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Amaka Ubaka is happy to be back at home in the Sunshine State. She joined the Local 6 team in January 2013 and is excited to explore all that Central Florida has to offer.
Amaka comes to Local 6 after spending time at WOWT, in the nation's Heartland -- Omaha, Nebraska. Highlights of her time there include covering the NCAA College Baseball World Series and the 2012 Olympic Swim Trials. But she's happy to leave the cold weather behind to enjoy warm weather year around here in Central Florida.
Her passion for journalism began in high school, after an internship in public radio. After voicing her opinions on-air for weekly commentaries on important national and international issues, she became a certified news junkie. She loves covering stories that get results and make a difference for viewers.
She grew up in the state's capitol and continued studying journalism at the University of Miami (Go Canes!) After several internships, she graduated with a B.S. in communications.
When not at work, you will likely find Amaka at the gym, watching college football, or reading a good book.
In case you're wondering, her name is Nigerian and it's more common than you might think!
If you have a good story idea, send Amaka an email at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Follow Amaka on Facebook or Twitter @AmakaLocal6
Favorite Restaurant: Fiorella's Jack Stack BBQ in Kansas City
Favorite Food: Major sweet tooth! Candy, mashed potatoes
Favorite Musical Group/Singer: Mariah Carey, Anita Baker, Michael Jackson, Celine Dion
Favorite Book: The Tao of Pooh & Guns, Germs, and Steel
Favorite Sport: Football
Favorite Movie: City of God
Favorite TV Show: Anything on Bravo, HGTV
Place You Would Love To Visit: Nigeria, Brazil, India, Thailand


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The Flying Dutchmen have been picked to finish second behind defending champion Adrian in the first-ever pre-season poll of MIAA baseball coaches.
Coach Stu Fritz's Flying Dutchmen received three of the eight first-place votes while Adrian garnered the remaining five. A year ago Hope finished second behind Adrian in the MIAA standings. The teams split their four-game series, each sweeping a doubleheader on the other team's field. Hope posted a 26-14 overall record.
Adrian is the three-time defending conference champion. Poll Results (coaches could not vote for their own team): 1. Adrian (5) 9 pts. 2. Hope (3) 11. 3. Calvin 23. 4. Albion 24. 5. Trine 33. 6. Alma 39. 6. Kalamazoo 39. 8. Olivet 46.
The Flying Dutchmen open their season with the annual series of games in Florida from March 16-22. The regular season has an exciting beginning as Hope and Adrian launch it with a home-and-away series on March 24 (at Hope) and March 26 (at Adrian).
This year will also mark the first time that the MIAA will hold a post-season conference tournament to determine the qualifier for the NCAA championships. In the past the regular season champion has been the automatic qualifier. The four-team MIAA tournament will take place May 9-11.


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What does it mean for a company to perform well? Any definition must revolve around the notion of results that meet or exceed the expectations of shareholders. Yet when top managers speak with us privately, they often suggest that the gap between these expectations and management's baseline earnings projections is widening. Shareholders tend to think that today's earnings challenges are cyclical. Executives, who find themselves frustrated in their efforts to improve the performance of their companies no matter how hard they swim against the economic tide, increasingly see the problems as structural.
This anxiety is understandable. The overcapacity spawned by globalization shows no sign of easing in many industries, including manufacturing sectors such as aerospace, automotive, and high-tech equipment as well as service sectors such as telecommunications, media, retailing, and IT services. Combined with the increased price transparency provided by digital technology, this overcapacity has given customers greatly enhanced power to extract maximum value. The result — the ruthless price competition that rules today's markets — has convinced many top managers that profits won't rise dramatically even if demand picks up from the recession levels of recent years. In short, the performance challenge companies face isn't cyclical; it will persist for years to come.
The stakes are high. The S&P 500, despite a 40 percent decline from its peak, still trades at a P/E multiple of 15, and consensus forecasts of earnings growth average 8 percent a year — about two to three times the growth of GDP. Lower expectations may well be warranted in a competitive, deflationary economic environment, but reducing expectations of earnings growth to 4 percent would imply a reduction in corporate equity values of no less than 15 to 25 percent.
So top managers have a choice. They can try to close the performance gap by scaling back the market's expectations for future earnings — an approach that implies an acceptance of lower stock prices (and might get them fired). Or they can improve baseline earnings to meet or exceed the market's expectations. Shareholders and managers alike prefer the latter course.
Companies can find additional earnings in two ways: they can try to improve operating performance by squeezing more profit out of existing capabilities, or they can improve corporate performance by organizing in new ways to develop initiatives that could generate new earnings. By pursuing both of these approaches simultaneously, companies can take a powerful organizational step toward meeting the challenges of today's hypercompetitive global economy.
The Limits of Operating Performance
Top managers have traditionally chosen to rely on operating-performance tactics when times are hard and only during good times to undertake more fundamental performance-improvement initiatives. This predilection must change if, as we believe, the challenges facing companies are structural and persistent rather than cyclical and temporary. Companies that depend too heavily on improvements in their operating performance will run into real limits in the longer term.
To be sure, top management, pressured by intense global competition, has reacted correctly over the past few years by pushing operating performance ever harder to meet earnings expectations. Discretionary spending has been slashed, the least productive capacity eliminated, corporate overhead cut, marginal operations and businesses shed. Companies have become far more aggressive in purchasing. These steps, necessary to eliminate waste built up during the boom of the late 1990s, have bought time. But merely acting to secure increased returns from existing capabilities will yield diminishing returns and eventually become counterproductive.
Squeezing operating performance when times are tough is a tried-and-true practice, but it is inadequate in today's hypercompetitive global economy. During the entire post-World War II era, most large companies enjoyed extraordinary strength in their home markets. Their core businesses, often defined geographically, usually gave them privileged access to customers and to labor, capital, and technology. The profitability of these businesses often sufficed to support investments for expanding beyond the core.
With such extraordinary "home court" advantages, top management could set financial targets and develop long-range plans and "visions" to reach them. These plans were incorporated into the operating budgets of businesses. The home court advantage gave companies the muscle to drive their operating performance and to generate the expected profits. Given the opaqueness of the information provided to shareholders, the strength and profitability of core businesses often masked failings such as relatively poor returns from noncore businesses and ineffective corporate overhead. In other words, top executives managed to sustain the illusion that they could predict the future and could thus create expectations of future results. If times got tough, more earnings could always be squeezed from improved operating performance.
During the 1990s, executives in many an industry bet that they could exploit this home court strength to become scale-based winners in the global marketplace. Profits made in home markets subsidized the massive international expansion. It is no coincidence that the industries embracing this strategy — aerospace, automotive, high-tech equipment, investment banking, IT services, media, telecommunications — now populate the list of industries facing structural overcapacity. As barriers to global competition have fallen, so has the home court advantage. As a result, the performance problems that now plague so many companies lie not so much in peripheral as in core businesses.
Fat profits from core businesses in home markets have disappeared. European telecom service providers find that their formerly loyal customers are "rate shopping." US airlines can no longer rely on business travel to subsidize discounts for the mass market. Nor are these problems unusual.
The Risk of Reckless Conservatism
The instinct of companies facing pressures is to retreat to their core businesses, but this is not a practical strategy when the core itself is under attack. What is needed is fundamental innovation embracing not only where and how companies compete but also new ways of organizing and managing them. Making such changes is difficult. Implementing them calls for investment — not easy in an era of overreliance on operating-performance pressure.
Companies typically attempt to boost their earnings by cutting discretionary spending so much that potentially productive long-term investments are compromised. Managers often can't use their own judgment to make even "no-brainer" decisions that could yield important performance gains. We frequently encounter and hear of business leaders who won't spend money on new initiatives even if they are certain to produce large returns (sometimes, in our experience, two or three times the amount invested) within 18 months. Some companies we know have deferred their spending on necessary but unbudgeted new sales personnel, though failing to hire such people means losing substantial revenues the following year and weakens their market position in specific product areas. Other companies have declined to consolidate call centers and to move them offshore — a move that would secure significant ongoing savings in operating costs — because doing so might mean overspending this year's expense budget.
Line managers often lack the freedom to spend money unless their companies seem likely to recover the investment within the current budget year. When such minor decisions are deferred, it is obviously unthinkable to undertake truly important projects, such as investing to build promising new businesses or rewriting the legacy software of core computer operating systems to improve their performance and to reduce longer-term systems costs.
When we raised this point to top managers, they typically expressed horror that such "uneconomic" behavior was taking place. Yet these same top managers are often unwilling to allow exceptions to discretionary expense controls for fear of eroding "make-budget" discipline and suffering the consequent risks to quarterly earnings. The truth is that in many companies, cuts to discretionary spending in core businesses have gone far beyond eliminating waste. Essential maintenance has been cut, and the penalty will be paid in lost revenues and higher costs in the future. In the worst cases, many companies have begun milking their core franchises so much that a future collapse in earnings and even a loss of independence are inevitable.
Extreme operating pressures force line managers to make do with existing capabilities despite the need to adapt businesses to a relentlessly changing marketplace. Managers facing such pressures inevitably lack the resources to explore and experiment. In this environment, how will companies innovate?
Organizing for Corporate Performance
One of the most effective ways a company can respond to today's challenges is to put in place corporate-performance processes to complement their current operating-performance practices. By improving both kinds of performance simultaneously, companies can maximize their chances of closing the gap between the short- and long-term expectations of shareholders and management. Most companies will have to develop dynamic company-wide performance-management processes to make themselves more effective by allocating scarce resources to the best opportunities available. Such processes must be as disciplined as the operating processes used to manage current earnings.
By definition, corporate-performance management involves corporate- and not just business-level managers. (By corporate-level management, we mean general managers who can trade off current versus future earnings and manage expectations for results. At many companies, only the CEO has such responsibilities, but in others they can be vested in group-level managers or in managers of large businesses.)
Unlike operating performance, which can be driven by "vertical" line-management processes, corporate performance requires "horizontal" processes involving company-wide collaboration to generate and share ideas, establish accountability, and help allocate resources effectively. (The research budgets of pharmaceutical companies and the exploration-and-production capital budgets of petroleum companies drive much of the long-term performance in these two industries. Well-managed companies in them often administer such budgets with great discipline and intensity, which we think should be applied to all important initiatives that drive long-term performance.)
Scarce resources now include not only capital but also discretionary spending as well as the talent and management focus needed to find, nurture, and manage new projects that could boost future performance. Major corporate-wide initiatives, such as programs to improve the management of client relationships and to create new product-development and corporate-purchasing processes, would all be part of the effort.
Accountability for performance should reside in the corporation's "top of the house," which is best able to determine what trade-offs between current and future performance are acceptable and is responsible for managing expectations of future results. The top of the house should be construed not as the two or three most senior executives but rather as the entire senior-management team, probably including major business leaders and key functional staff — from 15 to 25 people.
Line and top management should be made collectively accountable for the trade-offs between short-term operating-performance objectives and the discretionary spending and talent investments needed to take on major new initiatives. The burden should not be imposed almost exclusively on line managers — as happens today when top managers "jam down" budget cuts. Individual businesses would probably sponsor many of the best ideas for improving corporate performance. The resources needed to pursue them might involve separate discretionary budgets and full-time staffs drawn from throughout the company. Even a high-impact initiative involving only a single business should be a priority for the whole corporation.
Finding the Best New Initiatives
Effective corporate-performance management improves the way a company identifies and selects its best new initiatives, provides the resources they need, and ensures that once launched they are managed intensively. Consider a chief of technology contemplating a multiyear initiative to rewrite the legacy software of a core operating system that several businesses use, such as a demand-deposit system in a bank or a network-management system in a telecom company. Today, because of operating-performance pressures, such a project might never obtain funds, or the manager concerned might decide to undertake it on his or her own initiative, financing it by allocating the costs to several businesses and developing it over a period of two to three years. Senior management in the affected businesses might have little to do with the effort, only becoming involved when it ran over budget, fell behind schedule, or failed to deliver some of the promised results — or all three.
Under the corporate-performance approach, by contrast, the company's top 15 or 20 executives might meet once a month in a corporate-performance council to review and revise all ongoing projects. Ideas for initiatives would bubble up through the company, and the council would approve the most promising ones. The project to rewrite the core operating system would likely be presented to the council by the head of technology or by leaders of the businesses concerned. It would be subject to open debate before it began rather than executed in isolation. Sponsorship and accountability would be assigned early in the process, and the project would be subject from its inception to regular and frequent reviews, including formal scrutiny by the entire council.
This kind of organization can link the generation of new ideas and initiatives more dynamically to oversight and action by senior and top management. The most relevant business or functional managers would typically sponsor new initiatives. Those cutting across the entire company might have top-management sponsors; those involving conflicts between different managers might be assigned to independent sponsors with fresh perspectives.
A Portfolio of Initiatives
Giving a top-and senior-management team the responsibility for deciding which initiatives to improve and which to reject ensures that a company's corporate-performance projects reflect its broader performance agenda rather than pressures to meet quarterly earnings targets by managing day-to-day operations. A set of tools we have developed to categorize and measure initiatives (see "The Basics of Corporate Performance," at the end of this article) can help managers convert the concept of corporate performance into an operational reality. At the heart of our approach is the development and management of individual new ideas into a corporate "portfolio of initiatives" that can drive a company's longer-term performance by aligning projects with the fluid and risky external environment. (See Lowell L. Bryan, "Just-in-Time Strategy for a Turbulent World," The McKinsey Quarterly, 2002 Number 2.) All activities that could have a material impact on a company's market capitalization become part of the process. We have found that, typically, 20 to 40 initiatives fall into this category.
Ideally, the entire senior-management group would play a role in choosing which initiatives to pursue, to accelerate, or to discontinue; decisions would not be made by individuals or during one-on-one conversations with the president or the CEO. Of course, if consensus proved impossible to reach, top management would ultimately rule on the issues, but it is vitally important to have open debate on the critical ones. These decisions will determine the company's long-term performance, so most of the senior leadership team must be involved in making them.
A typical senior-management group would include top management, major line managers, and critically important functional staff managers, including the heads of the finance, human-resources, marketing, and technology departments — in other words, any member of management with important knowledge needed to inform the debate and to help implement decisions when they are made.
Once formed, this senior-management body should convene at least once a month for a full day; a typical meeting might examine four or five initiatives in various stages of implementation. Every six months or so, the group might review the entire active portfolio of initiatives and determine whether baseline projections of their results met the long-term expectations of the company's shareholders as expressed in its stock price.
Certain initiatives, particularly those that could adapt the company's core business model to changing circumstances, are essential to any corporate-wide portfolio. Such initiatives might include major technology projects, the redesign of the company's core operating model, offshoring decisions, and major marketing changes. Strategic initiatives, such as acquisitions, divestitures, and the building of new businesses, are essential as well.
A particularly important part of the portfolio mix should be initiatives to communicate with and influence the expectations of major stakeholders — customers, regulators, the media, employees, and, above all, shareholders and directors. The involvement of all parts of the company in this area is essential, since strong corporate performance means results that meet or exceed the stakeholders' expectations.
Executed effectively, the process will keep line managers under intense pressure to improve the operating performance of their units. But it will also enable them to propose initiatives requiring major discretionary spending and staffing to a group of executives with a broad sense of the company's overall strategy and performance expectations as well as the power to commit the resources needed. Since managers with big ideas for improving corporate performance would be emancipated from the constraints of their own operating budgets to develop these ideas, they would be encouraged to come forward even if they had difficulty making their budgets. Indeed, the process might become so much a part of the corporate culture that managers wouldn't be deemed to be performing well without sponsoring new initiatives and effectively helping to carry them out.
This approach to decision making can also improve the way companies time and sequence their investments, for everyone involved in debating and reviewing critical initiatives will have the information needed to understand the relevant issues. Such an understanding makes it easier to set priorities and to make the right decisions at the right time with the right information.
Besides developing and launching new initiatives in this way, the improvement of corporate performance involves knowing when to accelerate initiatives that are working and ruthlessly eliminating those that are not. The explicit involvement of all senior managers means that decisions are transparent to all, so it is easier to move quickly to capture new opportunities or to cut losses. The management of risk-and-reward trade-offs improves because a corporate-wide process elicits the views and knowledge not only of the initiatives' champions but also of the entire leadership team. Often, skeptics can see the trade-offs more clearly than advocates can.
Obviously, the resources required to undertake corporate-performance initiatives that involve discretionary spending and staffing must come from somewhere. To make this approach work, a company must carve out a discrete corporate-performance budget and form a project-management office to direct the process. The discretionary funds needed can come only from operating budgets, and the people needed to drive the initiatives will be recruited either by tapping internal talent or by spending money to recruit new talent from the outside. When an initiative succeeds and goes operational, its ongoing activities and staff are moved out of the discrete corporate-performance budget and put back into the operating budget. Unsuccessful initiatives are terminated.
The corporate-performance approach, in sum, differs fundamentally from attempts to use a single process both to improve existing capabilities and to develop new ones. It involves major changes in the way top and senior managers collaborate and in their individual and collective accountability.
A corporate-performance management process will not by itself solve the challenges that managers face today, but it can certainly help. Any decision to shift resources from operating-performance to long-term corporate-performance investments is difficult to make. The advantage of a corporate-performance management process is that such decisions are made explicitly and comprehensively by top managers responsible for driving a company's longer-term performance rather than implicitly by line managers under intense pressure to meet short-term operating-performance demands.
Lowell Bryan is a director in McKinsey's New York office, and Ron Hulme is a director in the Houston office.
The Basics of Corporate Performance
To turn the concept of corporate performance into an operational reality — and to sustain it — managers must build new businesses, adapt existing ones, continually reshape corporate business portfolios for maximum growth, and, at the same time, keep an eye on crucial strategic functions. What is the best way of inspiring employees to develop and carry out new initiatives? How should a company communicate with its core shareholders to guarantee that their expectations are in tune with baseline management forecasts? How fast or how slowly should strategic change be pursued?
The acronym BASICS can serve as a useful mnemonic for the approach we recommend below. Not all aspects of it may be relevant at a given moment, but our experience suggests that ignoring any dimension can greatly slow or even derail otherwise successful companies.
Build new businesses. Our research shows that the most successful corporate performers of the past 20 years have put considerable emphasis on building new businesses instead of focusing on core areas that could not indefinitely sustain growth that was sufficient to meet shareholder expectations. For example, as IBM's hardware operations came under pressure, beginning in the late 1980s, the company relentlessly focused on its Global Services unit, which now provides 40 percent of its revenues and 50 percent of its profits. And in the late 1990s, Wal-Mart developed what is now the largest US grocery-retailing enterprise.
Adapt the core. CEOs put the future performance of their companies at risk if, in addition to building new businesses, they don't adapt core businesses to changing markets. For example, National Westminster — thought of by many as Britain's best retail bank in the mid-1980s — was taken over by the much smaller Royal Bank of Scotland in 2000 because of a failure to tackle the high cost base of the core retail business. Adapting core businesses to change, often by implementing best practices such as lean manufacturing and supply chain management, helps proactive companies avoid this fate. Change is sometimes driven by megatrends — for instance, outsourcing or offshoring. In other cases, companies (GE is a good example) proactively implement broad performance-improvement initiatives that single-handedly raise the bar for entire industries.
Shape the portfolio and ownership structure. M&A, divestitures, and financial restructurings are rightly considered to be among the foremost tasks of corporate strategists. In the wake of the boom of the late '90s, however, tough market conditions have left many companies gun-shy about major moves. Yet reshaping portfolios remains vitally important: research shows that companies that actively manage them through repeated transactions have on average created 30 percent more value than those companies that engage in very few. (See Neil W.C. Harper and S. Patrick Viguerie, "Are You Too Focused?", The McKinsey Quarterly, 2002 Number 2.) Furthermore, best-performing companies balance their acquisitions and divestitures instead of having a preponderance of either.
Inspire performance and control risk. Management must guide individual and collective action so that they harmonize with a company's overall strategy and values. Too often, attention is focused solely on formal systems and processes, such as organizational structures, budgets, approval processes, performance metrics, and incentives. We have found that an exceptional performance ethic can be built with a mix of "hard" and "soft" processes: fostering individual understanding and conviction, developing training and capability-building programs, and providing forceful role models.
Communicate corporate strategy and values. Even if a company gets everything else right in its strategy, it risks dropping the ball if it can't communicate effectively. The ability to anticipate the likely reactions of investors is particularly important: key shareholders have in recent years derailed the restructuring or merger plans of several companies, and large declines in share prices have claimed the jobs of many CEOs who failed to manage or meet the expectations of their shareholders. Tailoring communications analyses to this constituency's perspective can work very well. Of course, investor communications are only part of the story. Building support among external constituencies such as consumers, regulators, and media as well as internal stakeholders, which include the board of directors, senior management, and employees, is critical to executing strategy successfully.
Set the pace of change. Companies with otherwise successful plans often stumble by moving too slowly on strategy or too quickly on organizational change. Sequence and pacing are difficult to judge; the factors that affect them include management's aspirations, external market conditions, and the organization's capacity to execute a number of initiatives simultaneously. Decisions about the pace of change influence how many initiatives a company runs as well as their complexity. In a short-term turnaround, it is hard to run more than four or five key initiatives; in many cases, two or three are preferable. But in a two- to three-year corporate-performance program, 15 to 20 corporate-wide initiatives may be necessary. —Renee Dye, Ron Hulme, and Charles Roxburgh
Renee Dye is an associate principal in McKinsey's Atlanta office, Ron Hulme is a director in the Houston office, and Charles Roxburgh is a director in the London office.


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The rising issues surrounding farmer-created data and sharing of that information gets a new advocate with the creation of the Open Ag Data Alliance. First announced Jan. 31 by Climate Corporation, OADA is rolling as an industry group - not a Climate Corp. group.
Today, the group announced its early partners in the initiative, including AgReliant Genetics; CNH Industrial (including Case IH and New Holland); Climate Corporation; GROWMARK; Valley Irrigation; Wilbur-Ellis Company; Winfield; and Purdue University's Open Ag Technology Group.
Aaron Ault, a farmer and leader of the Purdue program is taking the project lead at OADA. During a media conference call briefing, Ault explained that the group's mission is to help farmers increase yield from the systems they have on their farms by helping gather data from disparate systems on the farm, provide farmers control over what happens with their data; and maximize data privacy.
"We're going to work to develop protocols," Ault says. "The farmer owns the data collected on his farm by his equipment and his employees." Ault is also an Indiana farmer and says he's concerned about how his data will be used. He wants control of that information.
Like what you're reading? Subscribe to Farm Industry News Now e-newsletter to get the latest news and more straight to your inbox twice weekly.
He adds that OADA will not sell a product, provide cloud storage, become a lobbying organization or endorse any products. It will, however, conduct software tests in accordance with the goals of providing an open standard for data sharing.
The key is that today if you own a rainbow range of equipment and collect data with different systems, getting them all to line up is a challenge. OADA will help develop standards for application program interfaces that companies can use to provide open sharing.
OADA is an open standards group where engineers and others with different approaches can share their ideas, code and other technology through the group. The eventual aim is to create a data sharing backbone, much like the banking system uses where financial information is shared between institutions but it remains secure.
The group has created a website - openag.io - which is an engineering-focused hub repository (not much there for a farmer to check out). But it's where engineers and innovators can push code to be reviewed and tested by different OADA participants.
"The big distinction here is that this is a true open standards project," says Greg Smirin, Climate Corp. "They really can take input from all comers and actually build solutions that can begin to be implemented by consultants, companies, individuals. The narrow mission is to create technology underpinnings and the mechanism for safe data exchange with sufficient security and privacy policies."


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STOCKTON — They call themselves "Team Goodwin."
STOCKTON — They call themselves "Team Goodwin."
They are tight-knit. They support each other. They wear T-shirts proudly announcing their alliance.
Together, they have raised Bear Creek High graduate Joseph "J.T." Goodwin into a state champion and much more. This fall, they will say their farewells and J.T. will begin the next and most exciting chapter in his life so far as a wrestler and electrical engineering major at Cal Poly.
Goodwin, the area's first male wrestler to win a state championship and a standout linebacker on the Bruins' football team, was named a finalist for the eighth Charles Washington Award by the selection committee.
Goodwin, 18, carried a 3.92 grade-point average and served his fellow students as president of the senior class and as a positive example. His time at Bear Creek long will be remembered.
"If you work harder than all of your competition not only physically but mentally, you can be the best at what you do," he said.
J.T. and his parents, Dave and Denise, and his older sisters, Ashton (23) and Jillian (22), their extended family and close friends comprise "Team Goodwin." They push each other to try new things and support each other to excel at whatever they try. Ashton and Jillian both were athletes as kids. Ashton is completing a nursing program in Fremont, and Jillian recently graduated from Sacramento State.
"My family has always been a huge part of my life," J.T. said. "It's always been family first."
David Goodwin said he and Denise didn't follow a specific formula raising their kids. They just did what they believed was best.
"We always were applauding every effort, making sure they enjoyed the activity as much as the competition," said David, a math instructor at Bear Creek.
In J.T.'s case, he took his family's encouragement and ran with it. Goodwin began wrestling when he was about 5 years old with the Stockton Elite Wrestling Club. He played other sports growing up, including football. Goodwin separated his shoulder his sophomore season on the football team at Bear Creek and re-injured it several times on the football field his junior season. The injury prevented him from wrestling his junior year, a crucial time to gain attention from colleges. After surgery to repair a torn labrum, Goodwin's right arm was immobilized for six months. When he was cleared by doctors, Goodwin worked to regain his strength by flipping a huge tractor tire and pounding a telephone pole with a sledge hammer in his backyard. His perseverance and courage paid off March 3 when he won the state wrestling title at 220 pounds in Bakersfield.
"If you get that glory of having your hand raised, it's one of the greatest feelings ever," J.T. said.
The state title was Goodwin's favorite athletic achievement, but the accomplishment he's most proud of had nothing to do with wrestling or football.
"I'm definitely proud of my grades first, that I got and maintained a 3.92 grade-point average," said J.T., who graduated 26th out of 365 students this spring. "We had a really strong class and I was proud I was able to be a role model toward younger kids and that they wanted to work harder when they were around me."
Goodwin has been reviewing physics lectures online from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and working out every day to get a head start on what will be a rigorous academic and athletic workload at Cal Poly.
"I'm definitely going to have to work hard in the classroom and on the mat," J.T. said. "But I'm going to take it head on."
"Team Goodwin" would expect nothing less.
Contact sports editor Bob Highfill at (209) 546-8282 or firstname.lastname@example.com. Visit his blog at recordnet.com/sportsblog.


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Exploring James Bond's Uneven Video Game History
James Bond is one of cinema's most prized properties--so how do you turn it into a successful video game series? We sit down with the writer of some of the ...
James Bond is one of cinema's most prized properties--so how do you turn it into a successful video game series? We sit down with the writer of some of the ...
The Walking Dead studio cofounder Kevin Bruner says 007 is a "super-spy, and that's a different skillset."
PC versions of Activision's James Bond games have been removed from digital sale on Steam, Xbox 360 Games on Demand and Activision's own web store.
James Bond developer lays off remaining staff, enters administration following "steep decline" in console and PC games.
Management at Eurocom confirms fewer than 50 staff remain at UK developer following restructuring; "steep decline" in console game demand cited as reason.
What games are out in Australia this week? Assassin's Creed III and 007 Legends, just to name a few; read on to see the full list!
Mission based on upcoming Bond film to launch November 9 alongside movie for Sony crowd, coming to Xbox 360 on November 20.
Publisher offering 8 titles including Resident Evil 6, Assassin's Creed III, and MoH: Warfighter as day-one downloads in October; some available at $54 for PS Plus preorders.
Daniel Craig boards a time machine and ventures back to five classic Bond stories, plus Skyfall.
E3 2012: Company exec Eric Hirshberg says adapting Hollywood films is a "good business" to be in, but explains that the genre has shifted.
New trailer for 007 Legends reveals new superspy shooter to arrive one month ahead of film Skyfall; Moonraker mission shown in video.
Autumn release planned for Activisions's 007 Legends; will feature missions from across the history of the franchise.
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Leontin Jakupi
October 24th, 2017
Alan McIntyre
October 23rd, 2017
Steven Schreck
October 2nd, 2017
Josip Mikulic
September 6th, 2017
Worst experience ever. Ordered on 16/08/2017 and estimated ship date was 21/08/2017, it's 06/09/2017 now and there is still no info when item will be shipped. Tried to contact pixels.com twice via contact form, no answer. Charger supposed to be gift for my father's birthday on 09/09/2017 but you managed to ruin it. Since I tried to contact You via contact form, and got no result. I hope that you'll read this comment and return me my money, since you failed to deliver product which is now useless to me because you weren't able to provide any info for couple of weeks
Elizabeth Layman
May 2nd, 2017
I bought this for my sister who is graduating soon. She spends a lot of time on her cell phone, and I thought this would be a personal and usefu giftl. The image is a bit dark but over all nice quality. The charger came with some charge (blue light came on). It looks easy to use, and I'm eager to see how my sister likes it!
Boat Wake on the St. Clair Lake, Michigan in August. This artwork was sold as a 30.00 x 20.125 Luster Photo Paper to a buyer from Alpena, MI. This photograph has been Digitally Enhanced to help this image to be considered a unique moment in time. Note: If an image has the Fine Art America (FAA) watermark in the lower right hand corner it will NOT appear on any print you purchase. From my eyes, through the view finder to the click of the shutter. I hope you enjoy these moments in time that have been captured. Note: Since 2013 ALL Photographs were taken with a 24MP digital camera, Rolled In The Tube Art Print (poster) image sizes of 60 inches and up to 96x49 are available for many of these Art Prints. Stop by and check out some of my other Photographic artwork on Fine Art America. With over 10,000 Images in over 240+ Virtual Photographic Galleries by Thomas Woolworth on Fine Art America you will find many subjects of personal interest. If you have additional time leave a comment o...
Hello, Feel free to explore Thomas Woolworth's Photographic Library. With just one click of your mouse, on any of the following Gallery links and Biography links. What's New on Tom's Site. New!!! All artwork is available at Pixels.com as: iPhone case covers. New!!! Posters. Recent Sales View Tom's Very Popular: Walt Disney World Orlando Parks View Tom's popular: Illinois Art Introducing what has to be, your best opportunity, to enjoy dozens of images on one piece of printed material, Tom's Collage Gallery. Currently the Collage Gallery has an inventory of over 360 subjects. View the Collage Gallery. Review some of the comments about Tom's Artwork and Photographs. Review some of Tom's Photographs that have been...
Our return policy is very simple:
If you're not happy with a purchase that you made on FineArtAmerica.com, for any reason, you can return it to us within 30 days of the order date. As soon as it arrives, we'll issue a full refund for the entire purchase price. Please note - Fine Art America does not reimburse the outgoing or return shipping charges unless the return is due to a defect in quality.
Fine Art America sells thousands of pieces of artwork each month - all with a 100% money-back guarantee. We take great pride in the fact that hundreds of thousands of artists have chosen Fine Art America to fulfill their orders, and we look forward to helping you select your next piece!
All portable batteries chargers ship from our production facility within 1 - 2 business days of your order.


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Will Walker is the new Blanding Justice Court Judge. Walker's appointment was approved by the Blanding City Council at its November 27 meeting.
"I am very humbled and honored to be selected," said Walker. "I will put my best effort forth and hopefully do justice to the citizens of this city."
Walker takes the place of longtime judge James Harris, who will retire on December 31. He is a Battalion Operations NCO at the Utah National Guard Armory in Blanding.
The US Forest Service has approved a Blanding City project to replace an aging water line, but restrictions on the project may make it difficult to complete.
The city wants to replace approximately 13 miles of pipeline that brings water from the Indian Creek tunnel to Blanding. The project in the forest would replace several miles of the aging eight-inch line water transmission line with a 12-inch buried pipeline.
City officials hope to move forward on the $3 million project, with bids sought in coming months and construction this coming summer.
Forest Service personnel have identified a potential goshawk nesting area and an archaeological site that must be protected. If goshawks nest in the area in the spring, it could restrict the project for an unknown length of time in the summer.
The City is now left to decide whether to move forward on a project that could be put on hold by nesting goshawks. Goshawk is a raptor that is considered a sensitive species.
"If this bird sets up house, the project is postponed until the construction season is over," said Councilman Joe B Lyman. "In effect, they (Forest Service) have denied the project. If that is their intent, just deny it and we will move on from there and not have our whole community held hostage by a bird."
While the goshawk nesting area is in a half-mile area, it could restrict access to nearly two miles of the pipeline project.
In other matters, the Council discussed a proposed new two-year contract with the Canyonlands Natural History Association (CNHA) to provide merchandise for the Blanding Visitor Center.
CNHA, which operates visitor centers throughout southeast Utah, stocks the sales area at the visitor center and the City gets a percentage of the sales.
In the past, the city has earned 22.5 percent of each sale. The proposal would decrease the percentage to 20 percent.
City Manager Jeremy Redd explained that the Visitor Center, and CNHA, has experienced decreasing sales and decreasing profit margins in recent years.
Visitation is down 20 percent and income is down 27 percent.
Visitor Center manager Harold Lyman said that the Visitor Center hosted 32,637 visitors in 2009, 28,113 in 2010 and 26,000 in 2011.
While visitation has dropped, Lyman said that revenue per visitor has grown and remains above industry standards. Lyman said the standard is $1.20 in revenue per visitor and the Blanding Visitor Center approaches $1.80 per visitor.
CNHA made several suggestions to address the decreasing sales, including better signage on the highway and keeping the Visitor Center open on Sunday.
Lyman explained that he and his staff would rather not work on Sunday, but it is a peak travel day.
He said that because just about everything is closed on Sunday in Blanding, the options he suggests are to hike in nearby scenic areas or enjoy the water at Recapture Reservoir.
"We tell them to take a hike or go jump in a lake," joked Lyman.
The Council approved the transfer of frontage property on 800 South to Recapture Real Estate. Recapture is considering the construction of a new building to house San Juan Credit Union. The property is south of the Dinosaur Museum.
The property transferred totals .54 acres, including a 14-foot wide strip on the north end of the property and a 40-foot strip on the south side of the property.
Access to the new building is from the east, on 200 West. As a result, 800 South could still be used occasionally as a landing area for life flight helicopters transporting patients from Blue Mountain Hospital.
The Council addressed challenges related to the big cleanup day the city sponsors each spring.
It was noted that the cleanup day started as a good idea, but many residents just save all their trash and overwhelm the system on the "free-dumping" day. City crews then spend the next week trying to clean up the mess.
In addition, the National Guard equipment that was critical to the cleanup effort is no longer located in Blanding.
Joe B. Lyman discussed a proposal to put a one-time "free-dumping" voucher in the city utility bill. This would spread out the impact of the cleanup day.
A variety of other ideas were also mentioned.
A former employee said he was overpaid by the city 40 years ago and wants to return the overpayment. Councilman Kelly Laws presented $100 to the city from the former employee, who wants to remain anonymous.
Laws explained that in the 1970s, the then teen-age city employee was overpaid by $75.The city resident repaid the money, with a little interest.


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SNY video
4 Mets trade scenarios
The New York Mets need to determine whether they'll be buyers or sellers at the deadline. SNY's Andy Martino has 4 trade paths for the Mets.
Syndergaard's strong rehab start
Noah Syndergaard struck out nine batters and threw over 60 pitches in his rehab start for the Brooklyn Cyclones.
Yankees react to MLB record
The Yankees have hit a home run for 28 consecutive days, an MLB record. They set the record with DJ LeMahieu's lead off home run.
Jack Hughes gets his New Jersey
Jack Hughes talks to SNY about getting drafted first overall by the New Jersey Devils, and what lies ahead as he starts his NHL career.
Mets fall 7-5 to Phillies
Lockett makes strong start in Syndergaard's absence, but the bullpen faltered in the 6th inning for the 7-5 loss. Smith and Rosario homered.
Mets respond to report
Brodie Van Wagenen and Mickey Callaway respond to a report about in-game decisions. In a rare move, the GM spoke publicly twice on Monday.
CC Sabathia notches 251st win
CC Sabathia had a shaky first inning but then rebounded for six solid innings, securing his 251st win while the Yankees won 10-8.
Mets lose 13-7 to Phillies
The Mets lost 13-7 to the Phillies on Monday. Matz continued to struggle in Philly while Ramos, Conforto, Frazier and Smith all homered.
Recapping a drama-full day
Andy Martino breaks down the pregame comments relating to the clubhouse incident in Chicago and reacts to Vargas and Callaway's comments.
Callaway on clubhouse incident
Mickey Callaway addressed the clubhouse incident that occurred between him and a reporter, saying he can control his reaction better.
Mets GM on clubhouse controversy
Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen addresses the clubhouse clash between Mickey Callaway, Jason Vargas, and one of the team's beat reporters.
The Amazin' Life: Todd's Tips
On the latest episode of The Amazin' Life presented by Coca-Cola, Todd Frazier delivers all the Fatherly Advice and Dad Tips that you need!
Barrett, Brazdeikis introduced
RJ Barrett and Ignas Brazdeikis met with the NY media. Hear what RJ responded when asked if he was ready to 'carry the Knicks'
Three titles, one year, one city
Three titles, one year, one city...SNY's documentary on a magical 1969 in New York for the Mets, Jets, and Knicks premieres July 3rd.
Baez strikes late to top Mets
Pete Alonso set a new Mets rookie record with his 27th HR but Javier Baez's three-shot in the 8th led the Cubs past the Mets 5-3
Yanks win streak ends at 8
Boone and Happ talk about Happ's struggles and possibly meeting the Astros in the post-season
Mets rout Cubs
Pete Alonso tied a Mets club record with his 26th HR while Jeff McNeil and Todd Frazier each had 3 RBI as the Mets pounded the Cubs, 10-2
Get to know RJ Barrett
The Knicks' third overall draft pick RJ Barrett talks about his personalities on and off the court with SNY's NBA Insider Ian Begley.
Knicks GM welcomes RJ Barrett
New York Knicks GM Scott Perry explains why the team was happy to hold onto their 3rd pick in the NBA Draft so they could select RJ Barrett.
McNeil leads Mets past Cubs
Jeff McNeil homered and drove in three runs including the eventual game-winner as the Mets edged the Cubs 5-4
Yanks win streak hits 7
Boone, Torres, Paxton and Judge on the potent Yankees lineup and Judge's return
Get to know Ignas Brazdeikis
SNY's NBA Insider Ian Begley caught up with Ignas Brazdeikis at the Empire State Building after a world wind 24 hours.
Welcome to NY, RJ Barrett!
Starting at Duke and ending up at Madison Square Garden, RJ Barrett is ready to take on New York with the Knicks!
Mets make pitching changes
Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen and manager Mickey Callaway explain the reasons behind the firing of pitching coach Dave Eiland.
RJ Barrett drafted by Knicks
RJ Barrett's personality was on display as he spoke to the media after being drafted third overall by the Knicks. He's ready to play at MSG.
RJ Barrett drafted by Knicks
RJ Barrett's personality was on display as he spoke to the media after being drafted third overall by the Knicks. He's ready to play at MSG.
CC Sabathia gets win #250
New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia discusses his 250th victory and what it means to have a career like he's had
A crucial crossroads for Knicks
With a high draft pick and cap space, SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley asks if the Knicks are finally ready to take steps towards success.
RJ Barrett ready for New York
RJ Barrett talked to the media ahead of the NBA draft. He's ready to join the Knicks, with or without Kevin Durant.


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10Pcs Ear Pick Wax Remover Cleaner Multifunction Ear Care Tool Set
Sale Ends Once The timer Hits Zero!
Traditional article, fine hand work.
Good for cleaning your ear and make your ear more comfortable.
Easy to use and convenient to carry.
Horsetail bamboo: use the horsetail to clean the ear,make your ear more comfortable.
Goose feather bar: use for the person who have big ears,rotate and clean.
Bamboo ear spoon: to rake the dust from the ear.
Silver needle soft ring: prize the dust from the ear.
Silver needle goose feather: rotate and clean the ear,make it comfortable.
Double end ear shot: two shapes,clean the shit from the ear.
Straight tweezers: clean the dust from the ear canal.
Luxes: use for excited the ear and scrape the dust from ear.
Bent tweezers: raking out the shit or the dust from your ear.
Color: As shown in the pictures
Material: Bamboo and stainless steel.
Length: About 140mm-180mm
Package Include:
1 x Ear Care Tool Set
Real time Visitor right now


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BDSMSub webcamBDSMSub webcam
I'm into dominating as much as I am into being dominated. I await you in my room with good humour and a positive attitude. I expect you to be the same so that we can enjoy some pleasant times together. I am here for you to test my limits and judge ho


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View your favorites
While many of the items in this catalog section of our website are on display in our store and in stock, many are available by special order. Please contact us for availability and pricing information .
View recently taken pictures of nearly all the items on display in our store.
Encompassing the flavors of transitional, traditional and contemporary, the Bombay Collection features a series of versatile designs to complement any decor. Hand tufted in India, each rug is produced from the finest hand spun and twisted New Zealand yarn to provide a truly unique texture.
The Bombay 3'3" x 5'3" by Surya is available in the area from FMG - Local Home Furnishing.
Browse other items in the Bombay collection from FMG - Local Home Furnishing in the area.
This item has been tagged as: Rugs, Area Rugs, Home Decorations, Accessories, Home Design Accessories, Throw Rugs, Bathroom Rugs, Large Rugs, Small Rugs, Floor Rugs, Unique Area Rugs, Rug, Indoor Rugs, Bed Rug, Living Room Rug, Family Room Rug, Kitchen Rugs, Hallway Rug, Accent Rug, Nursery Rug, Room Rugs, Carpet, Decorative Rugs, Floor Mat, Floor Covering, Coverlet, Mat, Matting, Runner, Carpet Runners, Tapestry, Tapestries, Table Rug
Nothing on this page may be copied or reproduced without explicit permission.


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Consumer advocacy groups, including youth groups, play a key role in providing a "voice" for youth and families. AACAP is committed to promoting a partnership with youth and families to improve the mental health of America's youth. The AACAP Youth Connection, made up of youth, young adults and child psychiatrists promotes youth voice and empowerment throughout AACAP and within the behavioral health system by developing educational materials included in this site for youth and mental health professionals.
The information on this website should not be taken as medical advice, which can only be given to you by your personal health care professionals.


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- Residential Professional Cleaning Services service
- Latest Industry Standards
- Top-notch Services!
- Fast on-time delivery & pick-up
Understanding the process
To come up with the very best choices on Professional Cleaning Services in Glen, NH, you have to be knowledgeable. You shouldn't go into it without consideration, and it's good to be aware of what to expect. This is exactly why we make every effort to make sure that you are familiar with the process and are not faced with any kind of unexpected situations. Start by calling 888-666-1846 to talk about your project. During this phone call, you will get all your questions resolved, and we will arrange a time to commence services. We consistently arrive at the appointed time, all set to work closely with you.
Consider Cleaning Service Guys for Professional Cleaning Services in Glen, Wyoming
You will find several good reasons to choose Cleaning Service Guys for Professional Cleaning Services in Glen, NH. We offer the best customer care scores, the best supplies, and the most practical and productive money saving strategies. We fully understand your expectations and goals, and we are here to assist you with our practical experience. When you need Professional Cleaning Services in Glen, get in touch with Cleaning Service Guys by dialing 888-666-1846, and we will be more than glad to help you.


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59.5 in. x 47.5 in. V-2500 Series Left-Hand Sliding Vinyl Window - White
Beauty, versatility and practicality come together like never before. The JELD-WEN V-2500 Sliding window includes one fixed sash and one that slides left and right. The operation is smooth and easy and is a great alternative to more traditional windows. The design is clean and elegant and because the window is low-maintenance vinyl, it will stay that way.
72 in. x 48 in. DaylightMax Left-Hand Sliding Vinyl Window - White
Simonton DaylightMax Slider windows offer a narrow frame and more glass, which provides more daylight than wide-frame windows. The unique frame design is durable and provides maximum energy efficiency that meets energy star standards, helping you reduce your heating and cooling costs. Complement your style with Decorum exterior colors, hardware finishes and decorative glass. For more information on Simonton Special Order Windows, Please see your Local Home Depot Store or Schedule a FREE in home Consultation Today.
52.75 in. x 46.125 in. Acrylic Block Left-Hand Sliding Vinyl Window - White
Acrylic Block Windows provide an excellent privacy and decorative solution for any area of the home. Highly energy-efficient, lightweight and easy to install, acrylic block is a great alternative to real glass block windows. The impact-modified acrylic provides exceptional strength and durability and will not yellow or change in appearance over time. Acrylic block windows can be purchased in virtually any size, height and width and are available in casement and awnings as well as the traditional fixed picture windows. Special shapes and sizes are also available including circle or arch top windows. Acrylic provides better thermal performance than glass block. Energy Star rated versions are available for most zones.
$96 to $277


text: Wholesalers for hairdressers| GLOBElife | Universo Capelli Professional products for hairdressers Dealers articles for hairdressers Selling hair dye Sales Professional hair products | GLOBElife ♦ COMPANY Hair CareBeautyPrivate Label hairstylists EQUIPMENT & DESIGN Hairstylists AccessoriesHairstylists Furniture BUSINESS Italy Hair DistributorsWorld Hair Wholesalers ACADEMY Training for HairstylistsTraining CD/DVD on SaleFranchising for Hairstylists TODAY IN THE WORLD Exhibition for Hairstylists TOP HAIRSTYLISTS Top 100 Hairstylists ItalyTop Hairstylists U.S.A.Top Hairstylists U.K.Top Hairstylists ESTop in the WORLD HAIR SALONS Hair Salons in ItalyHair Salons in the World AU - BE - BR - CA CH - DE - EN - ES FR - IT - NE - US BEAUTY INSTITUTES Beauty Institute Addresses SERVICES Section for HairstylistsHairstylists MagazineMarket ResearchHerbs & HairHair Lexicon X Home Page privacy Universo Capelli Furnishings for hairdressers Vercelli - Hair Universe | Armchairs for beauty salons Regione Santa Maria, 16 | 13010 | Pezzana (VC), Italy | 0161.319698 UNIVERSO CAPELLI Furnishings for hairdressers Vercelli FURNITURES & DESIGN FURNITURE FOR HAIRDRESSERS Universe hair, Mombelli Enzo , retailer of furnishings for hairdressers and beauty salons of the best brands in Vercelli . Via Benadir 86 Tel / Fax: 254 635 0161 . Wide assortment of chairs for beauty salons, hair dryers , furniture for hairdressing salons, washbasin , washing , jobs beauty salons, hair salon shops , hairdressing furniture , furniture manufacturers beauty salons, hair dryer helmets for hairdressers, beauty salons furniture , furnishings aesthetics, ceramic sink , hairdressing furniture , case for beauty salons , hair removal appliances , equipment, aesthetics, hairdressing trolleys , shampoo , lamps, facial beds , hairdressing mirrors , footrests hairdressing , hairdressers, aesthetics , beauty. _______________________________________________________ UNIVERSO CAPELLI Furnishings for hairdressers Vercelli Via Benadir, 86 13100 - Vercelli - Italy Tel./Fax 0161/254635 Contattaci Subito Newsletter Gossip e News Beauty Bazar GLOBENews E-commerce Globelife TV - Internet television youtube/globelifeTV Hairfashion Gallery App hair Beauty News Hair cafe Encyclopaedic hair website HomePage privacy policy


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A/V Receiver with XM®-HD ready input
- 110 Watts x 7 (1kHz, 8 ohms)
- Auto MCACC room calibration with Microphone
- XM-HD Ready with Neural Surround
Turn up your home theater experience, with up to 7 channels of high-powered amplification that immerse you in 3-dimensional surround sound. There's no better way to enjoy movies, music, sports, games and HDTV. Why stop there? With a host of digital connections, you can also enjoy XM Satellite Radio on your home theater system. And with WMA9 Pro compatibility, you can bring compressed Windows Media® Audio-encoded music and other content to surround-sound life. Whatever your entertainment of choice, now you can fill your space with 110 watts of sound across seven channels in one of nine advanced surround modes, including DTS®-ES Discrete, DTS® 96/24, DTS® Neo:6, Dolby® Digital EX, and Dolby Pro Logic® IIx. Available in black (K) and silver (S).
Precision you can hear
It's not just high-definition audio that sounds amazing on this Pioneer receiver. The new Freescale™ 180MIPS Processing DSP, coupled with Pioneer's Sound Retriever, brings CD-richness to compressed audio formats like MP3s. Built into a single integrated circuit, the Pioneer Hybrid Amplifier with Thermal Compensation Transistor Design delivers perfect sound precision, despite heat variations. So your sound stays cleaner, crisper, longer. Even when you play it louder.
Automatic fine-tuning
The prefect listening experience is just a push of a button away. Quick set-up comes with the first advanced Multi-Channel Acoustic Calibration Circuit (MCACC). Using a microphone, MCACC automatically measures your room's acoustic environment, then fine tunes the sonic performance of your system. The result is more accurate audio reproduction — just the way the sound engineer intended. And just right for you.
November, 2006. Read Perfect Vision's review of the VSX-816-K/S
|PIONEER, the PIONEER logo, and the ELITE logo are registered trademarks of Pioneer Corporation.
XM is a registered trademark of XM Satellite Radio Inc.
NEURAL AUDIO is a trademark of Neural Audio, Inc.
WINDOWS MEDIA is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
DTS, NEO:6 and ES are trademarks or registered trademarks of Digital Theater Systems, Inc.
DOLBY DIGITAL and PRO LOGIC are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.
FREESCALE is a trademark of Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
- Pioneer Hybrid Amplifier Design
- 220 Watts Total System Power - 110 watts x 2 (20 Hz - 20kHz .7% THD @ 8 Ohms)
- 770 Watts Total System Power - 110 watts x 7 (1kHz 1.0% THD @ 8 Ohms)
- 16-9/16x6-1/4x13-7/8 inches (WxHxD)
- 1 Year


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We'd like to get to know you. Either in-person or online, we look forward to meeting you and answering your questions.
Discover in person what Pace University's New York City Campus has to offer. Schedule your tour or one-on-one appointment with an Admission Counselor.
New York City Campus Tours
Discover in person what Pace University's Westchester Campus has to offer. Schedule your tour or one-on-one appointment with an Admission Counselor.
Westchester Campus Tours
Attend a Transfer Tuesday and get your application fee waived as well as an admission decision the same day.
Transfer Tuesdays
Designed to provide students who are interested in specific academic programs. Meet an academic representative and tour the facilities used by the program.
Special Interest Campus Tours
Every year, Pace University Admission team participate in college fairs nationwide. Take a look and see if we'll be in your area.
Recruitment Fairs
Pace University partners with CollegeWeekLive to host virtual fairs throughout the year. Gather information about Pace and chat with admission all from the comfort of home!
CollegeWeekLive Virtual Fairs


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- Local Assistance Home
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- E-76, Invoices and PSA Tracker
- Environmental
- Forms
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- Other Links
- Policies and Procedures
- Program Information
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- Training Programs
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Program
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) improves transportation safety and mobility and enhances productivity through the integration of advanced communications technologies into the transportation infrastructure and in vehicles. ITS encompass a broad range of wireless and wire line communications-based information and electronics technologies.
ITS Program focus on federal-aid ITS project development procedures to assure compliance with the federal ITS regulations, per Code of Federal Regulations, Chapter 23, Section 940 (23 CFR 940) entitled Intelligent Transportation System Architecture and Standards. In addition, these procedures establish the roles and responsibilities for all parties who are involved in the federal-aid ITS process.
"Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Program" reissued in its entirety with LPP 10-01 and Chapter 13 of "Local Assistance Program Guidelines" (LAPG).
Caltrans Division of Local Assistance (DLA) issued its LPP 12-01 on 1/27/12 to address the procedure change for High-Risk (Formerly "Major") ITS Projects.
Caltrans Division of Local Assistance (DLA) issued its LPP 18-01 on 1/31/19 to update the whole chapter of ITS Program Guideleines.
The requirements for projects in this program are subject to changes by Congress or FHWA each year. For the most current requirements, the local agency must rely on the latest annual FHWA ITS Deployment Program Guideline. The FHWA guidelines are normally issued every January and are available on the FHWA Discretionary Program web site at: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/discretionary/
Upon FHWA approval of the project description, the project follows the federal-aid procedures in Chapter 13 "Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Program," of the LAPG.
A. Instructions for ITS Program Guidelines
Instructions on Implementation of ITS program Guidelines, the Narrated PowerPoint Slideshow (updated on 01/30/2014). If you have any difficulty downloading/reviewing the slideshows, please contact DLA ITS Coordinator at firstname.lastname@example.com
Instructions on preparing Systems Engineering Review Form (SERF) How to prepare SERF (video) (02/06/2015) prepared and presented by District 3 Local Assistance Office (Ross Foon)B. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Program Guidelines
The ITS program guidelines can be downloaded here:
Option #1- Download the Entire ITS Program Guidelines.
Option #2- Download individual sections (Please click each section to start downloading).
|Table of Contents
|Section 8:
|Section 1:
|Section 9:
|Section 2:
|Types of ITS Projects
|Section 10:
|Record Keeping
|Section 3:
|ITS Project Development and Funding
|Section 11:
|Section 4:
|General ITS Responsibilities
|Section 12:
|Web Sites
|Section 5:
|Funding Process Step-By-Step Procedures
|Section 13:
|Section 6:
|Exhibit A:
|Process Flowchart - High-Risk (formerly Major) ITS Projects
|Section 7:
|ADA Requirements
|Exhibit B:
|Process Flowchart - High-Risk (formerly Minor) ITS Projects
C. Types of ITS Projects
ITS projects are divided into three types: Exempt, Low-Risk, and High-Risk projects. The planning and development process to be followed is different for these three types. The previous version of this Guideline referred to Low-Risk projects as "Minor" ITS projects, and High-Risk projects as "Major" ITS projects. .
The following attributes can often be used to classify ITS projects as exempt, low, or high risk.
Exempt ITS projects do not require a Systems Engineering Analysis (SEA) and are not covered under these ITS Program Guidelines. All activities of the traditional roadway project development life-cycle process will be followed. No further ITS-specific action is necessary. They can be any the following:
- Upgrades to an existing traffic signal – This may include, for example, adding or revising left-turn phasing or other phasing, adding pedestrian-crossing displays.
- Installing an "isolated" traffic signal – This is a signal not connected to any type of external signal-control system, nor likely to be in the future because of its isolation.
- Traffic signal timing projects – This includes all "studies" whose purpose is to change the coordination parameters for controlling a group of signals – but with no installation of new hardware or software.
- Studies, Plans, Analyses – This includes ITS Master Plans, Deployment Plans, Technology Studies, etc. whose product is only a document, with no new hardware of software installed.
- Routine Operations – This includes operating and maintaining any ITS elements or systems – again with no new hardware or software installed.
Low-Risk (formerly "Minor") ITS projects are often referred to as ITS infrastructure expansion. Standard Plans, Standard Specification, and Standard Special Provisions are well documented. They will have all of the following characteristics:
- Single jurisdiction; single transportation mode (highway, transit or rail)
- No software creation; commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) or proven software
- Proven COTS hardware & communications technology
- No new interfaces
- System requirements fully detailed in writing
- Operating procedures fully detailed in writing
- Project life-cycle not shortened by technology service life
High-Risk (formerly "Major") ITS projects are often referred to as ITS "System Developments." They have one (or more) of the following characteristics:
- Multi-Jurisdictional or Multi-modal
- Custom software is required
- Hardware and Communications are "cutting-edge" or not in common use
- New interfaces to other systems are required
- System requirements not detailed or not fully documented
- Operating procedures not detailed or not fully documented
- Technology service life shortens project life-cycle
These risk factors are discussed in
- single transportation mode (highway, transit or rail)
more detail in Table 13-1.
D. SERF Form and other editable Forms
System Engineering Report Form (SERF), Exhibit 7-I ( Word version, PDF version, is required for Low-Risk (formerly "Minor") and High-Risk ITS Projects. For detailed information regarding SERF, access Chapter 7 "Field Review," of Local Assistance Procedure Manual (LAPM). Samples of SERF can be found at FHWA California Division website http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/cadiv/segb/examples/delexp.htm
System Engineering Management Plan (SEMP) is required for High Risk (formerly "Major") ITS Projects. The samples of SEMP can be found at FHWA California Division website http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/cadiv/segb/examples/del.htm.
F. LAPG Orientation
G. Contacts
|Edward Ofori
|ITS Team Leader
|(916) 498-5005
|Steve Pyburn
|ITS Engineer (NorCal)
|(916) 498-5057
|Jesse Glazer
|Senior ITS Engineer (SoCal)
|(213) 894-6352
|Caltrans Division of Local Assistance
|Wenyi Long
|ITS Coordinator (HQ)
|(916) 653-7140
|Heidi Borders
|ITS Coordinator (D5)
|(805) 542-4690
|Garin Schneider
|ITS Coordinator (D5)
|(805) 542-4606
|Pedram Mafi
|ITS Coordinator (D6)
|(559) 445-6470
|Vijay Kopparam
|ITS Coordinator (D7)
|(213) 897-2946
|Bing Luu
|ITS Coordinator (D11)
|(619) 220-5337
|Monroe Johnson
|ITS Coordinator (D12)
|(949) 724-2470
H. Related Links
Caltrans home page: http://www.dot.ca.gov
FHWA California Division Office: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/cadiv/
FHWA home page: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov
ITS Benefit-cost Database: http://www.benefitcost.its.dot.gov/
ITS System Cost Database: http://www.itscosts.its.dot.gov/
ITS Conformity Rule: http://www.its.dot.gov/aconform/aconform.htm
ITS Eligibility Costs for Operating a Transportation Management System: http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/travelinfo/resources/ops_guide.htm
ITS Standards: http://www.its.dot.gov
National ITS Architecture: http://www.iteris.com/itsarch/
System Engineering Guidebook for ITS: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/cadiv/segb
NHI Its Training Courses: http://www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/home.aspx
US DOT ITS site: http://www.its.dot.gov/
If you have any questions or are experiencing problems downloading, please contact your local Caltrans District Local Assistance Office or the Caltrans HQ Division of Local Assistance ITS Coordinator.
To report any difficulty experienced in accessing Caltrans programs, services or activities or any discriminations covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of Rehabilitation Act or the Fair Employment and Housing Act, please contact us at (866)810-6346 Voice; 711 TTY; (916)653-3055 Fax.


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LUX Dainty Lava Bracelet ▾ Limited Edition (036)
Our LUX lava bracelets are created in very small limited edition batches. The batches are so small sometimes that we only create one, thus making it completely one of a kind! Once a style is sold out, it is often not recreated or restocked.
Each bracelet features natural lava to diffuse your favorite essential oils, high quality components and an adjustable clasp.
• Gemstones: Magnesite, Agate, Lava
• 6mm Beads
• 14K Gold filled accents
• Inside circumference of bracelet adjusts from approx. 6"-7.5"
- Length is approximate due to natural variations in gemstones. Please account for a few millimeter difference.
Why We Love Gold Filled: Gold filled is completely different than Gold Plated and consists of 100% more gold. Gold Filled is composed of a solid layer of gold bonded with heat and pressure to a base metal. Gold filled is considered hypoallergenic, and when worn and stored properly will not tarnish. To care for your chain, please keep clean of any oils or chemicals.Essential Oil Application: Visit our FAQs to learn why we love lava and how you can apply essential oils to your lava jewelry.
Nature seldom repeats itself, and due to the natural nature of each stone and each piece being handcrafted, please expect some variations. All photos are "stock" unless noted otherwise in the listing. Learn more about lava and the natural variations in our FAQs.
+ All of our jewelry is handmade just for you in Wisconsin! Please note that due to this speciality, each piece is made to order and can not be returned or exchanged. Visit our Policies and FAQs for more information.
- Shipping
- Returns & Exchanges
Approximate shipment times via USPS:
Domestic First Class starts at $3.85: 2-5 Business days
Domestic Priority starts at $7.49: 2-3 Business days
International Standard (Canada) starts at $9.99: 1-3 weeks
International customers using mail forwarding companies: 2-6 weeks
•Delivery dates are never guaranteed and are only estimates. Holidays, weather and other factors can impact delivery dates.
•Location and customs can vary shipment times for international orders. Please contact your local post office for more information.
We are a family owned small business offering handcrafted jewelry, and other accessories, and can not meet the same expectations as a large manufacturer or corporation.
Cancellations & ModificationsPlease ensure all of your order information is correct before processing your order. We may be unable to make adjustments to orders prior to shipment.
Orders of one-of-a-kind pieces can not be cancelled as these items are always first come first serve. When an item is ordered it is no longer available to anyone else. It would be unfair to others and us as a business to allow cancellations of these items as we do not offer "holds" on products.
Why can't I return or exchange my item?
All of our jewelry is handcrafted in our studio! Almost every piece is made-to-order. This means we do not create a piece of jewelry until it is ordered, hence our 2-4 business day turn around time. This also means that we do not have back stock like large retailers on hand, and do not have the proper storage and systems in place to do so. We also prefer that each person receives a brand new, freshly created piece of jewelry with the ability to choose the exact specifications they prefer. Offering made-to-order items also allows us to provide a broader range of items & variations.
However, if we've made the mistake of sending you an incorrect item or variation, please let us know so we can get your proper item on its way to you!


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Solar energy ppv landing page design added to Buylandingpagedesign.com
Promote your solar energy power panels installation services with our solar energy ppv landing page designs. Purchase and download professional and clean solar energy lead capturing ppv landing page design at a very affordable prices.
Browse solar landing pages here: https://www.buylandingpagedesign.com/landing-page-design/solar-energy/ and responsive solar landing pages here: https://www.buylandingpagedesign.com/responsive-landing-page-design/solar-energy/


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Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noel, Buon Natale, etc everyone!!!
I've been pretty busy since our last update, getting everyone moved out of our Via Giusti apartment and moving into my new Borgo Oggnisanti apartment, traveling to various countries (or country as is the case), and making sure there's food on sale during Christmas Eve day. You never know in a religious country like Italy. In any case, I'm spending Christmas away from the family here in Florence, but my cousin Danielle has come out for her winter break. We're taking the country by storm (and eating more than our weight in delicious food of course). Before I get to Christmas celebrations, I should probably give you a run-down on everything that's happened in the past few weeks.
The move-out of the fall semester Palazzo Ruccelai students was something of a nightmare. We had to get the apartment cleaned up, furniture returned to original rooms, and garbage removed in entirety. Nightmare. Not to mention the tension between housemates leading up to the actual date. I swear, girls are vicious. I realize that the last time I wrote about my roommates, I got in "trouble" with school administration (because heaven forbid I tell the truth on an obscure blog easily lost in the catacombs of the Internets), but I'm sincerely glad I'm not living in that environment anymore. Passive aggressive behavior pisses me off. Problems should be addressed promptly and with honesty, but apparently this is beyond certain persons. Never mind the fact that we're unlikely to ever see each other again, some students not even attending the same universities as each other. Even the girls who attend ASU are unlikely to ever see me, unless they're interested in 400-level English lit classes (which they aren't) or have a sudden urge to grace Barrett with their presences.
It's astonishing, the growth rate of maturity. As in, stagnation seems disgustingly prominent.
Anyway, with the leaving of my former roommates came the arrival of Danielle and our trip to Reit im Winkl. We were set up for our very first White Christmas in Pension Louise with Rudi, Kornelia, Alexandra, and Mikel. Behold the view from the second floor!
Very Winter-Wonderland isn't it? This was my first time I'd been in snow, and man, was it cold! Of course, with the proper attire, there wasn't much of a problem, but I don't think my face has ever been quite so freezing. Wearing a ski mask all the time wasn't exactly prudent. Not to mention it's creepy.
Rudi and Kornelia stuffed us stupid. Italian food culture and German food culture are drastically different, the latter more like the American mentality of "eat a lot." That being said, after eating relatively balanced meals here in Florence, going to Germany and gorging on heavy comfort foods like potatoes, goulasch, schnitzel, and hot wine probably dropped about ten pounds on every part of my body. I can't even bring myself to step on a scale. Ugh, I'm looking at a new pants size, I know it.
Coming back to Florence meant getting ready for our meagre Christmas away from family and friends. We had no Christmas tree aside from the six-inch tall decoration sitting on our kitchen table, but luckily I'd made a reservation at a cute, Tuscan restaurant called "Acqua al 2" for actual Christmas dinner. Unfortunately, we had to figure out what to do with ourselves on Christmas Eve. With the heating out in the apartment (and still not functioning btw), we were so cold that we didn't even bother with a conventional dinner and just made soup from a packet. I slept hard that night. Travel in any form is tiring, and even though the flight from Germany only took a collective three hours, I was ready to sleep well into the next day.
Christmas Day was as satisfying as it could be. Sitting and opening presents by ourselves at noon couldn't really compare to our home traditions. Apparently my brother woke up at 4AM raring to go and my parents finally obliged him at 7:30 before going to our neighbor's place for Christmas breakfast. I missed that. I'm certainly not sorry to be here, but I'm glad for the advancement of technology. FaceTime has never been used for such a long period of time. I think my parents called me four times that day and Danielle and I definitely presided over whole-family-clan-Christmas-activities for nearly four hours. It was almost like being home again. This wasn't my first time missing a big family gathering. I spent the Easter of my high school junior year in Japan, and I can say with certainty that I might miss a few more holidays in the coming years. Maybe Apple will invent hologram technology by then?
Dinner at Acqua al 2 was splendid. I'd only been there with my friend Daniel once before, but I'm glad we went again. Danielle and I indulged in three course meals, but we skipped dessert. I couldn't find room anywhere to fit it! I don't have any pictures for you. The lighting is kept low in the dining rooms, and taking photos with my camera at 1/2 second or even slower is incredibly difficult without a tripod. You'll have to do with my description. I started with a carrot salad (just carrots), primi piatti was farfalline (bowtie) con zucca (pumpkin), which was to die for, primi secondi was fillet mignon with reduction of balsamic vinegar. Previously, I'd had fillet mignon with blueberry sauce, and I can't make a comparison of the two. Both were absolutely delicious. I'll just have to have them again. Oh well.
Danielle and I have also done a bit of post-Christmas shopping. We hit H&M with all the combined might of our credit cards (not really) and picked up a few things for New Years, which we're spending in Venice this year. I bought a cute little black dress, a champagne scarf, and a new pair of high heels. I won't be going shopping for a while. It's so hard to resist, though! Fashion's so accesible here.
Now that the Holiday craze is settling down a bit, we're not doing much by means of site-seeing. We'll hopefully be able to drag ourselves out of bed to climb the Duomo tomorrow. Hopefully. We haven't been doing a good job of getting up early. I don't have the best track record for being an early riser, but this is just ridiculous.
Hope you enjoy these Christmas lights! I definitely do.


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Tillage, once the standby for killing pests and weeds on crop farms, is once again gaining ground, following a 10-year slump in tillage-equipment sales.
Although no figures are available publicly, those in the industry tell us that tillage-equipment sales are up considerably, reaching their highest volumes in 10 years. Strong sales are reported across most categories of tillage equipment, particularly vertical tillage implements, primary tools such as disks, and combination tools, including disk rippers and disk chisels.
"Obviously, the tillage industry is seeing substantial growth, well beyond historical volumes," says Patrick Sikora, tillage marketing manager for John Deere. "Last year the industry saw record demand, and this year might even top that. With the recent increase in rainfall in the northern plains, along with increasing crop residue that's making it tougher to manage, we're seeing tillage come into areas that have been no-till or minimum-till for several decades."
Other companies report the same demand, which they expect will continue through 2012. And buyers coming back will have a whole new generation of tools from which to choose.
Drivers of demand
So why the sudden run on tillage equipment? Experts cite a variety of reasons. One is a buildup of crop residue, a by-product of higher plant populations and high-yielding biotech hybrids. These crops, once harvested, leave behind a blanket of stalks and stems that can make it difficult to plant come spring.
Soil compaction, which can build up in years when wet fall weather prevents deep, effective tillage, is another reason for the rise in sales, companies report. Wet spring and fall weather means that farmers drive on wet ground to plant and harvest their crops, creating layers of compaction deep in the soil. Tillage helps to remove those layers that may otherwise block root growth.
Finally, high corn prices have left farmers with more disposable income. Farmers are using that money to buy tillage equipment, considered an impulse item that farmers can buy off the lot, especially since self-propelled equipment is in such tight supply, says Deere's Sikora.
"Tillage equipment purchase decisions are typically more impulse in nature than tractors, self-propelled sprayers, and other higher-ticket items, which farmers buy further in advance to take advantage of availability, early-order programs, and other incentives," he says.
All of these factors are spurring a wave of new tillage implement purchases.
Two cardinal rules
Crop specialist Emerson Nafziger, University of Illinois, is seeing the results of those purchases as he drives past fields in his home state. He says in the past two years, he has seen more tillage than usual, and attributes it to the wet fall in 2009 that left tire ruts and soil compaction, followed by a wet spring in 2011. Dry soils and good tillage conditions came in the fall of both 2010 and 2011.
According to an Illinois Department of Agriculture survey, the number of tilled acres (including conventional till, reduced till, and mulch till) increased an average of 2% between 2009 and 2011 while no-till acres in the state declined 5%, from a record high of 33.2% in 2006 to the current 24.2%. A recent Farm Industry News survey, conducted with 300 readers throughout the Midwest, showed a similar upswing in use.
Nafziger says there are really only two reasons why farmers should consider traditional tillage. One is to improve soil aeration and break compacted zones in the root zone, where primary (deep) tillage can help. "The other is to improve seed placement, which we normally accomplish with secondary [shallow] tillage," he says. He suggests doing less of either primary or secondary tillage if conditions that tillage helps correct are not present.
The tools being used most, he says, are big combination tools like heavy disk rippers, which can disk, rip, and level the ground all in one pass. Vertical tillage tools, designed for light, fast, and shallow tillage, are being used as secondary tillage implements in some cases, Nafziger says. "But more traditional implements like field cultivators and disk harrows are now joined by combination 'soil finishers,' which can do a very good job of seedbed preparation without making the seedbed finer than it should be," he says.
Top-selling implements
Rob Zemenchik, sales and marketing manager for Case IH tillage products, says that Case IH recognized several years ago that the greater volumes and more durable chemistry of crop residues were creating operation problems for crop producers.
"After evaluating 1,600 on-farm production-scale field plots over a five-year period, we introduced the Ecolo-Tiger 870 and True-Tandem 330 Turbo to address these challenges, and they have proven to be very successful," Zemenchik says.
Zemenchik claims the Ecolo-Tiger 870, a disk ripper, can process high crop residue volumes into a target piece size of 18 in. or smaller, while leaving a target clod size of less than 6 in. when equipped with a patented double-edge reel. Subsequently, the True-Tandem 330 Turbo vertical tillage tool is designed to level the seedbed in a high-speed, low-draft operation to allow for precise planter-row-unit performance.
AGCO reports the same demand for its vertical tillage system, the Sunflower 6630. "Sales of this implement have exploded since it was introduced in 2010, and the 6630 is now our most popular tillage tool," says Tom Draper, manager of marketing for Sunflower seeding and tillage.
"One of the things we learned about vertical tillage tools is that blades need to be sharp for best performance," Draper continues. "So the geometry of the blade shape and the metallurgy of the steel used help us keep the cutting edge sharp while getting through tough, modern-genetics crop residue."
Draper says disk sales also are strong. "The Sunflower 1435 disks are still the most numerous-selling series in the Sunflower product line," he says.
Canada-based Versatile says its tandem disk business has grown in the last six to eight years. "When you ask a small grains farmer, why are you spending $100,000 on a tandem disk, they will tell you it is for residue management," says Adam Reid, director of marketing for Versatile. "Guys are running the disks quite shallow to avoid compaction and are using them to manage residue, and it's working for them."
New breed of tools
John Deere's Sikora says the tillage tools built today are much more focused on minimizing the impact on the soil in comparison to tools designed a generation ago. For example, he says, a whole new generation of primary disks allow for increased working depths and have improved finishing attachments to better anchor the residue, improve its breakdown, and prepare a much more uniform seedbed.
Sikora says the disks themselves are heavier to better size and incorporate difficult residue. The units are more stable to allow for faster speeds and have wider working widths with more finishing attachments. Because the units can do multiple jobs at once, farmers end up making fewer passes, he says.
"Just because we're seeing a transition back to more tillage doesn't mean you're seeing more passes," Sikora says. "The new solutions are making the whole tillage system more efficient."
Vertical tillage, a form of mulch tillage, is a relatively new option for no-tillers to address the residue problem yet still leave as much residue as possible on top to prevent erosion. The units consist of offset rows of ultra-shallow, hybrid disc blades that slice cornstalks at speeds up to 12 mph.
A similar concept is high-speed compact disks. Horsch Anderson brought several of these units from Europe in 2009 and is now offering full domestic production. Other companies sell them, too. Horsch Anderson's unit, called the Joker, consists of 20-in. notched discs that chop long straws and mulch the residue. Steel rings, which act as the finishing system, roll over the top of the mulched ground and firm it in the soil without creating compacted soil layers associated with other tillage methods, says marketing manager Jeremy Hughes.
"It's proven technology from Europe that we now are manufacturing here," he says. "The discs rotate faster than traditional discs, allowing the whole unit to work at speeds from 8 to 12 miles per hour."
Future of tillage
So, what will be the future of tillage? What will be the next big trend? Case IH's Zemenchik says future trend lines project even greater challenges in crop residue in the near term. He says the company designed its current tillage offerings to carry buyers out at least for another six to eight years as yields reach the 300-bu. mark.
However, although the company is not willing to share its future design plans publicly, Zemenchik says a new set of challenges will come as hybrids continue to evolve and will again require a new generation of tools.
"For example, drought-tolerant hybrids could introduce new crops to regions that previously would have been too dry to produce them, such as westward and northward," he says. "What will that mean for, say, Colorado, Nebraska, North Carolina, or Texas?
"We'll be asking different questions 10 years from now, and we have to be ready for them," Zemenchik adds. "Maybe corn will be grown for other purposes and have different chemistries than today's hybrids. So we have to look for that, too."
4 alternatives to tillage
Farmers and equipment manufacturers are finding new methods to handle crop residue and soil compaction without disturbing the ground. Here are just a few.
28% nitrogen or enzymes. Farmers can apply 28% nitrogen or enzymes in the fall after harvest to accelerate the process of decomposition. These nutrients provide food for the microbes, which can increase in population. However, the soil must be moist and greater than 50 degrees for the process to work. This typically occurs only for early-harvested corn.
Cover crops. Precision planting cover crops is gaining traction in the Midwest. Farmers are planting cover crops such as annual ryegrass, winter peas, or crimson clover in late August or early September. The cover crops have deep roots that break up compacted ground.
Stalk shredders. Shredding stalks is another way to deal with crop residue. However, the fine pieces of stalk left are subject to movement by rain or water, which in some cases may result in piles of residue.
Crimping, lacerating, or crushing the stalks. Performing these actions at the combine head helps start the decomposition process. Various combinations are available. Marion Calmer, maker of the Calmer narrow-row corn head, makes an aftermarket crimper.


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I have a house on Mobile Bay (eastern shore). This is in the very southern part of Alabama and it opens into the Gulf. I really want to kiteboard but I don't know if I could launch here. My problem is that wharfs about 400 ft long run pretty much the whole shore line and they are about 100 to 200 ft apart. There is a spot where I have about 1000 ft of beach to launch but the beach is only 20ft wide. Is there a safe way for a beginner to launch and land a kite in this situation or is it hopeless?
Thanks, Stuart