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How Eddie Alvarez and Bellator arrived at dueling lawsuits

eddie-alvarez-11.jpgAs Eddie Alvarez said, it was the Viacom-owned Bellator MMA that first made it to court in a legal dispute between the two parties.

On Monday MMAFighting.com interviewed the ex-lightweight champ on camera, and he revealed Bellator sued him and that he expected to go to court.

Three days prior to the interview, his lawyers had done that for him. They filed a nine-page complaint against the tournament-based promotion in Bergen County Superior Court of New Jersey.

Bellator had already filed a 121-page document in New Jersey District Court, which included contract offers from both Bellator and the UFC. Alvarez’s complaint did not, which left review of the contracts at the court’s discretion.

Bellator’s complaint, which is dated Dec. 31, accused the ex-champ of breach of contract and five unnamed parties of tortious interference. Its central claim was that Alvarez has not honored a clause that allowed the promotion to retain his services by matching an offer almost word-for-word from UFC parent company Zuffa. Alvarez’s reps countered that Bellator didn’t actually match the deal.

Alvarez now wants a judge to declare him free to go to the UFC while Bellator wants an order to keep him in the fold.

As the fighter sits in limbo, the dueling legal actions reveal a potentially lucrative future. In offers virtually identical on paper, they guarantee the fighter a $250,000 signing bonus, an eight-fight deal pyramiding from a starting point of $140,000 in combined show/win money and multiple opportunities to commentate, as MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) first reported. If he’d manage to win all eight of his fights, the 28-year-old lightweight would stand to make $1.65 million guaranteed.

After receiving and copying Zuffa’s offer, however, Bellator upped the ante and offered Alvarez $125,000 in additional incentives.

There were, nevertheless, intangibles to the contract. While the Zuffa and Bellator deals both disclosed their intentions to give Alvarez a title shot and a pay-per-view fight in his first outing, both stopped short of a guarantee.

And that lack of a guarantee, coupled by a promise to have him fight on network television, is why the two sides diverged.

Best intentions

Negotiations to keep the popular lightweight in Bellator began nearly the moment he stepped out of the cage after knocking out Patricky “Pitbull” Freire at Bellator 76, Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney earlier said.

Rebney and Alvarez met after the October fight in a bar near the arena and discussed a possible new deal. By the end of the meeting, Alvarez, who’d fulfilled his final obligation for Bellator with the victory, agreed to meet with Spike TV executives. The cable network had become intimately involved with the promotion after Viacom purchased a controlling stake in Bellator in 2011, and it would help outline what the company could offer.

Alvarez, who, according to Bellator’s suit, banked a $150,000 signing bonus in his previous deal, told several media outlets that he would give his boss a chance to bring a deal that would compete with one offered by the UFC, which repeatedly had expressed interest in Alvarez’s services as his contract wound down.

Rebney later expressed confidence that with Viacom’s presence, Bellator could present a competitive contract that would match the industry-leader. He mentioned signing bonuses, back-end compensation and ancillary promotional opportunities that would give Alvarez a chance to up his earning power.

In late October, Rebney announced that he would honor the Alvarez’s request to waive a 90-day exclusive matching period in the fighter’s contract. Alvarez had declined the promoter’s initial offer and wanted to see what the open market would bear. Citing a longtime friendship with Alvarez, Rebney agreed.

If Alvarez got the deal of ex-middleweight champ Hector Lombard, who fetched a $400,000 signing bonus in addition to a $300,000 starting purse and pay-per-view points, Rebney said it would make him the highest-paid lightweight in the business.

Lawyer up

On Nov. 1, Bellator’s legal department informed Alvarez that it had formally modified his promotional agreement to waive the 90-day exclusive period. But there was a catch: He could only negotiate an offer with Zuffa. Other suitors were subject to the original term, which preceded a one-year matching period.

Bellator reminded Alvarez he was required to immediately forward any offer from Zuffa. The promotion had 14 business days to match.

And it included another reminder: “Should Bellator elect to match the offer, no further offers may be entertained by you and you will be obligated to contract with Bellator on the terms that Bellator agreed to match.” (Rebney said on Thursday that such language is standard in contracts for both Zuffa and Bellator.)

The UFC responded within the next two weeks. A letter from Zuffa, dated Nov. 14, documents a signing bonus offer of $250,000, payable in three installments.

Two weeks later, Alvarez’s attorney, Neal Tabachnick, forwarded a 23-page Zuffa promotional agreement, in addition to the signing bonus letter, to Bellator’s lawyers. Tabachnick advised the promotion that the materials were strictly confidential and recommended they be destroyed after being reviewed.

“As you know, Bellator has 14 business days from today within which to assert in writing that it will match all terms of this submitted Collective Proposed Agreement with Zuffa, LLC,” he wrote. “Otherwise, Eddie Alvarez is free to enter into this Collective Proposed Agreement with Zuffa, LLC.”

But Bellator wasn’t about to let that happen. On Dec. 13, the promotion sent Tabachnick two copies of a contract that virtually duplicated Zuffa’s offer. A “redline” version crossed out all mentions of Zuffa and replaced them with Bellator, and a “clean” version simply replaced “Zuffa” references with “Bellator.”

Bellator lawyer Patrick English noted that no significant alterations had been made to the contract, though he noted the omission of a notice related to Zuffa’s drug testing policies and a change of legal jurisdiction from Nevada to New Jersey, which is the legal jurisdiction used in Alvarez’s previous Bellator contract. (Bellator offered to keep Nevada if objections were raised.)

English again reminded Tabachnick that Alvarez was bound to accept the offer if Bellator matched Zuffa’s deal. But English also introduced three incentives to sweeten the deal: a behind-the-scenes show, a coaching spot on the second season of Bellator’s reality show, and a guest-host spot on Spike TV. The additions promised to put an extra $125,000 in Alvarez’s pocket.

Tabachnick zeroed in on the PPV clause in Bellator’s offer. According to the Bellator complaint, he contacted the promotion on Dec. 14 to receive assurances that Alvarez’s first bout would, indeed, be on PPV.

Bellator clarified that Zuffa’s offer did not guarantee, but merely intended, to give Alvarez such a fight out of the gate, according to its complaint. Bellator, nevertheless, offered the same deal and said it would supply the date of the proposed PPV event if a confidentiality agreement was signed.

The talk didn’t sway Tabachnick. Two days later, on Dec. 16, he notified Bellator that they had failed to match Zuffa’s offer, and he cited a clause that promised Alvarez a fight on Spike TV during the term of the deal and another that stated Bellator’s intent to offer him a title shot and PPV bout in March 2013.

Both, of course, had been copied from Zuffa’s contract. One guaranteed Alvarez a fight on network TV with FOX, and the other stated Zuffa’s intention to give him a UFC title fight in March 2013, as well as make him eligible for PPV points in his first bout as long as the PPV was “broadly distributed in the U.S., Canada, or any other territory.” (If Alvarez became champion, he would continue to benefit on the back end.)

But Tabachnick saw different value in the offers.

“FOX TV is a free major national broadcast network, while Spike is a for-charge basic cable network with a fraction of the viewership, exposure, ratings and share of FOX TV,” he wrote.

The attorney also noted Rebney’s promises for a PPV debut were contradicted by statements to Alvarez and to the media, which, at best, cast serious doubt of an imminent Bellator PPV event.

And he also doubted Bellator’s ability to make money on a PPV offering its first time out.

“It very likely would not even reach the minimum threshold number of buys required for Eddie to receive any revenue from same, making any assurance of a Bellator PPV event illusory as a match for the Zuffa, LLC meaningful offer,” Tabachnick wrote, “with the result being that Eddie is free to enter into the Zuffa Proposed Agreement at 12:01 am on December 19, 2012.”

Unsurprisingly, Bellator went on the defensive the day before the supposed cutoff. In a letter to Tabachnick, English first attacked Zuffa’s FOX offer while stating it was “not much of a commitment” and that the company could instead place Alvarez on FX or FUEL TV, the UFC’s cable partners.

The Bellator lawyer argued that Spike TV’s broadcast reach was only separated by approximately 10 million homes despite the fact that FOX is an over-the-air network and Spike TV is on basic cable, which makes the former free and the latter not. He wrote that unlike on FOX, Alvarez’s fights would be broadcast on Spike TV and replayed twice, which would drive up their value.

English also cast Viacom and Spike TV as a key players in the UFC’s explosive growth on PPV, due largely to the UFC’s partnership with Spike TV from 2005 to 2011. He assured Tabachnick that Bellator would hold a PPV event in March.

“The numbers of buyers for UFC pay-per-view (events) have decreased by virtue of the UFC going to Fox from the time it was with Spike, a statistic that is available to all,” he wrote. “Bellator’s advisors are not neophytes in the pay-per-view field and, in fact, have managed some of the largest pay-per-view events of all time for promoters.”

But if the message wasn’t getting across, English ended his retort with a subtle threat of legal action if Alvarez declined to sign Bellator’s offer.

“As much as [Bellator] wants a fully amicable relationship it can be pushed no farther and will defend its rights and will, if necessary, seek to enforce its rights,” he wrote.

The day before UFC 155, which took place Dec. 29, UFC President Dana White, who’d previously hinted at possible negotiations with Alvarez, told reporters that the fighter’s situation was “going to get ugly.”

See you in court

Bellator’s matching clause, known as the “first/last refusal,” is front and center in the complaints of both the fighter and promoter. But its usage leads to different conclusions.

Bellator, which states it “resurrected” Alvarez’s career by booking him fights against Shinya Aoki and Freire, believes it binds the fighter to the promotion because it did not significantly alter Zuffa’s offer. FOX and Spike TV are comparable broadcast entities, and both deals lack guarantees on title fights and PPV dollars, Bellator contends.

Alvarez’s reps state the clause doesn’t allow Bellator “the ability or right to make any changes, material or otherwise, to the terms and conditions of the UFC Offer and be deemed a matching offer, and that, in any event, the Bellator offer did not match the UFC offer.”

If the parties go to court, the stage is set for a debate on their value.

Bellator asks the court to prevent Alvarez from fighting for any other promoter, declare he is under contract with Bellator, and force him to pay monetary damages and legal fees. Alvarez, meanwhile, wants a declaration that Bellator didn’t match Zuffa. He also wants permission to sign with the competitor “without interference.”

It’s unclear whether the five unnamed parties in the tortious interference claim will be revealed.

Alvarez, who said he was sued 30 minutes after a “settlement meeting” with Bellator, said he would be willing to re-sign with his former boss if Bellator’s offer truly matched that of Zuffa’s.

“The issue has to do with being fair,” he said. “If the contract said at the end we have a chance to match this contract, I said OK to that four years ago and I’m accountable for that. In our eyes, this is not a match. This difference is a lot of money, and its hard to sign on the dotted line.”

  • Oct. 12, 2012: Alvarez knocks out Patricky “Pitbull” Freire at Bellator 76, which, according to the promotion, falls on or about the day his exclusive, 90-day negotiating period begins. Alvarez and Rebney meet afterward to discuss a possible new contract; Alvarez agrees to meet with Viacom execs to discuss details.
  • Nov. 1, 2012: Bellator notifies Alvarez that it has waived the fighter’s exclusive negotiating period, which allows him to field a new offer solely from the UFC within the 90-day period.
  • Nov. 14, 2012: The UFC notifies Alvarez of a $250,000 signing bonus, payable in three installments, to be guaranteed upon signing a new promotional agreement.
  • Nov. 28, 2012: Alvarez attorney Neil Tabachnick forwards a UFC promotional agreement to Bellator and reminds the promotion it has 14 days to match the deal.
  • Dec. 11, 2012: Bellator and Spike TV formally announce a new broadcast deal. During a media conference call, Rebney says the promotion doesn’t have “definitive plans to do a pay-per-view.”
  • Dec. 13, 2012: Bellator sends Alvarez’s attorney two versions of its matching offer, which includes a signing bonus and three additional ancillary opportunities for the fighter, who is asked to sign the deal.
  • Dec. 14, 2012: Alvarez’s lawyer calls Bellator and asks for assurances that the fighter’s next bout will be on PPV.
  • Dec. 16, 2012: Tabachnick notifies Bellator that it has failed to match Zuffa’s offer in several “material and meaningful respects” and claims the fighter is free to sign with the promotion on Dec. 19.
  • Dec. 18, 2012: In an email to Tabachnick, Bellator argues that it has matched Zuffa’s offer and threatens legal action if Alvarez doesn’t sign.
  • Dec. 31, 2012: Bellator files suit against Alvarez in New Jersey federal court while alleging breach of contract and tortuous interference from five unnamed parties. (The complaint is logged on Jan. 3, 2013.)
  • Jan. 4, 2013: Alvarez files suit against Bellator in New Jersey state court and asks for declaratory relief and an injunction against the promoter.
  • Jan. 7, 2013: Alvarez reveals to MMAFighting.com Bellator ia suing him, after which Rebney gives multiple interviews in which he reveals several terms of the Zuffa contract Bellator claims it matched.

(Steve Feitl contributed to this report.)

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Photo Gallery

UFC middleweight Michael Bisping releases photo of injured eye

michael-bisping-eye-injury.jpgNo MMA injury is worth messing around with, least of all one to an eye.

That’s what will have UFC middleweight contender Michael Bisping sidelined for the near future, and on Sunday the fighter tweeted out a picture of what has him on the shelf.

In late September, a detached retina forced Bisping out of the main event of UFC Fight Night 30, which takes place later this month in Manchester, England. Bisping (24-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) was replaced by former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida (19-4 MMA, 11-4 UFC) in the main event against Mark Munoz (13-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC).

UFC Fight Night 30 takes place Oct. 26 at Phones 4u Arena (previously known as Manchester Arena) in Manchester. The evening’s main card airs in the U.S. on FOX Sports 2 following prelims on Facebook.

Bisping’s withdrawal from the card came with repercussions beyond just his eye. The brash Brit, whose home base is Manchester when he’s in his home country, was going to be fighting in front of an English crowd for the first time in more than three years. Now that has to get put on hold.

Bisping took to his Twitter account several days after the announcement of the injury to let fans know how disappointed he was at having to pull out with the injury, saying: “Words cannot describe how sad I am having to withdraw from my fight. My sincere apologies to evry1 who bought tickets. I will be back soon. I apologise to the UFC, to Munoz and to everyone who bought tickets.”

On Sunday, he tweeted a photo of his injured right eye through his Instagram account.

There has been no time table issued for just how long “The Count” will be sidelined.

Bisping was recently on the cusp of a long-awaited title shot before a January loss to Vitor Belfort ruined his chances. But he recently rebounded with a technical decision win over Alan Belcher. With two wins his past three fights and a 6-2 mark since early 2010, “The Ultimate Fighter 3″ winner remains a top contender at 185 pounds.

For more on UFC Fight Night 30 and the rest of the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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By August Berkshire

august_head.jpgAmerica is under attack by Religious Right Christians.  They are attacking women, gay people, workers, voters, doctors, our educational system, our healthcare system, nonChristians, and the poor.
Their policies will result in a loss of civil rights, intolerance, ignorance, illness, suffering, poverty, physical violence, and death.

There seems to be very little they won’t do to appease their jealous, bloodthirsty god.  There seems to be very little they won’t do to desperately try to beat back the tide of knowledge, equality, and freedom that is in the process of relegating their religion to the dustbin of history.

Confronting this assault, we who are celebrating this Day of Reason must stand strong and redouble our efforts to promote health, education, freedom, and equality.

If we are to have faith, it must be faith in our fellow Americans, especially young people, to throw off the shackles of superstition and restore our country to the ideals of the Enlightenment from which it sprang.

To paraphrase the atheist and humanist Bertrand Russell, through science and compassion we can make this world a better place go live in.

Thank you for coming here today.  Let us turn a Day of Reason into a Lifetime and a Society of Reason.

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Bridge Club

Event Type: Adult Programs
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Date: 7/9/2013
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 Do you enjoy playing bridge? Join other adults and play in a fun, social setting. You can bring your own cards too. Meets every Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. Adult.
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Breaking news

Federal Court appoints Gina Rinehart's eldest daughter Bianca trustee to family's $4b trust

News Home

Fire damages school

A deliberately lit wheelie bin fire at a Perth school has caused $200,000 damage.

Police say the fire was started late last night in an undercover area at John XXIII College in Mount Claremont.

It caused superficial damage to the buildings, but significant smoke damage.

The arson squad is investigating and anyone with information is asked to contact police.

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Breaking news

Federal Court appoints Gina Rinehart's eldest daughter Bianca trustee to family's $4b trust.

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Prime Minister Julia Gillard poses for photographs during a tour of the Liverpool Jobs Expo at the Whitlam Leisure Centre in western Sydney on March 7, 2013.


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Just In

New blood test may predict Alzheimer's disease

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Blood test could predict Alzheimer's disease

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Australian scientists say they are one step closer to creating a blood test that can predict Alzheimer's years before symptoms appear.

New CSIRO research has identified markers in the blood that can signal whether the disease is starting to developing in the brain.

Researchers tested 273 people and found that changes in the blood and brain scans matched with more than 80 per cent accuracy.

There are no drugs that can slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease, but doctors say finding patients before symptoms appear is very important.

Dr Noel Faux from the Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health says the progressive build-up of the toxic protein amyloid beta is one of the earliest changes associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease.

"Amyloid beta levels become abnormal about 17 years before dementia symptoms appear," he said.

"This gives us a much longer time to intervene to try to slow disease progression if we are able to detect cases early."

CSIRO scientist Dr Samantha Burnham says a blood test is an accessible form of screening for the disease.

"We're hoping that in a few years, maybe five to 10 years, that we could be able to roll this out as frontline screening for Alzheimer's disease, giving those at risk a much better chance of receiving treatment earlier, before it's too late to do much about it," she said.

One quarter of a million Australians currently suffer from dementia and Alzheimer's is the leading cause.

By 2050, it is predicted that one million people will have the disease.

One of them is Lyn Gravolin, who was diagnosed with dementia more than a decade after her family started noticing she had memory problems.

Her husband Alan says that was too late.

"If we had been able to know what was happening right from the start we would have been able to plan our life together knowing that things were going to be changing," he said.

Alzheimer's Australia spokesman John Watkins says treating the disease early could delay its onset by years.

"If we can identify people early this may be a window where we can actually modify the course of the disease," he said.

"We could get them on to medication, and preventative measures that may delay the development of this disease, even by up to five years, would be fantastic outcome."

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Wall Street bonuses set to plunge 20%

@CNNMoney November 9, 2011: 6:15 AM ET
Wall Street bonuses are plunging this year by up to 30%, says Johnson Associates.

Wall Street bonuses are plunging this year by up to 30%, says Johnson Associates.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Occupy this, Wall Street: Corporate bonuses are expected to plunge as much as 30% this year compared to 2010, according to a closely watched report released by Johnson Associates on Tuesday.

Johnson blamed the "challenging market environment" and the "sluggish and uncertain" economic recovery, along with international instability, for the 20% to 30% decline in year-end compensation.

Alan Johnson, managing director of Johnson Associates, told CNNMoney said that bonuses can range from $10,000 on up to the millions. But this year's "representative" bonus is about $75,000, he said. That's not an average, he said, but more of a median, meaning that it's more representative of a typical Wall Street bonus.

Bond market bankers will be the hardest hit, with compensation expected to plunge 35% to 45% for individuals in fixed-income. Johnson attributed this to "high levels of uncertainty and decreased liquidity."

But other areas of banking are weathering the storm more effectively. Johnson said the bonuses for commercial and retail banking are in a range of negative 5% to up 5%.

"They're generally not the most highly paid people, but their business is more stable," said Johnson.

Private jet business takes off

Individuals in the high net worth category were at the top of the pack, with anticipated bonuses ranging from flat to a gain of 5%.

Johnson said that bonuses for Wall Street workers who service high net worth individuals are better insulated than most in weathering economic turmoil.

Weyman Gong, chief investment strategist at Signature who specializes in high net worth individuals and families, said they tend to be conservative investors, which helps to protect them from market volatility.

"They don't come to advisors to get rich," he said. "They come to advisors to preserve their wealth." To top of page

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Cameron to Europe: Bring back jobs like we did

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U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron says Europe can benefit from the next phase of globalization.

U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron has some advice for Europe: Help fix your unemployment crisis by bringing jobs back from lower cost locations like China.

Rising wages in developing economies, higher transportation costs and a desire to be closer to customers were prompting companies to bring jobs back to the U.K., Cameron said Friday. And Europe could jump on the bandwagon.

"Economies in Europe have a unique opportunity to accelerate the trend of jobs coming back home," he told business leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Unemployment is falling in the U.K. and the U.S., in stark contrast to the eurozone, where record numbers of people remain out of work even as the regional economy leaves recession behind.

Related: China's richest man prefers U.K. deals over U.S.

The U.K. created 250,000 jobs in the three months to November, the biggest quarterly increase since records began in 1971.

Globalization needn't mean victory of East over West, or machines over workers, Cameron said, provided Europe does two things: press on with reforms to encourage businesses to invest, and embrace the energy revolution promised by shale gas.

"European countries face a choice -- if we act now we can benefit from the next phase of globalization," he said.

Related: Made in America revival gathers pace

Cameron said the transformation of the U.S. energy market thanks to shale gas had played an important part in the decisions of many companies to "reshore" jobs.

And that didn't mean countries had to win a "race to the bottom."

"Getting well-paid jobs at every level is what we should be aiming for," he said.

U.K. unions say 80% of the jobs created since 2010 are low paid. They're campaigning for companies to use some of the billions held as cash reserves to pay a "living wage," a rate higher than the statutory minimum to help workers afford a basic standard of living.

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Ever since Facebook announced they'd IPO, a lot of articles cite their estimated valuation to be about $100bn. This isn't something that's in their S-1, is it? Just curious where this number came from / who came up with it, as much as this can be narrowed down. I'm guessing there must have been some consensus originating from some group whose opinion mattered.

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3 Answers 3

up vote 4 down vote accepted

Facebook has shares already trading in a private market. The $100 billon valuation is based on the trading price of those shares:

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I'd also like to add that companies usually sell a percentage of the whole company in an IPO (called the float). Usually 5%-10% of the company. So when facebook goes public... the market cap of the public shares should be worth approximately 5-10 billion at a 100 billion valuation –  Matt Phillips Apr 13 '12 at 13:30
Companies which do not have active trading in private markets may also receive venture capital. This is essentially a trade - give money, get stock - and the company will have to agree on a valuation with the venture capitalists. That's why people say that Instagram was "valued at 500 million" just a few weeks before Facebook bought them for 1 billion: they sold an N% stake in the company at a price which implied a $500 million valuation for the whole thing. –  fennec Apr 13 '12 at 17:35

Pre-IPO one way the valuation was estimated was to compare it to other internet companies, and try to make adjustments based on estimated sales, and numbers of users.

A second way was to look at the announced investments and to just use simple math. Investor X invested $Y for Z%.

These two methods were then used to recalculate the estimate on a regular basis. If the value last quarter was X and the number of accounts went up 10% the valuation should go up 10%.

Now that the IPO was announced, the valuation is on more solid ground. They are trying to raise a certain amount of money, by selling a specific number of shares, which represents a portion of the company.

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Facebook will pass one billion users in 2012. One of the methods of valuation derives to an approximate valuation of $100 per user. This Spreadsheet reflects an analysis done a few years back, and adds other factors as well. Keep in mind, the number is not an exact science, and the market will quickly decide on the exact multiplier it will offer.

Edit - For what it's worth, and for the record, Facebook went public at $38, traded as high as $45, but closed at $38.23 and ending the day sporting a market cap of $104.63B. If nothing else, it shows the market agreed with what the underwriters said the company is worth. When an IPO opens "up 100%," this is really not good, in the sense that shares were sold at then than they might have been. Closing the day within 1% of the IPO price means it was priced correctly.

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I'm pretty sure this is not how the valuation was arrived at! Source? –  xyz Apr 12 '12 at 10:15

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Orange Chocolate Chunk Bundt Cake

I love bundt cake, and I especially love this one! Bundts are so easy to make, they end up being able to feed a large amount of people, and they always look impressive. What makes this one more special? The fact that it combines dark chocolate and orange (my favourite sweet flavour combo), that it’s topped with a luscious, thick ganache, and the moist, buttery cake itself. And not only does it look amazing, it tastes just as spectacular.

When I saw The Food Librarian’s blood orange version of it, I knew I had to try it. My father’s birthday seemed like the perfect occasion, given his inclination towards anything chocolately. I made some minor changes along the way, such as substituting the buttermilk with plain yogurt (which worked perfectly, and was perhaps a bit less fattening too), and doubling the syrup recipe, as I wanted a very strong orange flavour.

Orange Chocolate Chunk Bundt Cake

My god, this is a good cake. The chunks of chocolate lend to a more interesting texture, and give you nice chocolately bites throughout. The orange glaze is soaked right up and gives the cake some softness (and a vibrant orange zing!). The cake is moist, and extremely buttery – don’t try this one if you’re dieting. And the ganache? The instant coffee adds a bit of a bitter dimension, perfect for such a sweet cake.

While Soli wasn’t fond of the cake (he’s not a orange-chocolate lover, crazy man), the rest of my family enjoyed it. I found it tasted it even better the next day; the orange flavour carried much further. This is definitely one of my favourite cakes now.

Orange Chocolate Chunk Bundt Cake

Orange Chocolate Chunk Bundt Cake
adapted from Ina Garten
Printable Recipe

1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 extra-large eggs at room temperature (I used 5 large eggs)
1/4 cup grated orange zest (4 large oranges)
3 cups all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
3/4 cup buttermilk at room temperature (I substituted the buttermilk with the same amount of plain yogurt)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups good semisweet chocolate chunks

SYRUP (I doubled this for the cake)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

8 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.

2. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the orange zest.

3. Sift together 3 cups flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine the orange juice, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately in thirds to the creamed butter, beginning and ending with the flour. Toss the chocolate chunks with 2 tablespoons flour and add to the batter. Pour into the pan, smooth the top, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, make the syrup. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, cook the sugar with the orange juice until the sugar dissolves. Remove the cake from the pan, set it on a rack over a tray, and spoon the orange syrup over the cake. Allow the cake to cool completely.

5. For the ganache, melt the chocolate, heavy cream, and coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over the top of the cake.

Orange Chocolate Chunk Bundt Cake

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Revised Common Lectionary Commentary

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost - July 20, 2014

Saint Dominic contemplating the Scriptures

Saint Dominic
contemplating the Scriptures

Comments have been prepared by Chris Haslam using reputable commentaries, and checked for accuracy by the Venerable Alan T Perry, of the Anglican Diocese of Edmonton. While not intended to be exhaustive, they are an aid to reading the Scriptures with greater understanding.

Comments are best read with the lessons.

Feedback to is always welcome.

Lessons for this week from the Vanderbilt University web site

PDF file
(Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Genesis is the first book of the Bible. It begins with two versions of the creation story, neither of them intended to be scientific but telling us why we are on earth. In the story of Adam and Eve, it tells us that we are responsible, under God, for the care of all creation. It then continues with the stories of the patriarchs: Abraham (who enters into a covenant (or treaty) with God), Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.

Genesis 28:10-19a

Isaac has dispatched Jacob to find a wife for himself in “Haran”. He, like Isaac, is expected to marry one of his own clan, but unlike Isaac, is sent on the journey himself. On the way, Jacob stops for the night at Bethel (meaning house of God) and dreams. (Travellers slept on the ground using hard pillows!) The word translated “place” (v. 11) implies that the place is sacred. The scene is reminiscent of a ziggurat, on which there was a stairway (“ladder”, v. 12) to the top, where the deity was believed to live. The Tower of Babel (meaning gateway to a god) was probably a ziggurat. The angels “ascending and descending” suggest contact with God. God speaks, identifying himself as God of the patriarchs, Abraham and Isaac, i.e. not just a local god of that place alone, as was common in the region. The promises in vv. 13-14 are those made to Abraham, but the one in v. 15 is specially for Jacob: God will watch over (“keep”) him wherever he is; God is present everywhere, not just here.

In v. 17, Jacob is awe-struck (“afraid”) and says that the place is awe-inspiring (“awesome”). This, he says, is the “house of God” (hence Bethel) and the “gate of heaven”. Next morning, Jacob sets up his stone pillow to mark the presence of a deity, as was the local custom. He consecrates it with “oil” (v. 18).

Psalms is a collection of collections. The psalms were written over many centuries, stretching from the days of Solomon's temple (about 950 BC) to after the Exile (about 350 BC.) Psalms are of five types: hymns of praise, laments, thanksgiving psalms, royal psalms, and wisdom psalms. Within the book, there are five "books"; there is a doxology ("Blessed be ... Amen and Amen") at the end of each book.

Psalm 139:1-12,23-24

First this psalm praises God for his personal knowledge of the author. God has come to know him through searching him out. He knows him completely, all the way from his sitting down (v. 2) to his rising up. God, says v. 2, is present everywhere. The psalmist is astonished at God's involvement with him, including knowing all that he says and does (v. 4). Wherever he is, God is there (v. 7). Even were he to be taken up to heaven (v. 8, as Elijah was), God is there; God is also present in the nether world (v. 7). God will lead him and support him even if he tries a speedy escape (“wings”, v. 9) or lives in the sea. Finally, in vv. 23-24, the psalmist pleads for God's justice and for his guidance towards righteousness, being in unison with God. Please God, if I deviate from your ways, set me straight.

Romans is the first epistle in the New Testament, although not the first to be written. Paul wrote it to the church at Rome, which included both Jews and Gentiles. His primary theme is the basics of the good news of Christ, salvation for all people. The book was probably written in 57 AD, when Paul was near the end of his third missionary journey around the Eastern Mediterranean. It is unusual in that it was written to a church that Paul had not visited.

Romans 8:12-25

Paul has told us how Christian experience is dominated by life in the Spirit rather than by the desires of the flesh, or self-centeredness. Christians are still subject to suffering, to bearing crosses and affliction, but not to eternal condemnation. Not being condemned, we have hope.

Now he says that we are under an obligation (“debtors”) to God: to live in the way of the Spirit. Living this way, we look forward to eternal life (v. 13) at the end of time rather than the finality of physical death. We are “children of God” (v. 14). When baptised, we do not lose freedom (“slavery”, v. 15) but are adopted by him. As his children, we are “heirs” (v. 17) with hope for the future – unlike slaves who fear their master (v. 15). (In the Old Testament, the land of Israel is God's inheritance for his people.) In calling him as Dad or “Father”, we express the close relationship we have with him; our hearts are motivated by the Spirit. (Slaves did not inherit.) Being “with Christ” (v. 17), by sharing in his suffering, we will be able to attain union with him in heaven (“glorified”).

Now Paul relates this to the present situation. His suffering and/or that of his readers is minuscule compared to the splendour (glory”, v. 18) we will enjoy at the end of time. To Paul, everyone and everything created (“creation”, v. 20) has helplessly compounded sin through the ages (“subjected to futility”). All hope for resolution of the present chaotic state of the world (“bondage to decay”, v. 21), to attaining the “glory” which awaits us. The world, the material “creation” (v. 23), was in expectation, but also in pain (“labour pains”, v. 22) until the arrival of Christ. We Christians have a painful experience too – we do suffer, as we wait for the age to come (the “redemption of our bodies”, v. 23), we who are guided by the Holy Spirit (“have the first fruits”). The hope we have is very real: one doesn't hope for what is visible now, but rather for what one can't see but expects to happen. We wait in patience, and endure.

Symbol of St Matthew

This gospel is the first in the New Testament, but it was probably the second to be written. Scholars recognize that it borrows material from Mark, and from a sayings source containing sayings of Jesus and known as Q (for Quelle, German for source). The author shows an understanding of Jewish culture and religion not found in the other gospels. It was probably written about 80 to 90 AD, possibly for a largely Jewish audience.

Matthew 13:24-30,36-43

“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to ...” Jesus continues to tell parables, memorable stories with a deep meaning, to teach the crowd how what we do now will affect what happens to us at the end of time, at the “end of the age” (v. 39). Agricultural stories appeal to his rural listeners. The first parable focussed on where the seed landed. All the seed was good, but only some fell on fertile ground; however, here some of the seed sown there is good (wheat) and some is bad (weeds, tares, or darnel – a weed that looks like wheat.) The “enemy” (whose identity we learn later) sows the bad seed secretly (“while everybody was asleep”, v. 25.) Both the good and the bad seed grow together. At harvest time the roots of the weeds have intertwined with those of the wheat (v. 29). The occurrence of gather three times in vv. 28-30 is a clue that Jesus speaks of the community.

Jesus offers two interpretations of the parable to his disciples. In vv. 37-39, he states what each of the figures and events in the story stands for. The kingdom begins now when Jesus (“the Son of Man”) sows the seed, drawing people to him, but the Devil seeks to subvert his efforts. The “harvest” is when Christ comes again, at the end of the age. The second interpretation is in vv. 40-43a. At the end of the age, he says, the evil will be separated out, judged and destroyed (“burned up”, v. 40). The lots of the “evildoers” (v. 41) will be a miserable one (“gnashing of teeth”, v. 42). The “righteous” (v. 43), those who are faithful to God, will be gathered together, rewarded and brought into God's presence. Finally v. 43b: the gospel is open to all who will listen!

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May 17
The Day of Pentecost
Trinity Sunday


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Wednesday, March 20, 2013

In Memory of Maria Fuhrmann Moran

1926 - 2013
Ria Fuhrmann Moran
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Maria "Ria" Fuhrmann Moran.  She was born in Teplitz-Schonau, Czechoslovakia on January 23, 1926.   She was orphaned at a young age and was raised by Oswald and Anna Fuhrman, her aunt and uncle, as one of their own children.

Ria always enjoyed being outdoors.  In her youth she participated in  many outdoor activities with her family and friends including skiing and hiking.  She was a member of the girl guides.  In the 1950's she was the secretary at the motorpool for the 6033rd of the AC&W in Wurtzburg, Germany.  That's where she met her future husband.

She married 1st Lieutenant Nathan Harrell Moran October 1, 1954 in Wiesbaden, Germany.  Although she was Roman Catholic she converted to the church of her husband and attended the First United Methodist Church of Dresden Tennessee.  They have two sons, Scott and Kent Moran.

When Nathan, Ria and their two sons returned to the states they were living in Kansas City.  They returned to Dresden to take up residence at Moran Place after the death of James Moran III and his wife, Virginia Shumate Moran.  Although Ria was not happy about moving to Tennessee she came to love and cherish the Moran home, the history it contained and the friends she made.

Left to Right
Nathan, Scott and Ria
Kent is on the tricycle
August 1961
Always a very private person, she became more so after the death of her husband in 1982.  During that time she enjoyed her work at the dental office and spending time with her sons.  She was a news junkie and enjoyed watching CNN.  Ria loved talking politics, art and reading Time, Newsweek and National Geographic.  Classical music was her favorite musical genre and her favorite piece was the Blue Danube.  She was hooked on basketball and adored the University of Kentucky team coached by Rick Pitino.  And, like any good German she loved beer and good conversation.  Although she had lived in the states since the early 1960's she never lost her lovely German accent and she never quite understood the need for more than one political party. :)

Ria in her Girl guide uniform
Ria was elegant, cultured and always aware of doing things the "right" way.  She lived an old world life in a society that doesn't always appreciate old world ways.  She was a lovely woman, loving wife, mother and grandmother.  We will miss her very much.

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What was the most pivotal moment of all time? Thousands of readers voted in our online poll, and the invention of the printing press has soundly beat Jesus’s birth …

What was the most important year in human history? That was the question we put to you in our first More Intelligent Life poll, which brought votes from nearly 3,000 readers. And the winner is … 1439, the year Johannes Gutenberg figured out how print words on paper. The arrival of the printing press saw off all other events including the birth of Jesus.

Over a third of voters agreed with Ann Wroe, The Economist’s obituaries editor, who argued for 1439:

No other single action has been so influential. A spoken word, even from the mouth of the greatest ruler, prophet or sage, dissolves into the air. Words that are printed survive, thrive and multiply. Since 1439 words printed by Gutenberg’s process have driven every invention, change of thinking and political idea.

That so many people believe in the primacy of the printed word is heartening news for this media outlet--even in its paperless incarnation. Something to tweet home about, for sure.

The debate began with an article by Andrew Marr, a British television presenter, who writes the history column in Intelligent Life magazine. “How we answer it,” Marr wrote, “says a lot about who we are.” He drew up an informal shortlist of very important years--1776, 1945, 1953, 1989, even 2009--and five Economist journalists chimed in with their own nominations--5BC, 1204, 1791 and 1944 as well as 1439. The year that saw the invention of the steam engine--1712--was tossed into the ring. And then we drafted in the wisdom of crowds.

With voters able to plump for one of the front-runners or choose any other year they liked, the polling results extend for pages. (At our last check, we had over 260 write-in suggestions, indicating we have happened upon a provocative subject and some excitable readers.) Second place went to 5BC, the estimated date of Jesus’s birth, which Adrian Wooldridge, The Economist’s Washington bureau chief, had argued for. Not a believer himself, but co-author of the new book “God Is Back”, Wooldridge wrote that Jesus not only inspired the world’s most popular religion, but “also shaped all subsequent secular history”. Many hundreds of readers--over 22%--agreed.

The discovery of DNA in 1953 came in third with nearly 10% of the vote (“Biology rules!!!” commented “george the biologist”). In a close fourth, around 8% of votes went to 1945, the year that marked the fall of both Nazism and the atomic bomb, and the rise of American hegemony and Stalinist bondage. (“Although the events of that year may seem to be momentous in and of themselves,” commented one 1945 voter, “the importance of that year for me is defined primarily by the future consequences of those events.”) The year Marr reckoned perhaps the most important--1776, when America declared its independence from Britain--came in fifth place, with around 6% of votes. Even if, as Marr suggested, “the world is still dominated by the American example,” few readers seemed to care. In our comments section, some complained that this theory was far too America-centric.

The many write-in suggestions included the years the Ford Model T hit the road (1907), Muhammad was born (570), Isaac Newton invented Calculus (1693), Charles Darwin wrote about evolution (1859), the twin towers fell (2001) and the French had their revolution (1789). At least one reader thought Michael Jackson’s death was worth mentioning, and quite a few felt the most important year in the whole of history was the one in which they were born.

A prominent thread in the comments section dealt with what might have happened if Greece had become part of the Persian Empire in 480BC. (Valur Gunnarsson argued that “there would have been no Alexander, no Roman Empire, no Christianity, no colonisation by Europeans and so on”.) While some complained that any sort of contest that tries to compare the birth of Jesus with a moon landing is perhaps a little silly.

Finally, quite a few readers suggested that this very year, the one we are now living in, is in fact the most important. Marr had raised this himself, arguing that the 2009 Copenhagen summit may offer our last real chance to take action against global warming. But several voters plumped for 2009 for a related yet different reason: “the rest are in the past and can't be changed,” wrote one reader. “The year we are in now is the only one we have the power to change.”

If you haven’t voted and would like to, the polls are still open.

TOP TEN (so far):

1. 1439 - Gutenberg's press: 35% (1116 votes)

2. 5BC - Jesus's birth: 22% (693 votes)

3. 1953 - DNA is discovered: 9% (284 votes)

4. 1945 - Nazism falls, bomb dropped, new world order: 8% (264 votes)

5. 1776 - United States is born: 6% (197 votes)

6. 2009 - Copenhagen climate summit: 3% (97 votes)

7. 1791 - Telegraph and Morse code are invented: 2% (59 votes)

8. 1989 - Berlin wall falls, World Wide Web rises: 2% (53 votes)

9. 1204 - Christianity split by Crusades: 1% (43 votes)

10. 1944 - Modern ideological warfare takes off: 1% (38 votes)

Picture credit: secretlondon123 (via Flickr)


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Holly's Blog

10 Good Reasons Not to Trust Your Brain

The human brain is a marvelous tool. However, it was designed for a very different world than we currently live in. As a result, it retains many design flaws that do not serve us well, especially in today’s business world where new ways of thinking and ongoing innovation are essential for success. Perhaps the most […] Read more

Take the Innovation Self-Test

Ever wonder why some companies seem to effortlessly come out with one great innovation after another while others struggle to get even one new product or service out the door? There’s a reason for it. Innovation is a complex process that involves a lot more than just throwing money at an R&D department and hoping […] Read more

What NFL Refs Can Teach Us About Business Leadership

If you’re a football fan like me, you’re undoubtedly glad to see the return of the NFL referees. The replacements did their best, but there is nothing to compare to the skills and capabilities developed over significant time by the ‘official’ referees. Overall, the situation reinforces the importance – whether in sports or in business […] Read more

The Top 5 Things Employees Want (and Need!) to Hear from Management

Employees want good pay. They want to have some say in how they perform their jobs. They want to be treated fairly. And they want management to be consistent in word and deed. But if you really want a motivated, committed workforce, you’d better answer the five questions that every employee wants to know. 1. […] Read more

The Top 5 Leadership Skills for Sustained Innovation

Anyone can innovate once. But which leadership skills enable you to innovate on an ongoing basis? Read more

Strategy Ain’t What it Used to Be

Still doing strategic planning the same old way? Get with the new approach or get left behind! Read more

The Top 10 Ways to Dodge a Decision

Today’s hyper-fast business markets require making one decision after the other, often without pausing to fully think through the consequences. And as we all know, it only takes one bad decision to tick off your boss, sink a business, or even ruin your day. If the stress of making decisions has you bouncing off the […] Read more

Stop Slamming the Door on Innovation

People in your organization are killing innovation without even knowing it. Find out how, and what you can do about it. Read more

Winning Every Day

They say that we live in the Information Age. That may be true, but many days it just feels like the Distracted Age. From the time we get up in the morning until we lay our heads on the pillow at night, we’re bombarded with information from countless sources. Advertising, email, voice mail, texting, Twitter, […] Read more

Do You Have the Brain of An Olympian?

Citius, Altius, Fortius! The Summer Olympics are upon us. And over the next three weeks, more than 10,000 athletes from around the globe will do their best to go faster, higher and stronger. In the process, they will push the boundaries of what is currently considered humanly possible, and remind of us what can happen […] Read more


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Harry Turtledove

"Ruled Britannia"

(Reviewed by Mary Whipple JAN 29, 2003)

"Thus the whirligig of time brings in his revenges."

Ruled Britannia by Harry Turtledove

Groaning under Spanish rule for ten years, ever since England failed to defeat the Spanish Armada in 1588, the London citizens in this alternative history must endure the Inquisition, the imprisonment of their unfortunate Queen Elizabeth in the Tower of London, the threats of Irish barbarians hired as thugs and enforcers by the Spanish occupiers, and the country's constant sense of uncertainty, born of religious and political turmoil.

The pageantry and spectacle of an auto-da-fe, both awe-inspiring and terrifying, open this novel, its horrors made real by the cry of a condemned man, begging for aid from an acquaintance in the mob, William Shakespeare, who can do nothing to help, and whose own life is endangered by the man's pitiful appeals.

Shakespeare here is a hero at the height of his powers as an actor and playwright. Sharing one-third of a room in a boarding house, eating and writing by firelight in a pub, dealing with the egos of his acting company, and associating with people from all walks of society--from mysterious characters like Nick Skeres and the 'witch' Cicely Sellis, to Francis Bacon and Lord Burghley (Sir William Cecil)--Shakespeare is the pivot around whom all the action revolves.

In counterpoint to him is Lt. Lope de Vega, an unpublished Spanish playwright, sent to infiltrate Shakespeare's theater and its productions and unmask any traitors to Spanish rule.

When Lord Burghley secretly hires Shakespeare to write a play called Boudicca, planned as a call to the populace to throw off their Spanish yoke and avenge themselves, Shakespeare finds himself in mortal danger--he has also been hired by the Spanish to write a play in honor of Philip II, the dying Spanish king, a play to be produced as soon as Philip dies. Writing and rehearsing both plays simultaneously with a less than reliable troupe, Shakespeare must walk a fine line to avoid discovery as the mood in London becomes increasingly threatening.

Writing in the language and style of the period, author Turtledove casually (and very skillfully) incorporates innumerable Shakespearean quotations into his text, often with humorous intent. Puns, the off-color wordplay which so often provides comic relief in Shakespeare's plays, dialogue in which characters talk at cross-purposes, and a character who constantly misuses "big words," are a delight for any language-lover and admirer of the Bard.

Quotations from Shakespeare's Boudicca, which feel like quotations from a new and undiscovered authentic work, are brilliantly crafted from works of the period by Shakespeare and several contemporaries, and the opening night of that play is a stunning literary coup by Turtledove.

All the talk and intrigue do lead to a plot which is a bit thin and short on action--until the bang-up conclusion, filled with arquebuses, rapiers, poleaxes, pikes, and even chamberpots. Lovers of language will thrill at Turtledove's achievement here, even while wishing, perhaps, that the book were a hundred pages shorter.

  • Amazon readers rating: from 50 reviews

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Bibliography: (with links to Amazon.com)

Short Stories:

Videssos Series:

Gerin the Fox Series:

Worldwar Series (alternative history):

The Great War Series (parallel worlds):

The Derlevai Darkness Series:

War Between the Provinces Series:

Hellenistic Seafaring Adventure Series (written as as H.N. Turteltaub):

Days of Infamy:

Crosstime Traffic novels:

Opening of the World Series:

Atlantis Series:

Writing as Dan Chernenko:

Originally written as Eric Iverson

  • Wereblood (1970)*
  • Werenight (1979)*

* Wereblood and Werenight were combined and released in 1994 as Werenight under his own name. Then Werenight was combined with Prince of the North and released as Wisdom of the Fox in 1990. Then King of the North and Fox and Empire were combined and released as Tale of the Fox in 2000.

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Book Marks:

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About the Author:

Harry TurtledoveHarry Turtledove was born in Los Angeles, CA on 14 June 1949. After failing out of his freshman year at Caltech, he attended UCLA, where he received a Ph.D. in Byzantine history in 1977. He published his first two novels, Wereblood and Werenight in 1979 under a pseudonym because his publisher didn't think anyone would believe that Turtledove was his name and thought something Nordic would be better. He used the Iverson pseudonym until 1985.

Throughout the later '70's and early '80's, In the 1980's, Turtledove worked as a technical writer for the Los Angeles County Office of Education. In 1991, he left the LACOE and turned to writing full time. From 1986-1987, he served as the Treasurer for the Science Fiction Writers of America.

As a science fiction & fantasy author, he is best known for writing alternate history. He has won the HOMer Award for a 1990 Short Story, John Esthen Cook Award for Southern Fiction in 1993 for his novel Guns of the South. He his a Hugo Award and Nebula Award winner for various short fictions and has received several honorable mentions for the Sidewise Award for Alternate History.

He is married to mystery writer Laura Frankos and they have three daughters. His brother-in-law is fantasy author Steven Frankos.

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Moto Magazine

Now Reading:

New MOTO website “coming soon”

New MOTO website “coming soon”

New MOTO website “coming soon”

Here at MOTO towers the team have been working hard at the next stage of MOTO online, a brand spanking new website. Gone is the old school standard “blog” news design and in comes a funky content focused site which will keep you entertained for much longer. We know exactly what you guys like and that is what we’ve focused on.

Only days ago we introduced the new MOTO VIDEO PLAYER and now its nearly time to let loose the new MOTO website.

Here are few things which you will like.

* New front page design with double the amount of content within one click
* Five front page sections including, latest news, videos and results page
* Varied layouts which will change to keep you up to date with the latest event info
* Better experience for tablet and mobile users
* A better user experience all round

There’s so much more we could tell you about but you will have to wait until the site is LIVE which will be sometime very soon :)

Keep your eyes peeled to Facebook, Twitter and MXTRAX as we’ll let you guys know first.

Next up in News

Tommy Searle: “The first race just about summed up my luck this...


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Published On: Fri, Aug 29th, 2014

Local residents elected delegates to 131st Annual Angus Meeting

Byron Tuckwiller, Trish Tuckwiller and John Oliver Irons, all of Lewisburg, have been elected as delegates to the 131th Annual American Angus Association Convention of Delegates, Nov. 6 at the KCI Expo Center in Kansas City, MO, reports Bryce Schumann, CEO of the American Angus Association.

The Tuckwillers, and Irons, members of the American Angus Association with headquarters in Saint Joseph, MO, are among 317 Angus breeders who have been elected by fellow members in their state to serve as a representative at the annual meeting. Representing 42 states, District of Columbia and Canada, the delegates will participate in the business meeting and elect new officers and five directors to the American Angus Association board.

The annual meeting will take place in conjunction with the 2014 Angus Means Business National Convention and Trade Show, Nov. 4-6, in Kansas City, MO. The first-ever event is open to anyone in the cattle business and will feature high-profile keynote speakers; educational sessions, featuring thought leaders from every industry sector; Angus University, sponsored by Merck Animal Health; entertainment; evening galas; prize giveaways; and an expansive trade show. Visit to learn more.

The American Angus Association is the nation’s largest beef breed organization, serving nearly 25,000 members across the United States, Canada and several other countries. For more information about Angus cattle and the 2014 convention, visit


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21 Jump Street (2012)

Young, Immature Seeming Officers

The Police Captain (Nick Offerman), informs Jenko (Channing Tatum) and Schmidt (Jonah Hill) that they are being transferred to a place they are better suited for.

Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller.

Released in 2012 by Sony.

Your MOVIECLIP has been shared on Facebook

related tags

  • character-type: Police Officer
  • primary-genre: Action and Adventure
  • secondary-genre: Action & Adventure
  • mood: Funny
  • setting: Office
  • theme: Failure
  • actor: Channing Tatum
  • actor: Jonah Hill
  • director: Phil Lord
  • director: Chris Miller
  • producer: Channing Tatum
  • producer: Ezra Swerdlow
  • producer: Jonah Hill
  • producer: Neal H. Moritz
  • producer: Stephen J. Cannell
  • cinematographer: Barry Peterson
  • editor: Joel Negron
  • costume-designer: Leah Katznelson
  • production-designer: Peter Wenham
  • role-name: Schmidt
  • role-name: Jenko
  • screenwriter: Michael Bacall
  • screenwriter: Jonah Hill
  • year: 2012
  • studio: Sony


text:
Northern New York Newspapers
NNY Business
NNY Living
Wed., May. 27
Serving the communities of Massena and Potsdam, New York

Hospitals face hundred of thousands in possible sequester cuts

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MASSENA - Area hospitals stand to lose hundreds of thousands in Medicare reimbursements if lawmakers fail to reach a deal his week to avert the sequester.

As part of the $85 billion package of spending cuts, set to take effect Friday, Medicare reimbursements would be cut by 2 percent, an action that would cost New York hospitals approximately $2 billion over the next 10 years.

Massena Memorial Hospital stands to lose $190,000 in 2013 if the sequester is passed through Congress, according to Tina Corcoran, senior director of public relations and planning at MMH.

MMH Chief Executive Officer Charles F. Fahd said the cuts are equitable for all hospitals in the region. “Everybody’s facing pretty much the same thing” with the sequester cuts, Mr. Fahd said.

Canton-Potsdam Hospital officials are preparing for a loss of $3.5 million over 10 years, or almost $400,000 per year, said Rebecca Faer, director of corporate communications at CPH. The hospital would be hit the hardest this year because those cuts would take place over a shorter period of time, Ms. Faer said.

CPH officials plan to look for areas where they can reduce expenses to offset the sequester cuts. Hospital officials routinely undergo process-improvement analyses to identify areas where they can cut expenses or generate new revenue, Ms. Faer said.

“We’re always searching for ways to provide quality healthcare economically,” Ms. Faer said. “However, these would be substantial cuts.”

Ms. Faer added that CPH officials are against the sequester.

Medicare reimbursements represent roughly 39 percent of the budgeted revenue at MMH and CPH, according to hospital officials.

And although the sequester might still be avoided, MMH officials expect to see revenue cuts from any deal that would avoid the sequester.

“We’re not sure which devil we want to see come to fruition, whether or not we want to see the sequestration — with 2 percent cuts across the board, and to know what that’s going to be and what that’s going to cost us — or whatever else they put together to offset the sequestration,” Mr. Fahd said.

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