text:
The Breakdown
Every week it gets harder and harder to find 65 teams.
Big Conferences
The Big East has become a big mess. Four teams (ND, Pitt, G'town, and WVU) are on the bubble now. ND is in the best shape out of all of them. The only reason they are in this position is because of their loss at home against UCLA Sunday. They still have a good chance to get to 10-6 in conference with two home games remaining (Rutgers and Pitt) and should be fine. Pitt in next in line because of their 3 game losing streak. Their out of conference schedule was very weak which gives them a lousy RPI; it also doesn't help that they lost to WVU twice. But they have beaten Syracuse twice and won at UConn. They do have the toughest schedule remaining (@BC, @ND). They need to win one to get to 9-7 in conference and if they do it should be enough to get them in especially considering their strength of schedule in the Big East. G'town and WVU both sit in about the same boat. G'town has a 3 game losing streak and a lousy RPI because of some bad losses out of conference. What they have going for them is a 4-5 mark against the top 8 in the Big East. They should be able to get to 9-7 since they have a home game against Providence left. After that they'll need to win at least a game in the conference tourney and hope there aren't to many upsets elsewhere. WVU has been on a roll lately winning 7 of 9, they have a decent RPI, and have some good wins out of conference. Their problem is they have played an easy Big East schedule and have only one big win (Pitt). They finish up at Seton Hall, and if they win that and one game in the Big East tourney they basically sit in the same boat as G'town, except with a stronger finish.
The ACC cleared up a little bit this week. Georgia Tech's win against Miami was huge for them and devastating for Miami. Virginia Tech and N.C. State have the best chances of getting the sixth bid out of the league but both have some work to do. Maryland needs a win at Virginia Tech this week to finish .500 in conference and feel safe about their chances. The ACC tourney should be interesting because if VT, N.C. St., or Miami can manage to win 2 games then they will have a good shot at a bid.
Iowa St. really took a huge step backwards this week. They need to win their last two conference games and get to 9-7 in conference or all of their bad losses will come back to haunt them. Texas A&M gave itself a big boost by beating Iowa St. The problem is they need to win at Oklahoma St. to have a chance at 9 conference wins. Right now Iowa St. is has a better chance at a bid because of their big wins. Houston got the last at-large bid. They have won six of seven including wins over TCU and Memphis and if they can win out (@Marquette, UAB) and get to 11-5 in conference they should get in. Indiana needs one more big win, which it can get at Wisconsin this week or in the Big 10 tourney, to get in the tourney since right now their record is a ugly 14-11. Vanderbilt is still getting some consideration and with a 2 win week could see its name in the bracket next week.
Small Conferences
The MAC is another big mess. We still think Miami-Ohio and Buffalo are the two best teams in the conference, but the conferences chances for two bids are fading with everyone beating everyone else up so much. Buffalo and Miami-Ohio (despite a solid RPI) both need to win out probably until the conference finals to have a chance at an at-large. Bottom line: There is still a ton of basketball yet to be played in the MAC.
UTEP played itself into the bracket this week by winning three games. They need to still win out till the conference tourney final and at least have a strong showing against Nevada to get a bid. We no longer think St. Joe's has what it takes to win the A-10 conference tourney (see their loss at Rhode Island). GW needs to win out until the tourney championship game to hold on to an at-large. New Mexico has helped its at-large chances this week with its win over Utah, and if they can win out till the conference title game they hold on to slim hopes for an at-large bid.
Conference Breakdown
Big East (8), Big XII (6), ACC (5), SEC (5), C-USA (5), Big Ten (4), PAC-10 (4), MAC (2), MVC (2), WAC (2), WCC (2).
Last Four In
UTEP, Buffalo, Iowa State, Houston
Last Four Out
Wichita State, Indiana, North Carolina State, Virginia Tech
The Field Of 65
America East
George Washington
North Carolina, Wake Forest, Duke, Maryland, Georgia Tech
Atlantic Sun
Central Florida
Big 12
Oklahoma St., Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Texas, Iowa State
Big East
Boston College, Connecticut, Syracuse, Villanova, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Georgetown, West Virginia
Big Sky
Portland State
Big South
Big Ten
Illinois, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Minnesota
Big West
Old Dominion
Louisville, Charlotte, Cincinnati, DePaul, Houston
Oral Roberts
Miami-Ohio, Buffalo
Coppin St.
Southern Illinois, Creighton
Fairleigh Dickinson
Ohio Valley
Tennessee Tech
Arizona, Washington, Stanford, UCLA
Holy Cross
Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi State, LSU, Florida
SE Louisiana
Alabama A&M
Sun Belt
Gonzaga, St. Mary's
Nevada, UTEP
*Note - In the conferences where mulitple bids were given the first place team was given the automatic bid. In the case of a tie, overall record was the tiebreaker.
The Seeds
The 1s
Illinois, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Kansas
The 2s
Boston College, Duke, Kentucky, Washington
The 3s
Oklahoma State, Arizona, Gonzaga, Louisville
The 4s
Michigan State, Connecticut, Oklahoma, Syracuse
The 5s
Charlotte, Utah, Wisconsin, Alabama
The 6s
Cincinnati, Pacific, Villanova, Southern Illinois
The 7s
LSU, Nevada, Florida, Texas Tech
The 8s
Mississippi State, DePaul, UCLA, Texas
The 9s
Maryland, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh
The 10s
Holy Cross, Minnesota, St. Mary's, Stanford
The 11s
George Washington, Georgetown, West Virginia, Miami-Ohio
The 12s
UTEP, Buffalo, Vermont, Iowa State
The 13s
Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Houston, Creighton, Old Dominion
The 14s
PENN, Davidson, Winthrop, Denver
The 15s
The 16s
Portland State, Tennessee Tech, Coppin St.,
CAPS denotes automatic bid earned.
The Bracket
Bracket courtesy Matt Reeves.Questions? Comments? E-mail Chris and Craig at firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Mad as hell: backlash brewing against SAP maintenance fee hike
User anger is growing against SAP's announced increase in maintenance support fees: to 22% of net license cost, up from 17% previously. Computerworld reported last week on the negative reaction of SAP users in the UK and Ireland, as related by Alan Bowling, chairman of SAP's user group in those countries:The mandatory nature of this change along with the increase in cost has received hugely negative feedback from our membership to date," said Bowling.Dennis Howlett summarizes the general feeling emerging from SAP customers:
The backlash has been growing since SAP's announcement on July 16 to customers that Standard Support, which is currently included in all licensing and maintenance contracts, would be replaced by Enterprise Support.
The pricing will increase from 17% of contract value to 22% of contract value, immediately applicable to new customers and introduced in a phased way for existing customers. In real terms, this is a 29.4% increase in the support element of the contracts over the next four years, said the user group.
Joshua Greenbaum recounts his recent conversation with one SAP customer, "who was basically furious at the maintenance hike:"
- SAP's communications have lacked clarity.
- What was once thought to be a new customer only issue will likely impact all SAP customers with the exception of those with a cut off of €30 million in discounted license fees plus BusinessOne customers and those with specially negotiated terms.
- The one size fits all argument is not accepted as appropriate.
- There will be a significant amount of negotiation around individual contracts.
- Business value has yet to be demonstrated as a justification for the price hike."We've already done our 2009 budget, and this sure as hell wasn't planned," she told me. For her company, a long-standing SAP customer that has deployed pretty much everything SAP has to offer, this change to 22 percent is not a trivial matter: "We're talking hundreds of thousands of dollars here," she told me. Needless to say, this user asked to remain anonymous.On the other hand, Josh thinks that SAP's maintenance fee hike can be justified in terms of additional value being delivered through its new "enhancement packs," which SAP claims significantly reduce the cost and pain of upgrades as well as improved response time for service requests.
My view? Don't think SAP is alone in this money grab. It is merely matching the level of maintenance fees already charged by Oracle. This was exactly the sort of duopoly pricing power that observers feared would emerge when Oracle acquired PeopleSoft.
Long term, I think some of the second tier vendors, such as Lawson, IFS, Microsoft, and even Infor, should take advantage of the situation and highlight their lower maintenance costs. They should also look into developing more innovative support models. For example:
Why software vendors haven't generally offered such options in the past is a mystery to me. Perhaps some have done so, and I just don't know about them. If you have information on such plans, please let me know.
- Authorized third-party support. Sell the rights to third-party service providers to provide service, giving them the rights to maintain maintenance versions on their own servers--in other words, a licensed version of what Oracle accuses TomorrowNow of doing.
- Bare-bones support options. For example, sell maintenance contracts where a customer only gets access to new versions and upgrades, with no help desk support. Some older customers never need or want the support desk services--but they still want access to patches and future upgrades. Why should these customers pay for something they don't want? Or sell access to patches and regulatory updates without access to future versions. Or, provide an option to buy future versions.
Otherwise, SAP's and Oracle's pushing the limits of customer tolerance may be just what's needed to spur such innovations.
Update, Aug. 15. The LawsonGuru blog points out that at the same time SAP is narrowing its support options by forcing all customers to a higher, more expensive level of support, Lawson is widening its support options. Lawson's basic level of support with bronze, silver, gold, and platinum options. It's not clear whether the bronze level is as bare-bones as I would like to see, but still Lawson is moving in the right direction.
Related posts
Vendor maintenance fees: just say no
Reading the fine print on ERP contracts
High software maintenance fees and what to do about themby Frank Scavo, 7/30/2008 10:54:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
Read/post comments! (1)
Epicor in transition: revenue up, profits down
Last week, Epicor released second quarter results that were mixed. Revenue rose 21% to $127.9 million. But net income fell sharply to $1.3 million a 79% plunge from the same quarter last year. Epicor blamed the fall in profits on an additional $4.5 million in amortization costs related to the firm's purchase of NSB Retail last year.
Digging a little further, the revenue number is not as impressive as it first appears. New license sales actually fell 3%, but the drop was more than made up by increases in consulting revenue (up 20%) and maintenance fees (up 23%). Epicor blamed the drop in new licenses on weak economic conditions in the retail sector.
On the other hand, Epicor's ERP business (primarily Epicor's Vantage product) was strong, said CEO Tom Kelly in an investor conference call:Our ERP license performance was within our expected range, and we are pleased to see our customers continue to spend and allocating dollars to ERP solutions. ERP implementations remain at the top of the Company's must-do IT projects as evidenced by the fact that we added a significant number of new name customers, more than 150 in total in Q2. We have not seen a change to the competitive environment, nor have we seen deals disappearing for lack of funding. While our ERP pipelines remain strong, we continue to see some lengthening of the ERP cycles as we've talked to you in the past. This is in due part to some of the larger deals we are tracking, but is also due to some customers deciding to implement projects on a stage basis where they initially purchase and rollout smaller parts of their total solution.How did Epicor manage to increase consulting and maintenance revenue? Kelly said that Epicor won back 177 customers to maintenance contracts. How Epicor managed to entice back these customers, or why they left in the first place--he didn't say. Nevertheless, it's a good sign, as maintenance is a recurring revenue stream.
On the consulting side, Kelly said that results were due to a focus on increasing utilization and a strong backlog of business. What's driving the backlog--in light of weaker new license sales--he didn't say. He did hint, however, to a more aggressive pursuit of consulting opportunities by aligning the services group more closely with sales:Additionally, our consulting and sales organizations have become intimately late and in the joint pursuit of maximizing Epicor's revenue opportunity from every customer. We've not optimized the synergies in the past and this is the working relationship I believe must exist for Epicor to accelerate on top and bottom line growth rates in the future. Lauri's [Lauri Klaus, EVP Worldwide Consulting] background in sales and her current role in consulting give us the best opportunity from a senior management standpoint to melt these two organizations more closely together.Read Epicor's conference call transcript at Seeking Alpha for more details.
What does it all mean?
As Kelly indicated in his remarks, Epicor is in a transition year. This is partly due to the management transition from George Klaus, longtime Epicor CEO. Kelly has only taken over the top spot since February. Epicor is also in transition as it broadens its footprint from that of a traditional midmarket ERP vendor to include a focus on the retail industry with its acquisition of NSB Retail Systems last year as well as its earlier pick up of CRS Retail Technology Group in 2005.
The macroeconomic conditions in the retail sector, however, are weak right now, and the fall off in new license revenue for Epicor in that segment is understandable. The increase in maintenance revenue is a positive sign, but the increase in consulting revenue is likely unsustainable if it simply reflects increased utilization and a more aggressive pursuit of consulting deals for new and existing customers. Ultimately, consulting revenue follows new license revenue. Furthermore, some of the new consulting work is likely coming at the expense of Epicor's implementation partners, which live and die by those projects.
Expect a few more quarters to be needed to see if Epicor is successful in its transition.
Update, Aug. 1. A Spectator reader left an anonymous comment on another post indicating that Epicor today terminated five employees from CRS Retail Systems in Newburgh NY. He indicates that such layoffs have been occurring quarterly. Though such layoffs may be necessary for Epicor to maintain its financial performance, conducted in a drip-drop fashion, they are likely hurting staff morale in this unit that is key to Epicor's diversification strategy.
Related posts
More on Epicor's management changes
Epicor replaces CEO and COO: why?
Epicor expands presence in retail sectorby Frank Scavo, 7/30/2008 08:36:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
Read/post comments! (0)
Monday, July 28, 2008
Oracle increases accusations in SAP lawsuit
We're finally getting a look into what Oracle has discovered in the discovery phase of its lawsuit against SAP and its subsidiary TomorrowNow (TN), which provided third-party maintenance and support contracts for Oracle products.
In an amended complaint filed today, Oracle paints a vivid picture of TN knowingly misappropriating Oracle's intellectual property and SAP knowingly choosing to allow TN to continue in its allegedly illegal operations. Oracle claims that documents uncovered during the discovery phase have "revealed that [SAP] knew from the start that SAP TN's business depended on this extensive illegal scheme...One of the key members of SAP's due diligence team--a former PeopleSoft employee--reported directly to board member [Shai] Agassi: "I am not sure how TomorrowNow gets access to Peoplesoft software, but its [sic] very likely that TomorrowNow is using the software outside the contractual use rights granted to them."
Oracle also claims that during the acquisition of TN by SAP that TN's owners "flatly refused to give any such assurances" that TN respected Oracle's IP rights.
Furthermore, Oracle claims to have uncovered evidence of an effort within SAP to move to a more conservative approach to delivering support services, a so-called "Project Blue." As I read Oracle's complaint, it appears that Project Blue would have involved TN giving up the maintenance of centralized copies of PeopleSoft and JDE and doing all customer support remotely on the customer's system. Oracle claims that SAP and TN eventually decided against Project Blue.
The complaint is now 70 pages, with substantial detail, and is quite an interesting read. Computerworld has a short article on it. But read Oracle's complaint to get a full picture.
Oracle chose to file this amended complaint today, the day before SAP reports its second quarter earnings, guaranteeing that analysts will be asking questions about this tomorrow.
This case puts a real obstacle in the path of the third-party maintenance model, a model that I hope will prove viable in the long run. Major software vendors, such as both Oracle and SAP, have too much power, too much control over their installed base customers and too little competition. Third-party maintenance gives customers another option and leverage over the unrestrained pricing power of the major vendors. When you buy a Lexus, you are not obligated to go to the Lexus dealer for maintenance. Why should enterprise software be any different?
Nevertheless, third-party service providers have to operate within the restraints of fair competition. Hopefully this case will be resolved in a way that makes the boundaries clear, so that clients have choices.
Update, July 29: SAP issued a terse statement acknowledging Oracle's amended complaint, simply: "Today, Oracle filed an amended complaint in Oracle v. SAP. SAP's response is due to the Court on September 11, 2008. This amended complaint repeats many of the themes and allegations in Oracle's amended complaint filed in 2007. SAP will respond to this amended complaint in Court."
I'm sure SAP would rather focus on its earning announcement today. SAP is reporting second-quarter results that beat most analyst estimates and gave a more positive outlook on its full-year guidance.
Related posts
SAP puts TomorrowNow out of its misery
Vendor maintenance fees: just say no
Legal basis for third-party ERP support industry
Oracle wants to broaden lawsuit against SAP and TomorrowNowby Frank Scavo, 7/28/2008 04:54:00 PM | permalink | e-mail this!
Read/post comments! (0)
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
SAP puts TomorrowNow out of its misery
It's not been a good month for SAP. Last week, it came under fire for botching up transition of support for its Business Objects customers. Now, SAP is announcing that it is killing off its TomorrowNow subsidiary, which provides third-party support for several Oracle products, such as J.D. Edwards, PeopleSoft, and Siebel.
TomorrowNow and SAP are the target of a lawsuit by Oracle alleging theft of Oracle's intellectual property. SAP has been trying to sell TomorrowNow since last year, but to no avail.
In its press release, SAP said that it is "working directly with TomorrowNow's more than 225 current customers to help them return to support from Oracle...or to smoothly transition to new support options."
On the surface, SAP's troubles with TomorrowNow might seem to tarnish the image of third-party support, but I don't think so. SAP was asking for trouble by offering support for a competitor's products, especially those of a competitor as aggressive as Oracle. But, in my opinion, as long as vendors--such as SAP and Oracle--continue to charge 22% of the net license fee for ongoing support, the financial benefits of third-party support are simply too attractive for some customers to ignore. This is especially true for customers that have highly modified their vendor's systems, have no intention of upgrading, or are planning a migration to a different system at some point in the future.
Where will TomorrowNow customer's go? Some will return to the Oracle fold. But some will likely go to another third-party support provider, such as Rimini Street or netCustomer.
A quick email reply from David Rowe at Rimini Street this morning indicates that "the phone is ringing off the hook"--not only because of TomorrowNow's shutdown, but also because of SAP's recent announcement of support fee increases. (An equal opportunity provider, Rimini Street offers third party support to both Oracle and SAP customers).
Related posts
SAP botching up support transition for Business Objects
SAP lists TomorrowNow as a discontinued operation
SAP considering sale of TomorrowNow
Oracle sues SAP and its TomorrowNow unitby Frank Scavo, 7/22/2008 08:11:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
Read/post comments! (0)
Friday, July 11, 2008
SAP botching up support transition for Business Objects
SAP bought Business Objects last year and is now getting around to transitioning support to SAP's own website. But it looks like a case study in how to NOT please your customers.
First, this in the comments area on Bob Cringley's website tipped me off to the problem:SAP bought out Business Objects last fall. This week, they switched the Business Objects Support site over to the SAP Support Portal. They also replaced the Business Objects Support telephone numbers with a recording directing users to the SAP Support Portal.The problems are confirmed by postings on the Business Objects Board (not affiliated with Business Objects or SAP). As of this writing, there are seven pages of posts, showing a complete lack of coordination for the migration of support. It sounds like a deadline-date-driven migration for which SAP was not prepared.
Now, did they notify all the users of Business Objects Support in advance of the change? Did they supply users of Business Object Support with the SAP Support Portal access codes needed to enter the site? Did they convert over the existing support incidents from the Business Objects Support site to the new SAP Support Portal?
No, no, and no.
The net result is that all the Business Objects Customers have been effectively cut off of all Support this week.
This is not the first trouble SAP has had in its relationships with Business Objects customers. Things got so bad earlier this year that Business Objects emailed its customers to apologize for "issues related to poor service including delayed deliveries of the company's technology."
If SAP is going to make major strategic acquisitions in the future, it is going to have to learn how to make them painless for customers.
Update, July 16: PC World has picked up on my post and contacted SAP about the problems with Business Objects support. Their reporting confirms that SAP simply blew the migration. For example, SAP didn't have email addresses for all users, so they sent notification and new login credentials by snail mail.
Update, July 17: Be sure to read the comments section for a long note from an SAP/Business Objects support professional. In spite of his claims that some of my information is not accurate, he essentially confirms just about everything. This is a real mess.
Related posts
SAP encounters rough patch with Business Objects
SAP winning BI customers from Oracle
SAP to buy Business Objectsby Frank Scavo, 7/11/2008 03:44:00 PM | permalink | e-mail this!
Read/post comments! (15)
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
2008 IT spending and budget metrics online
Over at Computer Economics, we've just published our 19th annual study of IT spending metrics. The 2008/2009 IT Spending, Staffing, and Technology Trends study is over 1,100 pages and nearly 800 charts on IT budget trends, ratios, and metrics for 18 industry sectors/sub-sectors.
The study is used by IT organizations to compare their levels of IT spending and staffing with other organizations, and by consultants and technology providers to better understand current trends. This year's study also includes special chapters on technology adoption and ROI/TCO trends, IT management best practices, and IT outsourcing metrics.
Chapter 1 is an executive summary of the full report and is available for free download.by Frank Scavo, 7/08/2008 03:38:00 PM | permalink | e-mail this!
Read/post comments! (0)
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Intel says no to Vista
This has got to hurt. From the NY Times comes this interesting anecdote: Intel has decided not to upgrade employee PCs to Microsoft Vista.Intel, the giant chip maker and longtime partner of Microsoft, has decided against upgrading the computers of its own 80,000 employees to Microsoft's Vista operating system, a person with direct knowledge of the company's plans said.Earlier this month, at Computer Economics, we reported findings from our annual study of technology trends, which indicate that Intel is not alone in its decision to say no to Vista. We found that most organizations are still not including Vista in their plans for 2008. In fact, there were not even enough early adopters to provide a large enough sample for an ROI/TCO analysis.
The person, who has been briefed on the situation but requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of Intel's relationship with Microsoft, said the company made its decision after a lengthy analysis by its internal technology staff of the costs and potential benefits of moving to Windows Vista, which has drawn fire from many customers as a buggy, bloated program that requires costly hardware upgrades to run smoothly.
Microsoft's misstep with Vista is unlikely to boost very much the desktop share of competing operating systems, such as Linux or Apple's OS/X. Most organization's staying on XP will eventually upgrade to Vista, or wait for Microsoft's next generation of desktop OS, Windows 7, scheduled for release in 2010.by Frank Scavo, 7/01/2008 08:33:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
Read/post comments! (0)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Benjamins, dough, cabbage, coin, greenbacks. Most of us could rattle off a dozen or more slang words that mean money. But we might be unsure what certain financial terms -- operating income, liquidity -- mean. When you follow the U.S. Postal Service, this might put you at a disadvantage, especially when it's quarterly financial statement time.
Operating income measures earnings (revenues minus expenses) before interest and taxes. Liquidity is the amount of financial resources (cash, equity, assets, credit) that an organization can easily convert to cash for spending and investments. Postal officials often mention the Postal Service's lack of liquidity. Chief Financial Officer Joe Corbett said in January that the Postal Service's liquidity, at its highest point in the year, is only about $3 billion. This isn't much cushion for a $65 billion entity. And the cushion shrinks at certain points in the year, such as in October, when the Postal Service makes its workers' compensation payment to the Labor Department.
UPS and FedEx, companies with revenues about $20 billion less than the Postal Service, have liquidity of about $12 billion and $14 billion respectively, he noted. But what does this mean exactly? Well, companies with strong liquidity positions, such as UPS and FedEx, have much greater access to capital than the Postal Service. They have more opportunity to invest, whether in capital projects or new businesses. The Postal Service's weak cash position means it cannot invest in the infrastructure or innovation. It also has no margin for error. What happens if a catastrophe strikes in October right after the Postal Service has made its workers compensation payment?
Finally, the Postal Service has no available cash to pay down its debt. It reached its statutory borrowing limit of $15 billion in FY 2012 and it has been unable to borrow from the Treasury Department for more than a year.
The Postal Service says employees will get paid – this is not an issue. And it has enough cash on hand to pay suppliers. But it has had to forego needed investment in its infrastructure, such as facility maintenance and vehicle replacement. And as the Postal Service considers a new business model for the digital age, it has no available cash to invest in new opportunities. It has not had the funds to make its required prefunding payment to the retiree healthcare fund for the past few years. The postage price increase in late January should help its cash position, but it will not build the bigger cushion it needs.
Share your thoughts on the Postal Service's cash position. What is hurt most by the Postal Service's lack of liquidity? Is it missing opportunities because of its cash shortage? If its liquidity position were to improve, what should be the Postal Service's priorities (infrastructure investment, paying down debt, lowering postal rates, etc.)?


text:
Thursday is Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, that annual attempt to show kids that work is fun and worth devoting 40 or 50 years of one's life to. On the calendar goes the longer-than-you'd-ever-take lunch (away from your desk!), and out comes the candy, perhaps a bit of glitz provided by the company honchos and even some swag bags. Overall, about a third of Americans have participated over the years, estimates the Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day Foundation.
But has an event that Ms. Magazine launched as a way to create opportunities for girls–it was Take Our Daughters to Work Day from 1993 until 2003–devolved into little more than an organized play date? After all, it's not as though many parents haven't taken a kid to work on one of the other 364 days of the year (often for lack of a better option) to let them see how much time we all spend staring at a computer.
MarketWatch wants to hear your views. Do kids get an accurate picture of work and what it takes to have a career in your industry when they come to your office? And sure, the foundation behind this day says it's for kids 8 to 18 (or second grade through 12th grade), but do teens – those who really need the career guidance – even come?
One idea that has caught our eye: 18 virtual field trips to the office being organized by Forbes and Google.
Tweet your thoughts about Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day and photos of activities at your workplace using the hashtag #mwkids.
And take a (separate) break from your job to participate in our poll:
— Silvia Ascarelli
Follow Silvia @SilviaAscarelli
More must-reads from MarketWatch:
Everything I need for a job I learned in kindergarten
How to teach your kids to be financially independent


text:
Please provide the email you used when registering at Transgays.com
Members On-Line
Our Transexual, Transvestite & Gay Escort Directory website is intended for adult viewing and may contain nudity and erotic pictures of Transexual, Transvestite & Gay escorts and aslso information about Transexual, Transvestite & Gay escort agencies. Enter the site only if you are legally entitled to access "Adult Sites" as defined by the laws of the country where you live. By entering this site, you confirm that: You are not entering this site in any official or unofficial capacity; in order to download images, or gain information for use in any media, or to use against the owner of the site. If you are under 18 or do not agree with the above disclaimer statements, please leave this site now.
© All rights reserved. MCS Leader. 2016


text:
Siege of Inaolia, The first game from Riftwalker Ltd, intends to put survival games on the map by offering a refined and fresh experience in the form of a game that pays heavy attention to story as well as a high replay value by means of dynamic combat, a game that promotes skill over spam while remaining easy to pick up. Set in the Dark Fantasy world of Ilastria, a world plagued by wars and magic as well as the orcs and their kin, you control one of three unlikely heroes in their struggle to survive within the ancient fortress of Inaolia, a task that they soon come to learn, has the very fate of the world in the balance.
|Last Post
|New Thread
|No threads have been posted here. You should start a new thread.
In this section you can voice issues you've encountered.


text:
An old tradition is getting a redesign at Boston Ballet, which this week premieres artistic director Mikko Nissinen's reenvisioned production of Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker." Some of the choreography is new, and so are some of the characters, but the most sweeping change is in the look of the piece, which debuts fresh sets and costumes — almost 350 of them — by Robert Perdziola. "The Nutcracker" runs Nov. 23-Dec. 30 at the Boston Opera House.
Holiday arts


text:
(Reuters) - The Detroit Pistons have fired head coach Maurice Cheeks after barely half a season in charge of the National Basketball Association team, the club announced on Sunday.
Cheeks became the first NBA head coach fired this season.
"This was a difficult decision for the organization to make but we needed to make a change," President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars said in a statement.
The Pistons are ninth in the Eastern Conference this season at 21-29, though they have won their past two games.
"Our record does not reflect our talent and we simply need a change," said Pistons owner Tom Gores.
"We have not made the kind of progress that we should have over the first half of the season. This is a young team and we knew there would be growing pains, but we can be patient only as long as there is progress."
Cheeks, 57, was appointed coach in June on a two-year deal.
An NBA point guard for 15 seasons, primarily with the Philadelphia 76ers where he was part of the 1983 championship-winning team, Cheeks previously served as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers and 76ers.
"The leadership and player development qualities he brings as a former player and coach blends nicely with the roster we are building for the future," Dumars said at the time of the hiring.
"He's won an NBA championship, coached in two NBA Finals as an assistant coach and mentored some of the top young players in the NBA."
The honeymoon clearly did not last long.
Last Wednesday, Cheeks and point guard Will Bynum had a verbal altercation after the player was substituted for during the second period.
But Cheeks still evidently had some support in the locker room.
"I would like to thanks Mo Cheeks for everything," Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings tweeted on Sunday.
"Thank you for helping me become a better person & player. I'm still learning."
Cheeks leaves Detroit with a career record of 305-315 as a head coach.
Assistant John Loyer is expected to take over as interim head coach for Monday's home game against the powerful San Antonio Spurs.
"The responsibility does not fall squarely on any one individual, but right now this change is a necessary step toward turning this thing around," owner Gores said.
"I still have a lot of hope for this season and I expect our players to step up."
Reporting By Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Larry Fine


text:
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) calls on Heads of State to consider the following points related to climate change, the economic crisis and Africa.
IUCN encourages Heads of State to take into account the Carta di Siracusa adopted at the G8 Environmental Summit held on 22-25 April 2009, which highlights the fundamental role of biodiversity and ecosystems in climate change adaptation and mitigation.
In this context, IUCN strongly encourages governments to fully recognize the value of nature, and the importance of managing, restoring and conserving ecosystems to enable people to adapt to climate change. Ecosystem-based adaptation is focused on supporting local livelihoods and enhancing the critical ecosystem services upon which societies depend.
We call on States to support efforts to include 'Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD)' into a future climate change regime, provided that this mechanism is equitable and sustainable.
Given the particular vulnerability of Africa to the impacts of climate change, IUCN calls attention to the need to ensure sufficient financing to the most vulnerable. IUCN further encourages consideration of Ecosystem-based Adaptation in Africa, especially given the dependence of livelihoods on natural resources.
We would also like to express concern about the increasing purchases or rental of African agricultural land by non-African countries or companies to meet increasing food and biofuel demands. While this may provide benefits to Africa, such investments need to be managed and targeted, primarily, for African benefits, and need to ensure the sustainable use of natural resources. This should include transferring technology to African countries, building a better infrastructure to support sustainable agriculture in Africa, and enhancing employment of Africans in any such efforts.
Regarding the current economic situation, IUCN strongly encourages governments to seize the opportunity to rethink the ground rules for a more sustainable form of economic development. Ongoing efforts to quantify environmental values, such as The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) study, represent an important step towards a greater integration of natural capital into economic models and business plans. In this context, IUCN welcomes the recent Declaration on Green Growth made by OECD countries and other initiatives aimed at achieving a green economy. In line with the Carta di Siracusa, IUCN calls on Heads of States to support these processes.
Considering the role of biodiversity and ecosystems in climate change mitigation and adaptation; valuing biodiversity and ecosystem services; and assisting the most vulnerable to adapt to climate change are all actions which fall within the framework of the Millennium Development Goals. IUCN, therefore, urges Heads of State to ensure that measures are designed towards achieving these goals.
Julia Marton-Lefèvre
IUCN Director General


text:
This blog discusses current weather, weather prediction, climate issues, and other topics
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
UPDATE II: The Record is Broken!
Convection is forming over the mountains. Today I noticed altocumulus castellanus...midlevel convection... on this side of the Cascades. The focus of the convection may shift our way.... In fact, looking at the radar and satellite imagery...it already has.
I went outside before...when I walked over asphalt or concrete my face felt on fire from the combination of high air temperature plus radiation emitting from the surface. Some students in my dept measured the surface ground temps with an infrared thermometer...they found 120-150F in some locations.
And did I mention that tomorrow will be almost as hot in the interior? Low clouds are pushing to the coast now...so go there if you want relief.
For those interested, I will be talking on the Weather Channel late this afternoon about the situation at 5:40 PM
38 comments:
- Bryan said...
I'm afraid to go home. I could melt.
- July 29, 2009 at 3:37 PM
- Stewie said...
Can someone tell me whether WeatherUnderground is accurate?
It's showing 115 at 98126 in WSea.
Is their thermometer under the hood of a car!?
- July 29, 2009 at 3:41 PM
- thom said...
I've been collecting daily weather data from a site 6 miles ENE of North Bend for 31 years and have never recorded early morning temperatures this high or temperature rises this significant. During one Easterly gust the temperature went to 107.3 and held there for 12 minutes before slowly dropping back to a cool 103 degrees. Temperatures have been over 100 degrees out here near exit 34 since 1130, currently (1539) it is cooling with a steady temp of 102. Glad I was here to verify or I would have written today's weather data off as instrument failure.
- July 29, 2009 at 3:42 PM
- mainstreeter said...
I saw the anvil clouds to the sw of Olympia. The RaDar shows it on the southern edge of Mt Rainier on either side of SR 7 one cell south of Ashford and another north of Cinebar in Lewis County
- July 29, 2009 at 3:42 PM
- Brad said...
Stewie, many WU sites are accurate and some aren't. The site are run by hobbyists and there is no guarantee their weather stations are set up properly. The one reading 115° probably has direct sun shining on the thermometer during part of the day.
- July 29, 2009 at 3:49 PM
- Scott K said...
Lake Stevens 3:49pm, we have hit 105f. Not sure if it's going to get any hotter. I'm surprised how much warmer it is here than in Everett, which is only a couple miles west of us.
Inside my house is between 87 and 91 right now, which isn't too bad, it's about on par with yesterday.
Amazing heat, but it feels good!
- July 29, 2009 at 3:50 PM
- rebecca said...
I think Weather Underground is way off! They're saying that my 98110 zip code is 85.7 degrees - Might be true right next to the water, but other thermometers around here say it's 101.
- July 29, 2009 at 3:53 PM
- HeyNow said...
"WeatherUnderground is accurate?"
You want to look at the raw metar for the accurate temp. 98126 gives you the metar for KBFI, with a temp of 39 C ( 102.2 F )
- July 29, 2009 at 3:55 PM
- Jason said...
Geez. And I was annoyed by the thunderstorms that kept us from leaving JFK on Sunday (nice to meet you, Cliff!). I hope this breaks up before the weekend. This is too hot for Seattle!
- July 29, 2009 at 3:57 PM
- HeyNow said...
98110 =Ferncliff (Waterfront), Bainbridge Island, Washington (PWS)
AKA Personal weather station= inaccurate, but you knew that already.
I always use ICAO airport codes for wunderground and look at the raw metar, 98110 gives you the KBFI ( Boeing Field ) metar.
- July 29, 2009 at 3:59 PM
- Kevin said...
102 at SEATAC - blowing the old record out of the water!
Maybe 103+ as the high?
If Wunderground is correct, parts of Bellingham have temps above 100. I believe the all time record up there is 96.
- July 29, 2009 at 4:00 PM
- HeyNow said...
KRNT ( Renton airport ) metar has 41 C ( 105.8 F )
- July 29, 2009 at 4:03 PM
- Jeff said...
Here on the Sammamish plateau a high of 108.0 was reached at 3:05 PM. Current temp at 4:00 106.9. I was hoping to hit 105 today so when I saw 108 I was really excited. I figure if it's going to be hot we may as well have something to brag about!!
I thought the comment a few days ago about blaming Greg Nickles for this was pretty good:)
Off to find an air conditioned restaraunt with ice cold Margaritas to celebrate a memorable day.
- July 29, 2009 at 4:04 PM
- Chase Gallagher said...
If you need relief, head coastal. LeftShelton at 1:45 and 102f. Just got to Westport, it's 66f. Perfect.
- July 29, 2009 at 4:04 PM
- Beetlecat said...
wunderground is as good as the station in question. :) I should get ours checked out at the Museum of Flight. It often jives with the KBFI reading, so I'm fairly confident the 106.2 was only a degree or two off! :)
- July 29, 2009 at 4:07 PM
- Mary said...
No motel rooms left in Renton or Kent. I got one of the last ones. Folks, watch your pets. This heat is very hard on them.
- July 29, 2009 at 4:14 PM
- Alex said...
Dammit, all the Olive Gardens will be jam packed. No relief there!
- July 29, 2009 at 4:20 PM
- Rose said...
Make it stop!
- July 29, 2009 at 4:21 PM
- Liembo said...
Nice tip on utilizing METAR temps for official values. I have a PWS on Wunderground.com (it is what shows up when you type "Bothell, WA" due to my proximity). My thermometer is located in the shade and is reporting a high of 96.3 so far (4pm).
- July 29, 2009 at 4:21 PM
- Kenna Wickman said...
I just measured the temp in the shade on our north porch here in Kingston - 101F.
Its hot!
- July 29, 2009 at 4:21 PM
- Lindsey said...
Our Area Weather Discussion now suggesting a bit of a stronger marine push by Friday. But official forecast still in the 80s, though that's not a bad cool-down.
- July 29, 2009 at 4:24 PM
- Stewie said...
Thanks for the metar tip as well!
Makes sense now. 102. Yeesh.
- July 29, 2009 at 4:28 PM
- HeyNow said...
Metars are also good in the winter when you want to know just how foggy it is at Sea Tac before your flight. They are pretty easy to decode, a quick google of metar decoder will give you an automatic decoder.
- July 29, 2009 at 4:35 PM
- Just Me said...
You know what's really freaky? Today in Denver it was 55 degrees!! Normal temps in late July are around 90 degrees. Global warming is alive and well....
- July 29, 2009 at 4:54 PM
Cliff - I was just wondering why sites like weather underground actually show higher temperatures than what we ever see reported. For example, it's reporting 111.2 in Renton (98059) right now, 112.1 in 98008, etc...
- July 29, 2009 at 4:55 PM
- Michael said...
Orcas Island, West side of Mount Constitution 97.7 at 4:53.....WOWBOBWOW
- July 29, 2009 at 4:56 PM
- Michael said...
98 degrees on Orcas Island, west side of Mount Constitution at 4:56pm....WOWBOBWOW
- July 29, 2009 at 4:57 PM
- Lindsey said...
103 now at Seatac. That's a pretty decisive record-beater.
- July 29, 2009 at 4:59 PM
- JV said...
just heard on Komo4 that SeaTac hit 103 in the last hour so that is the new all time record high!
- July 29, 2009 at 4:59 PM
- firstname.lastname@example.com said...
Cheers! Interesting drive to Aberdeen today. Temperature dropped 13 degrees in 5 miles on Highway 8 westbound, about 4 miles west of Elma. This was at about 1445 local. Max temps on the drive home were about 10 degrees cooler in Elma/east of Elma than two hours prior. Marine push is here. Doubtful that it will make it past the Black Hills.
- July 29, 2009 at 5:10 PM
- Kevin Purcell said...
One temperature to keep in mind is 104F == 40C.
A whole new decade of metric temperatures!
- July 29, 2009 at 5:11 PM
- westsideschl said...
I took a high tech digital thermometer into Husky Stadium at 1:30 for my workout. It was 99 degrees in the shade; 107 in the Sun both at 5' with no wind. It was 116 degrees close to the surface of the stairs and 160 degrees on the surface of the new Field Turf football field. Needless to say no running in my bare feet. Gregg Teslovich
- July 29, 2009 at 5:32 PM
- Paul said...
Cliff, they cut you off.
- July 29, 2009 at 5:47 PM
- Nicholas said...
Temperatures recorded on the East Side on the way south this afternoon:
Bothell: 98-100
Kirkland: 100-103
Bellevue: 103-110 (I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it)
Newcastle: 103-105
Renton Highlands: 105-106
- July 29, 2009 at 5:52 PM
- izzit said...
Went to Golden Gardens at 2, noticed there was no one on the sandy beach, thought "wow, Coney Is. would be packed! Plenty of room here."
Walked across the sand in flip-flops - and literally burned my feet. Small welts are popping up.
- July 30, 2009 at 6:39 AM
- Lindsey said...
Temps so far today seem WAY behind yesterday's readings all over Western WA. And some marine air has definitely gotten into the Willamette Valley now, and maybe even started to seep into the Portland-Vancouver area. Soon relief.
- July 30, 2009 at 8:13 AM
- JorPet said...
The West Seattle station in question definitely has "sun" issues. There are several around it that are much more accurate (mine is one of them).
While mine is more accurate, in no way is it set up correctly for record type recordings, but it is likely within a degree of an exact measurement.
With Wunderground I normally look at 3-5 stations in a given area to see if they are about in agreement. If they are a mile apart I would expect a couple of degree difference (say down in the hole here in Fauntleroy vs up on the hill in White Center), but they should be close enough to make logical sense.
- July 30, 2009 at 8:58 AM
- Sparrowhawk said...
Snoqualmie temps. North side of house in vegetation, elevation approx. 700 feet:
sudden East wind 4AM
6AM 83 degrees
9AM 90 degrees
11:30AM 98 degrees
1PM 102 degrees
2:30PM 104 degrees
9:30PM 92 degrees
- August 2, 2009 at 10:04 PM


text:
|Birth Date:
|Cuba, Mo.
|High School:
|University of Missouri High School
AS A FRESHMAN IN 2009-2010: Compiled a 4-4 record in singles ... made dual season debut on Jan. 16 vs. UC Santa Cruz ... won first dual season singles match on Feb. 20 over Sonoma State's Stewart Hutton, 6-4, 6-3 ... paired with Andrew Kells, Kyle Dandan, and Tom Pham in doubles appearances throughout the season ... went 6-4 overall with Kells ... at No. 3 doubles went 5-0 with Dandan ... finished 0-1 with Pham at No. 3 doubles.
HIGH SCHOOL: A 2009 graduate of the University of Missouri High School in Columbia, Missouri ... was a doubles national champion and gained a Top 70 national ranking ... played for coaches Elliot Mcdermed and Pete Stroer.
PERSONAL: Parents are Bill and Susan Fleming ... has one sibling, Danielle Fleming ... enjoys ping pong and working out ... major is undeclared.


text:
November 4, 2011
Synaptic transmission begins when one brain cell releases a neurochemical into the synapse. The transmission, however, is not complete until that neurochemical binds with a receptor on the postsynaptic, or receiving, neuron. Researchers have learned that receptors are equally as important as the neurochemicals they receive in maintaining healthy neurobiology. In fact, studies have demonstrated that receptors play a critical role in mood, learning, and the formation of social bonds. Many receptors are current targets for drug development for treatment of psychiatric disorders.
What is a receptor?
A receptor is a protein that resides on the membrane of the postsynaptic neuron. The binding of neurotransmitters to receptors is often described using a lock and key metaphor. A "key," or neurotransmitter, neatly binds with a receptor "lock" resulting in the propagation or dampening of the neural signal (also referred to as the action potential). Receptors, however, are not quite as specific as a single matching lock and key. While scientists had initially hypothesized that a single neuron would only contain one type of neurotransmitter, advances in molecular neurobiology have demonstrated this is not the case. A single neurotransmitter may bind with several types of receptors, even those more commonly associated with a different neurotransmitter, and result in varied reactions depending on their location. So while areas like the basal ganglia, an area linked to risk and reward processing, show a high density of dopamine receptors and the neocortex, the brain region responsible for sensory processing and executive fuction, has a wealth of glutamate receptors, you can find various receptor types spread across the brain. [i]
In addition, other neurochemicals, including hormones, proteins, and peptides, can also bind with receptor proteins.[ii] In any one synapse, there may be hundreds of molecules moving between cells and making alterations to the action potential by interacting with different receptor types.
How do receptors work?
Receptors can result in both direct and indirect effects on synaptic transmission, depending on the receptor type. Ionotropic receptors result in quick, direct effects to signal propagation through ligand-gated ion channels. When a neurotransmitter binds to an ionotropic receptor, it directly opens or closes ion channels at the site of the receptor. Open channels depolarize the cell, propagating the action potential and a release of neurotransmitters to adjacent neurons. Closed channels, on the other hand, hyperpolarize the cell, dampening or even stopping the signal altogether.
[Click here for a visual representation published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information.]
In contrast, metabotropic receptors do not have channels and work in a more indirect fashion through G-protein coupled receptors. When the neurotransmitter connects with the metabotropic receptor, the binding action sets off a chain reaction of protein activity within the cell, altering the cell's metabolic activity or opening nearby ion channels to either enhance or diminish the cell's action potential.[iii]
After binding with a specific receptor type, neurotransmitters may also activate so-called second messengers, or other proteins or enzymes within the cell that changes its internal chemistry. Second messengers can moderate action potentials by blocking or opening ion channels, creating new ion channels, or communicating directly with the cell DNA with instructions to produce a new protein.[iv]
How are receptors related to neuropathology and behavior?
Receptors play an important role in both neuropathology and behavior in animals and humans. Neuropsychiatric disease can result from too few or too many receptors in different parts of the brain, leading to too little or too much of a neurotransmitter binding to the postsynaptic cell. Due to the sheer number of possible combinations of neurochemicals within a single synapse, it is difficult to make cause-and-effect statements regarding a single neurotransmitter and a behavior. However, by focusing on the dominant neurotransmitter at any one synapse, researchers have been able to link receptors to behaviors and disease states.
For example, studies have shown that certain types of serotonin receptors are linked to neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression and bipolar disorder. Gene variants of these receptor proteins result in too much neurotransmitter being taking up by both the pre- and postsynaptic cells so not enough transmitter is available at receptors, resulting in the associated neuropathologies. Consequently, researchers have targeted these receptors and others as a potential avenue for drug treatment.[v]
Glutamate, a neurotransmitter known for exciting neurons, is very important in helping to propagate neural signals in the brain. But research has linked its receptors to a variety of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's diseases. When specific receptor types take up too much of this neurotransmitter, it can result in mass cell death and, over time, neurodegeneration results.[vi]
Receptors also affect long-term potentiation, the molecular process that results in learning. The neurotransmitter GABA is a critical inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. Recent studies have demonstrated it works in a synapse-specific manner in the hippocampus and plays a critical role in learning and memory. [vii]
Finally, different types of dopamine receptor subtypes, D1 and D2, have been linked to drug addiction, schizophrenia and social relationships. Too many or too few of the different subtypes can result in imbalance in the basal ganglia, an area of the brain responsible for risk and reward processing, leading to problems with addiction. [viii] Certain genetic polymorphisms in the D1 receptor gene, DRD1, confer a higher risk of developing schizophrenia.[ix] D1 and D2 receptors have also been implicated, along with oxytocin receptors, in both the maintenance and formation of social pair bonds, respectively. The density of these receptors in an area of the brain called the nucleus accumbens plays an important role in both mating and social bonds. The D2 type receptor is necessary to initially form the pair bond between two monogamous animals. But for the bond to be maintained over time, there needs to be an adequate density of the D1 variety as well.[x]
[i]Del Arco A and Mora F. Neurotransmitters and prefrontal cortex-limbic system interactions: implications for plasticity and psychiatric disorders. Journal of Neural Transmission. 2009, 116(8): 941-952.[ii] Kolb B & Whishaw IQ. Fundamentals of Human Neuropsychology. 2009. Worth Publishers, New York.[iii] http://web.williams.edu/imput/synapse/pages/III.html[iv] Snyder SH. Neurotransmitters, receptors, and second messengers galore in 40 years. The Journal of Neuroscience. 14 October 2009, 29(41): 12717-12721.[v] Fountoulakis KN, Kelson JR, and Akiskal H. Receptor targets for antidepressant therapy in bipolar disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders. 19 May 2011.[vi] Raymond LA, Andre VM, Cepeda C, Gladding CM, Milnerwood AJ, and Levine MS. Pathophysiology of Huntington's disease: time-dependent alterations in synaptic and receptor function. Neuroscience. 27 August 2011.[vii] Ormond J and Woodin MA. Disinhibition-mediated LTP in the hippocampus is synapse specific. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience. 2011, 5:17.[viii] Eagle DM, Wong JC, Allan ME, Mar AC, Theobald DE and Robbins TW. Contrasting roles for dopamine D1 and D2 receptor subtypes in the dorsomedial striatum but not the nucleus accumbens core during behavioral inhibition in the stop-signal task in rats. Journal of Neuroscience. May 18, 2011, 31(20): 7349-56.[ix] Zhu F, Yan CX, Wang Q, Zhu YS, Zhao Y, Huang J, Zhang HB, Gao CG and Li SB. An association study between dopamine D1 receptor gene polymorphisms and the risk of schizophrenia. Brain Research. E-publication September 2011.[x]Aragona BJ, Liu Y, Yu YJ, Curtis JT, Detwiler JM, Insel TR and Wang Z. Nucleus accumbens dopamine differentially mediates the formation and maintenance of monogamous pair bonds. Nature Neuroscience. January 2006, 9(1): 133-139.
Get the latest neuroscience news delivered to your inbox.


text:
You have no items in your shopping cart.
Related Topics
For more than seven centuries the Mumonkan has been used in Zen monasteries to train monks and to encourage the religious development of lay Buddhists. It contains forty- eight koans, or spiritual riddles, that must be explored during the course of Zen training. Shibayama Zenkei (1894-1974), an influential Japanese Zen teacher and calligrapher who traveled and lectured throughout the United States in the 60s and 70s, offers his own commentary alongside the classic text. The Gateless Barrier remains an essential text for all serious students of Buddhism.
Reader Reviews


text:
EMI starting Rs. 3499 INR
Tenor 12 Months
Expiry 31 MAR 2019
Shop for sports cycles on easy EMIs with your EMI Network Card
Finance at the sole discretion of Bajaj Finance Limited.
I accept the T&C
OTP has been sent to your mobile number
Click on 'Resend' if you want to get a new OTP
Thank you for creating your desired wish list. Relevant offers for the selected products will be emailed to you shortly.