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Australian Swim Team set for Glasgow glow
6 April 2014
SWIMMING: The Australian Swim Team for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow has been announced, tonight following a week of world class action at the Australian Swimming Championships in Brisbane.
World champions Cate Campbell, Christian Sprenger and James Magnussen will join golden girl Alicia Coutts, rising star Cameron McEvoy and a host of emerging talent including David and Emma McKeon on the plane to Glasgow as part of a 59-strong swim team for the Games.
Australian Commonwealth Games Association CEO Perry Crosswhite said the entire Australian team is looking forward to Glasgow and the Opening Ceremony on July 23.
"We've seen some world class swimming in Brisbane this week and we are very pleased with how the swim team is shaping up for Glasgow," said Crosswhite.
"In Delhi four years ago, our swim team brought home 54 medals in total, including 22 gold, and with some new faces performing here in Brisbane, as well as a host of experienced athletes on the team, we are all looking forward to getting to Scotland in July and representing Australia."
Swimming Australia President John Bertrand AM said the team has performed in and out of the pool this week, and will represent Australia with pride in Scotland.
"What a fantastic week of swimming," said Bertrand.
"We've seen some new fresh faces race their way to the top of the podium and some experienced athletes produce world class times."
"Representing the Green and Gold is every athletes dream, and our swimmers will do it with pride and passion when they race for Australia in Glasgow."
On the final night of action in the pool, triple Olympian Eamon Sullivan
grabbed the headlines as the fastest man in Australia over the 50m
The Olympic silver medallist showed too much experience for his younger competitors to win in 21.90 and earn a place on the team to Glasgow with Cameron McEvoy second in 21.97 and Matthew Abood and James Magnussen dead heating for third in 22.02.
In the women's 400m freestyle Bronte Barratt picked up an individual swim in Glasgow with a solid 4:04.56, while 17-year-old Remy Fairweather from Pelican Waters Caloundra qualified for the Games in a time of 4:06.02. Jessica Ashwood was third in 4:07.30.
SOPAC Podium Performance Centre swimmer Daniel Tranter won his third men's 200m IM title in a row in an impressive time of 1:57.66, with 400m IM specialist Thomas Fraser-Holmes picking up the silver in 1:57.88. Mitch Larkin was third in 1:59.29.
London Paralympian Katherine Downie got a quick start off the blocks in the women's 200m IM SM10 Para Sport final. Downie maintained her lead to finish in first place with a time of 2:35.66 and Madeleine Scott (2:42.02) in second place with both girls qualifying for the 2014 Commonwealth Games Team. Fifteen-year-old Ashleigh Cockburn finished in third place with a time of 2:48.07.
The final of the women's 50m breaststroke saw Emily Seebohm pick up her second title of the week, taking out the one lap sprint in a time of 27.95. Seebohm was too quick for Meagen Nay in 28.66 with Madison Wilson third in 28.67.
The final selection event of the night saw Mack Horton and Jordan Harrison go stroke for stroke through the first 500m of the men's 1500m freestyle. Horton then made his move at the 600m mark to move a body length ahead of Harrison, and then extended it over the next 300m to be two body lengths clear at the 1km mark. The 17-year-old from Melbourne only extended his lead in the final third of the race to win in a time of 14:51.55, the fourth fastest time ever by an Australian. Last year's winner Harrison was second in 15:03.24 with training partner Mathew Levings third in 15:09.67.
Australian Swim Team – 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games
Athletes: Joshua Alford, 18 (NSW), Jessica Ashwood, 20 (NSW), Jesse Aungles, 18 (SA), Bronte Barratt, 25 (QLD), Joshua Beaver, 21 (VIC), Alanna Bowles, 16 (QLD), Cate Campbell, 21 (QLD), Bronte Campbell , 19 (QLD), Blake Cochrane, 23 (QLD), Alicia Coutts, 26 (QLD), Matthew Cowdrey, 25 (SA), Laura Crockart, 19 (NSW), Rowan Crothers, 16 (QLD), Tommaso D'Orsogna, 23 (QLD), Katherine Downie, 18 (WA), Maddison Elliott, 15 (NSW), Remy Fairweather, 17 (QLD), Thomas Fraser-Holmes, 22 (QLD), Jacqueline Freney, 21 (NSW), Ellen Gandy, 22 (VIC), Jared Gilliland, 19 (QLD), Madeline Groves, 18 (QLD), Jayden Hadler, 20 (NSW), Brenden Hall, 20 (QLD), Jordan Harrison, 18 (QLD), Belinda Hocking, 23 (VIC), Mack Horton, 17 (VIC), Sally Hunter, 28 (SA), Grant Irvine, 23 (QLD), Mitchell Kilduff, 18 (NSW), Matson Lawson, 21 (VIC), Mathew Levings, 20 (QLD), James Magnussen, 22 (NSW), Travis Mahoney, 23 (VIC), Cameron McEvoy, 19 (QLD), Ned McKendry, 21 (QLD), David McKeon, 21 (NSW), Emma McKeon, 19 (NSW), Taylor McKeown, 19 (QLD), Keryn McMaster, 20 (QLD), Meagan Nay, 25 (QLD), Kotuku Ngawati, 19 (VIC), Jessica Pengelly, 22 (WA), Leiston Pickett, 22 (QLD), Mitchell Pratt, 18 (VIC), Melanie Schlanger, 27 (QLD), Madeleine Scott, 21 (WA), Emily Seebohm, 21 (QLD), Christian Sprenger, 28 (QLD), Eamon Sullivan*, 28 (WA), Kenneth To, 21 (NSW), Lorna Tonks, 25 (QLD), Daniel Tranter, 25 (QLD), Ben Treffers, 22 (NSW), Tessa Wallace, 20 (QLD), Chris Wright, 25 (QLD)
Coaches: Jacco Verhaeren, National Head Coach, Brant Best, SOPAC (NSW), Peter Bishop, Marion (SA), Matthew Brown, Nudgee Brothers (QLD), Simon Cusack, Commercial (QLD), John Fowlie, National Training Centre (ACT), Rob Hindmarsh, Chandler (QLD), Craig Jackson, Melbourne Vicentre (VIC), Chris Mooney, Indooroopilly (QLD), Vince Raleigh, Chandler (QLD), Richard Scarce, Palm Beach Currumbin (QLD), Rohan Taylor, Nunawading, (VIC)
Head of Delegation: Michael Scott, Director of High Performance
*Note: Nomination to the Australian Commonwealth Games Association is subject to medical advice and fitness test.
There are 107 days to go until the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games
The Opening Ceremony will be held on July 23 with the swimming starting on July 24
31 men and 28 women will swim for Australia in Glasgow – for a team total of 59
12 Para Sport athletes will compete in Scotland, the largest contingent ever for an Australian team at the Commonwealth Games
At 28 triple Olympian Eamon Sullivan and Dual Olympians Christian Sprenger and Sally Hunter are the oldest athletes on the team
At 15 Paralympic gold medallist Maddison Elliott is the youngest on the team
The average age of the team is 21
There are 15 Australian Swim Team rookies on the team – including Joshua Alford, Jesse Aungles, Joshua Beaver, Alanna Bowles, Laura Crockart, Remy Fairweather, Ellen Gandy, Jared Gilliland, Madeline Groves, Mack Horton, Taylor McKeown, Keryn McMaster Jessica Pengelly, Mitchell Pratt, and Lorna Tonks.


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Misfit by Adam Braver (Tin House Books; 304 pages; $15.95).
Marilyn Monroe was not born; she was the creation of both Norma Jean Baker and Hollywood. Marilyn became one of the most iconic figures of all time yet possessed a fragile, insecure psyche. Adam Braver's novel Misfit explores key moments of Marilyn's past and how they shaped her and, ultimately, how they destroyed her. Braver's story is a character study of the twentieth century's most prolific sex symbol who saw herself as a misfit. Braver shows that Marilyn should have won Best Actress for starring in the role of a lifetime—playing Marilyn Monroe.
Misfit, Braver says, "should not be read as a biography, or as a record of actual events." Instead, it is a work of fiction, "meant to examine a struggle for identity in a very public world, and the rewards and pitfalls of conforming to meet others' expectations."
Braver concentrates on the last weekend of Marilyn's life: the two days she spent at Frank Sinatra's resort on the border between California and Nevada, the Cal Neva Lodge. In a series of flashbacks, Braver illustrates the moments that defined her. His novel combines fact with fiction to help us better understand both the woman and the myth.
Even as a young girl, Braver maintains, Norma Jean felt like a misfit. After her mentally unstable mother, Gladys, was institutionalized, Norma Jean was passed around from relative to relative and from orphanage to orphanage. Sexual abuse occurred at a young age. Norma Jean clung to the image of Clark Gable, an ideal man, surely a gentleman. But Gable was a fantasy. No wonder that she married twenty-one-year-old aircraft plant worker Jim Dougherty at the tender age of sixteen. Norma Jean longed for a distraction, and she thought marriage to Jim could provide a means to escape her life.
While married to Jim, Norma Jean first slipped into the role of Marilyn Monroe. In 1945, Norma Jean worked at Timm Aircraft plant at Metropolitan Airport in Van Nuys, California. Norma Jean is so desperate to be liked and to be noticed that when she tells her fellow workers, mostly women, about herself, "her stories don't always match." At the plant, she does not stand out. She is just another woman working outside the home to support the war effort.
One day, though, her life changes. Captain Ronald Reagan arranges for a spread of pretty girls working on airplane fuselages to appear in Yank magazine. "That kind of story is sure to raise morale." The photographer, a young army private, starts snapping photographs of the women. He gets to Norma Jean.
"Then," Braver writes, "something curious happens. The private snaps a photo of her. And then he snaps another." He is transfixed by her. "Not only does he stop moving down the line, it's as though he's been walled off. He drops his bag to the floor and kicks it forward; his legs go into a horseback-riding stance, and he brings the camera up to his face with both hands and starts clicking." He takes "one picture after the next."
Under the photographer's attention, Norma Jean becomes someone else. "It's like her bones have settled into something more solid," Braver writes. "Her walk is poised." The male workers "take notice like something around her is all sexed up." The little girl look vanishes, "leaving a womanly confidence that is at once stunning, alluring, and a little frightening." It is as if Norma Jean has "grown a little larger." Those around her stare. Norma Jean is not Norma Jean anymore. She has become Marilyn Monroe.
And so it began. Later, more and more photos appeared in magazines. She eventually divorced Jim and went on to make movies. Marriages and divorces to Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller soon followed. Both men had an image of her that she just could not live up to. DiMaggio wanted her to be a housewife and perhaps mother. Miller wanted her to be an intellectual. She tried and moved to New York with him. Marilyn studied at the Actors Studio, but she still felt objectified and inadequate. In her eyes, she was always less than.
In Braver's story, we see the enormous amount of work it took for Marilyn to be Marilyn. She could be anything or anybody, but her role took preparation. Often, she did what she thought people expected her to do. For example, while filming The Misfits, the movie Miller wrote for Marilyn, she was late for scenes. She was also popping pills. She played the diva, but it was not a natural role for her. She spent most of her time not preparing for her parts in films but preparing for her role as Marilyn. Sometimes it was frustrating for her, especially when the men in her life wanted her to be someone she did not want to be.
The most dependable man in Marilyn's life, Braver implies, was Frank Sinatra. Sinatra accepted Marilyn for who she was. As Braver writes, Sinatra was the "one solid thing for her." If you are hoping to find a flashback that explores Marilyn's relationship with President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert F. Kennedy, you will be disappointed. Braver avoids mentioning any kind of relationship between Marilyn and the Kennedy brothers in Misfit, which is a real shame. While such allegations can be controversial, ignoring them leaves a hole in this novel. The Kennedy brothers, surely, shaped her just as much as the other men in her life. Braver seems to be avoiding controversy by ignoring this subject. Their inclusion would have made a good book an even better one.
During that weekend, Sinatra saw how fragile Marilyn was. He ordered her to "pack her bags and go home." But even he could see she was spiraling out of control from alcohol and drugs.
The weekend she spent at Sinatra's resort was the last weekend of her life. On August 5, 1962, Marilyn was found dead, naked in her bed, by her psychiatrist. The coroner ruled it a probable suicide. In the 1967 film Valley of the Dolls, Sharon Tate played the pill-popping actress Jennifer North. Upon learning she has breast cancer, Jennifer overdoses on sleeping pills. Before she dies, Jennifer says bitterly, "All I have is a body." Marilyn could relate.
As Braver writes, the embalming fluid caused Marilyn's breast tissue to deflate, making her chest "flat as a twelve-year-old boy." Mary, a co-owner of the mortuary where her body rests, is horrified. "I can't send her out like this," Mary cries. "Not in front of Mr. DiMaggio. Or her family." So Mary sets out to recreate Marilyn Monroe. She gathers all the cotton she can find from the supply cabinet and fills Marilyn's bosom with handfuls of cotton. "Now that looks like Marilyn Monroe," Mary affirms. The embalmer initially thought it would make her body look freakish, but he is astounded as the cotton "makes her look strangely more lifelike…" The embalmer cannot help but think of DiMaggio and how he will feel as he looks at Marilyn for the last time.
DiMaggio, the embalmer believes, will be pleased with how good Marilyn looks. He thinks of what will go through former baseball star's head as he looks at his former wife. DiMaggio, the embalmer thinks, will blame her death on Hollywood. He "can't help but suspect that this version of her actually is the one Mr. DiMaggio wants to remember, and that has got to be a killer because it means he, Joe DiMaggio, is a part of it too."
At the end, Marilyn is just a body. To a lot of people, though, that is all she ever was. But Marilyn was much more complicated than that. Fact or fiction or something in between, Braver's Misfit is fascinating. When Marilyn exits stage left, you will be on your feet shouting "Bravo!"

subset: commoncrawl


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Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Note 3 phablet will reportedly use a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU.
The anticipated Galaxy Note 3 will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor instead of Samsung's own, according to ZDnet Korea. A previously leaked specification list for the device suggested it would run on an Exynos 5 octa-core processor.
If that has been the case then the Galaxy Note 3 would have likely been the first 8-core smartphone to hit Australia after the Blighty-bound model of the Samsung Galaxy S4 was downgraded to a quad-core Snapdragon 600 instead.
There are suggestions that Samsung is either having trouble producing enough volume of the Exynos 5 chip or simply feels the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 is a better and cheaper option, according to Know Your Mobile.
It would certainly make sense for Samsung to go with the Snapdragon 800 for a couple of reasons. For starters, the CPU supports 4G LTE (speedy Cat 4) negating the need for a separate chip and it can be clocked up to a whopping 2.3GHz. Furthermore, the Adreno 330 GPU can support up to Ultra HD (4k) video playback and it supports speedy 11ac Wi-Fi.
Other specifications for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 include a flexible OLED screen of 5.9in or 6.3in, 2GB of RAM and a 13Mp camera. It is expected that Samsung will unveil the device at IFA later this year.
Follow Chris Martin and @PCAdvisor on Twitter.
Ross Catanzariti contributed to this report.


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"Easy Weekend Pancakes"
© Copyright VeganYumYum
As with most things in life, there are easy ways to do things and hard ways to do things. LIke most people, I prefer to pick the easy ways. When things seem harder to do than they should, we usually think "There must be a better way!"
We've written about food photography many times before in the Photobird Daily, and I list those articles at the end of this article. In many of those articles, food photography seems too complicated, with special lights, reflectors, diffusers, and all sorts of stuff we really don't want to get into. All we want to do is take great pictures of our food. There must be a better way!
Lolo has been photographing food for over 2 years for her award-winning blog, VeganYumYum. She's even been featured on the Martha Stewart Show for her famous Knit Night Cupcakes, so she's definitely doing all the right things.
Lolo is not a professional photographer, but she does need to wear a lot of hats for her job as a food blogger. (My guess is that the chef hat is more fun than the dishwasher hat.) She explains in her article on her blog that it's possible to make your own high-quality food photos at home even without professional lighting equipment and food stylists.
She says that there's a lot that happens before and after she clicks the shutter button that contributes to the final photo. Some of her easy tips are listed below, and I highly recommend you check out her article for more details on her photography. Also check out her recipe for Easy Weekend Pancakes, shown above. Looks like there's a better way to make pancakes too!
Dishes – The right dish really sets the overall look for the photo. Smaller dishes are better. Small dishes are easier to fill up with food, which prevents the dish from looking bare.
Plan ahead – Do as much as you can before you start cooking. Food should be photographed as soon as possible after preparing, so the countertops need to be cleared, dishes selected, camera setup, background chosen, and more — all before you start cooking.
Mise en place – Preparing and neatly organizing all of your ingredients will keep your kitchen more organized, cut down on cooking time, and help you focus. Mise en place photos make for great food photos too!
Starting out – When Lolo started photographing food for her blog, she just used a Sony point-and-shoot camera without a tripod and her photos came out fine, even with just a kitchen light. If possible, take your photos during the day with natural light so the colors will be much more true to life. She says, "Using natural light is probably the number one thing you can do to improve your photos."
Next step – If you're interested in improving your equipment as well as your photos, Lolo highly recommends getting a digital SLR camera and a lens or two. Entry-level digital SLR cameras don't cost that much and they allow you to use different lenses, change your aperture and shutter speed, set your white balance, shoot RAW, and do everything you need to take your food photography to the next level.
Read Lolo's article at VeganYumYum for more details and many more tips.
Here's more food photography articles we've written about before:
- Food Photography
- Photo Food Processor
- "It's Totally About the Pears Here"
- Get Steamed
- Ten Tasty Food Photography Tips
- Camera in da Kitchen
Share this article on Facebook, StumbleUpon, and Delicious.
Vote for this article on PhotographyVoter.
E-mail this article to family and friends.
See more great photos and photography articles in the Photobird Daily.
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Tags: Camera, Cameras, Cupcakes, Eat, Food, Knitting, Pancakes, Photo, Photography, Photos, SLR


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Mason Plumlee was named to the 2012-13 Capital One Academic All-America Division I Men's Basketball Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Thursday. Plumlee garnered first team accolades to become the fourth player in Duke history to accomplish that task in back-to-back seasons.DURHAM, N.C. – Senior forward
Plumlee is the 11th Blue Devil to earn Academic All-America recognition (18 honors). Coach K has now mentored eight Academic All-America honorees, including four first-team selections. Mike Gminski (1978 and 1979), Jim Spanarkel (1978 and 1979) and Shane Battier (2000 and 2001) join Plumlee as Duke's two-time first-team Academic All-America selections.
In addition to Plumlee on the first team are Aaron Craft (Ohio State), Kelly Olynyk (Gonzaga), Matthew Sullivan (Brown) and Cody Zeller (Indiana). Craft, a nutrition (pre-med) major, was chosen as the winner of the Capital One Academic All-America of the Year award. Plumlee and Craft were the only repeat first-team selections, while Sullivan was a third-team selection a year ago.
A psychology major with a 3.36 grade point average, Plumlee has led No. 6 Duke to a 22-3 record while averaging 17.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. He ranks second in the ACC in scoring, rebounds and field goal percentage (.595), while also ranking fifth in blocks (1.6 bpg.) and minutes (34.4 mpg.). Plumlee, one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award, has scored 20 or more points seven times this season with a pair of 30+ point efforts. The Warsaw, Ind., native is also tied for eighth nationally with 14 double-doubles on the year.
The five members of the Academic All-America first team have an average GPA of 3.65.
Senior Matthew Dellavedova (Saint Mary's) heads up the Academic All-America second team. Dellavedova was a first team selection last season. Joining him on the second team are seniors Ben Averkamp (Loyola Ill.), Nathan Healy (Appalachian State), Peyton Siva (Louisville) and Andrew Smith (Butler) .
A trio of graduate students, Jordan Hulls (Indiana), Marc Trasolini (Santa Clara) and Mathias Ward (Montana), highlight the Academic All-America third team. Seniors Mike Muscala (Bucknell) and Darren White (Campbell) round out the third team.
About Capital One
Capital One Financial Corporation (www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include Capital One, N.A. and Capital One Bank (USA), N. A., had $216.5 billion in deposits and $294.5 billion in total assets outstanding as of March 31, 2012. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One and ING Direct offer a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients through a variety of channels. Capital One, N.A. has approximately 1,000 branch locations primarily in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.
A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 100 index.
Capital One, an NCAA Corporate Champion, began its affiliation with college sports with the sponsorship of the 2001 Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl (now the Capital One Bowl) and ESPN's Capital One Bowl Week. In addition, Capital One sponsors the ABC College Football Halftime Report, Capital One All-America Mascot team, Capital One Academic All Program, and supports all 89 NCAA Championships including the Division I Men's and Women's Basketball Championships, and numerous other collegiate athletics programs.
To be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.
Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 16,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.
For more information about the Academic All-America® Teams program, please visit www.cosida.com.
Aaron Craft, Ohio State
Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga
Mason Plumlee, Duke
Matthew Sullivan, Brown
Cody Zeller, Indiana
Ben Averkamp, Loyola (Ill.)
Matthew Dellavedova, Saint Mary's (Cal.)
Nathan Healy, Appalachian StatE
Peyton Siva, Louisville
Andrew Smith, Butler
Jordan Hulls, Indiana
Mike Muscala, Bucknell
Marc Trasolini, Santa Clara
Mathias Ward, Montana
Darren White, Campbell
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LOS ANGELES (AP) Kansas coach Bill Self will be awarded the 2013 John R. Wooden Award's ``Legends of Coaching'' honor.
The announcement was made Wednesday at the Los Angeles Athletic Club Wooden Award Tipoff Luncheon. The award recognizes coaches who exemplify Wooden's high standards of coaching success and personal integrity.
Self will be recognized, along with the men's and women's Wooden Award winners and the Wooden Award All-American teams the weekend of April 11-13.
Self has won eight straight Big 12 regular-season titles and five league tournament championships in his nine seasons with the Jayhawks. His Kansas record is 269-53 and his 83.5 winning percentage is the highest in the program's history. The Jayhawks won the national championship in 2008. Self is in his 19th season as a head coach with a 476-158 (.751 percent) record.


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SIB PhD Training Network Annual Retreat
24 - 26 June 2019
Fribourg, SwitzerlandSIB PhD Training Network Annual Retreat https://www.sib.swiss/training/course/2019-06_TN-Retreat https://tess.elixir-europe.org/events/sib-phd-training-network-annual-retreat-09268123-5621-4f87-b0bd-7ed24ab7783e This course is exclusively reserved to the members of the SIB PhD Training Network. 2019-06-24 09:00:00 UTC 2019-06-26 00:00:00 UTC SIB, Fribourg, Switzerland SIB Fribourg Switzerland [] firstname.lastname@example.com [] Graduate studentsIndustryAcademicsPhDPhD students workshops_and_courses [] []
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Lipscomb women's basketball head coach Greg Brown is pleased to announce the addition of Courtney Locke to his coaching staff. She will assume the duties of associate head coach.
"I have known Courtney for a long time after working with her at UCF," Brown said. "First of all, we knew she would fit our mission here at Lipscomb. She wanted the opportunity to go do some things spiritually she couldn't do at other places and that is what makes Lipscomb unique.
"Her background speaks for itself. She played collegiately at the highest level while at Rutgers and also we have won some championships together, but the key is that she knows me. She can come straight in with each of us knowing how the other works and there is already a high level of trust and camaraderie that doesn't have to be developed. And that is exciting anytime you are moving into a new job."
Locke replaces former assistant coach Cara Cahak, who left the coaching ranks as she is expecting her third child.
"Number one, I wanted to come to Lipscomb because of Coach Greg Brown," Locke said. "I had the privilege of working with Greg for almost four years at the University of Central Florida and I know his leadership, visions and goals. I think he is going to do a great job here and I wanted to be a part of that."
Locke one day wants to be a head coach and she views the Lipscomb position as another step towards that goal.
"Working under Coach Brown I know I will have the opportunity to learn and grow as a coach as well as expand my knowledge and roles on the staff," Locke said. "This is a unique experience for me at a distinctive university and I am very excited to get started."
Locke joins the Lady Bisons staff after spending the past two seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator in her second stint at UCF under the direction of head coach Joi Williams.
In 2012-13, Locke helped guide the Knights on a magical run through the Conference USA tournament, where UCF came up just short in the title game to Tulsa.
That season, UCF ended an 0-44 streak against Southeastern Conference opponents after defeating Mississippi State 64-56 and snapped the nation's ninth-longest home-win streak with a victory at Florida Gulf Coast.
Locke spent the 2011-12 season as the recruiting coordinator under Carlene Mitchell at the University of California Santa Barbara and helped guide the Gauchos to the 2012 Big West Tournament title and an automatic berth in to the NCAA Tournament.
In her first stint at UCF (2008-11), Locke played an instrumental role in helping the Knights to two C-USA Championships and NCAA Tournament berths in 2009 and 2011. Locke was primarily responsible for working with the perimeter players, as well as assisting with the recruiting and scouting efforts before being promoted to recruiting coordinator in 2010.
Locke began her career as an assistant coach at the University of Texas San Antonio from 2006-08 where she served as the recruiting coordinator and camp director. In the 2007-08 season, she helped lead UTSA to a 23-10 record and its first Southland Conference Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in the program's history.
From 2002-06, Locke was a four-year standout at Rutgers under legendary and hall of fame coach C. Vivian Stringer. Locke saw action in 126 games as a Scarlet Knight, drawing 26 career starts.
Locke's has plenty of great memories of her time at Rutgers, but none was more memorable than her senior year where the Scarlet Knights compiled a 27-5 overall record and an unblemished 16-0 mark in Big East play.
During her career the Scarlet Knights advanced to four NCAA Tournaments, making appearances in the Elite Eight in 2005 and the Sweet Sixteen in 2006.
In a league dominated yearly by the University of Connecticut, Locke helped guide Rutgers to Big East regular-season crowns twice.
"My biggest highlight as a player was when we beat UCONN for the outright regular season championship," Locke said with a smile. "Coach Stringer taught us a lot about hard work. You couldn't get through that program without it.
"We had to give our all every single day and we want to instill that into our girls. I want people to see that not only can we win on the court, but that we can also be outstanding women off the floor."
The Scarlet Knights were 97-32 during Locke's career, including a 53-11 mark in league play.
Locke graduated in May 2006 with a bachelor's degree in exercise science and sports studies.
After spending five years with Locke at UCF, Brown knows her strengths and wants to utilize those to help the Lipscomb program rise to prominence.
"She wanted to grow in her role and that was one of the opportunities of her coming here," Brown said. "Courtney will assume an associate head coach-type role, meaning she will do a lot more administrative-type duties. Obviously she will lead us in recruiting with her gift and talent of creating relationships.
"Her interaction with our players and recruits make this hire a win-win for both of us."
Locke was a prolific three-point shooter while at Rutgers, draining 39.4 percent from beyond the arc during her senior season. She noted that one of her goals is for Lipscomb to be one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country.
"Without any question we want to win at Lipscomb," Locke said. "One of our goals it to lead the country in three-pointers made and I hope to help contribute to attaining that goal. We are trying to build a program that can win championships and start a tradition of success."
Although Locke was hired to coach basketball at Lipscomb, she says there is nothing more important than helping the student-athletes get their degrees.
"As a coach we all want to win championships, but there is no better feeling than seeing your kids graduate, get their degree and become successful in life," Locke said. "When the players you have coached come back and tell you all about the successes and accomplishments they are having in their life that is the most rewarding part of this job."
Brown feels Locke is the perfect fit not only for his staff, but for Lipscomb University in general.
"As a university she understands that we are going to be intentional about helping our players grow spiritually, academically and athletically to put them in the best possible position for their career," Brown said. "She wholeheartedly understands that mission and how I want to go about leading this program.
"We are glad to have someone that is excited about being here. I joked with her that we can pay her half as much as what she was making and give her twice as many responsibilities, so she couldn't turn a deal down like that."


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Total Members Voted: 54
I don't know if this has been discussed yet, but it is absolutely disgusting! Beyonce wants our children to wear @#!* me high heeled shoes and dress like whores!full side image here: http://img.perezhilton.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/hodgirls__oPt.jpg
Dude, woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture, for serious.
That video makes me really sad. She's obviously mentally ill.
Shes only 25 years old, but the dark bags under Nafiza Z.s eyes tell the story of a young life blighted by psychosis, delusions, hallucinations and mania that are the hallmarks of her mental disorder.Yesterday afternoon, Nafiza, was in the DeKalb County jail receiving the psychiatric treatment she desperately needed. But on April 7th, Nafiza was spiraling out of control on a MARTA train traveling through Atlantas east side.The scenes captured on another passengers cell phone of Nafiza aka Soulja Girl terrorizing an elderly passenger - caused a sensation on the Internet and embarrassed MARTA officials who quickly issued a warrant for her arrest.People with bipolar disorder arent usually that violent or aggressive even in their manic phase. They are usually more of a danger to themselves than they are to others.Nafizas boyfriend Dee, with whom she has a baby son, said it more eloquently when he called into the Ryan Cameron Show on Friday, If she wasnt bipolar she would be the good a person on earth, said Dee.That girl got a good heart. The city dont help her, man! They just kick her back out on the streets. The city dont help [black mentally ill] folks like that. Once you get in that [manic] stage you cant help yourself. It mess with your mind, man. Once your mind gone its a wrap!


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Rush Limbaugh: If Civil Rights Activists In The '60s Had Owned Guns, "You Think They Would Have Needed Selma?"
"If John Lewis Had Had A Gun, Would He Have Been Beat Upside The Head On The Bridge?"
Video ››› ››› MEDIA MATTERS STAFF
From the January 18 edition of Premiere Radio Networks' The Rush Limbaugh Show:
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LIMBAUGH: So those of you who are not mobilizing to change the Second Amendment, those of you who are not mobilizing to make it more difficult to get guns and weapons are the modern equivalent of people who sat around and let Bull Connor turn his dogs loose on the marches at Selma. Man, I -- the foundation of what you must believe to be this out of phase. And then he said they let Bull Connor and the redneck elements of the South and the Klan take over their culture, in effect become a face of it.
Now Bull Connor and these guys are all Democrats. But you, in Tom Brokaw's eyes, you, who are trying to defend a civil right that you have by virtue of the Constitution are the modern equivalent of people who denied civil rights to blacks in the '60s in Tom Brokaw's view. And that has governed the way he sees this country ever since it happened. And a lot of other journalists, too.
Try this. If a lot of African-Americans back in the '60s had guns and the legal right to use them for self-defense, you think they would have needed Selma? I don't know, I'm just asking. If John Lewis, who says he was beat upside the head, if John Lewis had had a gun, would he have been beat upside the head on the bridge? Anyway, that's what we're -- and these people that think like Brokaw are all over the media. This is the way they're looking at this.
Tom Brokaw: Gun Control Debate "Reminds Me A Lot Of What Happened In The South In The 1960s During The Civil Rights Movement"
Rush Limbaugh Continues To Push Debunked Obama Gun Grab Conspiracy
Limbaugh: Democrats Support Stronger Gun Laws Because They Think People Are "Inherently Bad" And "Have To Be Controlled"
Limbaugh: "Everybody Knows That The Democrat Party, If They Could, Would Take Your Gun Away From You"
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- Rush Limbaugh
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What is VMware Mirage?
VMware Mirage provides next-generation desktop image management for physical desktops across distributed environments.
Benefits and Insights
Why use VMware Mirage?
Key differentiators & advantages of VMware Mirage
- Dynamic Layering for Endpoint and Application Management
Manage PCs or POS (point of service) devices as a set of logical layers owned by either IT or the end-user. Update IT-managed layers while maintaining end-user files and personalization. Easily deploy applications or VMware ThinApp packages to any collection of end users with Mirage application layering technology.
- Automated Backup and Full System Recovery
Store full desktop snapshots in the data center with continual synchronization of IT or end-user initiated changes. Recover partial or full desktops when needed with centrally stored desktop images and periodic endpoint snapshots. Allow self-service file recovery for end users and follow-me access to files across devices for enhanced productivity.
- Simplified Windows 7, 8.1, and POS Migrations
Accelerate the most common approaches to Windows PC and POS migrations. Migrate an existing Windows XP desktop to Windows 7, or migrate an existing Windows 7 desktop to Windows 8.1. Migrate old versions of Windows Embedded POS to POSReady 2009 or POSReady 7. Or migrate an end user's profile and files to a new Windows machine or terminal.
- Designed for Distributed Environments
Mirage Branch Reflectors allow IT to download any updates once from the Mirage server and allows peer-to-peer updates from the Branch Reflectors to other Mirage clients in the branch office. Manage devices at scale with minimal infrastructure and controlled bandwidth.
- Easy Extension of PC Lifecycle Management (PCLM) Tools
Complement existing PCLM tools with dynamic layering, backup and recovery, and rollback options to minimize helpdesk support. Extend existing PCLM tools by supporting mass OS deployments with just a few clicks. Use API extensibility and reporting framework to help manage devices more efficiently.
Top Competitors Alternatives
These are the products most often compared to VMware Mirage


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While i've been silent on the social networks Its been a whirlwind for the last 20 days. I have much to catch you all up on! But here is how my trip kicked off.
I arrived a day before the Ganesh festival ended. Ganesh Chaturthi is a very celebrated festival in India and particularly Mumbai. This timing was intentional.
My trip is sandwiched between Ganesha Chaturthi and Navratri which is the Durga Festival. Inspirations of these idols surround the city with lights, festivities and tons of artistic inspiration. Painters and sculptors who have done this for years shine during this time.
Above is an image shot by a student and Camera assistant Urmit. This is a scene from the Ganesha idol being carried down the streets to be immersed into water. The idol lord Ganesha is placed in a decorated temple on the first day of this festival and then worshipped for days until it's immersed in the waters only to return the following year. Here are some shots from the Ganesha Idol that was in our home in Mumbai.
Streets gets jammed and traffic packed as people navigate to the shores with idols that fit in your palms to a few floors high. It's quite the sight! It had been ten years since I had celebrated this festival with my parents and brother. I was glad to be home.


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Find a copy in the library
Finding libraries that hold this item...
|Material Type:
|Internet resource
|Document Type:
|Book, Internet Resource
|All Authors / Contributors:
Ann Budd; Anne Merrow
|1596680326 9781596680326
|OCLC Number:
|Includes index.
|128 pages : color illustrations ; 25 cm
|Introduction- In its first decade of publication, Interweave Knits has published dozens of sock designs. The second issue, published in the Spring of 1997, included our first sock pattern by sock designer extraordinaire Nancy Bush, a lovely pair of Estonian-inspired lace socks called Meida's Socks. For the first few years, socks appeared sporadically, but soon we realized that these were among the most popular projects each issue. Projects Retro Rib Socks- Simple knit and purl stitches are bordered by a neat twisted rib in these easy unisex socks with retro appeal. Elegant Ribbed Stockings- These elegant stockings taper from knee to ankle by decreasing the needle size instead of changing the stitch count. The simple but distinctive cable pattern, reminiscent of antique stonework, makes these socks fit closely but comfortably. Ilga's Socks- Common Latvian mythological symbols inspired this design. Uptown Boot Socks- A versatile designer, Jennifer Appleby blends style with practicality to create knitwear with rustic elegance. Priscilla's Dream Socks- While studying hand knitted socks from around the world, Priscilla Gibson-Roberts always hoped to find the perfect structure: a well-fitting sock that is durable, flexible in design, and easy to knit and repair. Embossed Leaves Socks- Mona Schmidt combined the Embossed Leaves stitch pattern with a smooth two-stranded tubular cast-on, a rib pattern with knit stitches worked through the back loops for crisp definition, to create an elegant sock. Ute Socks- These patterned socks were inspired by traditional Ute beadwork. This Native American culture, located west of the Rocky Mountains, is known for highly decorated beaded clothing and accessories. Merino Lace Socks- After reading stitch dictionaries and thinking about Aran sweaters, Anne Woodbury was inspired to combine four complementary eyelet and lace patterns the way that Aran knitting combines cable patterns. Flame Wave Socks- This intriguingly sinuous stitch pattern is paired with a stretchy yarn to create a versatile sock. Two-Yarn Resoleable Socks- After knitting many pairs of Elizabeth Zimmermann's Moccasin Socks, Wayne Pfeffer developed this ingenious technique to incorporate a conventional heel flap into a resoleable sock. Austrian Socks- Candace Eisner Strick drew on her love of traditional Austrian textural patterns to create these bold socks. Padded Footlets- Indulge your feet with Mary Snyder's short socks knitted with a double thickness of yarn to cushion the soles. Mock Wave Cable Socks- Ann Budd designed these classic socks to have the look of cables without the bulk. Meida's Socks- On her first visit to Estonia, Nancy Bush received a pair of lacy socks from her friend Meida Joeveer, who explained how she had made them. Nancy studied the socks and has reproduced them here. Cable Rib Socks- For Erica Alexander, handknitted socks top the list of life's little pleasures. The leg and instep of these socks are ribbed and decorated with a single classic cable at each side. Diagonal Cross-Rib Socks- For these handsome socks, Ann Budd used a diagonal cross pattern that is achieved by knitting a simple twist every other row. Anniversary Socks- Although readers of Knits know and love Nancy Bush's sock patterns, they probably haven't seen these delightful "party socks." Nancy is the treasured knitting contributor to PieceWork, an Interweave publication dedicated to a variety of traditional needle arts. Go With the Flow Socks- A pair of warm, pretty socks is an undeniable pleasure. In a soft, luxurious merino, this pair would make a great gift for a friend, or yourself! Hidden Passion Socks- Depending on the light or angle of view, Jaya Srikrishnan's illusion socks reveal colorful stripes or "hugs and kisses." Undulating Rib Socks- Inspired by a stitch pattern found in a Japanese knitting book, these socks feature an easily memorized pattern that alternates increase sand decreases to create columns that widen and narrow. Eesti Trail Hiking Socks- These men's hiking socks were modeled after a pair of socks Nancy Bush purchased in a village market in Kuressaare, on the island of Saaremaa in Estonia. Lace-Cuff Anklets- Linen might sound like an unusual choice for a sock, but this merino/linen blend brings out the best in both fibers. Waving Lace Socks- A simple lace pattern waves back and forth along the length of these socks, creating a lovely and comfortable sock that designer Evelyn Clark finds particularly soothing to knit. Eastern European Footlets- After researching the methods Eastern European folk knitters use to work seamless intarsia in the round, Priscilla Gibson-Roberts continues to discover new techniques. These footlets are worked from toe to cuff in typical Eastern style. Up-Down Spiral Sox- These comfortable roll-top socks are an adventure in unusual construction: they can be knitted from the toe up or the cuff down, and they feature an "afterthought heel" worked from held stitches after the rest of the sock is completed.
|Ann Budd, Anne Merrow, editors.
|More information:
Publisher Synopsis
April 2007The quick and practical art of sock knitting is so popular these days that one web-based group devoted to the subject in Yahoo! Groups currently has more than 11,000 members. Budd andRead more...


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Quarterback Michael Vick has signed a two-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, his agent, Joel Segal, confirmed to ESPN.com.
Vick King Of First Down
During the first years of his career (2004-06), Michael Vick rushed the ball better than any other quarterback. He had six 100-yard rushing games and 102 10-plus yard runs, but he was also one of the top rushers amongst all players -- especially on first down.
Vick arrived in Philadelphia Tuesday morning and remained there Wednesday evening. The Eagles will hold a news conference on Friday morning to announce his signing. The first year of the deal is for $1.6 million with an option for the second year at $5.2 million, FoxSports.com reports.
The Eagles went to the playoffs last season under quarterback Donovan McNabb, and are still looking for their elusive first Super Bowl win.
The team, though, is a surprise landing point for Vick. It was among 26 clubs that said there was no interest in Vick, but that may have changed when backup Kevin Kolb strained a knee ligament earlier this week. Kolb's injury isn't serious and he's expected to return next week. The Eagles also have veteran A.J. Feeley.
Vick was the No. 1 draft pick in 2001, and once the highest-paid player in football. But he has not played since 2006 when his career came tumbling down. He was convicted in August 2007 of conspiracy and running a dogfighting operation, sentenced to 23 months in federal prison and suspended indefinitely by the NFL.
But after serving his time and being released from home confinement July 20, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell conditionally lifted Vick's suspension, allowing him to sign with a team.
Vick can immediately take part in preseason practices, workouts and meetings and can play in the final two preseason games.
Once the season begins, Vick may participate in all team activities except games, and Goodell said he would consider Vick for full reinstatement by Week 6 (Oct. 18-19) at the latest.
Vick filed for bankruptcy protection last July, listing assets of about $16 million and debts of more than $20 million.
Vick pleaded guilty after his three co-defendants had already done so. They told of how Vick participated in the killing of dogs that didn't perform well in test fights by shooting, hanging, drowning or slamming them to the ground.
Vick's appearances at federal court in Richmond, Va., prompted large groups of protesters to gather outside. Many were with PETA and held signs depicting photographs of pit bulls ravaged in dogfights.
Still, there were supporters who wore his No. 7 jersey.
The Eagles travel to meet Vick's former team, the Atlanta Falcons, in Week 13 on Dec. 6.
Chris Mortensen is a senior NFL anlyst. ESPN's Sal Paolantonio and The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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My son is a Sergeant the Canadian Military, and has been to Afghanistan several times. I worry about him but I'm proud of him too.
My father was a Lieutenant in the Canadian Military during World War II and served overseas. My Uncle Clare also joined the Canadian Army.
Word War I saw my maternal and paternal grandmother's brothers joining the Canadian Expeditionary Force, the Australian Army and the English Military.
The War of 1812 saw my 3rd great-grandfather's brother Stephen Peer join the Canadian Militia and die at the Battle of Chippewa in 1814.
My Loyalist ancestors, Isaac Van Valkenburg aka Vollick and Jacob Larroway fought in Butler's Rangers during the American Revolution
Lest We Forget - My Military Ancestors
These are a few of the military heroes in my family. Honouring them and all others who have fought and died for freedom.
|My grandfather in The Buffs
|Grandma's brother Philip Peer WW1
|Grandma's brother George Peer WW1
|Step Grandfather
Daddy Sam WW2
|Dad & Mom


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The great enslaver. They bind the souls of man into a vast and uniform grid devoid of reality, of existence, of meaning. The tests are the infernal spawn of the infernal spawn of evil- they take education and crush it down into bubbles, which they further crush into your poor mind. So called "educators," make the children take the ACTs, SATs, etc. only to harness what was good in their life and crush it away. The tests have no purpose but to destroy, to conquer, to cause anguish to the wretched and miserable test-takers. They reify all that is bad, wrong, evil, disgusting, putrescent, and filthy. There is no moral harm greater than being forced to take a standardized test.
Jim had to take standardized tests. Rather than complete it he stabbed his pencil through his throat and watched the blood gush out on to the neat answer sheet, filling in the ovals with the red pain they cause for humanity. Jim died.
by The Wisest One of All Time October 11, 2009
buy the domain for your travel vlog


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Please select the Holiday Inn Hotel below to find information and rates at that Holiday Inn location.
Our Holiday Inn Chain Guide is your online resource for Holiday Inn Discount Hotels. We offer the best hotel rooms available at Holiday Inn at the lowest possible lodging rates. Choose Holiday Inn Hotels in Downtown areas or in the surrounding area. Whether it is a Business trip, a family vacation, you will find Holiday Inn accommodations to fit any budget at our Holiday Inn Chain Guide.


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Union Mergers in Hard Times: The View from Five Countries (Cornell International Industrial and Labor Relations Reports (Paperback))
- Publish Date: 1996-12-01
- Binding: Paperback
- Author: Gary N. Chaison
The past fifteen years have been difficult for the labor movements in industrial countries. Gary N. Chaison addresses questions implicit in the decline of unions in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand: How and why do labor unions merge under pressure? What role do mergers play in the unions' strategies to deal with membership losses, management opposition, and hostile governments? Are there distinctive national profiles of union mergers?
Chaison begins by describing the dynamics of the union merger process as large unions combine with each other in amalgamations, as small unions are absorbed into larger ones, and as local unions affiliate into nationals. He discusses the reasons for mergers, the barriers to consolidation, and the problems of integration which may result. The five chapters that follow are arranged in order of increasing intensity in merger activity, ranging from the United States, where interest in mergers is growing, to New Zealand, where changing legislation has catalyzed an enormous wave of mergers.
For each of the five countries considered, Chaison characterizes the industrial relations climate and merger record since 1980, explains landmark mergers, identifies the antecedents, and assesses the chances that a sudden flood of mergers will occur. The final chapter compares the national profiles, extrapolating the significant differences and common threads. Chaison concludes that while mergers can play a critical role in revitalizing labor movements and building the dominant unions of the future, they are not necessarily solving the fundamental economic and political problems that plague unions.


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Wednesday, January 4, 2012
14 comments:
- Cate said...
My go to phrase is, "suck it, bitches." You can use it if it would make you feel better.
- January 4, 2012 at 11:39 PM
- Jen said...
Cate's is pretty good. I usually just end conversations without a proper farewell. It drives P batty. Batty! That *may* be why I keep doing it.
- January 5, 2012 at 4:26 AM
- Granny Annie said...
"Be careful out there."
- January 5, 2012 at 6:08 AM
- LL Cool Joe said...
I suppose "have fun" is a little less irritating than "Have a nice day".
- January 5, 2012 at 7:37 AM
I traveled to Root Canal Land a few years ago and while the pain and suffering were tremendous the happy gas fun fest ride on the edge of Fantasy Land was a great way to end the night
- January 5, 2012 at 11:49 AM
- Hippo Brigade said...
My mom always says "be good." even now, as a grown adult. I kinda like it. It makes me feel like I have the capacity to be a little bad, but because my mom told me to be good, I'll abstain.
- January 5, 2012 at 12:43 PM
I always say, "Make good choices." To my kids, and husband anyway. My husband and Mack think I'm annoying. I may have said it at work a few times, and people look at me weird.
Started saying this as a goodbye, when D lived with us. It just kind of stuck.
- January 5, 2012 at 1:02 PM
- Riot Kitty said...
I'm with Cate.
- January 5, 2012 at 8:27 PM
- Brent and Anne said...
How about "remember who you are" or "return with honor"? ;) Personally, I like Cate's.
- January 5, 2012 at 10:44 PM
- Serial Monogamist said...
I've always liked "smell you later" or, if someone's about to embark on a journey, "don't get dead!"
- January 6, 2012 at 7:39 AM
My husband always says "Be good" as good-bye phrase. It bugs me. For once, I'd like him to tell me to "Be bad."
- January 7, 2012 at 8:06 AM
My husband is another member of the "have fun" club and it's always driven me crazy. I have a habit of saying "take care." What the hell does that mean, anyway? Take care of yourself? Take care of the lost baby bunnies in the road? Take *care* and stockpile it because there's a shortage in the world? Now I'm self-conscious of my parting words.
- January 8, 2012 at 7:20 AM
- G said...
I don't have a go to phrase for saying goodbye, although I do have one that I use at work whenever I have something seriously mind numblingly tedious to do.
"Filing can be fun".
This is, as matter of record, something that newbies used to do when they started on their first day of work, especially in payroll.
Because our pay periods start on a Friday, this usually means that everyone was busy spending the next five day doing payroll, thus the only thing that one was really allowed to do was filing.
So you can well imagine how spending 8 hours per day for five consecutive days goes over.
- January 8, 2012 at 12:17 PM
My boss used to be a fan of "Peace out." It sounds weird coming from a guy who's almost 50.
- January 8, 2012 at 1:33 PM


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Site Name: WatchCount.com (WCC)
Owner: Jake Becker
Launched: January, 2008
Traffic /month: Over 28,000 uniques (each unique spanning a 24 hour window)
Revenue /month: A good wage
Target Market: eBay users (preferably shoppers!)
Theme/Topic: "eBay Most Watched/Popular Items, as Voted by eBay Users" – and other, related eBay search topics/features
Top 3 Marketing Strategies: SEO; unique tools spread through word-of-mouth and bookmarked; small, private affiliate program
Hi, Jake and thanks for taking the time to share your experience with the members of AssociatePrograms.com.
There are a lot of readers who will enjoy the look inside your business.
First, can you give us some background on yourself? Tell us a bit about your career experience before you first got started online.
I came upon internet marketing from a scattered technical background. Like many, I've worked 8-to-5 full-time jobs over the years. However, I've always been disenchanted with that typical schedule and yearned for better options. While a daily daytime schedule is common and works for many people, I've always been a night person who preferred off-hours scheduling.
Moreover, I always seemed to fall into high stress work environments (that seems to be the norm for IT jobs, and many other industries) which took a toll on my mental health. For these reasons and more I was delighted to discover the "underground" world of online marketing in 2005, learning that real people were building real full-time or part-time incomes from the comfort of their home computers.
I felt this inner conviction that I just had to eventually figure something out online and break free from full-time employment if at all possible.
How long as your site been on the Web?
WatchCount.com has been live for over 2.5 years now, growing slowly and steadily in development (on-site and off-site features) and online reputation the whole time.
Is it your first website? If not, how many other sites have you had?
WatchCount.com is my first full-blown website, built by me 100% from the ground up. I did have another website before it – an eBay misspellings website that was a small cookie-cutter site built by someone else. That earlier site played the role of introducing me to the world of affiliate marketing where I had a small, free product and needed to spend my time learning to get the word out about it; it sort of got my feet wet in internet marketing. (Before that I didn't have any usable website at all, and as a complete newbie, just tinkered around on the side with methods/platforms like Google Cash and CB Mall.)
Can you tell us where the idea for your current site came from?
It came about by accident really. I was roaming around the eBay Developer Program website, a place I'd barely ever been to before, looking for something else. I came to learn that with the information gleaned from their API platform, I could probably build a small "Most Watched on eBay" website, highlighting popular eBay items that fellow eBay users had "voted" to the top of the pile.
I knew that eBay had already offered some limited widgets to affiliates and others who wanted to showcase eBay items that had accumulated the most interested onlookers. It seemed to me that the tools offered by the API to retrieve and display this information seemed to go far beyond what these small widgets offered.
I had this conviction that there'd be eBayers out there who'd find this information valuable for a handful of different reasons. This seemed like a potential affiliate marketing opportunity. So, then I set about to teach myself the programming skills necessary to access this data from eBay's API and make it available on my new website.
How did you go about developing the website? Who set it up for you?
I came at affiliate marketing from a technical angle. While I have no formal/professional programming experience, I do have some scattered coding experience deep in my past. That's the skill set that I resurrected to create WCC, which I built myself.
I gravitated towards PHP as my web programming language of choice in connecting my site to eBay's API. I taught myself PHP as I went along, using eBay's tutorials and documentation to get me started, along with many tutorials found on the web (thanks, www.w3schools.com!). As I learned more about PHP, HTML and CSS, I could craft my site and the eBay search features it contained with better results.
I realize that these days there are many platforms available to help people build websites unlike in 1997. Now, a complete non-techie can now use such platforms (WordPress, Site Build It, etc.) to build a flourishing online business. However, in my case I wanted – and built – a very specialized website that was technical in nature, matching my mindset and needs.
What is your target market?
eBay users, specifically shoppers. I monetize my site mostly via eBay Partner Network, so I love it when eBay shoppers bookmark my site and use it whenever they shop on eBay. They are my bread and butter.
Peripherally on WCC I also have some free tools for eBay sellers, but most of them fall outside my current business model. I made them either just for fun or to complement my other services and broaden the scope of my site. And hey, eBay sellers are often eBay shoppers as well!
Why did you make the choice to run your business on the web?
I feel very comfortable behind a computer. Besides, I'm something of a loner and have always preferred to work odd hours (such as after midnight) whenever possible.
Like most people, I can't afford not to work. So being that I need to work somewhere, I was very pleased to eventually find my way into the internet marketing space. Here, I can work at home or at a cafe, and work my own hours taking breaks and walks when needed. The internet is a big place, full of creative activity and traffic sources at your disposal, and a web-based affiliate business is a general business structure with many advantages that can couple well with the many opportunities online.
I eventually carved out a small corner for myself in the vast eBay ecosystem, finding a niche that worked well for me, meshing the worlds of affiliate marketing, software development, and the user base of, current or would-be, eBay shoppers and sellers.
What kind of revenues are you earning? Where/who from?
I monetize my site mostly via eBay Partner Network, eBay's in-house affiliate program. Without releasing any specifics, I can say that I now earn a small half-time to full-time income from my site. This is the result of 2+ years of slow and steady growth, both traffic and revenue. It reflects my consistent and dedicated time n' energy investment into WCC.
Being someone who is good at getting by on a modest income and spending frugally, I certainly wouldn't say I'm living large by any stretch of the imagination. But, I'm happy that I can now pay most of my monthly personal expenses (rent, food, medical insurance, etc.) from the revenue and profits generated by my website.
Can you give us some insight into your favorite marketing strategies?
I'd have to say basic SEO techniques are an important foundation for marketing online. I've put a good amount of effort into trying to get WCC to be seen favorably by Google (and perhaps by implication, other search engines). This includes addressing both on-site and off-site factors.
A general strategy of mine is intrinsic to, and intertwined with, the basic concept of my site. I tried to create a unique way to search eBay, and a handy tool that can be bookmarked and shared with friends. Doing my best to make it useful and fun adds to the stickiness of the site and increases the likelihood of return visitors and sharing.
A favorite offline strategy is having business cards and refrigerator magnets printed up, advertising my website. A common question I ask people I meet (parties, bars, on the plane, conferences, other social events, etc.) is "Do you shop on eBay?" Believe it or not, much of the time the answer is "no". But if I get a "yes" I give my 15-second elevator pitch and drop 'em a card. Admittedly, I'm not tracking this marketing channel, so I can't really comment on its effectiveness, but it definitely "feels" like a good thing to do.
What kind of traffic are you seeing to the site (visitors a month)?
These days, each month about 28,000 visitors come to WatchCount.com. However, many of them are repeat visitors who've bookmarked WCC (they put food on my table!) to help them find cool stuff on eBay.
Where are people finding you?
Thanks to SEO, I get regular traffic from the search engines. I also have a couple partners who send traffic to WCC. Moreover, as my site offers some unique and revealing eBay search services, I see traffic coming from various forums, both public and private, where people must be talking about the site.
I was also flattered to receive a Star Developer Award from eBay in 2009 for being a helpful resource to fellow developers on their forums.
This has raised awareness of WCC and brought some traffic from various sources.
There have been numerous other little things I've done to help spread the word: several eBay-related or ecommerce radio shows; some article marketing; uploading videos to YouTube; business card handouts; sponsoring radio shows (pay a fee to have WCC mentioned); forum signatures & blog comments; schmoozing with vendors at in-person antiques/collectibles expos (WCC is popular with collectors of many kinds); press releases; a contest/giveaway; baby gigs at Fiverr.com; and many more things…
Do you use SEO to build traffic?
Yes, definitely (see answer above).
I like Jay Stockwell's recent metaphor of how SEO methods are like "riding the bus" whereas PPC techniques are akin to the responsibilities and freedoms of owning and driving one's own car. I've been content so far with the benefits (and shortcomings) of "taking the bus".
Do you use pay-per-click advertising?
No, not really. I've only dabbled with PPC, and that was enough to teach me that one must go full-steam ahead with PPC to get anywhere with it. It's a serious endeavor, requires regular oversight, and is not for the faint of heart. Perhaps one day I'll sink my teeth into it.
Have you built a mailing list? How big is your list?
I do have a general mailing list attached to the site, but it was intended to just keep folks updated on site news and happenings – some people are interested in the latest site features and such. I've been able to boost subscriptions which are currently at about 600 with enticing PDF giveaways. But, I've also found that email marketing is a marketing strategy I don't personally mesh well with.
I haven't engaged with it or done what's necessary to truly build a deep relationship with my readers. The list also isn't narrow enough in my opinion, as it includes eBay shoppers, sellers, and other passersby. Besides, behind a successful mailing list I think there really needs to be an active, forward, engaging personality connecting with readers regularly. For various reasons, I just haven't felt like playing that role or had the time to find someone who could.
What kinds of challenges exist for people in your market?
eBay is a pretty expansive marketplace with many millions of listings. The site itself (which has many sub-sites in different countries) offers a number of different ways to search the marketplace. Also, eBay entrepreneurs sometimes come up with additional, creative ways of extracting listings into a usable format. eBay shoppers can be overwhelmed – or underwhelmed – with the search options and results offered by the eBay website. Sometimes, it can be hard to wade through tons of listings, trying to find what you want.
That's where I come in, providing search tools at WatchCount.com that identify items that have been voted, in a manner of speaking, as popular or interesting by other users. These items bubble up to the top of WCC search results, helping users find items that have bids or previous sales and high numbers of watchers. This can help shoppers steer away from the dregs of the marketplace – items that have "settled to the bottom" and received little interest from peers.
Collectors of various kinds are a tangible subset of the WCC audience, as WCC helps them identify products of interest. For example a coin collector on the prowl for certain kinds of coins might like to use WCC to see the ones that have secretly attracted more eyeballs than others. Maybe this helps them avoid bidding on certain items, or conversely maybe it helps draw them in more.
Would you say there are any mistakes you've made along the way?
No.. Seriously though, I've certainly goofed up like anyone else. One thing I was guilty of early on was spending too much time reading (ebooks, blogs, articles, etc.) and not enough time actually doing.
Eventually I began to learn to tune out the noise, start thinking more for myself, and take action – and to start tinkering with baby traffic experiments first-hand, learning things as I go. My mistake was blindly believing everything I read about Internet marketing, SEO, and the like.
"Conventional wisdom" and myths run rampant on the Internet. It's important to maintain common sense and bounce ideas off your own intuition before get your hands dirty with live experiments.
Could you tell us 3 tips that you wished you had known or learned when you first started your site?
1) Server migrations are a pain. I should've just started with a VPS (virtual private server) and not bothered with $8/month shared hosting. At least I knew enough to avoid $4/month hosting!
2) I wish I'd learned to trust my instincts sooner rather than later. While I think I avoided most of the "scammy" types of internet gurus, before I eventually gravitated towards the solid, above-board ones, I did waste a bunch of time and money following in the footsteps of folks in some kind of gray-area – peddling ebooks, advice, and software of little long-term value.
3) Things always take longer than I anticipate. Plan accordingly.
What are 3 things that have made the most difference to the success of your site or improve the cash flow?
1) My overall perspective has been long-term and "slow and steady". My approach was to create small-but-handy eBay search tools that were/are unique, figuring that utilities such as these had a good chance of enduring the test of time. Also, people who like them can hopefully spread the good word about them.
This long-term approach, combined with regular, usually daily, work on it, to build it and grow it, seems to have paid off. No, I haven't amassed great fortunes, but that never was the goal anyway.
2) Simplicity. I've tried hard to make the site and its services to not be overcomplicated. KISS – a term many of us are familiar with. For example, my decision to locate advanced search options on a separate page and not bundled onto the homepage, has probably made the site more user-friendly and approachable.
3) I injected a lot of heartfelt passion into the design of the site from day 1. It's been a ton of work but what substantially helped me through it all was my vision. I wanted to create a simple but fun and helpful eBay search tool that would have some unique utility for eBay shoppers.
I think my dedication has been apparent to many of my visitors in a myriad of subtle ways because of the bookmarking and sharing I see.
If you had a complete newbie sitting down in front of you right now, what advice would you give them as they're just getting started on the Web?
The advice I'd have is pretty unconventional, as I'd be sounding more like a life coach than an affiliate marketing advisor. But here it goes…
I believe that most people have an internal throttle at some sub- or semi-conscious layer where we decide how much suffering and hardship we are "required" to endure before we're "allowed" to experience any consequential success, pleasure, or happiness. This kind of limiting belief system we learn from those we've spent our time with, our parents, our families, our religions, and absorbed probably countless other ways. This often unconscious expectation of how hard we have to work for the gains and achievement we seek plays out in many areas of life, especially in the realm of employment, business, and entrepreneurship. Many people honestly and deeply feel that we must suffer greatly before we can achieve (money, success, happiness, joy, the acquisition of things we want, etc.). I think that in the realm of building one's online business, it'll play out such that we'll unknowingly steer away from better opportunities, tacitly or overtly self-sabotaging steps to success.
We'll find ourselves gravitating towards working harder not smarter. We'll shy away from ingenious systems that we can integrate into our grander business plan and instead find ourselves doing more repetitive work that maybe we should outsource to others. We'll tend to find ourselves engaged in work that's more of unpleasant variety – as opposed to tasks that are more aligned with our innate passions and skills, and may actually be quite fun.
So my advice to anyone starting out exploring the possibility of building their own business, whether online or off, is to first sit down and take some time to look within. See if you can be honest with yourself and get a finger on these kinds of limiting beliefs that may be floating around inside your head that tell you how hard (or easy) life should be and if it truly is "OK/right/permissible/acceptable" for you to be successful at things, especially your business, with only a moderate/reasonable amount of hard work.
If you find that you're like many of us, taught to feel that being happy or achieving our desires is beyond us and that life is just inherently painful, period, then I think there's a strong chance that you may be internally fighting yourself as you struggle to build your business.
Another piece of advice… Don't be lured into thinking that you need to be a techie to succeed online. You don't. In fact, I think the opposite is truer, actually. Here let me explain…
Unlike in the early days of the web, these days there exist reputable platforms that allow non-technically oriented people to build vast websites. Such platforms, like Site Build It! or WordPress, often take care of most/all of the techie tasks of the business, allowing the webmaster/blogger/owner to focus on providing content to their audience.
I'm of the opinion that the people on the web making the most amount of money are non-techie marketing types, folks who have experience with and understand marketing principles, people, and human psychology. You can often outsource your technical needs or use a site building platform, but the content and allure of your site(s) – and the marketing for it – is what makes it or breaks it, in my opinion.
That said, it's also important to focus on what you're good at and what interests you. Given that and my techie bent, that's the angle I approached my own foray into internet marketing – creating a very specialized and unique web application. In a way, from a time-management perspective, I may be handicapping myself by insisting on being my own webmaster and being so hands-on with my htaccess files, canonical links, nofollow attributes, Linux file permissions and such, but that's the primary role in my business that suits me well.
How would you say running a website based business has affected the way you live your life now?
The big plus for me is the flexible schedule that my business affords me. Yes, I still have to work, but having the freedom (most of the time) to start and stop, take breaks, and arrange my hours is immensely valuable to me.
I work anywhere between 25 and 60 hours per week, and it's probably been in that range for most of the past couple years. Usually the lower end of that range is when I'm in a mode of not doing much to WCC, whether marketing-wise or development-wise. My time is then spent mostly just doing the day-to-day things to keep the business humming along smoothly.
When I'm pushing towards the higher end of that range it means that I'm actively engaged in building out the site/business. On top of all the usual maintenance, upkeep, and "paperwork" kinds of tasks, I'm coding new features or managing some kind of marketing project.
Believe it or not, most of the time, wherever in that range I might be, I usually work 7 days per week! This is by choice – one of the benefits of the affiliate marketing business I've chosen is the option to drape my schedule across my days and weeks as I see fit.
Yes, site emergencies, conference calls, trade shows, and other constraints appear on the scene every so often, pulling me away from my routine, but most of the time I can work the hours I choose. For personal reasons, I prefer to have my weekly work hours spread across 7 days instead of 4 or 5, offering me more free time and flexibility from day to day. It often just works out better for me that way.
Is there any popular trend or strategy within the affiliate marketing industry that you've shifted away from – or outright ignored?
There's certainly a lot to be said about diversifying one's revenue streams and not sticking with just 1 merchant. While I can definitely see the wisdom in that strategy, I've found myself doing the complete opposite and focusing on eBay – just 1 merchant – for a number of reasons. One is their diverse and vast marketplace; the other big reason is that I love their powerful API platform. The eBay Developer Program and the options it offers, combined with their affiliate program, eBay Partner Network.
To try to hedge against the risks of focusing so tightly with 1 merchant, I've done a number of things. For one, I've made sure to learn their Terms of Service and API license requirements very well, and to be very conservative in interpreting and following them.
I've also learned that it's important to try to appreciate the objectives of any merchant's affiliate program – their goals, their challenges, etc. – and to align myself with that. Sometimes a program's Terms of Service can be slippery and it may be difficult to clearly interpret certain clauses properly. So, learning the de facto "lay of the land" in the world of that affiliate merchant can be important. Learn what they value and what ticks them off, and adjust your strategies accordingly. Seeing eye to eye is important especially if you're invested in the long-term as I am.
Another thing I've done is to make it out to conferences to meet ePN reps in person. Even though such travel is rarely in my budget, I usually make it happen one way or another. (Tip: don't get fooled into thinking a conference's hotel "group rate" is all that wonderful. You can often cut that rate in half, if not more, by finding a lesser-known hotel just a few blocks away.)
Meeting the folks behind the forum and blog posts contributes to reinforcing the valuable relationship I have with my merchant, helping me learn more about them and them about me.
Finally, what marketing sites and teachers do you regularly follow?
In addition to the great articles and advice found on AssociatePrograms.com all these years, I've also continued to follow folks like Rosalind Gardner, Perry Marshall, Jim Cockrum, and Ralph Wilson.
In the realm of peer support, some creative ideas always surface over at the Warrior Forum and ABestWeb, and of course, I regularly participate in eBay's own affiliate and developer forums.
A while back I had visited more sites and followed more marketing gurus on a regular basis, but in an effort to balance my time and get more done, I've learned to be frugal in how much daily reading I do.
In conclusion
Thanks Jake! You took quite a bit of time to answer our questions and get them back to us. I know that your honesty is not only helping your own readers but also your friends online like the readers of AssociatePrograms.com.
I always find that reading of other people's success and their experiences pushes me forward on my journey and I wish you the best of luck as you keep growing your business.
Are you earning over $500 /month from your online marketing? Would you like to submit your story to help and encourage other AssociatePrograms.com readers? Please go to https://www.associateprograms.com/contact and ask for the "Case Study Questionnaire". Fill out your answers and you could be the next story we publish. Remember that you can remain anonymous if you wish.


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Friday, March 17, 2006
In Store….Kiton, NYC, Spring 2006 – 2
CommentsClose comment
8 comments
The shoes are gorgeous and those brightly colored bags are cool! Also like the red/navy tie look.
I particularly love the first look. The ivory tie against the white shirt and the trench. What a beautiful look.
I wish you would take some shots in women's stores. Your store shots are all so incredible.
I'm going to have to go the Kiton store and try to abscond with that bright green bag.
I'm not a fan of what the sales person is wearing. The shirt seems out of place with that particular dark suit and dark tie combination, although I am also going to try and abscond with that tie.
thanks again for covering kiton. i love the orange sport coat, is that vicuna or cashmere? i also like the ticket pocket addition.
mr. sartorialist can you zoom in on the neckties on your next photo shoot? i would like to see if kiton is still making 7 fold nectties
The shoes are very interesting, different and just very appealing.
Fantastic rust color jacket!
Clothing porn.
NYC style just fine.


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JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Nov. 19, 2010) -- The ETSU men's basketball team certainly hopes home will be sweeter than the road has been thus far in the 2010-11 season, as the Buccaneers will take on in-state rival Tennessee Tech Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. inside the ETSU/MSHA Atheltic Center.
The game will be part of the weekend's 2010 ETSU Homecoming festivities, and will feature a "very special" giveaway sponsored by Johnson City Honda to the first 1,500 fans in attendance.
Coming off a 50-39 loss to Murray State in a defensive battle earlier this week, the Bucs hope to combine some more offensive firepower to their quality defensive play. The Bucs will also hope to stay perfect in Homecoming games, having beaten Appalachian State last season in the annual event.
For more on the Bucs vs. the Golden Eagles, click on the game notes link above, or read the game notes located below.
We are "ETSU"
The ETSU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics would like to ask both the print and broadcast media to honor our request to be called "ETSU" ... East Tennessee State in first reference is acceptable, but subsequent references should be ETSU ... On TV graphics please use ETSU ... Our nickname is the Buccaneers, but Bucs is also acceptable.
Buc bits
The ETSU men's basketball team only added to its rich history of success during the 2009-10 season, capturing its second straight Atlantic Sun Conference Championship and earning the program's ninth trip all-time to the NCAA Tournament ... Posting the program's fourth 20-win season in the past seven years, the Bucs overcame multiple challenges during the season before dropping Mercer in the A-Sun finals ... The Bucs were led by a team of "role" players that included forward Tommy Hubbard (Boston), guard Justin Tubbs (Trussville, Ala.), guard Micah Williams (Manchester), guard Adam Sollazzo (Tampa, Fla.), post Isiah Brown (Miami, Fla.), and post J.C. Ward (Marietta, Ga.) ... Hubbard finished the year as a second team All ASun player after leading the Bucs in both scoring (13.9 ppg) and rebounding (8.2 rpg), and was named to the league's All-Tournament squad ... Meanwhile, Williams finished the year on a tear, scoring in double figures in 11 straight games, including a 32-point effort against Campbell en route to being named the A-Sun Tournament MVP ... Only losing senior guard Jocolby Davis off the roster from 2009-10, the Bucs will add Smith back to the mix after receiving a medical redshirt a year ago, and a trio of incoming recruits will also add to the talent pool ... For those reasons, there is certainly reason to be excited and expectations will be high.
The series versus Tennessee Tech
The Buccaneers and Golden Eagles have a long history, having played as rival members of the Ohio Valley Conference for over two decades ... The two teams have also faced off in multiple non-conference battles, with the Bucs holding a slight 35-33 advantage in the series ... ETSU has won five straight, including a 78-65 victory back during the 2008-09 season.
Last time out against Tennessee Tech
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (Nov. 24, 2008) - Building a 14-point halftime lead and surviving a second half rally which cut that advantage to just three points, the ETSU men's basketball team picked up a win in its first non-conference road game of the season, downing in-state and former Ohio Valley Conference rival Tennessee Tech 78-65 inside the Eblen Center. ... A short-handed Buccaneer squad - now playing without senior guard Jocolby Davis (wrist/hand) and freshman Seth Coy (foot), who was injured over the weekend when a teammate stepped on his foot in practice - got a game-high 23 points from senior forward Kevin Tiggs (Flint, Mich.), 22 points from senior guard Courtney Pigram (Memphis), and junior guard Mike Smith (Vandalia, Mo.) picked up his second career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds to pick up the win. ... While that trio spurred the offensive effort, the Bucs' defense was equally impressive, holding the Golden Eagles to 33 percent shooting from the floor and 22 percent from beyond the 3-point line. On the glass and in the paint, ETSU dominated 42-31 and grabbed 30 defensive boards to just 18 for Tennessee Tech. Offensively, the Bucs hit on 46 percent of their shots and were 78 percent from the foul line. ... But even with the strong statistical numbers, the Bucs still had to battle for the win. ... After getting the lead to 16 on an early bucket by Brown in the opening seconds of the second half, the Bucs were unable to keep the Golden Eagles down. After a basket by Smith made it 46-34 with 16:11 remaining in regulation, Tennessee Tech put together a 10-1 run to make it 47-44 with 11:15 remaining on the clock. However, from there Tiggs scored 10 of his 23 to stop the Eagle run and build the lead back to 13 at 67-54 with 3:34 left on the clock. The Bucs iced the game at the foul line at that point, and never allowed Tech to threaten.
Last time out
MURRAY, Ky. (Nov. 15, 2010) - Suffering through its worst offensive output in well over a decade, the ETSU men's basketball team was unable to upend one of best mid-major programs in the country Monday night, as the Murray State Racers took a defensive battle 50-39 inside the CFSB Center. ... The Bucs' 39 points was the lowest offensive output for an ETSU team since falling 54-40 to Tennessee during the 1996-97 season. ... Indeed, while the offense was struggling, the ETSU defense was a bright spot. The Bucs held what has been a traditionally strong shooting team to a 37.8 percent clip for the game, outrebounding the Racers 39-30, and forcing 16 turnovers. However, the Bucs were equally bad offensively, shooting just 33 percent from the floor, 10 percent from 3-point range, and committing 25 turnovers. ... In the first half, ETSU attempted a 3-2 zone to stymie the Murray State offense, and the plan worked as the Racers managed just four points over the first 12 minutes of game play. However, the Bucs were not exactly efficient on the offensive end either and only led 10-4 at that point. ... The offensive issues ultimately cost the Bucs, as the Racers woke up and managed a 12-0 run over a two-minute stretch to build a 16-10 advantage with just over five minutes left in the half. Senior guard Micah Williams (Manchester) finally ended the Bucs drought - which lasted from the 9:40 mark to the 4:58 point of the half - with a lay up to make it 16-13. Both teams basically traded baskets the rest of the way and Murray State led 22-17 at the break. ... The Bucs were no better offensively in the second half, scoring just 11 points during the first 12 minutes of play and trailing 40-28 with eight minutes left in the game.
ETSU duo chasing 1,000-point mark
While senior Mike Smith (Vandalia, Mo.) is already a member of the 1,000-point club, two other seniors have outside shots at making it to the group:
Name Current Points
Tommy Hubbard 567
Micah Williams 700
With those point totals, Hubbard would have to average just over 14 points a game this season to reach 1,000, while Williams would need to average 10 points a game to reach the mark.
Defense shines despite offensive woes
While much has been made of the Bucs poor offensive effort against Murray State, the squad's defensive effort was superb and encouraging ... Utilizing a new 3-2 zone, the Bucs held Murray State to just 50 points, which is the second time this "calendar" year the Bucs have held a team to less than 50 -- the last time coming Feb. 25, 2010at North Florida (61-46) ... The Bucs are currently allowing 69 points per game in two contests, but gave up 88 against Kentucky ... Against the Racers, the Bucs also forced 16 turnovers, out-rebounded Murray State 39-30, and held them to 37.8 percent shooting.
Home Sweet Dome
Since the 1996-97 season, the Buccaneers are an amazing 139-45 inside Memorial Center, good for a winning percentage of 77 percent ... The Bucs had won five straight at Memorial Center during the 2006-07 season before a loss to Belmont (1/2) ... The Bucs then rattled off 10 straight at home to stand at 15-1 on the Memorial Center floor that season, but fell to Belmont in the championship of the A-Sun Tourney... In 2007-08, the Bucs were 11-2 at Memorial Center ... In 2008-09, the Bucs were again 11-2 at home, and last year the team was 9-5 at the Dome ... At 0-2 on the year with a pair of road games so far, the Bucs are pleased to be back in their "friendly confines."
Bucs counting on
"experience edge"
If the Bucs will be looking for any edge this season, they will find it in the experience department ... All told, the Bucs have 33 years of previous college experience on its 15-man roster, a group that includes players with multiple years of experience, including three fifth-year seniors (Mike Smith, Micah Williams and Justin Tubbs), and a fourth-year junior (Isiah Brown).
Smith happy to be back on the floor with Bucs
One year ago, the Bucs were forced to play all put four games without the services of guard Mike Smith (Vandalia, Mo.) due to an injury � However, Smith is back and brings his 1,182 career points with him � Without Smith, the Bucs struggled to score points last season (69.3 points per game) and relied heavily on its defensive efforts to win games � This year, the Bucs hope to continue to hold team's down offensively, while returning to their normal "high scoring" ways ... In his return game against Kentucky, Smith netted 15 points.
Sollazzo continues number change in honor of Coy
When ETSU's rising sophomore forward Seth Coy (Montgomery, Ind.) was tragically killed in a car accident during the summer of 2009, it left the entire Buccaneer community with a deep sense of loss ... As is often the case, those that are left to mourn have looked for ways to remember the Bucs' 6-foot-11 "Gentle Giant." ... For junior guard Adam Sollazzo (Tampa), who was Coy's roommate, the answer was simple ... Changing his jersey number from No. 20 to Coy's No. 43, Sollazzo will played the 2009-10 season in honor of his friend ... In addition, the Bucs were a special "43" batch on their uniforms this season in honor of their fallen friend and teammate � Sollazzo and the team have chosen to continue to honor Coy in this manner this season.
ETSU the "only" A-Sun team picked among nation's
best "Prestige" programs
Since the beginning of the modern era for NCAA Division I-A basketball - marked by the expansion of the NCAA Tournament field to 64 teams in 1984-85 - the ETSU men's basketball program ranks in the Top 30 percent of the 300 programs that were eligible for the postseason at that time, this according to ESPN.com's "Prestige" ranking released back in 2008 ... Since that time, the Bucs have only added to their list of prestigious honors � The Buccaneers, who have enjoyed eight NCAA Tournament trips, one NIT berth, nine 20-win seasons, and a slew of conference regular season and tournament championships since 1984-85, ranked tied for 82nd out of 300 teams, meaning they were in the Top 27 percent of schools making the list. ETSU was ranked ahead of every current Atlantic Sun Conference team, as well as former Southern Conference rivals Appalachian State, Western Carolina, Georgia Southern and UNC Greensboro. The Bucs also were placed ahead of every current member of the Colonial Athletic Association with the exception of Old Dominion ... In addition, the Bucs ranked ahead of SEC schools such as Tennessee, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Mississippi State, Georgia, Mississippi and Auburn, as well as other major programs such as Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, DePaul, Bradley, Clemson, California and Florida State.