We all know by now that, whenever Obama promises a "major speech" in response to some "inflection point" in public affairs, we're in for a parade of gaseous generalities. So anyone who listened to Obama's speech about the Arab Spring yesterday expecting to get a clear idea of what he proposes to do has only himself to blame for his disappointment. That's why a lot of liberals couldn't manage even to feign much interest in what he said (see, e.g., Michael Tomasky here).
But if the speech didn't tell us much about what Obama will do, did it tell us something important about what he thinks? Conservatives have been acting as if it did, but they can't decide whether to be gratified that most everything Obama said would have sounded natural coming from George Bush or appalled by Obama's indifference to Israel's security interests (see, e.g., Charles Krauthammer here). I can't tell conservatives what to think about Obama's commitment to Israel, but I do have some thoughts about whether the speech represents some sort of ideological capitulation relative to positions associated with George Bush.
That depends on which Bush you're taking about. Obama's foreign policy rhetoric has always been marked by the continuing effort to reconcile two seemingly foundational themes: first, that he's an unsentimental foreign policy realist in the mold of the H.W. Bush administration; and second, that we as a nation owe the world restitution for the W. Bush administration's transgressions against international standards of legitimacy.
The marriage of realism and restitution in Obama's foreign policy always had the look of a shotgun wedding. If you want to be mean, you could call it magical realism.
"Foreign policy realism" means nothing insofar as it strays from the idea that the international system is an amoral state of nature among nation states that generally do, and should, act to improve their position according to their own definition of their national interests. Pious thoughts about international morality, on this view, aren't reliable guides to action. A realist is therefore ready to engage in dialogue and negotiations with unsavory regimes whenever there's a prospect of mutual advantage relative to the prevailing balance of power even if that's a morally deplorable state of affairs. There's no denying that the Obama administration's realism has been more than merely rhetorical in the past. Its decision to keep trying to engage the Iranian regime in the summer of 2009 when it was slaughtering demonstrators in the streets of Tehran is a case in point.
Yet how does the realist outlook square with the notion that we owe other nations restitution for W's cowboy antics? This is where the magic comes in. The underlying idea seems to be the emphatically anti-realist notion that W's readiness to pursue regime change through military means without the consent of the U.N Security Council upset a moral equilibrium in the world order that has to be restored as a precondition of mutually advantageous interaction among self-interested nation states. Once we've rebalanced the world's moral books, however, the international system is supposed magically to revert back to the self-interested competition among nation states that realists regard as its normal state. The recipe for sound foreign policy-making according to Obama seems to be moralism today, realism tomorrow.
That makes some sense, I guess, insofar as you're prepared to regard what the UN Security Council says as an expression of the prevailing balance of power. On that assumption, W.'s indifference to its deliberations respecting Iraq and other things represented an anti-realist flight of fancy that was bound to provoke enough resistance to be self-defeating. By the same token, Obama's restitutional gestures are hard-headed signals that America is again open for business as a realist power among other realist powers.
To believe that, however, you'd have to be oblivious to changes to the world balance of power after 1948, when permanent Security Council membership (and therefore veto power) was allocated to every permanent member except China. And you have to buy into the internationalist fiction that states have political obligations to each other under the international order that are comparable to the political obligations that citizens of a legitimate polity have to each other. Moreover, you have to be prepared to operationalize your moral disapproval of W. Bush's unilateralism while you repress any moral queasiness you may feel about the fact that, by any reasonable measure, a lot UN member states lack the legitimacy to speak credibly for their subject populations.
If we take Obama at his word, he's either renounced realism or the pretense that it ever was an integral part of his foreign policy outlook. Once he decided that it's more important to engage restive Middle Eastern populations hungering for democracy than established Middle Eastern regimes, he dispensed with the last vestige of H.W. Bush's foreign policy worldview. But so long as Obama's commitment to democratic regime change in the Middle East is subordinate to his commitment not to promote it without the imprimatur of the UN and other international organizations, he's a long way from embracing anything like W. Bush's neo-conservatism. Obama may talk a big game about democracy-promotion, but he's also signaling to everyone paying attention that the most he's prepared to do about it is participate in half-hearted ventures like the current NATO operation in Libya.
If there's been any ideological capitulation on Obama's part, it's a reversion to something like the foreign policy worldview that Bill Clinton brought to the White House in his first term, before people in his administration started explaining why America is the "indispensable nation." That's may be a good or a bad thing, but it's not the ideological capitulation conservatives have in mind.


All About Indie Filmmaking: Are Indie Filmmakers Too Independent?
Are Indie Filmmakers Too Independent?
Independent filmmakers often work in their own worlds, within their own cliques of people with whom they like working. This is good and bad. It's good because you can grow a small group of very loyal, similar thinking people that you can lean on for the long haul of filmmaking. It's bad because you may only have the people in your small group weighing in on your work. And those people may not have the experience yet to really help you propel your work to the next level.
Are indie filmmakers working too much in a vacuum? Do we need a better means of expanding our worlds and having more checks and balances on our work? Personally, I try to create greater opportunities to expand my indie world. I work with some great people, but I think it's important to grow my world and get other people's perspectives on storytelling whenever I can.
I'm also wondering if we had more people involved earlier in the process then would more films have greater success on the festival circuit and at the box office? Something to think about.
Now the issue I have with the above labs are that they are very exclusive and geared primarily toward low budget independent filmmaking. What do the rest of us do when we aren't accepted to these programs or you want to develop broad comedies or thrillers or action pieces, etc.?
Well, the onus falls on you to get your own feedback. I know this isn't easy. Those who are good at development and successful in their careers are often super busy and don't have much time to spend teaching others how to improve their skills. This is where interning and assisting become a very valuable tool for your growth as a filmmaker.
If you are having a hard time getting the guidance you need from organizations or seminars, etc., try spending time with successful people by offering your help. Many will take you up on your offer and you may find support and a mentorship that could really help you grow as an artist.
No matter what filmmaking is built on relationships. Don't be afraid to expand your network and share your work with those outside your inner circle. Being independent is great but it doesn't mean being alone.


text:
This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful.Find sources: "Bruce Gradkowski" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Bruce Gradkowski
Gradkowski in 2012
St. Louis BattleHawks
Offensive Coordinator
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
217 lb (98 kg)
Seton-La Salle Catholic
(Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania)
Toledo (2001–2005)
NFL Draft:
2006 / Round: 6 / Pick: 194
Career history
As a player:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2006–2007)
St. Louis Rams (2008)*
Cleveland Browns (2008)
Oakland Raiders (2009–2010)
Cincinnati Bengals (2011–2012)
Pittsburgh Steelers (2013–2016)
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
As a coach:
St. Louis BattleHawks (2023-present)
Career highlights and awards
2× MAC (2001, 2004)
MAC Co-Most Valuable Player (2005)
GMAC Bowl MVP (2005)
Toledo Hall Of Fame (2012)
Career NFL statistics
Pass attempts / completions:
TD–INT:
Passing yards:
QB Rating:
Rushing yards / TDs:
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR
Bruce Raymond Gradkowski (born January 27, 1983) is a former American football quarterback and current offensive coordinator for the St. Louis BattleHawks. He played college football at Toledo. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the sixth round (194th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft. Gradkowski was also a member of the St. Louis Rams, Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders, Cincinnati Bengals, and Pittsburgh Steelers. His younger brother, Gino, is a former NFL center.
Gradkowski is a 2001 graduate from Seton-La Salle Catholic High School. He played as a member of the Seton-La Salle Rebels from 1997 to 2000 in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL). As a junior, Gradkowski threw for 1,630 yards and 10 touchdowns. This performance was then improved as a senior, when he completed 188-of-327 passes (57.5%) and threw for a then-WPIAL record of 2,978 yards and 30 touchdowns (surpassing the previous mark set by Dan Marino). In high school, Gradkowski also played basketball, serving as Seton-La Salle's starting point guard and leading his team in scoring.
College career
After redshirting as a freshman at Toledo in 2001, Gradkowski only saw action as the field goal holder on the special teams unit. In 2003, he became the starting quarterback as a sophomore and set a Mid-American Conference season record by completing 71.2% of his passes. He threw for 3,210 yards and set a school season record of 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Gradkowski's final passer rating was 161.53. He proved he could scramble by rushing for 504 yards and one touchdown on 91 carries (5.5 avg). In 2004, Gradkowski completed 70.2% of his passes for 3,518 yards with 27 touchdowns and eight interceptions and a final passer rating of 162.56. He played in the GMAC Bowl and was named the game's Most Valuable Player (MVP). As a senior in 2005, Gradkowski completed 62.3% of his passes for 2,469 yards with 29 touchdowns and twelve interceptions and a final passer rating of 146.42. Gradkowski was the first quarterback in NCAA Division I-A history to complete more than 70 percent of his passes in consecutive seasons.[1]
College statistics
277 389 71.2 3,210 8.3 66 29 7 9 161.5
280 399 70.2 3,518 8.8 96 27 8 14 162.6
207 332 62.3 2,469 7.4 70 29 12 9 146.4
Pre-draft measurables
Hand span
10-yard split
Three-cone drill
Wonderlic
6 ft 1+3⁄8 in
(1.86 m) 217 lb
(98 kg) 30+1⁄4 in
(0.77 m) 9 in
(0.23 m) 4.61 s 1.63 s 2.72 s 4.16 s 7.12 s 34 in
(0.86 m) 8 ft 11 in
(2.72 m) 19[2]
All values from NFL Combine[3][4][5]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Gradkowski in the sixth round (194th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft.[6]
After a promising preseason he was nicknamed "The Great Gradkowski". When starting quarterback Chris Simms suffered a ruptured spleen, Gradkowski was named the starter going into Week 5 against New Orleans. In his debut, he completed 20 of 31 attempts for 225 yards with two touchdowns as the Buccaneers suffered their fourth consecutive loss.
Gradkowski remained the starter after his first loss and won the next two games against the Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles before losing three straight to the New York Giants, New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers. On November 19, 2006, he completed 14 of 21 attempts for 178 yards, two touchdowns, amd one interception in a 20–17 victory over the Washington Redskins.
On Thanksgiving, the Buccaneers would lose to the Dallas Cowboys after Gradkowski threw two interceptions and only completed 10 passes. He continued to falter the following week throwing three interceptions in a loss to his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers. His play would continue to decline with losses against the Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears and he was benched in the middle of both games. Gradkowski was replaced in the second quarter against Chicago by Tim Rattay, who threw for four touchdowns in the second half of the game. Gradkowski, by contrast, had not thrown a touchdown in the previous 10 quarters before being pulled and would not start again in 2006. He finished his rookie season with 1,661 passing yards on 177 completions in 328 pass attempts, nine touchdowns, and nine interceptions.[7]
In 2007 during a Week 12 matchup against the Washington Redskins, Gradkowski came in after the first play because of an injury to newly acquired starting quarterback Jeff Garcia but only completed 9 of 19 passes and didn't score. Gradkowski was benched the next week in favor of Luke McCown.
Gradkowski had a record of 3–8 as a Tampa Bay starter and set an NFL record by throwing 200 passes between his first and second interceptions.[8]
On May 30, 2008, Gradkowski was waived by the Buccaneers.[9]
Gradkowski was claimed off waivers by the St. Louis Rams in June 2008,[10] but was waived during final cuts on August 30, 2008.
Gradkowski was signed by the Cleveland Browns as their fourth-string quarterback on December 2, 2008 after quarterback Derek Anderson was placed on injured reserve. He was the starter for the Browns' 2008 season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers on December 28, 2008, after injuries to Anderson, Brady Quinn, and Ken Dorsey.[11] Gradkowski was waived on February 9, 2009.
A day after being waived by the Browns, Gradkowski was claimed off waivers by the Oakland Raiders.
On November 22, 2009, in his first start for the Raiders, Gradkowski threw two touchdowns, matching former Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell's total for the season to that point, and led the team to come from behind 20–17 victory over the heavily favored Cincinnati Bengals.
In Week 13, on the road the Raiders beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27–24. Gradkowski completed 20-of-33 passes for 308 yards and three touchdowns, including an 11-yard game-winning touchdown to Louis Murphy. For his performance in this game he was awarded the AFC Offensive Player of the Week award for week 13 of the regular season.[12][13]
On December 13, 2009, he was injured in a game against the Washington Redskins during the second quarter and was replaced by Russell. The Raiders lost the game 34–13 without Gradowski.[14] Gradkowski missed the remainder of the 2009 season with a partially torn Medial collateral ligaments in both knees.[15]
On March 15, 2010, he was re-signed by the Oakland Raiders for one year.[16] He tore a pectoral muscle while lifting weights in April 2010.[17] In Week 2 of the 2010 NFL season he took over for benched starter Jason Campbell and lead the Raiders to a victory over the St. Louis Rams.
On September 22, 2010, Gradkowski became the Oakland Raiders starting quarterback for Week 3.[18] On November 28, 2010, Gradkowski suffered a third-degree separation of his throwing shoulder. On December 2, the Raiders placed Gradkowski on injured reserve, ending his 2010 season.[19]
Following the 2011 NFL lockout, Gradkowski signed a two-year contract with the Cincinnati Bengals.[20] He was the team's second-string quarterback behind Andy Dalton. After Dalton suffered a minor injury that removed him from the game, Gradkowski threw a touchdown while snapping the ball while the Browns were still in the huddle. He then appeared during a Week 13 match up against the Pittsburgh Steelers, completing 3-of-6 passes for 17 yards with one interception.
On March 13, 2013, Gradkowski signed a three-year deal with his hometown team, the Pittsburgh Steelers.[21]
Ultimately, Gradkowski had very few career snaps with the Steelers. He played in none of the regular season games during 2013. In 2014, he played in one game. He missed almost the entire 2015 season due to hand and shoulder injuries.[22]
The Steelers re-signed Gradkowski to a one-year contract on May 2, 2016.[23] On August 31, 2016, Gradkowski was placed on the injured reserve list following damage to his hamstring sustained during the opening game of the preseason.[22][24] The Steelers released Gradkowski on October 7, 2016.[22]
NFL career statistics
13 11 177 328 54.0 1,661 5.1 9 9 65.9 41 161 3.9 0 11
4 0 13 24 54.2 130 5.4 0 1 52.4 7 20 2.9 0 0
2 1 7 21 33.3 26 1.2 0 3 2.8 1 2 2.0 0 0
7 4 82 150 54.7 1,007 6.7 6 3 80.6 18 108 6.0 0 5
6 4 83 157 52.9 1,059 6.7 5 7 66.3 12 41 3.4 0 3
2 0 8 18 44.4 109 6.1 1 1 59.7 11 29 2.6 0 0
2 0 5 11 45.5 65 5.9 0 0 64.6 4 -2 -0.5 0 1
0 0 DNP
1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 2 -2 -1.0 0 0
In 2017, Gradkowski became a volunteer assistant quarterbacks coach at Anthony Wayne High School in Whitehouse, Ohio and also joined the University of Toledo's Rocket Football Radio Network as a color analyst.[25][26]
On June 15, 2021, it was reported he would be the head coach at St. Francis de Sales School (Toledo, Ohio).[27] After serving as interim coach for one football season (2021) at St. Francis de Sales School, Bruce permanently became the head football coach at St. Francis de Sales for the 2022 season.[28]
Gradkowski is the owner of Social Gastropub in Perrysburg, Ohio.[29]
^ "Bruce Gradkowski - Football".
^ "Historical NFL Wonderlic Scores". wonderlictestsample.com. Archived from the original on September 2, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2016. ((cite web)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^ "Bruce Gradkowski Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
^ "Bruce Gradkowski, Toledo, QB, 2006 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
^ "Bruce Gradkowski, Combine Results, QB - Toledo". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
^ "2006 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
^ "NFL Player Profile:Bruce Gradkowski". NFL.com. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
^ nfl.com https://web.archive.org/web/20061109114706/http://nfl.com/fantasy/story/9787771. Archived from the original on November 9, 2006. ((cite web)): Missing or empty |title= (help)
^ "Bucs Sign TE Stevens, Cut QB Gradkowski". May 30, 2008.
^ "Rams add Gradkowski to mix of quarterbacks behind Bulger". NFL.com. July 26, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
^ "Bruce Gradkowski to Start Finale for Browns v. Steelers". SI.com. December 25, 2008. Archived from the original on February 4, 2009. Retrieved December 25, 2008.
^ Corman, Rebecca (December 8, 2009). "Gradkowski Named AFC Offensive Player of the Week". Raiders.com. Archived from the original on December 13, 2009. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
^ "Wilson: Gradkowski named AFC Player of the Week". National Football Post. December 9, 2009. Archived from the original on October 23, 2010. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
^ "Redskins vs. Raiders - Box Score - December 13, 2009 - ESPN".
^ Williamson, Bill (December 13, 2009). "Gradkowski likely to miss season". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
^ "Oakland Raiders NFL Football". Archived from the original on June 26, 2010. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
^ Rosenthal, Gregg (April 15, 2010). "Bruce Gradkowski tears pectoral muscle". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
^ "Gradkowski wrests Raiders' starting QB job from Campbell". NFL.com. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
^ "Raiders place Gradkowski on IR after surgery". ESPN.com. December 2, 2010. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
^ "Jay Gruden: Bruce Gradkowski is "the ultimate competitor"". Stripehype.com. July 28, 2011.
^ Gantt, Darin (March 13, 2013). "Gradkowski agrees to three-year deal with Steelers". NBCSports.com. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
^ a b c Chester, Simon A. (October 7, 2016 Chester, Simon A. (October 8, 2016). "Steelers release quarterback Bruce Gradkowski". USA Today Sports Digital Properties.
^ Wesseling, Chris (May 2, 2016). "Steelers re-sign veteran backup QB Bruce Gradkowski". NFL.com. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
^ Bergman, Jeremy. "Steelers claim Mettenberger, put Gradkowski on IR". NFL.com. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
^ Briggs, David (August 11, 2017). "Bruce Gradkowski is back in school, and kids and coaches love it". post-gazette.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2017. ((cite web)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^ "Bruce Gradkowski to Join Rocket Football Radio Network Team". utrockets.com. August 11, 2017. Archived from the original on November 10, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2017. ((cite web)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^ Strack, Jordan (June 15, 2021). "Former Toledo QB Bruce Gradkowski will be new head football coach at St. Francis". WTOL. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
^ "NBC 24 News". nbc24.com. January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
^ "Social Gastropub - About Us". socialgastropub.com. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bruce Gradkowski.
Profile at NFL.com
Pittsburgh Steelers profile
Oakland Raiders profile
Cincinnati Bengals profile
Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference
Toledo Rockets starting quarterbacks
Merle Gulick
Chuck Ealey
Gene Swick
Tavares Bolden
Clint Cochran
Brandon Summers
Aaron Opelt
D.J. Lenehan
Austin Dantin
Alex Pettee
Terrance Owens
Logan Woodside
Phillip Ely
Michael Julian
Mitchell Guadagni
Eli Peters
Carter Bradley
Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting quarterbacks
Steve Spurrier (1976)
Parnell Dickinson (1976)
Terry Hanratty (1976)
Gary Huff (1977)
Randy Hedberg (1977)
Jeb Blount (1977)
Doug Williams (1978–1982)
Mike Rae (1978)
Mike Boryla (1978)
Jack Thompson (1983–1984)
Jerry Golsteyn (1983)
Steve DeBerg (1984–1987, 1992–1993)
Steve Young (1985–1986)
Vinny Testaverde (1987–1992)
John Reaves (1987)
Jim Zorn (1987)
Joe Ferguson (1988–1989)
Chris Chandler (1990–1991)
Jeff Carlson (1991)
Craig Erickson (1993–1994)
Trent Dilfer (1994–1999)
Shaun King (1999–2000, 2002)
Eric Zeier (1999)
Brad Johnson (2001–2004)
Rob Johnson (2002)
Brian Griese (2004–2005, 2008)
Chris Simms (2004–2006)
Bruce Gradkowski (2006)
Tim Rattay (2006)
Jeff Garcia (2007–2008)
Luke McCown (2007)
Byron Leftwich (2009)
Josh Johnson (2009, 2011)
Josh Freeman (2009–2013)
Mike Glennon (2013–2014)
Josh McCown (2014)
Jameis Winston (2015–2019)
Ryan Fitzpatrick (2017–2018)
Tom Brady (2020–present)
Cleveland Browns starting quarterbacks
Cliff Lewis (1946–1947, 1949)
Otto Graham (1946–1955)
George Ratterman (1953–1956)
Babe Parilli (1956)
Tommy O'Connell (1956–1957)
Milt Plum (1957–1961)
Len Dawson (1961)
Jim Ninowski (1962–1963, 1965)
Frank Ryan (1962–1968)
Gary Lane (1967)
Bill Nelsen (1968–1972)
Mike Phipps (1970–1976)
Don Gault (1970)
Brian Sipe (1974–1983)
Will Cureton (1975)
Dave Mays (1977)
Terry Luck (1977)
Paul McDonald (1982–1984)
Gary Danielson (1985–1988)
Bernie Kosar (1985–1993)
Jeff Christensen (1987)
Mike Pagel (1988, 1990)
Don Strock (1988)
Mike Tomczak (1992)
Todd Philcox (1992–1993)
Mark Rypien (1994)
Ty Detmer (1999)
Tim Couch (1999–2003)
Doug Pederson (2000)
Spergon Wynn (2000)
Kelly Holcomb (2002–2004)
Jeff Garcia (2004)
Trent Dilfer (2005)
Charlie Frye (2005–2007)
Derek Anderson (2006–2009)
Brady Quinn (2008–2009)
Ken Dorsey (2008)
Jake Delhomme (2010)
Seneca Wallace (2010–2011)
Colt McCoy (2010–2011)
Brandon Weeden (2012–2013)
Thad Lewis (2012)
Brian Hoyer (2013–2014)
Jason Campbell (2013)
Johnny Manziel (2014–2015)
Connor Shaw (2014)
Josh McCown (2015–2016)
Austin Davis (2015)
Robert Griffin III (2016)
Cody Kessler (2016)
DeShone Kizer (2017)
Kevin Hogan (2017)
Tyrod Taylor (2018)
Baker Mayfield (2018–2021)
Case Keenum (2021)
Nick Mullens (2021)
Jacoby Brissett (2022–present)
Las Vegas Raiders starting quarterbacks
Played in Oakland (1960–1981, 1995–2019) and Los Angeles (1982–1994)
Tom Flores (1960–1961, 1963–1966)
Cotton Davidson (1962–1964, 1966)
Hunter Enis (1962)
Don Heinrich (1962)
Dick Wood (1965)
Daryle Lamonica (1967–1973)
George Blanda (1968)
Ken Stabler (1971–1979)
Larry Lawrence (1974–1975)
Mike Rae (1976–1977)
Jim Plunkett (1980–1986)
Dan Pastorini (1980)
Marc Wilson (1981, 1983–1987)
Rusty Hilger (1987)
Vince Evans (1987, 1993, 1995)
Jay Schroeder (1988–1992)
Steve Beuerlein (1988–1989)
Todd Marinovich (1991–1992)
Jeff Hostetler (1993–1996)
Billy Joe Hobert (1995–1996)
Jeff George (1997–1998)
Donald Hollas (1998)
Wade Wilson (1998)
Rich Gannon (1999–2004)
Rick Mirer (2003)
Marques Tuiasosopo (2003, 2005)
Kerry Collins (2004–2005)
Aaron Brooks (2006)
Andrew Walter (2006, 2008)
Daunte Culpepper (2007)
JaMarcus Russell (2007–2009)
Bruce Gradkowski (2009–2010)
Charlie Frye (2009)
Jason Campbell (2010–2011)
Kyle Boller (2011)
Carson Palmer (2011–2012)
Terrelle Pryor (2012–2013)
Matt Flynn (2013)
Matt McGloin (2013, 2016)
Derek Carr (2014–present)
EJ Manuel (2017)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2006 NFL Draft selections
Davin Joseph
Jeremy Trueblood
Maurice Stovall
Alan Zemaitis
Julian Jenkins
T. J. Williams
Justin Phinisee
Tim Massaquoi
American football quarterbacks
American radio sports announcers
College football announcers
Cincinnati Bengals players
Cleveland Browns players
Oakland Raiders players
Pittsburgh Steelers players
St. Louis Rams players
Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
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High school football coaches in Ohio
Sportspeople from Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Players of American football from Pittsburgh
American people of Italian descent
American people of Polish descent

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Earned Citizenship: Labour Migrants' Views on the Welfare State
15 maart 2016 Monique Kremer
Artikel, Publicatie, Wetenschappelijk
In policy and research, migration and the welfare state are often seen as being at odds. When 'strangers' enter the welfare state, the financial and social foundations of solidarity are said to crumble. A prominent question, therefore, is whether immigrants should have the same rights as the autochthonous population. Within this frame, migrants are often 'objects'. This paper reports on qualitative research exploring what different types of labour migrants themselves think about the Dutch welfare state in general, and about giving social rights to immigrants, in particular. The differences in national backgrounds and levels of education in labour migrants' views are striking: lower-educated Turkish and Polish migrants show little interest in the welfare state, whereas higher-educated Western Europeans seek welfare state security. Higher-educated Indian migrants find the welfare state a totally new concept, although after a while some come to appreciate it. A significant proportion of the questioned migrants, moreover, believe that people should not be entitled to welfare state rights immediately upon arrival. They favour 'earned citizenship', with the welfare state being a 'contribution state', but stress that migrants should not have to wait too long before being entitled to such rights. The paper also suggests new topics for further research in the increasingly important field of migration, diversity and the welfare state.
Read article (pdf)
Spui25 op 25 februari
In het noorden van Nederland gaat het juist goed, behalve aan de randen


text:
With Song
Creativity Conundrum
Creativity Column
Creativity and RBG
Three weeks ago, like many other pseudo-feminists around me, my friend Andrea and I jumped in the car, braved a horrendous rainstorm and drove the 30 miles to see the movie released in December of 2018, "On the Basis of Sex," showcasing the early era of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court Justice since 1993. Serendipitously, the "RBG" documentary hit theaters just months prior in May of the same year, so I watched that via Amazon on our big screen at home with my partner, Jimmy. I marveled at the synchronicity of two similar films having been created and released in the same year. Ginsburg has been active for half a century as a lawyer, judge and game-changer, so these movies could easily have happened any number of decades ago. But they didn't. They happened now, nearly simultaneously.
As a Creativity Advocate and enthusiast, I always find it germane when artists slap culture in the face with similar stories. I remember Babe and Gordy coming out together when my kids were young, as well as A Bug's Life and Ants. But there were also mainstream movies like Armageddon and Deep Impact, The Prestige and The Illusionist, whose plots seemed to be mysteriously expressing the same themes. With Hollywood movies, sometimes it can be attributed to the "buzz" in the industry, but even with this factor, it takes years to write a screenplay, raise funds, cast, travel, film, edit and distribute a piece. To me, this synchronicity is important because it points to some sort of collective movement that helps the human race evolve. But that's just me.
Beyond the coincidental timeliness of these RBG movies, however, I also really appreciated how both filmmakers framed Ruth Bader Ginsburg in a similar light, with identical honor. In spite of the fact that one was a dramatization and the other a documentary, the message carried the same profound punch. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was quite the bad ass.
The writer (Daniel Stiepelman) and the filmmakers (Julie Cohen and Betsy West) highlighted more than RBG's bad assery. They showcased the powerful phenomenon of Creativity at work in her. While most people might assume the inherent Creativity of a writer or an artist behind a work, I actually focused more on RBG's Creativity than the artists' who depicted her. I was more interested in the type of Creativity often overlooked by the Golden Globes, the Oscars, the Grammys, the Emmys etc.
Creativity is the force behind Ginsburg's efforts at winning court cases and tirelessly pushing for law changes. For example, according to "On the Basis of Sex," Ginsburg, an activist for women's rights, chose to represent a man whose rights were stripped away, instead of a woman. This approach is a brilliant example of Creative problem solving, but it also helped to promote equality during an era when men felt extremely threatened by women's rights. Another example of Creativity in action would be when the opposition tried to overwhelm her team with a truckload of hundreds of cases yet to fight, she figured out a way to use it to her team's advantage, instead. She was able to invert the destructive into the constructive, fulfilling yet another mission of Creativity.
Theoretically, Creative acts derive from an individual's divergent and convergent thinking skills, which clearly Ginsburg had plenty of. Creative acts start in an individual and then affect society. In the case of gender equality, her Creative acts literally transformed culture, and ultimately promoted unity.
After we finished watching the documentary, Jimmy turned to me and said, "One of the most profound components of Ginsburg's work was her ability to be close friends with Judge Scalia, who held opposing political viewpoints." He pointed out to me how one's relationships on the micro need not be affected by one's viewpoints regarding the macro. We marveled at RBG's rare ability to be so tight with someone whose philosophies differ from her own, how difficult it must be to put aside those differences and maintain a good friendship. This type of connectivity is fueled by Creativity but hard to do without a little love.
At this time in history, biographies and documentaries seem to be guiding us into a more "wholistic" view of humankind and hopefully, with more and more folks flocking to their local theater and curling up to their Netflix streams, these ideas will spread. Through bad asses like Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the movement of the collective will continue to catch on as Creativity continues to lead the way, rain or shine.
creativityRBG


Hello summer stains, oh you know who you are. Grass stains, mud stains, BBQ stains and what I can only call mystery stain!
For detergent 3 I need something strong and for me that is Purex. It has always been my go to detergent and thanks to the all new Purex Plus Clorox it now has even more stain fighting power!
Now being the clothing lover that I am, I so forgot to take a before photo. But let me just explain a bit what happened. My little guy had a soccer game (Not for a team, we had our old uniform and we were going to play with some buddies) the shorts of his uniform are white..... It is April so I am sure you know with all the rain there is MUD everywhere. And he is, well, he is a boy.
You get where I am going?
The uniform was covered in mud. After the game we rushed home and I got to work banging the mud off his kleets, shaking it out of his clothing and then rushing it to the washing machine. That is when Purex plus Clorox stepped in and saved the day.
You would never be able to tell where that dread mud was!


Himalayan Quartz water clear with Rutile, Chlorite and Anatase. This Quartz has Anatase crystals coating one side from top to bottom like glitter. Water clear so you can see the Chlorite and Rutile. This Himalayan Quartz weighs 197.63 grams and is 34 mm x 36 mm x 99 mm.


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Home / News / Reopening in Cuba: Havanians Back to Beaches and Havana's Malecón
Reopening in Cuba: Havanians Back to Beaches and Havana's Malecón
Eduardo Douglas Pedroso / Tribuna de La Habana
The Temporary Work Group created to face Covid-19 in Havana, after consultation with its national counterpart, announced on Wednesday, September 29th, the easing of some restrictions related to the pandemic with regard to entertainment and physical exercises by "taking into account the sustained decrease in confirmed cases of the disease in the last eight weeks and the progress of the vaccination campaign."
The city's mayor, Reinaldo García Zapata, pointed out that from this Wednesday on, it is possible "to carry out physical exercises on public roads and in gyms, including places that have artificial ventilation."
The latter "must strictly comply with the sanitary protocols that stipulate adequate physical distancing and disinfection of the equipment each time it is finished using by a person, which will be verified by the provincial inspection bodies and control".
It has also been allowed to stay in the Malecón areas, as long as the sanitary measures are complied with to avoid contagion, as well as the opening of beaches and swimming pools, "the latter at 50% of their capacity."
In the case of the beaches it was warned that due to the economic situation, backup buses will not be enabled. The authorities suggested that people who decide to attend "should do so in an orderly manner and in compliance with epidemiological regulations."
Likewise, it was announced "that there are no conditions to ensure adequate gastronomic service in public spas, so the population must guarantee food by their own means."
They warned at the meeting that "both in the pools and in the beach areas the use of the facemasks is mandatory, except when bathers go into the sea."
García Zapata also stated that the vaccination with at least one dose of 90% of Havanians —70% of the total population in Havana has been already vaccinated with three doses— as well as the decrease of the prevalence rate in the last few weeks favor the easing of restrictions, but he once again appealed to self-responsibility and self-care of individuals to preserve their health and that of relatives.
Meanwhile, the first secretary of the Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) in Havana, Luis Antonio Torres Iríbar, said that with this easing and others to come —feasible in the right time— and urged the people of Havana to show an "attitude that corresponds to the health culture acquired in these months".
The also member of the Central Committee of the PCC gave proper directions to the Control and Supervision Bodies as well as the National Revolutionary Police Department to increase supervision in the areas of the Havana's Malecón, the beach areas and gyms to ensure compliance with health protocols.
Similar actions will extend to the state-run and private eateries to prevent indiscipline such as the ones occurred last weekend at the boardwalk located in 1st and 70th Streets, in the municipality of Playa, where some of the provisions laid down since September 24th were violated.
Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Díaz / CubaSí Translation Staff
Cuban economic society maintains vitality despite Covid-19
Cuba and its emigration strengthen ties as an irreversible process
Nachito Herrera arrives in Havana with a solidarity cargo
Cuba reported 3,150 new Covid-19 cases
U.S. COVID-19 hospitalizations hit new record high
Casa de las Americas receives award for contributing to sciences
At Jazz Plaza: Pianos of all Colors
José María Vitier, blessed on the island of music
Concern About the Omicron Variant in 2022
Tourism that is coming
OPINION: Our Victory in Wrestling and Boxing Can't Surprise Us
Tips to Celebrate the End of the Year Safer in Family
Cuban Sport in 2021 (I): In Combat and our Fighting Will Resides Power
The Other Yearend
2021: An Eventful Year
Graphic Opinion
Embedded video for Cuba: Abdala vaccine candidate shows efficacy of 92.98%
Cubasi.cu
Copyright 2020 CubaSí. All rights reserved.


Per British Swimming's qualification criteria for the 2019 FINA Open Water World Championships, Jack Burnell and Alice Dearing have wrapped up their roster spots for Gwangju, Korea with their performances at the opening leg of the FINA Marathon Swim World Series last week.
The 2018 Piranhas Open Water Extreme Race, aka P.O.W.E.R. Challenge, is September 1st 2018 in Pompano Beach, Florida. P.O.W.E.R. Challenge includes four open water races: the 5k race, one mile race, 500 meters junior race, and the very short, but fun 100 meter Splash and Dash.
Early entry fees for all races include event t-shirt, swim cap and goodie bag.
Entry Deadline: On-line registration will close on Thursday, August 30, 2018 at 5:00 pm.
On-site race-day registrations will open Friday from 5:00 to 8:00 pm and Saturday from 6:00 am and close at 7:20 am. for the 5K and one mile race, entries will close for all other races at 30 minutes before the race.
Date & Time: Saturday, September 1, 2018.
Start times listed above are tentative.
The Event Director, in conjunction with the approval of the Head Referee, may have male and female wave starts, within appropriate interval splits or combined heats, as deemed necessary to ensure safety and fairness for all competitors.
If the competitor is within 1,000 meters from the finish line at the three-hour time limit, the Referee may allow the competitor to finish the race after the allotted time limit, so long as safety officials are capable of escorting the competitor to a safe and secure finish. All other competitors will be asked to abandon the course.
Eligibility: All swimmers are welcome at this competition. Any athlete with a disability will be accommodated. It is up to the swimmer's coach's responsibility to notify the Event Director and Referee of any accommodations required.
The Event Director, in conjunction with the approval of the Head Referee, may have male and female wave starts, within appropriate interval splits or combined heats as deemed necessary to ensure safety and fairness for all competitors. Pre-Race Safety Meeting is required for all swimmers. The meeting will start at 7:45 am at the starting area by officials.
The Meet Referee may allow a swimmer to finish the race after the allotted time limit so long as safety officials are capable of escorting the swimmer to a safe and secure finish.
Team Entries: To receive the team entry fee discount, you must register at least 10 swimmers using Hy-Tek entry file available on our website and pay the team fee with one team check.
All team TM entries files must be emailed to [email protected] .
Team Entries will close on Tuesday, August 29, 2017 at 6:00 pm.
Includes event t-shirt, swim cap and goodie bag.
Medals To all that complete the 5K swim before the 3 hour limit.
On Race Day: All competitors must check-in on the day of the race to pick up ankle strap timing chips and get marked at the registration booth located at the starting line at 222 North Pompano Beach Blvd. in Pompano Beach FL 33062, just south of the Pompano Beach Pier.
Transportation: All competitors for the "Pier-to-Pier" 5K Swim Race will be transported by bus from the registration site in Pompano Beach, to the starting line at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. First bus leaves at 6:45 am, and every 20 minutes thereafter. Last bus leaves at 7:20 am.
5K Course: The "Pier-to-Pier" 5K Swim Race is a Point-to-Point race course (from Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Pier to Pompano Beach Pier). The distance between the two Piers is 5,000 meters.
The swimmers will swim north bound about 50 meters east of the ocean shore within the designated swimming area. The course will be marked with Yellow and Red Buoys in a straight line alternating color every 500 meters. Competitors will end the race through the onshore chute finish, 50 meters south of the Pompano Beach Pier.
One Mile Race Course: The "One Mile" Swimming Race will have an onshore beach start about 15 meters to 10 meters from the shoreline depending on tides.
The swimmer will enter the ocean and swim out about 50 meters from the shore towards the designated swimming area, pass a marked buoy and head south for a determined distance of 750 meters, marked by Blue triangle buoys in a straight line.
The swimmer will loop around at the buoy and come back to the finish line to a Beach Finish 25 meters from the shore line towards an onshore chute finish.
500mt Swim Race Course: The "500-Meters Swimming" Race will have an onshore beach start about 15 meters to 10 meters from the shoreline depending on tides.
The swimmer will enter the ocean and swim out about 50 meters from the shore towards a designated swimming area, pass a marked buoy and head south for a determined distance of 250 meters marked by Yellow triangle buoys in a straight line.
The swimmer will loop around at the buoy and come back to the finish line to a designated Beach Finish, 25 meters from the shore line and run towards an onshore chute finish.
Splash and Dash Race Course: The 100-meters "Splash and Dash" Race will have an onshore beach start about 15 meters to 10 meters from the shoreline depending on tides.
The swimmer will enter the ocean and swim out about 50 meters from shore in to the designated swimming area, and pass a marked buoy. The swimmer will loop around at the buoy and come back to the finish line to a Beach Finish line, 25 meters from the shore line towards an onshore chute finish.
Temperature: The expected Water Temp: 80 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit.
Admission: Free to General Public.
Parking: Parking is available on-site for reasonable fee per car.
Open water swimming news and information courtesy of the POWER Challenge.


text:
La chiesa di Santa Maria Maddalena al Quirinale era una chiesa di Roma, nel rione Monti. Essa si trovava in via del Quirinale. Assieme alla chiesa di Santa Chiara al Quirinale, e con i rispettivi conventi, fu distrutta nel 1888 per l'edificazione di un giardino pubblico, in ricordo della visita a Roma dell'imperatore tedesco Guglielmo II.

Essa fu edificata nel 1581 dalla benefattrice Maddalena Orsini (1534-1605), figlia di Camillo Orsini, per le suore Domenicane le quali vi rimasero fino al 1839, anno in cui vi subentrarono le religiose dette sacramentate dall'adorazione perpetua del santissimo Sacramento.

La chiesa era stata costruita dall'architetto Burioni, ed era stata riedificata durante il pontificato di Clemente XI all'inizio del Settecento. Essa aveva, oltre all'altare maggiore, quattro altari laterali.

Bibliografia
 Mariano Armellini, Le chiese di Roma dal secolo IV al XIX, Roma 1891, p. 183
 C. Rendina, Le Chiese di Roma, Newton & Compton Editori, Milano 2000, p. 250
 A. Manodori, Rione I Monti, in AA.VV, I rioni di Roma, Newton & Compton Editori, Milano 2000, Vol. I, pp. 127–128

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

Maria Maddalena Quirinale
Maria Maddalena Quirinale
Maria Maddalena Quirinale
Roma

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
BNP Paribas REIM announces additional...
BNP Paribas REIM announces additional equity commitments for European Impact Property Fund
The fund, backed by the Dutch insurance company a.s.r. at its first close, has reached already EUR 300mn of equity capital commitments
BNP Paribas Real Estate Investment Management (BNP Paribas REIM) has announced that its recently launched "European Impact Property Fund" ("EIPF") has reached EUR 300mn of equity capital commitments. That includes EUR 100mn from the Dutch Insurance company a.s.r. which committed as the fund cornerstone investor at the launch of EIPF. The insurer BNP Paribas Cardif, a subsidiary of BNP Paribas, also has committed equity to the fund as part of its strategy to accelerate its investments with a positive impact, alongside other French, Italian and Finnish institutional investors.
EIPF sets an ambitious target to be the first Core European Diversified Fund compliant with the 2015 Paris Agreement in line with the International Energy Agency (IEA) trajectory and to deliver a positive and measurable climate impact. EIPF qualifies as article 9 of SFDR. The climate strategy will be implemented thanks to a combination of CAPEX, OPEX and strong stakeholders' engagements. The fund has also put in place a detailed climate reporting system to quantify the fund's positive impact on assets and to measure the success of reducing GhG emissions and contribution to the low carbon transition.
Structured as a Core European Diversified Open-Ended Fund, EIPF has already secured transactions in France, Italy, the Netherlands and Germany in diverse sectors such as residential, logistics, alternatives and offices. The fund, which has already begun making income distributions, is currently progressing on further investment opportunities in 4 different countries (including 2 new ones).
"As an investor a.s.r. believes it is important to play a meaningful role in making society more sustainable with its investments. BNP Paribas REIM and a.s.r. shared the idea of launching a Core real estate fund that focusses on having a quantifiable impact on the climate. We welcomed the opportunity to work with them to create the fund. We believe that EIPF can successfully combine both quality and sustainability in its portfolio," comments Dick Gort, CEO a.s.r. real estate.
"We are honoured to have the support of a.s.r. and the other institutional investors in EIPF. We are convinced that EIPF offers an innovative European real estate investment strategy for those investors seeking both stable income and the ability to have a measurable climate impact. It has been well received by pension funds and insurance companies from across Europe and, indeed, globally," comments Henri Romnicianu, Global Head of Institutional Sales at BNP Paribas REIM.
EIPF is a SICAV-SIF based in Luxembourg. This Core Diversified Open-Ended fund, managed by BNP Paribas REIM Luxembourg, offers diversification within Europe across all sectors to long-term international institutional investors.
ASR Real Assets Investment Partners
Luc Joosten appointed managing director of ASR Real Assets Investment Partners
ASR Dutch Science Park Fund ASR Real Assets Investment Partners
31 March 2022 | 2 min.
a.s.r. to acquire Sweco Capital Consultants


text:
Римська імперія розділена на частини, де правлять Феодосій I, Валентиніан II та Магн Максим. У Китаї правління династії Цзінь. В Індії правління імперії Гуптів. В Японії триває період Ямато. У Персії править династія Сассанідів.

На території лісостепової України Черняхівська культура. У Північному Причорномор'ї готи й сармати. Історики VI століття згадують плем'я антів, що мешкало на території сучасної України десь із IV сторіччя. З'явилися гуни, підкорили остготів та аланів й приєднали їх до себе.

Події
 Римський синод відправив у заслання Ієроніма Стридонського, майбутнього перекладача Біблії латиною.
 Папа Римський Сиріцій видає декреталій, що проголошує першість Риму й целібат священиків.
 Прісцілліан, єпископ із Іспанії, звинувачений у маніхействі та магії, стає першим християнином, страченим за єресь.
 Амміан Марцеллін починає писати свою історію, що покриватиме період з 98 по 378 рік.

Народились

Померли

Див. також
 Список керівників держав 385 року
380-ті


Crawford by Lehigh grip clip organizers are great for hand tools and long handled tools. They are made from spring steel so that it will keep its original shape. Holds Holds 1-Inch to 1-1/2 -Inch diameter. Available in large size and silver color.


Wildwood at Keowee... "Where the living is casual and relaxed". Today's buyers that plan to build new homes are searching for areas which take them back to nature. It's easy getting back to nature when you live in it, and that's what you get when you build your home at Wildwood. What you save purchasing at this price will buy you a lot of extra features in your new home. This location is convenient to Seneca for work, dining, schools, hospitals and shopping. Drive by today and view this community in person. Dwelling Size: 1. One Story - 1,400 Square Foot Minimum 2. One and a half Story - 1,600 Square Foot Minimum 3. Two Story - 1,800 Square Foot Minimum. A new covered single slip dock is in place and new granite boulder rip rap has just been installed. This is last lake front lot available in Wildwood through the developer. Between Lot 8 and 7 is common area.


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Inept knowledge about dpi and ppi,please help?
I have designed a web header 1000x98 at 72 ppi using Macromedia Fireworks for our website and we are planning to print a billboard using that header? The printer has told us that he needs the image at 600dpi? What are my options? Will I be able to do it?
print-design ppi dpi
manraj82manraj82
Does photo.stackexchange.com/questions/4779/… answer your question? – mattdm Mar 25 '11 at 11:29
I think this is a better question for Graphic Design than photography. The question is more about output production than DPI vs PPI literally. Something to which a designer should NOT be inept. – Dawson Mar 26 '11 at 5:41
Check with the printer again...I would hope he's not planning on printing a 30' billboard @ 600dpi – DA01 Mar 27 '11 at 0:10
+1 @DA01 made me laugh out loud. ...pictured someone at the billboard company watching 1 bb slowly being printed their entire work day. – Dawson Mar 27 '11 at 8:36
Closely related: graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/487/… and graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/95/…. – e100 Mar 27 '11 at 13:15
DPI (digital dots or pixels)/PPI defined:
300 dpi/ppi = 300 pixels used for every 1 inch line of ink coverage.
1000 pixels will yield a 3.3333 inch line @ 300 dpi of resolution
DPI and PPI have been used interchangeably (though not always accurately) since pixels entered the printing industry. DPI comes from halftone/screen dots in offset printing. If a greater number of dots can be reliably applied to a given media (paper) the finished print will appear more like a photograph (continuous tone) rather than a halftone (a series of fine dots).
Scale your web banner into a billboard (BB):
Your web graphic is 72 pixels per inch, and that would actually work - provided it was sized at 100%*. But a 1000px web banner is only going to print at about 3.5in wide @ 300 dpi - so you have to scale it up to a BB height/width. Scaling up the physical size will proportionately scale down the resolution. So a 3.5in graphic scaled to a 7in height would cause the DPI to drop to 150. Scale that to 14in...75dpi, 28in...32.5dpi, and so on. Note: a 32.5 dpi file can actually work for some BB production, but in your case the physical height will only be 28", which is hardly a BB. Time to build a new file.
Do some math and convert your web banner into a BB. Your current banner = 1000px by 98px. Simplify that to 1000px by 100px. To make the math easy, lets say you need a BB that's 100ft x 10ft.
- 10ft height = 120 inches, or 36000px - we need DPI not dots per feet (300/in)
- 100ft width = 1200 inches, or 360000px
Ideally, you'd use a 120" x 1200" file @ your DPI requirement, and be done with it. But most software won't allow you to build a 1200in wide file, so you have to scale your artboards down to accommodate. The trick to that is to think in proportions that keep your math simple (1/4, 1/8, 1/10 scale). So if I were trying to build this example, I would create a document that was 120in x 12in @ 3000dpi (1/10th scale). Build your BB according to the design of your web banner. Then pass the file to the printer with instructions to print @ 10X, which would produce a 1200in (100ft) x 120in (10ft) piece of art @ 300 dpi (for a BB, 300 dpi is overkill). Note: Placed photography is not exempt here. If you need a photograph that's 10' tall, you're going to need to pay close attention to its DPI as you start to enlarge it.
Honestly, your BB guy could be asking for 600dpi so he has plenty of pixel information to work with. If you ask what his final printed DPI actually is, he may be able to help you create a smaller (KB) sized file. Definitely, open a dialogue with your provider - helping you helps them as well. They would love to get a file that needed 0 rework on their end.
Billboards are in a league of their own. You can't compare them to a poster, or the bitchin' $25000 dry ink printer at the shop. It's not the same. Generally speaking, viewers are 10s (or 100s) of feet away from the finished piece. Lower resolutions aren't detected by our eyes at those distances, let alone when we're zipping by on the freeway.
Check out LAMAR's FAQ page on DPI, scanning for billboards, etc. it's an interesting read. http://www.lamargraphics.com/lgweb/CustomerService/Contact_us/FAQ/Faq.htm
*LAMAR requires 100 dpi for HIGH RES (at 100% size).
DawsonDawson
I have to say I find this answer difficult to follow... – e100 Mar 27 '11 at 13:02
Perhaps to summarize, if 100dpi is the standard for a billboard, then you need to find out the size of the billboard in inches, multiply that by 100 and that will be the pixel dimension you would ideally have to print with. So...10' wide billboard = 120 inches * 100dpi = 12000 pixels wide. A 1000 pixel wide image likely won't cut it. – DA01 Mar 27 '11 at 18:16
Edited my post to (hopefully) make it easier to understand. There are a lot of scaling issues with artboard size vs photo size vs dpi to consider when building these things. It's a piece of cake after the first 2 or 3, but that first one can be a challenge to someone new to the industry. – Dawson Mar 27 '11 at 21:16
I'd vote this answer up twice if I could. Great info and I found it easy enough to follow. – Farray Apr 21 '11 at 2:54
Absolutely true that Pixels have nothing to do with Dots Per Inch; however, if you research the transition of our industry-speak (or lived through it), one can see that DPI has come to mean the same as PPI. Ref. first sentence of my answer. I didn't want to muddy the water by getting off on that tangent. – Dawson Mar 15 '12 at 3:09
If the printer is asking for 600dpi, it means [he] either didn't understand the question or there has been a failure to communicate.
600dpi (dots per inch) is the resolution at which your billboard will be printed. There was a time, in the Long Long Ago, when that would have been considered pretty high-resolution stuff -- I remember having posters printed at 300dpi that looked perfectly fine at their intended distance. These days, that's pretty low-res -- something you couldn't stand to look at up close unless it was done on a true giclée printer, but more than serviceable for a billboard, and it can be printed in hours, not days.
When a printer tells you he needs an image at 600dpi, it means he's expecting you to do the RIP (Raster Image Processing). It also means he's expecting that your original image is a vector image (from a program like Illustrator), not a raster image, and needs to be translated/RIPped. You do not need to RIP an image that's already a raster image. Talk to your printer again, emphasizing that you are talking about a raster image, not a vector image, and ask him what the pixel (not dot) resolution should be. Don't be surprised if it's around 8-12 pixels per inch; that's really more than enough for a billboard-sized image viewed at billboard-type distances.
You probably do want to create (or recreate) a much higher-resolution version of your graphic, though, unless it consists entirely of horizontal and vertical straight lines. At 1000 pixels wide, you'll be able to get a pretty clean image around 10 feet wide, but at anything significantly beyond that the jaggies will start to become apparent to people with very good eyesight, even at a moderate distance. You probably wouldn't notice it in a photograph, but in a synthetic image the eye expects cleaner lines. You should be okay at around double the current size at any viewing distance.
Stan RogersStan Rogers
"600dpi (dots per inch) is the resolution at which your billboard will be printed." -> I would hope not! That's crazy high resolution for a billboard. – DA01 Mar 27 '11 at 0:13
@DA01: That's 600 ink dots per inch, not 600 pixels per inch. DPI and PPI, despite what the accepted answer says, are not, and never have been, interchangeable in the printing industry. If the printer is asking for 600 DPI for a billboard, he's asking for a RIP, not an image file, and that RIP is based on a printer output resolution of 600 DPI. And when I said it used to be considered hi-res, 300 DPI was "standard" droplet density -- and giclée printers would make that density look smooth enough for final output for art prints (giclée wasn't always synonymous with inkjet). – Stan Rogers May 27 '11 at 0:16
Oh, and the screen frequency is (and always has been) stated as LPI (or simple "xxx-line" in North America, with the "per inch" being assumed) when discussing halftone -- a 200-line screen is extremely fine printing (think coffee table book). – Stan Rogers May 27 '11 at 0:21
ah, yes, good point on the PPI. That said, 600 dpi is still way too high of a resolution for a billboard. You can use it, but it's way overkill. I doubt anything more than 150dpi (and likely 72ppi images) would be noticeable from the highway. – DA01 May 30 '11 at 2:54
One would hope that the printer isn't confusing PPI and DPI. – e100 Mar 21 '12 at 16:52
Your printer probably meant that at this dimension (1000x98 pixels = 5.5" x 0.5" @72ppi), your artwork needs to be at least "600dpi". He wanted a 5.5" x 0.5" at 600dpi.
Printers rarely use "pixels" for dimensions, they use the standard metric or imperial system as units (inch, centimeter, etc.). They often use dpi and ppi to mean the printed resolution; in the end, that's the number he wants you to use in Photoshop or your graphic software.
At 600dpi, your 5.5" x 0.5" banner will in fact be over 5.5 feet wide @ 50dpi once printed. It can even be printed at 35dpi which means almost 8 feet of length. The request of the printer makes sense unless you asked for a bigger billboard!
The printer asked for this resolution since you can't always provide your files at the real life size the billboard will be; it's common practice to "concentrate" the resolution to a higher number and have a smaller dimension for the file instead.
Since you're working with a low resolution web banner, you will need to re-do your layout again, at the proper resolution and size!
As a tip... it's good to ask the printer what size in inches or centimeters should be the artwork and also what resolution he prefers. This way there's less confusion.
go-juntago-junta
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Kenya Sugar mills sale slated to end in 2018
KENYA – The Privatisation Commission Tuesday said the High Court's decision last week dismissing several cases seeking to stop the process had set the stage for the conclusion of the protracted process.
"We had started the expressions of interest in 2015, but the now-defunct Transition Authority obtained a stay order on the process and we had to stop until the matter was determined by the court," said the commission's chief executive, Jacqueline Muindi, at a press briefing in Nairobi.
The case was withdrawn but four other suits were lodged almost immediately, seeking to enjoin the counties of Bungoma, Migori, the Council of Governors, and the National Land Commission.
"Some of the issues that were in contention included the fate of the ancestral land where the sugar factories are located.
It was agreed that the land should remain with the community, as per the provisions of the Constitution," said Ms Muindi.
Kenya has for the past 15 years sought to privatise Chemelil, Miwani, Muhoroni, Nzoia, and Sony Sugar factories in a bid to revive the sugar sector, which has in the past contributed immensely to the economies of several regions in Nyanza and western Kenya.
The issue has now been made even more urgent as the safeguards provided by the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa on sugar exports to Kenya lapse.
Kenya's sugar production has remained stagnant, with the country hard-pressed to meet the demand of 900,000 tonnes each year against a local supply of just 300,000 tonnes.
Zambian Breweries more than doubles capacity at Ndola brewery
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Classified in: Mining industry, Health
Becker Pumps Corp. Launches Education Campaign and Online Store to Fight Chinese Imposter Parts
CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio, May 19, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Becker Pumps Corporation is launching a defensive strategy to combat the flood of low-priced Chinese imports posing as OEM replacement parts for Becker pumps and compressors. Becker is employing an extensive customer education program and launched an e-commerce site restricting the sale of genuine Becker parts through a new online store.
Counterfeit parts have become a big problem for US companies. U.S. manufacturers are not only losing sales and market share but poor performance and premature failures can negatively impact the manufacturer's brand. Becker's solution is a customer education program focusing on how to identify counterfeit, non-OEM parts and the associated performance problems. Becker also launched an online store to give clients easy access to Becker Genuine parts only available through the store.
Over the past 130 years, Becker has perfected the design and manufacturing of a complete line of oil-flooded pumps, oil-free rotary vane pumps, regenerative blowers, and low-pressure compressors. The internal components of their pumps and compressors are high-tolerance and with proprietary carbon chemistry, binding resins and hardening processes. Becker Genuine parts are specifically engineered for the operating characteristics of a Becker pump.
The most expensive replacement parts are the carbon vanes used in Becker's oil-less rotary vane pumps and knock-off parts have appeared across the internet. Websites show a picture of the Becker part with logo and packaging then when the customer clicks on the part it is switched to their low-cost off-brand part. Deceptive language describing the part makes it unclear that the customer is not ordering an OEM part.
Becker Genuine vanes are wear components; they are engineered to withstand the heat caused by friction with the longest possible life and consistent performance. This means maintaining vacuum pressure throughout the life of the vane. At the end of life, they are designed to fail in a way that does not damage the pump. The imposter sites claim to have the same engineered quality as Becker Genuine carbon vanes. Becker has performed extensive testing of the off-brand vanes. These vanes lose significant vacuum pressure and wear 2-3 times faster. The vanes prematurely cup, chip and break resulting in immediate loss of pressure. They also result in catastrophic pump failure. When they fail, the off-brand vanes shatter and seize the pump causing permanent damage.
As Managing Director of Becker Pumps USA, Jason Rathbun recently stated "A lot of people don't know that most of these cheap imitation vanes are made
in China, and we see the results of using them every day. When a customer tries to cut corners by using cheap vanes, the pump ends up in our repair department for a complete rebuild. Trust me, that does not save the customer money, especially since that voids the warranty. If we can get our message out about the long term cost savings of buying our specifically engineered Becker Genuine vanes, we feel we have done our customers a service to improve the longevity of their oil-free pumps."
Darin Ladd, National Sales Manager for Becker Pumps added, "We at Becker pride ourselves in knowing that we manufacture products to the highest standards and have for more than 130 years. Customers think they are saving a couple of bucks when they purchase cheap carbon vanes. But when the pump fails, how much does that really cost. Forget the cost of the repair of that pump or even the cost of a new pump. The customer has to consider the cost of lost production when their production line isn't running. That's a huge dollar figure no one wants to talk about. Are they really saving money buying cheap vanes? "
For additional information on the entire line of Becker pumps and our new online shop, visit http://www.beckerpumps.com or contact: Jason Rathbun by phone at 330-928-9966, Becker Pumps Corporation, 100 E. Ascot Lane, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, 44223-3768.
Becker Pumps Corporation manufactures a complete line of oil-flooded and oil-free rotary vane, regenerative and rotary screw vacuum pumps and low-pressure compressors. These pumps are
incorporated into complete central systems and variable frequency drive units to offer an economical and environmentally friendly alternative to standard models. Becker has an internationally networked development team to work with customers on providing equipment manufacturers with the appropriate pump for their application. Manufactured to the highest quality standards in Germany, Becker has brought Best in Class engineering to the global marketplace for over 130 years and is the first pump manufacturer to offer the on line shopping experience.
Becker pumps can be found on virtually every type of equipment used in many different industries which include food packaging, printing, woodworking, paper converting, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, beverage, dairy, chemical, medical device and consumer packaging.
SOURCE Becker Pumps Corporation
USW Installs Thomas M. Conway as International President
The United Steelworkers union (USW) today installed Thomas M. Conway as its eighth international president to replace retiring International President Leo W. Gerard. "I've known Tom for 25 years. He's earned my...
Radisson's New Mineral Resource Estimate and Geological model deliver higher grades at O'Brien; 9.48 g/t Au for Indicated resources and 7.31 g/t Au for Inferred resources
Press release highlights: New Mineral Resource EstimateUsing a 5.00 g/t Au cut-off grade, the current mineral resource estimate reports: Indicated Resources of 949,700 tonnes at 9.48 g/t Au, for a total of 289,400 oz Au Inferred Resources of...
Global Metal Matrix Composite Market to 2026 - Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and Recommendations
The "Metal Matrix Composite - Global Market Outlook (2017-2026)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Global Metal Matrix Composite market accounted for $441.58 million in 2017 and is expected to reach $894.32 million by 2026...
First Cobalt Notes Former eCobalt Executives' Opposition to Value-Destroying Jervois Transaction
First Cobalt Corp. ("First Cobalt") notes that former key executive and directors of eCobalt Solutions Inc. ("eCobalt") have disseminated the following press release opposing the proposed merger with Jervois Mining Limited ("Jervois")....
Marret Asset Management provides additional disclosure relating to the proposed sale of New Elk Coal Company, LLC by Cline Mining Inc., part of the Private Portfolio of Marret High Yield Strategies Fund (CSE:MHY.UN) and Marret Multi-Strategy Income Fund (CSE:MMF.UN)
Marret Asset Management Inc., at the request of IIROC, is providing the following additional disclosure to the press release issued earlier today with respect to the proposed sale of New Elk Coal Company, LLC by Cline Mining Inc. (capitalized terms...
More news about Mining industry...


Many businesses struggle to fully implement a revenue funnel in their organization. With the increase of technology and the importance placed on revenue growth, organizations owe it to their future to implement and operationalize their sales and marketing funnels.
Download the eBook to learn how to build your own revenue funnel, or get a refresher on how to optimize your current funnel.


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Books, Films, and Studies on the Surprising Power of Nonviolence
At Sojourners, we have always been advocates of principled nonviolence. But all too often, conventional wisdom has seen nonviolence as passivity, even in the face of injustice.
The events in Egypt and elsewhere in the region this year were vivid reminders of the power of civil resistance -- and demonstrate once again that nonviolent action is anything but passive or quiescent. That's why Gandhi referred to it as "satyagraha," or truth force. And why the heroes of the civil rights movement are often called freedom fighters. History has shown that justice rarely happens naturally or on its own; it is usually the fruit of long, hard, determined struggle by those directly affected and their allies.
The May issue of Sojourners magazine is all about nonviolence. Here is an extended list of Sojourners articles, and other films, websites, and books on the history, strategy, and implementation of nonviolent resistance.
Resources from Sojourners:
Christians and Nonviolence: Designed to spark discussion and thought about how to live out God's call for justice in our world. Each session includes Sojourners articles, questions for discussion, and ideas for further study.
Putting Down Stones: A Faithful Response to Urban Violence: A tool to help people set down their weapons and lay the foundation for initiatives that lead to peace. It offers Christians and other people of conscience encouragement and guidance to use their gifts and skills to bring about reconciliation and justice. Our hope is for the church and the wider community to discover the next steps that can be taken to heal our cities and ourselves.
Liberation without War: Is there a nonviolent way to overthrow dictators and achieve democracy? by Jack DuVall. (Sojourners, February 2004). "To make nonviolent struggle the global boulevard to political liberation, we must relentlessly propagate the ideas and strategies that pave its way to victory. Former president Jimmy Carter has said that 'nonviolent valor can end oppression.' But not until we all enlist to help the valiant."
Celebrate the Peace Parade, by Rose Marie Berger. A review of eight books on nonviolence, in theory and practice.(Sojourners, November 2010).
More Books on Nonviolence, by Rose Marie Berger. A review of nine books on nonviolence in history, strategy, and community. (Sojourners, November 2010).
God's Politics Blog posts on Nonviolence: Read from hundreds of blogs on the intersection between nonviolent resistance, current political issues, and faith.
Egypt: Seeds of Change. This 25-minute People & Power documentary from Al Jazeera reveals behind-the-scenes coverage and interviews on the planning, strategy, and implementation of Egypt's nonviolent protests.
Wael Ghonim: Inside the Egyptian Revolution TED Talk. Ghonim, the Google executive and Egyptian activist who was detained during the revolution, speaks passionately about the role of the internet in the protests and discusses how "Egyptians have proven that the power of the people is much stronger than the people in power."
Muslims & Christians Unite 2011. This moving film footage from the Egyptian revolution, set to beautiful, prayerful music, brings the viewer into a series of examples of how Muslims and Christians came together to pray and protect themselves and their holy spaces from attacks by pro-regime forces.
International Center for Nonviolent Conflict . ICNC aims to educate the global public, influence policies and media coverage, and educate activists and organizers on nonviolent resistant. Their website is full of webinars, academic papers, and countless resources for those who would like to engage with civil disobedience.
Canvas - Centre for Applied Nonviolent Action & Strategies in Belgrade, Serbia. CANVAS's website serves as a "nonviolent struggle multimedia library." Watch videos, look at photos, and learn, up front about how nonviolent resistant has and is being used to bring justice to the people. An entire section of their website is also dedicated to training people in the methods of protest and persuasion, noncooperation, and nonviolent intervention.
Gene Sharp's 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action: Video Project on Facebook. This Facebook page aims to create "a collaborative reading from Gene Sharp's text." The Facebook page creator states that "all are invited to participate in a collaborative audio-visual reading of gene sharp's list of 198 methods of nonviolent action."
A Force More Powerful: A Century of Nonviolent Conflict by Peter Ackerman and Jack DuVall (Palgrave Macmillan, 2001). As Sojourners magazine article How to Change the World: A training manual in nonviolent revolution states, A Force More Powerful is an " in-depth look at 10 decades of political struggle, social upheaval, and military action in 24 nations on five continents-including Russia, Germany, El Salvador, Argentina, the Philippines, the West Bank and Gaza, Czechoslovakia, Burma, China, and Serbia. The book and videos form a definitive account of the great nonviolent conflicts of the past 100 years. The entire project provides the best current tactical, strategic, and pragmatic material available for students of social change."
Nonviolent Struggle: 50 Crucial Points by Srdja Popovic, Andrej Milivojevic, and Slobodan Djinovic (CANVAS, 2006). With practical wisdom accumulated from successful nonviolent campaigns all over the world, this how-to guide fills the gap "between the tremendous theoretical insights about strategic nonviolent conflict developed by scholars
Claire Lorentzen
Claire Lorentzen is director of mission engagement for Schools of the Sacred Heart.


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dgilbert@seattletimes.com
Seattle Children's air monitoring didn't detect mold until after patient's infection, records show
When Seattle Children's Hospital reopened its operating rooms after a cluster of Aspergillus infections, it relied on air testing to alert it to the presence...
Amid serious violations at Washington's private psychiatric hospitals, a regulator remained on the sidelines
The Washington state Health Care Authority has the power to audit doctors and facilities that receive Medicaid funds, and restrict them from the taxpayer-funded program...
Washington health department seeks greater power to regulate private psychiatric hospitals
The Washington state Department of Health is asking lawmakers for stronger enforcement power over private psychiatric hospitals after a Seattle Times investigation found that the...
Inspection reports for private psychiatric hospitals in Washington state
https://projects.seattletimes.com/2019/inspection-reports-private-psychiatric-hospitals-washington-state/
Data shows hundreds of Aspergillus infections at hospitals, but hospitals say they're not the source VIEW
A Times analysis of state data shows hundreds of Aspergillus infections at the University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle Children's, and other hospitals, but health...
Flurry of lawsuits against Seattle Children's detail human toll from mold infections
Three separate lawsuits were filed against Seattle Children's, including a potential class-action suit, over the esteemed hospital's long-running struggles to control mold infections.
Before mea culpa, Children's was confident its air systems weren't source of infection | Times Watchdog
Seattle Children's Hospital has struggled with infections from Aspergillus mold since the early 2000s, but did not link them to its air-handling systems during a...
'We failed': Seattle Children's CEO admits 6 deaths, more illnesses due to mold in ORs
As Seattle Children's CEO acknowledges the hospital's failure to connect previous illnesses to an ongoing mold problem, a 2002 lawsuit alleging a patient was disabled...
With mold persisting, Seattle Children's hospital faces lawsuit and closes operating rooms
Seattle Children's hospital is closing all operating rooms on its Seattle campus for at least five days in an effort to get a handle on...
Massachusetts system ends venture with US HealthVest after Seattle Times investigation
A health system in Massachusetts ended its plans to operate a new psychiatric hospital there with US HealthVest, a company specializing in mental-health care whose...


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As usual, internationals carry FSU into College Cup
Steve Bruno
Florida State coach Mark Krikorian has another crop of talented international players in the College Cup yet again. (Photo Copyright Steve Bruno for The Equalizer)
The popular "Great American Melting Pot" metaphor tells of the opportunities awaiting people of all nationalities in the United States while enhancing the country's rich cultural tapestry.
In the landscape of collegiate soccer, the claim is just as valid today as it was in that century-old propaganda, and both the players and the sport are benefitting tremendously. Programs such as Ohio State, Michigan and even Memphis have tapped the rich Canadian pipeline for talent with great success, but nowhere in women's soccer is a more diverse selection on display than at Florida State University.
In his 10th year as head coach at Florida State, Mark Krikorian's Seminoles currently feature seven delegates from six different countries. With a quarter-century's experience under his belt as a college coach, Krikorian's revolving door of foreign talent is far beyond the experimental stage. Instead, it has become a tried-and-true blueprint for his success. It's an approach that precedes his time in Tallahassee, stretching back to his formative coaching days in the early 90's.
"I was coaching a Division II school a long time ago called Franklin Pierce and it became real clear to me that I couldn't find the most elite level players in the country," Krikorian said. "They weren't going to come to that Division II school in rural New Hampshire, but I thought, you know, it's a big world, it's the world game, maybe there are some kids from other parts of the world who would like to improve their English and have an opportunity for a university degree, so I got on a plane one day and went to Sweden and had the great pleasure of meeting at that time Pia Sundhage and made the nice connection with her, and that's probably where it all started about 20 years ago."
[MORE: College Cup set with Virginia, Texas A&M, Florida State, Stanford]
Krikorian had great success at Franklin Pierce, winning consecutive D-II national championships in 1994 and 1995, before moving up to Division I with the University of Hartford in the late 90's. There he continued to recruit from across the Atlantic, bringing in players from the Netherlands, Norway and Germany to help lead his Hawks squad to three straight conference championships and an NCAA Elite Eight appearance in 1999.
With the dawning of a new era for women's soccer in the U.S., Krikorian left Hartford in 2001 to manage the Philadelphia Charge of the WUSA and its unprecedented quality of both domestic and international players. In addition to gathering a bounty of players from abroad – including German captain Doris Fitschen, dazzling French forward Marinette Pichon, former college player of the year Anne Mäkinen from Finland and English legend Kelly Smith – Krikorian also strengthened his relationship with Sundhage, taking the Swede under his wing as an assistant coach.
Following the collapse of the inaugural pro league, Krikorian returned to the college ranks in 2005 with Florida State and immediately set out to find the right players to fit his vision of a sophisticated, attractive style of possession soccer. With a huge turnover from the outgoing squad, Krikorian had plenty of opportunities to implement his successful international strategy, taking over a team that lost nearly all of its starters.
Making an immediate stamp on the program's persona, Krikorian added six international players to the Seminole roster – including German star Viola Odebrecht, a player who already had years of professional experience in the Frauen-Bundesliga as well as a World Cup gold medal on her resumé – and a freshman forward from Japan named Mami Yamaguchi. In his first season with the team, Florida State returned to the College Cup and finished the year ranked fourth in the nation despite entering the season unranked in the preseason polls.
In 2007, Yamaguchi led the country in points on her way to a MAC Hermann-winning season in which the Japanese international also set single-season records for points, goals and assists. Those hauls still stand in the Seminole record book. That same year, Finnish import Sanna Talonen won the Soccer America Freshman of the Year award and the Seminoles made their first appearance in the NCAA national championship game, losing to USC.
The Seminoles returned to the College Cup Final again in 2013, losing to UCLA in overtime, but the team is again on the precipice of another appearance in the final as FSU head into their fourth consecutive College Cup this weekend. On his current roster, Krikorian has Dagny Brynjarsdottir and Berglind Thorvaldsdottir from Iceland, Irish national team starter Megan Campbell, Germany's Isabella Schmid, super-sub Marta Bakowska-Mathews representing England, Hikaru Murakami from Japan and Finnish freshman Emma Koivisto.
Irish defender Megan Campbell is a key part of Florida State's defense. (Photo Copyright Steve Bruno for The Equalizer)
Four of those players, Brynjarsdottir, Campbell, Schmid and Koivisto, are locks in the starting lineup while Thorvaldsdottir and Bakowska-Mathews have made tremendous contributions from the bench. Look down FSU' s scoring stats and it is clear that much of their offense is driven by the large international contingent, accounting for six out of the top 10 points leaders. An unstoppable force in her attacking midfield position, Brynjarsdottir leads the team in points (38) and goals (16) and looks like a worthy MAC Hermann finalist. Tenacious left back Megan Campbell's 12 assists are second-best for FSU while she and Koivisto also bookend the nation's third-best defense. Thorvaldsdottir and Bakowska-Mathews are third and fourth in points, respectively, despite their limited starts.
While the Seminoles' foreign athletes bring a ton of offensive firepower, these same players work equally hard in the classroom, with Brynjarsdottir, Campbell, Bakowska-Mathews and holding midfielder Schmid all earning ACC Academic Honor Roll recognition in past seasons. Bakowska-Mathews maintains the program's high scholastic standards despite her difficult major in Physics.
"I wouldn't recommend it," the soft-spoken Englander said of her intense major, only partly joking.
"We're fortunate in the world of women's soccer in that most folks out there do value a university education," Krikorian says when speaking of his foreign students' excellent academic record, "and the international players in particular recognize that being fluent in English can help them in the future. We have a very good team GPA, the chemistry in the team is a business-like attitude, mentality. They understand that they have responsibilities and that one of their responsibilities is to be the best student that they can. We've been very fortunate. We've had a number of students that are Academic All-Americans and I think most of them have been international players. It's a combination of maturity, academic discipline and drive and desire."
[MORE: Sixteen MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalists named]
Krikorian says after his initial contact in Sweden allowed him to gain a foothold in Europe, he was able to expand his network from there:
"It's no different than recruiting domestically. If you get into some of these different clubs here in the US and the kids come and they have a good experience and they feel as though they're developing then it's a positive situation, then those coaches and those federations are feeling positive about the work that's going on with their kids."
He says his former players also help spread the word and can be ambassadors for the program:
"Twenty years ago it was much more challenging, now it's much easier," he said. "The reason it's easier is we have a lot of kids that I've had the pleasure of working with and coaching that play with a lot of these kids on different national teams. Berglind was trying to decide if coming to the US was the right move, she could call her countryman, Dagny. When Emma Koivisto from Finland decided to come here as a freshman, she had the opportunity to speak with some others that have been here before from Finland…. Many of these kids, their national team coaches are happy with the progress they're making. They look and they see that their kids are getting better. Women's soccer in the U.S. is pretty good. These kids come in and they can play in highly competitive games and play with and against good players all the time."
For many of the international players, especially the ones from non-English-speaking countries, the decision to move to another side of the world can be an unsettling prospect. Brynjarsdottir originally came from the small town of Hella, Iceland, with a population of around 700. She said she grew up playing against boys until the age of 13. By 16, she was playing with Iceland's U-17 team and knew she would have to elevate her environment if she was going to continue to progress:
"I knew I had to move somewhere to be with a real women's team, I couldn't be with guys anymore," she said. "I moved to the capital with my uncle and there… I played with the best women's team at the time (Valur). We have two women's leagues, like a first and second division, and I was champions with them in 2007, -8, -9 and -10 and I played in the Champions League with them."
Brynjarsdottir also worked her way up Iceland's youth national teams, eventually landing on spot on the full squad. At the time, she says, the women's team was more popular than the men's as they had better success on the international stage. Near the end of her senior season in high school, Brynjarsdottir says U.S. schools began contacting her to come play in America.
"I got a few emails from coaches, but I ignored them," Brynjarsdottir said. "I wouldn't even respond because I was not going to go to college. I had a really good season with Iceland in 2010 when I started playing with the national team. After that season, my team won the Icelandic league and the Icelandic Cup and I was chosen the best younger player in the league and I was just like, 'Oh, I'm going to play pro' and I didn't even think about college."
Unbeknownst to coach Krikorian, a bit of good fortune and the quirky hand of fate got him in the door when other coaches couldn't get an audience with the single-minded Icelander. "I don't know, something happened and I think Mark just contacted me. It was just perfect timing. It was about two weeks before graduation — I graduated early so I graduated in December. All the other schools that contacted me, I didn't even look at the school, but this time… I think it was because, my high school where I went for two years back home before I moved, it was spelled 'F-S-U' so when I got the email, I was like 'Why are they emailing me in English?' so I had to open it and look over it."
That bit of serendipity led Brynjarsdottir to finally consider higher education. She looked into the program and opened a line of communication with Krikorian in which they emailed and Skyped back and forth. Brynjarsdottir says she was ultimately influenced by the U.S. women's national team and the fact that so many players from the No. 1 team in the world had come through the NCAA. Now Brynjarsdottir says she always tries to encourage other European players considering the U.S. collegiate system to not be afraid to take that big step overseas, with many players contacting her for advice, even ones she doesn't know.
"Before I came here, I thought 'I am so ready to go pro,'" she says of the preparedness college has given her and can give others. "But when I came here, I found out, I would not be ready at all, but now I would be ready."
Brynjarsdottir said the Sunshine State wasn't much of a tough sell for her, being a sun-worshipper, and that her family enjoyed the vacations when they came to see her. The language, however, was a problem.
"I hated English in high school and my English was terrible, especially my first semester."
Senior Icelandic forward Dagny Brynjarsdottir leads FSU in points and goals. (Photo Copyright Steve Bruno for The Equalizer)
To help soften the impact, Krikorian said that upon arriving, his international players are paired with a team mentor, an American upperclassman teammate who can show them around as well as put them in a situation in which they will be using English through most of their day. The team also has a mentorship program which exposes them to other successful women in the local community. There is also a strong emphasis on giving back to that community, which the coach says runs throughout the entire athletic department and helps integrate the international players:
"It's part of the Florida State culture," Krikorian said. "I look at the entire school and the athletic department, it's so proactive in making sure that we're trying to help those that may need a little extra assistance. Whether it is breast cancer awareness or collecting slightly-used shoes and giving those to folks that may not have things or going into schools and reading and sharing time with kids and trying to be positive role models."
"If you look at any one of them, you think 'okay, it's a small thing,' but when you put them all together, it brings the group closer together."
Although Krikorian's legacy with overseas students has developed strong relationships in the international community – especially in the European community from which he primarily draws – the coach says the continent can often present its own difficulties for recruiting.
"Certainly in Europe it's more challenging because they develop these players from a young age on and they don't want them just leaving to go to college, for the most part, but, if they feel as though we can help make the player a better player and give them a great experience, a great education, then they're more open to it oftentimes."
Despite the diversity of styles and languages on the pitch, Krikorian says managing such a wide array of talent isn't as difficult as one might think.
"In terms of managing the team and managing the players, I've dealt with so many international players over the last 25 years, that's not an issue," the 54-year-old coach said. "The bigger challenges, of course, are national team call-ups and respecting that and understanding that we're going to go into games during our season that matter and we're going to be missing some pretty talented kids. So from my point of view in managing the team, that's a little bit challenging because you want to get all the pieces fitting together."
Many FSU players have bright futures in the sport beyond the collegiate level. Krikorian has already sent 24 former Seminoles off to professional soccer careers either in the U.S. or overseas. Yamaguchi stayed in America as a pro with the Atlanta Beat in WPS before returning home to Japan in 2011.
Brynjarsdottir is undoubtedly one of the hottest prospects in the nation heading into 2015, and while the Icelandic play says playing in the U.S. could still be an option, she seems to be leaning back toward Europe.
"I want to try to play for the best women's league in the world and for the best team," she said. "I haven't decided yet. When I played for my club… I played in the Champions League and I really liked that… My dream is to one day play in the Champions League again and play in the final… I don't really know who's going to contact me after I'm done, so I guess I'll just have to wait and see."
Unfortunately for American fans, most international FSU players do head back across the Atlantic, whether to Germany, France or England, as they plan the next stage of their careers. Fellow Seminole seniors Campbell and Bakowska-Mathews also said they're planning to return to Europe and hope to continue playing as professionals after graduation. Although the NWSL's severe restrictions on foreign players limits the opportunities for many to become professionals in the U.S., Krikorian says he doesn't have a problem with the new league's policy as opposed to the WUSA's world showcase.
"I think the most important thing for the league is sustainability. When I was in the WUSA and then when the WPS came, the business model didn't work. It was clear that that wasn't working. In the WUSA days, we had the best players in the world: We had the best Germans, we had the best Chinese players, we had the best Norwegian players, we had the best players from everywhere, but the league lasted three years, went bankrupt and it ended. So I think sustainability is the best thing right now in the hope that, through growth and through increased attendance and increased sponsorship, corporate involvement and so on, that maybe it can get back to encouraging these top notch kids throughout the world to come back and pay.
"There are some very good international players that are playing here now. Kim Little is an outstanding player, (Jess) Fishlock is an outstanding player, Kerstine Garefrekes was here and she's a very good player, but there isn't the same depth of talent and the most elite-level players here now as there were back in the day. Right now, in my mind, it's about the U.S. and U.S. players and giving them a chance to develop because, before the WUSA came, there was a lost generation: A number of kids who, after college ended, weren't quite ready for the national team. They played in the W-League for a few months and then probably go into the workforce and not be heard of. The timing of the WUSA for players like (Abby) Wambach and (Heather) Mitts and some of these others was perfect because, had the WUSA not come along, who knows what would've happened with players like that 'cause they were not inside the pool of the national team and they may have been players that didn't make it and were never heard of again. Just think about U.S. Soccer without Abby Wambach."
A scary thought. But Krikorian's mind is on beating Stanford in Friday's College Cup semifinal – and finally winning that elusive NCAA title with another strong crop of international talent.
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