text:
Reported adidas Deal With Andrew Wiggins Sets Precedent Very High
Posted by David Harten on October 17th, 2013
According to various media reports on Tuesday, adidas is already stocking up to make a play on current Kansas star Andrew Wiggins, with the shoe giant ready to the throw a 10-year, $140 to $180 million contract at him when he goes pro after this season. Wiggins is widely touted as the top prospect in the 2014 NBA Draft, so let's move past any issues or claims of amateurism and instead look at the how and why of this supposed deal. Looking at the immediate future, when Wiggins is selected in the first round of the draft next June, he will get the guaranteed four-year contract that comes with selection as a first round pick, per the NBA's recent collective bargaining agreement. Breaking it down to a simple annual take of salary ($4 million-plus per year) plus endorsements, Wiggins will make a minimum of $18-$22 million per year beginning next summer, assuming of course that he lives up to the overflowing hype while passing through Lawrence.
Why Is This Man Smiling? Nine Figures Waiting For Him Helps
For comparison's sake, let's look at some of the more lucrative endorsement deals offered to young professional basketball prospects in the last decade. It's tough to find a good benchmark, but you have to start with LeBron James' deal with Nike in 2003, which was reportedly worth over $90 million at the time. In terms of one-year collegiate wonders, Kevin Durant signed a seven-year, $60 million deal with Nike when he came out of Texas, and lest we forget, Derrick Rose signed a monster "lifetime" (actual: 14-year) contract with adidas last year worth $260 million.
And yet, none of those deals are as important as the one that Wiggins could reportedly sign. There are certain number of factors that go into it. First, a company being publicly locked and loaded with such a deal (of course, neither adidas nor Wiggins can confirm it) could set off a behind-the-scenes bidding war and set the stage for preemptive moves like this in the future. Everyone around the game knows that the business of basketball begins when top players are still in the AAU ranks. With the shoe companies having such deep and prolific roots in the summer circuits and associations with the major prep schools, it's easy to understand how and why many players are predestined for adidas, Nike, Reebok, and so forth from the beginning. Kansas is an adidas school. Wouldn't it make sense for Wiggins to represent the shoe company on the court this season with such a tremendous payoff waiting for him in the wings? Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA, Dream Vision and adidas all say hello.
| legal matters, nba draft | Tagged: adidas, Andrew Wiggins, contracts, derrick rose, feature, kansas, kevin durant, lebron james
Posted by rtmsf on September 25th, 2013
Yesterday we mentioned that SI.com's Andy Glockner was brewing up a firestorm with his series of articles ranking the top 20 current programs in college basketball. Such an endeavor has two verifiable truths: first, everyone loves lists; second, everyone loves to rip lists. With that in mind (and he's well aware of those truths), his honorable mentions came out Monday, followed by his rankings of programs from #16 to #20 on Tuesday. In order, let's welcome Gonzaga, Illinois, Michigan, Georgetown and Texas to the top 20. Of this group, we're having the most trouble with the Illinois pick at #19. The Illini had a renaissance season under the tutelage of new head coach John Groce last year, but spent most of the previous five years struggling to regain its national relevance of the early-to-mid 2000s. We realize of course that Glockner is using historical and other qualitative metrics to make these determinations, but we probably would have had Pittsburgh, Marquette, Xavier and several others ahead of the Illini. Still, that's nitpicky. What will really make or break this list will be how Glockner handles the top five (and the fans of the four runners-up will let him know it!). We're excited to see the next group released later today.
As more and more people marry themselves to the idea that college football and basketball players are being exploited by their schools and the NCAA, we'll continue to see analyses like one from Business Insider published on Tuesday. Their methodology for determining the fair market value of players at the top 25 revenue-producing football schools is quite simple, probably overly simple — just multiply football revenue by 47 percent (per the NFL's collective bargaining agreement with its players), then divide by the number of scholarships (85). What BI found mimics the numbers we've seen elsewhere — at the richest athletic schools such as Texas, Alabama and Michigan, college football players are worth roughly a half-million dollars each annually in value. The same analysis is also easy enough to do for college basketball players. Louisville's hoops revenue of $42.4 million in 2012 is divided in half given the NBA's rough 50/50 split with the players, leaving $21.2 million to be split 13 ways. The result: a Cardinals' basketball player is worth $1.63 million to the university (if you buy into this methodology). This is the mistake that many of these gridiron-centric analyses don't realize — while it's definitely true that football provides more aggregate revenue to the schools, the players in college basketball are individually much more valuable. If you want to make the point most strongly, which is the better headline? Texas football players are worth a half-million each; or Louisville basketball players are worth three times that much?
While on the subject of football powers, the NCAA announced yesterday that Penn State would regain some of the football scholarships it lost as a result of the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal. In announcing the removal of those sanctions, the NCAA recognized that the school had made great efforts to change its culture of abuse but NCAA president Mark Emmert made it clear that other schools shouldn't expect a reduction in their own penalties. That's too bad, writes The Dagger's Jeff Eisenberg, who outlines four major recent (and fixable) misfires by the NCAA, two of which were focused on men's basketball. The most well-known example, of course, was the NCAA's "strict liability" punishment on Memphis for playing Derrick Rose in the 2007-08 season, even though the NCAA Clearinghouse had deemed him eligible to play before that season. The other is far less recognizable, involving the NCAA's decision to rule that Old Dominion's Donte Hill was ineligible for his senior season because he played eight minutes in a closed-door preseason scrimmage against Clemson back in 2010. We're quite sure that we could probably come up with a dozen more of these if we spent the time on it, but Eisenberg's list is a good place to start. It wouldn't hurt the NCAA to consider more reductions (or commutation) of sentences based on additional facts, precedents and behaviors.
What's a Final Four appearance worth to an MVC school like Wichita State? We'll have to wait for the Business Insider analysis on that one, but it's at least worth around $600,000 to its head coach, Gregg Marshall. The university announced his new salary on Tuesday, with a base of $1.6 million that kicks in this November and another raise to $1.75 million that begins next April. The long-underrated head coach will move into the top 25 or so highest-paid college basketball coaches as a result of this raise, which is a substantial financial commitment for a school living outside the Power Six or Seven hoops leagues. But Final Four appearances at schools like Wichita State tend to result in ironclad job security.
Believe it or not, but with the new practice rules in effect this season, schools will actually begin suiting up for real, live, full-on practices this Friday. As in 48 hours from now. One of the players who will definitely be there to play post-practice games of HORSE with his teammates is Ole Miss' Marshall Henderson. As reported by Gary Parrish at CBSSports.com, Andy Kennedy expects the all-SEC shooting guard to be on the floor Friday. The controversial shooting guard reportedly failed multiple drug tests and spent much of the offseason "suspended" from the team, whatever that means, but let's be honest with ourselves here. There aren't all that many name-brand players who pass through Oxford, Mississippi — especially in roundball — so there was not much of a question as to whether Henderson would suit up this year.
| morning 5, Regular Features | Tagged: andy glockner, contract extensions, derrick rose, gregg marshall, illinois, marshall henderson, memphis, ncaa violations, ole miss, penn st, suspensions, top 20 programs, wichita st
ACC M5: 01.04.13 Edition
Posted by mpatton on January 4th, 2013
CSNChicago.com: Duke commitment Jabari Parker reached out to a couple of pros for advice on his budding career. On recruiting, he talked to fellow Chicago Simeon HS graduate Derrick Rose, who pointed Parker toward the coach who would most push him instead of coddling him. For injury advice, he sought out Duke alumnus Grant Hill, who stressed the importance of patience. Their advice certainly isn't mind-blowing, but it's cool to see someone use those connections to make these kinds of life decisions. It also probably didn't hurt Duke to have a guy like Hill indirectly (and unofficially of course) representing the school.
Run The Floor: In case Ken Pomeroy's numbers didn't give you a full clue into how much better Duke has been than the rest of the ACC, Michael Rogner made up an ACC "Power Rankings" based on efficiency margins. Visually, it's stunning just how much more impressive Duke has been in the early goings and explains why Pomeroy's simulations have Duke winning nearly 90% of the time. Duke has the best offense and the best defense in the league by fairly significant margins. And the other schools with an elite offense (really only NC State) or defense (Georgia Tech and Virginia) are very one-dimensional.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Speaking of the Yellow Jackets, Georgia Tech is off to an impressive 10-2 start this season. But while their record should come with a grain of salt, it's not like Brian Gregory played a schedule of world-beaters in non-conference play last season when his team started 7-7. Georgia Tech's improvement is mostly on the defensive end, where they're shutting opponents down and doing a solid job covering the defensive glass. Last year the Yellow Jackets needed a miracle game out of Glen Rice, Jr., to have a chance. This year they might be able to surprise a few teams along the way.
CBSSports.com: Florida State's recent "disappoint in the non-conference but force the Selection Committee's hand with a couple of great conference wins" MO may fall somewhat short this season. In large part, the Seminoles can blame the second item on this list, as there just aren't that many great wins within the ACC to get this season. Sure, beating Duke in Tallahassee would go a long way, but apart from their one shot at the Blue Devils the Seminoles don't have any real margin for error. The team just hasn't gelled defensively, and it shows.
Washington Post: Jontel Evans is out of his boot and may return against North Carolina on Sunday. Assuming Evans fits back into the team seamlessly (and there's no reason to assume he won't), Virginia may very well be the second best team in the ACC. Their loss to Old Dominion notwithstanding, the Cavaliers play very tough defense that will only get better when Evans returns to the lineup. Don't expect too many minutes against the Tar Heels though, as the Cavaliers don't want to re-aggravate Evans' foot injury.
EXTRA: Former North Carolina governor Jim Martin wrote a letter to the editor of the Raleigh News & Observer to comment on the criticisms of his recent report about the UNC academic scandal. Long story short, he did everything that was in his power to illuminate the scandal and reported his findings. Unfortunately, without subpoena power at his disposal, though, he couldn't force anyone to cooperate on the record, a major limitation.
| acc, microsites, morning 5 | Tagged: brian gregory, derrick rose, duke, florida state, georgia tech, grant hill, Jabari Parker, jontel evans, virginia
Posted by rtmsf on August 23rd, 2012
It seems like all we talk about in these M5s are player eligibility issues, but something new is released almost every day. The latest release involves the other half of the top two players in the incoming freshman class (depending on whom you ask). With UCLA"s Shabazz Muhammad sitting in Westwood yesterday as his team flew off to China without him, SI.com's Pete Thamel published a piece revealing that the NCAA is taking a closer look at the recruitment of Kentucky big man Nerlens Noel, visiting his former high school for the second time in three months to inquire about some of the associations he has with various prep basketball hangers-on, and specifically, how Noel paid for some of his unofficial recruiting visits. As expected, Kentucky fans have been quick to play the victimization card by their media public enemy #1, Thamel, but the truth of the matter is that this is becoming NCAA standard operating procedure for elite recruits in today's environment. Just this offseason, Noel, Muhammad, Providence's Ricardo Ledo and NC State's Rodney Purvis have been more carefully vetted by the NCAA, and in the era of players frequently jumping high schools, more and more powerful AAU basketball, and vast coteries of agents and runners looking for a piece of the action, these careful evaluations of elite recruits is going to continue.
It was therefore superb timing on CBSSports.com to release another of their Critical Coaches series Wednesday asking a question along these lines. They asked their coaching contacts which player's recruitment from the last decade was perceived (there's that word again) to have been the dirtiest? Recall that a couple of weeks ago, John Calipari, Scott Drew and Ben Howland were perceived to be the biggest cheaters in the sport — among the group of players named in this follow-up question, the top four named and six of the top 10 were recruits under either Calipari or Howland. Interestingly, none of Drew's guys — from Quincy Miller to Isaiah Austin to Perry Jones — were named in this poll. But boy, both Calipari and Howland's guys sure were — the top four: Shabazz Muhammad, Anthony Davis, John Wall, and Kyle Anderson. The next two on the list? OJ Mayo and Derrick Rose — two players who, you know, were proven to have committed serious violations during their recruitments. A number of other players received votes but it's clear that, with nine of the 24 players named (Terrence Jones, DeMarcus Cousins, Enes Kanter, and J'Mison Morgan were also named), the Kentucky and UCLA head coaches are perceived to be playing a different game than everyone else.
Sigh… While on the subject of the shamelessness of some of the questions in this Critical Coaches series, would it be too much to ask the CBSSports.com gentlemen — all of whom are good and capable dudes — to follow up with some of the hundreds of coaching contacts they have and do the proper journalistic legwork to prove (or disprove) these perceptions? If Shabazz Muhammad's recruitment is perceived to be the dirtiest in the last 10 years of college basketball (or Anthony Davis'… or John Wall's… or Kyle Anderson's… you get the point), how about spending some of that energy nailing the people responsible; or, alternatively, clearing those mentioned from that perception? It all just feels a bit too US Weekly, which as John Clay suggests, is fine if that's what the site wants to be — but unlike most college basketball portals, that group has the resources, the time, and quite clearly the contacts to find out where the bodies are buried. Instead of pure sensationalism, how about digging up a few bones here and there along the way?
Let's continue a theme with today's M5 by mentioning that UNC has "quietly" moved its director of academic support services for athletes into another position at the university. Specifically, Robert Mercer, the department's leader for 10 years, has become a "special assistant for operations" at the school's Johnston Center for Academic Excellence (where everyone who wants an A, gets an A!). Sorry. UNC of course went to great pains to lay blame at the feet of Mercer for the problems that occurred under his watch, but it's clear to anyone watching that he's falling on the sword in return for an opportunity to keep his job (current salary: $81,900 + bennies). One note on this story — outside of Tobacco Road, it's not well-known just how much vitriol exists between NC State and North Carolina. Take a read at some of the 15 pages of user comments under this Raleigh News & Observer article, and you'll understand very quickly that the hatred between those two fan bases runs very, very deep.
Back to basketball. One of the best ongoing columns if you're looking for insightful information about the sport is Mike DeCourcy's Starting Five piece. If you can get past DeCourcy's floating head at the top of each article, it's really an excellent read, and this week was no different. He doesn't get cute with it, but the insight is that the questions he answers are often a step or two beyond the typical "how do you see XYZ next year?" type. In this installment, he discusses the paucity of elite point guards in college basketball, Keith Clanton's loyalty to UCF, and the possible upside for a number of non-power conference teams, among other things. There are few regular offseason columns that we'd describe as must-reads, but DeCourcy's Q&A is definitely worth a few of your minutes each week.
| morning 5, Regular Features | Tagged: academic scandal, anthony davis, CBSSports.com, derrick rose, john wall, kentucky, kyle anderson, Nerlens Noel, oj mayo, recruiting, recruiting violations, shabazz muhammad, unc
Big Ten Morning Five: 02.21.12
Posted by jnowak on February 21st, 2012
If Illinois is to succeed in the Big Ten — whether it's under Bruce Weber or a different head coach — the Fighting Illini likely need to succeed in recruiting top players out of Chicago. It's a hotbed of talent — guys like Anthony Davis and Derrick Rose come to mind, with players like Jabari Parker and Cliff Alexander set to come out of the Windy City in the next few years — and right in Illinois' backyard. But the relationship between the school and the city can be a complicated one, Loren Tate writes for The News-Gazette. If Weber or the next coach can figure it out, it could mean a huge leap forward for the program.
Is Iowa's Matt Gatens the most underrated player in the Big Ten? The senior has been sturdy for the Hawkeyes, scoring a team-high 14.88 PPG and dropping at least 15 in his last six games. Gatens played all 40 minutes in Iowa's upset of Indiana, scoring 30 points on 10-for-18 shooting. "He was just in a great flow and rhythm," Indiana coach Tom Crean said. "He's not only one of the better shooters or guards in this league. He's also one of the better ones in the country. That is a four-year guy who has been doing it at a high level — a great guy to have walk into your program." And the fact that he's one of three Hawkeyes with fathers that have ties to the program makes it an even better story.
Speaking of Gatens, his performance against the Hoosiers was one thing that stood out to the Indianapolis Star's Terry Hutchens in the game. It was yet another disappointing road performance for the baffling Hoosiers, who often seem unbeatable in Bloomington, but mediocre away from home. Among Hutchens' other notes are Iowa coach Fran McCaffery's thoughts on Cody Zeller, the disappearing act of Christian Watford and Jordan Hulls' search for confidence.
Nebraska hasn't finished its first season in the Big Ten, but the Omaha World-Herald's Tom Shatel already believes the Cornhuskers are in need of change in the program. He says this difficult task must start with the man who has already worked wonders in the athletic program: Tom Osborne. The former football coach has the opportunity to make Nebraska a winning program, Shatel says, by bringing in a coach who can recruit at a high level and showing that the department is committed to the basketball program like it is to the football team. Could a change be coming?
Without question, Purdue could have used the services of D.J. Byrd and Kelsey Barlow on Sunday against Michigan State, but head coach Matt Painter knew he had a tough decision to make. Byrd will rejoin the team, but Barlow is out of second chances. "It's disappointing," Painter said. "There's no doubt about it. It's disappointing because when you put in time with guys and you give guys a second chance, that's what it's all about. You think about the chances you get in life. You think about somebody sticking by you."
| big ten, microsites | Tagged: anthony davis, bruce weber, christian watford, cody zeller, d.j. byrd, derrick rose, illinois, indiana, iowa, jordan hulls, kelsey barlow, matt gatens, matt painter, michigan state, nebraska, purdue, tom crean, tom osborne
Who's Got Next? Commitments For Kansas Continues, Jarnell Stokes To Decide Soon…
Posted by Josh Paunil on December 21st, 2011
Who's Got Next? is a weekly column by Josh Paunil, the RTC recruiting guru. We encourage you to check out his website dedicated solely to college basketball recruiting, National Recruiting Spotlight, for more detailed recruiting information. Once a week he will bring you an overview of what's going on in the complex world of recruiting, from who is signing where among the seniors to who the hot prospects are at the lower levels of the sport. If you have any suggestions as to areas we're missing or different things you'd like to see, please let us know at rushthecourt@yahoo.com.
Lead Story: Elite Class of 2013 Shooting Guard Selects Kansas
Bill Self Must Have Dazzled Brannen Greene On the Junior's Unofficial Visit (Jeffrey Greene)
Brannen Greene Not Satisfied, Recruiting Others To Join Him. Class of 2013 shooting guard Brannen Greene announced his commitment to the Kansas Jayhawks this week which makes him the third highest rated recruit to come off the board. The 6'6″, 180-pound Georgia-native joins shooting guard Conner Frankamp as head coach Bill Self's two commitments in the junior class and will see playing time at both guard positions and small forward. Greene is a guy who has good athleticism and versatility and shoots the ball very well from the perimeter. He's also a very intelligent player who has great character and is supremely coachable. The good news for Kansas fans is that he has already started recruiting guys to come join him. A trio of top-10 juniors is currently at the top of his wish list which includes shooting guard Allerik Freeman and power forwards Chris Walker and Julius Randle. The Jayhawks are also very close to getting a commitment from Class of 2013 point guard Isaiah Lewis who could verbal Monday (see more below). In addition to Lewis, Kansas looks to be in the lead to land Walker's services and could get Freeman as well. Perhaps the only recruiting trouble Bill Self could run into in the Class of 2013 is if he will have enough scholarships available.
Senior Shabazz Muhammad on who's standing out to him: "UNLV stands out, Kentucky, Duke and UCLA, all really stand out to me from a player's standpoint. Kansas also really has a great program too, and I'm excited to take my official [visit] up there and see [head] coach [Bill] Self and his staff."
| recruiting, Regular Features, who's got next | Tagged: Allerik Freeman, andrew white, Anrio Adams, Aquille Carr, arizona, arkansas, baylor, bill self, brannen greene, Chris Walker, connecticut, Conner Frankamp, cuonzo martin, derrick rose, duke, florida, Harry Martin, illinois, Isaiah Lewis, Jabari Parker, Jahlil Okafor, Jarnell Stokes, Jeffrey Greene, john calipari, Julius Randle, kansas, kentucky, Landen Lucas, loyola marymount, memphis, michigan state, Nerlens Noel, seton hall, shabazz muhammad, Simeon Career Academy, tennessee, tom izzo, tony parker, ucla, unlv, xavier
Posted by nvr1983 on November 7th, 2011
It's finally here. It has been a little more than 7 months since Connecticut defeated Butler to give Jim Calhoun his third national championship. In the interim, we have been forced to talk about the NBA Draft, a ridiculous amount of conference realignment, an even more ridiculous amount of NCAA violations, and some recent exhibition games (we will get to the latter three in a bit). Tonight, the actual games start with three games on the docket: William & Mary at St. John's (the first game of the season and also the first RTC Live of the year), Eastern Kentucky at Mississippi State, and Valparaiso at Arizona. We are hoping with the season starting we can get back to focusing on the sport we all love. Just remember your team is still undefeated right now.
Connecticut freshman Ryan Boatright continues to be in limbo with the NCAA during its ongoing investigation into his eligibility regarding a plane ticket purchased for him by Reggie Rose, his AAU coach who happens to be Derrick Rose's brother. According to a NCAA source, Boatright could miss between three and six games depending on the value of the ticket. [Ed. Note: How do they figure this out? Use the highest possible price like it was purchased day of or do they see what you could get on Priceline?] For his part, Reggie Rose is declining comment "out of the respect to the Boatright family" while a source close to him calls the entire thing a "witch hunt". While the Huskies will miss Boatright in November because of their lack of depth at point guard given the relatively short length of the potential punishment we doubt that this will affect UConn in the long run unless the NCAA drags its feet in announcing the punishment because Boatright will have to sit out during that period too.
We have known it was coming for weeks, but on Sunday the SEC made it official–Missouri will join the SEC for the 2012-13 season. We have already discussed in depth the impact this and other moves will have on the landscape of college sports so we will spare you all the details and moralizing. For the SEC fans who may not be familiar with Missouri and its sports teams, Alabama Live has provided a nice primer on the school and its athletic department. Our personal favorite part is the ranking schools by number of major NCAA infractions.
Bob Huggins would probably like to forget West Virginia's last second 77-74 loss to Division II Northern Kentucky on Saturday night when Eshaunte Jones hit a three with one second left. As we have said before these games aren't particularly helpful although some people will make a big deal out of Northern Kentucky winning its first exhibition game against a Division I opponent in 19 tries. The reality is that the Norse shot lights out going 13 of 25 from beyond the arc and shooting 54% from the field overall while the Mountaineers came out flat falling behind 42-29 at half after trailing by as many as 17 points in the first half. After the game Truck Bryant, who led the Mountaineers with 24 points, said, "I didn't see this coming. I mean losing to a D-II school, not to take anything away from them, that's embarrassing." We are assuming that Huggins and Bryant will use this as motivation for the regular season opener against Oral Roberts on Friday night.
Chuck Klosterman put out a list of his 50 favorite college basketball players of all-time and it created a brief controversy on Twitter on Friday afternoon as people harangued him for his selections. As we mentioned at the time the list should not be taken as a top 50 list despite its title. Klosterman lays out his criteria at the top, which is fine since it is his list, but makes some questionable interpretations of those criteria when ranking players. Overall, we sort of like his list with its mixture of players that everybody remembers as being great along with a few that only serious basketball fans would know unless they had some special connection (fans of that school, etc) and have already admitted that it is much better than what we could probably do off the top of our head for indie rock bands, Klosterman's area of expertise.
| morning 5, Regular Features | Tagged: arizona, bob huggins, butler, connecticut, derrick rose, eastern kentucky, eshaunte jones, jim calhoun, mississippi state, northern kentucky, oral roberts, reggie rose, ryan boatright, st johns, truck bryant, uconn, valparaiso, west virginia, william & mary
Posted by nvr1983 on October 10th, 2011
With the start of the college basketball season rapidly approaching one of the hot topics has been the upcoming Carrier Classic, which nearly every fan of college basketball would love to go to. Apparently, Michael Jordan is not among them as the UNC great has decided to back out of his position as honorary captain for the Tar Heels due to a prior commitment. He will be replaced by his former Tar Heel teammate James Worthy, who will be met on the opposing side by his former Los Angeles Laker teammate Magic Johnson, who will be serving as honorary captain of Michigan State. We are sure that Jordan has a valid excuse, but given his prior history of missing major ceremonies, we are surprised that someone hasn't come out with some ridiculous conspiracy theory on what Jordan is doing instead.
Suspended Florida forward Cody Larson got a bit of good news on Friday when a South Dakota court ruled that he will not have to serve jail time for the misdemeanor charges related to his arrest in April. Larson could have served jail time for violating probation from a prior arrest in high school where he was charged with illegal use and possession of Hydrocodone. Instead, the court ruled that Larson will have another 120-day suspended jail sentence, serve another 2 years of probation, and complete a community service requirement (tell local high school basketball teams about his experiences). So if you are scoring at home he violated his probation and was given the same sentence with the only addition being talking to local basketball teams. Let's hear it for the American legal system…
Speaking of the American legal system, a group of Memphis season ticket holders received a $100,000 out-of-court settlement from Derrick Rose, John Calipari, and the current athletic director after threatening the trio with a lawsuit for making their 2009-2010 season tickets worth less than they otherwise would have been. The claims are based on the assertion that the ruling against the program stemming from Rose's reportedly invalid SAT score devalued the Memphis season tickets. The entire lawsuit seems ridiculous (our legal expert may chime in later), but I guess when you make the kind of money that Rose and Calipari make it might be worth it to pay the money to get the season ticket holders to stop bothering them.
The ACC's currently announced expansion plans have widely been portrayed as a move that was made to bolster the conference's basketball, but Boston College athletic director Gene DeFilippo insists that isn't the case and that football money was the driving force. While that is the lede the more interesting part of this article is that DeFilippo claims that BC blocked Connecticut's inclusion (free registration) and cites comments made in 2005 as part of the reasoning. This seems ridiculous particularly since the lawsuit brought in 2005 attempting to block BC from leaving the Big East to join the ACC was brought by UConn and Pittsburgh, whom BC apparently had no problem letting in the ACC. Basically what it appears to come down to is that BC felt more threatened by UConn encroaching on its Northeastern territory than they did with either Pittsburgh or Syracuse. If this is true, we are kind of surprised that BC has that much sway in the ACC.
While the ACC and nearly every other conference appears to be fixated on conference expansion, the Big Ten is not one of those conferences. At least that is what current commissioner Jim Delany said on Friday. We are usually skeptical of these type of claims, but to their credit we are not aware of any rumors of the Big Ten going after any team and we have actually heard that they have turned down a few potentially interested schools. As we have said before we are getting to the point of exhaustion with these expansion rumors, but now that we are getting to the point where a conference announcing that it is not looking to expand becomes news we are hoping that we are nearing the conclusion although we doubt it.
| morning 5, Regular Features | Tagged: boston college, connecticut, derrick rose, james worthy, john calipari, magic johnson, memphis, michael jordan, michigan state, north carolina, pittsburgh, syracuse, uconn, unc
RTC NBA Draft Profiles: Kyrie Irving
Posted by nvr1983 on June 22nd, 2011
Over the course of the next month until the NBA Draft on June 23, RTC will be rolling out comprehensive profiles of the 35 collegians we feel have the best chance to hear their names called by David Stern in the first round that night. There won't be any particular order to the list, but you can scroll back through all the finished profiles by clicking here.
Player Name: Kyrie Irving
School: Duke
Height/Weight: 6'3/190 lbs.
NBA Position: Point Guard
Projected Draft Range: #1 Overall
Overview: Irving opened his career at Duke playing about as well as anybody could have expected a freshman point guard to play so early in his career even considering the ideal situation he joined (playing on a defending national champion with two of its top players — Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith — returning). Irving was playing so well that by the time Duke's national championship game rematch against Butler rolled around on December 4 he had established himself as the top player on a loaded team and the runaway choice as national player of the year. Then Irving injured his toe and appeared lost for the season but made a return in the NCAA Tournament where he was solid, but clearly not playing like he had before the injury (excepting one half against Arizona in the Sweet Sixteen). Despite his abbreviated season, Irving showed more than enough to NBA scouts and executives to make him the clear-cut #1 choice to the Cleveland Cavaliers in this year's NBA Draft. Although his lack of world-class athleticism makes many observers question whether he will ever become a true star in the NBA, there is little doubt he will be a solid player based on his already well-developed all-court game as he appears to have no real weakness in terms of his skill set.
Irving is the clear #1 pick in this year's NBA Draft
Will Translate to the NBA: A point guard that everybody on his team will love playing with. One of the most interesting aspects of Irving's single season at Duke was not his impressive early-season performances, but instead it was his ability to take command of a senior-laden team without any evidence of a fracture in team chemistry. The freshman guard will be a good starting point guard in the NBA for years and his ability to hit from outside and penetrate will make him a coach's dream. The big question with Irving from an NBA standpoint is what his ceiling is. Ten years ago this probably would not have been an issue, but with the recent point guard renaissance and the appearance of ridiculously athletic point guards like Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook in the NBA, it becomes a significant issue for a #1 overall pick. Kyrie will probably never contend for an MVP award and might not even make many All-Star teams, but he is one of the most complete point guards you will find coming out of college and maybe the most complete freshman point guard in years.
| 2011 profiles, nba draft | Tagged: arizona, butler, chris paul, derrick rose, duke, jameer nelson, jonny flynn, kevin love, kyle singler, kyrie irving, nolan smith, raymond felton, ricky rubio, russell westbrook
Posted by nvr1983 on June 16th, 2011
Yesterday was a busy day for former UConn forward Jamal Coombs-McDaniel as he not only received a deal from a judge allowing him to enter a state-run drug education program that would leave him without a criminal record (outside of the Internet) and he announced that he would be transferring to Hofstra where he will join former UConn assistant Patrick Sellars (the one who was thrown under the bus in the Nate Miles fiasco).
We are only week away from the NBA Draft and most pundits expect the Cleveland Cavaliers to select Kyrie Irving with the #1 overall pick. Even though most people consider this a weak year overall there are a few people who are quite high on Irving. Basketball Prospectus is apparently high enough on him to write an a post comparing him to Derrick Rose. We don't think that Irving is even close to the prospect that Rose was coming out of his freshman year (the comparison is probably based on most similar game rather than potential), but it is an interesting analysis.
Over the years Dick Vitale has become somewhat of a lightning rod for fans upset about perceived biases against their teams so much so that they often forget that he was a pretty good college coach (and a lousy pro coach). Detroit, the school that he coached at from 1973-77 and led to the NCAA Tournament in 1977, has announced that it will be naming its court as "Dick Vitale Court at Calihan Hall" during the school's nationally televised game against St. John's on December 5, 2011 (more on it here from RTC). We are sort of on the fence with this one. On one hand the program does not have a great track record of success and Vitale got them to the NCAA Tournament, but on the other hand it could be interpreted to be a desperate plea to garner some national attention.
We have been writing about "package deals" for several years now dating back to the sketchy Michael Beasley–Dalonte Hill deal, but assumed that they were going to be less frequent with the NCAA trying to be more vigilant on all fronts. It turns that belief might have been a bit premature as some are questioning a potential assistant coaching job offer to the father of 2012 recruit J-Mychal Reese. According to some reports J-Mychal's father has offers from Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and LSU. Although he does have nearly a decade of experience as a high school coach some are questioning it and it should be worth following over the next year.
UTEP rising sophomore John Bohannon got himself into a mess over the weekend with an anti-gay tweet stating "#letsbereal it is NOT cool to be gay! (Zro voice) *jordan shrug*." Bohannon subsequently deleted the tweet and posted another tweet stating "To those who were offended by my tweet a few days ago- Didn't mean any disrespect by it as I do not judge anybody by their sexual preference and would hope you would not judge me by one tweet. Thank You." UTEP has not issued a comment other than that Bohannon reportedly issued the original tweet in reference to a lyric by rapper Z-Ro that stated "Seems like today, it's cool to be gay." Within the UTEP student community response has been mixed, but mostly negative, which is not too surprising. We are sure that Bohannon will be reminded of this at a more than a few road games during his college career.
| morning 5, Regular Features | Tagged: connecticut, dalonte hill, derrick rose, detroit, dick vitale, hofstra, J-Mychal Reese, jamal coombs-mcdaniel, john bohannon, kyrie irving, lsu, michael beasley, nate miles, patrick sellars, st johns, texas a&m, texas tech, uconn, utep


text:
Sobeys, Safeway parent seeks cost-cutting 'leverage'
May 5, 2017 Fruit/Vegetables
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle limit down on profit-taking
May 5, 2017 Livestock
StatsCan data confirm tight canola supplies
May 5, 2017 Crops
ChemChina clinches takeover of Syngenta
U.S. farm groups pile on Canada as Trump eyes trade fairness
Fruit/Vegetables, Livestock
Empire Co., the parent firm for about 1,500 grocery stores across Canada, plans to restructure from a regional to a "largely national" operation cutting $500 million in annual costs by the end of 2020.
Nova Scotia-based Empire — whose stores operate under brands including Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, Foodland, FreshCo, Thrifty Foods, and Lawton's — on Thursday announced what it called "Project Sunrise," described as a "significant cost reduction."
The $500 million in annualized cost savings is expected to come from "collapsing multiple, independent regions into a largely national, functionally-led structure" led by a reorganized management.
Whole Foods CEO hints at another brand under Amazon
Amazon moves into real-world stores with Whole Foods deal
Klassen: Feeder cattle markets erupt
The new structure, Empire said, "will simplify the way the company conducts business" but will also result in a "reduced workforce," affecting "office staff only" rather than front-line store staff or distribution centres.
Also, at the supply end, the company said it will be "simplifying" how it "collaborates with vendors while leveraging its purchasing scale as a $24 billion national company."
"We have an aggressive goal to transform our organization, better serve our customers, empower our employees and assuredly move from defense to offense in the market," CEO Michael Medline said in the company's release Thursday.
"The future Sobeys will operate with a simpler, leaner structure, more efficient core processes and tools and will better leverage its $24 billion national scale."
The company described its three-year plan as "a clear response to Empire's business performance over the past 18 months."
Medline, releasing the company's third-quarter results in March, said the results "are not where they need to be," posting net earnings (net of non-controlling interest) of $30.5 million on $5.89 billion in sales, compared to a $1.37 billion loss on $6.03 billion in the year-earlier period.
In its year-end ledger last June, Empire booked a net loss of $2.13 billion on $24.62 billion in sales, compared to $419 million in net earnings on $23.93 billion in fiscal 2015.
The company last June cited "significant integration, operational and reorganizational challenges" coming out of its 2013 takeover of Canada Safeway, as well as a "difficult economic environment mainly in the Alberta and Saskatchewan markets."
Medline said Thursday the company "will focus on making these bold changes while at the same time ensuring we stabilize performance, particularly in Western Canada."
One-time costs for "severance, relocation, retraining, minor systems development, and third-party support" are expected to appear in the company's ledgers starting in its fourth fiscal quarter this summer, with the "majority" expensed in the first half of fiscal 2018.
More specifics on those one-time costs are expected next month.
Medline said Empire plans on "balancing potential risk to our unique Quebec and discount businesses by keeping them distinct, while harmonizing the way they operate nationally."
Further, he said, the company will be "ensuring focus on the core grocery business by separating out related businesses, like pharmacy and fuel, into a distinct functional structure." — AGCanada.com Network
Staff's recent articles
Are you willing to share animal traits info? January 13, 2020
Trade deal hailed by Canadian Cattlemen's Association January 9, 2020
Malt barley recommendations for 2020 January 7, 2020
New Trump aid plan for U.S. farmers to rely on direct payments
Livestock, net earnings
Maple Leaf quarterly profit misses estimates as costs rise
Fruit/Vegetables, grocery
Major grocers pull romaine lettuce nationwide
Maple Leaf posts higher-than-expected profit
Agropur raises 2016 sales, patronage dividends
Loblaw reports better-than-expected profit

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


We enrolled the highest-achieving freshman class with an average 3.34 GPA and 23 ACT.
We achieved record Kent campus enrollment for the seventh consecutive year with 28,981 students, an increase of 524 students from 2014.
We realized a 13.4% increase in students visiting the Kent Campus.
The Fall 2015 freshman-to-sophomore retention rate was 81.2%.
A record 9,563 degrees were awarded in 2015-16.
We offered $53 million in scholarships to attract the Fall 2015 freshman class.


text:
LifewithKelly | 15. Apr 2020
Life With Kelly AKA Where Kelly Would Stay Alive From Now On
There are news about international animal rights today.
The Chinese ministry of Agriculture let dogs and cats disappear from the "white list" of animals, bred for food.
The proposal specifically states that dogs are "companion animals," and thus should not be grouped among livestock. Over the years, China's black and gray markets for dog meat have drawn heavy criticism from conservationists and animal welfaer activists.
"The fact that dogs are no longer listed alongside traditional livestock and poultry is major social progress — it means the consumption of dog meat will lose its legality and legitimacy in the future," said Sun Quanhui, senior scientific advisor at World Animal Protection, an international nonprofit.
Earlier this month, the southern city of Shenzhen prohibited the eating of cats and dogs, with violators facing penalties of up to 10 times the value of the animal consumed.
While Shenzhen was the first city in China to institute such a ban, people believe it won't be the last.
It seems that there is hope for the treatment of animals - not only in China.
And as for me - I changed from a passionate meat eater since my childhood in a hunting comunity to a vegetarian during Covid-19-at-home cooking - I can only hope, that one of these days we at least believe in species-appropriate keeping of horses, cows, pigs or minks and all the other animals most of us still consider as food or fur.


text:
JOURNAL OF SEPTEMBER 3, 1970
By unanimous consent the following communication from Delegate David Linn was read by the clerk and inserted into the record.
Know All Men by These Presents, that I, David Linn, of Chicago, Illinois, do hereby appoint Harold M. Nudelman of Chicago, Illinois, my attorney for me, to sign in my name and attest to on my behalf the 1970 Constitution promulgated by the Sixth Illinois Constitutional Convention, and to do and perform all things necessary in or about the premises as fully and effectually in all respects as I could do if personally present.
In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 28th day of August, 1970.
(signed)        David Linn
Delegate, 30th District
Illinois Constitutional Convention
Subscribed and Sworn to before me this 28th day of August, 1970.
Margaret Rainey Notary Public
Whereupon Delegate Harold M. Nudelman signed the Constitution in behalf of Delegate David Linn.
Those Declining to Sign the Document
Delegate Paul F. Elward indicated that he declined to sign the document for the following reason:
Mr. Clerk, because I have not had the time to check this document, I decline, sir, to sign it at this time.
Whereupon the chair indicated that Mr. Elward would have the opportunity to sign the document any time until September 30, 1970, under a resolution previous adopted by this body.
Delegate Thomas C. Kelleghan respectfully declined to sign the document for the following reason:
Mr. President, I respectfully decline to sign this document for the reason that I fear that the people who sent me to this Convention from my district in DuPage County will interpret the act of signing as approval of this Constitution. I do not approve of it and I do not think it is in the best interests of the people of this state.
Delegates James Kemp and William F. Lennon noted dissents.
Presentation of Signed Document Presentation of signed document to Secretary of State Paul
Powell by Odas Nicholson, secretary of the Convention.
The Honorable Paul Powell Secretary of State Capitol Building Springfield, Illinois 62706
Dear Sir:
The sixth Illinois Constitutional Convention, on September three, nineteen hundred and seventy, adopted the following procedure:
The enrolled Constitution of Illinois, subsequent to its adoption shall be authenticated as follows:
1.   It shall be signed by the president of the Convention.
2.   It shall be signed by the delegates in witness thereof.
3.   It shall then be further attested by the signature of the secretary.
4.   Delegates not present may have the right to affix their names pursuant to resolution no. 92 adopted September 1, 1970.
Upon completion of authentication, the secretary of the Convention (as provided by rule 10 of this Convention) shall deliver it to the secretary of state for record and deposit in his office.
Pursuant to the above I place in your hands the enrolled Constitution of Illinois, adopted in Convention at the Old State Capitol in the city of Springfield, for record and deposit in your office.
Very respectfully, (signed)      Odas Nicholson Secretary
Vice-President Thomas G. Lyons introduced Secretary of State Paul Powell.
The Honorable Odas Nicholson, Secretary Sixth Illinois Constitutional Convention Hall of the House of Representatives Old State Capitol Springfield, Illinois
Dear Miss Nicholson:
I have this day received at your hands the enrolled Constitution of Illinois, adopted by the Convention at the Old State Capitol in the city of Springfield, and have caused it to be recorded and placed in the archives of my office.
Transcript JOURNAL OF SEPTEMBER 3, 1970 817 By unanimous consent the following communication from Delegate David Linn was read by the clerk and inserted into the record. Know All Men by These Presents, that I, David Linn, of Chicago, Illinois, do hereby appoint Harold M. Nudelman of Chicago, Illinois, my attorney for me, to sign in my name and attest to on my behalf the 1970 Constitution promulgated by the Sixth Illinois Constitutional Convention, and to do and perform all things necessary in or about the premises as fully and effectually in all respects as I could do if personally present. In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 28th day of August, 1970. (signed) David Linn Delegate, 30th District Illinois Constitutional Convention Subscribed and Sworn to before me this 28th day of August, 1970. (signed) Margaret Rainey Notary Public Whereupon Delegate Harold M. Nudelman signed the Constitution in behalf of Delegate David Linn. Those Declining to Sign the Document Delegate Paul F. Elward indicated that he declined to sign the document for the following reason: Mr. Clerk, because I have not had the time to check this document, I decline, sir, to sign it at this time. Whereupon the chair indicated that Mr. Elward would have the opportunity to sign the document any time until September 30, 1970, under a resolution previous adopted by this body. Delegate Thomas C. Kelleghan respectfully declined to sign the document for the following reason: Mr. President, I respectfully decline to sign this document for the reason that I fear that the people who sent me to this Convention from my district in DuPage County will interpret the act of signing as approval of this Constitution. I do not approve of it and I do not think it is in the best interests of the people of this state. Delegates James Kemp and William F. Lennon noted dissents. Presentation of Signed Document Presentation of signed document to Secretary of State Paul Powell by Odas Nicholson, secretary of the Convention. September 3, 1970 The Honorable Paul Powell Secretary of State Capitol Building Springfield, Illinois 62706 Dear Sir: The sixth Illinois Constitutional Convention, on September three, nineteen hundred and seventy, adopted the following procedure: The enrolled Constitution of Illinois, subsequent to its adoption shall be authenticated as follows: 1. It shall be signed by the president of the Convention. 2. It shall be signed by the delegates in witness thereof. 3. It shall then be further attested by the signature of the secretary. 4. Delegates not present may have the right to affix their names pursuant to resolution no. 92 adopted September 1, 1970. Upon completion of authentication, the secretary of the Convention (as provided by rule 10 of this Convention) shall deliver it to the secretary of state for record and deposit in his office. Pursuant to the above I place in your hands the enrolled Constitution of Illinois, adopted in Convention at the Old State Capitol in the city of Springfield, for record and deposit in your office. Very respectfully, (signed) Odas Nicholson Secretary Vice-President Thomas G. Lyons introduced Secretary of State Paul Powell. September 3, 1970 The Honorable Odas Nicholson, Secretary Sixth Illinois Constitutional Convention Hall of the House of Representatives Old State Capitol Springfield, Illinois Dear Miss Nicholson: I have this day received at your hands the enrolled Constitution of Illinois, adopted by the Convention at the Old State Capitol in the city of Springfield, and have caused it to be recorded and placed in the archives of my office. Very respectfully,


[S69] England & Wales Marriages 1538-1940, marriage; George Davis & Emmeline Arfman, Southampton, Hants., Oct-Dec 1894, vol 2c 73.
[S17] BMD indices, birth, Southampton, Hants., Jul-Sep 1864, vol 2c 23.
[S65] England & Wales Christenings, bapt., Emeline Arfman, parents John & Emeline, Southampton, Hants.
[S78] England & Wales Death Index 1916-2005, death, age 71, Southampton, Hants., Sep 1935, vol 2c 40.
[S17] BMD indices, birth, Southampton, Hants., Jul-Sep 1889, vol 2c 42.


text:
touch testy.txt
touch testyy.txt
ls | cat
ls -al | more

rm testy.txt
rm testyy.txt
exit

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Sign up for CNS Newsletter
About CNS Viewpoints
Golden Spoons Restaurant Reviews
CNS Archives
News Archives 2008-2014
CNS Business 2015-2017
CNS Library
Motion not harming offshore, MLAs insist
Cayman News | 28/02/2017	| 65 Comments
Independent MLAs (L-R) Alva Suckoo, Winston Connolly, Arden McLean and Ezzard Miller
(CNS): As the row rolls on between the opposition and government benches over the Legal Practitioners Bill, Arden McLean, the independent member from East End, has denied that the controversial motion he filed at the Legislative Assembly is intended to harm the offshore sector for political gain. Speaking Monday on behalf of himself and other MLAs, he said they believed the sector would be damaged more if they don't make a stand about many unanswered questions concerning the current practice of law firms and the proposed bill to govern the profession.
At a press briefing with Ezzard Miller, Alva Suckoo and Winston Connolly, who seconded his provocative motion to open a criminal investigation against some members of the legal profession, McLean said they had all taken the view that it would be "more detrimental to stand by and do nothing" than to ask for those constitutionally charged to look into the circumstances of the motion.
Among the many allegations, accusations and concerns that the members are raising, they believe that as much as $50 million in fees and taxes have been dodged over the last ten years by some major law firms who are allowing lawyers in other countries to practice Cayman law without a licence, which is also taking work away from the jurisdiction.
On the other side of the argument, Financial Services Minister Wayne Panton believes the MLAs are misunderstanding the current legislation and that if what they suggest is happening, the new law will better manage and help prevent rogue firms with no connections to the islands practicing Cayman law.
The independent members, however, claim the current law already prohibits the practice. They say it is not just rogue unconnected firms but ones based here that are offering illegal services overseas, as they promote it on their websites. They believe this is a breach of the legislation and firms could be prosecuted or required to pay back fees and taxes for the lawyers that are practicing Cayman law overseas when they are not qualified or licensed.
Before the new law is passed, which they claim rubber stamps the wrongdoing, the alleged unlawful practices should be investigated.
"We think that given the particular circumstances and all of the raging debate on the Legal Practitioners Bill which is being proposed by the Government, that there are far too many questions regarding the conduct of some law firms, the Bill, its intentions and its design, and too many issues being raised as regards the process by which it was drafted," McLean said.
McLean claims that all the concerns that have been raised with Panton by politicians, the wider public and some lawyers have been met "with deafening silence". He said the "serious accusations and concerns which have been raised by various persons could not simply be brushed under the rug and ignored", as he justified the motion calling for the official inquiry.
Outlining the independent members' position that they believe law firms are breaking the law, he said people without Cayman Islands practicing certificates were being held out as Cayman attorneys by large firms, which presented a serious liability for the jurisdiction.
"There have also been numerous allegations that overseas law offices have been used to circumvent the intent and purpose of the Immigration Law. Our position is that no person, company or firm is above the laws of our country and that these allegations must be addressed to ensure the wellbeing and protection of our economy and democracy," he said.
McLean said they did not believe that the LA could debate the Legal Practitioners Bill "when so many members of our community, and perhaps the wider global community, are left to wonder what the true position was regarding the potential breaches of law by law firms and the origin and intent of the Legal Practitioners Bill".
He also took aim at Panton for accusing the MLAs of politicizing the motion and the bill and obstructing its passage. McLean said all laws were political and, given that the MLAs drafted 32 pages of amendments to the draft legislation, they could not be fairly accused of obstruction.
McLean said they would gladly support a fair bill as he called for an independent investigation into the merits of the complaints that have been made about the abuse of the current law by some the firms. He said government should not ignore the serious accusation and "blindly license certain practices which could be illegal" without a proper investigation and debate in the LA.
One of the main concerns of the MLAs is the lack of progress in the profession of Caymanians; Panton is, ironically, the only lawyer in Cayman since the late 1990's to make equity partner. They believe the rules are currently being circumvented and the new legislation will not address this problem but make it worse.
Because of what they believe is the discriminatory practices, the MLAs said it would be "a dereliction of our duty to parliament and the people of this country who elected us" if they did not do something to initiate an investigation into what has been happening and create a law to stop rather than facilitate the continuation.
"We make no apology to anyone who may be inadvertently offended by our simple desire to do right by our people," he said.
See McLean's statement in full in the CNS Library
Tags: Alva Suckoo, Arden McLean, Ezzard Miller, Wayne Panton, Winston Connolly
Category: Laws, Politics
These idiots couldn't tell the difference between the "offshore industry" and a hole in the road, although they pay the necessary lip-service to it.
I include Connolly in that.
As a Caymanian lawyer who is unable to get a job with the law firms, I am happy to see some movement on this. It is a sad state of affairs as there are at least 10 Caymanian lawyers who are not working yet daily foreign lawyers come into Cayman to enjoy the high quality of life that we as Caymanians do not enjoy.
and that Caymanians created!
Created by incomers from the Bahamas and Bermuda, who are now paper Caymanians, but why let facts get in the way of an entitlement rant.
"Bollocks" because someone stated the truth? Cayman's offshore miracle was invented by those forced out of the Bahamas, bolstered by clever Englishmen and funded in the early decades by hiding the cash of drug barons and tax evaders.
If you can't get a job you are not good enough. Just because your mother said you could be anything you wanted and just because you have a law degree does not mean you are up to it. Do tell us, where is your law degree from and what pass did you get?
You're seriously sick, delusional and deranged.
The responses below show the poster who claims to be barred from the profession is the delusional one.
First class honours Ivy League. Smart enough to know that racism is real and rampant.
#alternativefacts says:
Yet not smart enough to know that there is no such thing as an Ivy League First Class honours degree.
Fred the Piemaker says:
Sadly it is not funny. This entire story is based on apocryphal rumors spread by the mediocre and resentful looking to blame others for their own limitations.
So the BS meter goes off. Aside from there not being "first class honours" in the Ivy League, an American law degree would not permit you access to the Cayman Bar. That would be your problem right there. If you were honest. Which you are not.
So much noise, so little direct experience, so close to an election. This too shall pass..
Bout time someone stepped upto the plate to fix these wrongs
So glad they have the guts to bring this into the light. No other jurisdiction would have allowed these firms to get away with this!
These clowns have no business in the public sector. They are dangerous self serving fools.
Tell the Truth says:
If there is any shade of doubt let it now be cleared by an inquiry. If law firms in this country are blameless then there should be no fear of an inquiry. If the PPM Minisyer is not afraid of potential personal liability and/ or reputation all damage then support the inquiry. If the Government is not afraid of truthful revelations then they must support an inquiry. If an inquiry shows that the allegations are true, then the Governor must call for the UK to takeover this country and full inquiries and court proceedings brought against the present Cabinet be commenced.
It's a slippery slope for both sides of the argument, fori if an inquiry is finally allowed and it is adjudged that the allegations are frivolous and unsupported then those bringing the motion then they too should suffer law suits and penalties and perhaps then they will have the dignity of removing themselves from politics for evermore,
Marathon says:
" Panton is, ironically, the only lawyer in Cayman since the late 1990's to make equity partner."
I think you'll find that his contemporary and friend Frank Banks also made equity partner at around the same time as Wayne Panton. Frank is tragically no longer with us, which is a great pity not just for his family and friends, but because he could have been a leading light politically one day too, perhaps even in his home district of West Bay.
and the 20 years since?
There are others.. but who wants his/her name and professional reputation dragged through the mud for the political gain of these dudes?
I can think of only one (first name begins with D). Who else?
Unregulated lawyers possibly engaging in the unlawful practice of Cayman Law with the tacit approval and assistance of persons here is what is likely hurting offshore!
He would be a fool to admit it was for political gain, but it was.
If local talent can compete I am all for it. But I have dealt with a local Attorney The lack of understandable English and strange vocabulary made me look elsewhere. I realize this is Cayman but understand you claim to be an international business center and proper English is the language of business.
I guess when you refer to understandable English, I take it you mean the Brits English. The Scottish, Irish, Africans among others including people from various parts of the U.K. Also speak non- understandable English but they don't seem to have any problems find jobs in the legal fraternity here on island . Your comment does not make any sense.
Based on your dreams 1.59? Not much fact in there…
Just another racist expat that's all.
So move.. nobody is forcing you to be here
Speaking of lawyers, which of our local Johnny Cochran's have given them this legal advice? Are we (the public purse) expected to pay for these half-baked legal excursions (and future settlements)?
Would you rather pay for an investigation or pay for the jurisdictional risk and future liability that these unqualified "attorneys" are subjecting us to?
Tell de Truth says:
To be honest ole boy 12;)) AM, we need to clear the air on this matter, If there are untruths being spread then an investigation should flesh them out. For too long we have heard this cry undercover, spoken of very softly and now that its reached this stage we must press on to the end. A cleansing will certainly not make us pure, but most certainly either way it plays out it will demonstrate that the Cayman Islands is a serious jurisdiction who either does not tolerate breaking of the law or false innuendoes cast on its legal system. Just my opinion.
There is more risk on imposing additional costs on Cayman work or forcing clients to use lower quality attorneys. The attorneys in question are perfectly able to do the work they do.
Right now there is nothing in Cayman law to stop anyone overseas holding themselves out as providing Cayman legal advice. And to say its a circumvention of the Immigration Law,which is restricted to work done in Cayman, is completely irrelevant, since the Immigration Law just doesn't apply to work done by non residents outside of Cayman. Cart before horse time. If you want to stop foreign firms from providing legal advice on Cayman law outside Cayman, better have a law in place that says that before you start bumping your gums,and if you want Cayman based firms to have to pay work permits for people not even in the country, better change that law too.
You plainly do not understand the breaches of the immigration law being complained of. They have everything to do with local activity.
Why are the authorities silent? Why are questions not being asked? How come so many people ar practising Cayman Law without being admitted? How come no Caymanians make it into partnerships? Who owns Cayman firms?
Pooh Bear says:
Strange bedfellows indeed. Shame for Winston really as he used to be somewhat respectable.
He is now even more respectable.
Incorrect. He picked a fight that the common man couldn't care less about. He was correct however in raising the point that the local law school is inadequate. Everyone already knew that however, they just haven't had the balls to say it.
Please confirm the basis on which you say a Liverpool Honours degree is inadequate?
My bad. It is after all the 28th ranked University in the U.K. when it comes to law degrees. What more could we possibly ask for?
We are not in the UK. Anyway, how does Liverpool compare to South African and Australian institutions, and which ones teach Cayman Islands Law?
4th ranked tertiary education establishment in the Cayman Islands. Just ahead of the Civil Service College. Face it, it's crap.
Answer the question. Which institution taught you Cayman Islands Law?
15 Minutes to Wapner says:
Hardly a noble profession and certainly not one i would stoop low enough to become involved in. Besides, our Law School is shit.
If one has a decent legal education, you can learn "Cayman Islands law" in about a week.
Shame all the people practising Cayman Law unlawfully failed to do that. They might have stopped before it was too late.
A week? I'm not sure it takes that long.
Had I realized that Scouseland was the University of choice for Caymans lawyers I would have immediately dropped my sympathy for foreign lawyers. That would, however explain some of the attitudes to be found.
No. Winston is just trying to stay politically relevant and throwing a torpedo into our financial services industry because he gave up on his career at Walkers, gave up on his career at Maples, blew up his own career as an independent director in order to go into politics and then dipped out on being an Education Councillor when he had the chance to make REAL change for the lives of all Caymanians rather than the elite few who would choose a legal career. What Winston is doing is taking attention from the fact that he abandoned his real opportunity to make a change in education and training.
I think you will find that Winston will make more changes for the better for these islands than all the rest of the politicians put together
As a young Caymanian lawyer it is very disheartening to see politicians doing everything in their power to torpedo my industry.
I have had a couple of questions regarding the motion from concerned clients just today, the world is starting to take notice.
Same here! I'm a Caymanian attorney and Winston won't even look me in the face.
You probably,y walking around with your head hanging low. To many Caymanians expecting someone else to embrace you and speak up for you. Time for each and every true Caymanian to rise up and try to understand what is happening to us in our own homeland.
Too many of these lawyers are total cowards
He probably does not think you deserved your status grant after so little time here.
Of course lawers in Honk Kong, New York, London, Luxembourg etc…. are practicing Cayman Islands Law without a local certificate, and it's causing Govt coffers to lose millions due to non payment of local fees.
You would have to be living in the midst of the Amazon Jungle to not know, believe or hear of this happening over the past years.
You must be from the middle of the Amazon jungle to be so daft.
Gov is not losing anything – it is earning millions because there are lawyers in overseas offices. If we didn't have those, our financial services industry would be 40 – 50% smaller than it is.
If that were the case Government would have revenue of only 150 million rather than the 300 million is gets from the industry now AND there would be thousands less local jobs.
And who would benefit if there were no overseas offices of Cayman firms? Bermuda, BVI, Jersey, Ireland, Guernsey, Isle of Man etc etc. They would all likely have bigger stronger economies at our expense.
Is that so hard to understand?
At least Winston has proved how unimpressive he is before he was given any responsibility.
Be interesting to find out who is pulling the strings here because none of these four are smart enough to do it on their own.
That is where you are mistaken, they are smarter than you think. You are the dumb one here. Obviously cannot think for yourself.
You're out of your league Arden!
no sah says:
Thats not what your mother said
« Unsure about roundabout right of way
RCIPS opens the door to would-be recruits »
Most emotional posts on CNS over past week
Daggaro begins work despite appeals
Constitution dictates speaker's removal
Dart and CBPL silent over potential sale
Appeal court supports jail for COVID breachers
UK court to decide if gay marriage lawful
Favourite comments over past week
another bad day at the office for this clown. not... ( 151 / 5 )
Fire this Muppet!! ( 129 / 2 )
How does Ms. Anglin feel about the confessed and g... ( 127 / 8 )
These are live streams that anyone can watch, he's... ( 126 / 3 )
Ahhh - Dwayne "the brain" Seymour. Wheres the d... ( 126 / 4 )
That vacant expression on his face says it all! ( 125 / 3 )
...waaayyyy over his head. ( 125 / 2 )
he's terrible ( 119 / 4 )
There's an easy way to rectify this - demolish it. ( 111 / 4 )
Why don't you look up at the full moon? Maybe the ... ( 110 / 7 )
"Vote for me, I'm clueless" ( 110 / 2 )
What do you know? Skylar lives. She didn't starve... ( 100 / 21 )
Apparently even the seller of the land is complain... ( 97 / 4 )
No it is not OK for him to remain. His own alleged... ( 95 / 1 )
Thumbs up for an after the fact demolition. ( 93 / 2 )
Alden McLaughlin Arden McLean armed robbery Ask Auntie burglary Cayman Brac Cayman Islands Court of Appeal Cayman Islands Fire Service CNS Business CNS Local Life coronavirus corruption COVID-19 cruise dock facility Cruise Port Referendum CUC Department of Environment Department of Environmental Health Dr John Lee drug crime Dwayne Seymour Ezzard Miller fatality Featured Franz Manderson gay rights gun crime HSA Jeff Webb Martyn Roper McKeeva Bush Moses Kirkconnell mugging murder Office of the Auditor General Public Accounts Committee RCIPS road accident sex crimes stabbing Tara Rivers theft traffic offences violent crime water accident
CNS Archives by date
About CNS
CNS Viewpoints
Advertise with CNS
Cayman News Service
© 2021 Cayman News Service. All rights reserved. Theme by Solostream.


Ten years ago tonight, the Babylon Project came to a magnificent end as "Sleeping in Light", the series finale of Babylon 5 - considered by many to be the greatest television show of the Nineties - was broadcast on TNT.
I have not written nearly enough about Babylon 5 on this blog. J. Michael Straczynski's soaring, spanning epic about the Babylon 5 space station and the people within it, I can confidently attest, had the most profound impact on my personal philosophy of any work of televised fiction. From the first time I heard about it in an issue of Starlog in the summer of 1992, I knew this would be one to watch for. And it did not disappoint: the shot of the Vorlon fleet coming through the jumpgate in the pilot movie should have been fair warning to everyone that science-fiction television would never be the same.
But the effects, even those from episodes like "The Coming of Shadows" and "Severed Dreams", weren't the reason we stayed faithful to Babylon 5. It was because this was a show about very real characters, as rife with strengths and weaknesses as anyone in our own world. We could identify with the people of Babylon 5. Personally, I think the show's greatest gift was that it demonstrated something that has not been said nearly enough in either fiction or non-fiction: that it's okay to grow and change into something more than what we think we are. That we do not have to be what the world expects us to be.
Has there been anything so profound that has been taught as well on television as Babylon 5 did? If there is, I don't know of it.
I had no idea that you were a fellow Babylon 5 kid! Excellent!
"It's like I always say, you get more with a kind word and a two-by-four than with just a kind word."
I liked B5, too. I especially liked the way it acknowledged the role of faith in the future, as opposed to the secular humanism of Mr. Roddenberry's vision.
Absolutely. Best. TV. Show. Ever!
At the very least, the best sci-fi TV show ever and some of the best writing ever on TV. One of the best series finales ever. The scene you posted here from the finale has some of the best music I've heard on TV. G'Kar and Londo, who are sadly missing from the series finale, are two of the best characters ever on TV.
Odd & sad to see Richard Biggs (Dr. Stephen Franklin) in that clip knowing that he, Andreas Katsulas (Ambassador G'Kar), Tim Choate (Zathras), and Paul Winfield (General Richard Franklin) have all passed away in real life since the finale. Did you ever see the memorial videos that a fan did for Rick and Andreas? They're very good.
I think it's been about four years since I watched Babylon 5 from beginning to end on DVD, and I've been wanting to do so again soon. Perhaps the 10th anniversary of the finale marks a good time to start reviewing this endearing series again. Thanks for pointing out the anniversary.
Trust me, I know how hard it is narrow down, but do you have any favorite episodes? It's not necessarily the "best," but one of my most favorite episodes is "And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place." The scene that cuts back and forth between the gospel singer on B5 and Lord Refa's fate among the Narns is the scene in which I first realized that the show was better than Star Trek. Considering how embarrassingly obsessed I was with Trek in high school and first half of college, that was a big step for me. "...Rock Cried Out..." was responsible for maturing my tastes & expectations in sci-fi, TV, and fiction in general.
Wow, interesting to see we're on the same wavelength with Rock Cried Out. I agree with all the reasons you listed for liking this episode and the series in general.
The guy who did the videos is John E. Hudgens at www.zteamproductions.com.
Yup. That's what I thought.
John Hudgens is a psycho. Had he not leeched off people who were bona fide successful he would be nowhere. He is a patroling ninny on Wikipedia as TheRealFennshysa and MikeWazowski which using puppets is illegal. You are right Chris he is a very troubled mind.


Can anyone say whether the games will be televised in any of the watering holes in and around Doha. I reckon they would definitely be on at the rugby club but I believe you must be a member of the club to enter. Hopefully some of the bars will have the games on.
I would dearly love to see all the home nations doing well this time round.
Shezarad in the Ramada Plaza old bulding show the Rugby , it's a dive but they show all the big events.
I am not too worried about the place as long as I can watch some decent rugby. Thanks mate thats where I will be heading for the games.


Get ready for a VERY special edition of Wrestling Radio! Rumors have been swirling that Andy and Megan are on assignment. What will they have in store for us? And Where are they? Plus, our coverage of the Monday Night War continues, along with all the news! So #CheckItOut!
Buckle up! it's time for a long ride as we talk all the news currently in World Wrestling Entertainment! Then we're reliving the Monday Night War with WWE Network's exclusive programming featuring The Attitude Era and D-Generation X in the most recent episodes!
The Transfer Window has SLAMMED shut, and Paul & Chris are here to rundown all of the big signings and how they will effect the game. Not only that, but it would seem that Chris is broadcasting from the sea. You'll understand when you listen. Enjoy the show!
It's a hot change of pace for Let's Watch Wrestling here in our 9th outing with some "love" shown to World Championship Wrestling! If you put on a show, and you have the BEST match in your company's history on it, can that end up as a BAD show? Only one way to find out, so join Andy and Jeff in their review of Halloween Havoc 1997!


Toshiba Satellite L755-S5349 is a new released 15.6-inch LED laptop equipped with a 2.2Ghz Intel Core i3-2330M Processor, 4GB DDR3 1333MHz RAM (max 8GB), and 640GB (5400 RPM) Serial ATA hard disk drive. The laptop sports a 15.6″ diagonal widescreen TruBrite TFT LED display at 1366 x 768 native resolution (HD), and Intel HD Graphics with 64 MB – 1696 MB dynamically allocated shared memory.
The Toshiba Satellite L755-S5349 laptop also comes with an 8x SuperMulti DVD drive, Built-in stereo speakers, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, and 6-cell battery for 5.75 hours of life. The laptop runs on Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit operating system. Needless to say, such a configuration is good enough for our daily use, people are very satisfied with it.
As a well-configured 15.6″ Toshiba Satellite laptop, the L755-S5349 is great for watching movies and playing games, its generous 15.6-inch LED-backlit HD display is great for doing more things at once–handling business at home or in the field, you'll enjoy wonderful experience with the laptop.
What's more, the Intel Core i3 dual-core processor provides breakthrough digital media management, content creation, and 3D gaming capabilities, it delivers a rich set of new features for a stunning and seamless visual PC experience with no additional hardware. So I believe you guys will be fond of this laptop too.
Speaking of price, Amazon now offers this laptop for $529.99, pretty reasonable price, huh?
Well, what's your opinion about the Toshiba Satellite L755-S5349 15.6-Inch LED Laptop?


UNLIMITED FRUIT LONDON WEEKEND RETREAT DEC 6-9 - 30 Bananas a Day!
Come to my weekend fruit feast in London in December!
I've got people coming from near and far! All across Europe and even some from the US of A! Everyone welcome!
We are going to have a weekend of unlimited whole, fresh, ripe, raw and fingers crossed organic, lots of socialising, sight seeing and a party on the saturday night with as many fruit munchers as we can fit in the 12 bed house I'm renting out.
If you are already in London or UK, please sign up for my party on Saturday 8 Dec.
Places are going FAST and flights are cheap - act now!
excellent! so many of us! excited!
Sounds cool! I might be arriving in London on the 8th, and I have a place to stay, is it possible to come on the sunday and just hang out (and pay for the food of course) or is it a full weekend thing only?


text:
New studies on goat milk show it is more beneficial to health than cow milk
-It helps to prevent diseases such as anaemia and bone demineralisation
-UGR researchers have carried out a comparative study on the properties of goat milk compared to those of cow milk. Rats with induced nutritional ferropenic anaemia have been used in the study
-Goat milk helps digestive and metabolic utilisation of minerals such as iron, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium
-Part of the results of this research have been published in the prestigious scientific journals International Dairy Journal and Journal Dairy Science
C@MPUS DIGITAL Research carried out at the Department of Physiology of the University of Granada has revealed that goat milk has more beneficial properties to health than cow milk. Among these properties it helps to prevent ferropenic anaemia (iron deficiency) and bone demineralisation (softening of the bones).
This project, conducted by Doctor Javier Díaz Castro and directed by professors Margarita Sánchez Campos, Mª Inmaculada López Aliaga and Mª José Muñoz Alférez, focuses on the comparison between the nutritional properties of goat milk and cow milk, both with normal calcium content and calcium enriched, against the bioavailability of iron, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. To carry out this study, the metabolic balance technique has been used both in rats with experimentally induced nutritional ferropenic anaemia and in a control group of rats.
In order to know how the nutritive utilisation of these minerals may affect their metabolic distribution and destination, the UGR researcher has determined the concentration of these minerals in the different organs involved in their homeostatic regulation and different haematological parameters in relation to the metabolism of the minerals.
Better results with goat milk
Results obtained in the study reveal that ferropenic anaemia and bone demineralisation caused by this pathology have a better recovery with goat milk. Due to the higher bioavailability of iron, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium, the restoration of altered haematological parameters and the better levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH), a hormone that regulates the calcium balance in the organism was found in the rats that consumed this food.
Javier Díaz Castro points out that the inclusion of goat milk with normal or double calcium content in the diet "favours digestive and metabolic utilisation of iron, calcium and phosphorus and their deposit in target organs – parts of the organism to which these minerals are preferably sent – involved in their homeostatic regulation".
According to this researcher, all these conclusions reveal that regular consumption of goat milk – a natural food with highly beneficial nutritional characteristics – "has positive effects on mineral metabolism, recovery from ferropenic anaemia and bone mineralisation in rats. In addition, and unlike observations in cow milk, its calcium enrichment does not interfere in the bioavailability of the minerals studied".
Although there is no doubt that these findings may be a base for further in depth study of the multiple health benefits of goat milk, the UGR researcher warns that "studies in humans are still required in order to confirm the findings obtained in rats and to promote goat milk consumption both in the general population and in the population affected by nutritional ferropenic anaemia and pathologies related to bone demineralisation". Part of the results of this research has been published in the prestigious scientific journals International Dairy Journal and Journal Dairy Science.
Reference: Dr Javier Díaz Castro. Department of Physiology of the University of Granada.
Tel.: +34 958248319. Mobile: +34 654574434. Email: javierdc@ugr.es
July 30, 2007 Posted by FMS Global News | Alberta, Baltimore, Barcelona, Bethesda, Biological Sciences, Bone Demineralisation, Bone Diseases, Calgary, Canada, France, Germany, Global, Global Health Vision, Global News, Italy, Japan, Medical History, Medical Journals, Molecular Biology, Newfoundland, News, News Australia, News Canada, News Israel, News Italy, News Jerusalem, News Switzerland, News UK, News US, News USA, NIH, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Nutritional Anthropology, Ottawa, Pennsylvania, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Research, RSS, RSS Feed, Slovakia, Toronto, UK, University of Granada, US, Virginia, Vitamin D, Washington DC, Washington DC City Feed, World News	| Leave a comment
Adding folic acid to flour significantly reduces congenital malformations
This release is also available in French.
Quebec City, July 12, 2007 – Dr. Philippe De Wals of Université Laval's Department of Social and Preventive Medicine today publishes a study clearly indicating that the addition of folic acid to flours has led to a 46% drop in the incidence of congenital neural tube deformation (mainly anencephaly and spina bifida) in Canada. Such deformations either result in the child's death or in major health problems, including physical and learning disabilities. Dr. De Wals's work as head of a team of a dozen Canadian researchers appears today in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The neural tube is the basis of the embryo's nervous system. Poor development of the neural tube, which is sometimes due to a lack of folic acid, can result in major health problems. Folic acid is found in green vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and meat. However, even a balanced diet won't supply enough folic acid for a pregnant mother and the child she is carrying. Before1998, Canadian medical authorities were already recommending that women in their child-bearing years consume vitamin supplements containing folic acid. "Canada decided to add folic acid to all flour produced in the country because formation of the neural tube in embryos is particularly intense during the first four weeks of pregnancy, which is before a lot of women even know they're pregnant. Since half of Canadian pregnancies are unplanned and the human body can't store folic acid, it is better to integrate folic acid into the food chain than to focus exclusively on taking vitamin supplements," stated Dr. De Wals. Health Canada still recommends taking folic acid supplements to women in their child-bearing years.
Researchers Dr. Philippe De Wals and Fassiatou Tairou of Université Laval's Faculty of Medicine compared the incidence of neural tube deformations before and after the introduction of folic acid–enriched flours for over 2 million births in Canada. Between 1993 and 1997, the incidence was 1.58 per 1,000 births. Between 2000 and 2002, the rate dropped 46% to 0.86. The biggest improvement occurred in the parts of Canada that had the highest rates of neural tube deformation before 1998—Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia. In Québec, the drop was also pronounced, but closer to the Canadian average.
Currently, only Canada, the United States, and Chile require that folic acid be added to flour. The effectiveness of this practice, as demonstrated by Dr. De Wals's team, could encourage other countries to follow suit. Every year, approximately 200,000 cases of spina bifida and anencephaly occur worldwide. Adding folic acid to food could reduce that number by half.
Contact: Martin Guay
martin.guay@dap.ulaval.ca
July 12, 2007 Posted by FMS Global News | Alberta, Baltimore, Barcelona, Bethesda, Bone Diseases, Calgary, Chile, Folic Acid, Global, Global Health Vision, Global News, Health Canada, Irvine, Italy, Japan, Medical Journals, Neurology, New England Journal of Medicine, Newfoundland, News, News Australia, News Canada, News Israel, News Italy, News Jerusalem, News Switzerland, News UK, News US, News USA, Nova Scotia, Nutritional Anthropology, Osaka, Ottawa, Pennsylvania, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Research, Research Australia, RSS, RSS Feed, Slovakia, Spain, Spina Bifida, Toronto, Université Laval, Virginia, WASHINGTON, Washington DC, Washington DC City Feed, World News	| 1 Comment
Low vitamin D levels may be common in otherwise healthy children
Many otherwise healthy children and adolescents have low vitamin D levels, which may put them at risk for bone diseases such as rickets. African American children, children above age nine and with low dietary vitamin D intake were the most likely to have low levels of vitamin D in their blood, according to researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
A study in the current issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition measured blood levels of vitamin D in 382 healthy children between six years and 21 years of age living in the northeastern U.S. Researchers assessed dietary and supplemental vitamin D intake, as well as body mass, and found that more than half of the children had low blood levels of vitamin D. Of the subjects, 55 percent of the children had inadequate vitamin D blood levels and 68 percent overall had low blood levels of the vitamin in the wintertime.
"The best indicator of a person's vitamin D status is the blood level of a vitamin D compound called 25-hydroxyvitamin D," said Babette Zemel, Ph.D., a nutritional anthropologist at Children's Hospital and primary investigator of this study. "Vitamin D deficiency remains an under-recognized problem overall, and is not well studied in children."
Vitamin D is crucial for musculoskeletal health. The primary dietary source of the vitamin is fortified milk, but the best way to increase vitamin D levels is from exposure to sunshine. Severe deficits in vitamin D may lead to muscle weakness, defective bone mineralization and rickets. In addition to musculoskeletal effects, vitamin D is important for immune function, and low blood levels of the vitamin may contribute to diseases such as hypertension, cancer, multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes. Decreased blood levels of vitamin D have also been linked to obesity.
Further study is needed to determine the appropriate blood levels of vitamin D in children, said Dr. Zemel, who added that a review of the current recommendations for vitamin D intake is needed.
Grants from the National Institutes of Health and several private sources supported this study.
Dr. Zemel's co-authors were Mary B. Leonard, M.D. and Virginia A. Stallings, M.D., of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, as well as Francis L. Weng and Justine Shults, also of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
About The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives, Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country, ranking third in National Institutes of Health funding. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 430-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu.
Contact: Joey Marie McCool
McCool@email.chop.edu
July 9, 2007 Posted by FMS Global News | 25-hydroxyvitamin D, Alberta, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Baltimore, Barcelona, Bethesda, Bone Diseases, Calgary, Cancer, Childhood Nutrition, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Children's Hospital, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Diabetes, Global, Global Health Vision, Global News, hypertension, Irvine, Japan, Juvenile Diabetes, Medical Journals, Multiple Sclerosis, National Institutes of Health, News, News Australia, News Canada, News Israel, News Jerusalem, News Switzerland, News UK, News US, News USA, NIH, Nutritional Anthropology, Osaka, Pennsylvania, Rickets, Slovakia, Spain, Type 1 Diabetes, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Virginia, Vitamin D, WASHINGTON, Washington DC, Washington DC City Feed, World News	| Leave a comment


text:
Military Cooperation
Armenia's Foreign Grants
Economy and Energy
Public Responsibility
Kerch Incident: Reaction and Reasons
27.11.2018 | 16:21 | Democracy and Human Rights
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine may further increase Russia's isolation after the November 25 incident in Kerch Strait. At the same time, over a short run, the incident will allow Russia to solve some internal issues, as well as to create a certain chaos in Ukraine in relation to the upcoming spring elections in the country.
Where did the incident take place?
After annexation of Crimea, Russia initiated the construction of a bridge connecting the peninsula with the continental part of Russia and passing through the Kerch Strait. After the construction of the bridge, the already limited water area which Ukraine could use for its ship traffic from its Black Sea ports to the ports of Azov Sea, became even narrower and in practice fully appeared under Russian control. In fact, during the incident, the Russian side closed the sea route joining the Black and the Azov seas and did not allow the three Ukrainian ships that had left the port of Odessa to move towards the port of Mariupol in the Azov Sea.
According to the Ukrainian side, they had informed the Russian side about the movement of the ships in advance, and had stated that they have the right to do so under the UN Law of the Sea. However, the Russian side stated that Ukrainian ships violated its maritime boundaries. As a result, a collision took place. One of the Russian ships struck one of the Ukrainian ships, then opened fire on the others and captured them. As a result of the collision, six crew members of the Ukrainian ships were injured, the ships and crew were transported to the Kerch port.
After the incident, on November 26, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree on declaring a 30-day martial law in the country according to which partial mobilization, intensification of security and diplomatic services are planned.
In the evening of November 26, an extraordinary session of the UN Security Council was also convened.
How does the international community respond?
On the day of the incident, Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Maja Kocijancic announced that Russia should restore freedom of passage at the Kerch Strait and urged all to act with restraint to deescalate the situation.
In its turn, NATO stated that it supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and urged Russia not to hamper the entry of Ukrainian ships into ports in the Azov Sea. Leading European countries also responded to the incident.
The French Foreign Ministry said that the incident at Kerch Strait is a result of annexation of Crimea, and the German Foreign Minister stated that the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine and Crimea threatens the security of Europe.
In the evening of November 26, US President Donald Trump responded to the incident stating that they do not like what is happening and that they are working in that direction with their European counterparts. The agenda introduced by Russia, according to which Ukraine violated the Russian maritime boundary, failed at the session of the UN Security Council. Seven countries voted against and four voted for the agenda. During the SC session, the representatives of the US, UK, France, Poland and Sweden expressed concern that 23 Ukrainian sailors are being kept by the Russian side. However, Deputy to Russia's Permanent Representative in the UN Security Council Dmitry Polyanski insisted that three of the crew members were representatives of Ukrainian special services and were going to do special provocations.
What is it all for?
After Crimea's annexation, Ukraine has always needed to reinstate its territorial integrity. The movement of ships from Odessa to Mariupol simply means that Ukraine wanted to show that, despite the Russian control of Kerch Strait, it has the right to access its own harbors.
Blocking access to the Sea of Azov, Russia, in its turn, actually establishes total hegemony on the Azov Sea and makes the Ukrainian side dependent on itself.
Besides, the issue is important for Russia in terms of internal political situation. After the pension reform in Russia, when the retirement age was increased, and, as a result, there was a wave of dissatisfaction, Russia's President Vladimir Putin's approval rating started to fall. According to results of a survey conducted by the Russia Public Opinion Research Center, Putin's approval rating as of October 2018 was only 36.8%, when in the autumn of last year it was 59%.
According to another survey by "Public Opinion" Foundation, Putin's approval rating as of June-July was 48 percent. Such a low approval rating was recorded in 2013 as well. It is noteworthy that Putin's approval rating started to rise since 2014 and reached its peak in 2015 (75%). That is to say, Putin's approval rating started to rise against the backdrop of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and was consolidated after the annexation of Crimea.
Now that dissatisfaction with the pension system has grown in Russia, we cannot not rule out the possibility that the clashes in the Kerch Strait, and subsequent developments will be used to bring Putin's approval rating up, representing the events as heroic and historic actions.
Besides, no less important is the circumstance that presidential elections are expected in Ukraine in spring, and such an incident, as well as the declared martial law, can lead to political crises in Ukraine and weaken Kyiv's positions in the settlement of Donbass and Crimea issues.
Vahe Ghukasyan
"Union of Informed Citizens"
Armenia in the group of "marginal" countries supporting Russia
International response to "elections" in Donbass
Excuse and pressure: Israel makes use of the Armenian Genocide issue
Stepanakert applies double standards regarding arms supply to Azerbaijan
CSTO Does Not Exist?
Armenia and NATO's Missile Defense Systems
What we do:	Useful resources Analyses Training for Journalists Video Elections