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Predection: Memorial Day sales will drive auto industry to 14.2 million SAAR
(May 23, 2012) IRVINE, Calif. — Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com) projects that Memorial Day shopping will propel new-vehicle sales to approach 1.4 million units, or 14.2 million seasonally adjusted annual sales rate (SAAR), in May, a nearly 30 percent year-over-year improvement.
After adjusting for the two additional selling days this month and a major car-selling holiday weekend, sales are projected to show a 20 percent gain. This will mark the most pronounced year-over-year gain in more than 12 months.
"At this point, it is almost as if the tail is wagging the dog," said Alec Gutierrez, senior market analyst of automotive insights for Kelley Blue Book. "During a typical post-recession recovery, we would expect to see auto sector gains being driven by broad economic growth. In the first quarter, the opposite was true, as auto sales were the primary driver behind GDP growth and have consistently been a bright spot in an otherwise slow-paced recovery."
Vehicle sales accounted for half of the 2.2 percent increase in the first-quarter gross domestic product (GDP), highlighting the fact that economic growth largely has been driven by increases in production and revenue generated by automotive manufacturers.
Although Kelley Blue Book expects a significant increase in sales relative to May 2011, it is important to consider the context behind the relatively mild pace of sales at this time last year. Aging vehicles, improved access to credit and historically low interest rates are among the primary factors driving demand this year, and Kelley Blue Book analysts expect this trend will continue to carry sales in May and beyond.
Last year, Toyota and Honda were hit hard by inventory shortages stemming from the earthquake in Japan on March 11, 2011. Both company's anemic inventory levels during popular Memorial Day sales events muted the usual sales bump expected in May 2011. Toyota and Honda's shortfall led to a 3.7 percent decline in sales this time last year, curtailing the strong growth exhibited through the first four months of 2011. Kelley Blue Book expects 2012 to be much different, as the industry appears to have ample inventory to meet the anticipated uptick in demand.
"With inventory shortfalls no longer a concern, budget-conscious consumers will look to incentives and advertised sales events to help narrow their purchase decisions," said Gutierrez. "Car shoppers will be pleased to find plenty of incentives available in terms of cash, finance and lease offers for a number of popular models. The most attractive offers are for those vehicles expected to be redesigned later this year, including the Nissan Altima, Honda Accord and Ford Escape."
Toyota to Post Huge Gains as Industry Hits 14.2 Million SAAR
YOY%
Toyota Motor Co
Chrysler Group
Nissan NA
1,378,000*
*Includes brands not shown
Chrysler will continue to trump its domestic counterparts in May, with an expected 40 percent year-over-year increase in sales, or 30 percent after adjusting for a few extra selling days this month. Chrysler gained nearly 5 points in market share after plummeting to 7.4 percent share in the summer of 2009, just prior to its bankruptcy announcement.
"Since being acquired by Fiat, Chrysler has performed a remarkable turnaround that largely has been product driven," said Gutierrez. "The 200, 300, Grand Cherokee, Durango and soon-to-be released Dart are just a few of the vehicles that are critical to Chrysler's turnaround."
In recent months, Chrysler has kicked up its sales growth through increased incentive spending, so consumers seeking value should take note. The brand's best deals are available on the 200 and 300 sedans, which are available each with more than $2,000 in cash rebates. In addition, shoppers of all Chrysler products, including Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Fiat that finance through Ally Financial or Chase Auto Finance by May 31 will be eligible to defer payments for 90 days. The Dodge Dart should be arriving at dealerships in the next few months, and Kelley Blue Book expects Chrysler to continue capturing share in the months ahead.


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House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday rebuffed Majority Leader Eric Cantor's (R-Va.) invitation to sit together at the State of the Union address, informing the Republican lawmaker — via Twitter — that she had already accepted an invitation from another colleague from across the aisle, Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.).
This whole DC prom situation is fairly nauseating, but what I wouldn't give to be a beer goggles salesman at this little soiree tonight.
What do you all think about inviting victims of the Tucson shooting (and some of their relatives) to sit in the First Lady's box tonight?
The 50 or more members of Congress participating in this "bipartisan seating" love-fest (and they called reading the Constitution on the House floor a "stunt"?) have already virtually admitted the shootings were politically motivated, so some Republicans have played completely into the left's hands on this. I won't be surprised to see Lisa Murkowski in a "Together We Thrive" t-shirt before the night is through.
Later I'll start another thread for anybody who wants to drop by and comment on and/or mock the proceedings.


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Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 camera
A high-end camera that produced inconsistent image quality
Elias Plastiras
@pcworldau
Good manual control
Hinged EVF and LCD
Fast performance
Image quality not as crisp as we expected
Focus and clarity were inconsistent in our tests
Focus peaking feature too subtle
There is a wide body, extra controls, and a hinged viewfinder that can be directed upwards. All of these features immediately point to the fact that the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 is for experienced hands, rather than users only now getting their feet wet in photography. It's a 20-megapixel camera that commands the user's attention, and even though it still has scene modes and an intelligent auto function that can do all the work for you, if you make extensive use of those features, then you're better off with a simpler, much less expensive camera.
From the outset, this is a mirrorless, Micro Four Thirds based camera with a wide body that makes it feel like a giant in its category. Extra controls are in place to change exposure compensation and focus on a whim, and there are two dials for honing the aperture and shutter values in manual mode. The LCD screen can be used as the viewfinder for angled shots, and you can enable the setting 'Constant Preview' in the menu so that your exposure changes will be displayed on the screen in real-time.
Mostly, this is a camera for a creative minds, and also for those of you who have aspirations of shooting 4K video. Panasonic puts a firm emphasis on 4K video, perhaps because it's also a prominent 4K TV maker. It also claims that 4K can be a user aid for still photography. A 4K still mode allows you to record bursts of 4K video, and then extract a still image from that video. It can work either by you pressing and holding the shutter button to capture your video, or it can take a short burst after you press the shutter once.
A still image from the 4K video will be eight megapixels rather than the 20-megapixel still mode that is native to this camera, but it's a feature that can be used when a video is more likely to capture your desired action than a still shot. The thing is, though, who needs 4K still shot mode when you have a super-fast continuous shooting mode that can rattle off about 170 shots in 20 seconds? We used continuous burst shooting when we wanted to capture action shots, primarily because we wanted to make sure we captured them at the highest possible resolution.
At this point we'll mention that the camera should be kept still when you want to shoot 4K video. You'll get better results if you place the camera on a tripod to record a scene, rather than handholding or moving the camera while you shoot. When you move the camera, the 4K video can tear or look wobbly.
In our still shot tests, the DMC-GX8 was inconsistent. We tested it with one of its kit lenses, the 14-140mm, and a lot of the time we didn't get the image clarity we expected with this combination. A lot of our shots ended up looking blurred and feathered when we viewed them at their native size on our computer monitor, more so than what we expected out of a camera that is positioned as a high-end model. In fact, many of the test shots that we take in natural environments didn't fare so well with the DMC-GX8. Only a small percentage of shots looked the way we expected.
Taking this camera for a spin around Sydney's Botanic Gardens, we found ourselves harnessing the hinged LCD screen, rather than looking through the electronic view finder (EVF). Even though the EVF can be angled upwards, we enjoyed the freedom of being able to position the camera into low-down angles, and to shoot 'around corners' so to speak, and found the EVF a little limiting in this environment.
In the brightness of day, the LCD screen was quite sharp and it was easy to see what was going on, unless the light was hitting the screen directly. Touch is supported, meaning you can tap anywhere on the screen to set a focus point. If you're like us and you turn off the camera's beeps, then you will have to look closely at the colour of the focus square to make sure it's green when you are using the autofocus modes (single shot, or continuous).
Focus peaking is available for when you want to use manual focus, but we found it to be of little use. Highlighted areas were tiny and many times very hard to see when using the LCD screen, despite the camera blowing up part of the focus area so that we could see it clearer. There was always too narrow a range of focus on each focal plane, unlike what we're used to seeing from this feature with other cameras (such as on Olympus' OM-D models).
Moving back to the image quality, it was perhaps our love of the LCD screen that caused some of our photos to turn out blurry when viewed at their native size. But the camera has both sensor and lens optical image stabilisation (OIS), which is meant to counter movements from handshake. More to the point, we also made sure our shutter speed was never too low, and turned up the ISO as needed in darker areas to keep the shutter speed up, mindful that this might cause noise and softness if we went too high (the default ISO is 200).
We did use the lens at 140mm a lot of the time, but we also made sure that our shutter time was longer than our focal length, and again, this is another reason for having OIS. We could see the effects of the IOS clearly through the viewfinder and LCD screen when we disabled and re-enabled the feature. At 140mm, the image jolted slightly in the frame when OIS was disabled, but then appeared steady and smooth when we enabled OIS.
At the end of the day, what we came away with were images that exhibited a lack of sharpness at the expected focal point when using either auto or manual focus, and some of our images even showed haloing and a form of ghosting.
Of course, we picked all these things out when we viewed the photos at their native size. At 'social media' size, they looked fantastic. This is a $2000 camera that won't just be used for social media sharing, but for photos that will perhaps be cropped or printed at large sizes, so the clarity of the images is of the utmost importance. Even an entry-level camera such as Canon's EOS 760D, which costs under $1500 with a 24-105mm lens, produced crisper results.
Read more Panasonic HC-WX970M camcorder
All images are JPEGs taken straight from the camera. They have been resized to fit this page. A 100 per cent view is presented beneath each full image.
Read more Panasonic Viera UHD TV review: good hardware, fragmented software
Read more Nikon 1 J5 mirrorless camera
Read more on these topics: Panasonic, Cameras
Sony's new Alpha A7R IV has a 61-megapixel full-frame sensor
We Got a Fujifilm Instax Mini LiPlay and Used It To Print Memes
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The Argentine Polo Association (AAP) has announced the official schedule of the 2009 Fall Polo Season. Please bookmark this page and check regularly for updates, since there may be changes in the upcoming months.
Three Levels: up to 9 years -up to 12 years - up to 15 years of age.
Categories: up to 9 years -up to 12 years - up to 15 years of age.
For 0 to 6 goal-teams.
April 10, 11 and 12 de Abril.
CLUB LA ESPADAÑA - LOBOS (BS. AS).
For teams over 18 goals.
For 12 to 16 goal teams classified in the provinces of Salta, Jujuy, Tucumán, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, Corrientes, Mendoza (San Juan and San Luis), La Pampa, Neuquén and Córdoba.
The final round will be played in the province of Tucumán.
For teams between 8 and 12 goals.
July 9, 10, 11 and 12 de julio.


1885 Society members are invited to engage with the UA's leaders at exclusive events.
1885 Society members may make contributions to multiple unrestricted funds throughout the year to reach the minimum $10,000 annual gift. Recognition in the 1885 Society is based on giving from July 1 – June 30.


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OSSAA sets Class A, Class B baseball state tournament brackets
by Jacob Unruh
Published: Mon, April 29, 2019 3:07 PM Updated: Mon, April 29, 2019 3:07 PM
The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association announced Monday the brackets for the Class A and Class B baseball state tournaments.
Tournaments begin Thursday, with both Class A at Dolese Park and Class B at Shawnee for the first two rounds. Saturday's championships are at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.
Here are the brackets:
at Dolese Park
Stonewall vs. Fletcher, 11 a.m.
Wright City vs. Southwest Covenant, 1:30 p.m.
Rattan vs. Tushka, 4 p.m.
Canute vs. Shattuck, 6:30 p.m.
Rattan-Tushka winner vs. Stonewall-Fletcher winner, 11 a.m.
Wright City-Southwest Covenant winner vs. Canute-Shattuck winner, 1:30 p.m.
at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark
Championship, 12:05 p.m.
at Shawnee High School
Red Oak vs. Leedey, 11 a.m.
Fort Cobb-Broxton vs. Asher, 1:30 p.m.
Whitesboro vs. Drummond, 4 p.m.
Roff vs. Lookeba-Sickles, 6:30 p.m.
Roff/Lookeba-Sickles winner vs. Fort Cobb-Broxton/Asher winner, 3:30 p.m.
Red Oak-Leedey winner vs. Whitesboro-Drummond winner, 6 p.m.
Championship, 2:30 p.m.
Jacob Unruh
Jacob Unruh is a graduate of Northeastern State University. He was born in Cherokee and raised near Vera where he attended Caney Valley High School.During his tenure at NSU, Unruh wrote for The Northeastern (NSU's student newspaper), the... Read more ›
CommentsOSSAA sets Class A, Class B baseball state tournament brackets


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La val di Mello è una valle laterale della val Masino in provincia di Sondrio. Fa parte del comune di Val Masino.

Descrizione
L'origine del nome è da ricercarsi nel paese di Mello, comune non contiguo alla valle, in quanto posizionato circa 20 km più a Ovest, sulla Costiera dei Cech, i cui abitanti (melat) fin dai secoli passati hanno diritto di pascolo in questa valle.

La Val di Mello inizia dal paese di San Martino e termina contro il gruppo del monte Disgrazia, precisamente contro la sua anticima o Monte Pioda, anche se la vetta del Monte Disgrazia risulta visibile al di là della cresta spartiacque.
Il versante sinistro orografico della val di Mello, che è grossolanamente orientata da ovest a est, risulta quindi esposto a nord e ombroso ed è caratterizzato da valloni brevi e molto ripidi, molto selvaggi e poco frequentati da escursionisti ed arrampicatori.
Il versante opposto, in pieno sole, presenta invece alcuni grandi valloni secondari, a partire dalla testata la val Cameraccio, la val Torrone, la val di Zocca, la val Qualido e la val del Ferro, caratterizzati da stupende pareti rocciose, spettacolari circhi morenici e pianori alternati a salti percorsi da cascate.
Attualmente i fenomeni glaciali sono molto ridotti all'estremità superiore dei circhi ed i piccoli ghiacciai rimasti, tranne qualche eccezione, sono poco più che nevai perenni.

Un famoso sentiero in quota, detto sentiero Roma, proveniente e terminante in valli adiacenti, collega le testate dei grandi valloni secondari con un percorso escursionistico certamente tra i più spettacolari delle Alpi.
Ma l'aspetto più caratteristico di tutta la valle e delle sue valli laterali è l'enorme estensione delle pareti rocciose che si presentano lisce, chiare e luminose e creano un paesaggio estremamente particolare spingendosi dalle più alte vette, che superano i tremila metri, fino a lambire il fondovalle al di sotto dei mille metri di quota. La natura litologica della zona, in gran parte caratterizzata da una roccia granitoide detta ghiandone, molto compatta ed idonea all'arrampicata, unita appunto all'estensione delle pareti rocciose, fanno della val di Mello una delle destinazioni scelte dagli arrampicatori.
Le sue caratteristiche la rendono una meta appetibile per escursionisti, alpinisti e amanti della montagna.

Riserva naturale

Nel gennaio 2009 la Regione Lombardia ha riconosciuto la Val di Mello come riserva naturale, divenendo così l'area protetta più vasta della Lombardia.

La riserva consiste di due zone: una riserva "integrale" e una "zona speciale".

La riserva integrale si estende sulla sinistra orografica e l'accesso è possibile solo per il personale forestale autorizzato. Sulla destra orografica invece si estende la zona protetta speciale che include anche piccoli siti rurali abitati e le valli adiacenti, come la Val del Ferro. È possibile entrare con la propria autovettura nella zona speciale solo in certi periodi dell'anno. Durante il periodo estivo bisogna obbligatoriamente lasciare l'automobile nel comune di San Martino (il paese più alto della Val Masino, situato all'imbocco della Val di Mello). Nonostante il sentiero che da San Martino si svolge a fondovalle sia praticamente piano e alla portata di tutti, è comunque presente un servizio di bus navetta che permette di raggiungere la fine della strada carrozzabile che entra nella riserva naturale (non più attivo dal 2019).

All'interno della riserva speciale sono comunque presenti alcune attività turistiche di alloggio e ristoro, che però devono comunque sottostare ai criteri di turismo sostenibile sanciti da varie delibere comunali e provinciali.

Sito d'arrampicata

La Val di Mello è un importante sito d'arrampicata per il bouldering e le vie lunghe su roccia di granito.

Vie lunghe
Sono presenti una ventina di pareti, tra le più conosciute:
 Precipizio degli Asteroidi: parete di 400 metri con una decina di vie, tra cui la famosa Oceano Irrazionale, via di Ivan Guerini e Mario Villa del 1977.
 Scoglio delle Metamorfosi: parete di 200 metri su cui sale la famosa via in fessura Luna Nascente, salita per la prima volta da Antonio Boscacci, Mirella Ghezzi, Graziano Milani nel 1978.
 Monte Qualido: parete dai 400 agli 800 metri.

Bouldering
Sui massi della Val di Mello sono tracciati più di 2000 passaggi. Ogni anno vi si disputava il famoso raduno internazionale di bouldering, il Melloblocco.

Arrampicata sportiva
Sono presenti più di 300 vie di arrampicata sportiva di ogni tipologia, dai gradi più bassi fino al 9a. La più iconica area di arrampicata è quella del "Sasso Remenno", il più grande monolito roccioso d'Europa.

Punti d'appoggio
Nella valle ci sono diverse strutture che possono essere usate come punto d'appoggio per le attività escursionistiche e alpinistiche:
Bivacco Manzi-Pirotta
Bivacco Odello-Grandori
Bivacco Molteni-Valsecchi
Bivacco Kima
Rifugio Allievi-Bonacossa
Rifugio Mello
Rifugio Luna Nascente
Rifugio Rasega

Note

Bibliografia
 ALP - N.6 ottobre 1985, pp. 40–53 - Luna Nascente, le origini dell'arrampicata libera in Val di Mello di Giuseppe Miotti
 Andrea Gaddi, Masino Bregaglia - Regno del granito, Tipografia Polaris, 2007
 Andrea Gaddi, Masino Bregaglia - Regno del granito - Volume II, Tipografia Polaris, 2009.
 Andrea Pavan, MELLO BOULDER, Versante sud, 2008. ISBN 978-88-87890-58-7 (ISBN 13)
 Mario Sertori e Guido Lisignoli, SOLO GRANITO, Versante sud, 2007. ISBN 88-87890-39-0 (ISBN 10)

Voci correlate
 Val Masino (valle)
 Val Masino (comune)
 Melloblocco
 Parco del Bernina, del Disgrazia, della Val Masino e della Val Codera

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

Mello
Valli delle Alpi Retiche occidentali
Siti d'arrampicata
Val Masino

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As the energy of the planet and humanity quickly heightens its vibration, all of humanity has the ability to access the potential to live as a Galactic Being, which is why the Modern Mystery School provides the Galactic Activation to all those who are prepared and called to it.
The Galactic Activation is a full two-day workshop which is about living in a new way in order to become a different kind of human. The 24-strand DNA Activation is designed to open us and prepare us for our return to a Divine state of being.
The Life Activation results in the activation of 11 of the 12 physical and spiritual strands (which we call 'codons'). The two codons which are not activated by this method are called the Galactic Code (physical DNA), and the Divinity Code (spiritual DNA). All Mystery School traditions have taught that when humankind is ready, a technique would be given to activate the last two codons. The activation of these codons would result in the manifestation of the Adam Kadmon, the God-like human being in the physical.
The Galactic Activation or the 24-Strand DNA Activation activates the last 2 strands that have been dormant within us since human beings have been on earth. Once you have had the Life/DNA Activation (or what was previously called the 22-Strand DNA Activation), the Galactic Activation activates the last 2 strands which is the missing piece in connecting the entire blueprint. This will begin a journey of greater flow in your life and you will start moving in alignment with your entire blueprint. According to science we have been operating at a mere 10% of our capacity, and now we can now have access to our full potential! It is time to have the hidden aspects of who we are awaken and unfold!
This process was brought to us by the Galactic Masters to help those who have received the Galactic Activation (on Day 1) accelerate the Divine Body building process.
The 'Universal Connection' improves the function of the pituitary gland and functions of the soul. It also helps to unite with the Galactic Mind and awakening of the Universal Consciousness.
This important step in your progression will lead you to a higher consciousness.
**Audits: Please contact info@juliatiffin.com to confirm the program you have previously attended to confirm your Audit pricing.
REGISTRATION: Advanced registration is required. Please contact The Modern Mystery School Cape Town Administration to confirm your attendance: info@juliatiffin.com OR +27 84 680 6029. Once you have paid your deposit & sent your proof of payment, your final price & booking order will be confirmed.
*If you have not previously had the Life Activation, please let us know at registration.


BEIJING, April 13 (Xinhua) -- "Hello, Beijing," a documentary film on five foreigners' lives in Beijing, will hit Chinese screens starting April 19.
The film is about the experiences of a German musician, two British business people, a Pakistani banker and a Pakistani student in Beijing in pursuit of their dreams.
Chinese people use "Beipiao," or "Beijing drifter," to describe people outside Beijing who came to the city to seek a living or success.
Director Wan Jianying said the film tells the inspirational stories of these "foreign Beipiaos."


Japanese Tattoo Designs of the name Kate written vertically in katakana.
Japanese Tattoo Design of Kate in katakana with a red eternity seal and the kanji for "My Life".
Japanese Tattoo Design of Kate in katakana with a red eternity seal and the kanji for "My Love".
Japanese Tattoo Design of Kate in katakana with the phrase "Soul Mate" and a small red seal for eternity.
Here we offer authentic Japanese Tattoo designs of the name Kate by Master Japanese Calligrapher Eri Takase. Remember that names are translated to Japanese by how they are pronounced. So these Japanese Tattoo designs of Kate are only correct for you if you pronounce Kate as kayt. That is the name Kate (when pronounced kayt) in Japanese katakana is ケイト with the romaji keito.
The standard way that names are translated to Japanese is with katakana. And these are the samples we show above. We also offer Kate in hiragana which while not standard may be preferred when a more feminine Japanese Tattoo design of Kate is wanted. Kate in hiragana is けいと.
Translations You Can Trust Look up Kate in Jeffrey's J/E Dictionary at Kate. People using this exact same translation are Kate Fischer (ケイト・フィッシャー), Kate Hudson (ケイト・ハドソン), Kate Reid (ケイト・リード), Kate Winslet (ケイト・ウィンスレット) and Kate Beahan (ケイト・ビーハン). The popular Japanese site Movie Walker also show celebrities named Kate that use this translation to Japanese.
The name Kate means "Pure" which in kanji is 純粋 which is read junsui.
If you are only interested in a Japanese Tattoo Design of the meaning of the name Kate then click on the image for all the available options.
We also offer Japanese Tattoo designs of Kate that have both the pronunciation in kana and the meaning in kanji. If you scroll down you will see several tattoo designs that translate both the prounciation and the meaning of the name Kate.
The name Kate is from the Hebrew. The name Kate can also mean Dog (inu) (symbolizing faithfulness or devotion) or Heart (kokoro). Other meanings include the Assyrian Priest (shinpu) and the Arabic Bravery (yuukan). Learn more about the etymology of Kate at BehindTheName. Kate's meaning can also be confirmed on page 390 in The Comprehensive Dictionary of English & Hebrew First Names by Alfred J. Kolatch. Kate's meaning can also be confirmed on page 15 in A Dictionary of First Names (Oxford Paperback Reference) by Hanks, Hardcastle, and Hodges.
Japanese Tattoo Designs of the name Kate written horizontally in katakana.
Japanese Tattoo Designs of the name Kate written vertically in hiragana.
Japanese Tattoo Designs of the name Kate written horizontally in hiragana.
Japanese Tattoo Design of Kate in hiragana with a red eternity seal and the kanji for "My Life".
Japanese Tattoo Design of Kate in hiragana with a red eternity seal and the kanji for "My Love".
Japanese Tattoo Design of Kate in hiragana with the phrase "Soul Mate" and a small red seal for eternity.


Must See TV is an advertising slogan that was used by the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) to brand its prime time blocks during the 1990s, and most often applied to the network's Thursday night lineup, which featured some of its most popular sitcoms and drama series of the period, allowing the network to dominate prime time ratings on Thursday nights in the 1980s and 1990s. Ratings for NBC's lineup fell during the mid-to-late 2000s, and today the network ranks behind Fox, ABC and CBS on Thursday nights. In 2015, the network canceled comedy programming on Thursdays and switched entirely to dramas. However, the branding returned for the 2017–18 TV season.
In popular culture, the phrase is most strongly associated with the network's entire Thursday night lineup, including both sitcoms and dramas, which dominated the ratings from the 1980s through the late 1990s.
As originally conceived, "Must See TV" originally applied to sitcoms only (dramas would normally be promoted separately), and for much of the 1990s the phrase was used several nights a week as an attempt at brand extension. At one point in the fall of 1997, the brand was used five nights a week, with four sitcoms a night from Monday to Thursday, and two on Sunday. NBC itself would later adopt the more common interpretation; the 2002 retrospective, 20 Years of Must See TV, focused on NBC's overall dominance on Thursday nights from 1982 onwards, and overlooked extensions such as "Must See TV Tuesday."
Thursday nights are coveted by advertisers due to the large proportion of young, affluent viewers that watch television on that night of the week. Of particular interest, movie advertisers promote their upcoming releases to this target demographic on Thursday night, in hopes of influencing what movies they see on the following Friday, the traditional opening night for most films outside of holiday periods and certain major film releases outside said periods.
The "Must See" slogan was created by Dan Holm, an NBC promotional producer, during a network promo brainstorming session in June 1993 at NBC's West Coast headquarters in Burbank, California. "Must See TV" made its first appearance in NBC promotions in August 1993 and included the day of the week: "Must See TV Thursday." In late summer of 1993, NBC wanted viewers to tune in an hour prior to Seinfeld, and created the "Must See TV" slogan to brand the comedy block. The first "Must See TV" block promo aired during late summer repeats and promoted Mad About You, Wings and Seinfeld – Frasier had not yet premiered. The advertisement ended with the sentence "Get home early for Must See TV Thursday." The "Must See TV" slogan continued in every NBC Thursday night comedy promo throughout the fall/winter 1993 television season to promote the 8–10 p.m. comedy block. When Frasier and Wings were moved to Tuesday nights, NBC expanded the second season of the "Must See TV" brand to include the Tuesday night comedy block: "Must See TV Tuesday."
Branding the quality Thursday night lineup began as early as the 1982 fall season, which promoted Fame, Cheers, Taxi and Hill Street Blues as "America's Best Night of Television on Television."
On November 3, 1994, NBC's Thursday night lineup featured the "Blackout Thursday" programming stunt, in which three of the four sitcoms on that night's "Must See TV" schedule incorporated a storyline involving a power outage in New York City. The stunt started with Mad About You episode "Pandora's Box", in which Jamie Buchman (Helen Hunt) accidentally causes the blackout while trying to steal cable; it continued with the Friends episode "The One with the Blackout", featuring a sub-plot in which Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry) is trapped in an ATM vestibule with Victoria's Secret model Jill Goodacre and ended with the Madman of the People episode "Birthday in the Big House" (the Seinfeld episode that followed Friends and preceded Madman, "The Gymnast", did not have a blackout storyline though was promoted as part of the event).
From a promo for "Comedy Night Done Right" in October 2007. The image features [From Left] Earl Hickey (of My Name Is Earl), Michael Scott (of The Office), John Dorian (of Scrubs) and Liz Lemon (of 30 Rock).
By the early 2000s, the "Must See TV" slogan had fallen by the wayside in NBC's promotions; more importantly, NBC had gone from the top-rated network on Thursday nights to second behind CBS, eventually third behind ABC and ultimately a distant fourth behind Fox. NBC failed to develop hit shows to replace long-running staples Friends, Frasier, Seinfeld, and Will & Grace.
After airing a two-hour comedy block on Thursday for 21 straight seasons, NBC broke with tradition in 2004 by replacing the 9 p.m. hour with the hour-long reality competition program The Apprentice, although its Thursday night lineup retained its top 20 position.
Thursday programming has also become increasingly stronger on other networks. CBS was first to break through with its lineup of Survivor, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and later Without a Trace. For the 2010–11 season, CBS moved the highly rated comedy The Big Bang Theory, which had become the highest-rated sitcom in the United States, to the Thursday 8:00 p.m. slot, and Two and a Half Men to the 8:30 p.m. slot, which have earned very strong ratings.
ABC had success on Thursday nights with its hit reality series, Dancing with the Stars, before moving the program to Mondays in 2006 (where it has remained since). In the fall of 2006, sophomore drama Grey's Anatomy was moved to Thursdays to counter CSI; ABC's lineup of Ugly Betty and Grey's Anatomy has proved successful in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, and the 2011 transfer of Fox's American Idol, regarded as the longest reigning #1 program on U.S. television from 2004 to 2011, into the Thursday timeslot adversely affected NBC's ratings for Thursday primetime programming lineup since that television season.
The "Must See TV" slogan reappeared briefly in early 2006 with the addition of two critically acclaimed and ratings-successful comedies, My Name Is Earl and The Office, in an attempt to re-establish a four-sitcom block after the rise and fall of The Apprentice, which was moved to Monday nights.
In November 2006, NBC rebranded the Thursday format with a different slogan, "Comedy Night Done Right", and added another two critically acclaimed shows, Scrubs and 30 Rock to the lineup, forming an entire lineup of comedy series without laugh tracks or the multiple-camera setup common with past "Must See TV" comedies.
In January 2011, NBC rebranded the night once again, renaming it "Comedy Night Done Right – All Night", adding a third hour of comedies at 10 p.m. (the network had previously run a three-hour comedy lineup once annually on Thursdays during the late 1990s and early 2000s as a programming stunt). The three-hour comedy block was discontinued in the fall of 2011, when the night reverted to two hours of comedies and one drama and, in 2012, two hours of comedy and the news magazine Rock Center.
Prior to the 2013 fall season, NBC cancelled or ended nine of its eleven comedies, including the long-running 30 Rock and The Office, in an effort to broaden its comedy lineup. In May 2013, NBC picked up three family comedies (The Michael J. Fox Show, Sean Saves the World and Welcome to the Family) and rebranded its Thursday night lineup as "NBC's New Family of Comedies" for the fall season.
The debut of The Michael J. Fox Show was the lowest-rated Thursday fall comedy series premiere in network history. One week later, the debut of Welcome to the Family became the new record-holder, with Sean Saves the World ranking as the second lowest ever.
On October 10, 2013, NBC tied an all-time low on Thursday nights (tied with May 17, 2012), while finishing in fourth place (or combined with programming on Spanish-language network Univision, along with Thursday Night Football on NFL Network and Major League Baseball playoff coverage on TBS, seventh) for the night. On November 21, 2013, NBC averaged a 1.0 in the adults 18–49 age bracket, its lowest ever in-season average for regularly scheduled programming on the night. On the same night, The CW defeated the NBC comedy block, a first for the network. All three shows were eventually cancelled (Welcome to the Family was pulled three episodes into its first season, while The Michael J. Fox Show and Sean Saves the World were dropped shortly before the 2014 Winter Olympics; in the case of The Michael J. Fox Show, this was despite NBC giving a 22-episode order for the series prior to its debut) and were replaced by critically acclaimed (though low-rated) Thursday night mainstays Community and Parks and Recreation in January 2014, which were joined by Hollywood Game Night in late February.
In May 2014, NBC announced their schedule for the upcoming fall schedule at upfronts, with only a single hour of Thursday comedy in fall for the first time since 2005. Veteran reality show The Biggest Loser would take the 8pm slot, followed by short-lived new comedies Bad Judge and A to Z and the final season of Parenthood. They also announced that breakout drama The Blacklist would take the 9pm slot at mid-season the week following the Super Bowl, hinting at the end of NBC's Thursday comedy tradition.
In December 2014, NBC announced their mid-season schedule, with three dramas scheduled on Thursday to compete with ABC. This is the first time NBC had not aired comedies on Thursday since 1981, which put the Must See TV label on hiatus for three years. The final episodes of Parks and Recreation season seven were moved to Tuesdays, possibly in an attempt to burn off the last 13 episodes.
In May 2015, it was announced that NBC's Thursday broke into the Top 50 most watched programming for the first time in five years, with The Blacklist being number 14. It was the night's best showing since The Office was in the Top 50 in the 2009–10 season. NBC Thursday repeated its success in the next season, with 'The Blacklist at 22 and new drama Shades of Blue at 35.
In May 2016, NBC announced the return of Thursday comedy for the 2016–17 season with returning comedy Superstore and new comedy The Good Place for the first time in two years. The network also began to broadcast the second half of the Thursday Night Football season in a simulcast with NFL Network in November, effectively breaking those shows' seasons into half-seasons.
In May 2017, NBC announced the return of the Must See TV branding (or advertised as "NBComedy Thursday)", with Will & Grace and Great News set to air on Thursdays for the 2017-18 season in addition to Superstore and The Good Place. Outside of holiday specials for Will & Grace and Superstore, again all four shows had their seasons broken up by Thursday Night Football. With Fox merging the package into theirs in the 2018 season, this will not occur for NBC again for the next five seasons, and only the traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas hiatuses will happen in future seasons.
Lime indicates the #1 most-watched program of the season.
Yellow indicates the top-10 most-watched programs of the season.
Orange indicates the top-40 most watched programs of the season.
Silver indicates the top-50 most watched programs of the season.
^1 Because of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, shows that would regularly air were replaced with repeats and unscripted television.
Series airing on Thursday night during and after the run of "Must See TV" during the summer months have included Spy TV, Come To Papa, Last Comic Standing, Hit Me, Baby, One More Time, The Law Firm, Windfall and Love Bites.
Note: Friends's peak viewership in its 2004 series finale reached 80 million viewers as tallied by the Nielsen ratings (final 5 minutes).
^ "NBC sets new lineup, return of 'must-see' Thursdays with 'This Is Us' move". usatoday.com. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
^ Schneider, Michael (May 13, 2006). "Peacock pulls back on 'Must See' revival". Variety.
^ Lamonica, Paul (October 16, 2006). "NBC's Heroic Return". CNN/Money.
^ "Non-Crossover: "Blackout Thursday"". Poobala.com. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
^ Crawford, Krysten (May 18, 2005). "Thursday TV: prized and in play". CNN/Money.
^ Gilbert, Matthew (January 28, 2007). "For sitcoms today, quality trumps quantity". The Boston Globe.
^ Yeoman, Kevin. "NBC Reveals Programming Shift; No More Niche Comedies". Screen Rant. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
^ Andreeva, Nellie. "NBC's 2013–14 Schedule: 'Revolution' Moves To Wednesday, 'Parenthood' To Thursday, 'Blacklist' Gets Post 'Voice' Slot". Deadline. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
^ "Ratings: Robin Williams's 'Crazy Ones' Easily Tops 'The Michael J. Fox Show' – TheWrap". TheWrap. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
^ "NBC's Thursday Night Comedies Fall Flat". AdWeek. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
^ Andreeva, Nellie. "NBC Ratings — Finishes No. 7 On Night After Tying Record Thursday Low – Deadline". Deadline. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
^ Andreeva, Nellie. "CW Ratings – Nework Tops NBC In Demo From 8–10 PM For First Time – Deadline". Deadline. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
^ Barsanti, Sam (December 12, 2014). "NBC Has Officially Killed Its Thursday Night Comedy Block". The A.V. Club.
^ Rife, Katie (December 1, 2014). "NBC moves Parks and Recreation to Tuesday in Final-Season 'Event'". The A.V. Club.
^ "NBC bringing back 'Must See TV'". CNN. May 14, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
^ "Die Season ist vorbei: Amerikas heißeste Liste". quotenmeter.de. 2010-07-05. Retrieved 2010-09-02.
^ "'Scrubs' Returns as NBC Remakes Thursdays". Zap2It. 2006-10-25.
^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 13, 2007). "NBC switches "30 Rock," "Scrubs"". Yahoo!. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
^ "NBC Orders Extra 'Office,' 'Earl'". Zap2It.com. 2007-05-14.
^ "NBC Slots 'Medium,' Firms Up Schedule". Zap2It.com. 2007-12-07.
^ "'30 Rock,' 'Scrubs' Swap Timeslots". Zap2It.com. 2008-05-22.


text:
Wikimedia Commons/Michael Barera
Texas Wants to Save Community Colleges From Sinking
State lawmakers are considering new ways to fund schools that historically have given more students a chance to succeed beyond high school.
by Sarah Dolezal
December 1, 2022, 1:43 PM, CST
Moss often felt depressed and frustrated as a homebound high school student in Ellis County. They felt isolated from other students and spent a lot of time waiting for teachers to answer emailed questions. They also repeated the ninth grade since they were unable to finish their school work because of several health problems.
Moss struggled, but earned their high school credits. Through a dual-enrollment program at their high school and Navarro College, the community college closest to home, Moss started college in January 2022—even though they had not technically earned their high school diploma. They walked the graduation stage in May 2022.
Moss is now enthusiastically attending classes in person at Navarro College. Moss lives with several disabilities, such as autism and scoliosis; they sometimes use a wheelchair. But getting to college is easy, since Moss's mother or sister drives them for about 10 minutes to classes twice a week.
Moss, now working toward their second semester as an in-person, part-time student, enrolled in community college not only because they wanted to earn higher education credits at a place that is close to home, but also to save money.
"I wanted to get my basic college credits without putting myself into debt," Moss said, explaining why they chose community college over a four-year degree program. "I just now declared my major in mythology and folklore; I don't want to spend a lot of money while I'm still figuring out what I want to do after graduation."
"I wanted to get my basic college credits without putting myself into debt. I don't want to spend a lot of money while I'm still figuring out what I want to do after graduation."
Community colleges like Navarro College have historically served a more diverse student body who face even more challenges post-pandemic. But nationwide, these schools face tremendous funding challenges of their own. While no community colleges have shut down in Texas, many here have faced funding deficits over the past 10 years that have been made worse since 2020.
They need to attract students like Moss to survive.
Texas still has a robust community college culture; these institutions in Texas attract more than 47 percent of students enrolled in higher education, according to the Texas Community Colleges Association and Community College Association of Texas Trustees.
However, community colleges have lost 827,000 students since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 to 2022; total enrollment numbers at these institutions decreased by 9.5 percent from spring academic year 2020 to 2021, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Enrollment slightly increased in 2021, yet never caught up to pre-pandemic numbers. The decline began before the pandemic: Community college enrollment for two-year degree programs decreased by 7 percentage points from 2010 to 2020, according to the National Center for Education Statistics at the Institute of Education Sciences.
Though community colleges historically serve more students of color and more first-time college students, gender and racial equity and enrollment gaps have steadily increased too. For example, enrollment numbers for Black students, particularly Black men, have decreased.
As the pandemic continues into its third year, the 87th Texas Legislature (2021 session), empowered the Texas Commission on Community College Finance to redesign the funding model for community colleges, hopefully saving them from disaster. Some of the group's preliminary recommendations include financially rewarding colleges for the number of students who earn "credentials of value," and for those whose graduates transfer to a four-year degree program. In other words, instead of receiving funding based on enrollment alone, funding would depend on student outcomes.
Those student outcome goals will potentially "[d]evelop a modern community college finance model that distributes the majority of state funding based on measurable outcomes, aligned with regional and state workforce needs and state goals for Building a Talent Strong Texas." And the commission will define credentials of value as "degrees, certificates, and other credit or non-credit programs that equip Texas students for continued learning and greater earnings in the state economy; and credentials awarded in high-demand fields."
Commissioner Harrison Keller of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, a shepherd of higher education in Texas, is "excited and encouraged" by the ongoing conversations.
"Transforming the community college finance model–from an input-based funding structure to an outcomes-based funding structure–is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to close the educational inequity gaps across Texas," Keller told the Texas Observer. "Texas will be the first state in the country to value the course credentials as a measure of student success."
"Texas will be the first state in the country to value the course credentials as a measure of student success."
The preliminary recommendations to transform the way community colleges are funded in Texas, now under consideration, also include ways to try to address financial inequity gaps between low-income households or academically-challenged students, rural or smaller community colleges with lower tax bases to support them, and adult students between the ages of 35 and 64 who may have taken a hiatus from school and need to reskill or upskill in order to be more marketable in the Texas workforce.
For example, instead of rewarding colleges mostly for enrollment data for first-year students straight out of high school, the new goal in Texas will be to look harder at completion rates of both credit and non-credit courses, and of dual-enrollment programs in which high school students are taking college courses for both high school and college credit.
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board ultimately wants to flip the funding model so that the state pays for roughly 70 percent of community college funding, instead of the current 25 percent share.
Republican state Senator Larry Taylor, who sits on the board of the Texas Commission on Community College Finance and is helping with the funding transformation, said, "If we don't make this investment, we're going to be dealing with budget issues for now on because [Texas] won't be the economic engine it is today. This is something that has to be done."
The decline in community college enrollment in Texas and elsewhere seem to have hit students of color hardest. In the fall of 2020, Black male enrollment declined by 19.2 percent across the country compared to the previous academic year, while enrollment by Hispanic males declined by 16.6 percent, according to Community College Review. Both enrollment drops are higher than the national average, 11.2 percent, over that same period.
In the fall of 2020, Black male enrollment at community colleges declined by 19.2 percent across the country while enrollment by Hispanic males declined by 16.6 percent.
Community colleges remain more diverse than four-year university programs. For example, Black enrollment at Texas community colleges averages about 12 percent, while the average enrollment for Hispanics is 47 percent. White student enrollment in Texas stands in the middle at 29 percent, making Hispanic students at two-year programs the majority-minority.
Isabel Torres, a community college graduate, testified at the Texas Commission on Community College Finance hearing in early September in favor of reforms as a representative from the Texas Community College Student Advisory Council.
"When I first graduated from high school," she said, "I paid for my community college education out of pocket, worked to support myself—and let college drop away."
But Torres said that living in an area served by Austin Community College offered her the opportunity to return once she grew older and started to raise her daughter. She wanted a new career to support and be present for her family. Ultimately, Torres earned her associate degree.
"Once I became a parent I was eligible for more financial aid," Torres said. "Without the [financial] support from my community college I wouldn't have graduated with my associate degree in allied health science. And other students without financial support are forced to work multiple jobs, take out [student] loans, and go without health insurance or healthy meals to carry them through."
But ACC's health suffered during the pandemic. Its enrollment numbers decreased by over 10 percent from the fall of 2019 to the fall of 2021, data from the Texas Association of Community Colleges shows.
Kay Trent, a Black, queer ACC student who serves on the Texas Community College Student Advisory Council with Torres, said many students have struggled to keep up with academics as well as costs.
"As our nation returns to pre-pandemic policies, we should think about how we can provide students with housing, food, and an environment that leads to their academic success," Trent told the Observer. "Paid work-based learning opportunities while in school to gain employable skills, ensuring valuable credits don't get lost in the transfer [process], and creating more dual-credit access can make all the difference."
Trent said that community colleges often "struggle" more to make ends meet for their students because they are educating a more diverse population.
"For people of color, specifically Black people, the education system was never designed for us," Trent said. "We are struggling while working full time, raising families, and many of us, including myself, are the first in our families to attend college."
"For people of color, specifically Black people, the education system was never designed for us."
Trent joined the Texas Community College Student Advisory Council to share her experiences while advocating for affordable student housing, solving food insecurity problems on and off campus, and to improve the retention and completion rates at two-year degree programs.
She's passionate about speaking out for minority students because "We—women and Black people—are often taught to be seen and and not heard," Trent said.
Surprisingly, part of community colleges' financial struggle stems from the success of dual enrollment at public high schools, which has sharply increased over the past 10 years. Eighty-two percent of all public high schools nationwide now consist of dual-enrollment students according to the National Center of Educational Statistics at the Institute of Education Sciences. But generally, community colleges that participate in dual enrollment do not share the funding normally associated with those students since they are still enrolled in high school.
Some of the pending recommendations do include covering application fees and offering a stronger financial aid package to low-income students who want dual-enrollment credits, the expansion of eligibility for a grant program for low-income households, and support for a paid work credential with private employers so that students get hands-on experience.
The Louis B. Williams Administration Building at Paris Junior College Wikimedia Commons/Michael Barera, Creative Commons Share-Alike license
The proposals also may provide additional support for colleges serving rural areas that tend to offer fewer options (and have less funding) for students than urban ones. Pam Anglin, president of Paris Junior College, said she is "optimistic" that her college, which has a much smaller tax base compared to most urban community colleges, will get more funding than it does now if next year's session of the Legislature approves reforms that change the funding structure of community colleges.
"It has been obvious for a number of years that our [input-based] community college funding model no longer works," Anglin said. "By switching the focus—or changing the mindset or culture from a contact hour/enrollment-driven perspective to a degree-completion mindset culture will bolster the support system at community colleges that every student needs to succeed," she said.
Many high school officials push their students to dual enroll at community colleges. As a result, first-year enrollment numbers at community colleges have plummeted at places like Paris Junior College, where 43 percent of its students are now dually enrolled in classes, Anglin testified at Texas Commission on Community College Finance's hearing in September. The recommendations don't plug the holes in community college budgets created by these programs. However, the retention rate at community colleges is higher among dual-enrollment students compared to traditional students, and so colleges ultimately could get more funding since many of those students do complete classes and ultimately pursue degrees.
"The more hours [high school students] have as dual credit, the more likely they are to matriculate directly into a university," Anglin said.
Jonathan Feinstein, state director of Texas at The Education Trust, a nonprofit that advocates for educational equity, is confident that the Texas Commission on Community College Finance's recommendations will be taken up during the next legislative session, though the reform package proposed by Keller has a $650 million price tag.
"The restructuring of financing community colleges has started with an intentional, well-led, engaged commission," Feinstein said. "The budget projections for Texas are also very positive, so I'm confident the 88th Legislature will embrace the commission's recommendations."
Under an outcomes-based finance model, college bound students will benefit, Feinstein said. "The success of the students who have been historically underrepresented, or have not attained post-secondary credentials, will be rewarded more. Once the target goal of completing a degree program, or transferring to a university is complete, the community college will get more funding for those student populations."
"The restructuring of financing community colleges has started with an intentional, well-led, engaged commission."
During the pandemic, Navarro College was one of the places where enrollment decreased—dropping by 16.6 percent from fall academic year 2019 to 2021, statistics show. Over the last decade, its enrollment has dropped by nearly 35 percent from academic year 2012 to 2022; 10,040 students were enrolled in 2012 and now 6,565 are enrolled. As with many other schools, the decrease in enrollment partly reflects how many students are turning to dual credits instead of entering community college after high school graduation, said Kevin Fagen, president of Navarro College.
Still, Fagen said the proposed funding transformation at Texas community colleges would benefit Navarro College in several ways.
First, the recommendations would allow the Navarro College District to claim four out of the five counties it serves as rural and seek additional funding, Fagen said.
The reforms would also allow Navarro College to benefit from its own success.
Despite enrollment declines, Navarro College awarded more credentials than ever during the pandemic, Fagen said. He noted that safeguards, such as state and national testing after graduation, are already used to control the quality of the education so that degrees will not be awarded based on the funding incentives.
"We're very supportive of the [commission's] recommendations," Fagen said. "We see many opportunities that are tailored to affordability at Navarro College."
Ultimately, the recommended funding transformation focuses on helping more students like Moss, Torres, and Trent succeed.
Moss has already made great strides. As a homebound student in 2020, in between their online classes and meeting with their public high school instructor at home, they earned an online HarvardX course.
Although they see the pros and cons in both online and in-person classes, Moss prefers in-person classes at Navarro College because of the face-to-face conversations with students and instructors. They especially like the quick classroom interaction when they ask a question and their instructor immediately answers.
After Moss graduates from Navarro College, they want to pursue a bachelor's and master's degree—then later a Ph.D in mythology and folklore. They are considering increasing semester credits, and may take some online classes to speed up their educational accomplishments.
For now, Moss enjoys their painting class, learning about color theory and composition. "I've always been very artistic," Moss said. "The painting class is nice because I get to expand on my artistry while earning college credit."
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Sarah Dolezal is a freelance writer in her hometown of Athens, GA. She has covered topics ranging from workplace issues, employment law, and the restaurant and bar industry, to community college funding in Texas. Sarah is passionate about the intersection of data journalism and social science research methods, state and local politics, and the application of new laws on old problems, to name a few of her passions. She earned her A.B. in political science at the University of Georgia, and an M.A. in journalism and public affairs, with an investigative reporting specialty, at American University in Washington, D.C.
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Moss often felt depressed and frustrated as a homebound high school student in Ellis County. They felt isolated from other students and spent a lot of time waiting for teachers to answer emailed questions. They also repeated the ninth grade since they were unable to finish their school work because of several health problems.

Moss struggled, but earned their high school credits. Through a dual-enrollment program at their high school and Navarro College, the community college closest to home, Moss started college in January 2022—even though they had not technically earned their high school diploma. They walked the graduation stage in May 2022.

Moss is now enthusiastically attending classes in person at Navarro College. Moss lives with several disabilities, such as autism and scoliosis; they sometimes use a wheelchair. But getting to college is easy, since Moss's mother or sister drives them for about 10 minutes to classes twice a week.

Moss, now working toward their second semester as an in-person, part-time student, enrolled in community college not only because they wanted to earn higher education credits at a place that is close to home, but also to save money.

"I wanted to get my basic college credits without putting myself into debt," Moss said, explaining why they chose community college over a four-year degree program. "I just now declared my major in mythology and folklore; I don't want to spend a lot of money while I'm still figuring out what I want to do after graduation."

 "I wanted to get my basic college credits without putting myself into debt. I don't want to spend a lot of money while I'm still figuring out what I want to do after graduation."

Community colleges like Navarro College have historically served a more diverse student body who face even more challenges post-pandemic. But nationwide, these schools face tremendous funding challenges of their own. While no community colleges have shut down in Texas, many here have faced funding deficits over the past 10 years that have been made worse since 2020.

They need to attract students like Moss to survive.

Texas still has a robust community college culture; these institutions in Texas attract more than 47 percent of students enrolled in higher education, according to the Texas Community Colleges Association and Community College Association of Texas Trustees.

However, community colleges have lost 827,000 students since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 to 2022; total enrollment numbers at these institutions decreased by 9.5 percent from spring academic year 2020 to 2021, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Enrollment slightly increased in 2021, yet never caught up to pre-pandemic numbers. The decline began before the pandemic: Community college enrollment for two-year degree programs decreased by 7 percentage points from 2010 to 2020, according to the National Center for Education Statistics at the Institute of Education Sciences.

Though community colleges historically serve more students of color and more first-time college students, gender and racial equity and enrollment gaps have steadily increased too. For example, enrollment numbers for Black students, particularly Black men, have decreased.

As the pandemic continues into its third year, the 87th Texas Legislature (2021 session), empowered the Texas Commission on Community College Finance to redesign the funding model for community colleges, hopefully saving them from disaster. Some of the group's preliminary recommendations include financially rewarding colleges for the number of students who earn "credentials of value," and for those whose graduates transfer to a four-year degree program. In other words, instead of receiving funding based on enrollment alone, funding would depend on student outcomes.

Those student outcome goals will potentially "[d]evelop a modern community college finance model that distributes the majority of state funding based on measurable outcomes, aligned with regional and state workforce needs and state goals for Building a Talent Strong Texas." And the commission will define credentials of value as "degrees, certificates, and other credit or non-credit programs that equip Texas students for continued learning and greater earnings in the state economy; and credentials awarded in high-demand fields."

Commissioner Harrison Keller of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, a shepherd of higher education in Texas, is "excited and encouraged" by the ongoing conversations.

"Transforming the community college finance model–from an input-based funding structure to an outcomes-based funding structure–is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to close the educational inequity gaps across Texas," Keller told the Texas Observer. "Texas will be the first state in the country to value the course credentials as a measure of student success."

 "Texas will be the first state in the country to value the course credentials as a measure of student success."

The preliminary recommendations to transform the way community colleges are funded in Texas, now under consideration, also include ways to try to address financial inequity gaps between low-income households or academically-challenged students, rural or smaller community colleges with lower tax bases to support them, and adult students between the ages of 35 and 64 who may have taken a hiatus from school and need to reskill or upskill in order to be more marketable in the Texas workforce.

For example, instead of rewarding colleges mostly for enrollment data for first-year students straight out of high school, the new goal in Texas will be to look harder at completion rates of both credit and non-credit courses, and of dual-enrollment programs in which high school students are taking college courses for both high school and college credit.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board ultimately wants to flip the funding model so that the state pays for roughly 70 percent of community college funding, instead of the current 25 percent share.

Republican state Senator Larry Taylor, who sits on the board of the Texas Commission on Community College Finance and is helping with the funding transformation, said, "If we don't make this investment, we're going to be dealing with budget issues for now on because [Texas] won't be the economic engine it is today. This is something that has to be done."

The decline in community college enrollment in Texas and elsewhere seem to have hit students of color hardest. In the fall of 2020, Black male enrollment declined by 19.2 percent across the country compared to the previous academic year, while enrollment by Hispanic males declined by 16.6 percent, according to Community College Review. Both enrollment drops are higher than the national average, 11.2 percent, over that same period.

 In the fall of 2020, Black male enrollment at community colleges declined by 19.2 percent across the country while enrollment by Hispanic males declined by 16.6 percent.

Community colleges remain more diverse than four-year university programs. For example, Black enrollment at Texas community colleges averages about 12 percent, while the average enrollment for Hispanics is 47 percent. White student enrollment in Texas stands in the middle at 29 percent, making Hispanic students at two-year programs the majority-minority.

Isabel Torres, a community college graduate, testified at the Texas Commission on Community College Finance hearing in early September in favor of reforms as a representative from the Texas Community College Student Advisory Council.

"When I first graduated from high school," she said, "I paid for my community college education out of pocket, worked to support myself—and let college drop away."

But Torres said that living in an area served by Austin Community College offered her the opportunity to return once she grew older and started to raise her daughter. She wanted a new career to support and be present for her family. Ultimately, Torres earned her associate degree.

"Once I became a parent I was eligible for more financial aid," Torres said. "Without the [financial] support from my community college I wouldn't have graduated with my associate degree in allied health science. And other students without financial support are forced to work multiple jobs, take out [student] loans, and go without health insurance or healthy meals to carry them through."

But ACC's health suffered during the pandemic. Its enrollment numbers decreased by over 10 percent from the fall of 2019 to the fall of 2021, data from the Texas Association of Community Colleges shows.

Kay Trent, a Black, queer ACC student who serves on the Texas Community College Student Advisory Council with Torres, said many students have struggled to keep up with academics as well as costs.

"As our nation returns to pre-pandemic policies, we should think about how we can provide students with housing, food, and an environment that leads to their academic success," Trent told the Observer. "Paid work-based learning opportunities while in school to gain employable skills, ensuring valuable credits don't get lost in the transfer [process], and creating more dual-credit access can make all the difference."

Trent said that community colleges often "struggle" more to make ends meet for their students because they are educating a more diverse population.

"For people of color, specifically Black people, the education system was never designed for us," Trent said. "We are struggling while working full time, raising families, and many of us, including myself, are the first in our families to attend college."

 "For people of color, specifically Black people, the education system was never designed for us."

Trent joined the Texas Community College Student Advisory Council to share her experiences while advocating for affordable student housing, solving food insecurity problems on and off campus, and to improve the retention and completion rates at two-year degree programs.

She's passionate about speaking out for minority students because "We—women and Black people—are often taught to be seen and and not heard," Trent said.

Surprisingly, part of community colleges' financial struggle stems from the success of dual enrollment at public high schools, which has sharply increased over the past 10 years. Eighty-two percent of all public high schools nationwide now consist of dual-enrollment students according to the National Center of Educational Statistics at the Institute of Education Sciences. But generally, community colleges that participate in dual enrollment do not share the funding normally associated with those students since they are still enrolled in high school.

Some of the pending recommendations do include covering application fees and offering a stronger financial aid package to low-income students who want dual-enrollment credits, the expansion of eligibility for a grant program for low-income households, and support for a paid work credential with private employers so that students get hands-on experience.

<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="759" height="506" src="https://www.texasobserver.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Paris_Junior_College_July_2015_01_Louis_B._Williams_Administration_Building-Michael-Barera-CC-SA-Wikimedia-759x506.jpg" alt="A cement building with three very tall vertical windows in the main entrance, with the words "Paris Junior College" in an old-fashioned font above the entrance." class="wp-image-196293" srcset="https://www.texasobserver.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Paris_Junior_College_July_2015_01_Louis_B._Williams_Administration_Building-Michael-Barera-CC-SA-Wikimedia-759x506.jpg 759w, https://www.texasobserver.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Paris_Junior_College_July_2015_01_Louis_B._Williams_Administration_Building-Michael-Barera-CC-SA-Wikimedia-360x240.jpg 360w, https://www.texasobserver.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Paris_Junior_College_July_2015_01_Louis_B._Williams_Administration_Building-Michael-Barera-CC-SA-Wikimedia-150x100.jpg 150w, https://www.texasobserver.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Paris_Junior_College_July_2015_01_Louis_B._Williams_Administration_Building-Michael-Barera-CC-SA-Wikimedia-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.texasobserver.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Paris_Junior_College_July_2015_01_Louis_B._Williams_Administration_Building-Michael-Barera-CC-SA-Wikimedia-100x67.jpg 100w, https://www.texasobserver.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Paris_Junior_College_July_2015_01_Louis_B._Williams_Administration_Building-Michael-Barera-CC-SA-Wikimedia-712x475.jpg 712w, https://www.texasobserver.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Paris_Junior_College_July_2015_01_Louis_B._Williams_Administration_Building-Michael-Barera-CC-SA-Wikimedia-243x162.jpg 243w, https://www.texasobserver.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Paris_Junior_College_July_2015_01_Louis_B._Williams_Administration_Building-Michael-Barera-CC-SA-Wikimedia-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://www.texasobserver.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Paris_Junior_College_July_2015_01_Louis_B._Williams_Administration_Building-Michael-Barera-CC-SA-Wikimedia-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 759px) 100vw, 759px" />
The Louis B. Williams Administration Building at Paris Junior College Wikimedia Commons/Michael Barera, Creative Commons Share-Alike license

The proposals also may provide additional support for colleges serving rural areas that tend to offer fewer options (and have less funding) for students than urban ones. Pam Anglin, president of Paris Junior College, said she is "optimistic" that her college, which has a much smaller tax base compared to most urban community colleges, will get more funding than it does now if next year's session of the Legislature approves reforms that change the funding structure of community colleges.

"It has been obvious for a number of years that our [input-based] community college funding model no longer works," Anglin said. "By switching the focus—or changing the mindset or culture from a contact hour/enrollment-driven perspective to a degree-completion mindset culture will bolster the support system at community colleges that every student needs to succeed," she said.

Many high school officials push their students to dual enroll at community colleges. As a result, first-year enrollment numbers at community colleges have plummeted at places like Paris Junior College, where 43 percent of its students are now dually enrolled in classes, Anglin testified at Texas Commission on Community College Finance's hearing in September. The recommendations don't plug the holes in community college budgets created by these programs. However, the retention rate at community colleges is higher among dual-enrollment students compared to traditional students, and so colleges ultimately could get more funding since many of those students do complete classes and ultimately pursue degrees.

"The more hours [high school students] have as dual credit, the more likely they are to matriculate directly into a university," Anglin said.

Jonathan Feinstein, state director of Texas at The Education Trust, a nonprofit that advocates for educational equity, is confident that the Texas Commission on Community College Finance's recommendations will be taken up during the next legislative session, though the reform package proposed by Keller has a $650 million price tag.

"The restructuring of financing community colleges has started with an intentional, well-led, engaged commission," Feinstein said. "The budget projections for Texas are also very positive, so I'm confident the 88th Legislature will embrace the commission's recommendations."

Under an outcomes-based finance model, college bound students will benefit, Feinstein said. "The success of the students who have been historically underrepresented, or have not attained post-secondary credentials, will be rewarded more. Once the target goal of completing a degree program, or transferring to a university is complete, the community college will get more funding for those student populations."

 "The restructuring of financing community colleges has started with an intentional, well-led, engaged commission."

During the pandemic, Navarro College was one of the places where enrollment decreased—dropping by 16.6 percent from fall academic year 2019 to 2021, statistics show. Over the last decade, its enrollment has dropped by nearly 35 percent from academic year 2012 to 2022; 10,040 students were enrolled in 2012 and now 6,565 are enrolled. As with many other schools, the decrease in enrollment partly reflects how many students are turning to dual credits instead of entering community college after high school graduation, said Kevin Fagen, president of Navarro College.

Still, Fagen said the proposed funding transformation at Texas community colleges would benefit Navarro College in several ways.

First, the recommendations would allow the Navarro College District to claim four out of the five counties it serves as rural and seek additional funding, Fagen said.

The reforms would also allow Navarro College to benefit from its own success.

Despite enrollment declines, Navarro College awarded more credentials than ever during the pandemic, Fagen said. He noted that safeguards, such as state and national testing after graduation, are already used to control the quality of the education so that degrees will not be awarded based on the funding incentives.

"We're very supportive of the [commission's] recommendations," Fagen said. "We see many opportunities that are tailored to affordability at Navarro College."

Ultimately, the recommended funding transformation focuses on helping more students like Moss, Torres, and Trent succeed.

Moss has already made great strides. As a homebound student in 2020, in between their online classes and meeting with their public high school instructor at home, they earned an online HarvardX course.

Although they see the pros and cons in both online and in-person classes, Moss prefers in-person classes at Navarro College because of the face-to-face conversations with students and instructors. They especially like the quick classroom interaction when they ask a question and their instructor immediately answers.

After Moss graduates from Navarro College, they want to pursue a bachelor's and master's degree—then later a Ph.D in mythology and folklore. They are considering increasing semester credits, and may take some online classes to speed up their educational accomplishments.

For now, Moss enjoys their painting class, learning about color theory and composition. "I've always been very artistic," Moss said. "The painting class is nice because I get to expand on my artistry while earning college credit."

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In Allen ISD, a 9th grade student is pushing back against an anti-Palestinian lesson plan.
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You can say that ICO is a type of IPO and crowd sale. If you are interested in investing in any ICOs, then you can send them the amount via Bitcoin or Ethereum. You can either use the tokens to keep and use it for the future services of the platform. trade it in the future. ICO crypto is clearly gaining ground to be an alternative form of the financial system.
Ubex: a platform which uses AI for advertising.
Gigtricks: a platform which has an integrated ecosystem to deal with the freelance economy.
CargoCoin: a decentralized platform which aims for revolutionizing global trade and transport.
There has been a number of cases where investors have come across scams and fraud involving ICOs. So, before you decide to invest in an ICO, make sure it adheres to certain conditions for a real ICO. The success of ICOs has been shifting significantly since 2017. The Blockchain technology has been very beneficial for investors to get a great return on investments. Just within a few years of initiation, they have managed to start a revolution.


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General Biology at Trinity College
$19,500 Bachelor's Debt
General Biology is one of the majors in the biological & biomedical sciences program at Trinity College.
We've pulled together some essential information you should know about the program, including how many students graduate each year, the ethnic diversity of these students, and more. Also, learn how Trinity Bantams ranks among other schools offering degrees in biology.
General Biology Degrees Available at Trinity Bantams
Bachelor's Degree in Biology
Trinity Bantams Biology Rankings
In College Factual's most recent rankings for the best schools for biology majors, Trinity Bantams came in at #34. This puts it in the top 5% of the country in this field of study. It is also ranked #1 in Connecticut.
Best General Biology Bachelor's Degree Schools 29
Most Focused Bachelor's Degree Colleges for General Biology 525
Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for General Biology 759
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for General Biology 874
Popularity of Biology at Trinity Bantams
During the 2019-2020 academic year, Trinity College handed out 25 bachelor's degrees in general biology. Due to this, the school was ranked #868 in popularity out of all colleges and universities that offer this degree. This is a decrease of 11% over the previous year when 28 degrees were handed out.
How Much Student Debt Do Biology Graduates from Trinity Bantams Have?
Student Debt of Biology Graduates with a Bachelor's Degree
While getting their bachelor's degree at Trinity Bantams, biology students borrow a median amount of $19,500 in student loans. This is not too bad considering that the median debt load of all biology bachelor's degree recipients across the country is $24,715.
The typical student loan payment of a bachelor's degree student from the biology program at Trinity Bantams is $202 per month.
Trinity Bantams Biology Students
Take a look at the following statistics related to the make-up of the biology majors at Trinity College.
Is Trinity Bantams a Good Match for You?
Trinity Bantams General Biology Bachelor's Program
During the 2019-2020 academic year, 25 students graduated with a bachelor's degree in biology from Trinity Bantams. About 28% were men and 72% were women.
The following table and chart show the ethnic background for students who recently graduated from Trinity College with a bachelor's in biology.
Most Popular Related Majors
Neurobiology & Neurosciences 43
Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology 9
View All General Biology Related Majors >
Image Credit: By Jasonm under License


Section 201.5. Limitations on availability and assessments.
12 CFR § 201.5 - Limitations on availability and assessments.
§ 201.5 Limitations on availability and assessments.
(3) After consultation with the Board of Governors. In unusual circumstances, when prior consultation with the Board is not possible, a Federal Reserve Bank should consult with the Board as soon as possible after extending credit that requires consultation under this paragraph (a)(3).
(2) After consultation with the Board of Governors. In unusual circumstances, when prior consultation with the Board is not possible, a Federal Reserve Bank should consult with the Board as soon as possible after extending credit that requires consultation under this paragraph (b)(2).
(c)Assessments. The Board of Governors will assess the Federal Reserve Banks for any amount that the Board pays to the FDIC due to any excess loss in accordance with section 10B(b) of the Federal Reserve Act. Each Federal Reserve Bank shall be assessed that portion of the amount that the Board of Governors pays to the FDIC that is attributable to an extension of credit by that Federal Reserve Bank, up to 1 percent of its capital as reported at the beginning of the calendar year in which the assessment is made. The Board of Governors will assess all of the Federal Reserve Banks for the remainder of the amount it pays to the FDIC in the ratio that the capital of each Federal Reserve Bank bears to the total capital of all Federal Reserve Banks at the beginning of the calendar year in which the assessment is made, provided, however, that if any assessment exceeds 50 percent of the total capital and surplus of all Federal Reserve Banks, whether to distribute the excess over such 50 percent shall be made at the discretion of the Board of Governors.


With us today is Roselynn Cannes, soon-to-be debut author with Fallen, a lit-fic/fantasy hybrid, and already the official pantsless dancer of #RUDC15.
1. No one ever beats me at the game of dress up. I may not win a cosplay contest - because, you know, I have zero arts and crafts skills - but I will literally dress up in costume for any occasion.
Without a doubt, I was picked last. I trip over my own shadow. If clumsy were a game, it would be my answer to question number one.
Later in life, I found myself dressing up in costume for adventure 5Ks (think Rugged Maniac, Zombie Run, Spartan Sprint), and I think it was all because of how the sportball teams were picked. (It may also have been because, you know, costumes). It's all coming full circle.
3. The most embarrassing/hilarious game I ever participated in was Who's the Biggest Pervert (yes, this is an actual board game, and yes I played. Not in a costume, in case you were wondering). Everyone was laughing at the fact that I threw a full on child's tantrum because I lost. Literally. Last. Place. I'm going to refer you to question number 2, but to be fair, my friends are cray.
5. Once, my PLP (platonic life parter), Casey, suggested that I do the kick off video for the #RUDC15VideoContest, and I could only respond, GAME. ON. So, naturally, I dropped my pants on camera.
6. Would you like to play the 5-words game? YES!!! Alrighty then!
Please use the following 5 words in a piece of flash fiction, as long or short as you wish. Don't overthink it!
The lovely Chelsea O'Neal challenges you to use these words: beans, fish, discombobulated, calendar, ambivalence.
The smell of baking bread, lentil beans, and fish filtered into Belle's awareness. It was the potency of the fish in particular that woke her, and her eyes fluttered open. Discombobulated, she tried to remember what had happened. Clearly she was in an alleyway in the market, but the memory of how or why she was there eluded her.
Fully aware of each and every pebble digging painfully into her, she sat up. With hands made clumsy by their violent shaking, Belle took a moment to attempt to fight the panic threatening by focusing on the mundane task of brushing off the gravel still sticking to her naked skin. Despite her efforts, her heart sped up, stuttering over itself. Her breath sawed in and out of her lungs. Dirt, and what looked uncannily like blood, caked itself into the creases of her knuckles and underneath her fingernails. One nail had been broken. Ripped off all the way to the midpoint and her finger throbbed in acknowledgement.
She would need to check a calendar to be sure, but she would guess that it had been exactly twenty-nine days since the last time. The last full moon. Ambivalence consumed her. Snaked its way up from her belly and threatened to choke her. She wasn't sure if she should laugh maniacally because she might be losing her mind, or sob because she knew for a fact that she wasn't.
I promise to protect you always.
They crept in under cover of darkness. With the palace under enemy control, Persephone, Princess of Galilae, will do anything necessary to protect those she holds dearest. But when loyalties conflict and not everyone can be saved, what will it cost to keep her promise?
Tell me about the princess, Persephone.
Undefeated, merciless, and famed as a brilliant strategist, for Augustine Sempronius the ends have always justified the means. When the palace fell with hardly any resistance, overtaking the rest of Galilae should have been simple. But the one person his plans hinge on is also the one person cunning and ruthless enough to thwart him.
Intrigued? who wouldn't be! Be ready when Fallen lands in e-readers near you by checking out Roselynn's blog!
If not, why not?! Join us for fun, games, snacks and as you've seen, pants-optional dancing.


Tuesday, November 7 [Day 43] (Blake Weis, assisted by Cliff Hansen) 0755-1700. The temperature at 0800 was -16C, reached a high of -6C at 1500 and was -7C at 1700. Ground winds were SW 0-5 km/h to 1200 and subsequently SE-SW 0-5 gusting 10-15 km/h, and ridge winds were NW light to moderate for most of the day. Cloud cover was initially 90% cirrus, altostratus and altocumulus that reduced to 20% from 1200-1400 after which it again increased to 90%. Despite the ridges being completely clear and good observing conditions only three migrant eagles were seen: an adult Bald Eagle at 1528, an adult Golden Eagle at 1536 and a juvenile Bald Eagle at 1545. All birds moved from Mount Lorette to low on the Fisher Range and mainly flapped to the south. Non-migrants were an adult Bald Eagle that flew north above the centre of the valley, an adult Northern Goshawk that flew north along the Fisher Range ridge and a resident adult Golden Eagle that soared on the flank of Mount Collembola. Other birds seen included 5 Canada Geese and 9 Trumpeter Swans that flew south above the valley, the Killdeer that was found yesterday, 4 Boreal Chickadees, 1 Brown Creeper, 2 American Dippers, 8 Pine Grosbeaks and 24 Common Redpolls. The Striped Skunk was again present north of the site, and 5 visitors were noted.
Vicki Ridge [Day 44] (Peter Sherrington, assisted by Gord Petersen) 0845-1645 (Observation from the Waterton 61 wellsite on the western flank of the ridge). The temperature was -7C at 0900, the high was -4C from 1300-1600 and it was -4.5 at 1645. Winds were W all day, 35-45 gusting to 60 km/h to 1300 after which they moderated to 30-40 km/h. Cloud cover was 70-80% altostratus that allowed hazy sunshine to 1200, which thickened to 90-100% altostratus and altocumulus throughout the afternoon which only began to thin again after 1600. Observing conditions were very good throughout. The first migrant, an adult Golden Eagle, was seen at 0934 but the next birds only appeared at 1129. Subsequently, however, there was a slow but steady stream of raptors that gradually increased throughout the afternoon and peaked at 11 birds between 1500 and 1600, and the last Golden Eagle was seen at 1632. The final count of 33 birds of 5 species was 6 Bald Eagles (4a, 1j, 1 undifferentiated immature), 1 adult Northern Goshawk, 2 Rough-legged Hawks (1 light, 1 dark), 23 Golden Eagles (17a, 1sa, 5j) and 1 Prairie Falcon. Other birds were again scarce and included 3 Clark's Nutcrackers, 1 Pine Grosbeak and 4 Common Redpolls.
Steeples [Day 37] (Vance Mattson) 1300-1630. It was overcast and snowing lightly until noon when things began to slowly clear. Vance arrived at the site at 1300 and almost immediately counted the only two migrants of the day, both juvenile Golden Eagles, at 1310 and 1329. Low cloud again sat in front of the ridges and partially obscured the entire range; it appeared as if things would clear several times, but cloud continued to appear from the south, at times fully, and at other times partially, obscuring the ridges. It was not until 1600 that the ridges were totally clear but no further migrants or non-migrants were seen. The temperature was -7C at 1300 and warmed to -5C, it was mostly calm or light S winds and there was 100% altostratus, cumulus, and stratus cloud cover throughout.


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Complete 1936-1937 Army & Navy Commemorative Stamp Set
Trio of Swindler's Nickels
Five Different Lincoln Cents from Five Different Decades
2000 Massachusetts State Quarter Partial Collar Error Certified MS-65
1884-O Morgan Silver Dollar Brilliant Uncirculated with FREE Historical Document
"Equal Beauty" 1880-S Morgan Silver Dollar with FREE Case
1964 Washington Silver Quarter Brilliant Uncirculated
Complete 1936-1937 Army & Navy Commemorative Series 10-Stamp Set. Did you know that Franklin D. Roosevelt was an avid stamp collector? While in office as the 32nd President of the United States, Roosevelt lobbied for the creation of more stamps and...
Set of Three Different Liberty Head Nickels. In 1883, the new nickel featured only a large "V" for the 5¢ denomination. Racketeers gold-plated some and passed them off as $5 gold pieces. Josh Tatum was the most notorious crook — because he was unable to...
With this five-coin sampler set, you'll get a 1959 Lincoln cent, which introduced the new Memorial reverse engraving, as well as one cent each from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s all in fantastic Brilliant Uncirculated quality. Handy folder is...
Pay less today than collectors first paid nearly 40 years ago! Our special price for this 1982 proof set is just $9.50 — less than the U.S. Mint's original issue price of $11. Each "one in a thousand" proof coin features double-struck, frosted engravings...
It's not often that the U.S. Mint's error coins slip through the quality control cracks and into circulation. But when it does happen, collectors get really excited — some Mint errors can fetch high premiums in the marketplace. We've found a cache of...
This coin was struck in the same year that France deeded the gift of the colossal Statue of Liberty to America. For relative scarcity versus price, O-Mint Morgans are considered the best bargains of the series; mint-state 1884 issues from San Francisco...
"Equal Beauty" 1880-S Morgan Silver Dollar with FREE Case. In 1880, at the height of the Wild West era, the Morgan dollar was the only silver coin struck by the San Francisco Mint. Consequently, special care was lavished on the production of these big...
It's not often that the U.S. Mint's error coins slip through the quality control cracks and into circulation. But when it does happen, collectors get really excited — some Mint errors can fetch high premiums in the marketplace. We've found a small cache...
This was the last Washington quarter issued for commerce to boast 90% silver content. After 1964, the U.S. Mint phased out silver coinage in circulation. Over the years as the value of silver has risen — sometimes dramatically — many silver-rich coins...


If you have a smartphone, you know the struggle to disconnect is real.
Friends, your boss, and your mother now expect an almost instant response to every text, email, and phone call. Sometimes it seems like the person lighting up your phone is more important than the person lighting up your life, sitting right across from you.
Now it appears Ikea has decided enough is enough!
The company best known for its low-priced, ready-to-assemble furniture is getting ready to roll out its LOGGED OUT placemats. The placemats feature a pocket for your phone.
"Even though most of us enjoy the physical meeting with friends, more and more people are bringing their smartphones with them to the dining table. So why not hide them in a pocket at least? Put them away for a while and let go of the constant checking of social media updates," reads the product description in the press kit.
The $1.99 placemats are part of the SITTNING collection of plates, glasses, vases, candle holders, and tablecloths. They'll be available in September.
If the thought of putting your phone in a pocket for the duration of dinner induces panic, this placemat picture suggests the cloth is very thin and you'll still be able to see your phone lighting up.
Conversely, if you're looking for a more severe solution for your smartphone-obsessed dinner companion, send the cell to the slammer. This Cell Lock-Up is available right now on Amazon for about $16.