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Without the multicultural demographic and ideological context, the holy warriors of the Caliphate would stand out like proverbial sore thumbs in the Western world. Currently, they enjoy a perfect environment. They will not let up until Dar al Islam dominates the world. Or at least they will keep trying. The West should oppose that.
By Marek Jan Chodakiewicz | March 30, 2016
In war, power relationships reflect selflessness and bravery, but also feed on greed and compulsion. The bellicose synergy of the Muslim overlords and their Christian dependents reflected tactical alliances, personal considerations, mercenary motives, and brazen slavery. A typical leftist newsmaker of Indian parentage, the son of a tenured UN bureaucrat and a liberal academic at New York University, Ishaan Tharoor disagrees. According to him, Muslims and Christians killed each other, but most often they killed others jointly. Throughout history Muslims fought in Christian armies and vice versa. To talk about the clash of civilizations or defense of Christendom from Islam is therefore nonsense. This is the essence of Ishaan Tharoor's belief, or, to be more precise, his enthusiastic endorsement of Ian Almond's deeply flawed relativist and multiculturalist argument in Two Faiths, One Banner: When Muslims Marched With Christians Across Europe's Battlegrounds (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2009).
Relativism vs. traditionalism
The gist of the problem is naturally philosophical. To avoid clear cut conclusions, which tend to be absolutist, liberals tend to prefer obfuscation, which is relativist. The more nebulous their depiction of the past, the better it is for the cause of relativism. However, the exact opposite is true. The brighter a light we can shed on the bygone days, the clearer the contours of history emerge. That, in turn, allows us for increasingly lucid conclusions. In some cases, our findings prompt us toward the Rankean "wie es eigentlich gewesen," or approximating the truth, even occasionally absolutism. Traditionalist Western historians assume that the truth is obtainable and that we can approximate it, although human failings guarantee that the Ideal Truth is only known to God. That knowledge should not deter one from pursing the ideal, if only because, otherwise, what is the objective of scientific inquiry if not finding out the truth?
Such is also the case with the topic of post-modernist musings of Tharoor. He confuses tactical alliances, family loyalty, personal grudges, mercenary motives, and brazen slavery with morally relativistic brotherhood in arms of equal opportunity killers. It is true that colonial armies of Great Britain and France enlisted Muslims. In fact, they enlisted all natives. For example, India's Great Mutiny of 1857 was suppressed mostly by local forces under British command. It is a golden rule for imperial powers to divide and conquer precisely by capitalizing on local rivalries, whether religious, ethnic, or tribal. That entails enlisting native collaborators against local opposition. Further, when mother countries are hard pressed, they routinely turn to colonial forces for relief. Hence, Senegal's Muslim troops, drafted with the encouragement of their Sufi imams, fought for France in both First and Second World War, according to David Robinson. Likewise, as David Fromkin has shown, it was often Muslim soldiers of the India Raj that were deployed against the Ottoman forces in the Middle East from 1914-1918. That should not be a mystery and one should read neither syncretism nor multiculturalism into imperial power politics. That Tharoor props his ideological exhortations on such ahistorical "revelations" shows the journalist is woefully lost in this rather straightforward imperial universe.
Imperial Islam
Much more controversial is the story of the relationship between the Muslim overlords and their Christian underlings, even though it shares some of the imperialist substance with the British, French, Russian, and other experiences. There was a significant difference, however. In addition to personal, vassalage, and alliance ties, the Muslim-Christian relationship was also based on slavery. The former were the masters, and the latter the victims. In fact, in the Muslim imagination, no treaty with unbelievers could be considered as an arrangement between equal parties. That undergirded any diplomatic and political transactions with the Christians and others. When the Muslim side was a weaker party or stood to benefit from the "alliance," pragmatism justified such moves as expedient for the benefit of the jihad and their true nature was concealed through dissimulation.
Balance of power considerations dictated that certain European powers entered into permanent alliances with the Ottoman Empire, in particular from the 17th century. Specifically, Bourbon France wanted to check the Habsburgs with Turkish assistance. However, a weaker Christian entity concluded a treaty with the Muslims only at its own peril. Many found out belatedly that an alliance on Islamic terms meant subjugation plain and simple, for example Greek and Latin Christian held towns, most notably Galata, which professed neutrality and, thus, refrained from assisting Constantinople during its final siege by the Ottomans in 1453, according to historian Halil Inalcik. Since, according to Turkic and Muslim ways, they yielded peacefully, they were spared rape and pillage, but not slavery. These subjugated polities were customarily obligated to assist the Ottomans against their enemies, including Christians. And so were Bulgarians, Wallachians, Transylvanians, and many others. Each dependency was ordered to furnish troops for the Ottoman jihad. Admittedly, sometimes the enemies of the Ottomans were also the adversaries of their underlings. For example, the Hungarian Protestants of Slovakia and Transylvania, in league with the Bourbons, assisted the Sublime Porte in its final (and failed) offensive against the Catholic Habsburgs in 1683.
Bodyguards and others
Another reason the Christians would find themselves impressed in the Muslim ranks was family ties. Alliances with Muslim powers usually entailed giving hostages to the sultan or caliph. Sometimes the hostages were new Christian wives for the Islamic potentates. And the unwilling spouses would come with an additional bribe in the form of a dowry which sometimes included a bodyguard. In times of war the bodyguard would be reinforced by additional troops as stipulated in the treaty of submission. Thus, for example, at the battle of Ankara in 1402, after his own Muslim troops deserted him, Sultan Bayezid I found himself defended solely by his Christian wife's Christian contingent. Far from being independent actors, the Christians were obviously fighting for their lives in a war not of their making and their loyalty was to their princess and not her Mohammedan consort.
Next, certain Christians sought refuge with Muslim forces for personal reasons. This was rather frequent at certain stages of the conflict over Spain and Portugal, according to Hugh Kennedy, Joseph F. O'Callaghan, and Dario Fernandez-Morera. In fact, the initial Islamic invasion of Iberia occurred because a Visigothic king raped a noblewoman whose father, myopically, requested Muslim assistance to redress the outrage. Then, there were the mercenaries. They fought for whoever paid, for example the infamous Catalan Company who slaughtered the Turks for the Byzantines and vice versa in the 14th century. Two hundred years earlier, Reverta de La Guardia, a former viscount of Barcelona fell afoul of his Portuguese sovereign, turned mercenary, and fought on the Almoravid side against the Almohads. Further, Christian dissidents and renegades periodically defected to the Muslims, embraced Islam, and fought against other Christians, sometimes ascending to high positions in the Ottoman, Umayyad, Almovarid, or Almohad caliphates, including land and naval forces. They also fought against Muslim enemies of their Islamic overlord. Moreover, Christians could appear in Muslim ranks for a combination of the aforementioned reasons. There were a number of tactical alliances between the Berbers backed by Iberian Christians against the Umayyads during the Taifa kingdoms period in the 11th century in Spain, for example, during the struggle for Cordoba in 1010 and 1013. Similar tactical alliances reappeared in the 13th century with the Christian side covering the retreat of the Almohads in 1228, or accepting Ibn al-Ahmar's soldier's assistance during the Spanish assault on Muslim-controlled Seville in 1248. This practice continued into the 14th century, including the relationship between Mohammed IV and his superior, Christian King Pedro the Cruel of Castille (1350-1369).
Slaves and "racism"
Lastly, there were the ubiquitous slave soldiers. A practice of enslaving non-Muslim children and training them for war, although of ancient pedigree, continued under Islamic regimes with gusto. Central Asian boys were its first victims. But soon the inhuman practice extended to others, including Slavs, Franks, and Iberians (so-called saqualiba (Slavs), most of them castrated by their masters), who constituted the mainstay of the Umayyad armies in Al-Andalus. The Berbers also kidnapped, trained, and armed black animist Africans. The Serbs and other Balkan children were subject to the hated blood tax (devşirme – "collection"). Cyclically, as described by Peter S. Sugar, Douglas E. Streusand, Tamim Ansary, and others, the Ottoman officials descended on their villages and "collected" boys to be enrolled as the fearsome Janissaries, the Sultan's Praetorian Guard. Sometimes the slave soldiers rebelled and seized power, reducing the Muslim ruler himself to a figure head and establishing their own states, most notably the "mounted slaves," the Mamluks of Egypt. Should we count the ubiquitous Christian galley slaves in the Ottoman navies as a part of "the long history of Muslims and Christians killing people together"? According to relativist "logic," had the Muslim admiral wanted to compete in a waterskiing contest, the galley slaves would have shared in the trophy. Let's take it further: By extension, the saqualiba must have enjoyed the castration, and the Balkan Orthodox Christian boys being torn from their families. But such talk is obviously ahistorical. It is indeed absurd.
Incidentally, Islam is inexorably connected to the question of slavery. Generally, slavery is not haram. As research of Ira Lapidus, Albert Hourani, and others shows, for at least 1,300 years some, if not most, Muslims have condoned and practiced slavery largely as a continuity of previous pre-Islamic systems. They refined it, though. Mohammed's followers embraced this "peculiar institution" with gusto. The chief source of slaves has been Sub-Saharan Africa. Early forays from Arabia in the 7th century were a harbinger of a permanent slaving system that entrapped millions. Anywhere Islam appeared, slavery found a solid religious justification. Since Muslims could not be enslaved, Christians, animists, and others were snatched and sold. For instance, while they appeared in southern France as putative allies of the Bourbons in the 16th century, the Ottomans took to stealing people around Marseille, creating widespread panic among the "allied" Christians, according to Fernand Braudel. Howard M. Federspiel admits that the Islamic Iranum people consistently raided and stole droves of Christian Visayans in central Philippines well into the 19th century. The victims were "distributed across the Muslim Zone."
It was the same in Europe: the Mediterranean basin suffered the most: Italy, Spain, and, to a lesser extent, France. The Ottomans enslaved whom they pleased in the Balkans for half a millennium. Further, between the 16th and 18th centuries, practically year in and year out, Tatars and Turks kidnapped and enslaved people from the southern lands of the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania and its environs: millions of individuals over more than 250 years, including women of course with attendant rape and other abominations. This horrific experience, meshing with the nightmares of Nazi and Communist persecutions, generated a lasting trauma – like any memory of slavery – in Poland and elsewhere, and has now manifested itself in a vigorous defense of Western Civilization, which Ishaan Tharoor predictably brands as "racism." Reductio ad Hitlerum once again substitutes for a serious discussion of an extremist threat, where the perpetrators are coddled by liberals, and victims excoriated as alleged "racists."
Perhaps we should not pay too much attention to Tharoor. After all, he is a fellow who embraces a dubious study purporting to show that "there is no real link between migration and terrorism." He should read Mao on the guerrilla as fish swimming in an ocean of people. Without the multicultural demographic and ideological context, the holy warriors of the Caliphate would stand out like proverbial sore thumbs in the Western world. Currently, they enjoy a perfect environment. They will not let up until Dar al Islam dominates the world. Or at least they will keep trying. The West should oppose that.
Marek Jan Chodakiewicz is a Professor of History at the Institute of World Politics, A Graduate School of National Security and International Affairs in Washington, DC, where he also holds the Kościuszko Chair in Polish Studies. Professor Chodakiewicz is author of Intermarium: The Land between the Black and Baltic Seas and teaches a seminar on the history of the Muslim world at Patrick Henry College. He is also a contributor to SFPPR News & Analysis.


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Your transition from the military profession to a civilian job might be one of the toughest obstacles to overcome as you return home, however it is not insurmountable. There are many employers out there who are looking for your skills; the challenge is relating those skills in a manner that they can understand. VES Provides services to all Veterans that have significant barriers to employment, and works individually with them.
The Texas Veterans Commission takes a comprehensive approach through one-on-one job coaching, interview skills, and resume development. Utilizing local community resources, partnerships, and an action step plan to assist the veteran in gaining meaningful employment.

subset: commoncrawl


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Kinzler + Cocoon Join Teams
Kinzler Acquires Cocoon (Eden Praire, MN):
Effective Friday, August 1st Kinzler Construction Services, Inc. has acquired Cocoon Home Performance Solutions. Cocoon is based in Eden Prairie, MN and is a building envelope contractor specializing in insulation, weatherization and performance testing. They have served the greater Minneapolis and St. Paul metropolitan area ("Twin Cities") in Minnesota. Cocoon will operate as a wholly owned division of Kinzler. The branch leader at this location will be Steve Schirber, the founder of Cocoon. We are honored to have Steve and his team be a part of our team.
Cocoon branch location contact information:
6253 Bury Drive Suite 110
Eden Prairie, MN 55346
Office: 952-999-7000


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806 Area Code Virtual Phone Number
Texas uses area code 806. According to Intelius data, the area code 806 is spread over approximately 383,737 individuals.
You have received an unwanted call from a number having an areacode of 806.
An area code locater that gives detailed information about the 806 region code and a 806-map. This site lists large cities like Aspen Hill that fall under area code number 806. In addition, another area code is listed on the homepage, which also includes other states.
Similarly 806 area code Texas city serves within the united states
Some area codes can be layered.
area code it's an area code telephone number of United States Country. DetailAreaCode806 Service parts of Texas such Cumberland Frederick Hagerstown, Gaithersburg Frederick, and Hagerstown. The 806 code area code contains 806 locations. The directory provides valuable information about US area codes. It also lists other phone numbers and area codes.
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Texas region codes
This article will uncover all you need to contemplate Texas 's region codes and the locales they cover. Then, at that point, sort out some way to buy a Texas telephone number start at $1. So register right now to purchase a Texas number.
What is Texas 's District Code?
Texas has five particular region codes. Texas 's first region code was 301. Texas furthermore has a couple of other region codes and overlays. These consolidate 806, 410, and 443, which are comparable to 667. Texas 's most excellent expansion of room codes is 667.
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Is Your Job Search Overwhelming You?
Recently a person began telling me they were seriously overwhelmed by their job search and then they burst into tears. Being overwhelmed by your job search does happen. Little wonder it overwhelms many people, because these days there are a lot of moving parts to it, and made even more complex because of the internet.
As both a career and life coach, I have observed that when a person is overwhelmed, it's usually an indicator that they are trying to do more than they can manage. In the case of this person, that's absolutely the situation. She was trying to grasp many foreign concepts about job search and the internet, at the same time juggling a very full plate of personal responsibilities. To make matters worse when in an overwhelmed job search mode, a person may also be in a financial crisis. In the simplest definition, you are overwhelmed when you are trying to "eat the elephant" all at once; and we all know that simply can't happen.
4 strategies to help you get rid of that 'overwhelmed' sense in your job search. I'll add a few life copying strategies as well.
- Pace your learning. If you're not tech savvy or internet literate, don't try to learn everything at once. Yes, you do need to use a computer and the internet, but you don't need to become an expert overnight. In priority order, here is what you need to learn; but learn each item well before moving on to the next. Don't try to learn the entire list at the same time; you'll only confuse yourself.
- Word processing. You MUST be able to prepare and modify a resume.
- Email. You need to set up an email account, many of which are free. Learn to send, reply and attach your resume to an email.
- Find and learn how to use job boards. Don't try using all of them. If you focus on Indeed and jobs on LinkedIn, you will find that the majority of posted jobs are in those applications.
- Draft a Plan. Once you have these basics figured out, then sit down and draft a plan for your job search. Don't try to get involved in anything else until you've done this step. Your plan should include:
- Job or position titles. No more than 3 separate, unique jobs. I'm not talking about variations that mean the same thing.
- Criteria for companies most likely to have your position.
- A list of your targeted companies. Do your research to create this list.
- A resume to support the positions you defined.
- Names of people you will contact to get the ball rolling.
- Learn to use Linked In. If you're doing ok with the items above, but the whole social media/networking is a mystery, at this point get familiar with Linked In. I don't care what anyone else tells you about Twitter or Facebook, you will get more traction with Linked In. Once you have mastered Linked In and you have excellent momentum on the other parts of your job search; then go explore and learn those other two social networks. With Linked In, do these things in priority order:
- Set up your profile and work to make it 100% (it will tell you what you need).
- Search for long lost work mates, bosses, customers and people you know. Ask to connect with them and then be sociable – send notes and update each other.
- Become visible by joining groups. Preferred groups to join include those that are related to your profession, to former businesses, to targeted businesses and then affinity groups, like working mothers or something of interest.
- Participate weekly in discussions. Post discussions and share cool things. Link to people you are impressed with and then get to know them by corresponding.
- Set boundaries, rules and prioritize. More than likely, at a personal level you are also trying to take on too much.
- Set office hours for yourself and announce to your family that you are working and don't disturb unless it's critical.
- Learn to say no. You may need to de-commit yourself to things you previously agreed to do. You may feel uncomfortable doing that or even saying no, but you choose to be overwhelmed if you don't. You can't make everyone happy all the time nor can you be everyone's hero.
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. If you're feeling overwhelmed, figure out how to prioritize what you are doing and do only the most important things first.
For more career tips and advice – FREE newsletter and eworkbook: http://CareerMakeoverToolKitShouldIstayorShouldIGo.com/ From Dorothy Tannahill-Moran – Your Career Change Agent from www.nextchapternewlife.com and www.mbahighway.com


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Leica's mini M? The new Leica Q
Leica's newest full-frame camera isn't wearing an M badge. They're releasing an all-in-one solution that takes on cameras like the Sony RX1 with their fixed-lens Leica Q. The 24 megapixel camera features a f/1.7 28mm Summilux that's ideal whether you're shooting street or wide angle landscapes.
More importantly if you've wanted a full-frame Leica and didn't wanted the full kit for much less than half the price, this is definitely the way to go. The camera also ditches the M's rangefinder system for an autofocus system and you get a 3.68 Megapixel EVF and a 3" touchscreen LCD.
The camera also features built-in Wi-Fi and a new Leica Q app that lets you remotely control your camera from your smartphone as well as download the images. Check out the galleries below for more views of the Q and image examples from photographer Alex Habermehl.
$4,250, available for pre-order at leicastoremiami.com


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Recorded: Wednesday Dec 14, 2011
TO LISTEN TO THIS PODCAST please enter or confirm your email address below:
To listen to the free dharma talks on this site, we'd like to invite you to our mailing list. After entering your email, this page will reload, and you will have instant and unlimited access to the hundreds of dharma podcasts on this site.
Henry Shukman continues on the theme of koans. He clarifies what they are and are not, while sharing more of his favorite koans. Henry explains the great gift of koan training: "The very deep knowledge that we are not alone, and can't be alone."
Henry Shukman has worked as a trombonist, a trawlerman and a travel writer. His fiction has won an Arts Council Award and has been a finalist for the O. Henry Award. His first poetry collection, In Dr. No's Garden, won the Aldeburgh First Collection Prize and was a Book of the Year in The Times (London) and The Guardian. He lives in New Mexico and has recently been appointed an Assistant Zen Teacher of the Sanbo Kyodan lineage.
Henry ShukmanMore from this speaker


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Woodland High School at Capay Open Space Park
SLEWS Program | Sacramento Valley | March 4, 2020
Participating School
Woodland High School
Yolo County Resource Conservation District
Cache Creek Conservancy
Grace Auringer, Technician, Genomic Variation Lab
Matt Clement, Facilities Steward, Center for Land-Based Learning
Mandi Finger, Associate Director, Genomic Variation Lab
Summary of the Day
For our fourth and final day with Woodland High School, we were back at Capay Open Space Park. By breakfast it was already shaping up to be a warm day, and students arrived eager to get to work. We started the day with a game of "all aboard", a game in which students attempt to stand on one foot on a tarp that keeps decreasing in size by half. When the game became impossible, we met up with Corey Shake, a biologist who gave us an introduction to bird boxes.
Nest boxes provide valuable breeding habitat for cavity nesting birds like Western Bluebirds when natural cavities are difficult to find. Michael Perrone and Joe Zinkl of Yolo Audubon were on deck to demonstrate how these boxes are built, and then mentor groups set to work assembling the boxes and attaching them to a long pole for installation.
Once the nest boxes were ready to go, Corey gave an instructional demonstration on how to use binoculars. We went on a walk to the installation sites and stopped along the way to do some birding. Mentor groups competed against each other to see which group could identify the most birds – the winning group identified 13 species! Some of the birds we saw included: Peregrine Falcon, Northern Mockingbird, Western Scrub Jay, White-crowned Sparrow, Anna's Hummingbird, Common Raven, Red-tailed Hawk, Turkey Vulture, Tree Swallow, Black Phoebe, Western Meadowlark, Mourning Dove, California Quail, House Finch, Great Blue Heron, Red-shouldered Hawk, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and American White Pelican.
Amongst blooming redbuds, we installed 4 bluebird boxes along Cache Creek before heading down to the creekbed for our next activity: macroinvertebrate sampling. Elise Stinnett of Cache Creek Conservancy gave an introduction that showed students the types of macroinvertebrates we might see, and what they can tell us about the health of the creek. Four students donned mud boots to enter the creek and collect samples, and students were able to identify macroinvertebrates like dragonfly nymphs, mosquito larvae, and mayfly larvae. Looking at the species overall, students determined that this was a moderately healthy creek, as it included species that you'd expect to see in a healthy creek AND an unhealthy creek. Students were also excited to see many frogs jumping around by the creek's edge.
After lunch and a celebratory cake, we sat down to write thank you notes to someone who made this SLEWS project possible. As students worked on their thank you notes, I asked for autographs on a "SLEWS was here!" sign that will be installed at our other project site (and new CLBL headquarters), the Maples.
To conclude the day, students shared their favorite experiences from all 4 of our Field Days together. Responses included hanging out by the creek, riding the argo across the creek, building bird boxes, spending time with friends, and planting.


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The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, as well as ongoing enhanced analytics and technology advances, is accelerating across financial institutions, creating evolving regulatory and compliance challenges.
Through AI specifically, organizations have an opportunity to increase the potential efficiency and effectiveness of both their operations and compliance processing and analysis via continuously evolving data and model transformation. Yet, AI presents both existing and uniquely applied regulatory and compliance challenges that must be addressed in the governance and controls upfront and ongoing.
To evaluate the unique risks posed by AI, regulators are currently looking to apply existing laws and regulations to define the parameters, or set the "guardrails," by which they will evaluate AI. KPMG's newest Point of View paper, AI Compliance in control: Financial services regulatory challenges, highlights the business drivers and actions organizations can take based on areas already subject to heightened regulatory expectations.
You can also find additional information on our Financial Services Regulatory Insight Center and AI in Control websites.


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Prevention is always better than treatment. By actively practicing preventative dentistry through regular home care, professional dental cleaning and regular exams, you will prevent disease and decay and maintain a healthy, beautiful smile.
In addition, effective preventive dentistry can help you avoid costly treatments in the future to remove decay, restore teeth and treat gum disease. Regular prevention is truly your best investment.


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Exterior design
Constructed for superior maneuvrability and balance, the mast has been moved aft slightly, allowing a full third of her length open to the cockpit. The electrically lowered swim platform, two sun pads and open deck plan are just a few of the opulent amenities. A choice of three unique keels and equipped with a D4 Performance Pack by world renown, Incidence Sails, the Oceanis 55 excels in power and performance. Twin rudders and ability to trim all sails from the dual helm make sailing this 55-foot vessel straightforward for any skipper with a little experience.
Interior design
The open flow of the top deck is mimicked below with her 16-foot beam allowing choices ranging from three cabins and two heads all the way up to five cabins and four heads. Her elegant, well ventilated interior, boasts a wide U-shaped galley, a sizeable dinette, a pop up flat screen television and maximized storage space.
Modelling not only her elegantly designed interior but as well as functionality, the Oceanis 55 is encompassed by eight large windows, keeping below deck as bright as above.


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Texas Rangers closer to exiting bankruptcy after Nolan Ryan beats Cuban in marathon auctionBy Angela K. Brown, AP
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Texas Rangers step closer to exiting bankruptcy
FORT WORTH, Texas — The Texas Rangers stepped closer to exiting federal bankruptcy protection Thursday, hours after Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan's group purchased the team at an unusual marathon auction.
A judge was expected to approve the team's bankruptcy plan Thursday, which would clear the way for Major League Baseball to formally approve Ryan and sports attorney Chuck Greenberg as the team's new owners next week.
The court-appointed restructuring officer and creditors who had opposed the plan said they now supported it because the auction was a fair and open process that resulted in a higher price for the Rangers.
"I was wrong," said Andrew Leblanc, an attorney for some of the top creditors. "I've never been happier to say I was wrong."
Creditors will receive $75 million from the team in the bankruptcy plan, but the judge has said they can sue other entities of Hicks Sports Group, which defaulted on about $525 million in loans last year. Rangers' owner Tom Hicks also is co-owner of the Liverpool football club, which is for sale, but the London sports team is not part of Hicks Sports Group and is safe from creditors in the Rangers' bankruptcy case.
Rangers attorneys say most disputes with lenders and others had been resolved, including an objection filed by Alex Rodriguez over concerns that he and other former players may not get the millions that the Rangers owe them. The Greenberg-Ryan group's winning bid does include paying more than $200 million to unsecured creditors — including A-Rod, who is owed $24.9 million in deferred compensation six years after his trade to the New York Yankees.
Mitchell Seider, an attorney for lender JPMorgan Chase, said the company would dismiss its lawsuit that sought to sever the Rangers stadium lease from the sale.
The Greenberg-Ryan group won a showdown with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban just before 1 a.m. for the AL West-leading Rangers. Court documents say the winning bid is valued at $590 million.
Cuban and Houston businessman Jim Crane's bid was valued at $581 million, discounted some $17 million because of deductions and a breakup fee of $10 million to $13 million that would have gone to Greenberg-Ryan had they lost.
"This is quite a remarkable result," U.S Bankruptcy Judge D. Michael Lynn said at Thursday's hearing. He said he wanted to thank Cuban, who "stepped aside with grace when the time came."
The Greenberg-Ryan group have had Major League Baseball's endorsement since being named the new team owners after last year's original sale process. But the deal was stalled by angry creditors and then, unexpectely, by the team's May bankruptcy filing.
The Greenberg-Ryan group reluctantly agreed to an auction last month, but then tried to stop it. Late last week and again Tuesday night, on the eve of the auction, the group proposed undisclosed offers — higher than its opening bid of about $500 million — to buy the team in lieu of an auction.
In both cases, the judge rejected the proposals.
Tags: Athlete Compensation, Fort Worth, New York, New York City, Nolan ryan, North America, Ownership Changes, Professional Baseball, Seattle, Sports Business, Sports Transactions, Texas, United States, Washington


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Objective: Speak to GCPD Communications officer to investigate possible lead
Drive over to the GCPD building and park in the basement. Enter the Communications Room and head on over to speak with the GCPD communications officer indicate by the objective marker for a chat.
If you neglected to pick up the Remote Electrical Charge gadget earlier, you can enter the Evidence Room to find a museum of sorts featuring objects from various super-villains that we have fought previously in the series to date – interact with these for a bit of brief dialogue. The most important piece of evidence in this room though is the Remote Electrical Charge gadget behind the display opposite the entrance. Smash the glass and grab it to continue.
Objective: Track down Gordon
Once we are back outside drive on over to the next objective marker located on Founders' Island using the GPS route marked on the road for the quickest route. Note that in the time we have been inside additional Drone Tanks will have been deployed on the streets of Bleake Island, so don't be surprised if you have to stop and fight along the way.
When you reach the objective marker you'll find a locked door. Exit the Batmobile and enter the manhole in the centre of the street right in front of the door.
Follow the tunnel around the first corner to see an electrified pool of water. Hit the generator here with your Remote Electrical Charge to disable the electricity. Run across to the far side of the water to the gate. Turn around and re-activate the generator to open the gate and continue into the vent up on the wall behind it.
We'll be in a room beneath a large group of soldiers. Peek out from the vent and use your Voice Synthesizer on one of the guards and have him press the button on the wall to open the shutter.
Once the shutter is open, switch to Remote Batmobile Control and have it move up and shoot all of the Soldiers here.
When the room is all clear, switch back to Batman and pop out of the vent. Move up and interact with the yellow fuse box in the small alcove to the left of the elevator. This will open a second shutter at the back of the lobby. Inside you'll find a large fan below and a weak wall on the far side of the room.
Switch back to Remote Batmobile Control and use the tank shells to destroy weak wall on far side of the ventilation shaft.
Take back control of Batman and grapple and glide your way across to the new ledge that the Batmobile has just opened up for us. In here, find the panel on the left wall and pull the lever to lower the bollards to allow the Batmobile access to the building.
Switch back to Remote Batmobile Control and move into the lobby. Look for an anchor point on the roof. Use your Power Winch to latch onto this and then slowly back the Batmobile down into the ventilation shaft. Whilst dangling in the shaft, if you look towards the roof you should be able to make out another weak wall. Shoot this to destroy it.
Change back to Batman and have him grapple up to the new opening at the top of the ventilation shaft. In the room here, you'll see a spinning generator (there's also a Riddler Trophy on a table). We need to use the Use Remote Electrical Charge on generator to disable fan. You'll need to shoot and hit the core five times to overload it - try not to hit the covers that spin around the outside!
Now that the first fan has come to a halt, switch back to Remote Batmobile Control and drive further down the wall, past the stopped fan. Look over at the far side of the room to see yet another weak wall. Shoot this to take it down and then wait a few moments for some enemies to show up before shooting them down too.
Return to Batman and glide down to the stopped fan. Grapple to the Batmobile and then use the Batmobile eject to fly across to the new opening. Enter the small alcove to the right and grapple up to ledge here.
Enter the elevator shaft and on the left you'll find a pair of generators. Use the Remote Electrical Charge on one of the generators twice to go down as far as possible. At bottom, use your Explosive Gel on the weak wall inside the lift to blow it open.
A scene will play introducing us to stun sticks. These are weapons that enemy Soldiers will be carrying around occasionally from now on that are essentially cattle prods. They will damage us if we attempt to attack any Soldier holding one head on. Instead, you can either vault over their heads to attack them from behind, or use the quick attack Remote Electrical Charge to overload them.
Once you have fought off both enemies, pull the sexy lever on the wall to continue.
On the floor of the fan room, go through open door to the right of our initial entry. Climb ledge to left and from this platform shoot the generator on the shelf ahead with the Remote Electrical Charge to deal with the group of enemies below.
Pull lever at the end of the hallway to access the elevator. As with the previous lift, there are a pair of generators here. Hit one of the generators once to take the lift down and then from the top, hop off into an alcove. Shoot the generator again to send the lift back up.
Drop to the bottom of the elevator shaft and grapple up to the small ledge above the door. Pull this grate off the wall and enter. Crawl along wires all the way to the end and then drop down to the ground behind the giant screen behind the Soldier identified as the leader. Approach the back of the screen and hit the button prompt that appears to take him down.
This will unfortunately trigger a fight with the rest of the enemies in the room which includes a pair of Medics and 19 Soldiers (two of which have stun sticks). There is also a pair of weapons crates around the room and plenty of tossable objects so keep your eyes peeled for incoming projectiles and try to interrupt any enemies going for the guns. As per usual, you'll want to take out the Medics first before focusing on the other enemies – remember that you can use the quick Remote Electrical Charge attack to stun the stun stick fellows and keep their annoyance level to a minimum.
After the fight, look behind the large red curtain for a Riddler Trophy and then approach and interact with the yellow fuse box to open the door to the next area.
As you reach the end of the next hall a brief scene will show you a weak wall and explain what we'll need to do shortly. For now though, drop down into pit and take the other exit over to the right.
Approach the corner and use your Remote Hacking Device to temporarily blind the Sentry Turret behind the grating. Whilst it can't see you, enter elevator shaft opposite and grapple up quickly before the hack wears off.
In the room at the top of the elevator shaft, you'll find another spinning generator. As with the last one, we need to use the Use Remote Electrical Charge on generator to disable the second fan and again, you're required to shoot and hit the core five times to overload it.
With the second fan now stopped, revert back to Remote Batmobile Control and lower the Batmobile all the way down to the floor.
Here you'll find many anchor points around the outside of the room. Attach your Power Winch to one of these and tug it to the left, this will rotate the floor downwards. Take the floor down to its lowest point and enter the tunnel we went down as Batman. Destroy the Sentry Turret opposite the lift. Switch to batman and return to the Batmobile before hopping inside.
Return to the main room and shoot the weak spot on the wall. Rotate the floor again (in the opposite direction this time) so that it rises up in line with the new opening. Move up to the door barring your path and interact with the fuse box on the right hand wall to open it.
We'll now be in another circular tunnel scenario in which we'll need to drive up the walls to avoid obstacles in the Batmobile. When you reach the end, use your Afterburner as you hit the ramp to jump across to the next area… and trigger a boss fight.
Boss: Excavator
As soon as you regain control, you are going to want to turn and run. If the Excavator touches you, you are toast, so make sure you use the walls to get the Batmobile up and over the gate that is blocking the bottom of the tunnel and keep moving until you reach the end there are mines along the walls here that will damage the Excavator.
When you regain control, you'll find yourself in a small, cut-off map area that can be seen in the bottom right corner of the screen. There are three tunnels leading off from the main zone here, each with a set of mines at the end that will damage the Excavator. As such, we need to get the Excavator's attention (either by shooting him or driving past) and get him to chase us through each of these tunnels.
Here's what to expect from each tunnel:
- North – The northern tunnel is the easiest as it simply requires us to jump across three ramps before reaching the end.
- East – The eastern tunnel has a fairly easy set route through it that you need to follow. You'll just need to avoid several rotating fan blades towards the end.
South – In the southern tunnel, you'll want to try and maintain a position about halfway up the left hand wall so that you can avoid obstacles at the ground and central regions of the tunnel. When you see the stopped fan, return to floor and manoeuvre around it before reaching the end.
After you have successfully led the Excavator through all three tunnels, it will stop chasing you for a while. Huzzah!
Judgment Day
Win the rumble down under.
Move up to the now unlocked door in the northwest corner of the small map. Note the anchor point on the ventilation fan above – use your Power Winch on this to pull it to the floor.
A scene will now play, during which you are required to use your Batmobile eject move at the right moment to escape.


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Deleted User
Just hours after SEGA announced plans to focus more on digital games, Nintendo decided to have a similar idea. Meet Duncan Orrell-Jones, your new Digital Strategy Executive. He will be responsible for planning out Nintendo of America's digital future, including eShop software, Miiverse, and digital sales. He has worked in the digital market for more than 19 years at the Walt Disney Company.


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Apple just announced the iPad Air 4, the successor to last year's 3rd generation iPad Air. Surprisingly, the Cupertino-based tech giant deviated a lot from the tried and tested formula of the iPad Air lineup with a radical new design that mimics the iPad Pro models. It also comes with a slew of amazing features such as a next-generation Touch ID sensor, USB-C support, and Apple's latest A14 chipset.
So without any further ado, let's check out the best features that the iPad Air 4 comes packed with below.
iPad Air 4: Best Features
1. Radical New Design
The defining feature of the fourth-generation iPad Air (2020) is its all-screen design. With black bezels and a flat-edged chassis, the new iPad Air is just incredible to look at. Yes — it's strikingly similar to the newer iPad Pros, but that's a good thing. To make matters even better, the iPad Air 4 comes in five stunning colors — silver, space gray, rose gold, green, and sky blue. Make your pick.
Compared to the 10.5-inch display on the iPad Air 3, you also get a slightly larger Liquid Retina screen at 10.9 inches this time around. Other than that, the display doesn't do anything special, but the consistent bezels and curved screen edges make it a feast for the eyes.
2. Next-Generation Touch ID
The new all-screen design means that the iPad Air 4 has completely done away with the dated Home button that has been a staple of the iPad Air lineup. However, it doesn't feature a Face ID camera either.
Instead, you now get a completely new Touch ID sensor right on the Power button itself that will seamlessly authenticate you whenever you press it. Amazing stuff. We haven't seen anything of this sort from Apple before, and it will be interesting to see if they implement it in an upcoming iPhone as well.
3. Latest A14 Chipset
Apple usually unveils its flagship processors alongside the iPhone. But this year, we get the latest A14 Bionic chip on the fourth-generation iPad Air first. It packs in an astounding 11.8 billion transistors (using a 5-nanometer process) and sports a jaw-dropping 40% performance bump over the iPad Air 3's A12 chipset. It also sports a new 4-core graphics architecture for a 30% boost in graphics performance. It's incredibly efficient as well, so expect that to positively affect battery life.
That said, it will be interesting to see how the A14 Bionic will stand against the A12Z chip that's present on the latest iPad Pro models.
4. USB-C Support
The iPad Air 4 has ditched Lightning in favor of a USB-C port. Sure — this isn't anything novel by Apple since the iPad Pros have had that for a couple of years. But it should help you throw away your Lightning cable for good once the new iPhone 12 (which will likely come with USB-C support as well) hits the shelves. The USB-C port on the iPad Air 4 also features speeds of up to 5Gbps while transferring data between cameras, external drives, and monitors. So overall, a good thing to have.
5. Includes a USB-C Charger
To make things even better, the fourth-generation iPad Air 4 will also include a 20W USB-C charger. That should help you charge the tablet much faster. Kudos, Apple!
6. Improved Rear Camera
You now have ample reason to use an iPad Air 4 to start shooting photos. The latest entry to the iPad Air lineup comes with an improved 12MP camera that allows you to take photos at higher resolutions. Better yet, you can also use your iPad Air to start shooting videos in 4K.
7. Magic Keyboard Support
The new Magic Keyboard with the cantilever design is just amazing to use, especially with the dedicated cursor support that iPadOS 13.4 introduced earlier this year. However, you don't have to have an iPad Pro to start using one anymore. The new iPad Air 4 also supports it.
Sure — it will cost you an extra $299, but it's leaps and bounds better than the Smart Keyboard Folio, which is also rather pricey at $179 but with a weaker keyboard and no trackpad.
8. Supports Apple Pencil 2
Finally, you can use a second-generation Apple Pencil on something other than a 2018 or 2020 iPad Pro. Yes — the differences between the first and the second generation Apple Pencils are pretty much negligible feature-wise. However, Apple Pencil 2 does have a better form factor and is much more convenient to charge. The iPad Air 4, thanks to its new design, comes with magnetic connectors that will latch on and charge your Apple Pencil 2 while you are not using it.
9. Stereo Speakers in Landscape Mode
The speakers on the iPad Air 3 didn't sound all that good. But with the new iPad Air 4, you get stereo speaker support in landscape mode for better audio quality in general. It should be interesting to see how they will stack against the studio-quality speakers on the iPad Pro models.
10. Uses 100% Recycled Material
Pretty much everything in the fourth-generation iPad Air is made from 100% recycled material. Even the magnets on the speakers use recycled rare earth elements. Keep it up, Apple! We hope that you achieve that goal of going carbon neutral by 2030.
Are You Buying One?
The fourth-generation iPad Air comes with so many amazing features and performance enhancements that will surely make any iPad Pro owner green with envy! The fact that it already features Apple's most powerful chipset to date — the A14 Bionic — means that you are getting incredible value for money.
So, are you considering buying one? The new iPad Air 4 starts at $599 for the Wi-Fi models and $729 for the Wi-Fi+Cellular models and will be available starting next month. Sound off in the comments section below.
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New York legislative session ends with positives, but unresolved issues
ALBANY –The state's legislative session included a fourth on-time budget in a row in March and ended with deals to limit teacher evaluations, legalize medical marijuana and toughen anti-heroin laws.
The Legislature finished its six-month session Friday, but many issues were left unresolved – and they'll be top campaign issues this fall.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo recognized Friday that some issues with political ramifications were too difficult to resolve in an election year – when all statewide seats and all 213 legislative seats will be on the November ballot.
"It's no surprise that they weren't done because they are fundamental political differences," Cuomo said on "The Capitol Pressroom," a public radio show.
Chief among them are bills that would enact a public financing system for political campaigns, a 10-point women's equality agenda and allowing immigrants in the country illegally to receive tuition help.
Republicans, and even some Democrats, opposed some of the measures, despite Cuomo's pledge to the Working Families Party that the issues would top his agenda.
Cuomo won the union-backed party's nomination May 31 by saying he would work to help Democrats win the Senate majority. It's now controlled by Republicans and a five-member Independent Democratic Conference.
Cuomo said it was a failure of the Senate for not getting those progressive items adopted.
"I said if they weren't done, I would view it as a failure and it would be a case that I would bring to the people of the state after the session," Cuomo said. "And that's exactly what I'm going to do."
But Cuomo at the same time praised what was accomplished.
The Democratic governor hailed getting a medical marijuana bill approved that will not allowed it to be smoked, but allows oils and other methods to get to patients. The program should be up and running within 18 months, making New York the 23rd state to allow some form of medical marijuana.
The deal was complex. Cuomo opposed letting medical marijuana to be smoked, fearing it would be abused, even though advocates pressed for the smoking piece. The compromise wasn't reached until Thursday.
A package of 11 bills to toughen heroin laws and allow better treatment for patients wasn't passed until Thursday, as well, as some Democrats questioned increasing criminal penalties. A deal to blunt the impact of Common Core testing standards on teacher evaluations for two years also wasn't reached until Thursday -- a major reform wanted by the powerful teachers' union.
"We got really amazing work that will make this state a better state, and we got it done under very difficult circumstances," Cuomo said. "It's a political year; there's a lot of cross current."
The Legislature extended the state's brownfield tax credit program for 15 months, though reforms to the program that provides incentives to clean up former industrial sites couldn't be reached in the legislative session's final days.
Sen. George Latimer, D-Rye, Westchester County, suggested lawmakers were "punting" on the issue by extending the program instead of reforming it. But Sen. Mark Grisanti, R-Buffalo, said it was more of a field goal, saying the extension would make "hundreds of cleanups possible across the state."
Democrats will seek to make the inability to get more liberal policies adopted at the Capitol a top campaign issue. Democrats have argued that if they were in control of the Senate, a law that would strengthen abortion rights, public financing and a higher minimum wage would all be on the books.
"I think we accomplished a lot," Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, said. "Obviously there are things that we would have liked to have done that we couldn't get done, but eventually I think we are going to get them done."
The five-member IDC is already facing primary threats. Its leader, Sen. Jeff Klein, D-Bronx, who covers parts of lower Westchester County, is in an primary against former New York City councilman Oliver Koppell.
Sen. David Carlucci, D-Clarkstown, Rockland County, faces a potential primary from Clarkstown town board member Stephanie Hausner.
"It has been clear for some time that rank-and-file Democrats, along with party activists, have been outraged by David Carlucci's decision to empower the Albany Republicans," Theodore Collins, executive director of the Rockland County Democratic Committee, said in a statement Wednesday.
Carlucci has brushed aside the primary threat.
The Senate and Assembly couldn't reach accord on 10-point Women's Equality Act, which included a provision opposed by the GOP that would strengthen the state's abortion law.
The 63-seat Senate voted in favor of the provisions not related to abortion, including tougher penalties for sex traffickers. The Democrat-led Assembly, however, declined to split the bill up, arguing that it should be taken up as a single piece of legislation.
Carlucci said he would have liked to see the Senate and Assembly reach common ground. Now none of the bills will become law.
"I think it's really too bad," Carlucci said. "I wanted to see all 10 points passed. At the same time, I would have rather seen some of it passed than nothing."
Republicans will be looking to win their first statewide office since 2002. Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino, the Westchester County executive, mocked the session. He said maybe the best thing was a bill to stop the eradication of mute swans – far from the economic lift the state needs.
He said New York ranks among the worst in the nation for its business climate, and local governments are struggling under state mandates.
"And so another legislative session in Albany is ending, without a thing being done to turn this state around," Astorino said in a video. "For struggling New Yorkers there was nothing. Zero. Zilch."
Senate Republicans, meanwhile, left Albany praising their bi-partisan relationship with Democrats and Cuomo. Two bond rating agencies, Moody's and Fitch, upgraded the state in the past week.
"I know working with my co-leader, working with the speaker, and certainly under the governor's leadership, we are moving the state in the right direction," Republican Leader Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County, said in statement June 16 after Moody's gave the state its highest rating in 50 years.
Republicans will be looking to gain seats in November, even as Cuomo and Democrats look to topple them. Democrats hold a large majority in the Assembly that won't be threatened in November.
There are some key Senate races this fall. Freshman Sen. Ted O'Brien, D-Irondequoit, Monroe County, faces a challenge from former TV anchor Richard Funke, a Republican.
Sen. Greg Ball, R-Patterson, Putnam County, is leaving office at year's end, putting his Hudson Valley seat up for grabs. Another freshman Democrat, Sen. Terry Gipson, D-Rhinebeck, Dutchess County, is being challenged by GOP county legislator Sue Serino in a seat that had long been held by Republicans.
Sen. George Maziarz, R-Newfane, Niagara County, said he believe the session as a whole was "fairly positive."
"First of all, you had the fourth on-time budget, which is a good thing," Maziarz said. "We had an increase in school aid over what the governor recommended, which is a positive thing. There are always different bills you would have liked, particularly local bills, but I think all in all it was positive."
Includes reporting by Gannett Albany Bureau staff writer Jon Campbell.
The state legislative session ended Friday. Here's some of the items that were accomplished and were left undone.
-- Medical marijuana: The Legislature and Gov. Andrew Cuomo reached a deal that will make medical marijuana available in non-smokeable forms. It's a compromise by all sides, and the program should be up and running in 18 months.
-- Heroin laws: Amid a rash of heroin overdoses and abuse, they agreed to toughen laws for the sale and possession of opiates, make more treatment option available and force insurers to pick up more of the tab.
-- Teacher evaluations: The controversial Common Core testing standards won't impact most teachers' evaluations for the next two years. It's similar to a reform in March that won't count the tests toward students' performance.
-- Public financing of campaigns: Democrats want to install a statewide matching system using public money to help fund campaigns. Republicans were opposed.
-- Dream Act: Democrats in the Assembly have already passed the measure that would provide tuition aid to immigrants who are in the country illegally. It failed earlier this year in the Senate and wasn't brought up again.
-- Abortion rights: As part of a 10-point Women's Equality Agenda, abortion rights would be strengthened. The Assembly has backed all 10 points, but the divided Senate has stalled on the abortion piece, and they left without agreeing on any of it.
-- Minimum wage: Cuomo has committed to a $10.10 an hour minimum wage that would also allow local governments to increase it up to another 30 percent. Legislators agreed last year to increase it to $9 a hour by the end of 2015, but no agreement was reached to increase it sooner.


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Posted February 12, 2020
As the 2020 election heats up, candidates voice their proposed plans for dealing with the 44 million borrowers who owe $1.6 trillion in student loan debt. Questions of financial balance are at the heart of the debate. Do students have the right to affordable higher education? Are taxpayers, government entities, institutes of higher education, and employers responsible for helping students receive it? Here are some of the issues.
Debt Cancellation
The idea of wiping out all, or some, of borrowers' existing student loan debt is proposed as a way to increase buying power. It also could stimulate economic activity and benefit the larger economy. But is it just a 2020 election campaign promise to get voters? Some propose tying the amount of debt cancelled to a borrower's income level. Questions of fairness, and the costs associated with these plans, remain unanswered.
Help with Debt Repayment
Debt repayment relief – and responsibility for who should provide it – is a conversation that will continue well beyond the 2020 election.
Discharging Student Loans in Bankruptcy
Several candidates – including those from opposing parties – have proposed a change that would allow student loans to be included in bankruptcy.
Loan Forgiveness
Some presidential hopefuls are calling for a restructure or expansion of Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). This would provide additional relief to all federal loan types rather than just Direct Loans. Still, others propose eliminating PSLF. Several states offer other types of loan forgiveness. These are based on criteria such as working in rural areas or with underserved populations. Some 2020 candidates favor expanding these.
Changes to Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) Plans
Candidates on both sides of the aisle would like to simplify these plans. Some would like to maintain the length of time borrowers make payments before their loans are forgiven. And, they would decrease the percentage of borrower income required to pay during that time. Other candidates would like to increase the percentage of borrower income slightly. But, they would reduce the number of years for repayment until loan forgiveness occurs. Whose 2020 election pitch will win the most voters?
More Favorable Federal Financing Options
Some suggest that federal student loan rates should be lower, and origination fees should be eliminated. The argument is that the federal government should not be allowed to make a profit on student loans. Voters with student loans are looking forward to this issue getting resolved in the 2020 election.
Employee Benefit Programs
With student loan relief programs, employers are choosing to repay certain types of student loans. These options include flexible benefits and employee incentive programs. As solutions to the student loan debt issue are explored, employer student loan assistance may play a larger role in workplace perks. It's a great way to attract talented workers who need help paying off student loans.
The Future of Higher Education
Candidates also have proposed changes to higher education itself. This includes how it is funded, and who bears the responsibility for funding it.
Free College
While there's been a call for free college for all in a few 2020 election speeches, some believe it should only apply to community college. Others would offer it based on financial need. The entire concept is unpopular with some. There's no federal free college program, or clear vision for how that would work. There are states that offer free tuition at many public colleges. And, some believe doing this for all state and community colleges and technical schools is a good idea. Plans for increasing financial aid, so students don't need to borrow to attend public college, also is on the table.
Streamlining the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
Many low-income and first-generation students miss out on billions in Pell Grant aid because the FAFSA is so complicated. Increasing Pell Grants to reduce borrowing could help many students access education, say some candidates. Streamlining the FAFSA process could help, too.
Employer-Assisted Training and Education
Encouraging and destigmatizing vocational training and employer-sponsored education also is vital to worker survival. It seems like having a traditional college education is the only way to secure future financial well-being. But at what cost? This is another topic that is being discussed while gearing up for the 2020 election.
Employer Student Loan Repayment
Smart businesses today acknowledge the critical need to address student loan debt for prospective and current employees. Offering to help pay back student loans is an excellent workplace perk and employee retention strategy. Companies can provide employer student loan assistance by offering Employee Choice. Designed to use funds employers have already set aside for 401(k) matching contributions, it's offered exclusively by BenefitEd and Ameritas. Employers don't have to wait until the results of the 2020 election.
Employee Choice allows employers to stretch their benefits budgets. It works because employers don't need to adjust the budget they've already set aside for matching contributions. Employees can apply unused matching dollars to help repay their student loans. Or, they can split matching funds between student loan debt and retirement.
Put BenefitEd and Employee Choice programs to work for your employees. Start by visiting www.youbenefited.com.


text:
SSINS No.: 6835
December 31, 1985
Information Notice No. 85-99: CRACKING IN BOILING-WATER-REACTOR MARK I
All boiling-water-reactor (BWR) facilities having a Mark 1 or Mark II con-
Information Notice No. 84-17, "Problems with Liquid Nitrogen Cooling Compon-
ents Below the Nil-Ductility Temperature," was issued to describe a large
crack in the vent header of Hatch Unit 2 that was attributed to brittle
fracture caused by the injection of cold nitrogen during inerting system
operation. The purpose of this information notice is to advise licensees and
applicants of a crack discovered in the nitrogen inerting and purge line of
Hatch Unit 1, and to re-emphasize the concern regarding inerting system
failures that may result in cooling of components below the nil-ductility
temperature (NDT) of associated materials susceptible to brittle fracture.
It is expected that the recipients of this notice will review the
information for applicability to their facilities and consider actions, if
appropriate, to preclude similar problems at their facilities. However,
suggestions contained in this notice do not constitute NRC requirements;
therefore, no specific action or written response is required.
Description of Circumstances:
Hatch Unit 2 Vent Header Crack and Subsequent Actions - On February 3, 1984,
Georgia Power Company reported a through-wall crack almost completely around
the vent header within the containment torus of Hatch Unit 2. Later that day
IE Bulletin 84-01, "Cracks in Boiling Water Reactor Mark 1 Containment Vent
Headers," was issued for action to licensees of BWR facilities with Mark 1
containments that were in cold shutdown. The bulletin required inspection
for cracks in the containment vent header and in the main vents in the
region near the intersection with the vent header. The inspections by the
licensees revealed no cracks. The bulletin also suggested that the operating
BWR plants with Mark I containments should review their plant data on
differential pressures between the wetwell and drywell for anomalies that
could be indicative of cracks. The licensees who performed the review
reported no anomalies.
December 31, 1985
Page 2 of 3
Following the event, the Regulatory Response Group (RRG) of the BWR Owners
Group (BWROG) met twice with the NRC staff, on February 6 and 23, 1984, to
present the results of their investigation into,the cause of the event and
the industry's plans to voluntarily take measures to prevent this type of
event. The large crack in the Hatch 2 vent header was confirmed to be the
result of brittle fracture caused by the injection of cold nitrogen into the
torus during inerting.
As a part of the industry plan, the RRG sent General Electric (GE) Service
Information Letter (SIL) No. 402, "Wetwell/Drywell Inerting," to the BWROG
representatives on February 17, 1984, and advised the owners to contact
their respective NRC project manager on implementation status. The SIL
contained several recommended actions to be taken by owners to confirm that
equipment damage had not occurred and that inerting system design and
operation was proper so that damage would not occur in the future. On March
5, 1984, Information Notice No. 84-17 was issued to describe the cause
and safety significance of the vent header crack.
During the meetings with the RRG, the NRC staff emphasized the need for each
utility to contact its NRC project manager and provide a schedule and plans
for actions relative to the SIL in order to ensure the regulatory closeout
of the issue. By October 1, 1984, all utilities had provided written
responses concerning their plans with respect to the SIL. The written
responses varied significantly both in content and in level of detail.
However, they all indicated that the SIL recommended actions or appropriate
alternatives had already been taken or were planned. This led to a general
conclusion by the NRC staff that the industry was taking all the necessary
actions regarding this important safety issue.
Hatch Unit 1 Nitrogen Inerting and Purge Line Crack - On December 15, 1984,
inservice inspection (ISI) tests using a magnetic particle inspection method
were being performed on selected pipe welds of Hatch Unit 1. During this
testing, a linear through-wall crack approximately 2-3/4 inches long was
discovered in a weld located in the 18-inch nitrogen inerting and purge line
between the drywell penetration and inboard containment isolation valve
(Ref: LER 84-25). The crack was ground out, and the weld was repaired and
satisfactorily tested.
The crack represented a breach of containment integrity. The licensee's
investigation as described in the LER indicated that the crack was likely
caused by thermally induced stress. The location of the crack is shown on
the attached Figure 1. A 2-inch nitrogen makeup line enters the 18-inch
purge line approximately 2 feet upstream from the crack. Cold nitrogen
entering the purge line from the makeup line makes contact with the purge
line in the area of the weld, the contour of which makes it a likely spot
for a thermally induced failure to occur.
The NRC staff met with Georgia Power Company and its consultants on November
8, 1985, to discuss the safety and regulatory issues stemming from the Hatch
Unit 1 crack. The primary conclusions reached at the meeting were as
December 31, 1985
Page 3 of 3
1. The likely cause of the Unit 1 crack Was the growth of a pre-existing
weld defect. It is possible that cold nitrogen injection from the
makeup system contributed to the growth of the crack. The nitrogen
temperature is not monitored during a makeup evolution and there is no
automatic shutoff on low temperature. A Nitrogen Inert System Makeup
Low Temperature alarm exists, but this alarm was not covered in any
annunciator response procedures.
The licensee's corrective actions included raising the nitrogen makeup
low temperature alarm set point to 10F from 0F and revising
the annunciator response procedures to terminate nitrogen makeup when
the annunciator is actuated.
2. The licensee performed only a visual inspection of the Unit 1 nitrogen
inerting and purge line welds rather than the ultrasonic testing
recommended by the SIL. The visual inspections would not have
discovered the crack found during the ISI. Therefore, the crack could
have existed at the time the SIL was implemented.
3. The nitrogen makeup line was not considered by the licensee to be
covered within the scope of the SIL as a source of cold nitrogen (less
than 40F) into containment systems, because of: the use of rela-
tively low flow rates; and the long run if bare piping inside the warm
reactor building. The licensee did confirm, however, that the makeup
portion of the inerting system was in use for an 18 1/2-hour period in
February 1984 when the ambient temperature did not get above 22F.
Makeup line nitrogen temperatures during this period were not known.
No specific action or written response is required by this information,
notice. If you have any questions about this matter, please contact the
Regional Administrator of the appropriate regional office or this office.
Edward L. Jordan, Director
Division of Emergency Preparedness
and Engineering Response
Office of Inspection and Enforcement
Technical Contact: R. Singh, IE
(301) 492-4149
Attachments: 1. Figure 1: Hatch Unit 1 Nitrogen Inerting and Purge System
2. List of Recently Issued IE Information Notices
Page Last Reviewed/Updated Thursday, March 25, 2021


text: Coming up on Saturday, September 29, 2012 is the annual Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day! On this day, participating museums will admit a visitor with a Museum Day Pass and one guest for free. (One ticket per household, for two people; additional guests will have to pay full admission.) Get your Museum Day Pass at http://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday. NOTE: When you register for your museum pass, you need to specify which museum you plan to visit. Visit the Find a Museum page to locate a participating museum in your area.


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It ran in 2006-2007, was a Marvel seven-issue crossover, and takes place around the framework of the U.S. government passing the Superhero Registration Act. Cap is opposed to the registration and Iron Man is the figurehead for "pro-registration." Spider-Man is basically caught between both sides. Spider-Man reveals his identity to the world (spurred on by Iron Man) but later comes to regret it. The conflict between sides continues to escalate until Iron Man and Mr. Fantastic (from the Fantastic Four) build a prison in the negative zone to contain the super people unwilling to register. This news makes me wonder if Marvel is actually going to approach Fox for the rights to the Fantastic Four.
Okay so onto who I want cast as Spidey (since Andrew Garfield is out and I gotta say...I never liked him): I want actor Reeve Carney. I've blogged about him before so I'll let you guys google him to see what he looks like.
So yeah, all of this got announced on the same day. I knew Tuesdays were good for something.


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Bajrang Lal Takhar on Friday not only brought India a historic gold in rowing but also brought an end to coach Ismail Baig's 28-year-long wait to win the yellow metal in the Asian Games. "Today's gold is very, very important. I have waited 28 years for this. I started rowing in 1982. We have won bronze medals and a silver in 2006 and today we won the gold," Baig told reporters moments after Lal's epoch-making triumph at the International Rowing Centre.
Rajasthan-born Bajrang Lal, who won Asian championship gold last year in Korea and was the pre-event favourite, was followed across the finish line by Chinese Taipei's Wang Ming Hui (7:07.33), who took the silver, and Iraq's Haeider Hamarasheid (7:10.10), who won the bronze. "I won silver in the 2006 Asian Games. I had prepared for four years to fight for the gold medal today. I knew I would make it," Takhar said. Apart from Bajrang Lal's gold, which is first for an Indian rower at the Games, the Indian men's eight team grabbed silver and the women claimed the pair bronze to make it a very fruitful day at the International Rowing Centre here. The 29-year-old Bajrang Lal, an army man, gave India the second gold in the ongoing Games after Pankaj Advani had clinched the yellow metal in billiards on the second day of competitions. Takhar led the 2000m race from start to finish and rowed his way to the gold with a few lengths of boats to spare in 7 minutes and 4.78 seconds.


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The merry-go-round continues at the top of the Star-Bulletin Girls Volleyball Top 10 rankings today.
Kamehameha, which swept Iolani last week, collected seven of eight possible first-place votes to reclaim the No. 1 ranking. The Warriors are also ranked ninth nationally by PrepVolleyball.com and have been on a tear since a midseason loss to the Raiders.
Iolani and Kamehameha meet one more time -- today at 6 p.m. -- for the Interscholastic League of Honolulu championship. The match will be held at Iolani's gym. At stake is a first-round bye in the state tournament, which begins on Oct. 31 in Hilo.
"We worked a lot on tactics, a lot on technique," Kamehameha coach Chris Blake said following yesterday's light practice. "We definitely know we can play better. We have to step up our game because we know Iolani will."
While Kamehameha, Iolani and Punahou have secured Division I state berths, the Oahu Interscholastic Association playoffs resume tonight at McKinley Student Council Gym.
Preseason favorite Moanalua hit a lull in midseason, but is ramping back up to top form. Na Menehune, ranked No. 7, will meet fourth-ranked Roosevelt, the defending OIA champion. The Rough Riders swept Moanalua on Sept. 18 and 27 during regular-season play.
Fifth-ranked Kahuku will make the long trip to town and face the best from the West, No. 8 Mililani.
"It's two classic matchups," Blake said. "I got my TiVo on to see what's going on over there. I know those teams have improved. When OC 16 has it on TV, it allows us and the teams on the Neighbor Islands to have a coaching and scouting advantage."
On Maui, Seabury Hall rallied from the brink of defeat to edge Molokai in the MIL Division II tournament final. At No. 6, the Spartans are the highest-ranked D-II team in the Top 10.
Sacred Hearts, which dropped to No. 10, is the only ranked team that has been eliminated from the playoffs. The Lancers, playing in Division I this season, fell to Punahou for the third and final ILH state berth.
» Voted on by coaches and media from around the state
» First-place votes in parentheses
» 10 points for first-place vote, 9 for second, 8 for third; etc.
» Also received votes: Kamehameha-Hawaii 10, Molokai 4, Hilo 1


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"Exactly," he answers. Already, I'm beginning to understand District 3.
At 29 years old, Lopez is the youngest member of city council. With a suit and BlackBerry, though, he could pass for a man in his mid-thirties. Maybe it was the campaign that aged his demeanor. He seems different than the first time we met in the spring of 2005. Then an organizer with the Service Employees International Union, Lopez was attending a meeting at Denver Police Department headquarters ("Pick a Card," April 14, 2005). The discussion between chief Gerry Whitman and young activists on the issue of racial profiling was fairly restrained — until Lopez turned up the heat. "My family and I have been getting harassed by police officers since I can remember," he told the chief. "All the community sees is a blue line."
The next year, Lopez was speaking at a rally near the State Capitol, where he encouraged immigrants to show their economic power by participating in an upcoming national spending boycott. "We are going to shut down Denver," he announced. The crowd cheered, though many were unsure of what to anticipate. Two weeks later, on May 1, Civic Center Park was flooded with an estimated 75,000 protesters, nearly 2,500 of whom were SEIU members. Lopez knew many of them, having worked on the union's "Justice for Janitors" campaign to earn better pay and healthcare for downtown cleaning crews, which included his father.
Such grassroots support came in handy earlier this year, when Lopez heard that council president Rosemary Rodriguez would be vacating her position for a spot on the federal Election Assistance Commission. He decided to throw his hat in the ring in the May elections — along with six other candidates. Lopez and JoAnn Phillips trounced the other contenders, and then Lopez bested Phillips in a run-off. But victory did not come without some hefty legwork. Lopez estimates he and his supporters traversed the southwest Denver district five times and knocked on thousands of doors during the five-month campaign.
To talk about the issues, we meet for lunch at Lookin' Good Restaurant off First Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard. When I arrive, he shakes my hand and then gives me a knuckle pound. It's a working-class diner with a menu the size of a broadsheet. Elvis statuettes adorn the walls next to murals of Greek temples. Lopez started coming here with his grandparents as a kid, and then he worked at the restaurant as a teen, washing dishes and bussing tables, a fact mentioned repeatedly in his campaign literature. "I was pretty much raised by my grandparents," Lopez says, although he lived with his parents and three siblings in various rentals in the Westwood and Barnum neighborhoods. Add in Barnum West, Marlee and Villa Park, and you have the neighborhoods that comprise District 3, some of the poorest areas in the city with the highest concentration of Latino immigrants.
He understands that while other areas of Denver are surging with development and rising property values, his neighbors' homes are stagnant or losing value. This has everything to do with the housing stock. Many Denver neighborhoods established at the turn of the century have homes with intrinsic historical value, but District 3's homes don't have the appeal of those character-laden, pre-war buildings. Instead, they were built in the post-war rush of housing and are mostly cinderblock or stucco on a flat slab of concrete. Plus, when the area was developing, it wasn't incorporated into the city, so many of the homes and streets were not designed or constructed to city code ("Change of Plans," November 30, 2006).
"You look at other areas of town that have these distinct identities," he says. "Victorian homes, porches with the stoops and the flower pots. And you've got to ask yourself, 'What is southwest Denver's identity?'"
It's a question he's asked himself since graduating West High School and enrolling at the University of Colorado at Denver. He wasn't a good student when he first arrived on campus, but then he got involved with a Latino student activist group and was elected student body president his junior year. He did a summer internship with the SEIU and, after graduation, he became a staff organizer.
When we get in his car, the seats are filled with papers. "It still an organizer's car," he says. We drive by at least a half-dozen places that Lopez points out. Some are apartments, others dilapidated houses no bigger than a doublewide trailer; all are rentals he lived in while growing up.
"We lived in that beat-up house," he says, slowing the car. "We had a garden hose for a shower." I look at him incredulously, but he's serious. Lopez laughs. "The plumbing was all jacked up. Absentee landlord. You really can't complain, because they'll kick you out."
When they got kicked out, Lopez would always end up at his grandmother's house, the only house in Denver that he considers his true home. It was the place he claimed as his residency when Phillips filed a complaint with the Denver Election Commission stating that Lopez hadn't fulfilled the requirement of living in the district for twelve months before running for the seat. At issue was a voter registration card from 2005 that showed Lopez living outside the district boundaries. But since the election law doesn't define residency, the commission ruled that Lopez's longtime connection to his grandmother's house and District 3 was substantial enough for residency. However, the issue is still being reviewed by Denver District Court.
He doesn't intend on having it questioned again. Lopez recently bought a beat-up old HUD home in Barnum with his wife and newborn daughter. "My family, we rented all our life," he says. "So I know what it's like to do that, and I don't want to do that. I don't want my daughter to grow up like that."
He pulls up to a house with a brown lawn and weeds growing tall from cracks on the front porch. Taped to the door is a foreclosure notice, one of three on the block. He knows there's a story behind that sheet of paper. "That's why you really have to get to know people and listen to them if you want to fix your neighborhood," he explains. His logic goes like this: If you do not have a living wage, you are going to have to work a second job. If you don't have health care and get sick, then you have to choose between the hospital bill, rent or food. "And then you definitely don't have enough money to water the yard or paint the house," he says. "And this is a city in the middle of an economic boom? It's not fair."
It's no surprise that it always comes back to labor with Lopez. The big fix.
But at least for now, Lopez is refraining from any of the class-warfare proclamations that marked his formative years. He has yet to articulate designs on proposals that would offer direct assistance to the working poor, like a living wage ordinance. But he does hope to talk with fellow labor-backed councilmember Chris Nevitt about the possibility of drafting a bill to require a higher minimum wage for workers paid through municipal funds.
I ask if he has plans to resubmit a failed proclamation that would limit police use of pepper spray, mounted patrols or instruments of force on peaceful protesters at the Democratic National Convention. Lopez answers that he has concerns for the "safety of people on both sides of the fence" and pushes for collaboration.
It's not quite the stance that DNC protest leaders were hoping for, particularly since Lopez sat in the street with many of these same organizers when he and 230 others were arrested by police in 2004 during the largest of the perennial anti-Columbus Day protests. The charges of loitering and refusing the order of an officer were eventually dropped.
So what happened to shut down Denver?
"Being a diplomat is a challenge," Lopez says. "But my passion hasn't changed. I'm still the same Paul Lopez with the bullhorn. The only difference is now I'm responsible for a whole district with different people with different economic backgrounds. I may wear a tie once in a while. But you still have to have the corazon, the fighting spirit."
Let's hope his suspension can handle it.


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A new study by Samset et al. (2020) in Nature Communcations finds that even under strong and sustained mitigation efforts, it will take the climate system until mid-century to demonstrate a discernible cooling response. Unfortunately, we must accept and live with the frustrating fact that the global climate system is a rather gigantic tanker ship that will change its course only several decades after humanity has decided to pull the emissions steering wheel into another direction. Yet, we should also think about what may motivate immediate action to reduce the risk of climate collapse in the far future. Rather than only fixating on the nebulous, future benefits of present-day climate protection, I would suggest that communicators should focus on highlighting positive short-term side effects of climate protection measures.
Continue reading Let's focus on the short-term benefits of long-term climate protection!


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Graham Wood is Executive Editor of Digital Media for REALTOR® Magazine. He can be reached at email@example.com.
How Overdevelopment Dries Up Resources
In drought-stricken California, one real estate pro's backlash against aggressive development has helped to establish common ground with clients and the community.
Though Tom Fendley is proud that some of the best chardonnays in the world hail from his backyard, he's not blind to the toll that Sonoma County's wineries are taking on drought-stricken California. The 400-plus area wineries use more than a billion gallons of water annually, even as the state imposed water restrictions in January 2015 to cope with its driest four years on record at the time. But conservation in Wine Country falls squarely on home owners because agricultural enterprises such as vineyards are largely exempt from the state's orders.
Even so, developers are pushing for another winery, which would be among the largest in the county under its current proposal. Fendley says if the project is given a green light, the water supply available to residents could be further depleted.
The proposed Dairyman Winery and Distillery would go beyond what its name suggests. Plans call for an 87,000-square-foot tourist attraction that includes an event center with a capacity of 600 people. In addition to the facility's impact on the water supply—some estimate the project alone would use up to 1 billion gallons a year—opponents say the 58 annual events Dairyman plans to host would bring traffic gridlock and endanger users of a popular nearby trail. Fendley, a real estate professional with Vanguard Properties in Sebastopol, Calif., believes the proposal is the latest example of overdevelopment threatening to turn the rural oasis of Sonoma County into an industrial nightmare. And he is part of a mission to stop it.
"One of the reasons people live in Sonoma County is for its rural character," Fendley says. They pay for all that nature. The area commanded a median home price of $566,000 in May. "The landscape is a big part of what gives the county its value. How many wineries do we need? It's obviously the wrong-sized project in the wrong place."
"There's plenty of value in our properties here because we've done a very good job historically of protecting our environment."Tom Fendley, a practitioner fighting a proposed winery in Sonoma County, is worried about its impact on drought-plagued California.
As community backlash against Dairyman exploded over the past year, Fendley began volunteering in February with the environmental group Preserve Rural Sonoma County, a primary opponent of the project. PRSC hopes to convince the county to reject the proposal. Having previously worked as an environmental consultant, Fendley helps the group fundraise and widen public awareness through targeted marketing. Scores of residents, environmental scientists, and former county officials have rallied with PRSC at public hearings, and local officials have responded. The Sebastopol City Council, which has jurisdiction over the unincorporated land that includes the site, unanimously voted against Dairyman earlier this year. The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, which has ultimate authority over the use of the land, is still debating the proposal.
Fendley's volunteer efforts have also raised his profile in the community. Home buyers who come to Sonoma County tend to be environmentally conscious, he says, and his involvement in local issues helps him establish common ground with clients. "Most people care deeply about at least a couple of environmental or preservation issues, and I think they like the idea of working with someone who shares their concerns," Fendley says. "I've gotten business because of my beliefs and actions."
Joe Wagner, the vintner whose company, Belle Glos, is behind Dairyman, hasn't ignored the community's outrage. He says he's working on an amended proposal to make the facility more efficient. It would include increasing water recycling, composting solid waste, and reducing the number of water tanks.
But Wagner says the public has been misinformed about Dairyman's water usage because of conflicting information about the amount of water required to produce wine, with estimates running as high as 30 gallons per glass. He says the industry standard is six gallons of water per gallon of wine but claims Dairyman will cut production requirements to two gallons. He also says opponents are overstating the winery's visual intrusion on the natural landscape.
"We're not taking native habitat and converting it to something that looks like a castle," Wagner says. "The architecture we're looking at doing has a less intrusive, agrarian feel. We're taking land that has been given up on and repurposing it for something that's more conducive for our business, and the local economy thrives on it."
Fendley says he supports the wine industry and what it brings to Sonoma County—more than $140 million in tourism taxes last year—but its expansion shouldn't come at the expense of the environment. "Property owners have an obligation to the community around them to maintain a quality of life," he says. "There's plenty of value in our properties here because we've done a very good job historically of protecting our environment, and it's important that we continue to do that."
Executive Editor of Digital Media
Latest Headlines
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Updated: September 30, 2022


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How Johnny Cupcakes Utilizes Video
We were downright tickled to sit down with Johnny Earle, founder of the world's first t-shirt bakery, Johnny Cupcakes. Fostering an almost cult-like following behind the Cupcakes clothing line and brand, Johnny drops knowledge on designing a customer experience, engaging with local communities and the wonders of word-of-mouth marketing. And video, too (obviously). Keep reading to see our full interview with Johnny Cupcakes.
LAI VIDEO: We got your package last Friday. People love the shirts. There was just this Christmas spirit in the air.
JOHNNY CUPCAKES: That's awesome.
LAI VIDEO: Everyone was walking around seeing what different designs were out there. You have such a distinct brand and, equally so, you have such a distinct way of marketing it. Do you have a mantra or a philosophy when it comes to marketing Johnny Cupcakes?
JOHNNY CUPCAKES: You know, you actually nailed it when you said there was a sense of Christmas spirit in the air. I've always been determined to make sure that my customers feel like it's their birthday when they receive a t-shirt in the mail, and I try to do that through our products, through the packaging, through the little surprises and through the storytelling.
This brand started as a hobby. I didn't have a set business plan of, you know, we've got to do this and that. I just really want to make strangers smile in the least creepy way possible.
And storytelling through videos, too. It's pretty easy to just tell people what you do, why you do it, where you came from, and, you know, document your day, document special events. You have to show people and create some new fans and some new excitement and engagement.
LAI VIDEO: How did you get into video as a core part of your marketing? Was it something that you saw and tried to emulate or did it just kind of come naturally?
JOHNNY CUPCAKES: Yeah, it was wanting to document everything. When I opened up my flagship store in Boston, it was still kind of difficult to find a video person 12 years ago. We started having these special events. We'd release Halloween themed t-shirts around Halloween. We made Halloween trailers for movies that don't exist just to post on YouTube to stir up some excitement. We had some t-shirts called Count Spatula or Rise of the Two-Headed Zombie Chefs. And then we packaged those movie-themed t-shirts in VHS tapes that we would brand. With us putting that much fun and production into the brand, I need to document that. Video. I can't stress enough how important it is.
LAI VIDEO: How much of this is done yourself on a phone with some in-house stuff versus the more produced pieces?
JOHNNY CUPCAKES: It's a great question. I'd say it's a pretty healthy mix of production versus non-production versus, you know, staying scrappy. I think there is something good about that, too, because it adds a little bit of, "Hey, this guy's human, too. He's just making some pancakes in his kitchen and he just picked up his phone and he's chatting with us." So, for me, it's been an incredible way to create customer loyalty.
The more produced videos are for the pop-up launches and they really pack a punch and show the value of our brand. But I'll try to make those under one minute so that I don't have to edit them. I can just post them on Instagram and Twitter right away.
LAI VIDEO: What do you tell someone who's not really doing anything with video at the moment?
JOHNNY CUPCAKES: I would make a video introduction of yourself, your history, what makes you unique and special. If I had to choose between 100 distributors that were selling the same refrigerators, the one that shared their story with some video content on their company would make me feel more relaxed and safe and excited to support them because they feel like a human. Like, my money's going to go help somebody rather than feed a machine in some big corporate company.
LAI VIDEO: Years ago there was more of a stigma about following a business on social media, but now, people sort of yearn to follow brands that have meaning to them.
JOHNNY CUPCAKES: Businesses should embrace that. I see so many people using sales software, and some people abuse it. I get a few dozen emails every day that are not personal at all, and I think a lot of companies can remix the way that they reach out to new clients. Utilize video to be transparent and be personal.
LAI VIDEO: "With great power comes great responsibility." At any moment, you can just blast out this huge message to everybody you know and it's lacking that personal element. People will sniff that out.
JOHNNY CUPCAKES: You know, I did something. I think you'd get a kick out of this. We had another one of our Halloween-themed pop-up shops. But what bums me out is I've spent so many years getting new customers on our email list, only to have security settings increasingly block us. But I do have my customer's physical addresses, so, I went old-school. I sent out direct mailers. But it wasn't just a normal direct mailer. It was designed to look like a giant movie theater ticket. It said admit five on it, so that they could fill up a car full of friends and drive out to the event. And not only that, we added a prefix to everyone's name that had to do with the Halloween theme. So, instead of saying "James," it would say "James: The Vampire Slayer." Or it would say you know, "The Ghostbusting Earle Family." Just a little tiny thing that made people so excited that they were taking photos of it and posting it on Instagram and hashtagging Johnny Cupcakes. There's so many fun ways to reach out to your existing customers or new customers through fun, bizarre marketing experiments.
Can't get enough of Johnny? Check out this video we produced for the National Retail Federation as part of the Retail Across America video campaign!
Still can't get enough of Johnny Cupcakes? Check out Johnny Cupcake's speaker profile on the Leading Authorities, Inc. speakers bureau website to learn more about his expertise and his speaking topics.
Are you ready to take your video marketing strategy to the next level? Contact our team now. You can reach us by calling 202-416-4660, emailing email@example.com, or live chatting with a member of our team right now.
And don't forget to get a copy of this year's Annual Manual to see more thought-provoking articles and original pieces like this to help you generate new ideas and inspiration to take your video marketing to the next level.


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The Cincinnati Reds made a move this offseason for ex-Phillies closer Ryan Madson with hopes of establishing a solid back end to their bullpen. Instead, Madson will be joining Joakim Soria, sitting out the 2012 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery to fix a torn ligament in his right elbow.
"He looked very good on Tuesday. He felt some tightness the next day," general manager Walt Jocketty said. "He felt fine all spring until lately. Even after he sat out for a little bit and came back, he felt real good. After the live session the other day it felt tight but even when he left the other day, he felt fine."
Madson, who saved 32 games in 34 chances last year with the Phillies, is scheduled to make $8.5 million in his one-year deal with the Reds.
[via Associated Press]
Follow @Complex_Sports for more news and commentary.


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Abuse victims told to seek help from church agency
The Archdiocese of Melbourne says it will investigate claims that victims of abuse by members of the Catholic church in country Victoria are being referred to a support agency run by the church.
Victims' advocates say it is a betrayal to send anyone back to an organisation linked to the abuse.
Peter Blenkiron of Ballarat was abused when he was a child.
He wanted help to prepare a submission to the Victorian parliamentary inquiry into abuse by religious and other non-government organisations.
When he called the recommended helpline, he was referred to Centacare, which is run by the Catholic Archdiocese of Ballarat.
"We're talking about broken trust again," he said.
"The Catholic Church are the people that are responsible world-wide for what's going on, they're responsible for what happened to me as an 11-year-old.
"It's beyond belief the things that happen."
Helen Last from the group In Faith and Associates says the reports are appalling.
"Anyone who considers this situation will understand immediately that it's like sending someone back to the organisation where the perpetrator is," she said.
The former head of the sex crimes unit at Victoria Police, Glenn Davies, says it could deter some victims from seeking help.
"Then to be scared off by having to go to an area that they see as representative of the church itself. You know, it's just really concerning to us that that might occur," he said.
But the Justice Department says it has reviewed a recording of the conversation and says there was no offer of a referral to centrecare.
Centrecare also denies receiving any referrals from the government agency.