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Rays End up Tying with Pirates
Oh this is going to be a long day, a stressful day and maybe even a day where I will be so tired I will just sleep here at the Spring Training complex then head north in the morning. The reason is complex. You see, I have a 1:05 pm game today in Port Charlotte, Florida, plus I have a 3 pm "live" ESPN MLBloggersphere Baseball draft. I am going to try to multi-task and keep my eyes on the game and the computer at the same time. I am anticipating a huge headache, so the Tylenol is loaded in the car, plus the sheets for me league can not spread out over the seats of the sold-out stadium.
So I am going to have to find a semi-quiet, but good view of the field so I can do both items at the same time without compromising either of them. This is a huge task, but I am up for it. I have my large Dr. Pepper at my side, with a huge chili dog and a bag of peanuts for the munchies during the draft. It should be exciting because everyone online seems to be anxious to see what kind of game everyone has with their drafting skills. Me, I am going to keep it simple and go for the big boys as early as possible, then take a few sleepers everyone forgot about in the later rounds. Either way, it is going to be a blast.
So here I am finally finding a spot, but it might be a bit noisy down by the kid's play area down the right field line. But I have the permission of someone here in the stadium to pop my laptop into the electric plug and away we go with the pre-game rituals and the pre-draft anxious moments. I almost forgot what time it was and looked on my laptop to see that it was 2:30-ish. Time to crank up the volume and remove my eyes from this great game going on in front of me. So as I get ready to joy down a few names to search for that did not hit the top 200 players, I am cyber-wishing everyone luck and hope we have a great draft.
So, here is the non-draft portion of the blog. Here I am going to try and go play-by-play with you in the Sunday game. I always love coming down here to Charlotte Sports Park, but starting next week, I will be able to hustle on over to the other fields in the complex to check out the minor league games before the Rays play at 1 pm. I am excited to see some of these future stars of the Rays or other clubs take the field and show their stuff. That might even be another great thing to do before the Rays game the rest of the month. Come down and get 2 games for the price of 1. Check out the future of the Rays, then go watch the present guys take the field. I think that plans is now written in stone for me.
Okay we have the Rays sending starter Matt Garza to the mound today for his second appearance of the spring. As we get started, the 6,968 fans in attendance seem to be poised and ready for a barn-burner today. It is extremely hot for this time of year with a small breeze blowing in from right field at game time. This is the first game of another home and home series for the Rays. Today in Port Charlotte, and tomorrow night in Bradenton for the first night game this year for the Pirates. You can always tell when it is about time for the real guys to get more at bats, the teams will play more games under the lights to acclimate themselves to the nightly routines of the regular season.
Garza is done with his warm-up pitches and we are set to go today. The Pirates send center fielder Andrew McCutchen to the plate first today. He swings at the third pitch and sends a short squirming ball in front of the plate that Rays catcher Shawn Riggans picks up and throws down to Carlos Pena at first for the first out of the game. Jose Tabata then hit a one-hopper to Gabe Kapler in center field for the first hit of the day for the Pirates. Adam LaRoche then hits a towering fly to left fielder Carl Crawford, who puts it away for the second out of the inning. Tabata did not try to advance on the ball hit to left field. Craig Monroe, who has been hitting the ball for Pittsburgh then comes up and strikes out to end the inning.
The Pirates send Tom Gorzelanny to the mound today to face the Rays. This is not the first time the Rays have seen Gorzelanny. They also got to see him on June 29 in PNC Park during the Inter-League schedule. He pitched the Sunday finale and went 6 innings giving up 8 hits, with 2 runs and 2 homers, with 8 strikeouts that day. He did not get the loss, but did pitch a great game. Justin Ruggiano comes to the plate first for the Rays and hit a ball to Andy LaRoche at third base on the first pitch. He easily takes the ball in and throws to Steve Pearce, who is playing first today for the first out. Crawford then come up and works a full count off of Gorzelanny, then ends up popping out to LaRoche at third base. Gabe Kapler then comes up and hit a sharp grounder again toward LaRoche that he easily fields and complete the play for the third out of the inning. All three outs in the first inning had LaRoche's fingerprints all over them.
The Rays send Garza back to the mound for the second inning. Pearce is the first batter of the inning and he hit a high fly ball towards the right-center field gap that Kapler adjusts to and finally brings in for the first out. Kapler was moving around a lot in the outfield before that play and might have been blinded for a second by the sun. Andy LaRoche then walks to give the Pirates their first base runner of the inning. Shortstop Brian Bixler then comes up and hit a single to center field to put 2 men on base with one out in the inning. Garza has been having a little trouble so far in the game by falling behind early against the first three hitters. Luis Cruz then comes to the plate and hit a sharp liner right to Morgan Ensberg at third base, who quickly catches LaRoche off the second base bag for a L-5, then a 5-4 force out on LaRoche to end the inning .
Carlos Pena leads off for the Rays and gets Gorzelanny to a full count before flying out to McCutchen in center field for the first out. Pena doesn't seem to have his timing down yet this spring. But with almost three weeks until Opening Day, you can be sure he will be ready in time for the season. Pat Burrell then comes up and ens up fouling the ball off into the glove of Pirates catcher Jason Jarmillo, who holds on for the second out of the inning. Ensberg then comes up and drills a ball to left field over third base for the first Rays hit of the day. Reid Brignac, who started at shortstop today then hit a fly ball to McCutchen for the third out of the inning.
Garza take the mound for the third inning as the Rays are starting to let their starters extend themselves more this spring. Jaramillio comes to the plate and hit a short grounder towards Garza that he fields and quickly get to Pena for the first out of the inning. If teams knew that Garza has a weakness fielding the ball, they have not focused on it this spring. McCutchen then comes up and strikes out swinging to get two quick outs in the inning. Tabata then comes up and hit a monster towards the center field gap over Kapler's head and it two-bounces to the wall for a double. Adam LaRoche is now at the plate for the Pirates. After the second pitch to LaRoche, Riggans fires a ball towards second and almost gets Tabata looking. It was a strong on line throw that only missed the tag out by a milli-second. LaRoche then lifts a fly ball to Ruggiano in right for the last out of the inning.
Gorzelanny, who will be in the starting rotation for the Pirates takes the mound for the bottom of the third inning. Riggans comes to the plate and hit a nice hard grounder that comes up on Cruz and he is on with a infield single to start off the inning. Adam Kennedy then comes up and take a pitch inside that he fights off for a bloop single beyond the second base bag for the second straight Rays hit. It seemed he broke his bat on the ball, or Cruz might of had a play on the ball. Ruggiano then comes to the plate and hit a nice single down the line at third for the third Rays hit in a row off Gorzelanny. Crawford then hit a ball towards the right of Pearce, who fields the ball and throws to second to get Ruggiano with the force out, Cruz tries to turn two, but the speedy Crawford is already past the bag with a fielder[s choice on the play. Riggans scored on the play and Kennedy moved to third base. Kapler then hits a screamer towards left field for a RBI-double, but Tabata fields the ball quickly and fires towards Jaramillo who tags out Crawford right before he reached the plate. Pena then hit a ball to Cruz, who throws to Pearce to end the Rays rally. At this point, it is now 2-0 Tampa Bay. This would be Gorzelanny's last batter and he went 3 innings with 5 hits and 2 runs and 1 strike out in the game.
Garza again comes out for the Rays and now is in his deepest outing of the spring. Monroe comes to the plate first for the Pirates and hit a pop up just into fair territory for a fly out to Rigggans. Pearce then hit a sharp ball down toward third base that seems to handcuffs Ensberg, who then throws a late ball towards first base. On the bobbling of the ball, he is given an error on the play. Andy LaRoche then hit a fly ball to Kapler for the second out if the inning. With Bixler come up to the plate and Pearce still on first the Pirates are down to their last out in the inning. After three pitches to Bixler, Pearce tries to steal second base and is thrown out easily by Riggans to Kennedy for the third out of the inning. This would complete Garza's day in which he went 4 innings, with 3 hits, a walk and 2 strikeouts on the day.
Jeff Ka
rstens take the rubber for the Pirates and Burrell quickly get a single to left field to lead off the inning for the Rays. Ensberg then hit a short blooper towards center field that McCutchen dives for and just gets the ball for the out. He was moving so fast that he lost his cap upon contact with the turf. Brignac then come out and hit a long fly ball to right field, but it is not deep enough for Burrell to try and advance on it. Riggans then comes up and goes down swinging to set the Rays down in the inning.
Troy Percival comes out for the second appearance of the spring. During his first outing he was hitting the inside corners of the plate trying to jam hitters and produced a beautiful inning of work. Today Bixler leads off the inning by striking out swinging on an off-speed pitch by Percival. Cruz then comes up and gets jammed inside and pops a high fly ball towards Ensberg that he fights off the glaring sun twice before finally being able to bring it into his glove. He pumps his fists in the air high and the crowd goes wild for him. Jaramillo then hit a soft grounder to Kennedy for a quick 1-2-3 inning for Percival. This is his second 1-2-3 inning of the Spring. Percival still sports a perfect 0.00 ERA in his 2 appearances this spring.
Karstens takes the mound again for the Pirates and faces Kennedy first. He ends up hitting a fly ball to left field that is easily handled by Tabata. Ruggiano then come on and hit a grounder to Bixler at shortstop for an easy 6-3 play to Pearce. Crawford then fights off a few pitches and again hit a grounder towards Bixler that is taken in and throw to Pearce to complete the inning. It was an easy 1-2-3 inning for Karstens. But the Ray are still ahead in the game 2-0.
The Rays send mending reliever Jason Isringhausen to the mound for his first spring action for the Rays. Isringhausen came to the Rays after a wild and turbulent 2008 season with the St. Louis Cardinals. He is trying to re-establish himself with the Rays, and if he does, he will be a tremendous asset to the team in the Bullpen. That would give the Rays two men who have over 290 saves on the All-Time save list. McCutchen comes to the plate first this inning and hit a triple to Kapler in center field. Kapler can not handle the ball before McCuthen is past second and only get the ball back into the infield when he strikes the third base bag. Tabata then hit a sacrifice fly to Crawford to score the first run of the day for the Pirates. Adam LaRoche then hit a ball to the right of Pena, who ends up flipping the ball to Isringhausen for the second out. Monroe then comes up and strikes out on a nice breaking pitch from Isringhausen to end the inning with the score now 2-1 Rays.
Karsten comes out for his final inning in the bottom of the sixth and faces Kapler to lead off the inning. Kapler hit a grounder to Adam LaRoche at third base, who gets Kapler in time for the first out. Pena then hit a ball high into the sun in left field and Tabata has to shade his eyes three times before finally taking the ball in for the second out of the inning. Burrell then hit another single down the third baseline for a single, his second of the day. Morgan Ensberg then comes to the plate for the Rays. After the fourth pitch to Ensberg, Burrell takes off towards second and is easily thrown out by Jaramillo to Cruz to end the inning. Karstens went 3 innings and gave up 2 hits and got 1 strikeout in his outing.
The Rays send set-up man Dan Wheeler to the mound for the top of the 7th inning. This is also Wheeler second appearance this spring. First to bat for the Pirates will be Pearce. He quickly hit a grounder towards Brignac at short and is thrown out in time for the first out of the inning. Andy LaRoche, who is on fire at the plate this spring for the Pirates then hit a long deep homer into left center field over the Boardwalk for a solo home run. Still out of sorts a bit by the pitch Wheeler then gives up a triple to Bixler to the left center field wall. Cruz is next up for the Pirates. During the at bat, Wheeler throws a breaking ball 55 feet to the plate and Riggans blocks it and pushes it toward the front of the plate in case Bixler is coming in from third. the play might have saved a run for the Rays. Cruz is then hit by a slow breaking ball and the Pirates have men on the corners with one out. Jaramillo then comes to the plate and hit s ball towards Chris Richard at first base, who turns and fires toward Brignac at second for the force play, but he can not take in the return throw and gets charged with an error on the play. Bixler also scores to put the Pirate ahead in the game 3-2. McCutchen then comes up and strike out to end the Pirates rally.
Tyler Yates come out for the Pirates in the bottom of the 7th inning. He first faces Ensberg, who gets a full count before hit a long fly ball to McCutchen in center field for the first out of the inning. Brignac then hit a monster solo home run that misses me by about 20 feet to my right. I did not hear the ball even come off the bat since I was typing in a search for a player I was going to draft deep in my "live" draft today. The homer by Brignac tied the game at 3-all. I would have gotten up and tried for the ball if I saw it in the air. Riggans then comes up and goes down swinging for the second out. Kennedy then completes the inning by also striking out to end the Rays chance for more runs in the inning.
Grant Balfour came out to the mound for the Rays in the eighth inning. Tabata quickly went down after a nice fastball over the outside corner for a called third strike. Adam LaRoche then hit a nice flair to center field that one-hopped to Kapler for a single. Garret Jone, who came in to play first base, then hit a breaking ball for a single to right field to put two men on base with one out. Pearce then came up and hit a ball to Sadler in shallow right for the second out. Neil Walker then came up and hit a single to right field to load the bases with two outs. Bixler then ended the drama by striking out on a called third strike to strand three base runners in the inning. This would be the only inning for Balfour, who allowed 3-hits and no runs, but also got 2 much needed strikeouts.
Sean Burnett came to the mound for the Pirates in the bottom of the eighth inning. Ray Sadler lead off the inning with double down the right field line that trickled into the corner. Jon Weber then struck out on 5 pitches for the Rays first out. During Weber's at bat Sadler stole third base. Elliot Johnson then hit a line drive to left field that scored Sadler. Willy Aybar the came up and Johnson stole second base, then moved onto third after Burnett threw a wild pitch into the dirt. Aybar then hit a hard shot towards Walker at third base that he ended up coming in on, but could not get Aybar in time for the infield single. He also could not prevent the run from scoring. Ray Olmedo then hit a blooper down the right field line that was bobbled by Jones at first and the Rays had men at first and second with two outs. Tim Beckham the Rays 2008 First Round Draft pick , then came up and hit a double down the right field line to score both Aybar and Olmedo. Beckham could have gotten a triple, but he fell down between second and third and had to go back to second base. Matt Spring then came up and hit a blooper in front of the plate that Jaramillo easily threw to Pearce to get out of the inning.
With the Rays now up 7-3 in the top of the ninth inning, they sent out veteran reliever Joe Nelson to complete the game for the Rays. Anderson Machado came to the plate first for the Pirates. He ended up getting a flair single to right field off of Nelson on a hanging breaking ball. Jaramillo then hit a liner to Beckham at shortstop for the first out of the inning. McCutchen then struck out swinging for the second out. The Rays now needed one out for the win. Tabata came to the plate ans was hit by Nelson. Pedro Alvarez then pinch hit and drove a ball half way up onto the Batter's Eye blackout spot in center field for a 3-run homer and brought the Pirates to within one run of tying the game. Jones then came up and took the third pitch he saw up and over the Rays Bullpen for a solo shot and to tie the core at 7-7. Again, another ball hit within 20 feet of me, but I was in the middle of the 5th round of picks and could not get up in time to even think of chasing that ball down. And no one was out here…..argggggggg. Rays Manager Joe Maddon came out and replaced Nelson with Jason Childers. He only had to face one batter as he got Pearce to strikeout to end the rally.
Jason Davis came out for the Pirates in the bottom of the ninth knowing he might have to shut down the Rays for his team to have a chance in this contest. He got lead off man Chris Nowak, who was now playing third base to hit a grounder to Machado for an easily 4-3 play for the first out. Sadler then came up and tried to end the game on one swing with a long fly ball to right field that was cut down by the wind. Weber then struck out for the second time today to end the Rays chance to win this one in regulation.
The Rays sent out non-roster invitee Winston Abreu for the top of the tenth inning. He first faced Walker, who struck out swinging on 5 pitches. Bixler then came up and also struck out swinging. Then Machado came up and hit a soft grounder to Olmedo at second, who quickly threw to Richard to get out of the inning fast. Davis came out again for the Pirates in the tenth inning. Johnson came to the plate first and hit a high fly ball to left field that looked to confuse Tabata before he regrouped and finally caught the ball for the first out of the inning. Richard then struck out for a quick second out in the inning. Michel Hernandez then liner to right field for a single. Olmedo then hit a single between the holes between first and second to give the Rays a chance to walk off with a win. But Beckham ended that by striking out to end the Rays rally.
At the top of the eleventh inning, the umpires advised both benches that this would be the last inning of the ball game. If no one has taken a lead by the end of the inning, it would be a tie contest. With that in mind, the Rays sent Julio DePaula to the mound. Pirates catcher Steve Lerud was the first man to the plate and hit a fly ball out to left field on the first pitch of the inning. McCutchen then hit a single to left-center that split the two outfielders. Tabata then hit a sharp ball to Beckham that he threw to first base to get the runner in time. This put the go-ahead run on second base with two outs in the inning for the Pirates. Alvarez then hit a ball off the end of the bat to DePaula, who quickly turned and threw to Richard to end the inning and the Pirates chances to win this game.
Evan Meek came to the mound to try and seal the tie at least for the Pirates, Meeks, a former Rays farmhand had been the Pirates 2008 Rule 5 pick and was trying to seal a spot in the Bullpen for 2009. He first faced Spring, who popped out off the handle of the bat to Bixler at shortstop for the first out of the inning. Chris Nowak then hit a hard grounder to the right of Pearce, but he smothered the ball and tossed it to Meek for a 3-1 put out. This gave the Rays one last out in the game for either a win or a tie score. Sadler the struck out to end the game and preserve the tie for the Pirates.
At the time this was going on I was in the middle of the 22 round when I picked Jason Giambi, who people forgot was on the board. Anyways, the pitching of Joe Nelson doomed the Rays to a tie tonight. This is only the second time he has also taken the hill this spring and it is good now that he is seeing the problems and not in the late innings of a game in April or May. With time his command and his placement will get better and better. But at this time he is not in the right pitching mode to be a consistent reliever for the Rays. But as we all know, we have more than 20 days until doom and gloom can hit the pages for real, and with that this was just a bad outing …..period. That is the lifestyle of a MLB reliever. Some days you have the world striking out at your feet, and on other they are hitting you like a pinball machine. I hope Nelson can get it together because he is a great signing by the Rays and just might lack the in-game workouts to further his development this spring.
Photo credits: 1) Associated Press ( Tiffany Tompkins )
2) RRCollections
3) Associated Press ( Keith Srakoci )
4) www.TBO.com
6 Comments
I'm glad to see that the Rays I drafted for my team are doing well! And Rays, I don't know how you can blog, watch a game and draft at the same time! I could barely handle our draft on Sunday!
Ok, why are you posting about the game from Sunday on Tuesday? You still stressed out about the draft and stuff? LOL! How's your fantasy team doing so far?
I guess guys can multi-task, Julia…Renegade just proved it!
A long, busy day of baseball is ALWAYS better than a short day at work or school! And I bet if you shouted down to Evan Longoria that you just picked him in the first round of your draft, I'm sure he'd feel more of an urgency to impress his fantasy owner and go yard his next at bat! haha
I actually got a lot of training to do five thing with two hands in my old position with Pepsi. I was the Special Events Coordinator. I had to decide the volume, standards and equipment needed for concerts, sporting events, local high school football and basketball games, and smal community fairs.
Throw on top of all that I had the Tampa Bay Rays as my largest client, and you get some who has to adjust to moving at 100 mph all day long. What I did Sunday was small compared to day when there was a three-day concert series downtown and a 10-game home stand, plus a local community fair or event. And I ran that department by myself for 5 years before I went back into Sales in late 2007.
I just loved the job.
Rays Renegade
My new laptop had a faulty touch pad and I had to wait until a new model arrived so I could swap the hard drives with the blog already on it on MS Word.
I could not pull it out. but the guys at the store did finally get it to a file and send it to my email today so I could download it and add the pictures I had here at the house.
I also lost two interviews with a couple of minor league players I have nkoen coming up through the system. One was coming back from Tommy John's, but I will have to redo the interviews, if they let me.
Rays Renegade
I could do that if he was on my team. He was selected by "Team Diatribe" and so he is not one of my soldiers right now.
But, a few of my friends who do play did call me and thanked me for drafting them. One cursed me out that I let "King of Cali" get him, but that is okay………I am going to work on him
Rays Renegade


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Performing live in Times Square will be among the highlights of Hope College Sacred Dance Ministry's participation in "Project Dance" in New York City during the weekend of April 15-17.
Performing live in Times Square will be among the highlights of Hope College Sacred Dance Ministry's participation in "Project Dance" in New York City during the weekend of April 15-17.
New York-based Project Dance was founded in 2002 as a way of bringing hope and healing to the broken streets of New York following the events of 911. Today events are held around the world in major cities including not only New York, but Hong Kong, Sydney, Toronto, Houston, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Manila and others, offering the universal language of dance to the public through outdoor open-air concerts. Among other honors, Project Dance has been named one of the top 10 dance events in New York City by "Dance Spirit Magazine," and the event's founder, Cheryl Cutlip, received a 2009 "The Lights Are Bright on Broadway" award from Masterwork Productions.
The weekend in New York is centered around an all-day outdoor dance concert, taking place on Saturday, April 16, that is free to the public. While in New York, the Hope Sacred Dance members will also attend Project Dance Live, which is an evening concert on Friday, April 15; and an inspirational service and master classes, taught by renowned professionals from the Radio City Rockettes, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Martha Graham Dance Company, on Sunday, April 17.
"I'm very excited for the chance to spread God's Word, and to work with other Christian artists," said junior Elena Caruthers of Des Plaines, Ill., one of the 11 Hope College Sacred Dance Ministry students who will be participating in the event.
The Hope group will be performing two pieces, "Hosanna" and "K'vah," each of which has been choreographed by students.
"Hosanna" is choreographed by senior Sarah Stern of Virginia Beach, Va., with music by Selah. The piece is a worshipful prayer asking for conviction and cleansing through the blood of Christ, seeking for the Lord to work in and through the body of believers eagerly awaiting His coming in glory.
"K'vah" is choreographed by senior Magdalene Reishus Mastin of Holland and formerly of Kokomo, Ind., with music titled "Sleeping Lady" by Bill Evans and Megan Lynch. "K'vah" was created in response to a study of humanity's continual journey of waiting on the Lord through times when humanity expects immediate Divine action.
Hope College Sacred Dance Ministry was founded in the 1960s by Maxine Debruyn, who was on the Hope faculty from 1965 until retiring in 2006 as the Dorothy Wiley De Long Professor Emerita of Dance and continues to serve as advisor. The ministry's mission is "To Live and Spread God's Word through Movement," and the group presents works during the college's chapel services as well as at churches in the Holland area.
The Hope College Sacred Dance Ministry dancers that will be on the trip include sophomore Alyssa Brillinger of Rockford; junior Elena Caruthers of Des Plaines, Ill.; junior Radhajyoti Deitenbeck of Gainesville, Fla.; senior Magdalene Reishus Mastin of Holland and formerly of Kokomo, Ind.; junior Linelly Olmeda-Santos of Toa Baja, Puerto Rico; junior Stephanie Rankin of Levittown, Pa.; junior Amber Rogers of Hershey, Pa.; junior Kate Schrampfer of Appleton, Wis.; junior Brittany Steeg of Westfield, N.Y.; senior Sarah Stern of Virginia Beach, Va.; and senior Sarah Stinson of Stilwell, Kan. DeBruyn will accompany the group as advisor.

subset: commoncrawl


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A heavily trafficked Ohio interstate is shut down until further notice after a dump truck traveling with its bed raised slammed into a pedestrian bridge.
Ohio Department of Transportation spokesman Mark Ziaja (ZAI'-uh) says no one hurt when the truck hit the bridge spanning Interstate 90 around 6 a.m. Saturday.
The accident caused part of the truck's bed to flip over while its cab continued on a short distance. Part of the walkway was ripped away from its base.
The interstate is closed in both directions while workers remove the badly damaged bridge. Ziaja says he hopes the interstate will be open in time for the Monday morning commute.
It's unclear why the dump truck's bed was raised.


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A Conversation with James O'Neill, VP, Director of Interactive Media at RJ Palmer, and Diaz Nesamoney, CEO of Jivox.
The increasing capabilities of digital advertising formats provide new opportunities for marketers to engage prospects and turn them into customers. Central to this endeavor are advertising agencies who translate brand objectives into effective communications programs. Just as important, these agencies also provide the bridge to the most appropriate and effective digital execution technologies to optimize client return on investment. Given the scope and speed of change, the importance of the partnerships between agencies and technology providers cannot be underestimated. It takes close collaboration between marketer, agency, and technology partners to get the most out of digital advertising.
One such example is the collaboration between RJ Palmer, a leading agency and member of the MDC family, and Jivox, a cross-screen interactive ad platform company and winner of the IAB Digital Video Rising Stars competition. IAB asked James O'Neill (JO), VP, Director of Interactive Media at RJ Palmer, and Diaz Nesamoney (DN), CEO of Jivox, to elaborate on this partnership.
IAB: The team at RJ Palmer were early adopters of the Digital Video Rising Stars. How did you bring this about?
(JO) Many of our clients have a high level of comfort with video being the dominant focal point of their interactive plans. Since we have been trying to accomplish additional engagement and social interaction goals via various avenues, it serves us well to embed that functionality into the tactic on which clients focus most.
IAB: How have these formats worked for RJ Palmer clients?
(JO) These units have worked really well for us because they continue to realize not only the primary purpose of video – reach, comparable to how television is measured – but also the supplemental benefit of aiding in the achievement of social and engagement milestones.http://bcove.me/6dkknt6u
IAB: What have you learned from your early experiences, and what advice would you give to other agencies considering in-stream interactive digital video advertising?
(JO) The biggest realization has been in the positioning of the performance. When all stakeholders are on board with a campaign's primary focus and all else is complementary, no one is underwhelmed with what may seem like a low performance for specific interactions. For example, if additional interaction includes a coupon print, no one should compare the number or cost of the coupon prints to a digital consumer promotions campaign with Coupons Inc.; that's not an apples-to-apples comparison.
(DN) We have learned that less is more – greater user engagement comes not from overloading the ad with lots of buttons and interactions but rather from providing a meaningful set of options with which the user can engage and then leading them into a further immersive experience rather than overwhelming them with choices. We have to keep in mind that the video is the main creative asset, so we shouldn't lose sight of that.
IAB: How do you measure success with these Digital Video Rising Stars formats?
(JO) Success of these formats still relies on the primary metric of video views but involves more nuances, with engagement rates acting as the differentiator between in-market or interested parties. For example, if reach is the same, wouldn't a particular execution demonstrate greater value if it proved that the consumers were more likely to engage?
(DN) We use engagement rates measured as the number of times users interacted with the interactive elements in the ads. This is often coupled with engagement time – which measures how much time the user spent engaging with the ad experience. Both of these measures show value in interactive video as a way of creating greater user engagement.
IAB: All digital display and mobile advertising is interactive, at least via a click-thru, yet the majority of digital video advertising is still not interactive. How do you see this changing?
(JO) I think the death of the click-thru as a primary metric is the reason that digital video is not interactive. The community views digital video more akin to TV, which isn't interactive at all, so the interactivity and engagement shows no immediate benefit under this construct. In a black-and-white world, splashes of color do nothing until we start applying value to the color.
(DN) We think digital video is where display banners were 10 years ago. The first generation of banners looked much like their newspaper classified ad counterparts, i.e. static and non-interactive. They have, of course, since evolved to where now 40% of banners are rich interactive ads. With digital video, the number is something like 15% of ads being interactive; video ads are still generating high engagement rates even without being interactive, but once we start getting the equivalent of video ad blindness, we will probably see more rich interactive video ads as a way to make them stand out.
IAB: What technical or operational issues did you have to overcome to launch these campaigns?
(JO) There's a great deal of inherent risk when suggesting activations like this from a media perspective because we don't hold the keys to creative assets or thinking. It takes a degree of loosening the grip of control of the process, from both the creative and media sides, to deal with this type of activation.
(DN) The varying sizes of video players – ranging from full-episode, TV-like video players to small players that are banner ad sized – posed a bit of a challenge to delivering creative that looked good regardless of the player size. We developed a "responsive" layout model similar to that used by mobile ads, in that our platform automatically selects a correctly sized layout to match the size of the video player. VPAID support by publishers was also a bit of limiting factor, but that has since largely been addressed now, with most publishers supporting VASTand VPAID standards for interactive video.


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I think throwing the challenges is as bad as whinning about wanting to quit. I was so annoyed last season when ever week shane was carrying on about wanting to quit. I think if you say you want to quit then your team needs to vote you out at the next tribal consoule. Im sure who ever was on the chopping block will appriciate it because they want to be there. So far so good this season i havent heard anyone saying they wanted to quit
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SBB was sad to see that celebrities Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan got arrested again for drug possession and drug use. This is an old story by now—a celebrity gets in trouble over and over again for substance abuse, their most recent mug shot is on every gossip Web site, they go into rehab for a few days or a week. Repeat cycle.
Paris' Story
In 2006, Paris Hilton was arrested and charged with drinking and driving. She was given probation, but then sentenced to jail for violating her probation. In July 2010, she was detained in South Africa for possession of marijuana, but the case was dropped.
And most recently, she was arrested in Las Vegas, when officers witnessed a bag of cocaine fall out of her handbag. The 29-year-old agreed to a plea deal for a fine and community service. She also has to complete a drug rehabilitation program, instead of a 1-year jail sentence.
Lindsay's Story
And then there's Lindsay Lohan. In mid-September 2010, less than a month after being granted an early release from rehab, Lindsay was arrested after she failed a pair of court-mandated drug tests. The 24-year-old actress could face another 30 days in jail for violating her probation.
On Twitter, Lindsay wrote, "Substance abuse is a disease, which unfortunately doesn't go away overnight." She has checked herself back into rehab—her fifth trip in 3 years.
All this brings up the question we hear a lot at NIDA: why don't celebs seem to learn from their mistakes?
Recovery Takes Time
Celebrities are no different from anyone else. When you add drugs to the equation, it is harder to make good decisions and get back on the right path. It takes a long time to get clean and stay clean. Here are some things people who want to stop using drugs can do.
- Seek treatment. A person who uses drugs often needs professional treatment to quit using. This can include medication or "talk therapy," or a combination of both.
- Avoid triggers. The science shows that cravings never go away for good, especially when certain "triggers" happen. Your brain remembers the "high" from the drugs and certain experiences can trigger cravings that are hard to control—like seeing a person using cocaine or smelling a marijuana cigarette.
- Find new friends. It's important to stop spending time with friends who use drugs. Paris Hilton, for example, was with her boyfriend at the time of her arrest. He was behind the wheel of an SUV when police reportedly smelled marijuana. He failed a field sobriety test and was also arrested. If you're trying to stay off drugs, hanging out with people who use or in places where drugs are used is not going to get you there. Even if you stop using and get counseling and treatment, it is important not to hang out with your old friends who are still using.
Roxy Olin's Story
Some celebrities who have had problems with drugs or alcohol are great role models for being in recovery. At the press conference launching Recovery Month 2010, sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Roxy Olin—an actress on MTV's "The City" and ABC's "Brothers and Sisters"—spoke about her drug addiction and her time in rehab. She was there for 9 months and has been in recovery for 3 years. Her parents are supportive, she goes to AA, and she works hard at her recovery.
If you or someone you know needs treatment for drugs or alcohol, visit SAMHSA's online treatment facility locator. To learn more about addiction, see NIDA's publication, Drugs, Brains, and Behavior—The Science of Addiction.
That was an interesting Blog. Drugs are a bad thing to do. I really feel bad for her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good info saved this site for more info thanks.
omg this is reality!!!!! haha yup so true people on drugs need help!!!
Hey! I think that drugs are bad and that lindsay needs alot of help!! so does Paris!!! Okay bye peeeps
I hate when girls look up to these girls and they want to actually be like them. I do not understand the logic behind their reasoning. I wish they could look for better role models like Selena Gomez or Taylor Swift. These girls take brakes from their busy schedules to talk to their fans about these issues these girls are growing up with. I hope someone can help these girls out and teach them to help better themselves.
too bad..pretty face but ugly attitude. not such a role model.
Thanks for taking the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love learning more on this topic. If possible, as you gain expertise, would you mind updating your blog with more information? It is extremely helpful for me.
it's great information..we know about the facts. And very unfortunate...public figures should give a good of behavior to public.
I'll waiting your next information
It is sad to see these celebs not be able to be a real role model for kids these days.
I think sometimes we expect celebs to be more than human and hold them up to different expectations than our friends or neighbors.
Amazing article we invite everyone to our meetings on the beach.
There is nothing more sad then untreated drug addiction. thanks for the cool info.
I agree slbts, untreated addiction or alcoholism is a depressing matter.
They look satisfied and all happy from the outside but something is not right in their life, that's where drugs come in, they help them to take a break from their real life. Also, some of them may have the wrong idea that drugs help to control weight.
Drugs are just no good.
Drink Cocktails instead [removed commercial link, per guidelines]
These girls are having the brakes on their busy schedules to talk with fans about these things, these girls are growing. I hope someone can help these girls, teaching them to better help themselves.
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These celebs lives are plastered everywhere and they need their privacy just like anyone else. We all make mistakes and hopefully many will learn from it.
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That's what you get if your using drug. My gosh why did she did it anyways.
I just think it's a shame celebrities like these are wasting there life on drugs. I mean on a real note if i had all the money they did I would put it to good use, not wasting it to get high!!!
Drugs are very addictive. It does great bad, where as giving just a moment of joy. A lot of youngsters follow celebrities as idol and hence there lives influence a lot of poeple. Even the negative attributes
People need help. family and friends are the only ones that can help them detox off the drug addiction. help your friend(s) go get heroine detox, cocaine detox and oxycontin detoxsal...
The poor girl, why is it so?
famous people have hard time trying to sober when they have alot of money every one has problems and they have to deal with them and there on way
thansk Sara.Good info saved this site for more info thanks.
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Hey all, check this out: http://www.modernknowledge2014.com
Tellinger/Cassidy/Dolan will be touring Canada coast to coast from May 24th to June 15th.
If any CH members are close to Mtl, we could hook-up at the show on May 31th or better yet, meet and dine with the gang at La Popessa, a local little restaurant I'm familiar with, on the night before.
Just throwing the idea...
For general discussion of topics that don't have a specific theme, questions or suggestions for research.
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Thank you to Crocs for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about Crocs' new Back to School line. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.
My kids are going back to school next week, and I am in full this-year-will-be-different mode. I'm determined to have a more organized and stress-free life this year, and I'm hoping a little advanced planning is all I need to make this (annual) dream a reality.
I started by going shopping for school supplies early this year - no being faced with emptied shelves for me! I got everything on the Kindergarten and second-grade lists. Feeling proud of me? Don't. 'Cause my kids are actually going into First grade and Third grade. Doh.
After the mom fail on the school supplies, I'm determined to get it right with back to school shoes for my daughters. Luckily, there are so many (thirteen!) cute styles out from Crocs, I know my girls will like them. From the mom-angle, I'm glad they're all school-approved, as the Crocs Back-to-School line features all closed-toed and closed-heeled shoes, along with signature Crocs comfort, of course.
I'm pretty sure my
the heels that I let her buy for her uncle's wedding to school.
Here's wishing everyone a great school year! What tips do you have for starting the year right? We need some at our house based on last year's school journal.
To view all the colors and styles available in the back-to-school line visit Crocs online, where you can also enter to win a family vacation to San Diego (no purchase necessary).
View this fun interactive video,"They've Got Summer Inside" - click on the shoes and go directly to that style on the Croc's website. You can also look for the hidden Easter egg, click on it and see what happens.
If you need a hint, here's what the Easter Egg looks like:


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Q&A: Martin Short
Whether comedian Martin Short takes the stage, gets on camera or appears on-screen, he does so with zest and boundless energy. He's 62, but that's merely a number because his spirit knows no age.
Short spoke to Newsday about his diverse career, the origin of his comic sensibilities and bonding with Steve Martin and Tom Hanks.
It's a party with Marty. All the characters that I've done through the years will show up, like Ed Grimley, Jiminy Glick and Franck [from "Father of the Bride"]. There's a lot of improvising. I bring guys up and turn them into "The Three Amigos." It's jam-packed and moves quickly. There are video clips when I'm changing. It's fun.
How much did being the youngest of five in your family impact your comedic sense?
Because I was baby Marty who was lifted, cuddled and played with by my parents and siblings, it gave me this kind of confidence and made me fearless. I was certainly filled with self-worth.
Your career began with a production of "Godspell" in 1972. Did you realize it would change your life forever?
I seemed to know early on that the odds of being successful in show business are very much against you. I had no real interest in not being successful, and I didn't want to be broke. But I also didn't want to look in the mirror at 50 with regrets. When I started all this, I gave myself one-year contracts because I figured that I'd have time to go back and get a master's in social work.
Did you design your career to be as varied as it turned out to be?
I find myself drawn to an eclectic kind of career. Rather than Broadway, I like doing a few concerts here and there. Instead of being on a TV series, I prefer to do an arc on something. It keeps it more interesting for me. I have done a lot of varied things. Other than retiring, there are very few things that I haven't attempted.
You gained critical acclaim for your role on "Damages." Would you like to do more drama?
I'm not obsessed with doing that because I kind of think the audience makes a deal with someone. They don't give this honor to everyone, which is, "You really make me laugh." That's like a psychic connection. As a kid, when I'd see comic guys that I loved play the assassin, it seemed a little belabored. I was like, "Oh, I see, you are stretching publicly. Can you let me know when you are going to be funny again?"
As a father of three, did you use your comedic talents raising your kids?
I think I did, but it came naturally. I wasn't coming into their bedroom in character, but I was a little bit of joker daddy until there was that "Can you see me in my office, son?" moment.
How were you able to maintain a normal family life in Hollywood?
It's about having a perspective on the importance of your talent versus the importance of your kids, your marriage, your life and yourself as a friend or a sibling. It probably stems from confidence. A lot of inappropriate behavior by famous people is tied to fear. When you are confident, you don't need an entourage of 12.
What is the piece of work that you are most proud of?
I'm proud of the Broadway production of "Little Me," as well as my work on "SCTV," plus the specials I've done. I learned a long time ago that one of my roles had to be that I was on my side. I tend to be generous of myself. I will watch something I did and say, "That was pretty good."
Is there a role you regret passing up?
No. I was asked to do "Dumb and Dumber," but it wasn't for me. It was better who they cast.
What's it like hanging with Tom Hanks and Steve Martin?
Tom and Steve are close friends. We have colonoscopy parties together. We go to Steve's house, take the potion, play poker, have a sleepover, go to the clinic the next day and then have lunch.
Hitting it big as Jiminy Glick
Martin Short is known for his cast of characters, but perhaps his most celebrated is Jiminy Glick, the obese celebrity talk show host who is the perfect combination of sweet and devilish. For example, when Glick interviewed filmmaker Mel Brooks, he inappropriately asked, "What's your big beef with the Nazis?"
"Jiminy's agenda is not to be mean. He is the moron," says Short. "The less I prepared, the better the interviews would be."
The character was originally created for the short-lived "The Martin Short Show" in 1999. Short wanted to do interviews on the street with people, but it wasn't working out.
"They would just laugh and ask for an autograph. I thought that was a drag," says Short. "I had done the film 'Pure Luck,' where I got stung by a bee and I swelled up. People said they couldn't recognize me. So we used that look as a disguise."
Short as Glick went on to star in Comedy Central's "Primetime Glick" from 2001 to 2003.
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Martyr Barbarus in Thessaly, who was a robber
The Holy Martyr Barbarus, formerly a robber, lived in Greece and for a long time he committed robberies, extortions and murders. But the Lord, Who does not desire the death of a sinner, turned him to repentance. Once, when Barbarus was sitting in a cave and gazing upon his stolen possessions, the grace of God touched his heart. He thought about the inevitability of death, and about the dread Last Judgment. Pondering over the multitude of his wicked deeds, he was distressed in his heart and he decided to make a beginning of repentance, saying, "The Lord did not despise the prayer of the robber hanging beside Him. May He spare me through His ineffable mercy."
Barbarus left all his treasures behind in the cave and he went to the nearest church. He did not conceal his wicked deeds from the priest, and he asked to be accepted for repentance. The priest gave him a place in his own home, and Saint Barbarus followed him, going about on his hands and knees like a four-legged animal, since he considered himself unworthy to be called a man. In the household of the priest he lived with the cattle, eating with the animals and considering himself more wicked than any creature. Having received absolution from his sins from the priest, Barbarus went into the woods and lived there for twelve years, naked and without clothing, suffering from the cold and heat. His body became dirty and blackened all over.
Finally, Saint Barbarus received a sign from on high that his sins were forgiven, and that he would die a martyr's death. Once, merchants came to the place where Saint Barbarus labored. In the deep grass before them they saw something moving. Thinking that this was an animal, they shot several arrows from their bows. Coming closer, they were terrified to see that they had mortally wounded a man. Saint Barbarus begged them not to grieve. He told them about himself and he asked that they relate what had happened to the priest at whose house he had once lived.
After this, Saint Barbarus yielded up his spirit to God. The priest, who had accepted the repentance of the former robber, found his body shining with a heavenly light. The priest buried the body of Saint Barbarus at the place where he was killed. Afterwards, a curative myrrh began to issue forth from the grave of the saint, which healed various maladies. His relics are located at the monastery of Kellios in Thessaly, near the city of Larissa.


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Look At This, Look At That: A Tribute to Dr. Seuss
Look At This, Look At That: A Tribute to Dr. Seuss
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With his iconic characters, charming narratives, and whimsical illustrations, Dr. Seuss has undoubtedly become one of the most renowned children's book writer and illustrator. His books, "The Cat in the Hat," "Horton Hears a Who," and many others, have become timeless classics, influencing generations upon generations of young readers through their imaginative characters, whimsical narratives, and intricate rhymes. To celebrate his achievements, Nucleus is proud to present an exhibition featuring over 40 artists paying homage to the visionary through their own interpretations and re-enivisionings.
Opening Highlights Include:
Win This Original Artwork:
Enter to win the above painting by artist Alina Chau and receive a FREE print. More Details
Exhibiting Artists Include:
Alina Chau
Becky Dreistadt
Ben Newman
Brun Croes
Cuddly Rigor Mortis
Dadu Shin
Dan Santat
Daniela Volpari
Drake Brodahl
Drazen Kozjan
Glenn Kim
Graham Annable
Ian Abando
Israel Sanchez
Jackie Huang
Jake Parker
Jared Andrew Schorr
Jason Sadler
Jeni Yang
Joey Chou
Joy Ang
Kei Acedera
Lee White
Lindsey Olivares
Lorelay Bove
May Ann Licudine (Mall)
Mari Inukai
Michal Wright-Ward
Michelle Thies
Mindy Lee
Nate Wragg
Nicole Gustafsson
Perry Dixon
Peter de Sève
Peter Emmerich
Phil McAndrew
Ping Zhu
Ryan O'Loughlin
Sachin Teng
Sam Wolfe Connelly
Sebastien Mesnard
So Youn Lee
Victoria Ying
Willie Real
Joey Chou | Green Eggs and Ham | 20" x 20" | Acrylic
Sachin Teng | I Speak for the Trees | 13" x 13" | Gouache
Ryan O'Loughlin | They Are Tame | 13" x 13" | Pencil
Mari Inukai | Who Am I | 12" x 12" | Oil on Canvas
Watch the Official Trailer for The Lorax:
Top images by May Ann Licudine (Mall) and Peter Emmerich


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4 shot, 2 killed in Detroit
Suspect says it was self-defense
DETROIT – A shooting on Detroit's west side left 2 dead and 2 others injured.
This happened early Saturday morning on the 16000 block of Inverness.
Police say a group of men were outside talking when the 36-year-old shooter got upset and got a gun. He then opened fired killing a 23-year-old and a 39-year-old. A 34-year-old and a 19-year-old were also shot.
Around 3:20 a.m., the suspect went to a local Detroit Fire Engine Station, and indicated that he was connected to the shooting that occurred on Inverness. The Detroit Police Department's Communications was notified that a patrol unit was needed to respond to the Fire Station. Due to area patrol units being busy handling high priority runs, no units were dispatched to the location.
The suspect then left the Fire Station and arrived at the 10th Precinct, where he was taken into police custody.
It's reported that the suspect is saying it was self defense.
A wife of 39-year-old victim says that's not the case.
Police are investigating the incident.
Copyright 2012 by ClickOnDetroit.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Kitchen 21
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Even Markus Fahrner has trouble explaining exactly what he does.
The work that pays the bills is graphic design done through his company, Laughing eye Design. He designs brochures, food labels, hotel ads and, for a couple of years, he's created the catalogue for the Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada.
But it's his other work as a book artist - his labour of love - that's almost easier to describe by what it's not than what it is.
"Book art is different from illustration," he says. "It's more like a concrete poem. I often write the stories, do the illustrations, take the photographs and print and then bind the books myself. Basically, I will do the story from the beginning to the end."
From concept to print, Fahrner has total creative control over everything.
"I am creating a microcosm of my ideas and my world."
His most recent book is called Hellbox. A hellbox is where printers throw their old type letters when they're too worn to be used again. The book is an ode to the process of printing and to Fahrner's own love of the printed word.
Book art blends the old and artisanal with the modern. Each book is unique and part of a limited edition that ranges from just a couple of copies to 50, 100 or more.
These labours of love link back to Fahrner's family in Ger-many and his studies in Eng-land; only now are they beginning to reflect his experience of immigrating to Canada four years ago with his wife, Fitnat Aboagye, and two daughters.
The transition wasn't seam-less. They'd left so much behind, moved so far, and it wasn't easy to find paid work.
Naturally, it was rainy and grey when they arrived. One of their daughters wailed, "Daddy, we came for this?"
But Fahrner's attachment to Vancouver was almost immediate. "A few weeks after we got here, I told Fitnat, 'This is where I want to die.' "
He quickly got a small contract doing some Web work for the B.C. Forest Ministry. Three months later, he was at Tim Hortons picking up a job application.
That same day, however, he received a call about a graphic design job at Leading Brands, where he was hired to design labels and ads.
"It saved us financially."
Later, both Fahrner and his wife, a journalist, worked at the University of B.C.'s landscape architecture faculty for a year. He did graphic design, while she set up a mentorship program. Now, both work from home, freelancing.
In his office in Port Moody, Fahrner shows me one of his books. It unfolds like an accordion of words and images. Another, called The Way of the Warrior, is an illustrated dialogue about the pros and cons of war. Posted on the black, magnetized office wall are a series of prints Fahrner is working on, using slices of old nautical maps of B.C's north coast.
Fahrner was born into this work and a rather unusual family 47 years ago in Frankfurt.
Among his prized possessions are his paternal grand-father's notebooks from the early 1900s, which house pencil drawings ranging from portraits to mythical creatures and cartoons. Art was his grandfather's hidden pleasure; he was an accountant by profession.
Markus's father is a colour-blind psychologist and a Communist, who was too young to have fought in the Second World War. His mother, Barbara, is a painter.
"When I was a child, my mom used to take me to these crazy artists' gatherings and I would sit under the table reading poetry. Rather than rebelling against my mom, I was always in love with books."
Barbara's focus on visual art opened her son's mind to possibilities beyond the printed page. "I was more of a book lover and she forced me into thinking in more unconventional ways."
At 13, Markus sold his first etching at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the largest book and media fair in the world. Recently, the man who bought it emailed to say that he's moved many times and has kept the etching with him, displaying it prominently in all of his homes.
The following year, Fahrner started working on big stones, sanding them, drawing in grease pen, then inking and printing the lithographs.
He learned from his mother and her many artist friends.
Eventually, he chose to study American and English literature at Frankfurt University before the self-professed anglophile transferred for a term to Oxford Brooks University in England.
"I felt the whole world was there. I really enjoyed the openness. And when my year ended, I sent a postcard back to Frankfurt University saying that I would not be coming back, that I was staying on to study English literature and take a course in publicity."
His first book, titled The River Niger, was done as a class assignment. Fahrner wrote the copy, did the layout and offset printing, and bound 50 copies of the book. He gave one to his professor to mark; the others he sold.
"The professor was a little bit annoyed that I hadn't just done a mock-up and that I had started marketing it."
It was while he was in Eng-land that he met Aboagye, the daughter of Ghanaian royalty who was born in Britain and working for the BBC.
They married twice in 1995, once in a civil ceremony in Eng-land and again in Ghana, where Fahrner paid a token bride price of a goat and three bottles of German-made schnapps.
For five weeks, Fahrner toured West Africa on his motorcycle and then spent many more weeks recovering from malaria in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, before selling his bike to a Liberian warlord and moving to Frankfurt. It was Aboagye's choice, not his.
Fahrner, the anglophile, wasn't keen. But Aboagye, who'd studied anthropology, wanted to understand his roots. They planned to stay a year. It ended up being much longer because of a five-year collaborative project the couple under-took with Fahrner's mother.
With pride, Fahrner shows me an intricate and unique architectural encyclopedia, comprising five, linen-bound volumes of impressions, thoughts, drawings and even cartoons. Each volume comes in a three-ring binder so readers can move sections around to create their own order, using their own logic.
There are envelopes stuffed with illustrated descriptions. There are annotated maps. Hand-stamped little men march across pages farther along. Some of the content is in English, some in German, some in Latin. It's poetry and prose; art and cartoon. And it challenges not only the concept of what a book is, it blurs the line between art and literature.
Called Zweite Enzyklopäedie von Tlöen (The Second Encyclopedia of Thloen), there are only 20 copies in existence. One is in the American Library of Congress, while another is in London's Victoria and Albert Museum.
During the five years of creation, Fahrner was making his own art books and working full time at a public-relations company, writing software manuals and doing training videos. Although life was good in Frankfurt, he and Aboagye were not very happy there.
Soon after the encyclopedia was finished, the couple went to Toronto on an exploratory trip with a view to immigrating.
"I sincerely feel that Canada is much more democratic. Ger-many is so hierarchical," says Fahrner.
"Here, it is so refreshing. People engage with you for what you are. Here, it's not just credentials; it's not just a big car in the driveway. It's all a little bit easier here."
The family waited five years before their immigration application was accepted and finally settled on Vancouver, which they felt would work best for them and their daughters, now 15 and eight.
"Economically, it would have made more sense to move to Toronto," Aboagye says. "But we are here more because of the life we wanted than the work ... But, obviously, the art scene was important."
Though the arts scene here isn't as vibrant as it is in Lon-don or Frankfurt, Fahrner says it certainly isn't as dismal as media reports sparked by the recent closing of the Playhouse Theatre might suggest.
"[Art] gets a bit buried behind sports, all the Lululemon and coffee," says Fahrner. "The arty stuff is not so loud. Canadians are not so brash as others in declaring themselves."
Whether it's the Port Moody community centre or its art museum where he and Aboagye volunteer, Presentation House in North Vancouver, East Vancouver's annual culture crawl or the word-of-mouth exhibitions in warehouses, cafes or even banks, "the calibre is very high," he says.
They've developed a wide and diverse network of friends both in Vancouver, where they initially lived, and now in Port Moody.
"What we have all come to realize is how much we love this place."
. B.C. has more than 25,600 working artists and is the only province in Canada where artists make up more than one per cent of the labour force, according to the BC Arts Council's five-year strategic plan.
. Artists' average earnings lag behind other sectors. In 2006, the average artist earned $21,069 compared with the provincial workforce average of $36,000.
. In 2011, 51,900 people living in Metro Vancouver worked in what Statistics Canada calls the information, culture and recreation industry, a 7.5-per-cent increase over the previous year and 15,400 more than a decade earlier.
. The Alcuin Society was founded in 1965 by Geoff Spencer and six other Vancouver bibliophiles concerned about the past, present and future of fine books. Its award for excellence in book design is the oldest in Canada and the society is the only non-profit organization dedicated to the full range of interests related to books and reading.
. For every dollar of initial expenditure on the arts, an additional 57 to 87 cents is generated in the B.C. economy, according to a 2006 report by G.S. Sandhu & Associates for the B.C. government.
. Every dollar invested in the arts was also found to generate between $1.05 and $1.36 in provincial tax revenues. The Sandhu study also indicated that for every job created in the arts and culture sector, 1.32 to 1.52 spinoff jobs were created.
. In 2006, there were 831,265 immigrants living in Metro Vancouver; 182,150 of them were from Europe.
. Port Moody's population was 32,975 in 2011. Of those residents, 8,055 were immigrants and more than a quarter of those were from Europe.
Sources: Statistics Canada, BC Stats, Metro Vancouver Statistics, 2011 Census


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Van Helsing Costume Photo 5 of 5
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This homemade costume for boys entered our 2011 Halloween Costume Contest.
A word from Beatrix, the 'Van Helsing' costume creator:
This is my son in his Van Helsing costume. Both, the coat and tojo blades are handmade. The coat is loosly based on the coat Van Helsing wears in the movie. I used some pictures... Read more »


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DANBURY, Conn. — Connecticut's two Democratic Senators signaled Thursday that an assault weapons ban is unlikely to be taken up in Congress when legislative measures to curb gun violence are introduced as early as next month.
Both Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal were evasive about their hopes for a ban on assault weapons being part of a package — at least for now.
"I think this is a marathon, not a sprint," Blumenthal told Business Insider after a gun violence event with Vice President Joe Biden here at Western Connecticut State University.
"I think there are parts that should be proposed initially, and then there are parts that should be proposed down the road."
Blumenthal wouldn't say whether that applied to an assault weapons ban, a key element of Obama's plan outlined last month. But both Blumenthal and Murphy mentioned that this assault weapons ban could follow the similar lengthy process as the one signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1994.
"I understand that the assault weapons ban is the toughest part of the package to propose," Murphy told BI. "But that doesn't mean we're going to stop pushing for it. The assault weapons ban was not passed when it was first proposed in the 1990s.
"Even if we don't get it passed this time — listen, we're going to pass it during my time in the United States Senate," Murphy added. "And I'll keep on working on it."
Both Senators sounded much more optimistic about legislation to increase background checks, including potentially closing the so-called "gun show loophole" that allows some private sales to be completed without background checks.
When asked what measures had enough votes to pass through Congress, Blumenthal only mentioned background checks, saying that bipartisan negotiations on that issue were "close to success." He did not mention an assault weapons ban or a potential ban on high-capacity magazines.


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If the Albion College football team's statistics package didn't have the win-loss record of the Britons, you'd probably think the team would be 10-0 coming to Wabash for Saturday's NCAA Division III playoff clash. Actually, if you looked only at the stats, you'd have to wonder whether you were looking at Albion or Wabash stats.
Both teams rely heavily on strong-armed, experienced senior quarterbacks to move the football. Both teams have running games by committee — two or three players, each of whom is capable of putting together a solid running game. And both teams have get-after-it defenses that will force turnovers and fight for field position.
Strength vs. strength; something has to give. Here's how the two teams match up:
The Passing Game — Wabash will look for Russ Harbaugh (photo right) to again step up under pressure. The third-year starter has rewritten Wabash's record book for pass efficiency and passing yards, and this week will look to spread the ball around to his stable of talented receivers. Harbaugh is averaging 296 yards per game and completes 70 percent of his passes for 26 touchdowns with just four interceptions. His interception vs. DePauw last week worked very much like a punt into the wind for the Little Giants; no harm, no foul.
Harbaugh is at his best when he finds six, seven, or even eight receivers in a single game. And he may have the best receiving corps in all of Division III (though Albion might make a similar claim). Leading Wabash is senior receiver Eric Summers, whose 39 catches, 720 yards, and six touchdowns are all team highs. Geoff Walker has 42 catches for 652 yards and six TDs, while Mike Russell (35-533-6) and Ray Green (28-464-4) are big play threats. And don't forget Kyle Piazza (photo left), who gave Wabash its single biggest play in the Monon Bell Game when he caught a short pass and took it 37 yards for a score. Piazza is third on the team with 36 catches.
Don't adjust your dial because Albion offers a mirror image of Wabash's passing game. Steve Wasil is a third-year starter who averages 282 yards passing per game with 31 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions. Wasil does offer the added advantage of mobility, and while he won't break a game with his feet, he can get a first down when asked.
His receivers look about like Wabash's, too. Peter Shaw averages 23 yards (yes, 23 yards) per catch on his 30 receptions, nine of which have gone for TDs. Josh Silvernail averages 28 yards (yes, 28 yards) per catch on his 22 receptions, nine of which have gone for TDs. Tack on Kevin Polnasek (26-477-2) and Shane Brogan (19-293-1) and you get a solid corps.
Now, compare the tight ends: Wabash's Graham Nelson and Tim Schirack have combined for 15 catches, five of which have been touchdown grabs. Albion counters with All-MIAA tight end Troy Rundle, whose five touchdowns have come on 17 grabs.
Scary similar, huh?
Big and Beefy: The Offensive Lines — Wabash's offensive line will have something to prove this Saturday. Last week DePauw made life tough for Russ Harbaugh, sacking him five times and flushing him from the pocket a half-dozen times. The O-line did provide plenty of running room for Wabash's backs, but pass protection will be critical this week for Wabash. Wabash's line, which averages 6-2 and 278, has given up 24 sacks this year. Albion's line, which goes 6-2 and 276 pounds, has allowed only 15 sacks in 10 games, partially due to Wasil's mobility. Look for Wabash seniors Jake Koeneman and Brandon Barkley (photo right) to play a big game on Saturday.
Running back by committee — You have to take your hat off to Wabash's three-headed monster of a running game; the dudes get it done. Chris Ogden (5.5 yards per carry), Brandon Roop (4.5), and Don Juan Brown (4.3) combine to average 135 yards per game, and have scored 15 touchdowns as a group. Last week they out-rushed DePauw's top backs, and provided some key first down gallops on Wabash's two touchdown-scoring drives.
Albion counters with its own multi-back threat. Kyle Klyn (4.6 yards per carry), Mike Gehringer (5.3), Craig Beck (4.3), and Mike Matway (4.0) split time in the backfield, sometimes in traditional two-back sets and sometimes in single-back attacks. That foursome has combined to average 166 yards per game and they have accounted for 11 rushing touchdowns.
So what's the best thing about the two teams' running games? Fresh legs all the time and defenses never can settle into a runner's particular rhythm.
The big dogs on defense — Wabash and Albion have different defensive styles, and perhaps Wabash has an edge here. The Little Giant ends and tackles played big at DePauw last week, holding Jeremiah Marks about 100 yards below his per-game average on the year. The linebackers were huge in that game, too, flushing quarterback Ross Wiethoff and hammering Marks on every carry. The depth of Wabash's linemen and linebackers is key, too. Lots of fresh bodies rotate through, keeping offensive lines gasping for air and quarterbacks running for their lives.
Linebackers Adrian Pynenberg (photo left, with Jared Lange), Aaron Selby, and Tim Parker all had terrific Monon Bell Games. Perhaps that's because Selby and Parker missed last year's game with injuries. The entire unit is now as healthy as it has been all year, which is critical if Wabash hopes to make a run in the playoffs. Josh Foster was a contributor in the playoffs for Wabash as a rookie, and comes in third on the team in tackles. Add in reserves Frank Knez and Justin Gardiner, and Wabash is in good shape at linebacker.
The same is true for linemen Pete Kempf, Tamarco White, Jared Lange (photo left), and T.J. Schaffer. All are healthy and coming off big games vs. DePauw.
Albion plays with a three-man front led by ends Mike Sheldon (33 tackles, 5.5 sacks) and Brett Vernon (27 tackles, 2 sacks). The strength of the defensive unit, though, is at linebacker. Senior middle linebacker Raymond Burton is an All-MIAA pick with 57.5 tackles, a sack, and an interception. Like Pynenberg, he's not all that big, but he just gets the job done. Outside backer Tim Gough is strong and fast, and he brings 52 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and an interception into the playoffs. Safeties Zak Voss and Padriac Timmons are talented run stoppers, too, with 53 and 55 tackles, respectively.
Tough job in the secondary — As good as the linebackers and linemen are on both teams, this game will likely be won in the secondary. With two of the nation's most prolific quarterbacks and two excellent receiving corps on the field, the defensive backs have the job nobody wants this week.
It's unlikely that Harbaugh or Wasil will be stopped on Saturday. If flushed from the pocket, though, each player must make good decisions with the football. Harbaugh has only been picked off four times all year; Albion has intercepted 20 passes on the season. Wasil has a lower completion percentage than Harbaugh (52 percent), but he's only thrown 10 interceptions. Wabash's defense has taken away 11 passes on the year.
Wabash is helped by its depth now that rookie Chad Peterman joins the group of starters Billy King (team-high 3 interceptions; pictured left), Charles Jackson, and Thomas Bell. Richard Roomes could also see playing time for Wabash.
Albion counters with two pretty good thieves in Chase Chandler (6 interceptions) and Tommy Lefere (four interceptions).
Special teams — Who knows? Aside from fighting nasty wind conditions last week, Wabash's specialists were downright special. And Geoff Walker's huge kickoff return late in the game helped seal the Tigers' fate. Chad Finley punted well on Saturday and hammered a field goal with the wind (photo right). Josh Vaughan's kickoffs were excellent.
Albion matches up about evenly with Wabash at kicker (Brian Balzerini) and punter (Tyler Hunter; 38.4 ave). This game, though, may just come down to kick and punt returns. A cold, possibly windy day makes those high-flying balls feel like rocks. Handling kickoffs and punts, and stealing a few extra yards on returns could be key.


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It's finally here. The first trailer (as long as you don't count "Iron Man," "Iron Man 2," "The Incredible Hulk," "Thor," or "Captain America: The First Avenger") for Joss Whedon's massive, mega, Marvel superhero crossover event "The Avengers."
That's right. The gang is all here: Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg).
So what do we actually see in the trailer? Let's take a look. Warning: Potential spoilers, definite geekiness ahead.
New York, New York. After taking us to Los Angeles, Rio, New Mexico, and war-torn Europe, Marvel's finest finally come home to the city where they were all born. This shot practically screams for a Stan Lee, "Listen up, True Believers!" voice-over.
Things shift from serene to pear-shaped pretty quickly, though. Is that "Aussie Bum" banner in the background a slight wink at the hunky - and likely shirtless - Chris Hemsworth? We like to think so.
BOOM! We don't have high hopes that Officer O'Donuts there makes it to the sequel.
The guy on the far left is S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Coulson - the glue that ties together all the individual movies (his cameos in "Iron Man" and "Thor" are memorable) and the man in charge of shepherding the superpowered do-gooders into, well, this movie. But who's in the copter?
Aw, yeah. The guy behind the guy behind the guys: Nick Fury. The one-eyed superspy gets a suitably dramatic entrance.
Bruce Banner (newcomer Ruffalo, the third man to play the Hulk host body after Eric Bana and Edward Norton) and Steve "Captain America" Rogers follow Black Widow into the S.H.I.E.L.D. stronghold. Eyes up here, Cap.
Cap is rewarded with a brand new costume - one that is more streamlined and comic book-y than the dumpy duds he sported during WWII.
Banner, meanwhile, appears to have been seeking spiritual guidance in order to contain his inner beast. We're betting it doesn't last long. We're also secretly hoping this is just a set-up for the whole "Hulk and his harem in Tibet" storyline from the Ultimate comics.
Rogers works out his "I've been frozen since the 1940s and everyone I know is dead" frustrations out in the S.H.I.E.L.D. gym. This shot was featured in the end credits teaser at the conclusion of "Thor."
"THOR! <crash> AAA-AAAAAAH! HE'LL SAVE EVERY ONE OF US!"
A better shot of the deadly (and apparently dangerously flatulent) Black Widow. Johansson's slick super agent made an impressive debut in "Iron Man 2," and will play a major role in the earth-threatening adventure this time around.
...As will Renner's Hawkeye, previously featured in an extremely brief cameo in "Thor." Like Widow, he isn't super-powered, just very, very skilled. He's got a little chip on his shoulder around his new gamma-irradiated and Norse godly co-workers.
The man of the hour. Star of not one, but two, blockbuster solo outings, it's Tony "Iron Man" Stark. Note the Black Sabbath T-shirt. Wonder if they have a song that might be appropriate for Tony's iPod?
We've got the heroes - so who's the Big Bad? You may recognize this guy as Thor's adopted Frost Giant brother Loki. He shows up and looks pissed, but is he alone a big enough threat to require a team of heroes? Especially when his own brother seems more than capable of giving him a celestial time out? We're betting the God of Mischief has something else up his sleeve...
Geek icon Whedon wasn't about to skimp on one of the most tension-filled working relationships in comics - the one between straight-shooting Boy Scout Captain America and morally-casual egotist Iron Man. Evans and Downey jawing at each other might even be better than the action scenes.
Only one of them has matching carpet. Not saying which one.
After a few cameos spent standing around the shadows and pontificating, we will finally see Fury in action. And he does not mess around.
Hawkeye dodges...purple lasers? That doesn't seem very Loki-like, does it? Take a look at this [SPOILER] photo taken by a fan from the Avengers set and then take a look at this pic from the recent "Marvel Boy" comic about a member of the Kree alien race who lands on earth. Hmmm...are the Avengers fighting the Kree? Or are they fighting the Kree's nemeses, the shape-shifting, goblin-faced Skrulls? Or are they fighting BOTH? Remember from the "Thor" movie that Loki's pretty good at instigating wars...
Or perhaps they are fighting...each other? Thor vs. Cap - Who ya got?
Lending credence to the alien invasion notion is this bizarre ship. Is this a S.H.I.E.L.D. transport or something else? Note the "STARK" logo on the high-rise in the middle...
Banner and Stark chat. The purple shirt is a nice touch, given the Hulk's well-known sartorial choices.
The money shot. Our first look at the all-new Hulk. When your job is too big for a super soldier, a genius in a robot suit, and a Norse god - who ya gonna call?
U.S. & World
"The Avengers" splashes down May 4, 2012.


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EGAP Learning Days 4
The Evidence in Governance and Politics (EGAP) network is planning an EGAP Learning Days workshop in Santiago, Chile. This five-day meeting aims to support PIs in developing experimental research designs. It consists of workshops focused on critical aspects of impact evaluation designs or experimental interventions and workshops to assist participants with their own research designs. It will take place at the Universidad Diego Portales from May 7-11, 2016 and the full agenda will be posted soon.
Organization: The event is organized by Fernando Rosenblatt (Universidad Diego Portales) and Jake Bowers (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign). The EGAP members supporting this workshop will be:
- Jake Bowers, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
- Thad Dunning, University of California, Berkeley
- Ana de la O, Yale University
- Maarten Voors, Wageningen University
We invite young professors, post-doctoral fellows, PhD candidates, or policymakers (in charge of the design and/or impact evaluations of public policies) from Latin America that use or seek to use experimental methods in their research to apply. Applicants must have a background in social sciences as well as basic knowledge of statistics and/or econometrics. Finally, please note that the workshop´s language is English; applicants should feel comfortable reading and exchanging ideas in English. To ensure a fruitful exchange, 10 applicants will be accepted.
To apply, please send your CV and brief statement of purpose (up to 500 words describing your experimental research project you would like to focus on during the class) to: email@example.com.
If you have any colleagues, students, or friends that fit the above description, please encourage them to apply.
Deadline: December 20, 2015.
Fellowships: Accepted applicants will be contacted to coordinate further details and to request additional information. Each fellowship covers participants´ costs, including: flight tickets to/from Santiago (when needed), housing, breakfast, and lunch. The selection committee is composed of the organizers and the professors of the event.


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230 0001
Acuforce 7.0
Introducing a breakthrough in therapy tool technology. The Acuforce 7.0 is specifically designed to use its own weight (7 lbs.) in applying pressure during your therapy treatments. This saves your thumbs, wrists, and elbows from fatigue. The Acuforce 7.0 performs muscle stripping, cross-fiber friction, and trigger point therapy. The tool is made with a special skin-like material that works incredibly well with creams and oils. Hand-crafted in the United States and made with F.D.A. approved materials, the Acuforce 7.0 is a must have for every therapist. Now available with a free instructional video. Colors received may vary.
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OCC Bulletin 2007-31| August 24, 2007
Prohibition on Political Contributions by National Banks: Updated Guidance
Chief Executive Officers of All National Banks, Department and Division Heads, and All Examining Personnel
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), after consultation with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), prepared this issuance to describe and to emphasize the prohibitions on political contributions or expenditures by national banks pursuant to the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended, 2 USC § 441b (the Act). This bulletin replaces OCC Bulletin 2000-8 (March 22, 2000).
The Act makes it unlawful for a national bank to make any contribution or expenditure or to provide any service (except usual and customary banking services) or anything of value in connection with any election to any political office, or in connection with any primary election or political convention or caucus held to select candidates for any political office. This prohibition applies to all federal, state, and local elections, political conventions, and caucuses. 11 CFR § 114.2(a). In addition, it is unlawful for any officer or any director of a national bank to consent on behalf of the bank to any political contribution or expenditure prohibited by the Act, and it is unlawful for any candidate, political committee, or other person to knowingly accept or receive a political contribution or expenditure prohibited by the Act. 2 USC § 441b.
FEC Regulations prohibit other forms of political contributions or expenditures by national banks, including, but not limited to, the purchase of tickets to political dinners or other political fundraising events, advertisements in political literature, and donations of goods or services in connection with political fundraising events and activities. 11 CFR §§ 100.51-100.57 and 114.2. However, bank employees, in their personal capacity, may make contributions from their own funds. Also, a national bank is not prohibited under the Act from making a contribution to a fund whose purpose is to influence a ballot referendum, provided the referendum does not involve elections to any political office.
The Act requires that every political committee designate at least one insured depository institution as its campaign depository where all receipts are deposited and from which all significant disbursements are made. 2 U.S.C. § 432(h). National banks may serve as those depositories for political committees and may pay interest and dividends, in the regular course of business, on funds in such accounts. Fees for banking services may be waived or discounted, provided that such concessions are offered to others on equal terms and are a normal business practice.
The term "contribution or expenditure," within the meaning of the Act, includes any direct or indirect payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit, or gift of money, or any services, or anything of value (except a loan of money by a national bank made in accordance with the applicable banking laws and regulations and in the ordinary course of business) to any candidate, campaign committee, or political party or organization in connection with any election. 2 USC § 441b(b)(2). See also, 11 CFR §§ 100.82 and 100.142 (exception to the terms "contributions" and "expenditures" for bank loans).
For purposes of the Act, a loan by a national bank will be deemed to be made in the ordinary course of business if it: (i) bears the usual and customary interest rate of the lending institution for the category of the loan involved; (ii) is made on a basis which assures repayment; (iii) is evidenced by a written instrument; and (iv) is subject to a due date or amortization schedule. 11 CFR § 100.82.
The term "contribution or expenditure" does not include: (a) communications by a national bank to its stockholders and executive or administrative personnel; (b) nonpartisan registration and get-out-the-vote campaigns by a national bank aimed at its stockholders and executive or administrative personnel and their families; and (c) the establishment, administration, and voluntary solicitation of contributions to a separate segregated fund (SSF). 2 USC § 441b(b)(2). However, national banks are not permitted to make direct or indirect contributions or expenditures of bank funds to SSFs. Additionally, national banks (including officers, directors, or other representatives acting as agents for the bank) are prohibited from "facilitating the making of contributions." 11 CFR § 114.2(f).
The Act gives the FEC exclusive jurisdiction with respect to civil enforcement of its provisions and provides the FEC with authority to assess civil penalties. 2 USC §§ 437c(b)(1) and 437g(a)(5). The FEC may also refer cases to the United States Attorney General for criminal prosecution when there is probable cause to believe that a violation is knowing and willful. 2 USC § 437g(a)(5)(C).
National banks are reminded that when a bank examiner discovers a direct or indirect political contribution or expenditure by a national bank, the OCC will require that the bank stop the practice, take measures to prevent its recurrence, and will make appropriate referrals to the FEC. In the event the FEC does not pursue a matter referred to it by the OCC, the OCC will consider taking appropriate action, including supervisory and enforcement actions to make the bank whole.
Requests for advisory opinions may be submitted in writing to the FEC if they concern the application of the Act, chapter 95 or 96 of the Internal Revenue Code, or a regulation prescribed by the FEC to a specific transaction or activity in which the requestor is involved. 11 CFR § 112.
All requests for advisory opinions should be directed to:
Federal Election Commission
999 E Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20463
For further information please contact the FEC at 1-800-424-9530.
Mark L. O'Dell
Deputy Comptroller for Operational Risk


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Over The Hill
This story appears in the October 1997 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »
Your family business has made it through its initial entrepreneurial struggle, sailed through its first succession, and now has third- or fourth-generation owners and managers. Will it be able to bypass a midlife crisis?
Probably not--especially if it lumbers along without being aware that there may be forces bringing it down, says Mike Cohn, family business consultant and president of The Cohn Financial Group Inc. in Phoenix, which specializes in business succession consulting.
Who are these potential enemies? The family owners themselves.
A business founded by a grandfather in the 1920s, for example, might have three generations of shareholders--cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, children, even in-laws. Some might live in the same town as the business and be involved in its management; others might be thousands of miles away, disinterested in everything about the business save its dividend checks.
Too much distance or, on the flip side, too much management interference by owners can be the midlife crisis that threatens an established family business' survival.
Meeting In The Middle
When nonactive family owners live far away, their involvement in the company is similar to that of a shareholder in any company: It's simply an investment. "But since they can't look in the newspaper to see how the stock is selling," says Cohn, "they're really at sea."
These family members often don't understand that dividend checks may shrink because the business needs to reinvest profits, or why so much is set aside for research and development. They don't have a clue about whether the business is losing market share, having a cash flow problem or suffering from a high turnover rate. Their lack of knowledge and involvement can lead to mistrust and be the source of a major conflict between the active shareholders and themselves.
To improve the situation, the family can try to make corrections and refocus on what it must do to draw together instead of apart. Or, if the conflict escalates and becomes corrosive, owners may choose to sell. "Because we're in the age of acquisitions, midlife may be a time when the family decides it's better to reap substantial financial gains from a sale rather than continue owning a business that causes such grief," says John Messervey, president of the National Family Business Council, a consulting firm in Lake Forest, Illinois.
Just as family members' remoteness or lack of involvement might threaten the business's future, so will interference into daily management by nonactive owners. According to Messervey, "When nonactive shareholders get entrenched in trying to run the business, the family member at the helm of the business might begin thinking `Why am I doing this? I own 4 percent of the stock, do 90 percent of the work, and have to answer to people who don't know as much about this business as I do. It makes more sense for me to own my own business and report to no one.' And he or she would be right."
Just-Right Involvement
If too little or too much involvement of owners can sink a middle-aged family business, what constitutes "just-right" involvement? And how do you achieve it?
First, foster a positive feeling about the business when your kids are young. While Tom Zadek's five children are still young, he is making a conscious effort to share the positive aspects of, and keep them involved in, the family's 80-year-old Fitchburg, Massachusetts, business, Nursery Needs Inc. Their involvement so far has been all fun: They model for catalogs and promotion materials for the company, which designs and manufactures infant and preschool grooming and teaching aids. Even if they don't wind up working for the company, Zadek wants his children to understand how important it is to the family.
As family members get older, they need to learn what it means to be an owner. That includes discussing the family's business philosophy. Does the business come first? Does the family comes first? Or is the family committed to a balance, taking actions and making decisions that are good for both?
Mitchel & Scott Machine Co. Inc. in Indianapolis is working on getting just-right involvement of its family business owners. The 64-year-old precision machine-parts manufacturer recently formed a family council. "We're doing what needs to be done to leave a solid business to future generations," says Tom Mitchel, the company's president. Tom, his brothers Dave and Steve, and all three of their families are trying to determine how to be effective owners even if some members are three states away, what they should look for in the next leader (who may or may not be a family member), and how to improve communication.
Family councils provide a wonderful vehicle and a safe setting for discussing a range of issues: how future generations should enter the business, how to integrate the family's mission with a changing business environment, how nonactive members can participate in a meaningful way, how family members can redeem their stock if they're no longer interested in being shareholders, how to maximize the family's role in philanthropy or the community, and so on.
Will there be dissension amidst the discussion? You bet. The expanded number of owners makes that almost a given. Still, the friction is not always bad. "It helps resolve some of the distance," says Messervey. Because the owners are often forced to examine how their unresolved family conflicts are being played out in a business setting, it's hard for one member of the family to lead the discussion (unless he or she is a skilled facilitator with few allegiances). That's one of the reasons Mitchel & Scott has an outside family business consultant come in to facilitate their family council meetings.
The little victories associated with working together as owners are important, says Messervey, because they build a family's confidence. To move through midlife crisis into the mature years, owners need to feel that no matter what challenges they face as a business in the future, they can work them out.
Contact Sources
The Cohn Financial Group Inc., 5080 N. 40th St., #235, Phoenix, AZ 85018, (800) 422-3883
Mitchel & Scott Machine Co. Inc., 1841 Ludlow Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46201
National Family Business Council, 1640 W. Kennedy Rd., Lake Forest, IL 60045, (847) 295-1040
Nursery Needs Inc., P.O. Box 2167, Fitchburg, MA 01420.
Patricia Schiff Estess publishes the newsletter Working Families and is the author of two new books, Managing Alternative Work Arrangements (Crisp Publishing) and Money Advice for Your Successful Remarriage (Betterway Press).