coveted Peabody Award for Outstanding Journalistic Achievement. He has also received 13 Emmys, six of them for ABC TV's The American Sportsman, which he hosted from its inception for over 20 years. He was presented with the Gold Medal Hall of Fame Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in New England for career contributions to the industry. In March, 1990, Gowdy received the first Museum of Broadcasting's (now Museum of Television and Radio) Hall of Fame Award for outstanding achievements and contributions to the field of broadcasting and in April, 1992, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences presented him with a special Emmy, the Lifetime Achievement Award.
At the height of his career he broadcast many of sports most memorable moments including the Boston Red Sox's Ted Williams' last at bat in 1960 which ended with a home run for the "Splendid Splinter's" career; Super Bowl III in 1969 as the AFL's Joe Namath guaranteed a N.Y. Jets win over the NFL's Baltimore Colts; "The Amazing" New York Mets shocking the Baltimore Orioles in five games in the 1969 World Series; and the call of Hank Aaron's 715th home run in 1974 that thrust him past Babe Ruth.
Growing up in Wyoming
Curtis Edward Gowdy was born July 31, 1919 in Green River, Wyoming, the older of two children in a close knit family. His father, Edward Curtis Gowdy, a dispatcher and supervisor for the Union Pacific railroad, and his mother Ruth Smith Gowdy moved the family to Cheyenne, Wyo., when Curt was six. His sister Margaret was born nine years after Curt.
It's where his father introduced him to hunting, and to fly-fishing, teaching him valued lessons in conservation and respect for nature. But it was his mother, "a tough disciplinarian and western gal" who saw that he got a proper education and strived to do his best in school. She equipped him with a library card at the age of six and required him to read a book a week --- and 80 years later he still has a voracious appetite scouring the newspapers, magazines and books on subjects of all kinds.
"She said 'you must build up your vocabulary and the only way to do it is to read'" he said.
"At the age of 10 she made me take elocution lessons which I also thought was silly. She wouldn't stand for unintelligible speech." He chuckled, "I said, 'Aw geez, mom, c'mon! We're living in Cheyenne, Wyoming! Elocution lessons? How is this gonna do me any good?'
"Then in my senior year of high school she made me take touch typing and I was the only boy in a classroom of 35 girls but years later in my professional career I was up to 100 words per minute."
An outstanding basketball player and varsity tennis player at the University of Wyoming, where he graduated with a degree in business, his athletic career was cut short by World War II and a serious spinal injury that he suffered with much of the rest of his life. After his discharge from the Army Air Corp, Gowdy began his broadcasting career backed with a journalism stint in his hometown of Cheyenne, in the fall of 1943.
"It was a fluke," Gowdy said of his entry into broadcasting. "Otherwise I would have probably gone into something like statistics," he revealed in a recent Nov. 2005 interview.
"Bill Grove the manager of KFBC, a small, local radio station asked if I would do a live broadcast of a six-man football game. Since my back surgery, my mother encouraged me to do it. She said 'It will take your mind off your back problems.' Other than a single public speaking class I took at Wyoming or acting like a sportscaster when listening to a radio broadcast as a kid, I had no real experience.
"It was a cold day and only about 15 people in the stands. There were two boxes, one for me and to sit on and the other one for the microphone. There was no roster, no numbers on the players jerseys, no yard-lines and I had to guess where the goal line was," he smiled. "I took some liberty making up names of the players, many of them guys I had met in the Air Force or played against in basketball. Grove said the sponsor liked the broadcast and offered me a job announcing high school basketball as well."
"Whenever I did an important game like a Super Bowl or a World Series, I always remembered my first game and of my younger sister Margaret bringing me hot soup my mom had prepared to warm me up at halftime in that subfreezing weather."
He rapidly gained experience doing everything at the station including news, reading commercials and coverage of a variety of local football and basketball games, something he attributes to his versatility in the business.
"We re-created major league baseball games within several minutes of the live action. Tickertape was fed to our station as a Western Union telegrapher at the game typed in balls, strikes, hits and plays to various positions. Beforehand, I would research the teams with player statistics and get a photo of the specific ball park they were playing in, distances to the fences and other technical stats so I could lend more accurate description and color to the game. We also added recorded sound effects of crowd noises and reactions and the 'crack of the bat' with a stick and block of wood for realism."
In the same time period Gowdy also had a dual role as a sports writer and later sports editor of the Wyoming (Cheyenne) Eagle, striving for accuracy by "getting it right" on the air and in print.
His major career breaks and rewarding lifelong friendships
He received his first big break in 1946 when a radio executive from CBS radio affiliate KOMA heard him and asked Gowdy to move to Oklahoma City to broadcast the football games of Bud Wilkinson's Oklahoma University (OU) teams and Hank Iba's champion Oklahoma State basketball squads. He also began broadcasting minor league baseball games in the Texas leagues. "Since then broadcasting sports is all I've really done."
It was while in Oklahoma that he met his future bride Geraldine "Jerre" Ophelia Dawkins, a communications graduate student at OU.
"She was the most beautiful girl in Oklahoma, and still is," he said with a warm smile conveying a hint of the legendary love and respect the couple has had for each other over 56 years of marriage.
His next major career break came just three years later when in 1949 at the age of 29 he won a national audition and became Mel Allen's partner on the New York Yankee's baseball broadcasts.
"I was scared to death," he said of his professional debut.
That year he also married Jerre in New York City. Years later Ted Williams said thoughtfully of his friend, "Marrying Jerre was the smartest thing Curt ever did."
It was also during those spring training years in St. Petersburg with the Yankees that Gowdy discovered the abundance of saltwater fly-fishing along the Florida coast and his love for the sport flourished.
In 1951, Gowdy accepted an offer from team owner Tom Yawkey and was hired by the Boston Red Sox, for whom he was the radio and TV play-by-play announcer for 15 years. It not only gave him more time on the waters of southwest Florida during pre-season training in Sarasota, but spring boarded Gowdy's friendship with Williams, Boston's legendary slugger, who was also an avid fly fisherman. The two became lifelong angling partners, fishing the Florida Keys, Mexico and Canada. Gowdy credits the friendship with Williams for making him a better fisherman --- and a better broadcaster.
"At the ball park Ted was always the first to arrive and the last to leave," said Gowdy. "While his teammates were in the Red Sox clubhouse I'd watch Ted in the dugout, studying the opponents during batting practice. He'd study the little things they did. I thought if a guy like Ted would work that hard analyzing the opposing pitchers and players, then I could do the same with my broadcasts. I began taking the newspapers of all of the Red Sox opponents, learning all I could about every player on every team. I'd study their statistics, the box scores and their interviews. I did the same thing in covering football. Ted was also the greatest fisherman I ever met no matter what species of fish we were after, he studied them too!"
Gowdy also credits the friendships and tutoring of coaches and players like Wilkinson, Iba, Williams, Red Auerbach, Casey Stengel, Dom DiMaggio and many others to shape his knowledge of the elements of their sports. He valued his life-long friendships with Yawkey, Wyoming Senator Alan Simpson, Dr. Robert Wise, Bobby Knight, Howard Cosell, Joe Brooks, Roone Arledge, Jim McKay, Al Michaels, John Havlicek and partnerships behind the microphone with Tony Kubek, Al DeRogatis, Paul Christman, Don Meredith and others.
Starting a family and building his TV network career
Through their early years in Boston Red Sox, Curt and Jerre lived in the suburb of Wellesley Hills, Mass., and had three children, all of whom have gone on to successful careers. Their daughter Cheryl Ann is president of Gowdy International and is known from Boston to Palm Beach and both coasts for her creative contributions to the fields of event planning, promotions, publicity and fund-raising. Brothers Curt Jr. and Trevor have both followed in their father's footsteps and flourished in television. Curt Jr. has embarked on a new career with SportsNet New York as Vice President of Production and Executive Producer after 27-years as an executive coordinating producer with ABC Sports where he won 16 Emmys. Trevor is president of Gowdy Productions where he's won four Teddy Roosevelt Conservation Awards for outdoor entertainment productions for ESPN and a new series "Quest for the One" for the Outdoor Life Network.
During Gowdy's long stint with the Red Sox and his professionalism in broadcasting becoming more evident to the TV execs in New York, he took on more and more freelance assignments with the networks covering all the major collegiate and professional sports, plus the Olympics for ABC-TV, NBC-TV and later CBS-TV.
In 1960 he became the lead TV broadcaster (with Christman) on ABC-TV for the newly developed American Football League and was still the number one team (with DeRogatis) ten years later in 1969 when the AFL merged with the National Football League. Along with his network broadcasts on the AFL, the NFL and NCAA football and basketball, Gowdy became the Saturday afternoon voice for millions on NBC-TV's Game of the Week for major league baseball (with Kubek) from 1966 through 1975 adding key Monday night games in the mix as well. He is possibly the first sportscaster to work for two major networks at the same time; both ABC and NBC.
Decades later, the man who helped pioneer TV sportscasting was also called upon to host and anchor the PBS series The Way it Was and numerous ESPN and HBO sports programs such as Sports Century and Inside the NFL as cablecasts expanded on both sides of the new century.
Curt and Jerre's love for broadcasting led the Gowdys to owning and creating seven AM & FM radio stations in Massachusetts (WCCM-AM the first station purchased in Boston in 1963 and WCGY-FM launched 1974), New Hampshire (WBBX-AM Portsmouth), Wyoming (KOWB-AM and KCGY-FM Laramie) and Florida (WEAT- AM & FM, West Palm Beach,). To his station's executives and staff he was "the best boss anyone could work for" emphasizing strong humanitarian and community involvement within and beyond each station's listener range, evident from the hundreds of citations and awards presented to them from a wide number of charities and civic leaders.
The beginning of 20-plus years of The American Sportsman
But among tens of millions of fishermen and hunters across North America, Gowdy is regarded as the consummate outdoorsman for his role as the host and producer of The American Sportsman, which aired on Sunday afternoons from January to March across three decades. It was originally introduced by ABC Sports Director Roone Arledge as a competitive fishing segment filmed in 1962 on the border of Chile and Argentina for ABC's Wide World of Sports. The American Sportsman later brought the top entertainers and athletes like Williams, Terry Bradshaw, Brooks Robinson, Phil Harris, Bing Crosby, Bill Conrad, Robert Stack, Andy Griffith, Peter O'Toole, Jonathon Winters and Ernest Borgnine who liked to fish and hunt, into millions of homes during the winter months. Presidents of the day, George H.W. Bush, and Jimmy Carter and wife Rosalynn, also appeared in fishing segments.
"They were all wonderful sportsmen and for many of them it was a chance for them to get away from Hollywood, the movies, entertainment, politics or sports. For me, The American Sportsman series was some of the best times in my life," said Curt.
Wyoming honors its favorite son with a state park
According to Gowdy, one of his greatest thrills came in 1972 when an 11,000 acre park equal distance between Cheyenne and Laramie was dedicated in his name. The area has low-lying meadows, gently rolling hills and massive steep granite formations. Wildlife abounds and both reservoirs are stocked with trout by the Wyoming Game & Fish Department. In early 2006 the state bought additional land for expansion of Curt Gowdy State Park.
"It has two beautiful lakes, hiking trails, camping, boating, fishing and beauty," said Gowdy. "It has everything I love. What greater honor can a man receive?"
Within its massive terrain sits Camp Jack, a beautiful and popular Boy Scout camp.
The "Cowboy State" was also the backdrop for many of the fishing and hunting segments that Gowdy produced and hosted on The American Sportsman. For many years he was the emcee for the annual Cheyenne Frontier Days.
A great speaker, friend, conservationist and humanitarian
Considered not only America's most versatile sportscaster, Gowdy is one of America's best extemporaneous speakers, storytellers and emcees. In presenting hundreds of after-dinner speeches with a combination of wit and humility, he's regaled audiences of sports and fishing enthusiasts that included Presidents, princes, governors and generals, with exciting moments from the athletic fields, diamonds or courts along with special experiences he had on The American Sportsman.
Outside of broadcasting, Gowdy's creative and theatrical achievements also flourished. One of Curt's favorite professional moments was appearing with the Boston Pops Orchestra conducted by John Williams, in a series of 1988 springtime concerts reading one of baseball's favorite poems "Casey at the Bat." His performances, which included the emphatic growl of the umpire calling strikes, were so popular that in 1990 he recreated the recitations with the Boston Pops under the direction of Keith Lockhart in concerts in Boston, Tanglewood and Nantucket, Mass., plus traveled on tour with the Pops to several mid-western cities.
Gowdy also appeared in six movies, many in cameo appearances including the comedy Naked Gun and Summer Catch. He also authored two books, Cowboy at the Mike in 1966 and Seasons to Remember in 1993 and a contributing author to many, many more.
Curt and Jerre made their winter home in Palm Beach, Florida, and a long-time summer home in Boston. Jerre joked about Curt's arduous broadcasting career and extensive travel schedule saying she and the family saw him for only half of the years of their marriage and rarely on holidays.
Curt was heavily involved in conservation and environmental causes serving on the board of trustees for such groups as the Buffalo Bill Memorial Association, the IGFA and as a founding member of Bonefish & Tarpon Unlimited.
He has also worked for over a half century with humanitarian efforts including the Boy Scouts of America and with numerous non-profit children's health charities. Among them as the celebrity host emcee for nearly two decades of the Redbone Celebrity fishing tournament series in the Florida Keys for cystic fibrosis; honorary chairman for the Epilepsy Association as well as over 50 years for the Jimmy Fund for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Curt was also a 32nd degree Mason and a member of the Boston Shriners and their work with burn victims at the Boston Shriners Hospital.
Gowdy's objectivity, enthusiasm, compassion, clarity and insight --- into sports in general and the outdoors in particular --- are difficult to surpass. For all the honors and accolades he's received, he remained a pretty soft-hearted, approachable guy; literally a friend to hundreds of thousands of people who crossed his path or heard his voice over the airwaves.
Over the past several years during appearances at Boston Red Sox games, though retired, he was asked to sit in the ESPN booth and do an inning or two. He did five. In August, 2005 at Boston's Curt Gowdy Day at Fenway Park he was again up in the radio and TV broadcast booths for more innings and never was he better.
The pioneer of TV sportscasting, Curt Gowdy will long remain its most versatile broadcaster and indeed the "Voice of all Seasons".
Gowdy is survived by his wife Jerre, daughter Cheryl Ann of Palm Beach, and sons Curt Jr. of New York City and Trevor, Boston. Curt is also survived by five grandchildren; Taylor, Katie and Grace by Curt Jr. and his wife Karen Gowdy; and Alexa and Trevor Curtis (T.C.) by Trevor and his wife Gigi Gowdy.
Funeral arrangements are to follow. Contributions in honor of Curt will be made to the Jimmy Fund in Boston at www.jimmyfund.org. The Jimmy Fund supports the fight against cancer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a world-renowned pioneer in discovering and developing innovative, effective cancer therapies for both children and adults. Phone number for the Jimmy Fund is 1800-52 JIMMY. Or gifts can be sent to the Jimmy Fund, c/o Contribution Services, 10 Brookline Place West, Brookline, Mass. 02445.
Pat Smith was the long-time Emmy award winning writer of The American Sportman series. Smith's profile of Curt Gowdy was updated, researched and expanded 2/2006 by Pete Johnson, a friend and fishing partner of Gowdy, and compiled for Gowdy International.
Curt Gowdy 20 Halls of Fame honors/inductions:
1. Conservation Hall of Fame International - April 16, 1973
2. International Fishing Hall of Fame - 1981
3. Natl. Sportscasters & Sportswriters Hall of Fame - 1981
4. Sportswriters & Broadcasters Hall of Fame - 1984
5.National Baseball Hall of Fame - 1984, Ford Frick Award recipient
6. American Sportscasters Hall of Fame - 1985
7. Museum of Broadcasting Hall of Fame - 1990
8. Gold Medal Hall of Fame Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in New England
9.Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame - 1992
10. Oklahoma Assoc. of Broadcasters Hall of Fame - 1994
11. Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame - 1995
12. American Football League Hall of Fame - 1995
13. University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame - Sept. 25, 1998
14. Florida Sports Hall of Fame - 1999
15. Wyoming Sports Hall of Fame --- 2001
16. International Game Fish Association (IGFA) Fishing Hall of Fame - 2003
17. Wyoming Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame - 2003
18. Wyoming Outdoor Hall of Fame - 2004
19. National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame - 2005
20. Rose Bowl Hall of Fame --- 2005 inductee (Jan. 3, 2006)


text: This motherfucking "patriot" shit is really getting on my motherfucking nerves. Listen cockwad, you're not a motherfucking patriot. You're a selfish, greedy, lazy, stupid, ignorant, racist, theobigoted, woman-hating, cowardly piece of shit. You're so fucking artlessly shit-for-brained, you haven't the faintest fucking idea what's coming around the bend. And when it comes, it's gonna knock you flat on your sorry ass, hard.


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