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The future of mortgage lead generation will be using big data techniques in order to better pinpoint which consumers are more likely to purchase a home or refinance their current loan.
One of the tenets of big data is synthesizing a large amount of information in order to make more intelligent decisions.
Using big data techniques could allow for the development of a "consumer score" to use in order to improve the results of lenders' marketing and lead conversion efforts, says Tim Savage, principal of Berkeley Research Group, a consulting firm headquartered in Emeryville, Calif.
The consumer score would measure the likelihood that a potential customer will buy a particular product. Right now, a consumer scoring model does not exist. "But there are data aggregators out there who are trying to pull together data on individuals from very disparate areas," he says.
This includes public data on social media sites as well as proprietary data that vendors sell. The aggregators are working on linking up these various data sources to create a data set that would allow them to do a better job modeling consumer behavior.
"It is an attempt to extend the credit score model to a broader issue regarding consumption," Savage explains. For the mortgage business, this means going one step back in the loan marketing process and pinpointing those people who are most likely to be purchasing a home or refinancing their existing mortgage.
For example, there are originators who send direct-mail materials to apartment renters in the spring months because that is the time when people typically start the home buying process.
Savage says that by using a consumer score, mortgage originators would be able to specifically target which apartment renters are more likely to actually start the home buying process.
"Instead of being a mass mailing, such as sending a flyer to everyone in an apartment complex, let's instead come up with a predictive model that says this person is more likely to buy this spring than someone else.
"Therefore, they can focus and target their marketing effort," Savage says. It might cost more to do this, but the conversion rate, as well as the return on investment, is likely to be higher as well.
Because the marketing piece is focused on the particular target, rather than just a generic postcard or flier, it has a higher cost to produce. But the consumer is more likely to respond to the offer.
While there are no technology barriers to the creation of a consumer score, it remains to be seen if this approach would have real value for mortgage industry participants, especially in terms of cost and ROI, he says.
Marketers are reluctant to change practices that they consider to have worked in the past. Yet the mortgage industry for years has complained about the very low conversion rate for their marketing efforts.
They are reluctant to invest in untried methods. "But the advantage of this approach is that it can be done in a scalable manner. You can start small, get a sense of whether it does yield any returns and if it doesn't, you can pull the plug," Savage states.
But even without a consumer score model, the big data resources are available for mortgage markets to better target their lead creation efforts.
Brian Fitzpatrick, president and CEO of Trevose, Pa.-based mortgage technology provider LoanLogics, notes the most amount of data already exists for consumer s who already have mortgages.
It is not just conversion rates of leads involving potential homebuyers that are very low. Retention rates among servicers, their existing customers, the lead they already have in-house, "are abysmal, they are single digits," he points out. This is true for both refinancings and for the purchase of another home.
"All of the data exists to tell when the consumer is likely to refi; and despite the fact that all of this data exists, lenders do a horrible job using that data to determine how to keep the customer," Fitzpatrick says.
So he is wary of those who are using data to try to attract new customers when it is much cheaper and effective to use existing sources of information to keep the customers that they already have.
For example, LoanLogic's LoanHD loan quality platform has data that servicers could extract to enhance their retention efforts. It can be used to see if the consumer is ready to refinance based on their current interest rate. The platform has information on other debts; this information can be used to determine if the consumer is a candidate for debt consolidation loan.
There is also data available that shows that consumers are loading up on other forms of debt; that could make them a poor candidate for another mortgage loan.
Even voice response units used as the first consumer contact with the lender are sources of data to be mined to find refi candidates, even if they aren't calling about getting a new loan.
Fitzpatrick has never understood that since this data is already available why the industry is not already using it better.
He answers his own question by noting that many servicers are reluctant to give up the immediate dollar made on the servicing fee. A new loan application removes that income stream for the time being. But that income goes away if the customer goes elsewhere for the refi.
"Big data can and should be used more effectively used by existing lenders to help solve the issue of low retention rates in the industry," Fitzpatrick declares.


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Sheriff educates public on new gun law
Washington County Sheriff Jerry Dunbar has been giving lectures to groups concerning the new firearm concealed carry laws in which he hopes to educate business owners of what they can expect when the law changes on Jan.1.
He also stresses the importance of training if someone chooses to carry a firearm. One of his main concerns is to inform people that just because they would have the right to carry a firearm on their person, that doesn't give them a license to kill, or even to discharge the gun inside city limits.
"I've had people say, 'Now I can finally shoot the neighbor's dog,' or 'If I'm in a bank and someone robs the place, I can shoot the robber,'" he said. "No. The laws governing the use of firearms won't change. The law just allows people to carry weapons."
He said that when the weapons carry and concealed carry law, which is covered on one license, changes in January, people who would have otherwise been turned down for a license will be granted one. According to the new law, the sheriff's department has no authority to deny a license if all regulations are met. The new law also removes the requirement to take a training course before being issued a license. Dunbar said that applicants have to prove they have had training sometime in the past from a qualified instructor. He also said the sheriff's department would have to accept an instructor's approval even if it is "written on a cocktail napkin."
The law governing the use of firearms is another area Dunbar is concerned about. He isn't sure they will be taught in private classes. He stressed that if someone shoots a gun, they are responsible for where the bullet impacts and can be liable if an innocent person is shot.
Dunbar said when the law changes, it will be possible to see people openly carrying shotguns or assault rifles in public. At least, people may wear side arms. While the law allows this, he believes most people with permits won't openly carry guns. Currently, he said, about 95 percent of the people who have concealed weapon permits don't carry a gun on a regular basis.
Businesses will be able to post signs saying people aren't allowed to bring guns inside, Dunbar said. Someone violating the law can be charged with trespassing. He believes this will be challenged in court. He also said that people who are legally intoxicated won't be allowed to have possession of a weapon in public.
For more, see our Oct. 28 print edition.


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Lois Lowry's Blog
New book?
And am I working on a new book (GOONEY THE FABULOUS being finished)?
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Am I going to a) describe it b) talk about it c) tell any miniscule detail about it?
Oh, no.
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text: Tagged: woocommerce Viewing 2 posts - 1 through 2 (of 2 total) Author Posts November 7, 2013 at 6:00 pm #185727 saleh77Participant Hi Thanks for amazing theme. I want to add Product categories in front page, but i can't find the shortcode!! Can someone help me please. November 7, 2013 at 7:42 pm #185777 DevinInactive Moderator Hey saleh77! You can find all WooCommerce specific information in their docs here: http://docs.woothemes.com/documentation/plugins/woocommerce/ Cheers! Devin Author Posts Viewing 2 posts - 1 through 2 (of 2 total) The topic 'WooCommerce Product Category' is closed to new replies.


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Results 1 to 10 of 12
#1 Baby's unexpected birth in US leaves Australian family facing $1M medical bill04-10-2012, 01:07 AM
She's "amazing Gracee" to her parents and family. But little Gracee Broom is becoming better known as "the million-dollar baby."
Her unexpected Feb. 12 arrival at 24 and a half weeks, while her parents were on the "honeymoon they never had" in the US, has left her Aussie family facing massive medical bills that could cost more than AU $1 million (US $1.03m).
The tiny girl is now at the center of an international wrangle between parents Brett and Sonja Broom, their insurance agency and the Australian government.
Insurance giant AAMI is refusing to pay Sonja Broom's medical bills because they say she had a "pre-existing condition" pregnancy. Brett Broom said AAMI told them that Gracee was not covered by their policy because she did not exist at the time of cover.
But even if well enough to travel, Gracee will not be allowed home until she has a visa, which could take months. Because she was born in the US, she is not an Australian citizen.
Husband Brett, a painter, has had to return home to Brisbane to look after their two sons, three-year-old Jack and 22-month-old William, who were being cared for by their grandparents while their parents were overseas.
Sonja Broom has had to stay in Orlando to be with her daughter at the Florida Hospital for Children. But because of Gracee's fragile condition, it is unlikely Sonja Broom will be able to return to Australia with their new daughter until at least July.
"It's been really hard," Sonja Broom said via Skype. "I feel so lonely because there is no one here to turn to. But the good news is she [Gracee] is doing really well. She's a fighter."
The tiny little girl weighed 27 ounces (765g) when born and has doubled her weight to 3.5 pounds (1.59kg) at 32 weeks.
The Brooms had flown into Los Angeles from Brisbane and were on a three-day cruise when the mother-to-be became unwell.
Hours later her waters broke and soon she began having contractions. The ship was already on its way back to Cape Canaveral and Sonja Broom managed to hold on until they reached the mainland and she was taken to the hospital.
The bill for Sonja Broom's three days of care at the hospital was AU $30,000. The couple have paid AU $10,000 towards this as a sign of good faith. Gracee's care is about AU $5,000 a day -- not including doctors' and specialists' fees.
Gracee's bill has already reached AU $300,000 and she is expected to be in the hospital for a further 60 to 80 days.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/0...#ixzz1rbhoCtEGPffffffffffffffffffffff! Buh Bye Big Ears
- Join Date
- Sep 2008
- Location
- South Florida
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Wow, next time I think about my little problems, I'll remember this story.
Maybe the winner of the Mega Millions jackpot will help them. I would had I won it.
- Join Date
- Mar 2010
- Posts
- 10,192
Canadians are covered for emergency medical and hospitalization when visiting the US for short periods of time. The snowbirds from Canada purchase a special policy which gives them full coverage while they are here for the winter. The last time I heard about it, it was about $300 and well worth the price. $50 per month per person against massive US hospital bills is a no-brainer.
I would have thought that Australia had a similar plan.While you were hanging yourself , on someone else's words
Dying to believe in what you heard
I was staring straight into the shining sun
Sic Hacer Pace, Para Bellum.
Before you can do things for people, you must be the kind of man who can get things done. But to get things done, you must love the doing, not the people!
My insurance covers hospitalization anywhere in the world. Aetna.Deplorably Proud To Be An American
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16yr old daughter has broken heart
Hi. I'm new to this site and this is my first post. I am seeking to meet other mothers of 16yr old girls. My daughter is in her first relationship, we really like the boy, he is 18, comes from a good family that we know. Anyway, to make a long story short, they have been having problems with whether to stay together or not. How do you other mothers try not to get involved, or help her with her broken heart, or offer advice, or whatever it is you do? This is so hard for me; to see my daughter's heart hurting because she cares for this boy so much, and knowing I can't take way the pain is killing me. She will have many more heartaches I'm sure, but how do I help her with this one without getting involved. The boy and I are very close too. This is my (our) only child . Thanks for any advice any of you wonderful mothers have. Patty
Hi and welcome to the group.
My dd Aly is 16 and she has been seeing her boyfriend Zach 18 for a few months now.
It is hard to sit back and watch when our kids are hurt but with my dd I follow her take the lead, in this type of situation. I know when something is bothering her and will let her know that I am here if she needs to talk. I usually let her vent before I offer any advice because sometimes all she needs is an ear and a hug. If I think I have advice that will help her in her situation I will offer it to her but I never put down or place blame on the other person involved, since that can backfire.
Good luck!
My oldest dd is 17 and she's been with the same bf since she was 14, but they've hit some "rough spots" along the way. Teenage girls can take a lot of things to do with love and act like it's the end of the world, but it does hurt to watch. I've given her advice and a shoulder to cry on, and I think that's helped a lot through the years.
Anyone who has a teen knows that boyfriends and girlfriends will come and go, they will have a broken heart infact maybe even a few, The best thing to do is just talk to your teen and stay out of the boyfriend and girlfriend stuff, because they are not going to listen anyway. I tell my boys that they are going to have many broken hearts, and they have!
Awwww I am a bleeding heart to BEGIN with and when it comes to strangers much less my own kids I am mushier than soggy oatmeal! So when all 3 of our daughters ended up with broken hearts more than once and they sobbed soooo hard, I sat down and held them in my arms and cried too bc seeing them hurt, hurt worse than when I had my own heart broken as a teen. They would redo their myspace pages with a sad song and profile background for awhile and I would leave a supportive comment on there just something simple so I wouldnt embarass them. They would burst into tears at EVERY romantic or sad song for days and days and I would get teary too and get up and go give them extra hugs. Their dad beat the living daylights out of a stuffed animal one boy gave one of our daughters. He punched it and let it fly across the living room and that actually got her to smile and giggle a little, he uses the supportive yet trying to get them to smile again approach. I DO NOT tell them to stay to together or to break up but if they ask advice then I give it as subjectively as possible so they dont think I am attacking him. WE TOO have literally LOVED some ex boyfriends and we grieved the break ups too. We often have taken a broken hearted daughter out to lunch or dinner with us, just the 3 of us for special alone time. Our girls are lucky because they have a little and big brother who are very supportive too.
I thought it was soooo sweet, once when our youngest daughter was in middle school and broken hearted , her little brother said "Well I guess there will be a lot of boys in school detention on monday. She said WHY? He said Bc when they found out YOU dont have a boyfriend anymore they are all going to go crazy fighting over you. AWWWWWWW He actually got her to smile.
I am sorry your daughter is going through this and you too. I know how sad that is.
You can only support her. My 19 year old had a boyfriend all of her senior year. They broke up just before they had dated a year. Its been a year and she really isn't totally over him. It will take someone really special to take his place. It will happen someday. You are right, kids are in for several heartaches in their life before they find Mr. Right. I was devastated at first, as much as she was though. Dh thought I was a nutcase, LOL. He was like "what's the big deal".
OMGOSH you guys... I shouldnt laugh at this and I DIDNT at the time but it was 4 yrs ago now and so now it is funny. LOL
When Michae'la was 14 she was with this one guy 16 for at least 6 mos and he told her someday he was going to marry her and they were going to have a family and so on and so forth and she was head over heels. He was her first TRUE love that she was super serious about. Then one day he decided he wanted to play the field after all that just out of the blue and she was DEVASTED, she cried really hard for days all day long. I cried too FOR her. Her little sister Amanda 13 would rub her back and hold her and pat her hair and
THEN THERE WAS OUR OLDEST DAUGHTER BRITTANY who is very quiet but she doesnt cry easily, she gets silently ANGRY instead when she sees her loved ones hurt. She was 17 at the time. She got in the car one day while michaela and I were sobbing and didnt say anything and I thought she went to the gas station for a pop or something. She came home a short time later and said nothing.
THREE DAYS LATER Michae'la burst into tears at a sad song and I said aloud about her ex.. "GOsh honey Jeffs parents LOVED you too I bet they would be upset if they knew the WAY he broke up with, not that he did but the mean way he did it. " Brittany smiled a sheepish smile and said OHhhhh they KNOW!" We were all shocked bc we had not talked to jeff or his parents since the break up. WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT BRITTANY?
She explained that when she couldnt bear to see us all crying anymore she drove to jeffs house and he came to the door and she said "WHY did you tell my sister you love her and wanted to spend your whole life with her if you didnt mean it?" He said Why NOT? Brittany said WRONG answer and punched him right in the EYE giving him a black eye! OH NO!!!!
We told her she could have been arrested and put in jail and as much as we know she is protective of her sister we would not have bailed her out. She said I KNOW... It was a chance I knowingly took and I figured it would be worth it. I dont regret it.
We called jeffs house and left one message that we had no idea she did that and WE were sorry and wished him no harm.
Apparently Jeff got a lot of ribbing from his friends for months for the black eye he got from michaelas sister.
I know I shouldnt laugh at this even NOW 4 yrs later but I cant help it. lol
HOPEFULLY the next time he broke up with a girl he did it with at least a little compassion.
When my dd had her first broken heart at 17 I put some great inspirational quotes in her room and bought her an "Open Heart" necklace from Kay's and had engraved in the back When Your Heart Is Open It Can Never Stay Broken. I think having a positive attitude and teaching them that heartache is a part of life will help them cope. Good luck and (((hugs))) to your dd!
This is what HS is supposed to be about.Meeting and dating different people. It terribly hard to see your child hurting. My best advice is to never put this boy down.Just in case they do get back together. Tell her you understang how she is hurting but don't know how to kiss it and make it better. Offer an ear to listen and a shoulder to cry on.It's abut all you can do.
Quoting jabs54:
When Your Heart Is Open It Can Never Stay Broken.
Awww, that's a great quote.


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Written on: 24/04/2012
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As optimism rises for a resolution to the 105-day NHL lockout, the matter of what happens next essentially lies in the hands of players' association executive Donald Fehr. Ultimately, Fehr needs to determine if the NHL's latest proposal represents the final chance to settle a new collective agreement and play a shortened 2013 season, or if NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will continue to play a negotiating game.
Saturday is the day to lay the groundwork for meetings expected in New York on Sunday, which are when formal negotiations will most likely restart.
Amid the small concessions made by the NHL on contract terms, variance and compliance buyouts came a rather large warning too – that the deadline for saving the 2012-13 NHL season was fast approaching; that Bettman didn't want to play any later than Jan. 19; and thus an agreement needed to be in place by the end of the first week of January, or time will have run out.
But is that really so?
Thus far, the greatest casualty in the lockout has been the truth.
How many times has the NHL tabled an offer in these negotiations and characterized it as the best they can do?
How many times have the players countered with what they've publicly described as the most that they're prepared to concede?
It's happened over and over again, to the point where they've cried wolf just one time too many to take anything either side says at this late stage of the proceedings at face value – either in their public statements or in their privately "sourced" assertions.
Accordingly, the most critical decision for Fehr will be to assess whether Bettman's time line is real – and advise his membership accordingly that the time for real negotiations is at hand. Alternatively, if Fehr concludes that the NHL is creating an artificial deadline here, he may well advise them to wait even longer, and see how far the league will legitimately go to get some sort of schedule played this year.
The problem is that both Bettman and Fehr are seasoned bargainers and thus understand full well that in any labour negotiation, neither side shows their best hand until they are fully backed up against the wall. You'd think this would be it, but maybe it won't be.
When neither side can be believed, you'd have to say the best predictor of future behaviour is what happened in the past. During the 2004-05 lockout, it was widely believed that the drop-dead date would fall roughly in the middle of January as well, because that's where it fell in 1994-95, during the lockout before that.
In actual fact, it fell a full month later – Feb. 16, at which point they were variously talking about a 40-game season, with a playoff that would spill well into July, or a 28-game season, which would be a playoff in advance of an actual playoff (since 28 games is the maximum any team that goes to the Stanley Cup final can play). So there would have been a weird symmetry to that half-hearted attempt to legitimize a fractional season.
Clearly though the notion of what constituted meaningful play was malleable back then, and the only real consensus was that it would be better to play some games than none at all.
The only good news in the current stalemate is that solutions for some of the more contentious issues seem to be comically simple to find.
In its latest proposal, the NHL stood firm on its demands for a 10-year CBA term, with a chance to re-open after eight years. That effectively makes it an eight-year deal to anyone who isn't being deliberately disingenuous. If the league gives ground for one more year – and goes to nine and seven – that will essentially bring the term to where it was in the last agreement, seven years.
On the matter of the salary cap reduction:
Right now, the NHL is prepared to play out the 2013-14 season at the level it was set last summer – $70.2-million – but then wants it rolled back to $60-million for 2014-15, at which point the two sides will divide overall revenue at 50-50. It may sound draconian on the surface, until one realizes that the NHL has only ever played one season with a salary cap above $60-million anyway – and that was last year, when it was set at $64.3-million.
The year before that, the sixth of seven years under which the NHL played in the current salary-cap era, it was set at $59.4-million. So the rollback doesn't require the players to go that far back into the past, and it is certainly a far smaller concession than the 24 per cent across-the-board salary rollback they were subject to in the 2004-05 settlement.
As for "the hill we will die on" – how deputy commissioner Bill Daly characterized contract term and year-to-year contract variance – the NHL moved slightly off its demands for a five-year maximum contract term for free agents with a seven-year maximum term for players re-signing with their own teams. Instead, the NHL offered to go a six-year term for free agents and left the door open to go to eight years for players re-signing with their own teams.
Altogether, there are 22 players signed to contracts of eight years or longer in the current CBA. Of those players, 12 signed to stay with their own teams; nine moved as free agents, and one – Shea Weber – signed an offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers that was matched by his current club, the Nashville Predators, and thus remains with them.
Effectively, term lengths for eight years or beyond is a negotiating point that affects about 2 per cent of the NHLPA membership. Usually, they are the core pieces of any team's puzzle and often, they choose to go down the same path as Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin did and re-sign with their own teams.
Since the five-year entry level system will stay the same under the next CBA, an eight-year term limit would permit a player such as the Tampa Bay Lightning's Steven Stamkos to sign two eight-year deals with his team, if he wants to stay for what would then be a 21-year career. In that example, Stamkos would get the security that a longer term permits, plus the significant remuneration that it implies.
It is hard to imagine the handful of star players who would legitimately qualify for these types of contracts would turn this into a hill they would themselves die on – and prevent a CBA from getting done.
Still, a word of warning:
Even if there are some logical compromises available to resolve the dispute, history shows us that with Bettman at the controls for the third lockout of his tenure as NHL commissioner, it could legitimately fall either way.
One time, back in 1994-95, they salvaged a deal and played a shortened season. The other time, 2004-05, they failed to bridge what didn't seem like an insurmountable gap either and lost an entire season.
It's difficult to know how much poker Fehr plays in his spare time, but the membership seems to trust him and will be asking for his advice during Saturday's variously scheduled conference calls, which would then be the prelude to face-to-face meetings with the league's negotiating committee, beginning Sunday.
Right now, Fehr is at the table, his brow is furrowed, and he needs to make the call. Presumably, he will be suspicious because he is always suspicious. Is Bettman really all in? If he is and if Fehr misreads the call, then it could spell the end of the season. It is a tough decision and it is why the next round of talks in this absurdly long melodrama still have the ability to fall right off the NHL's version of the fiscal cliff.


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REVERSING THE CURSE: Inside the 2004 Boston Red Sox
Sportswriter Shaughnessy, whose bestselling Curse of the Bambino chronicled the Boston Red Sox's interminable World Serie drought, now follows the team's happy trails, portraying its colorful characters, false starts, stumbles and eventual triumphs during the 2004 season. The story keeps rounding back to the relationship between the Red Sox and the Yankees, which Shaugnessy compares to the relationship of the "USA-USSR, circa early 1960s." But there's more to the story than just the team's rivalry with the Yankees, and the book maintains a nice balance of on-the-field reports and behind-the-scenes drama. Shaugnessy, a Boston Globe columnist who gained access to the team's players and managers, focuses on some of the main actors in this soap opera: Theo Epstein, the boy-genius general manager; Pedro Martinez, the enigmatic pitcher; Manny Ramirez, the talented-but-lackadaisical outfielder; and Johnny Damon, the "Jesus action figure" center fielder. Shaughnessy's top-notch reporting and dry wit put this honest, entertaining work near the top of the list of this spring's baseball books. Two eight-page photo inserts not seen by PW . (Mar. 30)
Release date: 05/01/2005


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BAGHDAD, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Iraqi leaders are short on time to ask that U.S. forces stay to train and help Iraqi forces after Dec. 31, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
"The point is we're at a deadline, and we need an answer," Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told reporters traveling with him in Iraq.
Under a security agreement between Iraq and the United States, all U.S. troops are to be out of the country by Dec. 31.
Iraqi leaders recognize security forces aren't completely prepared to defend the country from insurgents or other nations, Mullen said, so they need to make a decision about asking for help from U.S. forces beyond the withdrawal date.
"It's pretty clear that we've said to the Iraqi leadership that now's the time ... we have to know" if they're going to request a continuing U.S. presence, he said.
Roughly 48,000 U.S. personnel are training, advising and assisting Iraqi army and police units, the Pentagon said in a release. But the logistics of removing U.S. troops and equipment before the Dec. 31 deadline mean Iraqi leaders must decide soon whether to ask that some U.S. troops remain past the deadline, Mullen said.
U.S. officials have said they don't expect any formal request until September.
An Iraqi request would start negotiations and any U.S. decision would have to consider the security environment, what capabilities the Iraqis need and what the legal status of American forces would be, as well as the ability to protect U.S. service members, Mullen said.
Mullen's tour includes stops at Mosul and Baghdad.


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Has social media killed SEO?
Hmmm…interesting question because you see all these SEO companies out there, probably in the dozens of thousands now, all vying for their particular piece of the search engine optimization http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization pie.
Well, just to make sure we are all on the same page here while analyzing the question, let's look at what these SEO companies actually do. Generally speaking, they help their clients achieve better search engine result page (SERP rankings over time according to the relevant keywords under consideration. For example, these SEO gurus will make a Google search for ´auto mechanic in Santa Monica´ pop up on the first page of Google, perhaps as high up as the #1 spot, for a given URL. Awesome, huh?! Well, maybe not.
Let's briefly look at HOW they achieve these results WITHOUT going into all the technical Web speak they love to throw out at their clients. Great SERPs happen with solid external SEO efforts. Among other things, one of the major external SEO factors involves creating strong, permanent, relevant backlinks . When Google magically indexes and crawls through your website, it's algorithms LOVE to see these wonderful backlinks. These links inform Google that your site may just have something that everyone else needs to see, giving it a surefire increase in rankings for specific keywords.
So getting back to the initial question, ´Has social media killed SEO?´ By utlizing the most popular social media channels, implementing a solid strategy and utilizing some great new tools (applications) while applying good, fundamental SEO tactics, social media may not actually be killing SEO efforts completely, but the need for strong SEO results can increasingly be obtained through your own social media processes without the need for an SEO ´guru´ or company.
To learn more about some of the social media tools I use or just pick my brain in general about all this fun social media stuff, feel free to shoot me an email anytime.
Tim Wagner Web Strategist & Social Media Expert Google ´Tim Dallas SEO´ firstname.lastname@example.com Social Media Murdered Search Engine Optimization (SEO)!


text:
The following recalls have been announced:
– About 2,000 Bonavita "Cabana" drop side cribs, manufactured in Vietnam and imported by LaJobi Inc. of Cranbury, N.J., because the slats can detach or break, creating a gap where a child can be strangled or trapped. The company has received six reports of broken slats and 10 reports of slats falling out. No injuries have been reported. The cribs were sold at USA Baby, Beautiful Beginnings, Buy Buy Baby and other specialty stores around the country between January 2006 and May 2009. Details: by phone at 866-688-9009; by Web at http://www.LaJobi.com or http://www.cpsc.gov .
– About 2,900 Bonavita "Hudson" and Babi Italia "Pinehurst" drop side cribs, manufactured in China and imported by LaJobi Inc. of Cranbury, N.J., because the drop side can detach and leave a gap where children can be trapped and suffocate. The company has received 33 reports of drop side detachment, including two reports of trapped children. The Babi Italia Pinehurst cribs were sold at Babies "R" Us. The Bonavita Hudson cribs were sold at Baby Basics, Beautiful Beginnings and Buy Buy Baby and other children's product stores. The cribs were available between December 2006 and December 2007. Details: by phone from 866-688-9009; by Web at http://www.Lajobi.com or http://www.cpsc.gov .


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Fatelessness (Paperback)
Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
At the age of 14 Georg Koves is plucked from his home in a Jewish section of Budapest and without any particular malice, placed on a train to Auschwitz. He does not understand the reason for his fate. He doesn't particularly think of himself as Jewish. And his fellow prisoners, who decry his lack of Yiddish, keep telling him, "You are no Jew." In the lowest circle of the Holocaust, Georg remains an outsider.
The genius of Imre Kertesz's unblinking novel lies in its refusal to mitigate the strangeness of its events, not least of which is Georg's dogmatic insistence on making sense of what he witnesses-or pretending that what he witnesses makes sense. Haunting, evocative, and all the more horrifying for its rigorous avoidance of sentiment, Fatelessness is a masterpiece in the traditions of Primo Levi, Elie Wiesel, and Tadeusz Borowski.
Praise For…
"Remarkable . . .an original and chilling quality, surpassed only by Primo Levi's Survival in Auschwitz" --The New York Review of Books
"In his writing Imre Kertesz explores the possibility of continuing to live and think as an individual in an era in which the subjection of human beings to social forces has become increasingly completeÉ. upholds the fragile experience of the individual against the barbaric arbitrariness of history." --The Swedish Academy, The Nobel Prize in Literature 2002
"[S]hould be savored slowly . . . Only through exploring its subtlety and detail will the reader come to appreciate such an ornate and honest testimony to the human spirit." —The Washington Times


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Team Quitter
March 30, 2015 § 35 Comments
How do you know it's a shit day? When the Belgian Hardman winner from 2012 swings over to the side of the road and swipes Uber.
But there were so many little hints that Saturday's 2015 Belgian Waffle Ride unofficial practice ride was going to be bad, little hints that, when added up, reached a disturbing conclusion: Failure is more than an option. It is a likely outcome.
Eric, Dan, and I had had done all the pre-ride preparation perfectly. We had woken up on time. We had eaten a hearty yet healthy breakfast. We had washed and oiled our bicycles. Most importantly, we had pretended not to have any cash so that Eric would have to pay for the gas to drive us down to North County San Diego.
We had opted to forego the local 50-mile Donut Ride and the 3-day San Dimas Stage Race because experience and common sense told us that knowledge of the BWR course would be vital to our survival on April 26. It would also give us some much-needed practice riding on dirt roads. The only part of our otherwise perfect preparation that we had left out was actual fitness.
This became apparent on the first dirt section. Unlike in years past, the 2015 BWR gives you a brief warm-up on paved roads and then plunges you down a 200-yard steep sand ravine that does a vicious 90-degree turn onto a lovely dirt track in a scenic valley. Several people chose walking the first section over certain death.
The pretty valley crosses a pretty stream and then rears itself up a long, endless, nasty climb that is a couple of miles long. Whichever rear cog you brought, by the last quarter-mile it won't be enough. We regrouped and offered various excuses, each rider's more innovative the the one before.
"Wrong wheels today."
"These are totally the wrong tires."
"My rear cog is the wrong one for this."
"My cranks are too long."
"I should have brought a compact."
"Wrong chain rings."
No one mentioned the obvious, i.e. having left the right set of lungs, heart, and legs at home and showing up with perfect conditioning for a 40-minute crit.
The ambitious 102-mile jaunt was scaled back after the first couple of dirt sections because we kept stopping for, um, me. Then my front tire fell into a paving crack and came within inches of sending me onto my face, and then MMX did the same thing just to show that he could almost kill himself more violently and recover better than I could, and then there were more flats, and then we had used all our CO2, and then Canyon Bob took out his mini floor pump and got us going again, and then Surfer Dan's derailleur spring shot out into the bush and the rest of the assembly lodged into his rear wheel, and then Eric flatted, and then out came the mini floor pump again, and then I was THAT GUY at the end of Lake Hodges with everyone pissed off at having to wait, and then Baby Seal flatted, and by now Canyon Bob's forearms had swollen to the size of huge pencils, which is big for a roadie, and then the group shrugged and said "Fuck you guys" and rode off, including that girl who we'd helped fix her brakes several times, and then Paul B. said he could take us up to Cougar Pass where the group was going, but we thought he was talking about a geriatric whorehose and declined, and then I told Eric he could do whatever he wanted but I was going back to the truck even though we'd given the keys to Surfer as he swiped for his Uber ride back, and then Eric TT-ed all the way back and we had a great hamburger but not before we scooped out the peanut butter sandwich mush from our jerseys and ate it like it was both tasty and food.
Next, we sat in three hours of traffic and got home at 6:30 PM, and Eric checked his Garmin and said we'd ridden 55 miles, five more than if we'd stayed and done the Donut Ride, and when it was all factored in we figured that we paid a total of $175.23 for those extra five miles.
Glad I didn't have any cash.
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Wafer up
March 19, 2015 § 29 Comments
You may think that the full-length Belgian Waffle Ride is the only game in town on April 26, 2015. That's what I thought, even though I noticed at the bottom of the sign-up form that there was an option for something called the Belgian Wafer Ride.
"Wafer Ride? Really? What kind of namby-pamby bullshit is that? I'd be embarrassed to even admit I'd read about it." So I went ahead and did what REAL HARDMEN and REAL HARDWOMEN do; I signed up for the full BWR, the breakfast equivalent of a Denny's Grand Slam plus China King's $5.00 all-you-can-eat buffet topped off with two entrees at the Heart Attack Grill.
And I felt like a real tough guy. Something about tapping those computer keys, clicking that mouse, running that credit card, and pushing back from the desk with a smug smile made me feel like Eddy+Roger+Tom+Fabian all rolled into one. Take that, wankers!
This, however, was back in February, and a few days ago the smugness wore off as I realized that all my mouse pointing and keyboard tapping had not been accompanied by training or long riding or even practicing on dirty roads. And I started thinking about what the last three years have irrefutably proven: I'm not tough enough for the BWR.
My three finishes were as follows:
2012: So devastated that I abandoned my three years of sobriety and plunged into the abyss of a 3-year drinking binge.
2013: So devastated that I missed the following week of work.
2014: So devastated that I sold my bike.
That's when I started thinking a bit harder about the Wafer Ride. Sure, its name insinuates that you're too weak, too lazy, too slow, too soft, and too un-Belgian to do the actual 140-mile BWR beatdown. But you know what? It's true! And in addition to the truth setting you free, the Wafer Ride caters to all my physical and character failings, and is actually a much better fit for your training schedule if you're a road racer who doesn't normally target MSR, Ghent-Wevelgem, Tour of Flanders, and Paris-Roubaix as the high points of your spring season.
If you happen to be an average masters schmo or schmo-ess, a 76-mile ride with 7,000 feet of climbing, 20 miles of dirt roads, and the undulating terrain of North County San Diego is beatdown enough for a day, and you really don't have to train extra to do it or even survive it. Adding to the beauty of the Wafer Ride, it doesn't interfere with your racing program, you can keep taking the same doses of test and EPO, it won't ruin you for the following month, and best of all you'll be back at the bunkhouse slamming Lost Abbey beer and Sam Ames's famous post-ride sausages long before the real hard people (i.e. the idiots) have even thought about dismounting for the day.
Oh–and you'll start at a humane hour, you'll finish before sundown, get home at a reasonable hour, be able to sit at your desk on Monday without drooling blood, and will still have logged your toughest, most grueling 76 miles of the year. The sharpening effect of the Wafer Ride will translate into race fitness rather than leaving you a mass of broken ego and ground up flesh.
Best of all? There are plenty of spots left. Register here. I know which version I'm doing in 2016.
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Belgian Waffle Ride practice ride
March 5, 2015 § 40 Comments
This ride is not sponsored, authorized, approved, recognized, encouraged, abetted, aided, promoted, offered, suggested, referenced, affiliated with, created by, managed, supervised, regulated, reviewed, evaluated, or in any way, shape, method, means, form, or function related to or otherwise connected with SPY Optic and its officially endorsed Belgian Waffle Ride.
But that is not all,
Oh no, that is not all!
On Saturday, March 7, 2015 at 7:00 AM pointy sharp I'm leaving from the bricks of the Center of the Known Universe a/k/a CotKU a/k/a the Manhattan Beach Pier Starbucks in order to ride my bicycle. I will be riding my bicycle for one reason and one reason only: To prepare my spindly legs and spongy lungs for the battering that awaits on April 26, 2015, the day of the 4th Annual Belgian Waffle Ride.
This BWR practice ride of mine, which is wholly unaffiliated with the actual Belgian Waffle Ride and its sponsors, will ride from CotKU to Pacific Coast Highway and from there to The Rock, where I will pee, take in the view, and then turn around and head back towards Los Angeles.
On the way I will make a left-hand turn up Yerba Buena, and when I get to the top I will go down Mulholland Drive until it hits Pacific Coast Highway again, where I will turn left. After a little while I will make another left-hand turn, this time up Decker Lane. When I reach the intersection with Encinal I will turn right and go back to PCH.
Then I will pedal back to CotKU and from there back to Palos Verdes where I will climb another long hill. After it's all said and done I will have ridden about 140 miles, which is a long way, and will have gone uphill a whole bunch. I will be very tired.
You can come if you want and you can ride as much or as little as you see fit, and here's the thing: Anyone who wants to join me on this practice bicycle ride can. The same way that you can jog behind someone on the bike path, or follow someone on the freeway, or hop onto the tail-end of a bunch of wankers sliding along a cross-country ski trail, well, you can ride in my vicinity when I go ride my bike, too.
The catch? I'm not promoting the ride other than to note its existence, and I'm certainly NOT suggesting that you do it. I'm not providing protection, medical care, organization, road permits, or anything else. Why? Because it's my own private bicycle ride that I plan to do alone. If you show up, that's your business. It's not a race or century ride or a Grand Fondue or a public event or a private one. It's not an event of any kind. It's my own personal bicycle ride.
What does this mean? It means that if you decide to leave from the same place at the same time with the same destination in mind as I, you may well die or suffer horrible, catastrophic injury. You may get hit by a car, you may fall off your bicycle and split your skull, you may have some wanker smash into you, you may slide out on a descent and get killed, you may blow a tire, bust a rim, snap a chain, crater a fork, or have any of a million other bad things happen to you.
And unfortunately, this is the risk you take when you ride a bicycle on public roads. You are trading the fun of riding your bicycle on the street for the risk of death or catastrophic injury. I'm not encouraging you to do it, to the contrary. I'm warning you about the danger and telling you that if you show up, it's your life, it's your safety, and it's your responsibility to come home in one piece — not mine.
If you do decide to meet up with me, it will be good training for the BWR. I won't be hammering, that's for sure. And at the end of the day, although you may well get killed, you may well not. It could even turn out to be fun. Your call.
So see you on the road. Or not!
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Three jerseys
February 25, 2015 § 19 Comments
My collection of cycling clothing is pitiful. A few years ago when we downsized I got rid of all the old stuff. Marco's long-sleeved Chazal jersey that he wore in the Tour, my old Molteni jerseys (wool, of course), and the various iterations of miscellaneous club outfits. Big O, Cynergy, Ironfly, even my old SPY stuff.
Now my cycling closet has nothing in it that is more than two seasons old. However, in my chest of drawers I've saved three jerseys from the recycle man — my Belgian Waffle Ride jerseys from 2012, 2013, and 2014.
Unlike a lot of other jerseys I've worn, these three I actually earned. And if you've signed up for the 2015 edition, which promises to be longer, harder, dirtier, and grittier than the previous three, what follows is some advice — some real advice — about how to earn yours.
I've broken it down into four approaches. Pick your poison.
- The 2012 Approach a/k/a "Win it!": The first year I trained hard and did several BWR prep rides to learn the layout of the course. I envisaged a hard day in the saddle, and somewhere over the 119-mile course I would either contend for the victory or slog it out for a top-ten finish. I got dropped on the very first dirt section. By the time we hit it I was already gassed, and I stumbled along, blind and in confusion, for the remaining hundred miles. The 2012 Approach is not recommended. I vividly remember sitting in the finish area, starving and thirsty, having forgotten to bring money for food. If Christine Marckx hadn't bought me a hot dog I wouldn't be here today.
- The 2013 Approach a/k/a "Survive it!". The second year I trained even harder and did even more prep rides. Knowing the impossibility of a good finish, as my name isn't Neil Shirley, Brent Prenzlow, or Phil Tinstman, my goal was simply to do respectably. Unfortunately I got caught up in the excitement of the first dirt section below the bike path and fell off my bicycle trying to climb the stone wall from the dirt and gravel back onto the path. By the second gravel section I was gassed. Dave Gonyer blew by me en route to Couser Canyon, and then so did a hundred other people. This 130-mile miseracordia left me crushed and destroyed at the halfway mark simply because I had given into the temptation of "go hard" so early.
- The 2014 Approach a/k/a "Enjoy it!". The third year, although MMX insisted on placing me in the first wave, I dropped off as soon as I realized that in the "neutral" zone we were cranking out 500 watts on the rollers. I fell back with Pilot and Junkyard, determined to ride at my own pace. Junkyard got sucked into the enthusiasm of a passing group on the dirt track after Lake Hodges, and sprinted off. "Junkyard!" I said. "Don't!" I saw him at the 80-mile mark bending weakly over his bike as he tried to make sense out of the phrase "39 miles to go, and they're the hardest ones with the most vertical and the most dirt." I rode steadily the whole day and finished tired but not destroyed. 131 riders finished ahead of me, but none of them looked very good. This was the only BWR I'd done that I would call a success.
- The 2015 Approach a/k/a "Share it!". The fourth year I'll also train hard and I'll also ride my own ride. There will be no getting sucked into the unwinnable competition for me–I'm even less Neil Shirley than I was in 2012. But unlike last year I'll have a small group of riders who've been fileted and left for dead in previous years, who now know that the BWR is not to be conquered, only to be completed. Because whether you're second or seven hundredth, the finisher's jerseys are all the same.
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February 9, 2015 § 50 Comments
Before the first waffle has been eaten, the first sausage scarfed, or the first ale quaffed, the 2015 Belgian Waffle Ride has its first bona fide controversy: Catgate.
On the online entry form, riders were asked to list their USAC racing category. Mistakenly thinking that their starting position would be determined by their racing category, some registrants took the opportunity to misstate their category and thereby get placed ahead of the lowly Cat 5's, public, and "unranked" riders, not a few of whom are absolute beasts. Unfortunately for the sneaks, each registrant was checked against USAC records, and several riders were caught red-fingerboarded.
Since the "ride" will go off in three waves, some riders apparently believed that there was an advantage to going in the first wave even though it's a timed event, with each wave starting at 0:00:00. A lively discussion of Catgate ensued on Facebag, where various punishments were discussed. Although I offered to do the beheadings, that option was not selected, and the fate of the would-be cheaters remains undecided.
Choices on the table include public shaming, relegation to the last wave, being banned from the ride, and having a note sent to your mother.
On the other hand, if there's one thing about bikers you can count on, it's the certainty that given the chance they will cheat. Actually, they will cheat even when they aren't given the chance. Why?
Because cheating is fun.
The whole concept of the bike race is little more than organized cheating. You hunker behind the rider with the biggest butt to cheat the wind; you descend pell-mell or bang bars in the sprunt to cheat death; the winner of the race is the one who forces everyone else to work more while he hides like a thief in the night, waiting to slit the throats of those who ride with courage and honor. What could be more natural for a cyclist than cheating on a registration form, or cheating your way to the finish of a fun ride?
Moreover, the Belgian Waffle Ride was quite literally born amidst the pangs and throes of cheating cheaters who love to cheat. I will never forget the inaugural 2012 BWR, when a certain South Bay rider showed up and pirated it from beginning to end, eating the free breakfast, stopping at each aid station to gobble the food and drink, and enjoying the post-ride festivities to a fare-thee-well.
I caught up with him the following week and said, "Don't you feel bad for being such a thieving, cheating, Delta Bravo, and generally worthless POS?"
"Nope!" he happily smiled. And he meant it.
Other infamous characters stamped the first BWR with a miscellany of misbehavior. One wanker held onto a truck for miles at a pop over the deathly dirt section of Country Club Road. Another cut the course. Another infamous cheater whose mendacious misdeeds were rewarded with the dreaded purple card not only cut the course but sneaked past Double Peak at the end of the ride, zoomed into the start-finish area, changed into his bicycling lounge suit, and displayed an "I got here first!" grin while those who had manfully done the ride struggled in beaten and exhausted wondering "How did that brokedown wanker beat me here?" — then he topped it off by disappearing with his finisher's swag once people got suspicious and started asking to see the stamp that every honest rider received for passing the checkpoint atop Double Peak.
The invention of the purple card, in fact, was an acknowledgment before the ride ever started that bicyclists are some of the scurviest, cheatingest, least reliable mendicants known to man. Before the first BWR ever rolled out, a series of Freddie Freeloader cards were printed and handed out to the ride's "Secret Police," who were ordered to patrol the peloton and punish the perpetrators for their purplish pecadilloes.
In the second edition, even though there were no purple cards awarded, numerous riders who claimed to have completed the entire course failed to upload their required Strava data to confirm that they did in fact finish the route. You would think that having GPS data would be sufficient to deter the cheats, but no — if forced to choose between cheating and not, cheating wins out every time.
Last year the noose tightened a bit, with timing chips making it impossible for veteran course-cutters to ply their trade, and wholly eliminating the ride pirates, but misdeeds abounded. The most egregious included vehicle assistance at critical points in the ride.
Short of sailing a cargo ship bound for the Horn of Africa to smoke out the pirates, there's no way to run a cheat-free event. And that's a good thing.
For 99.9% of participants, the ride is so hard that whatever advantage you might eke out from marginal gains cheating is nullified somewhere around Mile 80, if not far sooner. And while it's patently untrue that cheaters never win, especially in cycling, no cheater has ever won the BWR. To the contrary: In the inaugural event the leaders went off course, which couldn't be detected because there were no chips being used, and rather than hop back on course they retraced their route to the point where they left the course, got back on, and finished — even though it cost them the win as Dave Jaeger, who had made all the right turns, beat them to the line and claimed the yellow jersey.
Neil Shirley, two-time winner of the non-race, is regarded as one of the cleanest, most honorable guys in the sport. No matter how many places in line you try to jump, you still have to pass Neil. Good luck with that.
The BWR is beautiful because it showcases the best and also the worst. You get to ride with champions and chumps, heroes and whores.
And at the end, if you've done it right, you finish with a satisfaction unlike any other. So go ahead and cheat your little heart out. If you dare.
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Down that path lies madness
February 8, 2015 § 18 Comments
The 2015 Belgian Waffle Ride is full. It took four days. Riders who didn't get one of the coveted 700 slots are now on the waiting list, which will have 200+ names on it by the time the event goes off.
When the ride was announced, a big hoo-hah of publicity went out, which was awesome. However, not all of it was particularly beneficial. Especially disturbing were the "Top 10 Tips to Finish with Dignity" by Neil Shirley, and the "SPY Belgian Waffle Ride Tips" by some foreigner named Hupthur. If either one of these tip sheets comes across your inbox, please delete ASAP as they will lead you to ruin.
Shirley's list should be ignored simply upon seeing the title. There is no dignity left when and if you finish the BWR. In fact, there's not much of anything left. Spit, sweat, mucous, blood glucose, pride, dreams, hope … everything will have been torn from your chest, beheaded, and left wriggling on the roadside back around, say, Mile 100. If you're lucky. Many will have suffered the Junkyard Implosion much earlier. Others will have simply quit. Still others will have abandoned before the race even started.
When Shirley talks about "finishing with dignity," he's referring to about ten people, and you will never see them except perhaps, briefly, at the start. Everyone else will finish with desperation. Exhaustion. A sense of bodily collapse and mental defeat. But not dignity. No fuggin' way.
You are also advised to ignore everything Shirley says because he's a two-time winner. Right. We have nothing in common with him. If he's talking about the BWR, go ahead and turn up your iPod. As one of the best and most accomplished riders in SoCal, a guy who is devastatingly good no matter the discipline, he simply has nothing to offer the rank and file, not to mention the file shavings like you and me.
So here's my reality tip sheet for the 2015 BWR. It won't help you do better, but that's because there is no "better." To crumple and fold like bad origami is your destination. Trust me on this.
- Blab & Brag: Tell everyone you're going to crush the BWR. This is the only pleasure you will get from competing in the event. Everything else will be a reduction of your humanity into a quivering puddle of failure and defeat.
- Polish & Purchase: Have your bike polished, cleaned, overhauled, and detailed. Then add the trick shit you've always wanted — Di2, full carbon wheels made of carbon, and lots of carbon. Plus carbon. The only chance you have of looking good and making next year's video is either in the Preen Area at the start finish, or with your guts torn out after crashing along Lake Hodges. Also, lots of lightweight trick shit ups your chance of a ride-ending mechanical, which will get you back to the celebratory sausages and beer that much more quickly.
- Stamp Your Authority: True, the BWR is a 140-mile long odyssey that demands almost perfect resource management and conservation of energy simply to finish. But you don't care about that. Those sausages are calling your name and Sam Ames has extra ice cream for the waffles left over from breakfast. Finagle your way into the first starting wave and drill it. If you're not pushing 450+ watts on the rollers out of town, you're losing. Plus, this is a great way to maybe get into one of those cool photos that has you riding next to all those hammerheads at the front.
- Ink up: The Preen Area will be filled with the legends of SoCal. They will be doing last minute equipment checks, reviewing the course map for changes, and making sure everything is ready. Take the time to interrupt them and request autographs, preferably onto obscure body parts. "Hey, Phil, I've always been a fan of yours. Would you autograph my scrotum?" is always a winner. Plus, you'll have a unique memento to show your wife as she wraps you in a huge sheet of Tegaderm.
- Cower and Hide: If you really are planning on finishing the BWR, don't ever take a pull. Ever. Not even one. My best moment in 2014 was drafting for 20 miles behind Hines, Chatty Cathy, Junkyard, and a string of South Bay wankers all the way into Ramona from Black Canyon, then sprunting by them as they stopped for drinks and organ transplants.
- Use Up Others: When you get shelled, immediately soft pedal until you're overtaken by the next group. Slink to the back and occasionally yell encouragement to the people doing all the work. When they collapse and fall of the back, just remember, "Sucks to be them."
- Cheat Where You Can: The BWR has a long and illustrious history of people who cheat, cut the course, hang onto follow vehicles, and take advantage of the fact that there are no race commissars or firing squads. Have your S/O wait for you at the 25, 75, 50, and 100-mile marks with her Prius and give you little 5-mile tows. If your conscience is a bit squeamish, just remember the BWR Wanker Motto: Rules are for losers!
- Dope: This one is obvious, but with no doping controls you should be loaded up with your favorite brand of cortisol, HGH, EPO, and steroid inhalers for your "asthma." The joy of destroying some hairy-legged Fred to secure your 286th place is something you will cherish forever.
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Belgian Waffle Ride 2015 — DO NOT REGISTER!!!!!
February 6, 2015 § 25 Comments
The 2015 edition of the galactically famous Belgian Waffle Ride opened yesterday, filling 528 of the available 700 slots in less than thirty-six hours. Although the ride always fills up long before the event, this year the registrations have been off the charts. Maybe it's because of all the media. Maybe it's because of this killer video. Or maybe it's just because you're still trembling after watching Jen strut around in her panties, and the thought that she's going to be at the BWR has caused the servers over at BikeReg.com to break. The remaining 172 slots will be gone in the coming days, but that's no reason for you to register. In fact, you shouldn't. Don't even think about it.
Because based on the last three years I've compiled an awesome set of emails and/or Facebag messages you can send to the staff at SPY Optic after the deadline passes. The ideal timing is late at night one or two days before the event, long after the event has closed and everyone is in overdrive putting the last touches on the course, the venue, and the countywide infrastructure that something like this requires.
So DO NOT REGISTER NOW. Wait and send one (or all) of these messages instead. You'll be in like Flynn, and you can tell 'em that Wanky sent ya.
- The Ol' Buddy Ol' Pal Grovel: Yo, MMX, what up? Dooshy McGillicuddy here — we rode together on the Swami's Ride two years ago, it was in August. You probably don't remember me but I said hi just before you guys hit the jets at PCH and Encinitas Blvd. Ennyhoo … been planning on the BWR all year, did some BIG MILEZ over the winter (check my Strava, I friended you and kudos on ripping that dirt section last week, BADASS) but dude I completely forgot to register. Can you help a buddy out? Gonna be bummed here in PARADISE if I don't get to ride, bro. Also, can you comp my entry?
- The Beggar Blogger: Hi, Michael and team. Really looking forward to covering the BWR this year on my blog, Shitheads in the South Bay and my sister publication, Red Kite Bore. We're hitting some pretty good numbers — site stats are up to 15 views and 3 unique readers per week. Our event coverage is saturation bombing, and I'm glad to do it because I love what you do and want to help grow the sport. By the way, I somehow missed the registration. Did you forget to notify me? Stuff slips through the cracks, and I'm sure you have a lot on your plate. If you could squeeze me in I'd be deeply appreciative, and trust me, you'll get a big media bump when I turn on the spigot. Also, can you comp my entry and a BWR kit?
- The Cat 2 UCI Pro Proposal: Hey, MMX! Good racing against the SPY guys last weekend. You guys have come a long way, props. I had Anderson and Alverson in the box on that last turn, but decided to sit up after I hit the cones and went off-course and I let them take the one-two. I've been on the podium enough this year and don't mind spreading the glory around, plus it helps your brand. Hey, I was meaning to register for the BWR this year. I have done a ton of miles (no dirt but that's NBD) and am expecting my Cat 1 upgrade and then the call-up to the pros later this year. Might be nice to have me rocking the SPY shades over in Europe (for a fee! Just kidding!). Anyway, shoot me the pro entry promo code when you get a chance. Also, can you comp my entry and a BWR kit and give me a couple of extra beer tickets?
- The Aged Profamateur Living in a Car: Pretty disappointing to have missed the registration for this ride. Thought you might help. Lots of my life given to the sport. Taught you a few things if I remember correctly. Glad for your success. Doubtless room for one more bike. Out of cat food so need comped entry. Also need comped BWR kit and couple cases of beer, and tell Ames to let me have trash bags with half-eaten waffles and melted ice cream. Calories are calories.
- Greedy Team Leech: Hi, MMX! Sucky McSuckwater here! Team camp was awesome; love the new kits and shades (shoot me a couple of extra skinsuits and maybe another Daft when you get a sec, need it by next Tuesday). I've got big racing plans this year after taking a sabbatical in 2012, 2013, and 2014. Can you believe I waited til the last minute to register and now it's fuggin' full? The bikereg site is a pain. Maybe use someone else next year for online signups? Be sure to register me. Team guys ride free I'm assuming. I know there are four waves this year, so put me in the first wave. Shirley, Trebon, Prenzlow, and Tinstman are gonna feel my burn this year. Also, aren't the fees kind of high? I'm not really down with that, for other people, I mean.
For $2.99 per month you can subscribe to this blog and get pro tips for comped entries to the 2015 Belgian Waffle Ride. Click here and select the "subscribe" link in the upper right-hand corner. Thank you!


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I can't believe we are getting whooooooooped by the sixers! Wtf
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Hornets Power Rankings Week Six »
Magic Johnson Should Consider Buying the Hornets
The NBA is looking for a new Hornets owner, and Magic Johnson's interest in purchasing an NBA team is well documented. His recent sale of Starbucks franchises and shares in the Lakers netted him around 100 million dollars in cash, so it's inevitable that someone is going to ask the question of why not buy the Hornets. That person is me. Why not the Hornets, Magic? It just happened. Boom.
The fact is, Magic can actually afford to purchase the Hornets as the majority shareholder. He can't afford the Pistons. He can't afford the Lakers. He can't afford to bring the NFL to LA. If he wants to be the majority owner and operate a major professional sports franchise, this may be the best chance he gets for the foreseeable future.
It's too bad that Gary Chouest won't still control 35% of the team. That would have made it easier for Magic to purchase the team without necessarily needing any other outside investors. When I started writing this yesterday, I optimistically hoped that he was happy to stay on as a minority owner if the team remained in New Orleans. I can see why it makes sense from the NBA's standpoint to insist on taking full control, but it's disappointing nonetheless.
Magic's net worth is valued at around 500 million. Certainly a bunch of that is tied up in his other investments, but 100 million dollars cash (less 15% capital gains and the like) from the sale of his Starbucks coffee shops and minority share in the Lakers us certainly a nice start toward the 300 million total needed to buy 100% of the Hornets . Total assumption on my part here, but Magic might have an easier time getting investors than Gary Chouest. He is, after all, Magic Johnson.
So why would Magic want to own the Hornets, a team whose attendance issues are publicly known, and whose fan base seems rather apathetic at times? For one thing, in 2008-2009 attendance was at 98.7 percent of capacity. OK? Does that settle it? No? Fair enough…
Today the Hornets are about three moves away from being economically viable in the city of New Orleans. Well, two moves, and one non-move. Let's start off with the non-move.
1. Don't have summers of turmoil resulting in an unhappy star, a possible sale, and long stretches without a clear leader. Before Dell came into power, the front office was an absolute mess over the summer. If a player making 14 million a year is unhappy and questioning the team's desire to win, then how can anyone possibly blame fans for not showing up to the first 10 games of the following year? The summer and preseason didn't do the team any favors in terms of ticket sales.
During our Season Preview, I gave my thoughts on this issue-
This offseason was one of rebuilding for the New Orleans Hornets. With lots of new faces on the roster, a new front office, and a new coach, it was an opportunity for the franchise to completely reinvigorate a fan-base which had been rather lackadaisical for the previous few months. The icing on the cake was the seemingly inevitable sale of the team to billionaire Gary Chouest, a move fans were salivating at the thought of.
Over half a year later Hornets fans are still asking the same questions they were months ago. The buzz has died down, and people are growing concerned. They want to feel like they are part of the Hornets family, and the perpetual silence does nothing but dehumanize Shinn and Chouest. The buzz will get loud again, but it won't be at full volume until fan concerns over ownership are addressed.
Sounds like that guy really knew what he was talking about, eh? Just kidding. I have a gold medal in the special Olympics. True story.
2. Attendance was that high in 08-09 despite a broadcasting problem the size of an oil plume. The TV issues needs to dealt with immediately if the team is going to stay. That's just a fact at this point. I tweeted earlier that it's not surprising that George Shinn didn't get a deal done by himself to sell the team, and what I meant is that he's the same guy who never pushed through a deal between CST and Charter, limiting the Hornets potential fan base by a quarter of a million people. He's the same guy who has let the Hornets go untelevised on DirecTV, even after so many people switched to satellite out of necessity (if TV can be a necessity) following Katrina because COX couldn't provide service to parts of the New Orleans area.
I get that it's not that easy to do this stuff, but this guy ran an NBA team. Some might say that having your team's games shown at bars is kind of important in building a local fan base. Others are just mouth breathers.
George Shinn was a great owner in a few ways, a decent owner in a bunch, and an absolutely atrocious one in regard to broadcasting issues. I guess this has turned into my goodbye, so thanks, George, for all the good times. Your beer garden was awesome until you limited how much I could drink and made me wear a wristband, and still pretty awesome afterward because let's be real, the Beer Garden bartenders are happy to ignore the ticket system if you give them an extra dollar (I've unleashed a monster). I've said a lot of nice stuff about you over the years, so I don't feel compelled to write anything else right now.
But I digress.
3. A hands on owner needs to come in and show some damn loyalty to the city. The people will come. Magic Johnson seems like a trustworthy dude. He's well known enough to get the fan base to take notice, and a good enough speaker to convince locals that the future is bright. Trust me, we forgive and forget quickly around here. Nobody will hold a grudge against the team if the eventual owner is committed to keeping them in Nola. In fact, the fans would probably treat new ownership like royalty.
Oh, and basketball operations side of things looks pretty damn good, too. Dell Demps is looking like executive of the year, and anyone who says Monty Williams isn't going to be a successful NBA coach for the coming decades must have their head in the sand. Add a superstar point guard and the best supporting cast in years, and the team actually looks like it's going places. They even have a 10 million dollar trade exception in which to acquire their missing piece- a reliable third big man- and enough depth at the guard spots where they could sweeten any deal.
So, if Magic is looking for a team own and operate, and a city to love him for it, then New Orleans is the spot and the Hornets are the team.
The Tax Man Commeth
Pending a change of heart from our representatives in Washington, the tax rate for those like George Shinn is set to go up at the end of the year. I'm no accountant, but from what I gather the capital gains rate for Shinn is set to shoot up to 20% from it's current rate of 15%. Assuming that the Hornets are a capital asset, Shinn is looking at fairly substantial additional hit.
My accountant friend, who shall remain nameless, wants me to understand that making business decisions based solely off of tax consequences is not usually an appropriate way to do business, as business decisions should be the basis. Understood. I think that Georgie Boy made this decisions a long time ago and is reaching a natural deadline. Would this be as urgent if taxes weren't set to rise in the near future? That's unclear, but it's interesting to note the upcoming rise anyway.
P.S. Sorry I was all over the place on this one. My mind is racing and not in any particular direction.
Plus, check out Nikkoewan's rant.
Related Posts
Magic Johnson would be a terrific owner for this team. He is exactly the type of personality that can quickly connect with the community and establish some creditability to the franchise. If Johnson was with the team, he and Chris Paul would become the most popular duo in New Orleans.
Hoopsworld has the Hornets on the way to Kansas City.
So how much have you guys pooled in already? I'll put in $18.34 because that's all I've got right now on PayPal account, my used airsoft gun, a netbook, a desktop PC, a pair of Chuck Taylors (one size too small for me), a SLAM shirt I won last year, an iPod Nano, a liter of cooking oil, two pots, one large frying pan, my Facebook account with about a thousand friends, and one of my kidneys.
Something that worries me, and I mean this is a last resort for the NBA if the whole lockout thing contains to grow to ridiculous proportions, is if the league contracts and they need to get rid of teams, the Hornets would be the first ones to go if they were still owned by the NBA. Now I'm not saying its a huge possibility but it would be a sad day to see the Hornets disbanded even if they were the Seattle Sonics.
It is actually coming in the Seattle media that Ballmer is going to build his own arena, completely private. Chris Paul and the new Sonics will play at KeyArena while it's being built.
SHAME on you, Hornet fans! Why IS there an attendance problem? This is horrible. IF I wasn't up here in the Ozark mountains STARVING for NBA live basketball and was instead lucky enough to have a real NBA team in my city, I would be an attending fan. Regardless of our financial situations, we all can find a way to enjoy the live games. When younger and one of the legendary sicko Cubs fans, I was never able to afford season tickets. What did we do? We formed groups and bought the season block ickets. We used to look foward to the winter "dividing" meetings and the arguments as we divided up and distributed umongst ourselves the tickes. We each got 2 ea. of so many games, depending on how many there of us each year, and then the play-offs to be drawn for later...IF we made it. WHY don't the NOH fans down there do this?? What I would do if I were there. Looking at those empty seats drives me nuts!
After reading the official press release from the NBA (http://www.nba.com/hornets/news/nba__purchase_new_orleans_ho_2010_12_06.html) I am encouraged. I was like most of you, very deflated and lost for words after hearing about Chouest backing out, but I think this transaction improves the state of the team from the way it was with Shinn. And steps toward improvement should be welcomed. I feel there is risk here for us Hornets fans wanting the team to stay here in NOLA, but the reward might be worth it. Let me further explain... 1. The team is now at a state of stability. Yes the team is looking for a buyer, but things are not desperate as before, and Stern is willing to let things take time for the best deal to manifest. There's a solid plan in place to keep the team here, unlike Shinn, things can take its course with time. 2. Shinn kept his hands tied and closed, having no part in going into luxury tax land, having no part in revamping most areas of the team's upper management. Yes we got Demps and Williams, but going beyond that was not happening, as Shinn's main focus was selling the team, not moving forward and making things better for the product. With the sale complete, I think you will see alot of changes that need to take place to better the overall package. For example, the CST deal should be settled, the marketing campaign should be revamped, and the overall quality of the organization should improve. 3. We now have the world's best assets in our corner to make this all work for us. The NBA will not let us fail, they have already shown their commitment by bringing in the guy from MIN that is good at what he does, if not great. The NBA and those it brings in will turn this mediocre franchise into a top notch NBA franchise and a model of greatness in the areas outside of the basketball court. I also think they will allow Demps to do what it takes to build the winner we need. The NBA wants a profit out this deal when they resale so they will do what it takes. They have the resources and assets to get it done, so now that all is a part of us. I think the NBA turns this team into a well run NBA team in all areas, it will then be up to us the fans to support the team, and some local investors to buy the team and keep it here long term. But short term, I think the NBA did us all a favor and just upgraded the organization to a level that Shinn could have only dreamed of doing himself. So fans, lets do our part...pack the hive and show the NBA that this investment will be a good one. They do their part and build a world class winner, and we will do our part to get excited and support the team. GO HORNETS!
as bad as losing seasons, being in floor seats at the hive when the nugs raped us by 50billion in the playoffs, watching cp go down last year, etc, this is the most uncomfortable ive been as a Hornets fan
Yea, from what we're hearing out here in LA, Magic is SET as an investor to bring the NFL back to LA. I think he'd be a great majority owner, but I'm afraid he won't be the one to purchase the Hornets. I'm encouraged to hear that David Stern WANTS to keep basketball in Katrina. I think the thought of taking away all those jobs would really bother him. But guys, we gotta see how long this goes on for. I know the NBA doesn't want to sit on the Hornets for all of this season, or into next. If someone doesn't come through soon to buy the Hornets and keep them in NO, then I'm afraid we'll see outside buyers who want to move the team kick it into gear. Anaheim, Seattle, and Kansas City are the 3 places pushing HARD for the team.
2 Reasons It Won't Happen 1) Love Fest with LA in General 2) State of the NBA - Lockout Looming? Losing Money as a Whole? 2 Reasons It Could Happen 1) Chris Paul 2) Michael Jordan Did It
Magic would give this team a shot in the arm and would give the community something to become excited about in the short term. The honeymoon phase would eventually wear off but hopefully by then certain fixtures would be in place. I know Magic is more concerned with bringing an NFL team to LA, but if that falls through, I would love to see him in the mix, and hopefully he partners up with someone with super deep pockets committed to making this work in New Orleans. These next few months are going to be hard to endure, and hopefully the Hornets play on the court can pick back up to provide a distraction from all this drama.
Great idea; nice commentary. And thanks for the tip about the beer garden...
And now `they' have them staying. http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=18123 I'm not too worried about the wild speculation at this point.
I think the best thing we can hope for realistically is that the NBA cleans up the mess that the franchise is (due to Shinn, not to New Orleans) while the CBA and economy clears up, then Chouest and a partner come in with an offer for well over $300m. He'd be getting a more solid organization, and perhaps better revenue sharing, and won't have to fight the TV battle (for example) while keeping his business afloat. We just have to hope the fan base sticks with the team. I'm ignoring the `we don't support the team' flap; the benchmarks will not be an issue I think, and I'll concede that point come sometime in January if I have to.
Hey, Mike -- Pretty presumptuous on your part to assume this is already a done deal. You're talking as if they're already stitching gold and green unis for CP3 and the others. I would guess there are a few people in Anaheim, Chicago, Kansas City, and Vegas, not to mention here in NOLA that might take issue with that.
Legal, yes. Fair, no. It doesn't matter because we'll meet the goal. It's possible people will sour on the team due to ownership, but I'm doubting it unless the feeling spreads that the team will move. I don't think attendance will play a big role at this point either way. The big words were for hewho, and I wad bored.
I don't think there is an attendance problem, frankly. the bad reporting makes it seem so. It's a little unfair to impose on a population that the minimum over some stretch must exceed the average over some other period when no steps have been taken so increase the value, which is what was done here. The 14735 is compared to 2 year windows that roll, not disjoint 2 year periods. 14735 was the average attendance over the 3 years before the storm. This is essentially 3 data points. Now this is compared to a series of 2-year averages of post-Katrina population. These 2-year averages are inherently more variable than 3-year averages (see: basic distribution theory) and all of the averages are required to exceed that data point. On average, half of these will be below, half will be above if the situation is unchanged. It was changed, however, by Katrina. Yet, we met the goals every year. Therefore, support is likely up. Digging through the data establishes this further. We met the unfair (it just takes a mathematician to see it as it is, and it's unfair) condition and will continue to do so. Look through the journals for mine on attendance and support if you wish to see some of the data for yourself. I do hope hewhorocks appreciates me picking at the incongruity of the samples being compared and the heteroskedasticity that results, plus my inferences about distribution shift derived from this data, one that is contrary to the standard hypothesis.
I think you are laying out realistic potential positives. The fear is that the NBA has another agenda that it will push at some point, or maybe it already has. I, of course, will remain skeptical about all outcomes. Getting George out, who has a nearer horizon, so to speak, is probably a net-good. The situation, however, is still bad. A local owner may want to move the team, just as an owner from another city, one that is a potential NBA or not (see the Jazz).
Not really worried about Seattle (Arena) or KC (don't really support the Royals), but Anaheim is a little worrisome, as is Vegas and Chicago- two cities I think we will hear more about soon. Scary thing is that the more cities in pursuit, the higher the price gets driven up and we have already seen local owners reluctance to pay a high price. This is so unsettling.
If he wants to get involved, he better get his shovel out NOW and start clearing and leveling a spot for that new arena. Remember, you are competing against EVERYONE, not us. So go cling to that, if you want, but what you should be keenly aware of is the talk that the ultrarich engage in to get the folk energized when the actual reason to be so is murky at best.
If Steve Ballmer gets involved, it's over. He has more money than anyone else interested in buying a team. The league is struggling - like Stern is going to turn down the highest bidder. It all hinges on whether or not Ballmer gets involved (for us Sonic fans anyway). Ignore the flowery talk about wanting to keep the team in New Orleans, we've heard it ALL up here.
Mike, you make me want to throw up in my mouth a little bit. I'm feeling some deja vu.
Plus...you are using to many large words for me!!! As a post note, I remember going to see the Bulls before MJ. I picked any seat in the house. It was an empty stadium. If I couldn't get good seats because I was broke, there were so many empty seats I would move down right away. THIS in a city the size of Chicago!!! So I can see how New Orleans struggles.
hey, 42... I am really glad to hear this. But the numbers they give are supposedly legal numbers, I would think. I came from a city where the starved sports fans filled Wrigley Field when the teams were horrible, winning wise. Same with the Bulls...after MJ...so maybe I am spoiled and am holding the NOH fans to standards few could attain. Years ago, when my brothers and I were just starting our company in Los Angeles, I was spoiled by the Lakers. I was just venting on the fans. I think they should be going out to see LIVE NBA! It's such a gas to watch. I am a short Italian, so seeing these freaks of nature playing is awesome.
Chicago would be interesting, b/c the Hornets would operate within the shadow of the most storied team in NBA history. There's certainly enough space in the metropolis, but would they share the United Center with the Bulls or build their own stadium? Furthermore, would they be considered a Northside team, and cater to the chardonnay sipping sexual deviant Cub lovers or would they play for the well-mannered scholars of the Southside? I for one would be torn, because I love the Hornets, but at the same time I have a natural affinity for my home town Bulls. If they do come to Chicago I'll root for both, but I think it would be best if they stay in NOLA.
[…] • Remember how Magic Johnson got himself a nice pile of cash by selling his stake in the Lakers and a bunch of Starbucks franchises? One really smart Hornets writer says Magic should think about using that money to buy the team. […]


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Product Information for Atari Dungeons & Dragons Daggerdale
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Dungeons & Dragons Daggerdale centers on the desperate struggle to defeat the evil Rezlus and his Zhentarim in their attempt to invade and conquer the Dalelands. Dungeons & Dragons Daggerdale is an engaging multi-player experience that introduces a riveting narrative and treacherous new characters. Players are charged with the task of restoring order to the Dalelands by unlocking the secrets of the Mines of Tethyamar, defeating the evil within the treacherous Tower of the Void, leading to the final confrontation with Rezlus himself.
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Kathy Griffin asked Bachmann: 'Were you born a bigot?'
Kathy Griffin on Conan Monday night described a meeting between herself and "cuckoo" Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann.
The two women met on an escalator in a chance encounter in Washington, D.C. and Bachmann's staff began videotaping their meet-up.
"Congresswoman Bachmann, were you born a bigot or did you, like, grow into it?" Griffin asked Bachmann.
"That's a good question," Bachmann responded. "I'm gonna have to get back to ya."
Watch video, courtesy of TBS, below:


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Press Release
SGI® Secures Top Rankings in New Survey of TOP500 Supercomputer Sites
Company Leads in Performance Efficiency; Number One Among Open Systems HPC Deployments
FREMONT, Calif. — July 6, 2009 — SGI® continues to showcase its leadership among providers of the world's most powerful, energy-efficient supercomputers. In the latest semi-annual ranking of the world's TOP500 Supercomputer Sites, the SGI® Altix® ICE cluster at the U.S. Army Research Lab was heralded as the industry's "greenest" supercomputer, as measured by performance efficiency. The results were presented by TOP500 researchers at the International Supercomputing Conference (ISC) on June 23 in Hamburg, Germany.
Performance efficiency, or "LINPACK efficiency," measures the ratio between maximum performance (RMax) and peak performance (RPeak). SGI dominated this new category with 12 of the 20 most performance-efficient supercomputers in the world.
SGI supercomputers continue to be well represented in the top open systems deployments, adding three new supercomputers to the prestigious TOP500 list.
Highlights include:
Based on the published TOP500 data, SGI's Altix ICE cluster at the U.S. Army Research Lab also represents the first time that the performance efficiency of an x86 scalar-based system outperformed vector-based systems. The latter traditionally performs better due to its ability to quickly access single pieces of data; however, SGI Altix ICE's high-speed fabric, coupled with highly-tuned MPI libraries and Intel's new Nehalem processors, gave it the edge in this comparison.
"SGI has once again been recognized for continually pushing the boundaries of supercomputing and developing the most innovative, energy-efficient systems in the world," said Dr. Eng Lim Goh, SGI's chief technology officer. "We did not achieve these levels of performance efficiency by chance. We use the same hardware components available to competitors but, because of unique architectures like the Altix ICE, customers are able to obtain additional performance and energy efficiency from our systems."
SGI's "traditional" clusters and servers ensure the most demanding applications make dedicated use of all components: CPU, memory, bandwidth, OS, compilers and middleware layers, while guaranteeing a flexible and fast evolution path. This is due to the in-depth understanding of HPC applications and system optimization needed to exceed the demands of application workflows.
"Platforms based on Intel® Xeon® 5400 and 5500 series processors have been game-changing for supercomputing, and we've worked closely with SGI to develop powerful yet energy-efficient systems for the world's most demanding environments," said Richard Dracott, general manager of Intel's High Performance Computing Group.
The TOP500 Supercomputer Sites is compiled by Hans Meuer of the University of Mannheim, Germany; Erich Strohmaier and Horst Simon of NERSC/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; and Jack Dongarra of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
About SGI
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SGI and Altix are registered trademarks of Silicon Graphics International Corp. or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or other countries worldwide. Intel and Intel Xeon are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective holders.