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How to sell better work
"Clients. They just don' get it, do they? They really don't understand (Insert: what good work is / social media / the Internet / whatever your new frustration is)"
How many times do we hear that?
It seems that if clients don't embark on super innovative and mega cool new campaigns is down to the fact that they are afraid of taking risks or simply refuse to change.
We've all been there, presented some TV work we thought was utterly brilliant and was going to completely turn their fortunes around. Or the next social network idea / iPhone app idea that would have revolutionised the market.
But they didn't get it. They weren't ready for it. And turned it down. Despite being in their best interests to actually do it. Why and how can we change that?
It all came to me like a kick in the teeth, while watching an episode of Mary queen of the shops.
The woman's a genius. She could have many a fortune in any creative career she would have chosen.
She reminded me of how obsolete is the way we try to build relationships with our clients and sell them good work.
More often than not, we take a client's brief, go away for a couple of month and go back to present our brand new shiny integrated 360 campaign. We put all our eggs into one presentation. All our efforts, all our energy, all our creativity, into trying to pack the most insightful, brilliant… PowerPoint presentation. It's such a massive risk and makes it so hard for client to buy a brave solution when they haven't even grasped the basics of the new techno-friendly communication landscape.
Now you hear a lot of people saying they try to take the client on a journey with them, etc. But really, who does it and what does they do about it apart from organizing a brainstorming session with the client or a throwing an odd workshop every now and then?
But back to Mary. In every episode, she tries to help a local retailer who's struggling to keep its business afloat. She has only four weeks to do it. What's important is that they have signed up to the BBC website to get her help. They know she is retail guru. They need her help or otherwise they will go bankrupt. You'd think it'd be dead easy: here's your new concept BAM, thank you very much. Yet, they all turn to be nightmarish clients, difficult and scared to death to change. And let me tell you, they are a lot more difficult to deal with than the clients we have.
Here's a little exert:
I mean how do you fancy working with him, owner of a DIY shop?
Or this old hippycouple for example, Denny and Dazzle, owner of a furniture shop called 'under the moon'.
Yet, (almost always) she manages to delivers a master class in selling work to the most difficult clients possible.
And beyond her fantastic personality and charisma, there is a very creative method in her flamboyant style. One that can and should be applied to one of our biggest problems; selling better work to clients.
She spends most of her 4 weeks, trying to get to know the business, trying to understand them, inspiring them, challenging them, getting their confidence, getting them involved, motivating them, and only when they are ready for it, will she introduce the new concept. She knows what she wants to do with the shop the moment she steps in it, but she makes a point of getting her clients there with her every step of the way.
An advertising agency would have taken the brief, gone away, come back two weeks later with a 70 slides presentation, some concepts and would have spent the remaining 2 weeks arguing the hell about it, demonstrating with research how right they are, pestering against the client's lacks of vision.
Mary is often faced with shop owners who have been used to doing things the way they wanted all their lives. Who have put their personality and all they had in these shops. She has to confront them with the truth (sometimes brutally). These furniture sellers have NO taste, no idea what's modern or what people want. When they are confronted by Mary on that fact, they all vigorously refute the fact. It's a gigantic blow to their personal pride.
Indeed, they are out of touch with their own business. Out of touch with their consumers. They've ben kept in their protective bubble for the last decades and have known nothing else than what's got them there. (rings a bell?). Mary just knows that there is a huge amount of work to before showing them anything new.
How many times does it happen? Clients business not doing too well, seeks a cool agency, yet don't listen to their advice?
Yet she manages to do in 4 weeks what a lot of us fail to do in a year. So here's a list of 10 things you could start doing right now to make sure you start getting the work you want out of your clients to get us started:
1/ Redefine what an account team stands for
The responsibility of selling the work should not belong only to the account team anymore.
Get an inspiring client-facing person in your account team. Who sees your clients the most? Who's building your client relationship? Your account team. Who are the most inspiring people in your agency? Everyone else. (sorry, overgeneralising for the purpose of the exercise). Yet they barely get any client time, do they? Might want to start changing that. CDs at Wieden are client facing, and not just for the big presentation, they are present all the way from the original client briefing. They inspire clients all the way. They don't just show up to present their work at the end of the process and act like divas if its turned down.
Apart from rare occasion, account management does not know much of what is going on in terms of new campaigns, technology, etc. They need to be fed constantly with new stimulus and it should be their responsibility to make sure the clients are kept up-to-date with the latest ideas and technology.
Creative, producers, planners, innovation people, social media people, etc. should all be part of a core team who's job it is to keep inspiring their client.
2/ Reintegrate the Innovation lab or innovation director into the day to day client servicing
Having a separate innovation departments and officers made sense a couple of years ago, as a PR exercice. Now pretty much every agency has one, it does not make sense any more to have them as stand alone department, disconnected from the hard realities of running an account. Their responsibility lies in making the input of the agency better and more integrated, every day, and helping clients buy that work. Looking cool to the outside world, should be a bonus of doing awesome work, not an end in itself. Flip that focus & energy from trying to impress your peers back to serving the machine internally. The whole innovation business thing is becoming a bit of a joke, mutual ego stroking and intellectualising theories that are completely unrealistic for most clients and situation.
Look no further than BBH Labs working on Google for a successful example of how to do it.
3/ Be creative about getting more client time
Probably the most difficult challenge. Clients are busy bees. They don't normally tend to make time for inspiration sessions. Why? Because they sound dull and although they know their knowledge is limited, they don't feel like being bombarded by lots of 'cool' shit that makes no sense to them.
BBH used to organise a marketing dinner for their big cheese client to meet and chat about each other perspectives, which proved a great success. (and a pain to organise).
Organise events with artists, reorganise your reception into the inspiration room, take your clients to exhbitions and talks, get them to meet their own consumers, etc. Be innovative and stimulating, and your clients will find the time for you.
4/ Maximise every client touch point
– How many times clients come to your agency? Quite a few times don't they? Do they ever get any stimulation while waiting in the reception? Are they exposed to new stuff each time? Nope. What a missed opportunity. I have seen a lot of advertising agencies reception. All imposing. None inspiring. What does it say about us as a business? (and having an artist exhibiting in the reception lobby doesn't count as stimulation)
– What about emails? Good old newsletter, etc.
– A dedicated tumblr blog for each of your client? Responsibility of the innovation lab mentioned above?
5/ Have an inspiration strategy
Let's reiterate one human truth: NO ONE LIKES TO BE SOLD TO. You don't like when research agencies, production agencies, designers, try to sell you stuff. Same feeling for your clients towards you pushing them to do an Iphone app. They don't believe you because they doubt you have their best interest at heart. But what we do like, is the feeling of discovering something by ourselves. When are clients most likely to get to grasp a new the importance of a new technology? When they see their children / wife using it. Sad but true.
We need to have strategies to get clients to realise by themselves the importance of digital, of the participartory culture, new opportunities offered by this new generation of smart-phone. And showing them slides is probably the least efficient way to do so.
Selling doesn't start when you start presenting your strategy & concept. By that time, the selling should almost be over, just needing a last push. As you embark on a new project, you should make sure you have an 'inspiration' strategy that will start taking your client up there with you, so there's little room for incomprehension when you present.
This should be a long term and continuous inspiration plan. Yes, not a 2 hours workshop every 6 months, or a quick email every now and then. That should be as important as working on the strategy and creative itself.
6/ Take clients out of their comfort zone
An important point: One of the best way Mary has to convince clients that they didn't understand what was going on in the real world anymore was to a/ get consumers in their shop and tell what they really think of it (it was painful truth to hear from the owners).
She then takes them to the extreme top-end of their range. Furniture owner meet top interior designer Abigail Ahern (http://www.skonahem.com/_internal/cimg!0/cdf9vkk1n0ip34hm9btqoyfuylzhb6w/Abigail%20i%20underlandet)
We don't all know Paul Smith as a friend, but there are ways to get your clients to get out of their comfort zone and stuck in the real world without spending money and having fun in the process:
"Mary drives her Audi A3 up to picturesque Corfe Castle in Dorset, where owners Chris and Juliet are running village store Clealls into the ground. Mary spots that the relocated Cockney couple haven't bonded with the locals, so takes them out on a pheasant shoot"
"Portas organises a saucy promotional photoshoot for the Fosters sisters, neglecting to tell them they'll be wearing nothing but fruit and veg. Jen cries because she thinks she looks fat. Debbie says, "My husband will be moritified. I can see myself in the divorce courts over this." Portas talks them round, they look fabulous and hang the framed portraits behind the counter."
Source: The Telegraph
The staff of a DIY shop won't wear the uniform. Bang, organise a photoshoot.
7/ Hire the right kind of people: empathy for people, passion for great work, energy and style
One of the reasons Mary has been so successful is partly due to the fact that she genuinely loves people. She wants to help them. She has an empathy you can't fake. When I work on a client's business, I take it to heart to serve them to the best of my abilities and to do what's right for them, not what's right for my boss or my creative (it got me in troubles, but it always works out when you have the backing of your client).
She also has a passion for great design and retail. It's in her DNA. And something you can't teach. If your people don't love advertising, have a passion for it, it's not going to work in the long term. Give them a gentle nudge to look for work somewhere else less demanding.
When your account team sees spending time with your clients as a punishment, you are in trouble…
Energy is an important factor as well. Energy is contagious and so is the lack of it. Make sure you have a lot of high energy people on your team.
And finally style. Mary Portas look the part. It's a subject Scamp had discussed before but look and appearance always play a part in your reputation and presence. Look at John Hegarty.
He's fashioned an image and style that says who he is without having to shout about it. Whatever you do, build an image consequently. Clients don't look for replicates of themselves, but business partners that will provide them with a creative output they can't reproduce.
8/ Use the right tools for the right job
Mary uses focus group to highlight the problems, not to find the solution. She is the expert, she knows what people will want, they don't. She doesn't have to research her concept to prove its good, but uses feedback and research to show where the opportunities are.
Dealing with change can be a painful experience. When Mary sees one of her client is feeling left out, she takes her out for a coffee and ask her what is going and tries to get her back on tracks. When's the last time you had a one-to-one coffee with your main client? A heart to heart, genuine, conversation, out of the office?
Go and get the right experts, who are credible in your clients' eyes.
If you can't get your clients out of their comfort zone, create videos to show them what they should be doing.
For example this 3 minutes video is a lot more powerful than the most amazing presentation
9/ Pull your finger out & never give up
Gets your hands dirty, it's not going to happen by sitting in front of your laptop. Delegate some parts to the good people in your team. Get started. Your clients wont change overnight so don't lose hope, this is a big change and one for the long term. Don't give up and you'll harvest the results soon enough. It's a brave new world…
10/ This is just a start, would love to hear yours.
And I will be available for a new challenge from September 2010, so if you hear of anything, send it my way!
August 12, 2010 at 12:56 pm
such a great blog post. I share your admiration for Mary Queen of Shops, as well. Pretty brilliant at working with clients to reach results.
A while ago, I wrote a small thing kind of along the same lines, but with another kind of reference:


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Institutional Review Board (IRB)
The Institutional Review Board (IRB) is responsible for ensuring that the rights and welfare of human subjects in social behavioral and biomedical research are protected. The University of North Dakota requires that all research projects involving humans as subjects, or which use human material, be reviewed and approved by the IRB prior to initiation of any research using human participants, including recruitment and screening activities.
The University of North Dakota went through a rigorous process to become accredited in human research protections. Achieving full accreditation by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs,Inc. (AAHRPP) demonstrates UND's commitment to quality and accountability in its human research protection program, ensuring that all research participants receive the highest standard of protection.
Furthermore, accreditation means:
- UND is committed to the most comprehensive protections for research participants and the highest quality research.
- Research participants receive more comprehensive protection from UND.
- UND applies the federal safeguards to all research that involves human participants.
- UND maintains efficient systems for monitoring participant well-being.
- UND demonstrates the high quality of its human research protection program in meeting the rigorous accreditation standards and process.
- UND has a stronger, more cohesive research program committed to continuous improvement.
- UND goes beyond what is required by law to protect human participants and ensure integrity of research.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Space Age was on display at the 1964 World's Fair in New York, which opened 50 years ago. Visitors could see a movie about Moon (top left), a Mercury capsule (bottom left), a Titan rocket and Gemini spacecraft (top right), and concepts about lunar bases (bottom right), among many other space-themed attractions. At center, the grand symbol of the fair was the Unisphere, a stainless steel sphere encircled by rings representing the orbits of early spacecraft. The fair ran for two years, drawing more than 50 million visitors.
You are here
Space Fair
NEWSREEL: Everyone is counting the days until the opening of the great New York World's Fair — an exposition symbolized by the Unisphere, that dominates the grounds.
The 1964 World's Fair in Queens, New York, was all about the future. It opened 50 years ago today, offering visitors a chance to see TV phones, a computer that could read handwriting, and a futuristic new sports car: the Ford Mustang.
Mostly, though, the fair was about the Space Age. Fountains and courtyards were named for the astronauts, the planets, and the universe, and many pavilions offered space exhibits.
The transportation and travel pavilion was crowned by an 80-foot dome that was an accurate map of the lunar surface. And inside, visitors saw "Beyond the Moon," a Cinerama movie projected on the dome itself.
A rocket park displayed a real Mercury capsule and replicas of the Apollo Moon ship, probes to Mars and Venus, and the rockets to get them there.
The fair's centerpiece was the Unisphere, a 350-ton open-framework globe made of stainless steel. Three rings around the globe represented the orbits of early spacecraft.
Most of the structures from the fair are gone. But the Unisphere was refurbished 20 years ago. Of course, it was then promptly smashed in "Men in Black" by a flying saucer disguised as an observation tower — one more relic of the early Space Age at the World's Fair.
NEWSREEL: The New York World's Fair of 1964 promises something for everyone. See you at the fair!
Script by Damond Benningfield, Copyright 2014
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One of 1500 demonstrators, a quarter of the population of Raratonga, who turned out to protest French nuclear testing in 1995.
There is no such thing as a small nuclear explosion, any nuclear explosion will have catastrophic consequences for all living things on the planet. The existence and spread of nuclear weapons stands in theway of any real possibilities for true safety, security and peace. Theonly solution is to abolish them.
In recent years the threat has become even more unpredictable as the nuclear weapon states - the US,the UK, France, Russia and China - have failed to follow their promises made in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to disarm. Countries like Israel, India, Pakistan and North Korea have also joined the nuclear weapons club. And due to the widespread use of nuclear energy, about 40 other countries have access to nuclear weapons material and therefore possess the ability to develop nuclear weapons.
The International community as a whole and several key states in particular, must grapple with need to resolve the contradiction at the heart of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treatywhich some claim means nuclear energy is an "inalienable right". The"inalienable right" to nuclear energy is a historical and political mistake; the real legitimate right is to clean and safe energy and nuclear energy is neither. The world has witnessed the acquisition of nuclear weapons capabilities through so-called peaceful civilian nuclear programmes in India, North Korea and Iraq.
But there is hope, some countries have lead the way by getting rid of their weapons. South Africa had nuclear weapons in the 1970s but chose the benefits of disarmament, joining the international community as a country that valued cooperation rather than violence. Once the decision is made, disarmament can happen quite quickly.
Unless leaders of nuclear weapons states follow South Africa's example and begin to dismantle their arsenals, the political leaders in the aspiring nuclear weapons states are unlikely to either. Obviously the more leaders with fingers on the button, the more likely one of them will trigger a nuclear war, by accident or design.
In every case, politicians and military leaders have pursued nuclear weapons without democratic debate in their country. Public opinion polls conducted in nuclear and non-nuclear weapon states show large majorities favouring the abolition of nuclear weapons, and every year at the United Nations when all governments vote, we see the vast majority of the 191 countries voting for the abolition of nuclear weapons. Citizens in nuclear weapons states should question why their leaders feel so entitled to gamble with their lives.
On board the Phyllis Cormack during Greenpeace first protest against nuclear testing off coast of Canada.
Bob Hunter on Phyllis Cormack together with Ben Metcalfe en route to Amchitka to oppose US nuclear weapons testing.
16 - 17 of 17 results.


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Health & Safety
Health and safety consultancy may not be a particularly exciting part of modern business, but it is one of the most important aspects for all companies to get right. If things go wrong, the consequences could severely derail your future plans and performance.
Health and safety training is one of the most popular training subjects for businesses in the UK, which comes as no surprise considering how important it is.
HomeFind out more
Employment LawFind out more
EnvironmentalFind out more
Noise AssessmentFind out more
AudiologyFind out more
Director ComplianceFind out more
Driver SafetyFind out more
Our ValuesFind out more
Our Ethos
Our reputation means everything to us. Going the extra mile for our clients is how we've earned it. We've come far in earning it and we'll go even further in keeping it.


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Annual Quality Assurance Reports
Annual Quality Assurance Reports
Plus 2: According to the new course structure there shall be one examination to be conducted by the college at the end of 1st year on the basis of the curriculum meant.... More
Plus 3: The three year degree course in Arts/ Science/ Commerce shall be spread over a period of three academic years and the pattern of examination is semester system, two semesters in each year.... More
Self Financing: Many self financing courses are run by the college.... More
The College Library has been named Dinabandhu Sahu Memorial Library, after, the founder President of this college Late Dinabandhu Sahu.
There are nearly 60,784 books and 1205 reference books in the library on different subjects. There is a lending library (Book Bank with 10,000 books) which lends text books to the students.
The special feature of the college library is the Indian Culture Section where books are kept on all religions and cultures.... More


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Autumns's brilliant fire
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Its amazing what you can do with a hand full of leaves and an old desk lamp
3 responses
Spectre Photo gave props (13 Oct 2008):
oh my..this is so beautiful!! i love it
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Beautiful lighting.
Dhanny P (Deleted) gave props (14 Nov 2008):
great colors
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I first noticed the SA Aperta this past summer while making my pilgrimage to the Ferrari Museum and Factory during my 2-week trip to Italy. She was sitting on the second floor very near to the 599XX. While I thought she was the most attractive Ferrari in the entire museum I didn't really know anything about her. I figured it was a prototype that Ferrari never built but felt the need to display. It was even finished in a slightly different red (Rosso Dino) that I'm used to seeing on a Ferrari, which only reaffirmed my suspicion of it being a prototype.
Months later I'd come to find Ferrari felt the same way about the SA Aperta as I did; the Aperta was too beautiful of a car to not produce. Not only was this going to be a production car, it was to be a very special, very limited production car. Only 80 of the SA Aperta's were created to commemorate the 80th year Anniversary of famed coachbuilder Pininfarina. As usual, all had been spoken for many months before production had even begun.
Before knowing anything about the SA Aperta, I didn't understand why Ferrari named it the way they did. I assumed the SA stood for "Super America" due to the last Super America produced being topless. Nope, the SA nomenclature pays homage to both Sergio and Andrea Pininfarina whose company and work is linked to the most successful road-going cars ever built at Maranello. The word Aperta means "open" so after learning the meaning of everything, Ferrari's naming of the car made perfect sense.
The SA Aperta is based on the 599 GTB, minus a roof, and houses a 661bhp V12 power plant. The gearbox and drivetrain is borrowed from the stunning 599 GTO, which happens to be my personal favorite. The 12-into-2-exhaust system is identical to the 599XX, which produces the sweetest Ferrari music, which could only be composed straight from the heavens.
Ferrari offered this special creation to selected individuals for around $550K and due to the rarity of this particular car, it's very unlikely we would ever see one sell for less than that. Pininfarina has designed some of the most incredible cars in the worlds and it is only fitting that the SA Aperta was created to commemorate this amazing company. I can only hope my 80th birthday present is just as nice!
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EU News
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New action for growth, governance and stability
The European Commission is accelerating its efforts for economic renewal, with moves to address three interwoven challenges facing the EU and the euro area in particular: a divergent but generally lacklustre growth and employment performance; insufficiently coordinated and disciplined budgetary policies; and unstable sovereign debt markets suffering from a lack of liquidity. . The package contains four elements: the 2012 Annual Growth Survey setting out the economic priorities for the coming year; two Regulations to tighten economic and budgetary surveillance in the euro area; and a Green Paper on Stability Bonds.
Commenting on the adoption of the package, President Barroso said: "To return to growth, Member States need to raise their game when it comes to implementing their commitments to structural reforms, as well as embrace deeper integration for the euro area." He continued: "The goals driving this package – economic growth, financial stability, budgetary discipline – are linked to each other. We need all of them if we are to move beyond the current emergency towards a Europe in which solidarity is balanced by strengthened responsibility."
The key message of the 2012 Annual Growth Survey is that, faced with a deteriorating economic and social situation see IP/11/1331 , more efforts are needed to put Europe back on track and sustain growth and jobs. The Survey calls for the EU and Member States to focus on five priorities: pursuing differentiated, growth-friendly fiscal consolidation; restoring normal lending to the economy; promoting growth and competitiveness; tackling unemployment and the social consequences of the crisis; and modernising public administration. The AGS includes a list of pending or future proposals aimed at boosting growth, which the Commission wants to be fast-tracked through the EU legislative process.
The two proposed Regulations on strengthened surveillance for the euro area build on what has already been agreed in the 'Six Pack' set of legislative measures which will enter into force in mid-December. Given the deeper interdependence of the euro area countries, so clearly demonstrated by the ongoing crisis, the Commission is proposing to enhance both the coordination and the surveillance of budgetary processes for all euro area Member States and especially those with excessive deficits, experiencing or at serious risk of financial instability, or under a financial assistance programme.
Finally, with the Green Paper on Stability Bonds, the Commission is taking forward in a structured way the important debate on the joint issuance of debt in the euro area. By putting forward three options for such Stability Bonds and providing a detailed analysis of their financial and legal implications, the Commission is framing this debate, as well as setting out a clear timeline for the next steps.
The 2012 Annual Growth Survey (AGS) sets out what the Commission believes must be the EU's priorities for the next 12 months in terms of budgetary policies and structural reforms. The 2012 AGS is the starting point for the second European Semester of economic governance. It is being presented now rather than in January in order to ensure ample time for it to be considered by the Member States and EU Institutions. The European Council on 9 December is expected to take note, but the AGS is above all the Commission's key input into the Spring European Council on 1-2 March 2012. The National Reform Programmes (on structural reforms) and Stability or Convergence Programmes (on budgetary policies) which Member States will submit in the spring, and the new or updated Country-Specific Recommendations which the Commission will present in June, should all be consistent with the policy priorities put forward in the AGS. For the first time, the new surveillance tools agreed as part of the 'Six Pack' will also be used within the framework of the European Semester.
The proposed Regulation strengthening surveillance of budgetary policies in euro area Member States would require these countries to present their draft budgets at the same time each year and give the Commission the right to assess and, if necessary, issue an opinion on them. The Commission could request that these drafts be revised, should it consider them to be seriously non-compliant with the policy obligations laid down in the Stability and Growth Pact. All of this would be done publically to ensure full transparency. The Regulation also proposes closer monitoring and reporting requirements for euro area countries in Excessive Deficit Procedure, to apply on an ongoing basis throughout the budgetary cycle. And euro area Member States would be required to have in place independent fiscal councils and to base their budgets on independent forecasts.
The proposed Regulation strengthening economic and fiscal surveillance of euro area countries facing or threatened with serious financial instability would ensure that the surveillance of these Member States under a financial assistance programme, or facing a serious threat of financial instability, is robust, follows clear procedures and is embedded in EU law. The Commission would be able to decide whether a Member State experiencing severe difficulties with regard to its financial stability should be subject to enhanced surveillance. The Council would be able to issue a recommendation to such Member States to request financial assistance.
The Green Paper on Stability Bonds analyses the potential benefits and challenges of three approaches to the joint issuance of debt in the euro area. The paper sets out the likely effects of each of these approaches on Member States' funding costs, European financial integration, financial market stability and the global attractiveness of EU financial markets. It also considers the risks of moral hazard posed by each approach, as well as its implications in terms of Treaty change. Stability Bonds are seen by some as a potentially highly effective long-term response to the sovereign debt crisis, while others are concerned that they would remove the market incentive for fiscal discipline and encourage moral hazard. The Commission makes clear that any move towards introducing Stability Bonds would only be feasible and desirable if there were a simultaneous strengthening of budgetary discipline. The extent of this strengthening needs to be commensurate with the ambition of the approach chosen.
For more information:
MEMO/11/820 European Commission Green Paper "Feasibility of introducing Stability Bonds"
MEMO/11/821 The 2012 Annual Growth Survey: Frequently Asked Questions
MEMO/11/822 Economic governance: Commission proposes two new Regulations to further strengthen budgetary surveillance in the euro area
Contacts :
Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen (+32 2 295 30 70)
Olivier Bailly (+32 2 296 87 17)
Amadeu Altafaj Tardio (+32 2 295 26 58)
Simon O'Connor (+32 2 296 73 59)


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Feb 6 (Reuters) - The New York Giants, facing salary cap issues one year removed from winning the Super Bowl, released the team's leading rusher in Ahmad Bradshaw and defensive tackle Chris Canty on Wednesday.
The moves followed Tuesday's cutting of veteran linebacker Michael Boley.
The hard-running Bradshaw, who turns 27 next month, led the Giants last season with 1,015 yards rushing, despite missing games at Carolina with a neck injury and Atlanta with a sprained knee.
A seventh-round draft pick in 2007, Bradshaw was also plagued by foot problems that frequently kept him off the practice field yet he was a key contributer to a pair of Super Bowls won by New York.
"Pound for pound, Bradshaw is one of the toughest football players that I've been around," general manager Jerry Reese said. "Ahmad played football like Giants football should be played."
Foot problems forced him to miss four games in 2011.
Coach Tom Coughlin also praised Bradshaw, who scored the winning touchdown on a six-yard run with 57 seconds left in New York's Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots in 2012.
"Ahmad Bradshaw was drafted 250th in a class of 255 and to excel and to perform the way that he has, and to accomplish what he has, is a great tribute to him," Coughlin said.
Bradshaw is second in Giants postseason history in rushing yards (480) and third in attempts (111).
Without Bradshaw, the Giants' top returning running backs will be Andre Brown and David Wilson.
Canty, 30, who played previously for the Dallas Cowboys, was part of the Giants' 2009 free agency class that also included Boley.
In four years with the Giants, Canty played in 49 regular-season games with 45 starts. His totals included 155 tackles (101 solo) and nine sacks.
After last year's Super Bowl victory, Canty underwent knee surgery and missed the first six games of the regular season. (Reporting by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes)


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This '37 Chevy mixes class with clout
For some street rodders, the goal of the hobby is to drive a one-of-a-kind car. For others, that isn't enough. For them, the goal is to drive a car that reflects their one-of-a-kind personality. How else do you explain the fact that when you buy somebody else's finished rod, you still have to add your signature to it in some way? Whether it's a frame-off overhaul or just some new wheels and tires, until you make your own mods, it's still going to be the other guy's car. But sometimes, as you're about to learn, that can take a while.
The classified ad for this '37 Chevy sedan that appeared in Hemmings Motor News announced a "complete frame-off restoration", "everything new", and "show car quality". According to Bob Smith, who bought it, the Chevy had recently been redone and was in excellent condition.
Bob wasn't specifically looking for a '37 Chevy when he started his search for a street rod. "I wasn't sure exactly what I was looking for," he says. "I figured I'd know it when I saw it." When he didn't see it at the Carlisle Collector Car Swap Meet he continued his search in Hemmings. A friend spotted the ad for the Chevy and Bob moved fast, calling immediately and sealing the deal over the phone. After picking up the car in southwestern Pennsylvania, he stopped to register it as soon as he crossed the state line into Maryland.
Bob wasted no time in driving and enjoying the Chevy, but making his own modifications was a longer process. Bob always planned on customizing the sedan, but it wasn't until 2009, almost 13 years after buying the car, that he began turning his plan into a project.
Those plans were extensive, but the engine seemed like a great place to start. Ralph Hardesty at Superior Automotive assembled the ZZ4 350 small-block that would soon replace the 305. Several Edelbrock components were used, including a Rollin' Thunder cam, polished aluminum heads, Performer RPM dual-quad manifold, and a pair of Thunder Series 500-cfm carburetors. The Billet Specialties plain top air cleaner and valve covers came from Speed Unlimited in Suitland, Maryland. Ceramic-coated headers from Flowtech and Flowmaster mufflers are connected by 2-1/4-inch custom pipes. A custom 3-inch driveshaft connects the column-shifted TH700-R4, built by Deltrans, to a Ford 9-inch with 3.50 gears and a posi.
When the engine was complete, Bob turned his attention to the sedan body. He knew that, at this point, he'd have to bring in some hired guns to handle the sheetmetal modifications he had in mind. While at a car show in Delaware, he struck up a friendship with Emerson Blue (whose '56 Bel Air was featured in the Feb. '11 issue of STREET RODDER). The Bel Air was built at One Off Rod & Custom, located in Middletown, Delaware. Before the end of the show, Bob had been introduced to Larry Stewart from One Off and ideas for customizing the '37 were being discussed.
The sedan went into the shop in 2010. Every change made is low-key and enhances the look of the '37 two-door body. In front, the shape of the grille surround was softened and the jutting bumper was split, reshaped, and in toward the fenders. The rear bumper was narrowed and pulled into the body as well. The license plate was relocated from the left taillight stand to the decklid, where it was frenched in. The rectangular Chevy taillights were replaced with round '37 Ford lights on short custom stands; the power antenna has been frenched into the right stand. Door handles, drip rails, and hinges were shaved, and right and left California Custom mirrors installed. Power was added to the side glass and vent windows. Early Chevy fans may notice that the hood side louvers have been flipped to point forward at the top.
As these mods were taking place, Bob asked Larry, "If this were your car, what would you do?" Larry's immediate response: "Chop the top!" So the chop got topped, barely—1-1/2 inches in front and a slight 3/4 inch in the rear. During the process, the vertical B-pillars were slanted forward. The overall effect is just enough to add to the rake of the profile. When the bodywork was complete, the car went into the One Off paint booth, where Dave Strong shot a finish as black and shiny as tuxedo shoes.
The forward rake is enhanced by the chassis setup, in particular the Mustang II–style front end with 2-inch drop spindles. Coilover shocks were mounted at both ends of the car. In the rear, the Ford 9-inch turns 33-spline axles. Bob purchased the sedan with massive tires on Center Line Champ 500 wheels. The low-profile Goodyears (215/45R18 and 255/45R20) rolling on 18- and 20-inch Schott Mod 5 wheels are more contemporary, suit the proportions of the car better, and match the sporty but classy theme. Braking chores are assigned to 10-3/4-inch Wilwood discs front and back, helped by a Tuff Stuff booster and master cylinder and a Wilwood proportioning valve.
Gray tweed was the dominant theme of the earlier interior, which was entirely redone top to bottom by King's Auto Upholstery in Roanoke, Virginia. Bob worked with the guys at King's to design the custom dash, which features double humps to resemble a '55 dash. The humps match the curves of the dash panel, which houses a set of Classic Instruments gauges. The panel on the passenger side is the door to the glovebox. The extended lower dash holds the vents for the Southern Air A/C system, and a Billet Specialties steering wheel tops a tilt column from Flaming River. A pair of Lexus bucket seats and matching custom rear seats have been upholstered in two-tone tan Ultraleather. You'll see the oval design repeated on the custom door panels and headliner, and into the trunk. The invisible sound system includes an Alpine head unit hidden in the trunk and JL Audio speakers.
Bob's one-of-a-kind Chevy was finally finished in time to get to the Nats in Columbus last summer. Considering when he first saw the '37 in the pages of Hemmings, we could say it took him long enough. But we won't. We understand why it took him so long to start the project—he was too busy having fun.


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Once upon a time, a big American pharmaceutical company named Pfizer accidentally discovered a new treatment for erectile dysfunction -- Viagra, the little blue pill. Originally developed as a treatment for heart disease, its penile erection enhancing effects were noted in clinical trials and Pfizer quickly saw the drug's potential marketability as the first pill for men with trouble getting it up or keeping it up. Patented in 1996 and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for prescription-only sale in 1998, Viagra became a smashing financial success, exceeding annual sales of $1 billion every year since its introduction.
The shrewd folks at Pfizer surely knew they had a pistol of a drug on their hands -- after all, men are obsessed with their own erections. And in the beginning, Pfizer pretended to be all serious about erectile dysfunction, even managing to convince the unsuccessful Republican presidential nominee of 1996, Robert Dole, to endorse Viagra in those now-famous television commercials. You have to congratulate Pfizer for recognizing the inherent snicker factor of its product, so casting humorless elder statesman Dole, a man with the charisma of a lemon, as a spokesperson makes perfect sense. Pfizer cunningly gave us permission to mock the failed presidential hopeful about his sex life while we simultaneously and silently thanked Jesus for the discovery of the little blue pill.
Now that everyone on the planet, excluding Chinese peasants with no access to TV, knows about Viagra, Pfizer has brazenly shifted its marketing strategy. And their advertising isn't even remotely directed at men with erectile dysfunction anymore -- it's full of vibrant sports heroes (NASCAR drivers declaring, "Gentlemen, start your engines!"), attractive professional types strutting through offices (colleagues ponder what's different about Joe and Bob these days) and most recently, ads featuring guys with the blue V from Viagra's brand logo rising behind their heads like a pair of Devil horns. The slogan? "Get back to mischief?" Pfizer is now selling sexual performance, which clearly goes beyond the FDA-approved indication of the drug. The not-so-very subtle new message is obvious: every guy can have a mischievous, raging, new and improved penis.
Since 1998, 23 million men worldwide have filled Viagra prescriptions, making it one of the most successful drugs of all time. Not surprisingly, other pharmaceutical companies scrambled to create their own versions of the drug. This past year, GlaxoSmithKline unveiled Levitra, which is similar in profile to Viagra, but Eli Lilly introduced Cialis, a product the manufacturer claims will start working twice as fast as Viagra and continues for up to 24-36 hours, compared to Viagra and Levitra's promised 4-6 hour window. With Cialis, the implication is that you can swallow one Friday night and you're good to go for the whole weekend. You just know Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline researchers are busier than Santa's elves right now, toiling away night and day to create bigger, better boner drugs. Viagra is facing some ... stiff competition.
For men, the inability to get or sustain an erection usually leads to all kinds of performance anxiety and self-esteem issues. There are multiple causes for erectile dysfunction -- from physical conditions such as heart disease, prostate cancer and diabetes to psychological factors like stress, anxiety and depression. Even drugs widely prescribed to treat anxiety and depression -- Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft, Luvox, Celexa -- have sexual side effects that can make it difficult to achieve an erection or have an orgasm. Until Viagra and its pharmacological brethren came along, the typical treatments for impotence were penile implants, penile injections, vacuum pumping and insertion of a suppository into your urethra. No wonder we're now willing to pay roughly $10 out-of-pocket per pill when insurance companies refuse to cover these drugs. Apparently, we're also willing to endure the side effects -- headache, stomach upset, flushing (a warmth and redness of the face, neck and upper chest), nasal congestion and changes in vision. And death. There are hundreds of Viagra-related deaths on record and they aren't just a bunch of elderly guys with heart conditions.
|Drug task force agents report that they routinely discover Viagra in the possession of college guys who don't have erection problems -- or a prescription.
In 2000, researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles did an analysis of 1,473 major adverse medical events involving the use of Viagra. There were 522 deaths, most involving cardiovascular causes developing within 4-5 hours of taking a 50 mg dose of Viagra. The majority of deaths occurred in patients who were less than 65 years of age and had no reported cardiac risk factors. Other deaths were associated with the use of nitrates (drugs prescribed for chest pain, angina and heart problems) and amyl nitrate, the common ingredient found in "poppers," a liquid whose vapors typically cause an intense head rush and drop in blood pressure when inhaled. Cedars-Sinai researchers concluded that there "appears to be a high number of deaths and serious cardiovascular events associated with the use of Viagra."
As the deaths go unpublicized and the side effects are downplayed, health and law enforcement officials all over the country report that young men who do not have erectile dysfunction are using Viagra as a party drug. In Athens, Georgia, home to the University of Georgia, drug task force agents report that they routinely discover Viagra in the possession of college guys who don't have erection problems or a prescription. They steal it from parents, order it online or buy it from friends. A 2002 San Francisco, California Department of Health study of patients at San Francisco STD clinics found that gay and bisexual men were four times more likely than their heterosexual counterparts to use Viagra. The study also revealed that gay men sometimes combined Viagra use with crystal methamphetamine and other illegal drugs such as Ecstasy, cocaine and ketamine.
What's going on here? Viagra abuse? Yes, and the only real surprise is that more people didn't see it coming. Look, Pfizer guilefully marketed its little blue erection pill, successfully making Viagra a household name within a year of the drug's FDA approval. They provided generous samples to doctors' offices and in many cases, physicians simply doled out freebies to men who asked for it, impotent or not. Men all over America, gay and straight, are getting prescriptions from doctors too embarrassed to ask a lot of specific questions. Your doctor won't prescribe it? No problem. Order it from an Internet pharmacy without the benefit of a good-faith medical examination at all. You can also bet the 23 million Viagra users worldwide shared the wealth with quite a few of their buddies, too.
Last August, Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, director of STD prevention and control for the San Francisco Department of Public Health, petitioned the FDA to list Pfizer's Viagra and similar drugs as Schedule III controlled substances, making them easier to track and harder to prescribe. Klausner, one of the most cogent voices in STD and HIV prevention today, points to several studies documenting an association between recreational use of Viagra and higher rates of risky sexual behavior. In one study, co-written by Klausner, 31% of a group of men who have sex with men reported taking Viagra without medical supervision and use of the drug was associated with higher rates of STDs, including HIV. And Klausner refers to another study -- presented last July at the XV International AIDS Conference -- which found that recreational Viagra users were twice as likely as nonusers to be HIV positive.
Naturally, studies like these are wide open for interpretation and Klausner hasn't many allies. The Executive Director of New York's Gay Men's Health Crisis, Ana Oliveira, robotically repeats a familiar observation, "It's unprotected sex that increases the risk of HIV." And sounding like a woman who doesn't quite grasp the male erection, she adds dismissively, "It's a behavioral issue, not a Viagra issue." Dr. Jason Schneider, a board member of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association and clinical instructor at Emory University in Atlanta, says Klausner is "a bit extreme," but concedes that "health providers have a responsibility to inquire about a patient's sexual behavior before and after prescribing the medication" and "drug manufacturers could put some money into educating the general public about the use of Viagra in combination with drugs that clearly do lead to risky sexual behavior."
Not surprisingly, Pfizer opposes reclassification of Viagra and balks at making label changes or increasing patient education efforts. Pfizer has, in fact, recently adopted aggressive new advertising strategies to court new consumers and win back customers who migrated to Levitra or Cialis. Meanwhile, boys will be boys. Darlene Weide, Executive Director of San Francisco's Stop AIDS Project, reports that agency surveys indicate a third of gay men interviewed there had used Viagra. "It is well-known in the gay community that Viagra is used as a recreational drug." Erectile dysfunction drugs are increasingly popular and common at sex clubs, bathhouses and even gay campgrounds, where they are shared as casually as a Tic Tac between strangers.
The FDA and Pfizer aren't going to address the sex lives of gay men. It's up to sexually active gay men, positive or negative, to use the head on their shoulders instead of the one between their legs. What do we know for sure? Men who take HIV medications are more likely to experience impotence. If that's happening to you, talk candidly with your doctor about it. Certain protease inhibitors can significantly increase blood levels of Viagra and that can lead to visual problems, headache, fainting or a condition called priapism, where a prolonged, painful erection can last hours or days.
Giving Viagra, Levitra and Cialis away to strangers or acquaintances when you are unfamiliar with their medical history or current prescriptions is irresponsible -- someone could end up unwittingly mixing these drugs with nitroglycerin or nitrate-based heart medications and the results could be fatal. Taking erectile dysfunction drugs with recreational party drugs is just a bad idea, and never inhale nitrate substances, known commonly as "poppers," if you're on Viagra, Levitra or Cialis because it lowers the blood pressure to dangerous levels and can lead to death.
David Salyer is an HIV-positive journalist, educator and activist living in Atlanta, Georgia. He leads safer-sex presentations for men and has facilitated workshops for people infected or affected by HIV since 1994. Reach him by e-mail at email@example.com.


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STOCKTON - The Diocese of Stockton is considering filing for bankruptcy after years of paying millions of dollars to settle child sex abuse lawsuits.
STOCKTON - The Diocese of Stockton is considering filing for bankruptcy after years of paying millions of dollars to settle child sex abuse lawsuits.
"We pretty much have depleted the resource funds that we have," said Sister Terry Davis, a spokeswoman for the diocese that oversees Catholic parishes in San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Calaveras and Tuolumne counties.
"And at this point, everything is on the table for consideration," she said.
Talk of bankruptcy surfaced during negotiations of a lawsuit that was settled Monday for $1.75 million involving notorious defrocked priest Oliver O'Grady.
The plaintiff in the case, known as John J.S. Doe, filed suit in 2009 in Stanislaus County Superior Court. He was a victim of O'Grady in the 1980s, according to the diocese.
O'Grady, who has admitted to sexually abusing 25 children, has left a path of legal claims against the diocese since being criminally convicted in 1993 for molesting two Turlock brothers.
The diocese paid $7 million to the brothers, John and James Howard, in a subsequent civil suit and millions more in settling complaints that followed.
Davis said the diocese is not disclosing the total amount of damages the diocese has paid in settling sex abuse cases at this time.
By December 2010, according to a Modesto Bee article, the diocese had settled 22 civil lawsuits at a cost of $18.7 million.
More such civil cases have been dismissed with agreements since then.
And complaints continue to surface years after O'Grady was defrocked and deported to his native Ireland after serving a prison sentence.
A man identified in court papers with the fictitious name John Be Doe - the court allows plaintiffs in sex abuse cases to use such names to protect their identities - filed a complaint in San Joaquin County Superior Court in May 2012, alleging O'Grady molested him in 1992 when he was 5 years old. O'Grady was assigned to St. Andrew's Parish in San Andreas at that time.
Four months later, in September, a woman came forward saying O'Grady sexually abused her in 1991 and 1992 while she was a child parishioner of the San Andreas church. The woman, Jane Doe 51, was 11 and 12 years old when the abuse happened, she said.
O'Grady had been assigned to parishes in San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Calaveras counties from the time he arrived in 1971 until the early 1990s.
Paul Balestracci of Neumiller & Beardslee in Stockton has said he is representing the diocese on four child sex abuse lawsuits, including Jane Doe 51's and two others naming O'Grady as the perpetrator.
O'Grady isn't the only priest at the center of the diocese's sex abuse scandal.
Rev. Michael Kelly, the former pastor of St. Joachim's Church in Lockeford, abruptly left to Ireland in the middle of a civil trial in which a former altar boy claimed Kelly raped him.
Later identified as Travis Trotter, he won a $3.75 million settlement from the diocese. Trotter said he retired as a commercial air pilot because of psychological damage that came with retrieving repressed memories of the abuse.
Also in September, a 24-year-old former altar boy filed suit on claims Kelly sexually assaulted him in the early 2000s when they both served St. Andrew's Parish. That plaintiff, John CC Doe, said he was 12 years old at the time.
And about six months ago, a third alleged victim of Kelly's came forward saying he, too, was molested in the early 2000s. Referenced in court as John MT Doe, he was 11 years old and also a member of St. Andrew's when he says he was abused.
In Monday's settlement, Bishop Stephen Blaire said the church will pay $875,000 to the plaintiff, and the rest will come from insurance.
"It is our hope that this settlement will help the victim continue to find healing for the suffering he endured," Blaire said in the statement. "We have tried to find resolutions to these cases that will provide some measure of solace for victims.
"We continue to follow strict measures to ensure that we are protecting the young and the vulnerable."
The victim's attorney, John Manly of Newport Beach, declined to comment on details of the case, but he agreed to comment on the settlement discussions.
"The diocese makes it sound like this was a heartfelt and purely intentional settlement on their part," Manly said. "It wasn't."
Manly said the diocese declined a previous $1 million offer two or three years ago and went to the state Supreme Court to have the case dismissed.
When the plaintiff persisted with his claim, the diocese threatened his attorneys with bankruptcy, Manly said.
"This is one more example of the diocese leadership engaging in hardball legal tactics," he said.
Manly, who also represented Trotter and is the attorney for John CC Doe's and John MT Doe's pending cases, said he thinks it's important parishioners know the diocese is considering filing for bankruptcy.
In response to questions about a potential bankruptcy, Davis said no decision has been made. "But we are assessing very carefully what our future move will be," she said.
Contact reporter Jennie Rodriguez-Moore at (209) 943-8564 or email@example.com. Visit her blog at recordnet.com/courtsblog.


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I crossed my fingers and hoped that I would find Jane Norman and her two sons on the 1910 census. Dissie had died in 1908, so someone recognizable as her husband Jack Norman might still be around in 1910.
The Puzzle Piece
For a 1910 US Federal Census search on Ancestry, I entered "Norman" in the last name field, "Arkansas" in the state field, and "Garland" in the county field. The Norman names that showed up in the results did not include a Jane or Thomas Norman, but they did include a "Jackson W. Norman," age 22 – and he was listed together with a Sarah J. Cotton, age 53, and a Thomas P. Moore, age 25. This was the very family that Inez Cline had referred to. Sarah J. was Sarah Jane, Thomas was the "other son named Moore," and Jackson was Jack! When I checked back on the 1900 census to see why there was a discrepancy in Jack's name, I could see that "John M." was probably actually "Johnson" – apparently the census-taker could not remember his exact name. Most importantly, Jack's marital status was given as "widowed." As on the 1900 census, the Newton Norman family was right next door.
I still wanted to know if there was not only a connection by marriage, but also a connection by kinship to "my" Normans. Before I did any more census research, I decided to visit what I knew to be a rich source of information on the Normans and numerous members of the Arkansas families related to them. Next stop: Findagrave, specifically the entries for Peak Cemetery, Garland County, Arkansas.
The Source
Sarah J. Cotton household, 1910 U.S. census, Garland County, Arkansas, population schedule, Lincoln Township, dwelling 136, family 139; National Archives Microfilm Publication, Roll T624_50; Page 9A; Enumeration District 71. Accessed via Ancestry.com.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Mystery Normans and Source Citations – Part 3
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text: Crystal Morey Gets Fast and Furious With Bunshin Saikian Horimasa (VIDEO) By Crystal Morey Sooooo... I was hoping to interview Bunshin Saikian Horimasa while racing through the Nagano mountains in his Porsche 996. He and 69 other Hemi enthusiasts have formed a "touring" club that meets once a month and just drives fast. The 69 Brothers. I was hoping for footage of me screaming obscenities and wishing I had a helmet but on the day we went it was raining. And there were police. With cameras. It was the weirdest thing... We would pull into a truck stop and the police would follow us, one would eventually come over and say how much he liked the cars and asked where were we going, while another car came around the back of us and took photos. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiDC_7RtOoA&w=560&h=415] I'm from Texas, when cops are taking your picture on the sly it is NOT good. Back in the car I asked Horimasa if he was concerned and he laughed and said we were fine, that we weren't 'bōsōzoku' (teenage gangs identified by their obscenely festooned motorcycles and cars that they race through the city causing as much noise and mayhem as possible) and we weren't doing anything illegal. Except doubling the speed limit. He maintained that he and his crew were adults and responsible drivers therefore it was not a problem. We did slow down whenever a cop caught up, and the guys in the back quickly texted the guys in the front to let them know, but no one was pulled over or issued even a warning and, as there are no speed cameras in the tunnels, we did get a fair bit of racing in. We drove for eight hours and is seemed like three, with stops off here and there to see the Shunen no Ishi - the rock of regret*, and eat soba on the peak... Interviewing Horimasa was harder than I thought it would be. We work together so much I know how he works and what his views on tattooing. We slipped into a discussion on wabori and some of the dos and don'ts of traditional Japanese tattooing, and I decided to focus this blog around that. It was actually a really cool talk because he answered a lot of questions people e-mail me with! Wabori refers to traditional Japanese tattooing (opposed to yobori which refers to Western style tattoos). Practitioners of traditional wabori follow specific rules of design. The pieces are clear and not cluttered, usually with a central image surrounded by water, wind or clouds. Traditional Japanese tattoos should be recognizable from space. One of the biggest appeals of Japanese tattooing is that it is timeless, a well-rendered piece remains forever a thing of beauty. Crystal Morey: I think one of the things I get asked most about are flowers. Which flowers go with what, and why... Horimasa: Botan (peony) is the king of flower and Karashishi (foo dog) is the king of beasts so they always go together. You do not put sakura (cherry blossoms) or kiku (chrysanthemum) with karashishi. Peony is a chinese flower and it goes with animals from chinese mythology -the karashishi, phoenix, snake and tiger. CM: Can the phoenix or tiger go with anything else? Horimasa: Yes -the phoenix is versatile and pairs with many things, Ryu (Japanese dragon) karashishi, hebi (snake), sakura, botan, koi (carp). The tiger pairs with bamboo or botan. The snake however pairs only with botan. CM: Are snakes malevolent or benevolent beings in Japanese mythology? Horimasa: Snakes are good luck... especially white snakes, white snakes bring money! CM: Good to know! And there is a rule about mixing flowers, correct? Horimasa: Yes. Don't do it. It doesn't make sense to put sakura with kiku -one is a spring flower and one is a winter one. So for example, taka (hawk) you can put with pine trees or sakura -but not both, and in choosing one you are creating a scene for the hawk. CM: So what about dragon, what do they pair with? Horimasa: As far as flowers? I think kiku pairs best with dragon but you can do sakura as well. Japanese dragons do not, as a rule, pair with botan. You can put then in cloud scenes as well, with the face, a claw or two and part of the body showing. The clouds are called Reishi and look like mushroom, they are a symbol for eternal youth. CM: You see this a lot in sumi paintings. What about Koi? Horimasa: Koi are also versatile. They can pair with momiji (maple leaves), sakura, botan any flower really, but only one. You don't do a koi with botan and sakura. It doesn't make sense. CM: Why are cranes always paired with Minogame (long-tailed turtles)? I see this imagery all the time working with kimono... Horimasa: Cranes represent long life -1,000,000 years of long life. Minogame also represents longevity -1,000 years. When these are put together it means a long life full of happiness so it often goes on wedding kimono. Cranes alone are paired with either take (bamboo) or ume (plum) blossoms. CM: Why do rabbits always appear with the moon? Horimasa: Rabbits pair with waves or the moon. Japanese believe there are rabbits on the moon who pound rice with mallets to make mochi (Japanese rice cakes). They are night creatures so the go with the moon. CM: How about insects? Butterflies or spiders? Horimasa: Butterflies are symbols of beauty and go with any flower. They can pair with karashishi as well. Spiders are evil. Not lucky. CM: And Kitsune? Do they have a traditional motif they pair with? Horimasa: Kitsune go with momiji (maple leaves). CM: Okay, here's one I get a lot -daruma dolls, do certain colors mean certain things? You gotta know this one, you live near Takasaki! (An area famous for making daruma dolls.) Horimasa: Yes, there are certain attributes associated with color. Red is for good luck, white is for love and happiness, gold is for bringing money, yellow is for protection and purple is for heath and longevity. CM: Okay, one more because I always forget this... Manekineko, the lucky cat, which paw brings in money and which paw brings in customers? Horimasa: I always forget! Wait, right paw is money and left paw is customers... left paw is usually for izakaya (bars) because to be hidari-kiki - left-handed person means you are a strong drinker! CM: Did not know that. Ha! That explains a lot! *Just a quick note about Shunen no Ishi - the rock of regret. The story goes that during a fierce 3,000 man battle, Damyo Taken Shingen was cornered by his arch rival Uesugi Kenshin, "The Dragon of War" who attacked from horseback. Hara Osumi, Shingen's retainer stepped up to defend his master and attacked the mounted Kensin but missed, allowing Kensin time to flee. Osuma, whose mistake allowed the enemy leader to escape, thrust the errant spear into the rock of regret and the hole it made is still there today.* (Bunshin Saikian Horimasa's studio is in Gunma, Japan. He travels frequently for tattoo conventions and can be contacted via his website: http://www.horimasa.jp/ or Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001758200162 for bookings.) (Crystal Morey works for Gomineko Books and is a contributing blogger for Tattoo Artist Magazine. For more info on Gomineko Books please visit their website: www.gominekobooks.com.)


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Jeffreys Bay
Welcome to the official website of Jeffrey's Bay Tourism. Please feel free to contact us with any enquiries regarding our town, accommodation, business, events etc.
Leisure, surfing and other attractions
Jeffreys Bay is home of the best right hand surf break in the world! International surfers flock to catch the legendary waves in this, a paradise of sunshine, aloes, dolphins, shells, perfect points & classic reefs. Surfers and others who found it hard to leave such an idyllic spot have turned Jeffreys Bay into a year round fun place to be, creating a thriving local craft industry besides the surf shops on just about every corner.
The bustling town is bordered on both sides by nature reserves and rivers – the Kabeljous and Seekoei estuaries and within Jeffreys Bay –the Noorsekloof nature reserve. We invite you to soak up the sunshine, enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and have a wonderful stay.
A wide variety of shops reflect the diversity of local talents.
Accommodation in Jeffreys Bay
For accommodation, Jeffreys Bay offers various options from luxury game farms and guest houses to backpackers.
Restaurants in Jeffreys Bay
A good selection of coffee shops, fast food takeaways and restaurants cater for every culinary taste, from black tie to barefoot on the beach.
Watch our KykNet Jeffreys Bay Dorp van die Jaar Video
Watch our video that showcases Jeffreys Bay
Latest News
Over the sixteen-year history of the Trans Baviaans, the greatest topic of debate before each Race has been the road conditions. 230 kilometres is, by any cyclist's standards, a long distance.


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Basketball exploded on the scene at San Juan and Monticello high schools this week, with all four boys and girls teams participating in tournaments.
The San Juan Lady Broncos came within one point of sweeping the field in the Shiprock Tournament. SJ beat Cortez, 41-20 and Shiprock 64-39 before losing a squeaker to Durango, 43-42 in the final.
Jolene Kirk led the way in scoring, tallying 30 for the tournament's three games with Teal Palmer adding 27 total. Against Cortez, Palmer and Kirk did most of the damage with 13 and 10 points respectively in the easy win.
Nine Lady Broncos found the scoring column. But that was nothing compared to Shiprock, where coach Justin Moon's charges jumped to a 23-6 first quarter lead and had 14 girls in the scoring column.
Palmer, Sade Kyles and Tatianna SueSue all tossed in seven points to lead the scoring. In the final, the girls had all they wanted in Durango in a game that was close throughout. Kirk had 14 points to led the way with Ciara Lyman pitching in 11.
MHS girls and coach Lee Chadwick went 1-1 at the Oak Tree Inn in Milford. The Ladies bested Tintic 57-24 in the opener Friday. The girls showed great balance with Swayzi Slade scoring 15 points, Martha Beh 12 and Brittany Keith, Jamie Keyes, and Kaitlyn Clark all scoring eight points.
Eight Buckaroos scored points for MHS in their highest scoring game of the season. The Lady Bucks rushed to an 18-5 first quarter lead and never looked back.
On Saturday, the host school, the Milford Lady Tigers, were not so nice as they won their own tournament with a 41-30 win over the Lady Bucks.
Monticello trailed only 27-24 after three quarters, but were outscored 14-6 in the fourth quarter to drop to 1-3 on the young season.
Martha Beh led the way in scoring with 12 points. Ally Anderson and Jamie Keyes each scored nine.
Buckaroo boys played three games at the Cortez tournament, including two games in one day on Friday.
"Didn't bother me at all," said Buckaroo coach Tony Esplin, who just coached the Lady Bucks to the state 1A volleyball championship. "I thought two games in one day was kind of relaxing after sometimes playing five or six in one day in volleyball."
The Bucks showed first game jitters against Delta in the season opener, trailing just 32-30 going into the fourth quarter, but succumbing to the turnover bug in the face of a Delta press, to lose 60-40.
Austin Maloy's eight points led the Bucks. All his points came in the first half. Adam Black chipped in with seven.
In the second game on Friday, the Bucks found their legs against Shiprock NW, and smashed the charter school, 74-45.
Jake Duncan led 11 other Buckaroos in scoring with 15 points.
In the final, the Bucks bested Mancos, 47-29. Gunnar Hollingsworth led the Bucks with 14 points and Jake Duncan added 12 points.
San Juan boys and new head coach Jason Torgerson went 1-2 at the Kirtland Tournament.
After losing a close one to 2010 and 2011 state champion Mesilla Valley Christians, 45-43, and Ignacio, 59-41, the Broncos rebounded to beat Crownpoint, NM, 49-42.
The Broncos were led by Barkley Christensen, who scored 34 points in the three games, including seven treys. Logan Meyer added 29 points and Ammon Mitchell 21 points for the weekends work.
Tons of Bucks and Broncos earned All-state honors in volleyball and football led by 1A volleyball MVP, Swayzi Slade from Monticello and 2A defensive MVP, Brooke Lyman from San Juan.
Other first teamers are Martha Beh and Robin Randall from MHS and Simone Shumway and Teal Palmer from SJ. Devin Dalton (MHS) garnered second team honors.
In football, Adam Black (MHS) made the 1A all-state team, along with second teamers Austin Wilcox, Jake Duncan, Jonah Cafferty, Jake Miller, PJ Leiataua, and Terek Esplin.
For the Broncos, Barkley Christensen, Logan Meyer, Bogh Bayles, and Landon Palmer were first teamers, while Bobby Bowring made the second team.
Congratulations to all these players and their coaches for the honors well deserved.


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Cable for Kabalevsky
Choreography by Choreography by Nick Kepley
Photo by Tony Spielberg
Tag Archives: Dancers
Ballet Austin Welcomes New Company Dancers
|For the 2010/11 Season, Ballet Austin welcomes three new dancers into the Company. Two of these dancers, Brittany Strickland and Preston Andrew Patterson, are joining us from within the Ballet Austin family. Last year, Brittany and Preston danced with Ballet Austin II, our apprentice company, and have now been hired into the Company.
Our third new Company member, James Fuller, is a recent graduate of Harvard in the class of 2010. Watch the video below to learn a bit about his dance studies at Harvard and his excitement about joining Ballet Austin as we kick off our 2010/11 Season this fall.
Look for these dancers in our Season Opener performance of Carmina Burana & Kai on September 24-26, 2010 as they perform in their first show as members of the Company. Welcome James, Brittany, and Preston!
Brittany Strickland


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Saturday, April 27, 2013 - Page updated at 11:30 a.m.
Northwest Living
Donna and Riley Shirey built green for themselves and to teach others
By Rebecca Teagarden
Pacific NW associate editor
BEFORE SHE got into the construction business 41 years ago, Donna Shirey was a teacher.
Turns out, she still is.
"Our first project with SIPs was in 1987," says Shirey, co-founder of Shirey Handyman & Remodeling, discussing the benefits of building with structural insulated panels. "The first show we ever did was the Tacoma Home Show in 1987. People said to us, 'You're gonna put foam in houses? I read about that in Popular Science.' "
The Shireys, Donna and her husband, Riley, have long believed that sustainable building is smart building. And in 2005 they decided to go for it: build the greenest, most affordable, healthy, comfortable and quiet home possible on the shore of Lake Sammamish in Bellevue. The Shireys would be their own client, and they would open the house to anybody who wanted to come have a look, from construction to completion.
Its sustainable credentials are many: photovoltaic panels, solar hot water, tankless water heater, hydronic radiant heating, heat-recovery ventilator, living roof, recycled-content tile, salvaged-wood flooring, metal roof, local materials, rainwater collection using a 3,000-gallon cistern, small footprint, wind turbine, 5-star Built Green rating. More.
"We had 3,500 people come through, and that's not including groups," Shirey says brightly, sitting in the golden kitchen of their 1,630-square-foot home, a little bit country, a little bit contemporary and designed by architect David Clinkston. "Riley thinks the lookie-loos added three months to the process."
The more the merrier, is how they look at it. Why, Shirey (who's fond of such construction bon mots as "build tight; ventilate right," and "use built-ins, not furniture") has lived all of her years in a sustainable frame of mind.
"My parents went through the Depression; my dad was a butcher in Cleveland. We saved and recycled everything," she says. "You never knew what you were going to need."
The Shireys completed the place they call "the Zero Energy Idea House" in 2009. Most recently it and the couple's Florida home were featured in the book "Prefabulous + Almost Off the Grid" by Sheri Koones. (Fun fact: Robert Redford, who wrote the preface, worked as a roustabout in the oil fields south of Los Angeles as a teenager.)
Koones tells us that houses use about one-third of all the energy in America. But for 80 percent of the year, the Shirey home requires no energy to operate. And each year Puget Sound Energy has sent the Shireys a check for about $650 for power returned to the grid.
The home is contemporary but made comfortable with fat alder trim and bright, cheerful (no VOC) paint. Rooms (two bedrooms, 2 ½ baths) are no larger than needed. The living room is a conversation-inducing 11 feet by 12 feet. The home steps down the lake's-edge hillside, from TV loft upstairs to the bedrooms below the main living space.
Interior designer Autumn Donovan helped inside, working with the Shireys' "recycled" furniture — pieces they already owned. "Those chairs over there?" Shirey says, pointing to the living room. "I've had those since 1982. We just got them recovered."
That kind of ethic is evident all around. "There's always something people can do," Shirey says, "whether they're building a new house or have an existing one."
Rebecca Teagarden writes about design and architecture for Pacific NW magazine. Benjamin Benschneider is a magazine staff photographer.
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Murder Mystery SUPPER
Murder, Mystery and Suspense - solve the clues on our Fish & Chip supper evening on 07 September 2019!
The scene is set at Chinnor station by our professional and entertaining actors from the Irregular Special Players. Each plot allows a degree of audience participation, within a complex yet humorous case, which is solvable only to the astute of mind. Will you be able to call yourself a master detective by the end of the evening?
All you have to do is follow the clues, question the suspects, find the physical evidence and solve the case before Sherlock Holmes makes his deductions.
Our 'plots' are still being discussed - but here is an example: The Theft and Colonel Holman Stevens, the railway magnate, has called upon the services of Sherlock Holmes to investigate the ongoing thefts from his trains, which are believed to be the work of a ruthless gang. Meanwhile the mysterious Captain Basil, a famous explorer, is on board a train with a valuable haul of gold coins, which he is to present to the British Museum. A murder follows but the body appears to be that of an innocent passenger, one Doctor Dietler. Who is Captain Basil? Why was a murder committed? What is the motive for the subsequent blackmail aboard the train? Join Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson as they unravel no less than three crimes in this complex case.
Your evening starts at 19.00 and finishes at approximately 22.30 back at Chinnor station, where the murderer is revealed.
P.S. Some of our 'suspects' may include YOU or some of your fellow travellers... (props and items of clothing will be provided) and it adds to the fun of the evening, though if you'd prefer not to be quite so involved, please tell Sherlock Holmes or Doctor Watson!
Adult £32.50 (16+ years)
Child* £20.00 (10 - 15 years)
*We suggest a minimum age of 10 years.
Price includes three round trips of the line, locally fried Fish & Chip* supper with Beechdean Ice Cream to follow - there is also a paid-for service of alcoholic beers and wines, soft drinks etc, served at your seat by our volunteer stewards. *Alternatives include sausage, steak pie, and veggie burger - all with chips (or even just chips, if you prefer!).
Make up a Party of 10 (or more):
There are reduced rates for groups of 10 or more - please speak to Ray on 07718 003133 (10.00 - 16.00, calls only - sorry no texts to his 'phone) and Ray will be delighted to discuss availability and prices with you.
Booking information
Due to the fixed seating layout, bookings are made per complete table of 2, 3 or 4 persons. Prices include train fare and supper, but excludes wines, beers and additional soft drinks - which are available at your seat at extra cost. Due to the internal dimensions of our heritage coaches, we regret that less able persons can only be accommodated if they are not confined to a wheelchair.
Book tickets
- Sat 07 Sep 2019


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About 1,700 homes lose power in region
Hydro Québec says about 1,700 homes in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region lost power Thursday afternoon because of a mechanical failure on two main transmission lines coming from the La Vérendrye region in Northern Quebec.
At 4:45 p.m., spokesperson for the provincially owned utility said crews are working on the problem and expect power to be restored within minutes.
The outage occurred a bit before 4 p.m., the utility said.


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May 10, 2010
LOS ANGELES - UCLA Anderson School of Management's Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER), headed by Senior Associate Dean Chris Erickson, has again been recognized as a leading center of excellence by the U.S. Department of Education and has been awarded a four-year $1,528,400 grant renewal. This is the culmination of an extremely competitive process reviewing the accomplishments of CIBER to date and plans for the future. The grant will be in the amount of $382,100 per year for four years. UCLA Anderson is one of 33 U.S. universities to receive a CIBER grant.
This grant provides support for a variety of programs at UCLA Anderson and elsewhere at UCLA, as well as collaborative efforts across the greater Los Angeles region. According to the program's literature, "UCLA CIBER ... provides programs that help our students, faculty, and community better understand the global economy. As part of a leading research university, CIBER funds programs of the highest academic caliber for the benefit of our constituents."
These programs include courses on such varied topics as global/green business for young leaders and terrorism and counterterrorism; research support for both faculty and doctoral candidates; support for MBA student microfinance research projects in the developing world; and community outreach that includes (but is not limited to) the High School Economics Institute, a film series dedicated to international business and a series of conferences and speakers.
"We are very pleased to receive this renewal of our CIBER grant," said Erickson. "We're even more pleased to again have the opportunity to support global education and research at UCLA Anderson, across the UCLA campus and in our community."
About UCLA Anderson School of Management
UCLA Anderson School of Management, established in 1935, is regarded among the leading business schools in the world. UCLA Anderson faculty members are renowned for their teaching excellence and research in advancing management thinking. Each year, UCLA Anderson provides management education to more than 1,800 students enrolled in MBA, Fully-Employed MBA, Executive MBA, UCLA-NUS Global Executive MBA, Master of Financial Engineering, and doctoral programs, and to more than 2,000 professional managers through executive education programs. Combining highly selective admissions, varied and innovative learning programs, and a world-wide network of 36,000 alumni, UCLA Anderson develops and prepares global leaders.


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"I hate space," says the character played by Sandra Bullock in the new movie "Gravity," and you can understand why: It's an empty void, filled with the wreckage of failed satellites and derelict space stations, a beautiful nothingness where human beings float helplessly, praying for some way to get home.
Movies have a way of distilling moments in our culture, and "Gravity" may be the defining film for the lost-in-space year of 2013: Nothing works. Our political system is clogged with debris. We can't read the instruction manuals for rescue craft because they're in Chinese. If we think help is on the way, we're probably hallucinating because of oxygen deprivation.
I won't spoil the plot by telling you what happens to Bullock and the other characters in Alfonso Cuarón's marvelous film. But let's explore the dark vision this film captures so well: the terrifying sense of drifting untethered in the cosmos, tumbling out of control, turning desperately to support systems that fail, one after the other. The astronauts keep calling "Houston," but the reassuring voice of control that brought space travelers home in "Apollo 13" isn't there.
"Gravity" is a talky film, but as New York Times critic A.O. Scott has noted, the garrulous characters are really just trying to fill the terrible reality of silence. It's like watching cable TV while the federal government goes off a cliff. None of the pundits has a clue what's happening, but they keep up the chatter.
For a sense of how "Gravity" marks a distinct cultural moment, compare it to another iconic film about the cosmos, Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey." That movie was also about being lost in space. Keir Dullea played an astronaut on a mission to Jupiter when the computer running his ship, known as "HAL," takes control. Dullea's character also finds himself adrift outside his capsule in the blackness of space, but he's drawn into a cosmic apotheosis that is a fable of rebirth and infinite life.
Kubrick's film was released in 1968, as American culture was heading over the lip of a waterfall. It was a time of political upheaval — the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., the sudden withdrawal from the presidential race of Lyndon Johnson. Back then, outer space was still a blessed escape from all the terrestrial turmoil. The year after Kubrick's film was released came Neil Armstrong's landing on the moon. Things felt pretty crazy on Earth in 1969, but the cosmos was friendly. Astronauts had round-trip tickets; they got home.
The world of 2013 is different: We don't even attempt manned space programs anymore. They are too expensive, and what's the point? Thank goodness for the plucky little Voyager I probe, which has just left the solar system, 36 years after it was launched, carrying sounds of Earth, including a baby crying, a whale's song and Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode."
But our sodden political dysfunction is tuning out the cosmos. Among the casualties of this month's government shutdown were many of the world's largest radio telescopes, operated by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Turned off because of a lack of funds, they stopped listening for electromagnetic signals from other galaxies and planets. "We're really at a dead halt," the observatory's director, Anthony Beasley, told Science magazine.
The only aggressive space program these days, not surprisingly, is China's. The Chinese plan to launch this year a lunar rover, called Chang'e 3, that would be the first spacecraft to make a soft landing on the moon's surface in 37 years. The Chinese are planning a manned mission to the moon sometime after 2020 and, subsequently, to Mars. The United States has abandoned that dream.
What sparkles in this shutdown season is the prominence of foreign-born directors in making the few memorable Hollywood films that break through box-office formulas to create real art. Cuarón, a Mexican director who earlier made "Children of Men" and "Y Tu Mamá También," is an obvious example. He's joined by Denis Villeneuve, a French Canadian who directed the remarkable 2010 film "Incendies" and the recent big-budget release "Prisoners." At the top of my list is Alejandro González Iñárritu, a Mexican who directed "Babel," "21 Grams" and "Biutiful," three superb films about immigrants in our borderless world.
Images sometimes capture particular periods in history. The unreachable green light, beckoning from across the bay in "The Great Gatsby," has become a symbol of the yearning of America in the 1920s. Maybe tumbling helplessly in space is how we will remember life in October 2013.
Read more from David Ignatius's archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
Read more about this issue:
Dana Milbank: The shutdown's enforcer-in-chief
E.J. Dionne Jr.: Obama can't cave, even a little, in the face of GOP extremism
David Ignatius: Halting the GOP's doomsday strategy
Eric Cantor: Divided government requires bipartisan negotiation
Chris Matthews: Breaking the deadlock on Pennsylvania Avenue


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Comment ID:
Elena De Luca
Elena De Luca Productions
DotMusic Limited
Application ID:
Panel/Objection Ground:
Community Evaluation Panel
Support for .MUSIC Community Applicant
Comment Submission Date:12 August 2015 at 00:29:30 UTC
I am a Music Community member supporting the .MUSIC Community application because DotMusic:
- developed its Mission and Registration Policies using Community feedback collected in its public global communication outreach campaign launched in 2008, which gave the Community extensive opportunities to engage (e.g. via events, meetings, social media or public comments);
- follows unified principles that the entire Community subscribes to, such as creating a trusted identifier and safe haven for music consumption, protecting musicians' rights and intellectual property, fighting copyright infringement/piracy, supporting fair compensation and music education, and following a multi-stakeholder approach of representation of all types of global music constituents without discrimination;
- is supported by relevant organizations with members representing over 95% of music consumed globally, including entities mainly dedicated to the Community (IFPI, FIM, ICMP, IFACCA, IAMIC, ISME, A2IM, WIN, NAMM & others);
- is the only applicant without a Community Objection or any relevant, substantiated opposition;
- "uses clear, organized, consistent and interrelated criteria to demonstrate Community Establishment…aligned with [its] community-based Purpose" and upholds its Community definition ("strictly delineated and organized community of individuals, organizations and business, a logical alliance of communities of similar nature that relate to music") "encompassing global reaching commercial, non-commercial stakeholders and amateur stakeholders;"
- has safeguards to increase trust, protect copyright and prevent cybersquatting, including: restricting eligibility to Community members with the requisite Community awareness without discrimination; only allowing legal music content and usage; no parking pages; stopping domain hopping; anti-piracy takedown policies; authorization provisions; permanent blocks; privacy/proxy provisions; true name/address mandates; trusted sender complaints; registrant validation via 2-step phone & email authentication; a limited priority phase for members belonging to Music Community Member Organizations; naming conditions only allowing name, acronym or DBA registration; a music Globally Protected Marks List;
- has proactive & reactive enforcement, such as zone screening, crowdsourced enforcement & random compliance checks, with appropriate appeals mechanisms to fix compliance cases under its .MUSIC Policy & Copyright Infringement Dispute Resolution Process (MPCIDRP) including independent dispute resolution via NAF;
"Music" is recognized by ICANN and GAC as a regulated sector, comprised of a logical alliance of interdependent communities relating to music with organized practices and institutions that enable and regulate the production, distribution and consumption of music. As such, the string is aligned with DotMusic's Community definition ("a strictly delineated and organized community of individuals, organizations and business, a logical alliance of communities of similar nature that relate to music"). Its Nexus also matches the .MUSIC string because it represents the Community and allows all constituents to register a .MUSIC domain without any conflict of interests, over-reaching or discrimination.
DotMusic clearly exceeds the CPE criteria, has provided music-tailored Public Interest Commitments, and responsibly serves a higher purpose to fulfill the Community's needs and legitimate interests.
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