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Search Blog This is a place devoted to giving you deeper insight into the news, trends, people and technology behind Bing. Mon, 31 Aug 2015 20:31:49 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Get the edge on this football season with Bing predictions Mon, 31 Aug 2015 16:00:07 +0000 Summer is approaching the finish line, Labor Day weekend draws near, and post-season baseball is around the corner. All of these signs point to one thing: Football is back.

Fortunately for you, Bing has all your professional football needs covered this season. Whether you want to know the chances of your team winning in the upcoming week, the likelihood of your favorites making the playoffs, or key strategies to help your fantasy team get the edge, Bing boosts your confidence to compete. And of course, we help you discover all the information you need for schedules, score, standings, teams and players.

Here’s our playbook this season:

Weekly Power Rankings

Bing Predicts’ machine learning and deep knowledge takes power rankings to a new level. Instead of settling for just knowing where your teams stand today, Bing Predicts will give you a glimpse into your team’s future. Every Tuesday at noon PT we will update our power rankings with predictions of which team Bing thinks will win their respective division, and who is on-pace to earn those elusive wild-card spots.

Want to know if Bing has your team tracking for the playoffs this year? Click here for our full divisional and wild card predictions heading into the season.

Weekly Game by Game Predictions

Once the regular season starts, if you search for your favorite team, we will update your team’s chances of winning their weekly matchup. If you’re a survivor-pool fanatic or simply want to have a point of view at the coffee machine at work, this feature gives you the information you need heading into Sunday. But why stop at predicting who’s going to win? We’re going further this season by giving you the “why” – why we’re making the calls we’re making, and what it will take for an upset to happen.

Fantasy Football Features

For some of you, the success of your fantasy football team is as important as the record of your hometown franchise. That’s why we built two new features this year to help you get the competitive advantage in your fantasy league. Bing will help you decide who to start each week by position, and which free agents to pick up in order to help you optimize your weekly lineup.

Want to know which wide receivers to start on week one? Curious about how many fantasy points your tight end is going to? Want our latest fantasy football projections by position? Just ask Bing.

Before, During and After the Game

Bing has the bass down too. Before the game we’ll have each team’s stat leaders and predicted game-changers listed, as well as game location, time and broadcast network. During the game, you can search for up-to-date scoring drives.

After the game, we know how important it is to show you the postgame highlights, so make it part of your Sunday night routine to check in. Check back with us at the start of the season as these features become available.

Whether you’re looking to dominate your fantasy league or just enjoy great football, don’t make your moves without checking in with Bing first. Good luck out there this season.

-Bing Team

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Bing announces availability of the knowledge and action graph API for developers Thu, 20 Aug 2015 13:00:36 +0000 Today, Bing is announcing that its knowledge and action graph will be available to developers via a new API. With this new API, developers can enhance their apps by exposing rich data from the Bing knowledge and action graph directly in their apps. Whether you have a messaging app or a music app, your users shouldn’t have to “go to search” to get information related to what they’re doing in your app. With Bing’s new API, you can expose the relevant information to your users directly within your apps, keeping them more engaged. If you’re a developer, email us at to request access to this API.

Today, Bing has over a billion entities (people, places, and things) and the number is growing every day. For those

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entities, we have over 21 billion associated facts, 18 billion links to key actions and over 5 billion relationships between entities. Millions of Bing users around the globe use this rich information every day, in, Cortana, Xbox, Office and more. Imagine what your application can do with this powerful technology.

Developers can innovate using this enormous asset to fulfill their users’ information needs and help users perform searches in context, instead of forcing users to leave their apps to perform searches. For instance, a messaging app could add a Bing snapshot with actionable info on a restaurant, making it easier for a group to plan an evening. A social media app could augment users’ photos with information about the locations of each photo. A news app could show definitions and descriptions of terms that users want to drill into. A music app could augment content with snapshots of artists and songs. Where Bing has rights to share the data, we want to empower the developer community to create rich, innovative experiences that delight.

To give developers and consumers the chance to experience this capability we are updating the Bing App on Android with snapshots from the knowledge and action graph available on tap. The days of having to interrupt what you’re doing just so you can do a search are over. Say you’re in your favorite social media app and you see your friend’s posting about a recent trip. Just long-press the home button and Bing will read the contents of your screen, identify the destination your friend posted about, and present you with information that you can find on the web to learn more, and a snapshot showing key facts about that destination, along with connections into relevant apps and services, like Lonely Planet. You get all this information without ever having to leave the app.

Here’s a quick demo video:

While we are excited that these snapshots enhance applications with rich knowledge and actions, we believe this is just the start. By working with developers to bring Bing’s rich data and actions directly into their applications or services, we can address very real needs for developers and join hands to delight users.

We are registering interest now for the Bing knowledge and action graph API, making it available to the first set of developers in the Fall, in addition to the Bing APIs already available on Developers can request access to the Bing knowledge and action graph API by emailing We hope to work closely with those who reach out to understand their scenarios and needs.

We welcome developers to leverage this technology in new ways to delight users, and look forward to a future where the best product experiences are made better with Bing.

Gurpreet Pall – Director of Program Management, Bing for Partners

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Breaking news: Bing connects the dots to get behind the news Wed, 19 Aug 2015 19:00:36 +0000 Earlier this summer, we introduced new features to make it easier to discover, browse and watch news stories on the go. However, it’s often hard to make sense of what’s really going on with so many individual news stories to follow. Now, we’re making it easier to connect the dots between news stories so you get the bigger picture.

If you’re like many folks (the Bing team included!) who read news on your smartphone, you may not have the time to read full articles on the go.  In fact, our research has found that reading headlines is the most common way to browse news on smartphones, with about two-thirds of users doing so (compared to just 41% who read a full article). Now, we’re offering a way to quickly understand how individual news articles relate to a bigger picture just by skimming headlines across different news topics.

Explore news topics with smart labels

On Bing News on your smartphone, in the lower-right corner of each news story you’ll now see “smart labels”. These smart labels use advanced technology to determine the key topic of the article and its relationship to other news topics and articles. Click on one and you’ll open a new page with fresh articles related to that topic.

Take the example below. While reading every last article on East European geo-politics may not be realistic, exploring a few smart labels and headlines can help connect the dots between the big themes. Clicking on the “Putin” smart label below will bring up a list of fresh articles related to the Russian president.

Looks like Putin and Greece are doing something with gas pipelines. Click ahead.

So Turkey’s involved with gas pipelines too, huh?

As you can see below, if you were to keep clicking and exploring more topics, in just a minute you can understand more completely how different news stories relate to each other.

You’ll find smart labels on on your smartphone. We always want to hear from you, so go to Bing Listens or tweet @Bing to join the conversation.

– The Bing team

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Bing predicts what’s top of mind this back-to-school season Wed, 12 Aug 2015 16:00:08 +0000 It’s August, which means parents and students are starting to think about the start of a new school year. The return to the classroom brings a mix of excitement and nervousness. To better understand what is top-of-mind for parents preparing for the 2015-`16 school year, with the goal of helping users find valuable resources, Bing tapped into its rich search data and predictions algorithms. The Bing predictions technology compiled a list of five most-searched topics for this back to school season, and some possible solutions to make the school year run more smoothly:

  1. Meal-planning tops the list this back-to-school season. This includes developing new ideas for providing healthy lunches. Use Bing’s image search to find healthy, fun and creative lunch ideas or the recipe carousel for dinner time and save all your ideas to OneNote for easy reference on all your devices.
  2. The price tag associated with the back-to-school season is also a top stressor for parents. Based on cost-related searches, parents will be most focused on the expenses such as school uniforms and school supplies, including tablets. To help with back to school shopping, Bing’s image insights feature can help you easily flip through photos of school supplies, locate stores to purchase your favorite items and price compare.
  3. Social issues students may face are also a big concern. This can include peer pressure and bullying. There are several online resources where parents can find information to help them talk to their kids about bullying and learn how to seek help if necessary.
  4. After-school care is top-of-mind with parents sorting through options such as babysitters, after-school clubs and after school transportation. Parents seeking after-school care can use Bing to search local child care providers and access Yelp reviews to make sure it fits their child’s needs. Set pick-up and drop-off reminders with real-time traffic notifications with your very own personal assistant, Cortana on Windows 10.
  5. Quality of education continues to be a hot topic with parents, making it no surprise that number five in Bing’ findings point to topics including lack of funding, and STEM education as top stressors. Additionally, Bing is finding that year-over-year, the fastest-rising trend in education searches include apps for education, online education games for kids and online school options. For parents thinking about quality of education, Microsoft YouthSpark offers free resources to help students get ahead, as well as learn key technology, computer sciences and coding skills. Visit Microsoft Imagine for free online coding tools, games and tutorials, or DigiGirlz for free online courses and events designed for girls. Bing in the Classroom also offers lesson plans focused on digital literacy as well as being a safe, ad-free and more private search environment at school.

Share your tips for tackling back to school stressors to the @Bing Twitter handle. As summer break comes to an end Bing wishes parents and students good luck with the first day of school!

-The Bing Team

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Bing to warn customers about the threats of fake online pharmacies Thu, 06 Aug 2015 16:00:40 +0000 Picture Fred, a 60-year-old man who has a few medical conditions. One of his prescriptions has run out but instead of visiting his regular doctor for a renewal, he decides to search the web where he finds several online pharmacies. One of these makes available a new drug, which is said to work better than his current prescription, and it is cheaper. He buys it. All is well until Fred starts experiencing some serious side effects. These side effects are what stopped the new drug from being approved by the FDA for sale in the United States.

While Fred and his specific situation is fictional, this scenario and others like it are very real. The proliferation of online pharmacies, some of which are engaged in illegal and illegitimate practices, can pose a real threat to consumers.

When there is a significant risk of serious harm to the public from purchasing unsafe, counterfeit and other illegal drugs online, the Bing team wants to help our users make informed decisions. With this goal in mind, we are rolling out a new set of warnings on to give our customers more information about the dangers of visiting unsafe online pharmacies.

warning_picThis warning will appear if a Bing user clicks on a pharmaceutical site that has been cited by the FDA as a fake online pharmacy engaged in illegal activity, such as offering potentially dangerous, unapproved and misbranded prescription drugs to U.S. consumers. We will be using the FDA’s public list of these sites, which is updated on an ongoing basis.

We currently use similar warnings for sites that are reasonably suspected of containing malware. As with malware, we will not prevent a user from visiting the site. However, the warning will caution users of the risks, and provide links to resources where the user can learn more about selecting a safe online pharmacy. We want to make sure that the information and warnings we provide are accurate. If the owners of an affected site believe they have been wrongly included on the FDA’s public list, that company has the ability to address this with the FDA directly by contacting the FDA Internet Pharmacy Task Force. Any site that believes Bing may have made an error with a warning appearing in its search results can contact us at Bing Support.

The list of online pharmaceutical sites for which we are providing warnings will grow and evolve. We will continue to refine our efforts in this area and look for more opportunities to help our users make more well-informed decisions as additional, highly-reliable sources of information become available to us.

The Bing team welcomes your feedback. Visit Bing Listens or tweet @Bing to let us know your thoughts.

-The Bing Team

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Thank you Bing users, we are listening to you Thu, 23 Jul 2015 16:00:35 +0000 Bing listensBack in March we launched a new site called Bing Listens. The site gives our customers a direct line of communication to the team developing Bing features.

Bing Listens is a place to contribute your thoughts on how to make Bing better, vote on the ideas you like best, and share the cool and unique ways you use Bing. Our team actively reviews the ideas and responds to them every day.

In the first few months alone, we’ve seen more than a thousand ideas ranging from new ways to earnrewards to adding a custom filter for news, to enabling users to contribute feedback on translation results, and even searching medical related issues.

More than 1 million visitors have been to Bing Listens, with thousands contributing, voting or commenting on the 1500-plus ideas that have been submitted since the launch. The suggestions have been fantastic. We have responded to more than 80 percent of the user-submitted ideas so far, and as a result of your feedback, we have already implemented many feature requests, including:

We’re also working to make it easier for you to track the progress of ideas you’ve submitted. On the Bing Listens homepage, we show the top three ideas that have been addressed and top three that we are working on based on the number of votes. You can view the rest of the ideas in each category by choosing “See more.”

In addition to all the great suggestions, we are learning that sometimes even our most frequent users are not familiar with all of Bing’s features and functionality. We’re working on making our features easier to discover, but in the meantime, here are a few examples of requested features that Bing already supports that you can check out today:

Finally, we know that people use Bing in very diverse and interesting ways. You can tell us how you use Bing by clicking on the “I use Bing to…” button. We’ve had several hundred entries to date — a couple of great examples include:

“I enjoy the pictures and look forward every morning to something new. I cannot go to these places and cannot travel so this is my window to the world a chance to see and learn new things I never known. I thank you Bing for giving me a window to see new things.”

“I haven’t used Google in over a year. Why? Because I love to Bing things. Bing Rewards is amazing. Being able to get Xbox Music passes? Count me in!! Bing also has a Video Preview for when you search videos and/or web searches. This search engine is far better than its rival, Google.”

Bing Listens is just one of the many ways we connect with our users, and we have plans to do more. Keep the feedback coming!

– The Bing Team

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Predicts takes a world tour of summer sporting events Wed, 22 Jul 2015 16:00:34 +0000 The 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada was a rousing success for the United States as the team defeated Japan with a 5-2 rout.  Bing Predicts completed the knockout rounds with 75 percent accuracy, notably picking England to beat both host Canada as well as Norway in the first two rounds and US over Japan in the final.  In the preliminary rounds, Bing Predicts correctly projected all six group winners and got 58 percent of the win, loss or tie outcomes exactly right.

On the other side of the pond, Predicts correctly picked both men’s and women’s Wimbledon champions from the beginning, as Serena completed her “Serena Slam.” Novak Djokovic completed a strong run through the men’s bracket, winning the final against Roger Federer whom Bing placed into the finals in our preliminary bracket as well.  In total, our predictions for each of the men’s and women’s Wimbledon matches had an average accuracy of 71 percent.

Jumping channels, the English Channel to be precise, to France, you can see that Bing Predicts is projecting winners for each of the four categories in the Tour de France, including the all-important General Classification (yellow jersey) where we currently predict Chris Froome of Team Sky to win.  Interested in your favorite contender? You can browse through our carousel to find how we project his chances.

Sports predictions July

Sports predictions July

Back in the US, Bing has been predicting the NASCAR top five each week, beating Vegas odds in terms of accuracy.  In June, we made our second-annual NBA Draft predictions and correctly called the full group of lottery—the first 14 picks.

It’s been a fun summer for Predicts so far. We’re hard at work on our fall Predicts lineup and excited to bring you more insights and upsets in the coming months.

– Walter Sun, Bing Predicts Team Lead

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Making a move? Bing can help with the big choices for houses, schools and doctors Thu, 16 Jul 2015 16:00:08 +0000 Moving to a new city or new neighborhood is as exciting as it is stressful. In addition to grappling with the big decision of finding a new home, other considerations can include school choices, availability of services such as healthcare and what a new neighborhood has to offer beyond a place to live.

To help answer some of these questions, the Bing team has released new and improved experiences for researching homes, schools and doctors in the U.S.  It brings together information curated from a variety of sources and services, so you can feel confident that you’re getting the big decisions right.

A new home

People planning a move often have a good idea of what they’re interested in – be it a specific home address in a neighborhood they like, the best schools nearby or a local doctor their friend or insurance plan recommended.  For example, over two-thirds of doctor-related searches on Bing are for a specific doctor, and about half of real estate-related searches are for a specific address.

Now, when you search for a house address on Bing on your mobile device, we provide an at-a-glance overview of the key information you need, from companies you know and love.  You’ll see its location and pictures, price and house details, as well as the schools associated with that address and similar homes nearby.  If you want to dive further, just click on any one of the site icons, including Zillow, Trulia and others.

A new school

If you have kids, we don’t have to tell you that the quality and accessibility of schools near your new home can be just as important as the home itself.  Found the perfect home on Bing? Click on one of the local schools in the answer to see key information. You’ll see the GreatSchools rating and community score at the top, and details including contact information, student-to-faculty ratios, enrollment, as well as rankings and academic indicators for high schools.

A new doctor

Finding the right doctor is another key part of your move.  To make an informed call, you’ll want to investigate potential healthcare options yourself.  Searching for a doctor will show clinic locations and contact information, as well as key information such as years of experience, average reviews and educational background. Trust is a top priority, so we have partnered with top companies in the health-professionals industry including LexisNexis, Doximity, Vitals and others to make sure we’re bringing you the right information. We’ve even confirmed thousands of phone numbers by actually calling them.

Moving070915P5After all those big decisions, you might want to celebrate the move by trying out a restaurant in your new neighborhood. Search for restaurants and we’ll give you a carousel of options and information to help you find a spot. Think you’ve found one you like?  Click and get all the info you need, including everything from Yelp reviews to links to book on Opentable.

The Bing team wants to take some stress and uncertainty out of your move.  Let us know how we’re doing at Bing Listens.

-The Bing team

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Plan your next outing with the completely redesigned Bing Maps Mon, 06 Jul 2015 16:00:01 +0000 When we set out to redesign Bing Maps, we listened to a lot of user feedback. People using a variety of map sites, from a variety of countries, told us what they love about, and what they struggle with when using map services.

We heard that people want one experience that brings together the best content in one view, that fully reflects what they are planning, not just their last search. Users want a map experience that is fast and easy to use, and makes the most of the visually rich data that maps can bring to life.

Available today for those who opt-in*, the Bing Maps Preview reflects this feedback. The new Bing Maps is designed so you can search, view and share multiple places at one time, see trusted reviews and photos from partners such as Yelp, get access to a rich set of visuals and information on the places you plan to visit, make it easy to plan your travel times and more.

Take a look at the new experience.

Beautiful and intuitive design

  • View information for multiple destinations with the new results cards: The Bing Maps Preview organizes your search results into “cards” that are displayed to the left of the map. The cards allow multiple destinations in a single view and each card displays relevant information, such as hours of operation, and similar businesses and services nearby. With every stop on your trip in one view, planning a night out is much easier.
  • Explore and plan using the new layout: The new Bing Maps Preview is touch-friendly and designed to be more intuitive. For example, choose your preferred map style (Aerial, Road) by clicking the button to the right of the map. Or, perform actions such as “save as favorite,” “add to route,” and “view streetside” by right-clicking on your screen.

Improved Search and Directions

  • Plan travel times with enhanced directions: Nobody wants to be stuck in traffic. Using predictive routing, Bing Maps Preview includes the option to input the day and time you plan to travel so you can view the estimated drive time. Now you can easily adjust plans if the roads look crowded.
  • Discover venues using Along the Route: Need to know where hotels, restaurants and gas stations are located on the way to your destination? Along the Route is the new feature that helps you find places you might want to stop at during your trip. Many have suggested this via Bing Listens, and we thank you for your feedback.
  • Easily explore with improved Streetside views: The new split screen layout gives a great street-side view of your destination while displaying the map directly below it. Take a 360-degree tour of the area or drag your mouse along the map to view a new location.

  • Save your destinations in My Places: We’ve heard from many of our users that it’s important to have a quick way to access their most-visited and most-loved destinations. We made this easy with My Places. In one click you can save a location under work, home or favorite. It will even sync with Cortana and the Windows Maps app.
  • Share travel plans with others: Once you’ve planned your outing, share it with those who will be joining you. Your travel companions will receive an email with the set of results cards, which they can view on their desktop or from a mobile device. And speaking of mobile, stay tuned for updates coming to the Bing Maps mobile experience.

We are going to be updating Bing Maps Preview, based on your feedback. Look for exciting new features designed to make your travels easier and more enjoyable.

To start using the Bing Maps Preview, just go to It’s that easy. Our users inspired many of these upgrades so keep the good ideas coming as we continue to put the finishing touches on the product.

You can share your thoughts using the feedback button within Maps, by going to Bing Listens, or tweeting us @bingmaps

– The Bing Maps Team

*Bing Maps Preview is currently available in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and South Africa, and will be available to more markets in the near future.

**Along the Route feature currently only available in the United States.

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Bing to power AOL’s search Mon, 29 Jun 2015 22:50:45 +0000 Two of the most important things we strive for at Bing are for consumers to choose Bing as their search service and for industry leaders to trust Bing to provide search to their customers. Today we announced an exciting new partnership with AOL. Beginning January 1st, 2016 Bing will become the exclusive provider of search and search advertising services across AOL properties.

Now with 20% market share in U.S., we are continuing to grow through consumer preference and through key partnerships. The 10-year deal with AOL is the latest to validate the exceptional quality of our search results and marketplace. No longer just a destination search engine, Bing is becoming an integral part of many popular third party devices and services, and Microsoft experiences including Windows, Cortana and Office.

We look forward to bringing Bing’s search experiences to AOL’s customers.

Details about the announcement are available here.

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Make Canoe my Homepage

IBM’s Watson, not so elementary

- February 22nd, 2011

IBM WatsonSmall

Much to the joy of many geeks and scientists and probably investors, IBM’s supercomputer Watson, cleaned-up on the latest Jeopardy! challenge, obliterating the 2 most renowned players, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter, to claim the $1 million-dollar charity-bound prize and bragging rights to the title of world’s best. But with the incredible advancements in computing technology and artificial intelligence, the outcome was elementary, or was it?

Read more…

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« A classic Curry ball-fake | Main | Some here, some there »

April 17, 2009

Brown on Okafor, Naz, and more

Candid to the end, Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown said at his post-season news conference Friday that he’d love for center Emeka Okafor to love basketball more.

As in, use the off-season to become a better player, not just a better-conditioned athlete.

“I always tease that he has an ‘A’ in stretching, Pilates and yoga. I’d like him to have an ‘A’ in basketball,’’ Brown said Friday.

Okafor is well-known for his post-game stretching regimens and off-season conditioning experiments. Brown said he’s impressed that Okafor hasn’t missed a game in two seasons. However, Brown and the front office would like Okafor to spend more of his summer fine-tuning basketball skills.

“He’s got to work at his game,’’ Brown described. “There’s no better guy than him. I want him to have a passion (for basketball) because it ends so quickly.’’

Brown suggested Okafor might over-think: “He analyzes everything he does. I think he’s just got to play.’’

Brown addressed numerous topics Friday.

On reserve center Nazr Mohammed wanting a larger role or to be traded: “I told him we tried to trade him, and we had some possibilities fall through. With Nazr’s contract, in these economic times, it’s not easy to move.’’

Mohammed makes about $6.47 million next season and $6.88 million the following season. He played in just eight of the team’s final 41 games, after the Bobcats acquired another center, DeSagana Diop, from the Dallas Mavericks.

Brown said of Mohammed, a 10-year veteran: “Of all the guys, I thought this was the most difficult season for him.’’

On attempting to retain director of player personnel Buzz Peterson: “I don’t want to speak for Buzz, but we need him. This is a good group of people (in the front office) with everyone on the same page.’’

Peterson has expressed interest in going back to coaching and Appalachian State continues to pursue him. Brown hinted he’d be open to moving Peterson to the bench.

“I talked to Michael (Jordan, the managing partner) about that. Michael’s trying to do everything he can,’’ to retain Peterson.

On forward Vladimir Radmanovic’s transition from playing the Los Angeles Lakers’ Triangle Offense: “We’re trying to de-program him.’’

After a fast start, following the trade to the Bobcats in February, Radmanovic struggled late, shooting 12-of-46 in his last seven games. Brown wants to broaden his game.

“He’s been a stand-still jump-shooter, played off other people,’’ Brown said of the Kobe Bryant Effect. “He’s got athleticism and other qualities. We hope he’ll change his game’’ to be more a driver and defender.

Brown added that Radmanovic might be trying too hard.

“Vlade is mistake-prone, but I think a lot of that is him trying to impress us.’’

On Diop’s arrival from Dallas: “Kind of up-and-down; I really believe he needs to work hard this summer.’’

Brown understood that Diop showed up out of game-shape because he was playing little for the Mavericks. His foul-shooting was awful (27 percent as a Bobcat), but Brown has patience because he needs another young low-post defender.

“I’m not disappointed at all in what he brings. He’s 26 (actually 27) and I’m his fourth (NBA) coach.’’

On the defense: “We’ve got to handle pick-and-rolls better, particularly when the center is involved.’’

On whether to tender Sean May a $3.6 million qualifying offer to restrict his upcoming free-agency: “Michael talked to me about that. He said he didn’t know what to do’’ about that choice.

On next season, relative to all the change this season involved: “People are comfortable around me when they know what to expect. Hopefully there’s a trust there now. In general, guys who’ve been around me know I’m pretty hands-on. I hope they think I’m fair.’’

On living apart this season from his wife and two school-age children in Philadelphia: “It’s been hard on our kids, moving them (in the past). If they don’t move (to Charlotte), I’ve got to do a better job of getting home without it (interfering) with my job.’’

Posted by Observer Sports on April 17, 2009 at 12:02 PM | Permalink

Great stuff as always Rick. I don't get this sudden demand of playing time from Mohammed, he's a decent offensive threat, but his lateral quickness leaves a lot to be desired on the defensive end. At this point in his career he should be like Juwan Howard, a veteran leader and accept his role.

Posted by: Matt | Apr 17, 2009 12:38:25 PM

It doesn't matter how good a basketball player you are if you never get the ball in the post because another player thinks he's a better option shooting 18-footers at 39%.

Posted by: Michael Procton | Apr 17, 2009 12:39:23 PM

I don't think I would mind making $6.4 million dollars for eight days of work...

Posted by: Bird | Apr 17, 2009 1:08:30 PM

You know I'm a fan of Felton. But I'd almost rather they trade him and May so half the jerks on this blog could talk about something else besides number of shots felton takes and May's weight.

Get over yourself, Procton.

Posted by: A Fan | Apr 17, 2009 1:10:04 PM

all this proves is that trading for mohammed was a mistake because we wont play him, giving okafor the contract we gave him was a mistake because he lacks passion, trading for diop was a mistake because hes so limited, trading for radmanovic was a mistake because he is mistake prone and they are lost at what to do wtih may. why doesn't this article fill me with confidence for next season?

Posted by: the voice | Apr 17, 2009 1:11:01 PM

For the talk about May.....cut him loose. He was not intended for the pro game. On the other hand, Raymond Felton is one of the top point guards in the league. I don't care what anybody here says. Let Nazr go and do something about center. We have no one that is intimidating. Oh for the days of Alonzo Mourning.

Posted by: Steve Gilmore | Apr 17, 2009 1:42:02 PM

these blogs is where everyone goes now to b*tch and complain about every little thing.

Posted by: Leonard | Apr 17, 2009 1:46:46 PM

Wow, the difference between a John Fox and Larry Brown interview is night and day.

Posted by: Zach | Apr 17, 2009 2:07:24 PM

Need to dump May and Nazr. Bobcats need to re-sign Felton. He had a breakout year this year and is on the brink of becoming an excellent NBA player. If he continues to develop they will have a special leader for the forseeable future.

Posted by: Panthers Super Fan | Apr 17, 2009 2:16:49 PM

MJ's quote "I'm not sure what to do about Sean May" really means 'the guy has had eight months to get down to 260 pounds and still he can't seem to get it done'...LB is putting the decision on MJ because it's his money...if he wants to have a token Tar Heel on the bench...you figure out what it's worth since your writing the checks...LB is saying 'he's not going to get any real PT until he get's down to 260'...period

Posted by: Jon in DC | Apr 17, 2009 3:50:37 PM

since when is 40% shooting from the floor and making the same stupid mistakes as you did when you were a rookie considered a break out year? felton is on the brink of being an over paid under performing point guard. if he continues to under achieve he'll be a burdon on our salary cap for years.

Posted by: the voice | Apr 17, 2009 4:02:40 PM

Dump May, try to trade Nazr & Singletary for a backup PF and a 3rd SG, Re-sign Felton, Re-sign Juwan (we need his experience and leadership) and sign Anthony Parker from Toronto. Then we might re-sign Dontell Jefferson.

We are in the playoffs next season!!!

Posted by: RonC | Apr 17, 2009 4:05:17 PM

Just curious, what are the Felton Hate Club Member's thoughts on Bill Simmons' comments from his ESPN MVP Rankings article?

"51. Raymond Felton
The guy I'd pursue this summer if I ran an NBA team. Ten weeks of trade rumors bounced off him and he never held a grudge. He has lottery pick pedigree (fifth overall in 2005), and if we've learned anything over the years, it's that many blue-chip point guards take awhile to "ferment" (for lack of a better word). He's one of the five or six best people in the league by all accounts. I've never seen a Bobcats game where he didn't play as hard as he could. The arc of his first four years looks exactly like Chauncey Billups, and like Chauncey, his game will open up once he starts making 3s. Just a lot to like. Someone will steal him this summer just like Detroit stole Billups in 2002. You watch."

Posted by: Newsinz | Apr 17, 2009 4:19:21 PM

Its hard to love basketball more when you on a consistently losing team!!!!!!!

Posted by: bigdaddy | Apr 17, 2009 4:41:55 PM

"Wow, the difference between a John Fox and Larry Brown interview is night and day."

Thats b/c Larry Brown is a REAL coach!!!

Posted by: bigdaddy | Apr 17, 2009 4:42:43 PM

And to think, we were only 1 pick away from Dwight Howard!!!! UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We were so close to 1 pick away from Chris Paul AND Dwight!

Posted by: Greg S | Apr 17, 2009 5:30:10 PM

Panthers Super Fan says, "Need to dump May and Nazr."

This isn't the NFL. Nazr has a guaranteed contract for two years. They can't just cut him without paying his contract. May is a free agent, the question is should they let him walk or hope he can improve enough over the next year to be able to get something for him?

These are simple decisions when you are sitting in your easy chair after coming home from your job. These decisions are much tougher when making them IS your job.

Posted by: DBM LA | Apr 17, 2009 5:39:49 PM

Micheal Scphincter or Anus or however you say your name.....Move from Charlotte and give us a break.

Posted by: MajorLeague | Apr 17, 2009 5:46:25 PM

I hope you die soon!

Posted by: Procton Hater | Apr 18, 2009 11:06:24 AM

So Newsinz let's go over what Bill Simmons said about Ray-

1. He never held a grudge after trade rumors
2. He has lottery pick pedigree
3. Many blue-chip point guards take awhile to "ferment"
4. He's one of the five or six best people in the league
5. He plays as hard as he can
6. The arc of his first four years looks exactly like Chauncey Billups, and like Chauncey, his game will open up once he starts making 3s

He says nothing about his current play on the court except that he plays hard, which no one would argue with. This whole blurb is based on hope that he starts making 3s (don't hold your breath) and becomes like Billups. How many PGs have had really mediocre first four years and NOT ended up like Billups?

Plus, I'm pretty sure that watching nearly every game Ray has ever played holds a little more weight than Bill Simmons watching a few. I don't expect Ray to be back.

Posted by: C | Apr 18, 2009 11:09:58 AM

Emeka Okafor's and Raymond Felton's success in this league does not depend on how successful Dwight Howard and Chris Paul are, or and will be.

Posted by: RP | Apr 18, 2009 11:13:51 AM

Through four years:

Felton-2.7 TO/g; .399 FG% on 12.5 FG/g

Billups-1.9 TO/g; .390 FG% on 9.0 FG/g

So if by "looks exactly like" he means he turns it over more and jacks up 40% more shots on equally bad shooting, sure, that's a great comparison!

I'm sorry, but like C said, being a nice guy and being picked high in the draft out of desperation because we missed on the two good PGs that year are not things that are going to take us to the playoffs.

Posted by: Michael Procton | Apr 18, 2009 3:53:31 PM

And how many minutes did Billups average compared to Felton?

One thing's for sure, no one was given Billups an all-defensive nomination in his fourth season.

Posted by: RP | Apr 18, 2009 5:23:07 PM

Procton how long did it take for you to print that dribble?

Posted by: sam | Apr 18, 2009 5:42:17 PM

Procton, are you ever going to learn how to use stats? I guess I'll clean your mess for you.

1) Your FG(attempts)/Game figures are skewed. As RP pointed out, Felton has played more minutes per game than Billups and has played in many more games than Bullups did through 4 years. If you know anything about statistics, you know you're working with different samples sizes when comparing the 2 players and therefore have to weight the averages.

2) If you look at FGA/36 minutes you'll see that Chancey has averaged 12.3 for his career(not far off from his first 4 season average) and Felton has averaged 12.7. That is not a big difference.

3) Per 36 min. Chauncey has averaged 2.55 T/O through his first 4 years. Again, not very different from Felton. Your 1.9 figure is useless and you know it.

The point I'm making is that Procton used an entire post trying to point out differences between two players based on stats. More useful statistics, however have proven those differences to be arbitrary at best. Procton knows it's better to use per min stats rather than full game. His agenda is not to be accurate however, it's only to hate any UNC player that every walked the face of the earth.

Procton, use that education of yours to learn a thing or two about statistics. I'm sure they have to have an intro to stats class or something.

Posted by: Bobby | Apr 18, 2009 7:52:57 PM

"Candid to the end"? Larry Brown won't come out and say what everyone already knows: Sean May has been a disappointment as a pro, he can't stay healthy, plus he's fat and lacks the passion to get in shape. What a joke.

Great comments on Okafor though. Coach is dead on there.

Posted by: Deuce | Apr 18, 2009 10:09:38 PM

Put....the egos....down.

Posted by: VIK | Apr 18, 2009 11:22:37 PM

man, procton...in your face. Your arguement was weak at best and Bobby just made some pretty valid arguements considering the use of statistics. I guess it doesnet matter...you can use stats to paint any picture you want. What doesnt get pointed out are the intangibles that players like Felton bring. Its what makes people like "C" post iggnorant comments on the board.

Lets see....you are basically saying that because Raymond has shown nothing but character and professionalism ("never held a grudge after trade rumors, He's one of the five or six best people in the league"), is the product of a NCAA championship team ("has lottery pick pedigree"), has been shuffled between the point and off guard position on a consistently poor team with 3 different coaches in the past 4 years ("Many blue-chip point guards take awhile to "ferment"), and he gives everything he has for this team every game he plays ("He plays as hard as he can") that his current play and court demeanor show no signs of improvement, no sign of being a quality guard in the league and no sign that he will ever end up a solid contributing point guard in the years to come? Is that what you are saying "C"? If you are then Im pretty sure you are the dumbest poster I have EVER seen on this board....and thats a pretty bold statement given all the haters on this board. Felton is not perfect. He may not have the complete skill set of Williams or Paul, but he is a SOLID PG in the league and there will be teams hunting for him during he offseason. Besides, when did felton ever get to play PG uncontested next to players like Boozer and West...makes a big difference in the way you play and the way you get recognized. Besides...what if he did start to improve on his 3 point shooting....Think about it

Posted by: SF Bobcats | Apr 19, 2009 3:46:19 AM

Playoff posibility next year: Which among these teams do you actually think the cats are better? Cavs, celtics, magic, hawks, heat, sixers, bulls and pistons? These does not include the wizards who should have a healthy roster next season and the improving indiana team.

I'm sorry, but if anyone thinks these team is a lock in the playoffs the way it is next season, is dreaming!!!

Positivity is one thing but Stupidity is another.

Posted by: wil | Apr 19, 2009 3:54:43 AM

Bobby, statistics is probably the class that finished Procton off at UNC, this is why he is struggling at a 2 bit community college

Posted by: jd | Apr 19, 2009 4:54:46 PM

When Felton is gone, who's Procton gonna blame Mek's weak-ass game on?

Posted by: apauldds | Apr 22, 2009 11:50:55 AM

Please, Don't Sign May.

Posted by: The Future | May 5, 2009 2:24:32 PM

Post a comment


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Cisco Blogs

Cisco Blog > Inclusion and Diversity

Cisco Diversity Allies ‘Come Out’

What is the role that allies can play in workplace inclusion? Most commonly used in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (“LGBT”) community, the term allies refers to those who don’t identify as LGBT, but who share a commitment to inclusion for all, and who are eager to contribute to corporate inclusion efforts by advocating on behalf of under-represented workplace communities.

On August 2nd,  Cisco is co-sponsoring a free webinar called Allies ‘Come Out:’ Allies Are Changing the Face of Workplace Diversity and Inclusion. Moderated by Jennifer Brown of JBC, the webinar is from 1:00 to 2:15 pm EST.

The panel of diversity and leadership professionals will discuss the important role that allies have played in civil rights movements and the work that is underway globally for human rights, dignity and respect. Learn about Read More »

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Stand Up Against Bullying with Ben Cohen – Nov 9

“Every person on this planet has a right to be true to themselves, to love and be loved, and to be happy. I encourage others to stand up with me and make a difference,” says Ben Cohen of Stand Up Foundation.

Ben Cohen

The Ben Cohen Stand Up Foundation, Inc. is the world’s first foundation dedicated to raising awareness of the long-term, damaging effects of bullying, and funding those doing real-world work to stop it. The foundation’s mission is to stand up against bullying for any reason. Because Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered (GLBT) people are often targeted by bullies, the foundation gives particular attention to this community. Removing homophobia from sports is also a central part of the mission.

The Cisco Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered and Advocates (GLBT&A) Employee Resource Group(ERG), together with the Cisco Disabilities Awareness Network ERG, are bringing Ben to the Cisco San Jose campus on Wednesday, Nov 9 at 3pm as part of Cisco’s Inclusion & Diversity Speaker series.

Ben Cohen is an England Rugby World Cup champion, and among the world’s greatest athletes. He ranks second in all-time scoring for England, and he’s the first straight professional athlete to focus his philanthropic efforts for the benefit of the GLBT community. He is also clinically deaf.

Bullying in our schools is a real problem. It disrupts the classroom and Read More »

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Collaboration is Hard: How to Work within Conflicting Points of View

“If someone is very abusive, or very aggressive, I always try to think, why is this person so aggressive? And sometimes by even making a joke, or by trying to get more information about the person…you break the ice. And sometimes you have some surprising results”

Boris Dittrich, Advocacy Director for Human Rights Watch, spoke on collaboration at Cisco’s San Jose campus recently.  He told a story about his time as an openly gay Dutch parliament member:

I was still a member of the national parliament and a leader of my political party. We had created a new government and I was on television every night. So people usually said something when I walked down the street. Usually friendly.

Dittrich then recounted a less friendly encounter he had with a man as he walked from the train station to parliament: Read More »

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October 1, 2010, 10:19 am

Local official chimes in on NCAA hockey rules changes

Tim Swiader, a longtime Denver-based WCHA/NCAA assistant referee (a k a linesman), gave me his feedback about the handfull of new NCAA hockey rules. He and I talked about some of them, the biggest ones. Perhaps the most controversial – no free icing while shorthanded – isn’t included because, 1) It will only be used in exhibition games; 2) We’ll write about it for the paper this weekend before/after DU’s tilts with the U.S. under-18s (Saturday) and University of Lethbridge (Sunday).

Hybrid icing — If officials raise arm for icing but believe an attacking player will beat defensive player to the puck by the defensive team’s faceoff dots or sooner, icing is waved off. Otherwise, no-touch icing remains the same.

Swiader: I think the fans will like this rule as it showcases the speed of the players racing for the puck. The biggest problem the NHL has with “touch icing” is the injury potential. I feel good we can still protect the players by making the decision early enough yet not taking away the race to the puck.

Hybrid icing II – Goalie must stay in the crease during potential icing. (If goalie does not stay in crease, icing is automatically waved off.)

Swiader: This fixes a couple of things. First, it helps the officials watch until the last possible second if the goalie touched the puck while also watching to see what player is going to get to the puck first. Second, it eliminates potential contact with goalie provoking a response.

Emphasis on contact to the head – For blows to the head, officials will now have an option of calling 5-minute major/game misconduct (no one-game suspension) or 5-major/disqualification (automatic one-game suspension). (In the past, this has been all over the map.)

Swiader: With all the new data about head injuries associated with any contact sport, we cannot afford players recklessly, or otherwise, delivering hits to the head. As an official I like having options. For the players, you know if you are delivering such a hit, the ramifications can be costly to both you and your team.

Hand pass – Officials won’t blow the whistle on every hand pass, as long an advantage is not gained or deliberate.

Swiader: I have been a huge advocate of this rule. Too many times we see a player make a play at a puck and it hits his hand and goes backwards to his teammate. Previously we would stop the play for hand pass. Do not stop play for an accident or no clear advantage, but … this is a game played with a stick. Use your stick!

Shooting puck out of play from defensive zone – Unlike the NHL, this will still go unpenalized, but the defensive team that shoots the puck in the stands won’t be allowed to change. So, the defensive players will remain on the ice during the faceoff in their end.

Swiader: You do not see players intentionally shoot the puck out of play very often.  However, when it did in the past there was no consequence. Now if you do, your opponent will get fresh legs on the ice. Better be sure when going high off the glass.

Delayed penalty tweaked — If a delayed penalty is on and the non-offending team scores, the penalty will still be enforced. (In the past, the goal eliminated the penalty.)

Swiader: I like this rule as it puts the onus on the team committing the rule infraction. Goes to the “Don’t commit the crime if you are not willing to do the time” cliché.

If it clangs off iron, keep it in the zone — If attacking team shoots and hits the goal post and puck goes out of play, the faceoff stays in the zone. (In the past, the faceoff has been in neutral zone.)

Swiader: I have mixed feelings on this one.  Why does the attacking team get a break for hitting the post and puck leaves the playing surface? Some argue that this will help scoring by keeping the puck in the zone. I say hit the net and there is your reward. If you hit the pipe, it was not going in any way.

Using timeout to change — If a team is whistled for icing or shoots the puck out of play from the defensive end, thus eliminating its chance to change, the team may use its timeout and a change can be made.

Swiader: This gives the coach an option and honestly helps the officials. Now they have a decision to make. Do I use my timeout or go with my tired players?

Keep ‘em separated – At the end of a game, the home team, minus its players on the ice, must remain at the bench until officials tell them it’s OK to go onto the ice. (In the past, each team was immediately allowed to empty the bench.)

Swiader: Love this rule. As an official, our worst nightmare is when there are 40 players on the ice and a player lip jacks another one.  Nothing good happens from that point on.

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    I think the NCAA had it right before with no-touch icing. Doesn’t hybrid icing just make cherry-picking a viable strategy?

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    I think the NCAA had it right before with no-touch icing. Doesn’t hybrid icing just make cherry-picking a viable strategy?

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- The Spot - http://blogs.denverpost.com/thespot -

Weaker, rewritten version of payday loan bill clears committee

Supporters of legislation to put new limits on payday loans [1] are hoping the second time is the charm.

A reworked version of the bill passed the House Judiciary Committee on a 7-4 party line vote today, the second time the bill has come out of the committee this year.

The original version of the bill, which would have limited interest on payday loans to no more than 36 percent a year, never came to a vote on the House floor because supporters could not get the necessary 33 votes to pass it. After sitting in the House for weeks, the bill was finally sent back to Judiciary this week for a rewrite.

The new version of the bill caps interest rates on payday loans at 45 percent and limits lenders to charging no more than a $50 annual origination fee on loans.

Bill sponsor Rep. Mark Ferrandino [2], D-Denver, said he was optimistic the new version could get enough votes on the House floor.

“I think we have a good shot,” he said.


text:
- The Spot - http://blogs.denverpost.com/thespot -

Joe Garcia hopes third time’s the charm; Elbert County’s missing registration fees; Salazar predicts Obama will win Colorado

THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM: Colorado is preparing to enter a third round of competition for federal Race to the Top funds, and Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia [1] is hopeful the state’s luck will change this time around. EducationNews Colorado [2].

ISN’T A SPLIT LEGISLATURE GRAND? Senior legislators declined to get involved Monday in a lawsuit that claims the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights violated the U.S. Constitution. The idea deadlocked on a 3-3 tie, with Republicans wanting to oppose the lawsuit and Democrats refusing. Durango Herald [3]

SMOKIN': The Greeley City Council today will hear a variety of issues involving budget cutting, energy savings and a proposal for a sales tax on cigarettes during its regular work session. Greeley Tribune [4].

YES, I’D LIKE IT BUFFED: The City of Denver workers who took their work trucks to a car wash run by strippers are now on paid leave. 9News [5].

MAP WARS, ROUND XXXVI: Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb [6] on Monday blasted Republican-drawn maps for state House districts as “appalling,” saying they count Arapahoe County jail inmates as minority voters for partisan gain. The Denver Post [7].

SO THERE, JOHN HICKENLOOPER: Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said that he expects Obama to win Colorado next year, and defended him on a number of fronts. The Spot [8].

FOR SALE: The U.S. House is expected to vote this week, perhaps today, on a package of cuts to environmental programs that some Coloradans find simply unacceptable. The Colorado Independent [9].

AT LEAST THEY DIDN’T HAVE TO STAND IN LINE FOR LONG: A former Elbert County DMV clerk was arrested on charges of stealing registration fees. Fox31 Denver [10].


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Posts by Topic: DemocratsRSS feed
July 5, 2015, 10:38 pm

Principles of Liberty grades all GOP lawmakers over any Democrats

Rep. Justin Everett

Rep. Justin Everett, R-Littleton

Sen. Vicki Marble (CGA)

Sen. Vicki Marble. R-Fort Collins

If you have faith in its scorecard, then the Principles of Liberty lean right — all the way to the right. Not a single Democrat in the Colorado House or Senate graded above the lowest-rated Republican. Ouch, but, OK, it’s a very conservative group.

Seven House Republicans got A’s: Justin Everett of Littleton (98.8), Patrick Neville of Castle Rock (97.3), Steve Humphrey of Severance (96.3), Kim Ransom of Douglas County (94.7), Perry Buck of Windsor (93.9), Lori Saine of Firestone (93.9) and Gordon Klingenschmitt of Colorado Springs (88.2, which POL gave an A-minus).

The Senate Republicans had just two members to score A’s — Vicki Marble of Fort Collins (94.3) and Randy Baumgardner of Hot Sulphur Springs (93.2).

Read more…

June 3, 2015, 5:33 pm

Statehouse Democrats score high with Women’s Lobby of Colorado

Colorado Capitol

The Women’s Lobby of Colorado handed out scores to lawmakers based on their performance in the statehouse during the last legislative session. (Photo by Joey Bunch/The Denver Post)

Left-leaning is an understatement for the legislative scorecard released Wednesday evening by the Women’s Lobby of Colorado. Every Democrat except one among the 17 in the Senate got a perfect 100 percent for their voting records on a list of bills chosen by the organization.

The list of bills and how the Women’s Lobby scored each legislator is available online.

Only two of the 34 Democrats in the House missed a perfect score, and those two, Tracy Kraft-Tharp of Arvada and Angela Williams of Denver, scored 91. They lost points for voting against a Democrat-backed bill to create a family and medical leave insurance program and wage replacement program. Because of their votes the bill died, 33-31, in the House. Cheri

Read more…

May 29, 2015, 2:13 pm

Despite signs, Hickenlooper says VP bid “ain’t going to happen”

Gov. John Hickenlooper

Gov. John Hickenlooper continues to be mentioned for a national post, despite his dismissals. (Lewis Geyer/Times-Call)

The 2016 race for the White House is well underway in the early nominating states as new candidates enter seemingly every day and others join the short-list for vice president or administration posts.

So let’s say you’re a governor — for instance, Colorado’s John Hickenlooper — and you’re part of the conversation for president, vice president, cabinet post, ambassadorship, whatever. What’s your next move?

Well, it seems that Hickenlooper is taking all the right steps:

1) Hold political cards. Check. Colorado is one of the top swing states in the nation. And Hickenlooper is not your typical Democrat, with his pro-energy and pro-business background.
2) Raise your profile. Check. Hickenlooper is the president of the bipartisan National Governors Association and recently traveled coast-to-coast to attend high-profile events.
3) Hob-nob with big money and media powerbrokers. Check. As part of his recent trip, Hickenlooper attended the White House Correspondents Association dinner in Washington as the guest of Reuters and days later appeared at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles, a gathering of Wall Street and financial leaders. He also traveled to Switzerland for the World Economic Forum in Davos.
4) Court the top candidates. Check. Hickenlooper is an ally of former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and took him to the General Assembly’s big sine die party the night the legislative session closed. He has also met with the Hillary Clinton camp.
5) Speak to influential groups. Check. In addition to many other big events, Hickenlooper addressed the American Federation of Teachers national conference Friday morning in Denver, in which he mentioned 2016, saying the election has “the potential to change the dynamics of this country.”
6) Write a glowing memoir. Check. Hickenlooper will co-author a book about his life with his senior media adviser Max Potter, who is leaving the office to focus on the project. Hickenlooper even evoked the book title in his address to the teachers.

But in an interview Friday with The Denver Post, the governor said that he’s not interested, despite the signs.

Read more…

Parties see legal shelter for small businesses in a different light

Rep. Brian DelGrosso

Rep. Brian DelGrosso

Rep. Pete Lee

Rep. Pete Lee
D-Colorado Springs

It’s all in how you look at it. When a workplace discrimination case goes to court in Colorado, small businesses deserve some latitude and protection from punitive damages, according to a Republican bill that died in the Democrat-led House Judiciary Committee Thursday on a 7-6 party line vote. Democrats on the committee maintained that the guilty should be held responsible, and the courts could mete out a fair settlement relative to each case.

The sharp difference in perspective was spelled out in the headlines on press releases that came from each parties’ communications team in the House after the hearing.

“Holding the Line Against Workplace Discrimination; Panel Rejects GOP Attempt to Roll Back Penalties Against Most Egregious Offenders,” the Democrats declared. Came the Republicans, “Democrats refuse to create level playing field for small businesses.”

Read more…

Colorado Democrats turn eye toward 2016 presidential election

Hillary Clinton

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the Aspen Ideas Festival last year. (The Associated Press)

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass, is campaigning for U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren campaigned in Colorado for U.S. Sen. Mark Udall. (AP/Charles Dharapak)

The 2016 presidential election is all the rage in Washington and the fever is starting to spread west to Colorado.

This weekend, is coordinating house parties across the nation to encourage Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren to run for president.

Warren has said many times before, including in Colorado, that she is not interested. But it’s not dampening the “Run Warren Run” effort.

A Denver event at a rooftop condo in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, hosted by Steven Olberg, is booked with 40 people registered to attend. Another in Greeley is expecting eight participants and a Colorado Springs event will draw 18, organizers say.

The event is timed one-year-to-the-day before the first votes are cast in the Democratic presidential primary, according to organizers.

An event for an actual potential candidate’s campaign — Democrat Hillary Clinton — is scheduled for Monday in Denver.

Read more…

A new look at Hickenlooper’s win in Colorado

Gov. John Hickenlooper, after winning another four-year term in office, gives his acceptance speech at the state Capitol on Nov. 5. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)

Gov. John Hickenlooper, after winning another four-year term in office, gives his acceptance speech at the state Capitol on Nov. 5. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)

The narrative in Colorado from the 2014 elections: Republican Cory Gardner surged to victory in the U.S. Senate race and Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper barely survived.

This is how it looked on election night and is still portrayed by some today. But as the final picture of the vote materializes — with near-complete returns from Democratic counties now tallied — the scene is different.

Hickenlooper defeated Republican Bob Beauprez by 3.14 percent. Gardner bested Democratic U.S. Sen Mark Udall by 2.16 percent. So Gardner won by a smaller margin, the latest numbers show.

(UPDATE 11/25: The numbers after counties finalized their tallies now give Hickenlooper a 3.35 percent win and Gardner a 1.95 percent victory, the Secretary of State website shows.)

“It’s fair to say Gov. Hickenlooper withstood the red tide better than Cory Gardner rode it,” said Alan Salazar, the governor’s chief political strategist.

One of the most overlooked aspects to the election: Hickenlooper nearly won by the same margin as he did four years ago when you look at the total conservative vote.

Read more…

House Speaker Mark Ferrandino pitches 2014 agenda focused on flood recovery, education

House Speaker Mark Ferrandino and Majority Leader Dickey Lee Hullinghorst on Friday. (Megan Verlee/ CPR)

House Speaker Mark Ferrandino and Majority Leader Dickey Lee Hullinghorst. (Megan Verlee/ CPR News)

House Speaker Mark Ferrandino on Friday laid out three objectives his caucus will address in the upcoming legislative session: the economy, strengthening Colorado’s education system and recovery from last year’s massive floods.

At least one of those objectives is likely to produce solid bipartisan support when his gavel sounds at 10 a.m. Wednesday to convene lawmakers.

“Flood recovery will be one of the first things we deal with in the legislative session,” said Ferrandino, a Denver Democrat, who briefed reporters alongside House Majority Leader Dickey Lee Hullinghorst, a Boulder Democrat. “Flood waters did not discriminate between Democrat and Republican counties. It’s something we should be doing together.”

A bipartisan flood committee has met on several occasions since the September floods and will present legislation that addresses infrastructure, how local jurisdictions can allocate cash to deal with disasters and tax relief for business and home owners.

September’s floods spanned 24 counties and killed 10 people. To date, millions of dollars in state and federal money has gone toward the disaster recovery.

On education, Ferrandino said despite the failure of Amendment 66 last November — a $950 million tax increase for public schools — consensus can be found on legislation that surrounds more transparency in regard to how public school districts spend money and English-language learners.

In a press briefing last week, Republican House Minority Leader Brian DelGrosso echoed similar sentiments, though he stressed this can be accomplished with current state money. By contrast, Ferrandino said Friday additional resources are needed.

Read more…

Colorado Republicans look to add ‘opportunity’ to GOP title in outreach effort

(Colorado Republican Party)

(Colorado Republican Party)

It’s not the Grand Old Party, it’s the Great Opportunity Party.

That’s according to a new voter outreach initiative, in conjunction with the Republican National Committee, on display by the state Republican Party as it heads into 2014. The effort aims to attract, for example, more minorities and young people to the party — which has proven consequential for Republicans nationwide.

Just look at recent history.

Three years ago in Colorado, Democrat Michael Bennet amassed more than 80 percent of the Latino vote (which will continue to grow in Colorado with each election) in his victory over Republican challenger Ken Buck. And in 2012, nationwide 60 percent of those 18 to 29 years of age supported President Barack Obama over Republican Mitt Romney.

Read more…

Mike McAlpine, organizer in Hudak recall, newcomer to lawmaker’s district

Recall organizers. (Recall Hudak Too Facebook page)

Recall organizers. (Recall Hudak Too Facebook page)

A leader in an effort to recall Democratic Sen. Evie Hudak registered as a voter in the lawmaker’s district Oct. 5 — a day after organizers were certified by the secretary of state to begin gathering signatures to have the recall placed on the ballot.

Mike McAlpine was a registered Republican from Boulder, but on Oct. 5 he changed his voter address and party affiliation to unaffiliated, according to Colorado voter records. His new address is the same Arvada address as Laura Woods, the woman who on Oct. 4 had the recall petition format certified by the secretary of state.

McAlpine could not be immediately reached for comment Wednesday.

The newly registered Arvada voter — and Hudak constituent — told The Denver Post in a recent article, “We’re not being heard. We have legislation without any real representation.”

He and organizers in Hudak’s Senate District 19 must gather about 18,900 signatures before a early December deadline in order to have the special election.

In the wake of two successful recalls of state Sens. John Morse and Angela Giron in September, Democrats now have a single-seat majority in the Senate.

Hudak is the target of the recall for her support of stricter gun laws in Colorado, and with Democrats possessing a 18-17 majority in the Senate, it makes the recall attempt amplified even more. Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, the state’s most powerful anti-gun lobby, is working closely with recall organizers.

Read more…

July 12, 2013, 9:24 am

From the Editor’s Desk: Greg Moore interviews Post political reporter Kurtis Lee

With the recalls of Democratic Sens. John Morse and Angela Giron at the forefront of Colorado political news, Denver Post Editor Gregory L. Moore and I discuss where we are in process and the impact of recalls on politicians.

In the 15-minute conversation, we also delve into the 2014 governor’s race and why Republicans believe they have a serious shot at unseating Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper.

Watch previous episodes of From the Editor’s Desk at

Follow Kurtis on Twitter: @kurtisalee

Most Popular


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Archive for November, 2012

A simple way to calculate the day of the week for any day of a given year

Sunday, November 11th, 2012

March 29th

Image: Jeremy Church

The other day I read a tweet about how someone was impressed that a friend had been able to tell them the day of the week given an arbitrary date.

There are a bunch of general methods to do this listed on the Wikipedia page for Determination of the day of the week. Typically, there are several steps involved, and you need to memorize some small tables of numbers.

I used to practice that mental calculation (and many others) when I was about 16. Although all the steps are basic arithmetic, it’s not easy to do the calculation in your head in a couple of seconds. Given that most of these questions that you’re likely to face in day-to-day life will be about the current year, it seemed like it might be a poor tradeoff to learn the complicated method to calculate the day of the week for any date if there was a simpler way to do it for a specific year.

The method I came up with after that observation is really simple. It just requires you to memorize a single 12-digit sequence for the current year. The 12 digits correspond to the first Monday for each month.

For example, the sequence for 2012 is 265-274-263-153. Suppose you’ve memorized the sequence and you need to know the day of the week for March 29th. You can trivially calculate that it’s a Thursday. You take the 3rd digit of the sequence (because March is the 3rd month), which is 5. That tells you that the 5th of March was a Monday. Then you just go backward or forward as many weeks and days as you need. The 5th was a Monday, so the 12th, 19th, and 26th were too, which means the 29th was a Thursday.

It’s nice because the amount you need to memorize is small, and you can memorize less digits if you only want to cover a shorter period. The calculation is very simple and always the same in every case, and you never have to think about leap years. At the start of each year you just memorize a single sequence, which is quickly reinforced once you use it a few times.

Here’s Python code to print the sequence for any year.

#!/usr/bin/env python

import datetime, sys

    year = int(sys.argv[1])
except IndexError:
    year = datetime.datetime.today().year

firstDayToFirstMonday = ['1st', '7th', '6th', '5th', '4th', '3rd', '2nd']
months = ['Jan', 'Feb', 'Mar', 'Apr', 'May', 'Jun',
          'Jul', 'Aug', 'Sep', 'Oct', 'Nov', 'Dec']
summary = ''

for month in range(12):
    firstOfMonth = datetime.datetime(year, month + 1, 1).weekday()
    firstMonday = firstDayToFirstMonday[firstOfMonth]
    print months[month], firstMonday
    summary += firstMonday[0]

print 'Summary:', '-'.join(summary[x:x+3] for x in range(0, 12, 3))

The output for 2012 looks like

Jan 2nd
Feb 6th
Mar 5th
Apr 2nd
May 7th
Jun 4th
Jul 2nd
Aug 6th
Sep 3rd
Oct 1st
Nov 5th
Dec 3rd
Summary: 265-274-263-153

The memory task is made simpler by the fact that there are only 14 different possible sequences. Or, if you consider just the last 10 digits of the sequences (i.e., starting from March), there are only 7 possible sequences. There are only 14 different sequences, so if you use this method in the long term, you’ll find the effort of remembering a sequence will pay off when it re-appears. E.g., 2013 and 2019 both have sequence 744-163-152-742. There are other nice things you can learn that can also make the memorization and switching between years easier (see the Corresponding months section on the above Wikipedia page).

Here are the sequences through 2032:

2012 265-274-263-153
2013 744-163-152-742
2014 633-752-741-631
2015 522-641-637-527
2016 417-426-415-375
2017 266-315-374-264
2018 155-274-263-153
2019 744-163-152-742
2020 632-641-637-527
2021 411-537-526-416
2022 377-426-415-375
2023 266-315-374-264
2024 154-163-152-742
2025 633-752-741-631
2026 522-641-637-527
2027 411-537-526-416
2028 376-315-374-264
2029 155-274-263-153
2030 744-163-152-742
2031 633-752-741-631
2032 521-537-526-416


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David Richards

The Whitehall battlelines over Afghanistan are coming into focus. General Sir David Richards this morning made absolutely clear he is a commander who is unwilling to be hurried out of Helmand, whatever the prime minister might think.

In his first major interview as chief of defence staff, he rules reducing troop numbers next year and says Britain will stay “as long as it takes”. His words to The Sun leave some room for manoeuvre. (Downing Street are insisting he is “of the same mind” as the prime minister.) But they certainly do not chime with David Cameron’s recent pronouncements. The differences in nuance are obvious.

They give a flavour of a behind-the-scenes debate that will grow in importance. Indeed differences camps almost mirror those in Washington, with Obama and Cameron pitted against the Two Davids (Petraeus and Richards) over the pace and timing of withdrawal.

There is one line in the Richards interview that underlines these emerging alliances. “As long as we continue to put faith in Dave Petraeus and hold our nerve, then I think we can do it,” he says. “It’s definitely winnable.”

This military faith in the mission contrasts markedly with the advice David Cameron is receiving from his spies. John Sawers, the head of MI6, is warning that Britain is overly focussed on a small part of Afghanistan while the threats to Britain are growing elsewhere.

It is worth comparing Richards’ words with those of Cameron.

 Read more


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Our group arrived back in Greenville around 8:30 yesterday evening! We were all exhausted but eager to tell stories of our experiences! We had an amazing week serving God and others and learning more about ourselves!

Here are a few more pictures from the last couple days of our trip:

Every Evening after dinner we would meet as a group and we read through Colossians. It was good to gather and talk about the day and what we were learning.

Wednesday evening we had a cookout at one of the houses a group was working on. People from the neighborhood came and visited and had hot dogs with us!

We had so much fun getting to know all the kids who came to play ball, do side-walk chalk, or just hang out with us!

We were so excited to meet Miracle, a little girl who we had been praying for!

These are some kids we met from The Vine church in Texas! It was wonderful to get to spend some time with these junior high kids who were so willing to give up their Spring Break to help others!

We really did spend most of our time working… Jordan is cutting boards to place as stabilizers in the walls so that the next team who comes in can continue making Miss. Connie’s house a place to be lived in!

Most of the days we had to wear masks because the work we were doing was really filthy.

Steven, Prof. Munshaw, and Dr. Watterson are tearing down an old wall that was unstable. The plan was to replace the wall but when Miss Connie saw the big open room, she loved it and did not want the wall replaced!

Isaac and Jordan spent a lot of time putting braces in the walls to make them more sturdy.

–Shelby Riddle

When I was in New Orleans, I was really touched by how friendly and open

the people of New Orleans are. Miss Connie welcomed us by cooking delicious

meals that were clearly a labor of love, and the people hanging out on their porches

were really friendly. They are a people who truly desire Christian community. Also,

I think that it was pretty awesome how, when we were praying during the cookout

Wednesday night, the old man literally ran to our prayer circle to join us and how

his fellow residents welcomed him in even though they probably didn’t know him.

My question is whether most Christians would be that welcoming to that man. I

think the answer is no. I hope that I’m wrong.

-Steven Davis

Going into this spring break trip to New Orleans I wasn’t really sure what to expect.  I had been on a couple mission trips before and I knew going in that I had a passion for mission work, but I had no idea how much this trip would change who I am.  I want to say that putting in hard work on a house that won’t be finished for a while gave me a better work ethic or that God spoke to me in some spectacular way this week by working on this house, but it wouldn’t be true.  God showed me that it’s okay to step outside of my comfort zone and talk to people that I normally wouldn’t even consider talking to.  Because I was willing to listen to stories I was opened to a new perspective on struggles and seeking God in them.  A lot of the people I met in New Orleans didn’t have much but they thanked God for everything, they had a lot taken from them when Katrina came through but they are praising Him in this storm, which is something I find hard to do and I have a lot more than they do.  I was extremely blessed by the relationships I got to build with the people in New Orleans and all of the groups that we met that were also there to help.

-Jessica Przybylski


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April 25, 2014

The 82-year-old said he’d seen a couple of copperheads behind a mobile home he used as storage. So he thought Thursday was a pretty enough day to “smoke ’em out,” he told a Post reporter.

(Thanks to art Kraus)

Feed You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

Oh, come on, we've all done that once or twice. My friends got thrown out of a frat party so they hid in a garden shed waiting for the crowd to get bigger so they could sneak back in. One of them smoked. Later the shed burned down and caught the house on fire. The frats were blamed but my friends were horrified.

Um, oops?

Anybody bring the wieners?

Oscar Meyer not Anthony!!!

Copperheads are normally not aggressive toward humans, and presumably they were eating rodents in or near his storage buildings. There seems to have been an eclipse of the brain before he started the fire.

I hope somebody was there to hold his beer.

I stopped my daughter from accidentally stepping on a 30 inch Copperhead on a trail.
When the snake realized we weren't going to hurt her, she was comfortable enough to explore the area and cross the trail in the middle of our little group.
I got a couple of close-up photos of her during which she never even got in a strike position.
Most people who are hurt by snakes are hurt while trying to harm the snake.
There's a lesson there if we can only learn.

Did it work?

Good thing St. Patrick wasn't related to this guy.

David Eddings, the fantasy author, once decided to flush out his gas tank with water. Then he was worried that the puddles might be flammable, so he lit a match. Yeah, the car and part of his house, and all his manuscripts.

The only problem with copperheads is that due to their camouflage, they are often stepped on by accident, provoking bites.

He should move to Flathead County. He'd fit right in.

Maybe someone should try this in the Everglades. What could go wrong?

It is heartening to this biologist to see some snake appreciation on the blog. They are an ancient, successful and highly diverse group of critters.

Whe I was a kid, I ran over one on my bike. I was barefoot, and it struck at my foor but missed because I was squashing it. Then my neighbor and I had to finish it off. It is basically a 'stealth rattlesnake' with no rattle.

So much for snake appreciation Alien8.

Don't try being nice to a cottonmouth. They will come at you with their mouth open and their fangs out.

The comments to this entry are closed.

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What happened to pinball?

by | Nov 25, 2009 01:24 PM ET

It's not quite this bad for pinball fans, but it's pretty close.

© iStockphoto.com/steinphoto

Growing up in the '70s and '80s, I spent a lot of time in arcades and skating rinks. And I love pinball. Unfortunately, virtually all of the giant game manufacturers -- at least, the ones still in operation -- have discontinued the game. As far as I know, Stern Pinball is the only company in the United States still making machines.

Anyhow, last night I was listening to Marketplace on American Public Radio and I heard an interview with Jeff Ely, an economics professor at Northwestern University, who wrote about the economics of pinball for his blog Cheap Talk.

This isn't an economics blog, so I'll spare you the grisly details, but I had wondered what happened to all the pinball machines. After all, it's fun. There are tons of computer pinball games. I still see them every once in a while in a hotel amusement room or at mall arcades (tucked way, way in the back, though). So someone must be playing them. Are people so thrilled with electronic graphics that they've become bored with mechanical games?

Ely actually met a pinball designer by chance at a party. In fact, the designer had created some of Ely's favorite games, notably Black Knight and High Speed. So he figured he'd ask some questions. And as it turned out, both of those machines had a part to play in the near-demise of pinball as an arcade staple.

Black Knight, released in 1980, was among the first machines that incorporated digital displays, ramps and multi-ball play, according to Ely. And then came High Speed. Before this machine was produced, factory settings determined how a player could earn a free game. It was set, and that was that. But High Speed, Ely said, was the first to use a computer algorithm to adjust the free-game reward on a sliding scale based on the scores of those playing. Apparently, Ely said, the idea was to make sure that a certain subgroup of people, say the top 5 percent of all scorers, automatically got a free game. In time, the algorithms were adjusted for scenarios in which pinball masters couldn't take advantage of free games from machines played primarily by inexperienced players, who, naturally, would get lower scores.

Here's a video of a High Speed machine on YouTube, if you'd like to see what it looks like when it's on:

And then there's the match draw. If you've played newer pinball machines, this is where, after your game is finished, you see a two-digit number (a multiple of 10) pop up. The machine then randomly generates a second. If the two match, woohoo! Free game! If not, you're gonna have to pay for another game. But the computer algorithm can also be adjusted here, too. Ely said if the machine sits unplayed for a few minutes, you're more likely to get a match. If you keep pumping quarters (or tokens) in, it assumes you're going to be playing anyway, and if you're willing to pay to play...

Ely said that pinball players' skills transfer well from machine to machine. This is a problem for designers -- they had to keep throwing more bells and whistles into the machines to keep the fanatics pumping money into the machines. By the time High Speed came out, pinball games were competing squarely with video games, which could get progressively harder. Pinball, physical medium that it is, can't.

So designers made the machines harder to keep wizards from scoring free game after free game. And new players couldn't get into the games because they were so difficult. That cut down on the numbers of people playing pinball. Which brought in less money. And there you have it.

Are you a pinball fan? Do you miss the games?

If you're interested in more about games, take a look at these related articles on HowStuffWorks.com:

How Pinball Machines Work

How to Build Your Own Arcade Machine from an Old Computer

Video -- How It's Made: Pinball Machines

More To Explore


text:
Progressive discipline prevails—even where harassment proven

June 09, 2013 0 COMMENTS

By Keri Bennett

When a long-service costume designer was dismissed following a workplace harassment investigation, a British Colombia arbitrator found the company’s no-hire ban for all future productions to be excessive, since there was a lack of progressive discipline.

Despite finding that the fired employee had engaged in longstanding and widespread harassment of junior employees, the arbitrator in Warner Bros. Television (B.C.) Inc. ruled that even the least remorseful of employees is entitled to an opportunity to change his or her behavior.

read more…


text:
What I Will Miss: Part OneEuropean Union, Fall 2011

As I sit here, attempting to process the fact that I’m leaving Germany tomorrow, it seems an appropriate time to start compiling the list of what I’ll miss. First, I will miss the city of Freiburg in general. I will always remember the gorgeous town center. I had no idea a McDonalds could be so scenic, but in Freiburg even the golden arches somehow look European. According to IES statistics, on average students return to their study abroad cities 8 to 9 times over the course of their lives, and I look forward to regressing to that mean. Second, the travelling aspect of this program will be difficult to recreate. Travelling to some of the coolest cities in Europe with 54 great friends has easily been the highlight of my study abroad experience. I definitely appreciate Europe on a whole different level, and I’m sure all of us will travel Europe again in the near future. However, I will greatly miss being able to appreciate the wonder of each new city with such a large group of like minded students. Third, I will miss the random German interactions. These are really tough to specify, but have been such a positive aspect of this semester. It’s the patient laughter of the bakery employees as we struggle to order pretzels, or those moments where a roommate takes a polite greeting way too seriously (how is it going or see you later come to mind). One of my most triumphant moments since being here was when the owner of the bratwurst stand I frequented (read: obsessed over) gave me a 50 cent discount. As my eyes teared up with gratitude and his warm expression embraced me as a son, I knew I had made it in Freiburg. Also, while I am entirely indifferent to sports, I will miss the boundless fervor Germans (and all Europeans) have for soccer. Walking into a restaurant and hearing half the patrons scream over a goal is an awesomely common experience, and hearing people sing the 15 to 20 fight songs on the way to each game is inspiring.
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About the new Inside Loyola

A one-stop-shop of Loyola's most popular and useful Web resources.

A - Z Index

Holiday happenings at Loyola

As we dust off our mittens and winter parkas, order our coffee in holiday-styled cups, and marvel at the giant camels placed along Sheridan Road, we can only know one thing for sure: the holiday season is upon us, and Loyola celebrations are gearing up into full swing.

Kicking off the festivities is the second annual Christmas on Campus, a one-day service event where Loyola students partner up with a child from Chicago Public Schools for a day of holiday fun in Gentile Arena. Individuals and student groups sign up to participate, either to walk around with a child or to set up the activity stations. Last year, about 100 children participated.

Christmas on Campus originated at the University of Dayton almost 50 years ago. Two Loyola juniors learned of this event from a high school teacher in St. Louis who replicated it at their school. Last year, they decided to bring it to Loyola.

Alex Boesch, a junior psychology major, is one of the founders of Loyola’s Christmas on Campus. He says that organizing this event went pretty smoothly, largely due to the number of fellow Loyolans who wanted to help out.

“As soon as we expressed excitement about [Christmas on Campus], resources were laid at our feet,” Boesch says. “[Student] clubs are making up these creative holiday activities, games, and crafts for the kids to enjoy, and they are funding and manning it themselves.”

Boesch says that when students volunteer at Christmas on Campus, they are “making [a] child the center of the world for a few hours.”

Above all, this event allows the entire Loyola community to come together and give back.

“Around the holidays you bring your family together and you come together under the Jesuit ideal of social justice and caring for the full person, the cura personalis. It’s trying to do that by giving someone else a holiday experience,” he says.

Christmas on Campus will take place on December 2 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Gentile Arena.

Here are a few more holiday events taking place on Loyola’s campuses.

  • The Cuneo Mansion and Gardens Holiday Light Show will shine throughout the Village of Vernon Hills from November 23 to December 31 (except December 24-25). Families can drive through 97 acres of holiday lights while listening to Christmas songs on a local radio station. Admission is $5 per car from Monday through Thursday and $10 per car from Friday through Sunday.
  • The Loyola University Museum of Art (LUMA) is showcasing a couple of holiday exhibitions. For the fifth year, Art and Faith of the Crèche: The Collection of James and Emilia Govan will display nativity scenes from around the world. This year features 11 new scenes. Also at LUMA is Christmas Greetings: The Graphic Design of Melville P. Steinfels and Margaret Hollahan Steinfels. The couple designed and made their own holiday cards from 1926 until the late 1980s. Visit the LUMA website for more information on the current exhibitions.
  • The Centennial Forum Student Union will light up with the annual tree lighting on Tuesday, December 4, at 5 p.m. A blessing and student group performance will accompany the lighting of the 16-foot tree. Come out and enjoy music and snacks provided by Chicago Chocolate Company.
  • On the first four weekends in December, the Cuneo Mansion and Gardens will host a theatrical rendition of The Velveteen Rabbit, a favorite holiday story written by Margery Williams. Admission for children under 12 is $5, and adults are $7. Attendees who bring an unwrapped gift for Toys for Tots can enjoy a free mug of hot chocolate before the show. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
  • One of Loyola’s most popular events of the year, Joyola!, returns to campus on December 6, at 7:30 p.m., in the Mundelein Auditorium. Come and get in the holiday spirit with student musicians as they perform secular seasonal hits and jazz variations.
  • Come join the community and Loyola’s neighbors for the annual Community Holiday Party on December 19, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m in Mundelein Center. Community partners and neighbors can come together to celebrate the season as well as collect food items to help support a local food pantry. This year’s celebration will have a theme of sustainability, using reusable dishes and utensils as well as local and eco-friendly catering. More information can be found at the event page, as well as a link to RSVP.
  • The annual University Christmas Luncheon for faculty, staff, and retirees will take place on December 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Gentile Arena. Father Garanzini will host this popular event, which features door prizes, lunch, entertainment, and more.
  • The Midnight Mass at Madonna della Strada Chapel is a Loyola tradition. Starting just before midnight on December 24, attendees can ring in Christmas Day with traditional Christmas carols and a holy feast.

Click here for a full list of holiday events.


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    Admission Ramblings
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    Ramblin' with a Camera
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    Rambler's Pie: A Fresh Slice of Loyola
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    Lakeside Musings
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    Chicago Life and Loyola Love

Pomp, Circumstance, and Tassels

Posted on: March 19th, 2014 by Mary Mason 1 Comment

photo (3)

Spring semester is flying by, and seniors on campus are already buzzing about send off activities to wind down our final days at Loyola.

Today was certainly another reminder that graduation is just around the corner.  Seniors were instructed to pick up their graduation gear from Damen MPR between 9:30 AM and 6:30 PM.  After dishing out a good chunk of change for my cap and gown, I was happy to enjoy some free spoils.  Food, snacks, and various Loyola trinkets were offered at tables all over the room.  I was feeling rather unfazed by the whole thing, that is until a woman offered me congratulations as I walked out the door.  Then it hit me how close I am to graduating, how Loyola has really changed me, and how much I’m going to miss my years in college.

So as my new graduation gown hangs looming in my closet, I look forward to all the fun activities to come.  I can’t wait to celebrate!

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One Response

  1. avatar Georgie B says:

    I think you forgot to mention that you will miss your friends. especially your bomb booty roommates. specifically the best one.


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Ex-Goldman Sachs trader says his $8.25 million bonus was not enough

June 19, 2014, 4:26 PM ET

Former Goldman Sachs trader Deeb Salem is arguing in court that his 2010 bonus of $8.25 million should have been bigger and that he expected it to be more like $13 million, the amount he told his mother he would get paid.

Getty Images

In an arbitration hearing, the 35-year-old mortgage trader said he was led to believe by executives that his bonus would be higher, and it was unfairly cut because of a written warning over his written self-evaluation in 2007, according to a report in Bloomberg.

Goldman Sachs /quotes/zigman/188479/delayed /quotes/nls/gs GS , however, argues he was evaluated on his work and the bonus size is at the firm’s discretion.

The Bloomberg report includes some other juicy tidbits, including that Salem was paid more than $35 million in six years. Salem, a Princeton University graduate, worked his way up to head of trading for the structured product group and led the desk during the mortgage crisis.

“Let’s be very clear: I was one of the most sought-after investment professionals in the mortgage industry,” Salem said during a Feb. 25 hearing with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

FINRA ultimately ruled against the young trader’s demand for more money, and Salem’s attorney took the case to the New York State Supreme Court.

After getting a bonus of $3 million in 2011, Salem left Goldman for hedge fund GoldenTree Asset Management, according to the report.

– Sital S. Patel

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Fanduel Fantasy Football
« ELSEWHERE ON THE FARM (Expanded version) | Back to Main Page | ORR'S HERE, AND READY TO GO ... »
May 22, 2011
Posted at 09:00:19 PM on May 22, 2011
Comments: 0
Read/Post Comments

Sounds like changes are coming to the IronPigs ...

First and foremost is that Vance Worley won't be starting Monday's game against Gwinnett. He's heading to Philadelphia where he will be starting Tuesday against the Reds as Joe Blanton goes back on the disabled list. If it turns out to be a lengthy stay on the DL, we won't see Worley for quite a while unless he can't handle the job.

Nate Bump, Tuesday's scheduled starter, will now "start" Monday's game -- the real starter will be Jose Contreras on a rehab assignment. Eddie Bonine will take Bump's Tuesday morning slot.

Contreras' apparent imminent return would seem to indicate that someone will be returning to the IronPigs bullpen, either Michael Stutes or David Herndon, in the foreseeable future.

Pete Orr should also be arriving in the next few days. My guess is newly acquired Niuman Romero will be either sent to Reading or let go. BUT don't forget, it's opt-out season, and the way Josh Barfield has been playing he might be attract some opportunities from other organizations.

The big question is what happens when Scott Podsednik arrives, perhaps as early as Monday. The Phillies didn't sign him to make the IronPigs stronger. They signed him to see if he can help them on the major league level, and they don't want to waste any time finding out what he can do. Room will have to be made for him on the roster, so the next few days should be interesting. Again, remember that it's opt-out season, and several of the outfielders have such clauses.

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