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Kevin Schwantz: In Like A Lion. In 1988 American Racing Hero Wins Both the Daytona 200 & Japanese GP in Three Weeks Time
The 'Dang, that thing's all swole up … story told …
In 1988 Kevin Schwantz won both the Daytona 200 for the first time and the Japanese Grand Prix, his first GP win, in three weeks time. He talked with SuperBikePlanet.com about that incredible period of his early career.
Interviewed by Dean Adams March 10, 2000
An old Soup decal we did to celebrate the rider some called 'Q-Tip'. No, we don't have any more. Tim Beaumont
Q. I've heard it both ways, that you grew up in awe of Daytona, and that you actually didn't. Which is it?
A. The first time I actually came to Daytona I think may have been CCS races in 1984. I don't think I was ever here as just a kid watching. The big dirt track that we always used to always get to go to was Houston, it was kind of our 'Oh, man, if I ever got to race in here, wouldn't that be cool' race. Not Daytona.
Daytona, we just came down here and did some CCS races at the end of 84, rode an RZ350, rode an FJ600, a couple of production classes, and started, I raced a 350  maybe it was '85 that I actually did that.
I came down and rode the 600, tried to race one in an endurance race, and went out on the warm-up lap and fell off it. My claim is that there was a screwdriver in the fairing somewhere and it fell out and that's what, I actually picked the screwdriver up, it was laying on the track there, and I said 'This is it,' and everybody on the crew said 'We don't use that brand of screwdriver." Uh-huh.
So I don't know if not coming here as a kid, not having that huge awe of Daytona, it was just another racetrack to me. Everybody talks about driving through the tunnel, and yeah, maybe you got some goosebumps coming through the tunnel the first time and seeing how big the place really was, but this was just production racing and stuff. It was a fun place to ride, it was neat to really be able to draft people and see what that was all about.
Victory at last. Schwantz is in ecstasies as he walks into victory circle at Daytona in 1988. TIM BEAUMONT
Q. Were you not intimidated by Daytona because you'd ridden so much at Texas Speedway?
A. I had ridden at the old Texas Speedway before that, so I kind of had a feel for it. It was amazing to come here and see what a place, it was actually paved and smooth and didn't have big splits in the banking from the asphalt cracking and stuff in the track (like TWS). It was a lot of fun.
The first time I raced a Superbike was the beginning of '85. I don't think we got to do any testing here, just came here and got on the bike and went out, and like ten laps into the first practice session (I) absolutely destroyed a GS700 in the first turn. Drove off in there, got on the brakes, got together with somebody, and just boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, front, back, front, back, junked it. So I'm sure the Yosh guys were thinking at that point, whoa, did we make the right decision?
In the race, I broke the clutch on the line. Freddie came back and had a shield hanging off, Erv jumped over the wall, and the AMA guy had already turned. So at that point we've gone into gear, in gear sitting there and I think it was something between 10 and 15 seconds they held it so Freddie could get his shield fixed. Myself, Merkel, Sam McDonald, like half of the top ten didn't even make it to the first pit stop. Clutches were dust everywhere. Mine didn't even make it to the first turn. I was like… 'What's it done?' I didn't even know.
I leaned it against the guardrail on the inside of turn one. That's as far as it made it. Because at that time there was 80 riders here, and the second wave was coming, and I was like, 'I am getting out of their way.'
Q. You put the 1986 GSX-R750 on the front row, correct?
A. 1986 was the first year for the GSXR here. We came, did a fair bit of testing, felt like we had a pretty decent race bike, qualified I don't remember exactly but I'm pretty sure it was third behind Lawson and Rainey.
The race started, Eddie and Wayne kind of split, I stayed as close as I could. Wayne ended up having some tire trouble and had to pit a couple of extra times. I just kind of stayed out there, stayed out of trouble, and finished second. At the end of the day the chain had stretched, after the third pit stop, after the last stop, (I) came in, changed, went back out. As the bike would get up onto the banking, we would accelerate great; as the suspension would try and unload as it got up to the top or as it came off the banking the chain had stretched so bad that you could hear it jumping the sprocket. I don't remember what the sprocket looked like, exactly, after the race. But it was just a game of survival. I don't thinking any of the other factory supported Suzukis finished that year. They had some kind of mechanicals. So I think maybe the chain was something that made us be easier on the engine, or it may not have finished either.
But it was a good thing to come here and finish second behind Lawson, who'd won the world championship the last year in '84. I thought we'd have something for Honda most of the year.
Then, the reliability bug started to bite us. Everywhere we went we were having, most of the places we went, if we were running well or fast on the sheets we were normally having mechanical problems of some sort. And to be that close, we didn't finish that close, but to say we started the season with a second place run, to have gone all the way through '86 and never actually got a win, it was a long year.
Kevin Schwantz grew up Yamaha. His parents co-owned a Yamaha dealership in Texas and he raced just about every 1980s Yamaha sport bike made. Here he is on the grid at Daytona in 1984 on his RZ350. He won the RZ350 Cup that season. Tim Beaumont
You start thinking, gee, what am I doing different, what am I doing wrong? Lots of thoughts go through your head, lots of times sitting there with the mechanics going "what can we do, what can we do?" But Daytona I think was the highlight of the '86 season.
In '87 I don't remember if we were on pole or not. I think we were. Wayne and I kind of set the pace early, came in, made the first stop, Wayne had a little bit of trouble on his stop. Wayne'll probably tell you he had a lot of trouble. I don't remember exactly how much trouble it was, if his was five seconds longer than ours or what, but by the time halfway through the race rolled around, lap 28, 30, whatever half distance is, we were 13 seconds in front. So it felt like everything was working pretty well, kind of wanted to maintain that lead til we got to the second stop, and we never made it. Lap 34 bit us in the chicane. My story on it is that I tried to get past a guy getting in, went on the outside of him, dove off in, he got sucked in following me, pitched me into the hay bales, and I fell. Broke my little finger pretty bad, had to have pins and all kinds of stuff done to it, so it was one of those things that I think we could have let get us down, but instead we went ahead and packaged everything up and went to the match races, because we'd done well there in '86. And I look back on the '87 Match Races and see pictures of me, and all the pictures I've got my right glove on, because I've got two pins hanging out of it, so I cut the finger on the glove, put a bunch of padding around it, bandaged the glove up so that the finger had protection, and ended up just having to leaving it on all day. I'm walking around with one glove on like Michael Jackson.
Wayne and I mixed it up pretty hard that year, especially the first couple of races at Brands Hatch. There was 100,000 pounds to anybody that could win all of them, so we agreed as a team let's see who wins the first one, you guys just go scrap, and then the before the second race we'll talk about it. Wayne wouldn't have nothing to do with it, because I slipped up and won the first one. And we were back and forth, back and forth, each would win a race, we went to Donington and it rained and he had some kind of fog-up problem with his visor, and he finished eighth and I won, and that was pretty much the separation.
Then in '87 I came back, and once we got back from the Trans-Atlantic, it felt like I pretty much had the measure of Wayne. I believe we went to Road Atlanta and I won the Camel Challenge at Atlanta, and then he beat me in the race. I think we out-guessed ourselves on tires. After that I think he also beat me at Elkhart, I beat him head-to-head at Loudon, and after Loudon the season was pretty much ours.
Schwantz was the first rider to embrace his support of the US military. Here an artist sketch of "Stormin' Schwantzkof's tank running over Rainey and John Kocinski's Yamahas.
Except when I fell off the thing. Crashed it at Laguna. Rainey and Shobert bet $5, they were in the same heat at Laguna.They used to run heats, and then you had to run two 33-lap legs to make it the Laguna 200 or whatever they used to call it. The heat race determined your start position for the whole day. You didn't start the second leg of the race according to how you finished the first one, you started according to how you qualified in the heat. Since they bet each other $5, they both got a bit greedy and jumped the start, so they had to start both legs at the back of the field.
So we had just about dug ourselves out of that Daytona hole, just about getting back to snuff with him on points, and then I crashed in the second leg in turn 11.
Q. Vindication came in 1988. You came to Daytona on the works 88 GSX-R750, but fell early in practice, right?
A. We came here in '88 I think without doing any testing. The bike was kind of late showing up. There weren't a bunch of them, so they just sent one. At the time, all of the R&D that we'd done on the '87 was very similar to the '86 as far as engine goes. I think there were some differences in the chassis.
But when we got here in '88, this was a different engine, the development on it wasn't as thorough as the '87 was, and the '87 was a faster bike. I went out and was having some electrical problems, off into the chicane, I just started to get on the brakes and tip the thing in and it drops a cylinder, and as it does it sucks me off into the grass getting me in, spin, highside through the chicane. I'm thinking as I'm in the air, this is exactly where I ended up last year.
But I just had a small crack in my forearm, and Dr. Kieffer and the guys over at Halifax looked it and they said you really shouldn't ride, most people we'd cast this thing and tell you six weeks. Dr. Kieffer talked them into letting me bandage the thing up as best I could and go out and see if it didn't hurt so bad that he thought it would affect my riding, he was going to let me ride.
And I went out and still hadn't qualified, so I had to come back and qualify the thing, about the fourth lap of qualifying I qualified at 1:55.1 which at the time was pole, and I thought that's good enough, I'm going to give my hand a rest.
One of Kevin's first trophies. He was and remains a very good trials rider. thanks, Shirley Schwantz
That was Thursday. I think the weather was iffy that week, and maybe we didn't get to run heats, I forget. It rained all day Saturday, the Supercross was a wash. So the Camel Challenge didn't get to be the Camel Challenge. They put it in with the 200. And I think, I don't know what the other guys' tire choices were, but for us, race tire was a race tire, that we were going to do our 19 lap stint and that's what we were going to do. And I think Polen and Scott Gray and the other guys opted to run something a little bit softer that may not have the durability. Anyway, Polen won the money. But I think it was about after the fifth lap he started to kind of drift back.
Q. You and Polen put the hurt on everyone that year. He finished second. Didn't you lap up to like fifth place?
A. I lapped everybody but him. And I don't remember how far he got. The last guy that I got to lap was Bubba Shobert on the Honda. Bubba had fuel problems, vapor lock or whatever it was on the warm-up lap, and had to push the thing to get it back started again, and started half a lap behind us.
Q. You've said that Daytona wasn't a special track to you, but was the win special?
A. When I won my Daytona 200 it was a big deal to me, because at the time I had signed a deal to go Grand Prix racing and I felt like this was my year. 1988 could be it, or else I'm going to have to come back, I'm not going to just be able to say Superbike racing, boom, done, okay I won my last race I'm going to walk away from it. To me, it was really good.
Q. From there you went to Suzuka and really caught the attention of the world by winning your first GP. Do you remember what you did between the races?
A. We tested the bike for the Japanese Grand Prix a month before we came here and I still felt like I was going to be able to go there and do well. The question mark was my arm, was it going to be strong enough, was it going to be fit enough to ride that Grand Prix bike for 22 laps around Suzuka? All in all, there was a big Pepsi ad that was done, I think it was the Monday and Tuesday after the 200, and I tried to do some riding there  a big TV commercial, and they had a Porsche, they took the frigging front end off of it so they could hold the camera in it, and Scott Gray helped with some shooting, and Polen helped with some shooting, and I decided it was more important to me to try and get my arm ready. I tried to take as much time off as I could until two weeks later when the Japanese practice starts.
Between the two races I'm pretty sure I went back to Texas. Just did as much as I could to sit there and look at it and hope it was healing. I forget if some of the doctors didn't have some ideas about things that I could be doing to help it, tried to keep it as flexible as I could. It was just up above the wrist, so it wasn't anything that I couldn't still move my wrist on. And I think maybe I had to go to Japan to do some stuff early in the week.
I won $20,000 (for the 200), I don't remember what I did with it.
Q. And as if things couldn't get any better, you leave Florida with the Daytona 200 win to start your first Grand Prix season at Suzuka.
A. Suzuka was my first time on a real works GP bike, first stab at a full season, first chance to really go somewhere and test one and go back there and race at the same place. The three GPs that I'd done in '86 and '87 were just one-off deals and tracks I'd never been to, and the bike was not a rocket.
Most of the practice at Suzuka, if my memory is correct, was almost all wet. We ended up third, started in the middle of the front row. Maybe we had Sunday morning warm-up dry, but more or less that was what you had to get the bike working –20 minutes in the dry.
I think the fact that we'd tested there before really was a big advantage. There were some Hondas there testing when we were there too, but maybe they didn't take good notes or something, and our bike just came out of the box Sunday morning and worked really good from the start.
I got a decent start, I remember going under the bridge the first lap second behind Gardner, who led, thinking 'this is good, if I just stay here I'll be happy'.
I remember coming across the line about five laps into it and looking back and thinking 'where's everybody gone?' I think at that time Christian Sarron was behind me, I'm thinking man, he really hadn't been anywhere in practice, I'm surprised he's third. I just remember seeing that group dwindle behind me.
I really remember going into the hairpin turn and then going into that next big fast right-hander thinking, 'where the heck are all these guys? What are they doing?'.
Traveling in Japan with Schwantz is always interesting. Here he was recognized by a fan in a Tokyo fish market with Nob Aoki. Japanese fans remember his Suzuka triumph and it is not uncommon for Japanese fans to become emotionally overwhelmed when they meet him in person. Marno'
Q. Gardner was the world champion then; you were this kid from Texas. That you were there was huge.
A. Pretty much the whole time I was just telling myself, follow him, follow him, follow him, the guy's been here millions of times, he's won the 8-hour, he's world champion, had the big intimidating number one on his plate, and I just told myself 'you finish second behind Gardner at Suzuka you've all but won'.
I remember the first turn, right back it in left, right, and I remember getting off in that left a little bit hot one lap, he was in front of me. Wayne was always real intentional about getting the bike back up and making the next right from right on the inside.
When he did this to get back, I had gotten in hot. I'm thinking, 'shit, you can't pass there'. It was purely luck that I made it. I don't know if that had something to do with the fact that maybe he was expecting me to try something like that on the last lap and was just over-riding the thing.
We came out of the hairpin and I'm still riding on his back wheel, come up over the hill go around you can just about see the Spoon Corner, and Wayne's in big trouble: like feet over his head, wham, lands back on the Honda in a huge near highside. He rides off the track.
I think 'Holy sh*t! watch the track, don't watch him'. I get into the first part of the Spoon and look up and he's getting the thing whoaed up. I think there's a helicopter pad or something there, and that's I think what saved him, because I know how wet everything was, and if it'd had just been grass he probably would've come back out on the track on the other side.
And I think that that's one of the arguments that Marlboro had, and Eddie, was they protested that he cut the track, because if he'd had to go back and come back on where he went off, it would've cost him a ton of time.
I'm leading. I just remembered thinking all the way up that back straightaway 'Holy sh*t, I'm going to have to talk to the press, and everything'. I was gob smacked.
I did probably the slowest cool-off lap I've ever done, thinking of stuff I was going to be able to say, should I say this, should I say that?
Q. Undoubtedly with your first Daytona 200 win and then winning the Japanese Grand Prix a few weeks later, this had to be the most significant month of your entire career.
A. It was most definitely the most significant month of my racing career.
It was one of those things that if you'd asked me at the end of '87 what the '88 season was going to start like, that would've been up in the corner in the dream section. The reality section would've been run good at Daytona, hopefully win, possibly a top ten at the GP.
It was really neat coming back to America after that and seeing all the stuff in the papers: 'Japan to Schwantz', etc.
I remember hearing Wayne Gardner and Eddie Lawson in the press conference saying 'Yeah, he might've snuck up and won this one but he's not going to win any more.' And being able to tell how bad Wayne Rainey felt. 'You bastard, you won a 500 Grand Prix before I did.' And I forget where he ended up that day. It was respectable, by all means.
Q. It must have changed your life. That month.
A. After that month, I'm sure there was some difference in how I was treated, but I think what it did is it kept me from changing. Kind of my approach to racing has always been 'dang it, I'm doing it, I like it, it's fun, it's a real buzz to do it', to go over there and do that the first full season of Grand Prix racing, just kind of hey, we can do it if we get things right. If not, we're just going to take what we can get and not really worry about the politics of it or to let it really get to you that much.
Schwantz's very iconic Pepsi Suzuki leathers. It was in this period that Schwantz was the favorite rider of an Italian boy. He had posters hanging in his room and watched the Japanese grand Prix VHS tape so often he wore it out. Fan boy's name? Valentino Rossi. Dean Adams
Q. It really was the defining period of your career, early on.
A. I felt that if nothing else ever happened in my career, to win the Daytona 200 and the Japanese Grand Prix, two consecutive big races in three weeks, nothing else really mattered. Everything else was just going to be a bonus.
I guess maybe I tried to carry that approach all through my career until about late '91, the first part of '92, when I said if I am ever going to win what I feel like I need to win the next step was the World Championship I'm going to have to do some re-thinking. I'm going to have to get some guys working on my bikes that really, really focus every weekend and can give me something good and consistent all the way across the board, not that'll build me a rocket at one place and build me, I don't want to say a piece of shit, but an ill-handling bike for the next weekend. Something that we can take and make it work everywhere instead of having peaks and valleys and peaks and valleys like we'd had up to that point.
Q. What's one of the first things that come to mind when you think of that period? Something not everyone would know.
A. I remember what Bob MacLean said when I walked in to qualify on Thursday at Daytona, with my arm the same size from my elbow to my knuckles. I showed it to him and said 'How's that look?'.
He goes, 'Dang, that thing's all swole up: you should've landed on your dick.'
After Schwantz defeated Gardner at Suzuka their relationship is "like this" as the Italians say. Kevin brings it up a lot and Wayne wishes he would not. Gi & Gi


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WorldTour or bust: new team, same aim for LTdL
Ciclista Sports was announced as the new organiser of Le Tour de Langkawi last month, becoming the fourth private operator to oversee the big-budget event in its 20-year history. Ciclista CEO Emir Abdul Jalal brings with him some new ideas but, as Cycling iQ discovers, some ambitions never change.
A stage win at Le Tour de Langkawi can hasten the rise to the top tier of professional cycling, as proved by Andrea Guardini (racing for Farnese Vini-Neri-Sottoli) after his six stage wins in 2012.
Malaysia s biggest stage race isn t the only 2.HC event in Asia, but it has become something of a regional poster child for the UCI AsiaTour. Race organisers from Korea, Taiwan and China have all dispatched departmental staff to Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) in recent years, in most cases so they can develop the information and competencies required to elevate their own status, attract all-important WorldTeams and increase the prospect of international broadcasts. This cultural exchange also extends to LTdL personnel being engaged by those same organizers to oversee important elements during the running of their own events.
Indeed, LTdL s success as a stage race has much to do with superior organization, but below the surface lies the same inherit threats faced by its 2.HC peers (although to varying degrees); the unpredictable nature of commercial and government funding.
When in 1995, then-Prime Minister Mathahir Mohamad floated the idea of an international cycling event in his country, Berjaya Group Berhad a growing conglomerate[1] engaged in property development, gambling, hotels and resorts took up the challenge. First Cartel Sdn Bhd, a sports events organiser and 70%-owned subsidiary of Berjaya Group[2], engaged events company IMG to provide support for the inaugural edition, which covered 1 300 kilometers over 11 stages and was budgeted at RM9.1m. Marketing objectives dictated the resort island of Langkawi, from which the race gets its name, hosted the opening and closing stages so the Group s flagship Berjaya Langkawi Beach & Spa Resort[3] could be used to host teams and feature extensively in media coverage. Little consideration was given to the complex logistics of transferring teams and equipment off the island and back on again ten days later.
After flying totally blind [4] in 1996, First Cartel recruited experienced Brit and former PR man Alan Rushton[5] the following year to oversee LTdL as Race Controller. This arrangement remained in place until 2004 when First Cartel founder and CEO Datuk Wan Lokman[6] sold the company to Simon Donnellan[7], who ran the race in 2005 and 2006. Though the business of racing continued as usual, several teams and suppliers began speaking publicly about unpaid prize monies and bills from the 2005 race. When the full extent of the problem was revealed, First Cartel was wound up in the Kuala Lumpur High Court. With no organiser and loathe to see another scandal repeated, Malaysia s sports ministry intervened with a RM10.7 million bailout to ensure the race could be held in 2007, handing organisational responsibility to the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF).[8] LTdL remained fully funded by the Malaysian Government through to 2011, after which a diminishing grant strategy was implemented to ensure commercial sponsorship would contribute up to 50% of the event costs.
In November 2014, the Ministry of Youth and Sports announced the race organisation would be handed back to the private sector. Human Voyage Sdn Bhd, an experienced events company that also ran the Langkawi International Mountain Bike Challenge (LIMBC), had only three months to prepare for the 08 March start date of the 2015 edition. The terms of the two-year contract, which would run through to the end of the 2016 race, guaranteed a RM10m grant from the ministry. Ultimately, only one year was required for Human Voyage CEO Datuk Malik Mydin to determine that it wasn t worth the financial headache, and his company announced it was withdrawing from the contract in October 2015.
Emir Abdul Jalal pictured with David Zabriskie before stage 2 of LTdL 2012
It seems elementary that a history like that, which hides in plain sight across virtual reams of online documentation, might scare off potential suitors. But Ciclista Sports Emir Abdul Jalal couldn t wait to get started on a bid once the Ministry called for tenders.
The process started just after the previous organiser, Human Voyage, announced they didn t want to continue (organising) the race for 2016, recounts Emir from his office in Shah Alam, a half-hour drive west of Malaysia s capital Kuala Lumpur. So we went in, I think in October, and the process took about one month the normal procedural time for Government bidding. About seven companies went in, a shortlist was made, we were appointed in early November and the announcement was made on 12 November 2015.
To understand Emir s interest in bidding, it helps to understand his own history with one of Malaysia s most famous sporting events.
I started being involved in LTdL from 1997 actually, then I stopped in 2000 to join mainstream politics. I organised Jelajah Malaysia in 2007 and 2009 under a private company (Ten Speed ??Sdn Bhd, owned by Datuk Astaman Abdul Aziz) and it was a major success in those years. I was appointed as a consultant to LTDL in 2010, became the Operations Director of Events in 2011 and was COO from 2012 2014.
Emir had previously sought to organise LTdL when The Ministry of Youth and Sports turned to the private sector in late 2014, but he was nudged out by Human Voyage. When I lost the tender to Human Voyage, they took most of my staff to help run the 2015 race, he states matter-of-factly, before adding but I think they failed somewhere, which was the major cause why they didn t want to continue the race.
Ciclista Sports LTDL contract is for two years, after which there will be an evaluation by the Ministry. If everything goes smoothly in 2016 and 2017, the contract contains an automatic one-year extension. The company is an entity of cycling sports apparel brand Ciclista, the official apparel supplier to LTdL since 2013.
When I lost my bid for LTdL in 2014, Ciclista brought me to the company as a director. We continued to offer cycling sports apparel plus other sports and corporate apparel. We also organise and supply small events in Malaysia, including racing and leisure. Ciclista Sports was established before we put in the 2016 bid and I put all my LTdL experience into the company.
Emir admits Ciclista Sports has a critically short timeframe of three months to organise next years race, beginning 20 February 2016. Malaysian Government Minister for Youth and Sports, Khairy Jamaluddin has slightly increased Government funding to RM11[9] for the 2016 edition (up from RM10 in 2015), but has been quoted by the New Straits Times as saying the Government is looking at (LTdL) to eventually be fully funded through corporate sponsorship . However, Ciclista Sports will have at least the current level of Government funding over the next two years.
The Government already told us, over this 2-3 year contract period, that they will maintain the grant given. Of course, they will contribute less and less after the contract. It has always been the focus of the Ministry to cut the debt for organising international events. During my time as COO, LTdL was given RM16m by the government, and we were running at a total cost of RM19m for the race. Peak cost, which I think was in 2007, was RM24m. I ve budgeted the 2016 event at RM16m, so it has already been a tough time for anyone wanting to organise an international event. The economy is not that good for commercial sponsorship, but we are trying hard. Finding RM5m is a lot easier than finding RM20 at the moment. If the economy comes right and companies start spending on sponsorship then we ll definitely give option to the Government to lessen the burden by reducing our grant and in 3-4 years time we can find money on our own. That is the whole idea.
Of course, in order to attract corporate sponsors it is necessary to field international teams that will attract maximum international media interest while still ensuring Malaysians are not forgotten. UCI regulations state that up to half of all teams participating in a UCI AsiaTour 2.HC event can be at WorldTeam level. 22 teams will be invited to race LTdL next year, which means that 11 of those teams will be UCI Continental level. The remaining 11 spots will be a combination of WorldTeam and Pro Continental teams.
The key sporting index in the race is to improve on what we have done in 2014, where we had six WorldTeams and five Pro Continental teams. The number one objective is get more WorldTeams, which is a particular department that I m taking care of. The main event KPI is to see how far we broadcast ourselves so I ve also contacted Eurosports, which was the previous broadcaster of LTdL in 2014, and Fox Sports has also come to our company offering a lot of things. (Human Voyages) scrapped most of my promotional programs in 2015, so I have to get everything back to make sure that the public in Malaysia can also get more involved in the promotion activities at LTdL that s the other important side to the race.
Meeting these objectives will not come cheap. The Malaysian Ringit is currently trading at 23.5 US cents, roughly 30% lower than when LTdL was held in 2014, though Emir insists this will have no impact on the prize money, which is paid in USD. A national 6% Goods and Services Tax (GST) has also been implemented since last year s race, adding to the race s overall costs. Ciclista Sports is hoping to tap on the shoulder of previous sponsors to bridge the RM5m gap between Government funding and organisational costs.
We are first looking at cost deduction strategies such as lending cars from Proton. We would have to spend RM1m for rental cars otherwise. We also need to involve petrol companies like Petronas, Petron, BHP and other companies to help us reduce overhead costs. In terms of title sponsorship, that is a bit tougher. Last time we had Telecom Malaysia. They spent RM16 to be the title sponsor of LTdL in 2000 and 2001. First Cartel got that money quite easily in that time. We re trying to get companies like that involved again in 2016, but at the moment we are still looking.
See also Market Talk
Some cash expenses are unavoidable though, including the expense of flying in first-division cycling teams. The minimum appearance fee is USD30 000, not including airfares and excess baggage, which on its own can absorb several thousand dollars. According to Emir, LTdL paid USD50 000 to host ORICA-GreenEDGE in 2014, though Belkin-Pro Cycling and Katusha received only the USD30 000 appearance fee, funding their own travel to the race. They asked us to spend less because they just wanted to come here for the sake of riding LTdL, states Emir. LTdL gives them much more than money. It s the services here, the people here. Some things are just priceless.
One of the first problems Ciclista Sports inherited was the 06-13 March calendar slot that existed before they were handed the keys to the race. They swiftly sent letters to all previously invited teams informing them the race dates would be changed to 20-27 February. Ostensibly, this change was made to avoid a clash with Tour de Taiwan (06-10 March), but it was actually the timing of WorldTour events Paris-Nice (06-13 Mar) and Tirreno-Adriatico (09-15 March), that necessitated the adjustment. A meeting was also held with the organisers of Tour de Sarawak, a new UCI2.2 Malaysia stage race originally scheduled for 24-28 February 2016, to ensure they wouldn t be impacted. They agreed to reschedule to 03-06 March.
For us to get WorldTeams within that time (06-13 March) would have been really, really, tough, explains Emir. The change to 20-27 February means we only clash with Tour of Oman (16-21 February), which is run by ASO. Tour of Oman involves a maximum of 10 WorldTeams so that leaves at least eight (WorldTeams) free to race elsewhere. All other UCI races in late February are not in the WorldTour category so it becomes a negotiation with the teams, rather than competing with the other WorldTour races. Furthermore, at Tour of Oman, which is also not a hilly race like ours, there is a maximum of 8 riders per team so that leaves more riders per team to compete somewhere else in the world. If there are enough riders in Oman and Malaysia at the same time, there are more opportunities to get more WorldTeams here. If we can get ten WorldTeams, we will just invite one Pro Continental team. That s the mathematical side of the invitations.
Though high-profile WorldTeams, such as Team Giant-Alpecin and Lampre-Merida Giant-Alpecin, have adopted something of a Asia pivot by recruiting Asian riders, Emir concedes that LTdL, as Asia s most important professional stage race, doesn t have the time or negotiating power to target such teams.
It doesn t mean we don t care about which team comes. At the moment our main focus is to get as many WorldTeams as possible, because it s very important for the visibility of the event in Malaysia. To get WT teams with Asian riders is always a bonus but I already set a system whereby the 11 Continental Teams are all from Asia. There is always a fight for these places. Many teams from the UK and Europe have asked so many times but we have a commitment to give more opportunity to Asian teams in the Continental and National team categories. That s why you see Asian teams fight extremely hard in the race because they know they are racing against the world s best teams.
Naturally, the easiest way to attract more WorldTeams is to become a WorldTour event. Prior to the UCI s decision to establish a WorldTour race in Beijing in 2011, LTdL was touted as the AsiaTour race most likely to meet the criteria to be upgraded from 2.HC to World Tour status. Snippets of high-level discussions concerning the details of such a plan have floated in and out of media for at least the last decade.
In 2011, there were actually Ministry-level talks about when the LTdL should be upgraded to a WorldTour event. According to the plan, I made a 3-5 year outline to upgrade LTdL to that level. People just can t understand how much is spent. For a LTdL at WorldTour level I already put the budget at RM30-40m to the Ministry. The financial part could be negotiated, but then the other issue was if we organize LTdL how will the Malaysian riders have the opportunity to ride? . That s the major issue because, at the time, Terengganu Cycling Team had only started and they also had great potential in the AsiaTour. I spoke with the team manager and they were eyeing Pro Continental status over a few years time; meaning if LTdL wanted to upgrade, then at least Terengganu were also taking the challenge to get Pro Continental status. They were in the process of planning the challenge. That would have been the right time to do something. Of course, I was dropped from LTdL in 2015 so the whole idea has to be re-established. Now, I m talking with the Government on whether or not we are targeting to have a WorldTour race so I can plan for another 1-2 years time. But the key issue apart from finances is whether a local team can get Pro Continental status. If they do, then that concludes the whole logic of the system. If I have a WorldTour race here but local riders can t compete then it s only a show here in Malaysia and nothing to do with development. Right now, it s not economically or developmentally viable to have a WorldTour event.
See also Cycling iQ Twintel
Viability is a sensitive word at a time when other UCI AsiaTour races in Malaysia live a tenuous existence. Jelajah Malaysia, the race which Emir organized until MNCF took it over in 2009, has faced several postponements in recent years and was close to not running this year before being thrown a lifeline by a private company run by former Malaysian pro cyclist Musairi Musa. The Melaka Governor s Cup was also twice cancelled in its short history due to funding shortages. Though related only to LTdL by way of their MNCF connection, the entire racing ecosystem is a major consideration of any future WorldTour bid.
During our (tender) presentation, we said LTdL must be promoted to WorldTeam level in three years time, for the evolution of cycling in Asia. But at the same time I told them that if we want to upgrade to a WorldTeam level, then one of the UCI2.2 races in Malaysia whether Tour of Borneo, Jelajah Malaysia or any of the other new races coming next year must also be upgraded to the Hors Categorie level that LTdL has now, so the whole system is complementary. At the moment I see the current financing of events in Malaysia is still slow at the moment, maybe because the other events are not (politically) influential enough. Being experienced enough in race organisation, I think Government needs to give priority to them, give them some funds to start up the event, which also gives them some options; rather than organise on their own, find it too tough, then not have enough money to manage a good race. Last time I managed Jelajah Malaysia it was just lucky that I had corporate sponsorship. Because the (race) organization was good, we had the confidence of the commercial sector. The budget of Jelajah Malaysia was only 10% of LTdL s so it was also easier to find the money. I managed that race for RM2m and it was good to have such a popular UCI2.2 event that teams in Asia looked forward to going to at that time.
These smaller events really help the development of cycling in Malaysia, especially in getting riders to win stages. That s what the other nations are doing. They get more (UCI) points if they can race in their own country, so they get more opportunity to compete in the World Championships or Olympics. Having UCI2.2 races is the best option for more riders to compete, to gain experience at the international level. That s why I already advised the Government that those events in future must be kept and protected in Malaysia every year. But because the events are run by private companies, we cannot control the standard of the organisation.
Emir confirmed that Ciclista Sports is still in the middle of negotiations to secure teams for the 2016 race, and it is expected that announcements will be made early next year. Cycling iQ will have a full race preview when more details are announced.
[1] in 2015, operating as Berjaya Corp. [Interesting side note: founded by Tan Sri Dato Seri Vincent Tan Chee Yioun (Vincent Tan), a self-made Malaysian businessman. Berhard Group evolved from Tan s 1984 acquisition of a major controlling stake in Berjaya Industrial Berhad, which in 1988 became a subsidiary under another Tan acquisition, Inter-Pacific Industrial Group Berhad. The latter was first incorporated in 1967 as Raleigh Berhad, a bicycle manufacturing company. Prior to 1984, amongst other commercial successes, Tan had opened Malaysia s first McDonald s franchise in 29 May 1982. Eagle-eyed readers may notice a reference to this in the feature image ]
[2] First Cartel Sdn Bhd was 70% owned by Inter-Pacific Communications Sdn Bhd, an advertising and PR firm owned 100% by Berhard Group. Inter-Pacific s stake in First Cartel diminished to 40% in 1998, before being fully spun-off in 2001.
[3] in 2015, operating as Berjaya Langkawi Resort
[4] First Cartel CEO Wan Lokam, speaking to the New Straits Times, 07 January 2000
[5] Managing Director of UK-based Sport for Television
[6] Wan Lokam created First Cartel in 1995 specifically for the purpose of running Le Tour de Langkawi. His brother Datuk Wan Adli was a high-profile Berjaya Group executive throughout the period in which First Cartel was a subsidiary of the Group.
[7] see the Loose ends from Langkawi Cyclingnews article, written by Anthony Tan, for an interesting backgrounder on Simon Donnellan
[8] from 2009 until 2014, the National Sports Council (NSC) jointly supported MNCF in organising LTdL
[9] at time of writing MYR1 = USD0.235
Inaugural Tour of Sarawak announced Cycling iQ
Road to impeccable bike proves impassable for BMC

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The final Clew First Windsurfing Clinic is coming up this Saturday and Sunday, August 29-30, at Alamitos Bay/Belmont Shore, Long Beach, California. These are general windsurfing clinics covering beginners through advanced windsurfers with a special focus on light-wind freestyle. If you have ever been to an ABK clinic, then you have a good idea of what it will be like since we also work part-time for ABK and were trained to teach by Andy Brandt. There are still a few spots available, so sign up now!


text:
Vontae Davis retires at halftime
Earl Campbell September 18, 2018
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It's certainly not every game you see a player decide to hang up the cleats at halftime, but Bills cornerback Vontae Davis did just that. The Bills are expected to have at least a top ten draft pick in next year's draft so the expectations for this team aren't that high. Crazy how quickly things can change between last season's playoff berth for the Bills to the teams 0-2 start this season. The Bills have been outscored by their opponents in the first two weeks 78-23.
Rough Game
After the first half of their Week 2 matchup against the Chargers, the Bills were without Davis after head coach Sean McDermott confirmed that he pulled himself out of the game. After Phillip Gaines was carted off of the field the team was left with only two healthy corners. Davis had looked washed during the preseason and was a healthy scratch for the team in Week 1.
Both Bills coach McDermott and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said on Monday that neither have yet spoke to Davis since his sudden retirement during Sunday's loss but wish Davis well. Coach McDermott spoke of Davis following the game:
"I got a lot of respect for Vontae, he's a good person. I certainly appreciate the way he worked when he was in here, but we're moving forward as a football team. …You develop some personal relationships with these young men. You always want the best for them. It's not a deal where we wish him anything but the best. We wish him the best. He's had a heckuva career."
Davis, 30, played the first half of Sunday's game until him and his team saw themselves trailing the Chargers 28-6 at halftime. He was nowhere to be seen in the locker room after the game.
"There's no need to address it [with the team], we're moving on. That's what a team does. This is not going to become a distraction for us."
Hours later, he released a statement that reality hit him about his physical capability to continue playing the game. Davis said:
"It's more important for me and my family to walk away healthy than to willfully embrace the warrior mentality and limp away too late"
Davis will remain on the Bills' roster according to McDermott, but he and general manager Brandon Beane are currently discussing the team's cornerback situation. Davis signed a one-year contract with the Bills in February after he was released by the Colts after an injury dispute.
Davis started for the Bills in their first three preseason games but ended up losing the starting job to Gaines. After an injury to rookie cornerback Taron Johnson in Week 1, Gaines moved into the slot for the Week 2 showdown, and Davis took over Gaines place in the lineup.
Fellow teammate safety Micah Hyde came out on Monday and stated, "kind of leaves a sour taste in my mouth, for sure."
"I don't really agree with the decision he made of leaving during halftime – if he left, I really don't know. Whatever the situation was, I don't agree with it."
Frazier had some final words for Davis as well"
"We wish him nothing but the best. I hope things work out for Vontae, whatever he chooses to do. Hopefully, he'll learn from this experience. I'm not sure what's going on in his mind right now. I haven't talked to him since yesterday at this point. But eventually, I hope to get a chance to speak to him and wish him nothing but the best."
A tweet from Davis's Twitter account has since resurfaced after deciding to leave Sunday's game, "#VontaeCorner: The people who Succeed in life are those who don't QUIT………."


1.0.2 is now available and it fixes a number of borked, busted, and broken elements.
I will continue to post fixes as folks report bugs, which you can do here on itch or over on the Steam Community.
Thanks to everyone who has purchased the game and mega thanks to those who have reported bugs. I think I've sorted out all the major issues caused by my last minute tweaks but if not I want to hear about them!


Kevin McGann, CEO, Surgio Tracking materials and supplies in any industry can be demanding, but hospital inventory needs are rarely as cut and dry. Patient needs are complex and specific, a one-size-fits-all approach is inconceivable, and unavailability of the right instruments at the right time can have fatal repercussions. A study by NCI Consulting Group reveals that at any given time, the average 350-bed hospital has roughly $2 million in clinical supply inventory in its operating rooms alone. Surprisingly, up to 30 percent of the inventory is not in the item master.
Truth be told, most healthcare institutions still rely on manual processes and visual inspections to manage the inventory coming in from distributors and manufacturers, resulting in lack of visibility and traceability of products. Moreover, poor asset management in hospitals is overwhelming as it equates to expensive overstock, stressful emergency purchases, and loss of precious time in tracking inventory.
In such a scenario, creating a win-win solution for suppliers, manufacturers, and hospital administrators is complicated. However, Surg.io is setting a new benchmark in hospital inventory management through its one-of-a-kind surgical case management solution. Surg.io was designed by industry veterans with over five decades of experience in orthopedics, who bring an in-depth understanding of the acute challenges that burden healthcare.
To draw a bigger picture, Surg.io is a cloud-based software platform that functions as a sales tool for orthopedic distributors and manufacturers, as well as a client relationship manager for hospitals to effortlessly keep track of all contracts, surgery procedures, and inventory flow. It is essentially a robust tool that is guaranteed to drive efficiencies, reduce waste, and spend.
In the case of healthcare organizations, at the onset of every project, Surg. io works with hospital executives, department managers, and nursing staff to identify their current needs and challenges. At this point, the company drills down to the gaps in workflow and accordingly a business plan is formulated. In the case of a multihospital system, Surg.io implements an appropriate solution across all the hospital's branches. The platform has the ability to integrate with an institution's existing infrastructure and is completely scalable and flexible. Owing to this, users can leverage best practices in no time as they have access to analytics and trends, which helps in laying the groundwork for certain standardization. "Our ultimate aim is to innovatively transition the ecosystem of a healthcare institution to effectively track inventory, produce greater ROI, and save time," says Kevin McGann, CEO of Surg.io.
Whether a hospital's inventory is owned, consigned, or loaned, Surg.io is a comprehensive tool that tracks each instrument as well as capital equipment in real time. For seamless visibility of assets, the company can utilize RFID to monitor, measure, and validate equipment statuses continuously when it's moving between departments, operating rooms, or sister facilities. Starting with the delivery status and date of supplies, ensuring that the sets are complete standards are met, and a quick check of the expiration date. The solution takes care of all movement of inventory within a hospital set up and operating room.
"For example, the platform provides complete information on whether a loner tray coming into an operating room has been processed or if the right instrument was processed by the sterile processing department (SPD)," explains McGann. Moreover, during routine checks, a hospital has instant access to the current position of inventory—underutilized equipment, excessive or redundant resources. Detailed visibility into all cases and instrument usage alongside enhanced traceability reduce the chances of duplicate or misplaced equipment, resulting in cost efficiencies.
The ingenuity behind Surg.io does not stop at instrument tracking. After a healthcare facility is onboard, the company compiles all of its suppliers' inventory data into the Surg.io platform, following which, appropriate workflows are set up. All hospital pricings are preloaded into Surg.io, and this ensures that the amount for any specific use case is automatically populated. Being a SaaS-based platform, information can be updated on the fly, which ensures that data is always current and up to date. "You have the ability to trace product lot numbers, create a usage sheet, and complete billing procedures that is signed off by the lead staff and electronically transmitted to an OR director," explains the company's COO and Co-Founder, Drue De Angelis. Through it all, the solution not only eliminates the possibilities of losing handwritten documents or labels falling off a sheet but also fast tracks processes and reduces errors.
For the maximum benefit of customers, Surg.io also allows users to run reports and view analytics on all aspects of a business. "While most solutions offer preset reports, we understand that no two hospitals have the same analytics need. We work closely with health systems and customize our analytics to deliver best-in-class results," states McGann.
A powerhouse for intelligent data, Surg.io also functions as an interactive system for manufacturers and securely links procedures and hospital personnel to an organization's medical reps.
Additionally, distributors and their reps have the ability to create profiles for surgeons where in addition to contact information, they can add surgeon preference cards, notes and internal comments for case activity, upload and attach pictures, and view or download files anytime, anywhere. The solution also comes with a scheduling component that notifies medical reps when cases are scheduled and updated, which enables timely inclusion of essential medical equipment such as tubs and trays, seamless planning and preparation, and identification of any inventory needs.
Within the Surg.io, users can view and update case information even when a device is cut off from the internet. Furthermore, the system is fully HIPAA compliant and employs a cloud infrastructure with leading-edge security protocols, data encryption, and audit controls.
On observing the breadth of Surg.io's capabilities, there is no denying the fact that it leapfrogs most other products in the market with focus on user experience, state of the art functionality, and adaptability.
To highlight Surg.io's efficiency further, the company is currently working with a client to streamline their break/fix model. As a solution, Surg.io has created a dashboard to track individual equipment that has been damaged and have been sent out for repairs. The system gives an updated account of the status of tools, the exact time it came back from repairs, and its current position within a hospital. "We can tag the equipment through our RFID capability, which brings in full visibility into the system," adds McGann. The solution also provides actionable insights to figure out which equipment has the tendency to need more repairs and the cost associated with those repairs.
"While most solutions offer preset reports, we understand that no two hospitals have the same analytics need. We work closely with health systems and customize our analytics to deliver best-in-class results"
The core of Surg.io's competency can be largely credited to its pool of expert and qualified professionals. The company comprises developers that have experience in working with renowned technology organizations and more importantly solution strategists that have in-depth knowledge of software implementation. Surg.io's unique blend of human resources works passionately to improve the company's solutions day after day with a deep understanding of what clients need.
Currently, the company is expanding their team, driven by the goal to refine their solutions to be more user-friendly and more intuitive than typical healthcare software. In addition, the company is also continuing to expand on the hospital-based component, focused on SPD and central supply. This comprises software that will help health systems directly benefit from inventory management. Another focal point is to help hospitals effectively integrate with their member hospitals. Plans of expanding nationally are also on the charts. "We are largely focused on our three channels—manufacturers, distributors, and hospitals—and will leave no stone unturned to help them radically improve efficiencies in the inventory management arena," ends McGann.


Everyone who has grown a pumpkin, no matter what its size – is encouraged to bring it to the competition and show off their growing skills. Prizes will be awarded for the 3 heaviest pumpkins.
Have you grown a giant squash, sunflower head, cucumber or other vegetable? Enter your largest garden grown plants for bragging rights and a chance to win!
We encourage you to use your imagination to its fullest! Decorate one vegetable or a group of vegetables. Impress the judges with your creativity.
Children are encouraged to bring their favorite vegetables or flowers that they grew at home. All children will be awarded a certificate of participation.
*Registration for all categories begins at 10 am. Judging begins at 11 am sharp. Entries brought to the competition after 11am will be exhibited but may not judged or eligible for prizes.


text:
from dispel4py.examples.graph_testing.testing_PEs\
    import TestProducer, TestOneInOneOut
from dispel4py.workflow_graph import WorkflowGraph

prod = TestProducer()
cons1a = TestOneInOneOut()
cons1b = TestOneInOneOut()
cons2 = TestOneInOneOut()

graph = WorkflowGraph()
graph.connect(prod, 'output', cons1a, 'input')
graph.connect(prod, 'output', cons1b, 'input')
graph.connect(cons1a, 'output', cons2, 'input')

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


do you see a conch shell ? i do!
this painting was made with alcohol inks. i'm not entirely sure what i'm doing with them , so i'm experimenting all the the time.
i really like this painting. it reminds me of a conch shell. those details around the painting, like the spots on them which came from putting a lot of the alcohol blending solution.i never know how these will turn out. i'm learning things, mostly how to blend the colors with out making a mess. i only post about half of what i'm making. i hope you like it!
i realized that all the little photo layouts that WordPress wants me to use when i'm putting pictures (of my art) into my post are making my art pretty useless because it's so small, sometimes smaller than a thumbnail the last post i did, i made the layout so that it shows each picture separately. i hope you don't mind, but i'm going to post highlights of my work again but big enough for you to really appreciate them, being able to really see them. here's a couple of examples from the the little layouts i used in several posts a couple of days ago.
do people mind if you write a zillion posts in one day? now that i'm doing this i really want to just keep making them!


text:
Although Camp Craig Allen has been changing lives for many years, and Craig himself was doing it long before that, today is our official birthday!!! Six years ago today, we became a 501(c)(3). We are so incredibly thankful for everyone that has made this possible through love, support, donations, prayers and thoughts. We wouldn't have made it here if it weren't for you!!!
Here's to many more birthdays…and lots of birthday cake!
Ms. Wheelchair Texas Pageant!
Are you one of those people that love watching Ms. America or even Toddler In Tiaras? Well, this probably won't be nearly as dramatic as Honey Boo Boo television, but there are about to be a flock of lovely ladies heading down to Houston to compete in Ms. Wheelchair Texas! Check out this blurb from the upcoming newsletter about the competition:
Ms. Wheelchair America is a non-profit program that promotes the achievements and challenges for women with mobility impairments. Ms. Wheelchair Texas is a sub-pageant underneath Ms. Wheelchair Texas that promotes all of the same wonderful agenda. According to their website, "Ms. Wheelchair America and Ms. Wheelchair Texas Pageants are competitions designed to select the most accomplished and articulate spokeswoman for the millions of disabled Americans. The selected representative must be able to communicate both the needs and the accomplishments of her constituency to the general public, the business community and the legislature." Duties of Ms. Wheelchair Texas include media and public appearances, conduct interviews and travel around the state advocating the eliminations of physical barriers and educating the general public on the issues facing people with disabilities.
Our Camp Craig Allen family is very involved in the Ms. Wheelchair Texas organization and a few of our campers and staff actually hold titles. Our very own Amanda Hall was crowned Ms. Wheelchair Texas 2011 and the darling Skylar Conover was voted Ms. Congeniality 2012! This year, Skylar is returning to the pageant, being held April 4th-7th in Houston, Texas. Good luck, Skylar!!!!


BONUS: We are paying huge cash rewards as another way to say "thank you!" See our prize list below. Have your friend call us, and make sure they mention your name to be enrolled. Or complete the form on this page and we'll give them a call.


text:
Report: Public school parents want better schools, not more choice
Posted By: Todd Kominiak September 27, 2017
Public school parents are confident in their local schools overall, but worry about serious threats to their children's education.
That's according to a recently released survey of public school parents from the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and Hart Research Associates.
Granted, as one of America's largest public teachers unions, AFT has an agenda that favors public schools.
But the report, Public School Parents on the Value of Education, still offers a valuable window into parents' views on school choice and the challenges facing public schools.
A few key takeaways from the AFT report.
1. Parents prefer a strong neighborhood school over more school choice options
When asked what they want most for their children, 71 percent of parents chose "a good quality neighborhood public school" as their top priority. Compare that with only 29 percent of parents who said they want more choices of schools. This support for strong neighborhood schools is even high (67 percent) among parents who are not satisfied with their student's current school, the survey found.
While choice options might seem like an immediate way out for those parents and families frustrated by their public schools, most parents say they would prefer a neighborhood public school that addresses the social and academic needs of their children.
A majority of urban, minorities, and low-income parents, often the target audience of school choice campaigns, also preferred a strong neighborhood school over more choice alternatives.
Want more on dealing with school market share? Sign up for the TrustED newsletter.
2. School safety and security was the most important priority for parents
When asked what the most important goals for public schools should be, 68 percent of parents ranked providing a safe and secure environment at the top of their list. That's a higher percentage than those who prioritized ensuring students are prepared for college, creating equal opportunity for all students, or boosting students' critical thinking skills.
While academic success remains a critical concern, this poll indicates that parents expect school leaders to also prioritize a strong, safe, and welcoming environment in their schools.
3. Parents see inadequate funding and excessive standardized testing as the two biggest challenges facing public schools
Parents overwhelmingly agree that public schools are not getting enough financial support, locally or nationally. More than 85 percent of parents view state and federal budget cuts as a major concern. They also see issues such as growing class sizes, teacher attrition, staff layoffs, and cuts to art education programs as troubling trends in their schools.
Sixty-one percent of parents think there is still too much emphasis on standardized testing in their schools. Write the report's researchers, "Far from being seen as a solution for schools' challenges, standardized testing is increasingly understood as one of the problems to be overcome."
What do you think about these latest survey results? Have you heard similar concerns from parents in your school or district? How are you addressing those concerns? Tell us in the comments.
TOPICS:market shareParentspublic schoolpublic school parentspublic schoolsSchool Choice
Top stories of 2019: Facing competition in your district? School marketing is just the first step.
Dawkins: Teaching and learning matters. But that's not all.
Be the first to comment on "Report: Public school parents want better schools, not more choice"


At Premier Cars, we offer a range of transport services, with airport transfers being our speciality. We pride ourselves on offering a comfortable, reliable taxi service in and around the Nottingham... area. Our drivers are all reliable and qualified license holders with a good knowledge of the roads to ensure you get to your destination efficiently and on time. Our transport services come second to none, offering a fast, reliable service at unbeaten rates.
Here and There, based in Toton (ideally located between Nottingham and Derby) have over 11 years experience in the taxi and private hire industry, serving customers throughout Nottingham, Derby and... the surrounding areas. We pride ourselves on our outstanding comfort, care and the all important safety of all of our passengers.
Cab Line Taxis are a 24 hour Nottingham taxi company. We are a family business offering a reliable and friendly service, with our head office located in Beeston close to the city centre, bus and train... stations. We have operated a successful taxi cab / private hire company in the Nottingham area for over 20 years, and provided specialist contract transport to many of the largest companies in the East Midlands, as well as small businesses, transport firms and local councils.
Cable Cars (Nottingham) Limited are a 24 hour taxi and private hire company based in Beeston, Nottinghamshire. Established in 1986 Cable Cars have a wealth of experience in the taxi and private car... hire industry, specialising in all types of taxi services, from airport runs and taxis for weddings, as well as executive commutes and local shopping trips. Cable Cars (Nottingham) Limited offer a 24 hour taxi service without pick up charges, we cover all major and local airports and train stations.
We offer a luxury service for all of your corporate business travel needs, including airport transfers, sea ports, exhibitions, conferences and all major sporting events. We meet incoming passengers... inside the terminal and offer a door to door service. Based near Nottingham and Derby, we are centrally located and offer nationwide services to all of the major airports and venues.
Nottingham Cars Ltd, established in 1975, Nottingham Cars is a family run business offering a range of services including taxi, private hire and mini buses. Centrally located, we are ideally placed to... serve both domestic and commercial customers across Nottinghamshire with highly affordable taxi hire.
My father bought DIAL-A-CAR from Chris in 1991 and called it M&S CARS. Mick and Sue being the people running M&S CARS as a 24 hour service (employing a couple of drivers) which ran as M&S CARS for... twenty years covering various local contracts and social school runs, with very happy customers who had used M&S CARS for this twenty year period.
We now have over two hundred cars and twenty eight-seater minibuses. Recently purchasing two wheelchair access vehicles we now have capacity for up to three wheelchairs. With our wide range of... vehicles, we cater for all our customers special occasions such as Weddings, Birthdays, Stag and Hen Weekends.
It's a far cry from what it is today! Back in 1972, Fred Hancox set up Freds Taxis and within the first 18 months, the taxi fleet had tripled in size. Expansion was Fred's vision and over the coming... years, Freds Taxis rebranded to what we know today as Near-N-Far in 1988. This expansion lead to the purchase of our head office and depot at Canalside in Ilkeston in 1994.


When trying to decide which rental in Chico is the best for you, it's important to take the neighborhood into consideration. Thankfully, because you are living in Chico, you have so many good neighborhoods to choose from that have beautiful apartment complexes and rental properties for you to call home. Here are 3 things that you need to consider while you're in the process of choosing the right neighborhood for you.
You want your apartment to be home sweet home, not a hassle. When you're searching for apartments in Chico or Redding, it's important to pay attention to the signs that tell you it will be an enjoyable place to live or one that you won't be happy in.
Are Chico Rental Properties Best in the North, South, East, or West?
Deciding which part of town to live in is an important decision. There are many personal factors that come into play. If you're aware of these ahead of time it will help narrow down which Chico rental properties to consider moving into.
To Live or Not To Live in Houses For Rent Near Campus – That is the Question!
Let's face it – Chico is a college town because well, we have a University here (and that's what it takes to qualify as one). If you've grown up in Chico or lived in Chico for awhile now, you'll know that there is an imaginary line that separates "college town" from the rest of Chico. What does this mean for Chico houses for rent? The Chico houses for rent located "on the west side" as it's also known, have a reputation for being overrun by college students looking for a good time. But that's not necessarily the case, they have a lot to offer. The answer to the question to live near or away from campus, well, that depends on who you are and what you're looking for.


Played a total of 764 times by 167 registered members. Finished by 159 users who rated the difficulty as easy.
Glad for you Toni. I have to call them too he's very nice but dreading the bill. I hope yours is all straightened up now.
Hi, I am the one responding to your good news. I hope they do a good job.
Hi, Everyone...plumbers are finally here!!!! The first company kept stringing me along. I finally got their attention and then they sent me an email - not a phone call- to let me know they couldn't do the work. So, it was back to square one. This company has been in touch with me all along. They are here today getting things done!!!! YAY!!!


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Op-Ed: Statists exploit tragedies to promote censorship
By Alexander Baron May 31, 2013 in Politics
The murders of April Jones and drummer Lee Rigby shocked Britain and to some extent the world. Now the usual suspects are attempting to exploit them for their own, sinister ends.
What is the lesson of the murder of April Jones? Not that parents shouldn't teach their young ones not to go with strange men, but that the Internet should be censored. What is the lesson of the murder of Lee Rigby? Not that action should be taken to counteract those who pervert the teachings of the Qur'an, but that what we need is censorship of the Internet. While hard cases make bad law, they also make rich pickings for the enemies of freedom.
There were calls for such enhanced censorship this morning on the BBC Breakfast news programme including from that paragon of virtue the NSPCC. That's not really an abused child on its website homepage by the way, rather it's a child model used to raise funds. And raise funds this organisation does.
The usual mixed bag of pro-censorship lobbyists are demanding that Google and other search engines should block on-line porn sites while some politicians are demanding what is in effect the censorship of "preachers of hate".
This misses the point, in the first instance child pornography is a criminal offence both in the UK and everywhere else in the world. In the second place, direct incitements to murder are likewise criminal offences.
The campaign to censor or even to "criminalise" pornography is the thin edge of the wedge. Who decides what is pornography? Who decides what is hate speech? Some people, including the more lunatic of the so-called anti-porn feminists equate almost every depiction of naked or semi-naked women with not only pornography but rape. During the 1980s we saw a massive campaign by these fanatics and their fellow travellers to purge newsagent shops of "girlie mags" and even to shut down "sex shops".
It was only when the sex police turned their attentions to homosexual erotica that this campaigned fizzled out. In April 1984, the homosexual bookshop Gay's The Word was raided by the authorities, who seized large quantities of homosexual literature, and overnight the crusade against pornography and sexism was transformed into a homophobic witch hunt.
In any case, some graphic depictions of child abuse have their place in society. Check out these explicit YouTube videos:
This shocking footage was released by the legal authorities in Texas. Shantaniqua Scott was given a 25 year sentence for attempting to murder her young son.
This shocking piece of abuse takes place in a Chinese street while a crowd stand and watch.
Finally, here is some more graphic abuse, this time from Russia, of a baby.
Leaving all that aside, do you really want the police to be able to trawl through your Internet records and perhaps even read your e-mails without a warrant? The security services have been doing this since the last Millennium, but that doesn't mean your local plod should be able to as well. Ever send someone a letter? Maybe you should send postcards instead so that everyone can see what you've written. After all, if you're not a paedophile or an Islamist fanatic, you have nothing to hide. Right?
This opinion article was written by an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not necessarily intended to reflect those of DigitalJournal.com
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Home Publications archive FOCALPoint Toward more inclusive North American summits?
The sixth annual North American Leaders Summit will be held in Canada this summer. Although a recent phenomenon, these meetings between the prime minister of Canada and the presidents of the United States and Mexico seem straight out of another era, when none but the economic elite were asked their opinion on major political and economic issues. The presence of a greater diversity of actors at these summits would make a more open and representative North American dialogue possible.
Since 2005, the annual highlight of relations between Canada, the United States and Mexico has consisted in holding summit meetings. These meetings provide an opportunity for all three federal government leaders to take stock of their respective situations and discuss major shared issues.
For support in this task and to get advice regarding measures to adopt, they have created the North American Competitiveness Council, a trinational committee made up of corporate representatives. Comprising 30 corporate leaders, the Council is the only organization that has been formally invited to take part in the summits.
While it may be acceptable for government leaders to seek the point of view of large companies on North American governance, it is unjustifiable that they not seek advice from more than one source. The magnitude of issues associated with the region, which is of utmost importance to all three countries in relation to trade, energy, environment and border issues, is too great to be left to a handful of actors, particularly if all from the same sector. The time has come to give new actors a voice on the subject in order to broaden the spectrum of interests for consideration and to involve more actors in the trilateral dynamic.
A first crucial step would be to establish a formal link between the forum of federated states, which brings together government leaders from Canadian provinces and U.S. and Mexican states, and the North American Leaders Summit. After all, the federated states' leaders have already been meeting periodically to discuss issues that, more often than not, are the same as those of their federal counterparts.
For example, at the forum of federated states held in June 2009, leaders exchanged ideas primarily on the financial and economic crisis, transportation and infrastructure, as well as energy and climate change. A few days later, the federal officials met to discuss promoting economic stimulus and North America's competitiveness, co-operation regarding clean energy and climate change, as well as questions related to public security. The similarity between the two agendas is undeniable.
to federal leaders in writing, while the 30 corporate members of the North American Competitiveness Council were allowed to communicate with federal leaders in person.
The input of various levels of government, be it on measures related to trade, transportation or even cross-border water management just to name a few, is not only desirable, but often necessary. In addition, it seems that the best interests of the public would be better guaranteed by the occurrence of a meeting between federal and federated government leaders than by a gathering with 30 corporate leaders. Aside from the benefits likely to result from better co-ordination between the two levels of North American government, it is worth mentioning that the costs resulting from self-contained management could probably be reduced.
With the Buy American Act, we have seen that there is a price to pay for not including the governments of federated states in the North American dynamic. As the government agencies of the federated states had been exempt from the application of Chapter 10 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) concerning government contracts, several U.S. states took advantage of this situation. Following the adoption of President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package, these states gave preferential treatment to U.S. companies.
A second consideration would be to involve other actors from civil society —in addition to representatives of large companies— in making recommendations to government leaders. For example, the academic community could be officially asked to mobilize. Doing so could bring about a first meeting of North American university presidents or rectors, with an aim to discuss measures intended to strengthen inter-faculty relations and student ties among all three countries. Developing North America's full potential requires the contribution of an academic community that is fully committed to the analysis of the issues and challenges specific to the region.
Finally, the inclusion of a committee comprising environmental or social non-governmental organizations would make it possible to round out the process of diversifying the powers in attendance and broaden the range of expertise and points of view represented. An initiative of this kind could lead some of these groups to abandon a strictly confrontational approach in favour of a more constructive process.
Implementing such changes would engage North American Leaders Summits in a consolidation phase of regional dialogue. It is hoped that the North American summits will come to reflect a more open approach that gives preference to the contribution of various actors concerned with the issues under discussion.
Christine Fréchette is the director of the North American Forum on Integration (NAFI).


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Regarding GDPR, company leaders are in two minds. Non-compliance is going to cost 4 percent of the total revenue or 20 million euros, quite a large sum to ignore. If you also look at the brighter side of GDPR implementation, more transparency will come in the data relationship between the consumers and data controllers or processors. In this article at InformationWeek, Dimitri Sirota talks about how GDPR can drive tangible benefits for companies.
As per the International Association of Privacy Professionals, Fortune 500 companies are going to spend $7.8 billion to keep up with the GDPR rules and regulations. In the initial phase, the operational cost may soar high. However, you will derive benefits if you evaluate the outcomes from a strategic standpoint. At first, know what data your company is collecting. Based on that, you will be prepared to address areas like access privileges, permission, breach redressal, and data handling and storage. If you can provide satisfactory answers, you will see tangible benefits when it gets implemented on May 25, 2018.
More Customer-Centric Business: GDPR will enable companies to understand their customers better. Instead of just collecting data, you would want to be selective about the data you collect, process, and store to derive value.
Reduction of Insurance Costs: By 2020, cyber insurance costs are expected to grow up to $7.5 billion. However, if you are following the GDPR mandates from the tee, you will see a huge reduction in cyber insurance costs. Also, GDPR would allow companies to be careful about the data they handle and analyze the associated risks. As a result, you will optimize your data collection ability, redirect hackers with data tokenization, and be proactive about understanding the data requirements.
Reduction of Response Expenses: Ponemon Institute's "2017 Cost of Data Breach Study," reveals that a breach can incur an average global cost of $3.6 million on you. GDPR compels you to inform the affected within 72 hours. This rule enforcement will decrease data breach response time significantly. As you will already have a better knowledge of the data source, you do not have to set aside a budget to find the affected consumers.
Building a Lasting Relationship: Since the company is accountable for the data you use, you will strive to structure better processes, security, and infrastructure to enable business efforts. This would build a relationship of trust with customers.


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