WHAT?
paper, pencil?
electronic notes on smart phone?
Yeah, yeah...
Showing posts with label NCAA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NCAA. Show all posts
WHAT?
paper, pencil?
electronic notes on smart phone?
Yeah, yeah...
BACON!!!!!
Recipes, contests, recipes, photos...all dedicated to the wonderful world of
BACON!!!!!
I found one I think I am gong to have to try realllll soon...
BACON POTATO CHIPS!!!!!
Real simple and it looks like - well, potatoes and bacon and onions and garlic...well that is
MANNA FROM HEAVEN!!!!!
Manna (Hebrew: מָן) or Manna wa Salwa (Arabic: مَنّ, Kurdish: gezo, Persian: ترنجبين), sometimes or archaically spelled mana, is the name of an edible substance that God provided for the Israelites during their travels in the desert as recorded in the Bible. It was said to be sweet to the taste, like honey.
CONGRATS to the Dallas Mavericks, who after a season of 2,000,000 games lasting 3 years (or so the NBA season seems) beat the Miami heat in 6 games to take the title.
No LeBron bashing here...heck, he does a good enough job himself.
SO, Terrelle Pryor pulled a Giambi the other day, issuing an apology, but never stating why he was apologizing.
“I say sorry to all the Buckeye nation and all the Buckeye fans across the country,” Pryor said. “I never meant to hurt anybody directly or indirectly with my conduct off the field and I am truly sorry.”
OK, Terrelle, was it selling the merchandise to drug dealers? Was it selling merchandise to anyone? Was it the fact you drove a new car almost every week and we are not talking about a 1999 Honda...we are talking brand spanking new luxury cars.
So, you apologize..shouldn't the entire city of Columbus apologize for being blind to the fact that a college student could have so many cars?
It is time to revamp the entire NCAA Scholarship program to allow these kids to work if they can, and to receive a stipend each month.
THEN, there has to be rules in place so when the coach bolts or the player does (as Pryor has done after the allegations arose), they can be sued in court for repayment of the money they gave or took illegally. And go after the boosters too!
Finally, today...another item I picked up from Facebook. This from my friend Jon and it is amazing what we can do with photographs these days...
This is scary and at the same time, with the way of the world, this will help in solving situations in the future - check out the link here.
This is scary and at the same time, with the way of the world, this will help in solving situations in the future - check out the link here.
Amazing how far technology has come. Just pick a person in the crowd and keep double clicking on their face.
Very impressive engineering, this will help law enforcement.
FASCINATING BUT SCARY!!! If you were there, they would know!!
 You used to be able to get lost in the crowd, but not anymore. Double click on any area in the picture to bring the person closer. Or, just click the mouse and use the mouse wheel to bring them closer.
This is a photograph of 2009 Obama Inauguration. You can see IN FOCUS the face of EACH individual in the crowd.
You can scan and zoom to any section of the crowd. Wait a few seconds. Double click anywhere. And the focus adjusts to give you a very identifiable close up.
The picture was taken with a robotic 1474 megapixel camera (295 times the standard 5 megapixel camera). Every one attending could be scanned after the event, should something have gone wrong during it.
Saturday I woke feeling better and Nancy and I headed out to Costco for some items. As we walked in the door, I began to feel queasy. Within 5 minutes I was sitting on some backyard furniture in a cold sweat and having chills.
That passed in five minutes of so, and we finished our shopping and headed home. I then laid down and slept for a couple of hours.
Sunday was not as bad, but I was exhausted all day long...crappy weekend!
Watching the NCAA March Madness Selection show and you can tell so much about a coach and their program by the way teams react to their selection. Some schools cheer and applaud as they should. Others react like a bunch of caged nutcases. Screaming and making stupid faces and hand signs.
Accept your accolades, do it with CLASS - DIGNITY - RESPECT and remember your mommas are watching.
Do you play in pools? Fill out your bracket? I play in tool pools. One is the Jay and Doc's Blogger-Twitter Pool, which is just for fun and free, so if you are into it, check out the site and send an email to the guys and they will let you in.
The other is a pool that benefits Matt's old HS Baseball team. We have been running this pool for 6 years or so and it gets a lot of real good pickers. Half the money collected goes to the team and the rest is given to first, second and third place finishers. Cost is $10 an entry. If you are into playing that pool, send me an email or leave a note in comments.
Does Greg Gumbel not understand the delay on TV? Every time a camera shows a school waiting for their name to be called he does the same thing "waiting for their name to be called.....(team reacts)...there it is! (laugh).
Accept your accolades, do it with CLASS - DIGNITY - RESPECT and remember your mommas are watching.
Do you play in pools? Fill out your bracket? I play in tool pools. One is the Jay and Doc's Blogger-Twitter Pool, which is just for fun and free, so if you are into it, check out the site and send an email to the guys and they will let you in.
The other is a pool that benefits Matt's old HS Baseball team. We have been running this pool for 6 years or so and it gets a lot of real good pickers. Half the money collected goes to the team and the rest is given to first, second and third place finishers. Cost is $10 an entry. If you are into playing that pool, send me an email or leave a note in comments.
Does Greg Gumbel not understand the delay on TV? Every time a camera shows a school waiting for their name to be called he does the same thing "waiting for their name to be called.....(team reacts)...there it is! (laugh).
This week:
CHINUA HAWK
and
jsin
SIT ON
THE COUCH
CHINUA HAWK
and
jsin
SIT ON
THE COUCH
Chinua (Shin-wa) Hawk might not be a name you recognize, but he has been performing his music around the world for over 10 years and has worked with some of the biggest names in the business.
Chinua has performed with Celine Dion, written songs with and performed backing vocals on Wyclef Jean’s CD “The Preachers Son”. He has also worked in the studio with Kanye West and Talib Kweli "Just to Get by".
Chinua’s work has been used on the T.V. show “Joan of Arcadia” , the movie “First Sunday”, and Dave Chapelle's " Block Party."
I get to sit with Chinua and discuss his youth and where he is moving toward today. We will also hear music from his latest release, "Sunflower: Revisited" and find out how his college tour is going.
Chinua has performed with Celine Dion, written songs with and performed backing vocals on Wyclef Jean’s CD “The Preachers Son”. He has also worked in the studio with Kanye West and Talib Kweli "Just to Get by".
Chinua’s work has been used on the T.V. show “Joan of Arcadia” , the movie “First Sunday”, and Dave Chapelle's " Block Party."
I get to sit with Chinua and discuss his youth and where he is moving toward today. We will also hear music from his latest release, "Sunflower: Revisited" and find out how his college tour is going.
Then from Toronto, Canada, jsin will sit on The Couch.
The Montreal native released "Born" in late 2009. It draws from a diverse selection of musical genres including electronica, trip-hop, punk and pop, while staying firmly rooted in the grit, guts, and glory of one of early Guns N’ Roses. Coupled with producer Vikas Kohli, the partnership has produced an album that refuses to stay within a narrow definition of rock.
How did jsin get to where he is today; working on his second album, acting in films and taking vocal lessons to expand his range? We will ask those and other questions and listen to music from "Born".
Please join me as I sit with Chinua and jsin and introduce y'all to musicians you should know.
We will take your calls and questions for both guests at 1.347.633.9400.
The live interactive chat room opens 20 minutes before show time. Follow this link HERE and click on the Chat Now icon. Come hang with the fans and musicians who visit each week.
Remember, unless you take the two minutes to register, you will not be able to participate in the chat room or send me questions to ask our guests, but you will still hear the show.
So tune in on Monday evening or remember, you can always listen anytime after the show ends from the player HERE or check out Music On The Couch for additional artist information, and show recaps.
You can download to your iTunes and even subscribe to the show for weekly automatic downloads, from my iTunes page.
The Montreal native released "Born" in late 2009. It draws from a diverse selection of musical genres including electronica, trip-hop, punk and pop, while staying firmly rooted in the grit, guts, and glory of one of early Guns N’ Roses. Coupled with producer Vikas Kohli, the partnership has produced an album that refuses to stay within a narrow definition of rock.
How did jsin get to where he is today; working on his second album, acting in films and taking vocal lessons to expand his range? We will ask those and other questions and listen to music from "Born".
Please join me as I sit with Chinua and jsin and introduce y'all to musicians you should know.
We will take your calls and questions for both guests at 1.347.633.9400.
The live interactive chat room opens 20 minutes before show time. Follow this link HERE and click on the Chat Now icon. Come hang with the fans and musicians who visit each week.
Remember, unless you take the two minutes to register, you will not be able to participate in the chat room or send me questions to ask our guests, but you will still hear the show.
So tune in on Monday evening or remember, you can always listen anytime after the show ends from the player HERE or check out Music On The Couch for additional artist information, and show recaps.
You can download to your iTunes and even subscribe to the show for weekly automatic downloads, from my iTunes page.
Interviews, Offers, Byron, Ann, Guns & Ray Ray and Fahmarr
Friday, September 29, 2006
15
Of Your Sparks
Welcome To THE COUCH...Sit on Down and Get Comfy...
Hello all... tis Friday and another week is gone...
OK, yesterday...Well...interviews began at 10:00am. I had five in a row with a 15 minute break between the second and the third. Last interview ended at 2:30pm. Suffice to say, my brain was a tad melted at the end.
Each of the five asked the same 5 questions, so I had to answer them five times. The questions were basically:
- Tell me about your experience building workflow processes.
- What was your most challenging project.
- Why have you been out of work for 20+ months?
- What would you bring to our company?
- What do you want to know from me?
Who did I meet with this time? The first time I was there 3 weeks ago I met with head of HR and VP Marketing Director - who would be my boss - , well, yesterday there were the two marketing people who I would work alongside and then the three people who run the departments that I would oversee: creative, production and project management.
How did it go? I truly can't answer that question. Why? because I don't really trust my judgement regarding interviews anymore.
Sure, they nodded their heads and smiled and said things like "Oh, I like that" and "That makes sense" and "We need that here".
BUT, I have heard that at other interviews and well... I am still looking. So, we will see.
I did put a call into the head of HR today to inform her I have an offer on the table from IW to move to Memphis and to get a feel for the compensation package (still have no clue as to what they are offering ), and their schedule for hiring.
Kind of weird to go on an interview when you are hopeful you have found the company you want to work for, but I need to ensure I can take care of my family.
Yes, I did get an offer for Memphis.There are some details remaining for us to finalize and I have requested additional clarification from them.
I needed to see the health benefits offered and how they relate to NJ and TN, as the corporate office is in IL.
Got that yesterday.
I really hope this works out. I am excited by the prospect of working with this group.
THE COUCH was saddened to hear of the passing of Byron Nelson, one of the greats in the game of golf, and one of the great men to have lived in the past century.Just a short bit of information about this man's golf career:
Nelson lost many chances at major championships due to World War II. In 1945, while The Masters was postponed, Nelson won 18 tournaments including a record 11 in a row. In his career, Nelson won 52 professional events. After 1946, Nelson curtailed his schedule although he continued to make regular appearances at The Masters as a ceremonial starter for many years.
Nelson's record of 113 consecutive cuts made is second only to Tiger Woods' 142. It should be noted that the PGA Tour defines a "cut" as receiving a paycheck, even if an event has no cut per se. In Nelson's era, only the top 20 in a tournament received a check. In reality, Nelson's "113 consecutive cuts made" are representative of his unequalled 113 consecutive top 20 tournament finishes. Woods has only managed 21 consecutive top 20 finishes in his career.
THE COUCH sends out it's best wishes to our friend Ann and her mom who was put into intensive care yesterday. Ann...we are praying for mom.AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGG...What is going on in our world people????A young student is killed by an unstable man in Colorado.
A Florida Deputy is killed by a lunatic. He was gunned down by police today!
A former student kills a principal in a school in Wisconsin.
And the NRA fights to allow citizens to own semi-automatic weapons and stop laws requiring a waiting period for the purchase of guns and other laws which could help curtail this violence. I know many hunters...and they don't use semi-automatic weapons to hunt. Does it really matter if you need to wait an extra 5-10 days to purchase a gun?
And don't give me that sh** that "Guns don't kill people - only people kill people"...because it is people with GUNS that kill people. Take the guns out of the equation..make them more difficult to own and maybe...just maybe we can control some of this.
Well it appears the NCAA (the governing body of college athletics, is not totally brain-dead. This bodies rules bok makes "War and Peace" look like a Cliff Notes publication it is so immense.And over the years they have made some real stupid calls. One of the rules I have never understood is why student-athletes, who can show hardship, can't work.
Jeremy Bloom was a football player at the University of Colorado.
He had joined the US Freestyle Skiing Team at age 15, and was the #1 ranked men's freestyle skier in the world by age 19.
He competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics at Salt Lake City, Utah, where he placed #9.
Bloom also competed in the 2002 US Nationals , coming in at #1.
Now, the NCAA in all their wisdom declared Bloom ineligible to play cllege football in 2003.
Bloom was declared ineligible to play by the NCAA for accepting skiing endorsements. The NCAA denied his eligibility after a long legal battle because according to NCAA regulations student-athletes are not permitted to endorse products.
Exceptions are not given for endorsement deals earned in non-NCAA sports like freestyle skiing.
Ohhh that maks SOO much sense doesn't it Kiddies?!?!
Well, in the past few weeks the NCAA has actually done something good.
Let THE COUCH introduce you to two special young men:
Ray Ray McElrathbey is a freshman cornerback for Clemson University. Ray Ray has an 11-year old brother, Fahmarr.
Now, read the following AP article, as it told the story a month or so ago, in greater detail better then I can:
By PETE IACOBELLI,
AP Sports Writer
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) -- The alarm sounds at 6:15 a.m. and Clemson freshman Ray Ray McElrathbey starts a routine like few others in college football. Along with classes, film work, defensive back meetings and football practice, McElrathbey sees that his 11-year-old brother, Fahmarr, is dressed and fed, finishes his homework and makes it to middle school on time.
Ray Ray, 19, has temporary custody of his brother because of his mother's continuing drug problems and his father's gambling addiction. The two brothers have shared experiences in foster homes and now share an apartment by the campus.
They live solely off Ray Ray's scholarship while Clemson's athletic department tries to get a waiver from the NCAA that might let them accept donations without jeopardizing Ray Ray's football eligibility.
Ray Ray sought custody because he was tired of worrying what might happen to Fahmarr living with their mother in Atlanta.
"I wasn't going to let him go back to a foster home, back to the system," Ray Ray says.
The transition from football player to caregiver is one Ray Ray has cherished since Fahmarr's arrival in June.
"As a brother, it was still me first. As a parent, it's him first," Ray Ray says. "Before I do anything for me, got to do stuff for him."
The elder McElrathbey sounds like a father discussing the struggles of managing a sixth-grader. It often takes two or three shouts before Fahmarr rises and puts on his clothes. Ray Ray signs off on his brother's homework, meets with guidance counselors and tries to keep more fruit around the house.
Ray Ray has no car, so a teammate or friend gives Fahmarr a ride to R.C. Edwards Middle School.
Fahmarr returns to Clemson in the afternoons, often starting his homework at Vickery Hall, Clemson's athletic academic center, or a football coach's office while his older brother works out with the team.
After Tuesday's practice, Fahmarr was in his brother's orange No. 9 jersey throwing the ball to Ray Ray while teammates walked by saying hello or joking with him. "It's fun living with my brother because we like the same things," Fahmarr said.
After practice, the pair return home. There's dinner, school work and some brotherly time before Fahmarr is asleep and Ray Ray catches up on his assignments, school and football. A big night of fun might be a movie with a teammate or friend.
McElrathbey doesn't mind sacrificing the kind of college life he hears about from teammates.
"My pastor told me it's the Lord wanting to slow me down. I'll take it as that," he said.
McElrathbey has seven brothers and sisters. Because of his mother's addiction, her children have been separated, some ending in foster care as she went to rehab, McElrathbey said.
McElrathbey's mother copes well without the stress of her large family, her son says. Other times she has vowed to get clean and go through rehab, but once she was again raising her children, her problems would resurface, McElrathbey said.
Ray Ray used sports to keep himself out of trouble, often living with coaches or other mentors who kept him in school and focused on the future. When McElrathbey came to Clemson, he couldn't help but fret over Fahmarr.
"You didn't see him at Christmas dinner in Orlando crying in my arms because of his brother," Clemson defensive coordinator Vic Koenning said.
While many in the athletic department have asked to help the McElrathbeys, Clemson must be careful the help is not seen as extra benefits in violation of NCAA rules.
Clemson and the ACC have worked on a waiver request to the NCAA, athletic spokesman Tim Bourret said. Koenning doesn't understand why his wife or other members of Clemson's coaching family can't assist with a trip to the grocery store or school. "I can take two boxes of toys out of my basement and give them to Goodwill, but I can't give them to Ray Ray?"
McElrathbey has no time left for a job, but makes extra spending money washing cars or mowing lawns. He says there is nothing they need he can't afford.
"I just had to get rid of the 'great' things, what I call the material things," McElrathbey said.
The NCAA says it's working with Clemson and the ACC on the best solution to assist the McElrathbeys.
While the rules prohibit most benefits beyond what comes with the scholarship, "individual circumstances can and are taken into consideration in unusual situations," the NCAA said in a statement.
Clemson safety Michael Hamlin often drives Ray Ray and Fahmarr, and takes Fahmarr for a bite when his older brother's tied up. "He's like a little clown. Everybody likes being around him," Hamlin said.
McElrathbey is glad for the help he gets. He's more happy knowing Fahmarr is safe and sound.
The younger McElrathbey told his older brother he is a celebrity on campus now.
Fahmarr was supposed to be in Clemson temporarily. But now Ray Ray expects to maintain custody of his younger brother throughout his teen years. He stays as upbeat as possible and won't dwell on his mother's problems because it doesn't help him or, more importantly, Fahmarr.
Ray Ray dreams his mother might one day stay drug free to guide her children, but isn't counting on it. "You can't get mad at people for being who they are," he said. "You can accept it or you don't, but either way you can't get mad about it because it doesn't help."
Well...THE COUCH is thrilled to report that the NCAA has poked it's head out from the mud it usually keeps it in and has ruled in favor of Ray Ray and Fahmarr.
On September 11, they granted a waiver, allowing Ray Ray's coaches to give Fahmarr rides to school and allow other university staff to care for him when the team goes on the road.
Ray Ray is now, also allowed to set up a trust fund to handle the financial contributions to cover their "living expenses".
Nice ending to this wonderful story.
Even if your team is playing Clemson, you are now required to root for this young man every time he is on the field!
Fahmarr & Ray Ray(Photo: Clemson University Sports Information/AP)
Thanks for sitting on THE COUCH, hope you enjoyed your stay.FIND AN OPPORTUNITY TO PAY IT FORWARD!
Keep that spark of insanity kids...It helps keep you an individual.
