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televinita · 6 years ago

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Books Read in 2018: The Why

Third year in a row* of answering the self-imposed question: why did you read this particular book?

(*Although 2017′s is presently flagged by the garbage bot and under appeal -- WHY DO U HATE MY BOOK COVER COLLAGES, MR. ALGORITHM)

I am beginning to deeply regret the extra work involved to split them by category, so next year is probably just gonna be a numbered chronological list after the Quilt of Many Covers, but for now they are still divided into adult fiction, YA, middle grade/children’s books, and nonfiction

FICTION

True Valor - Dee Henderson. 2002. Read because: I went hunting for a military romance in which to cast Dalton and Jaz [The Brave]. This one at least guaranteed me Dalton (and included rescuing a female soldier lost/hurt in combat, so).

These Healing Hills - Ann H. Gabhart. 2017. Had this one in my back pocket for a while as a quality-sounding stock romance (nurse/soldier) waiting for players. When my need for a Barbie/Julia [Under the Dome] story reached a new high, I deemed it a match.

Shane - Jack Schaefer. 1949. This is the book Fourmile is based on, so I thought I could get a two-for-one casting thrill out of it.

The Lake House - Kate Morton. 2015. A gorgeous historic mansion hidden within an abandoned estate. A mystery from the past to be solved in the present. What are "things I am here for always."

Crimson Peak (movie novelization) - Nancy Holder. 2015. I LOVED the movie, and the only thing I love more than amazing movies is when I can have them translated into and enriched by prose.

Chasing Sunsets - Karen Kingsbury. 2015. Brush of Wings - Karen Kingsbury. 2016. I was hunting, desperately, for Ben/Ryan-shaped books [Off the Map], and "Brush of Wings" checked all the boxes (young woman who needs a heart transplant volunteers in a third world country, love interest has to find a way to rush her home when the situation turns dire). I only read C.S. first because I didn't want to miss where the romance started.

Rancher Under Fire - Vickie Donoghue. 2014. I was looking for a different book when I casually stumbled upon this title, and listen. I am not gonna turn down a ready-made Barbie/Julia AU* with bonus "single father" angle. (*cowboy/journalist)

Heart Like Mine - Maggie McGinnis. 2016. "Ben/Ryan, Sexy Hookup AU Version please."

The Mountain Between Us - Charles Martin. 2010. The request list for the movie was too long, so I decided to see if it was based on a book. Upon reading the back cover and finding out one character was a surgeon, I immediately forgot the movie cast as my brain exploded with Shondaland options.

When Crickets Cry - Charles Martin. 2006. "Doctor whose wife died young of a lifelong heart condition" sounded like the best book-shaped Ben/Ryan approximation yet, with bonus "watching out for a little girl who is sick in the same way" cuteness as well.

The Woman in Cabin 10 - Ruth Ware. 2016. A woman at work recommended it to me, and I was like, "a well received general thriller? Sure!"

Listen to Me - Hannah Pittard. 2016. Put "road trip" into the library catalog --> picked 70% because "Gothic thriller" made me think of "The Strangers," and 30% because I was reliving the glory days of Derek And Addison and this marriage sounded similar.

The Lying Game - Ruth Ware. 2017. I enjoyed the other book of hers I read so my friend brought in the next one she had.

Hatter Fox - Marilyn Harris. 1973. Read in high school and forgotten until I reread the Goodreads summary, and "doctor drawn to help 17-year-old" set off my radar. Shippy or merely protective/caretaking, my radar reacts the same.

Vanished - Mary McGary Morris. 1988. The trailer for unreleased Martin Henderson film "Hellbent" whipped me into a frenzy so I did my best to find book-shaped approximations of it. (spoiler alert: this failed miserably, but I grudge-matched it out)

Thunder and Rain - Charles Martin. 2012. Former Texas Ranger who is a single dad. Rescuing & protecting a scared/abused woman and child. At his ranch with cows and horses. By an author who has proven his salt in the hurt/comfort and restrained-romance departments.

Before the Fall - Nick Hawley. 2016. Mostly I came for the dynamic between the young orphan and the passenger who saved him, but I also like witnessing the general aftermath of plane crash survivors.

The Perfect Nanny - Leila Slimani. 2018. My work friend loaned it to me with the statement, "This has such good reviews but I don't know if I 'got' it -- I am really curious to know what you think of it!"

The Girl Before - J.P. Delaney. 2017. She loaned me this one too, with a more glowing recommendation.

Everything You Want Me To Be - Mindy Mejia. 2017. Aaaand one last rec from my seasonal work friend before our projects took us in separate directions.

The Dog Year - Ann Wertz Garvin. 2014. Dog on the cover + synopsis was basically a list of tropes I love: a woman (a doctor to boot!) grieving loss of husband and unborn baby; dogs; a new love interest who is one of my favorite professions to pair with doctor (cop)...

Losing Gemma - Katy Gardner. 2002. "So basically this is the victim backstory to a Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders plot? Dude, sign me UP; I can so see this friendship!"

Uncharted - Tracey Garvis-Graves. 2013. The companion novella to a book I loved.

The English Boys - Julia Thomas. 2016. Mom checked it out of the library, "guy in piney unrequited love with his best friend's fiancee" intrigued me enough to open it, and by 3-5 pages in I was hooked.

The Broken Girls - Simone St. James. 2018. Abandoned boarding-school ruins, a murder mystery from the past being solved in the present day, possibly tied to a second murder from the past?? Yeah, give it.

Heart-Shaped Hack - Tracey Garvis-Graves. 2015. White-Hot Hack - Tracey Garvis-Graves. 2016. Proven quality romance writer's latest books feature a professional super-skilled hacker? Sounds right up my Scorpion-obsessed alley. First book was plenty good enough to launch me into Part II.

Shine Shine Shine - Lydia Netzer. 2012. In my continuing quest to find books in which to cast Walter/Paige, I searched the phrase "her genius husband" and this one's summary matched my desires well.

Learning to Stay - Erin Celello. 2013. Ever eager to expand my hurt/comfort scenario stockpile, I went looking for something where a husband suffers a TBI/brain damage that mostly affects their personality. The bonus dog content sold it.

The Fate of Mercy Alban - Wendy Webb. 2013. Came up on my Goodreads timeline. I read as far as "spine-tingling mystery about family secrets set in a big, old haunted house on Lake Superior" and immediately requested it from the library.

Rated PG - Virginia Euwer Wolff. 1981. I was rereading her Make Lemonade trilogy when I saw a quote in her author bio that said, "I did write an adult novel. Thank goodness it went out of print." Curious, I looked it up, and between its age and the fact that it sounded more like YA than a proper adult novel, I was immediately more intrigued by it than her boring-sounding middle grade books.

Someone Else's Love Story - Joshilyn Jackson. 2013. "Young single mom with genius son meeting a possibly-autistic scientist who protects them during a gas station holdup/hostage situation and later bonds with her son" was the exact literary approximation of a Scorpion AU I wanted in my brain. By the time I realized that was not the endgame ship, I had already flipped through it and fallen in love w/ William and his romantic memories of his wife instead.

Driftwood Tides - Gina Holmes. 2014. Cool title + I love the "young adult adoptee bonds with the spouse of their late birth mother" trope.

The Haunting - Alan Titchmarsh. 2011. Title caught my eye at the library near Halloween; I dug the "dual timelines" setup with a mystery from the past to be solved in the present, and hoped for ghosts.

The Lost Hours - Karen White. 2009. I searched "scrapbook" in the library catalog. A family member's formerly buried old scrapbook, an old house, and unearthing family history/secrets? GIVE IT TO ME.gif.

The Etruscan Smile - Velda Johnston. 1977. Slim (quick read), attractive cover painting, an exotic Italian countryside setting in a bygone era, and a young woman investigating the mystery of her sister's disappearance all appealed to me.

Stay Away, Joe - Dan Cushman. 1953. All I could tell from the book jacket was that it was somehow Western/ranch-themed, possibly full of wacky hijinx and had once been deemed appropriate for a high school library. I just wanted to know what the heck it was about!

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YOUNG ADULT

(I’m kind of guessing at the line of demarcation between teen and middle grade audiences for some of these, especially the older ones -- another reason that I should give up on categories in the future -- but let’s just go with it)

These Shallow Graves - Jennifer Donnelly. 2015. Seemed like a YA version of What the Dead Leave Behind (which itself I was using as a Crimson Peak AU), from an author whose work has always impressed me.

Snow Bound - Harry Fox Mazer. 1973. Always here for survival stories! Also, this is a good author.

The House - Christina Lauren. 2015. I LOVE evil/haunted mansion stories.

The Masked Truth - Kelley Armstrong. 2015. It looked like Criminal Minds in a YA novel.

Things I'm Seeing Without You - Peter Bognanni. 2017. Went googling for stories that sounded like contemporary variations on Miles & Charlie Matheson [Revolution]. "Teen shows up at estranged father's door" fit the bill.

Even When You Lie to Me - Jessica Alcott. 2015. I always turn out for student/teacher stories, given enough suggestion of it being mostly an emotional connection rather than an illicit hookup.

Too Shattered for Mending - Peter Brown Hoffmeister. 2017. I also dig stories where teenagers have to take care of/fend for themselves in the absence of a parent/guardian.

The Devil You Know - Trish Doller. 2015. I enjoyed a previous book of hers, and I always like road trips and teen thrillers.

The Raft - S.A. Bodeen. Terror at Bottle Creek underwhelmed, so I thought I'd try a YA/female protagonist option for a survival thriller, not least because the girl on the cover reminded me of Under the Dome's Melanie.

Ghost at Kimball Hill - Marie Blizard. 1956. Picked up randomly at an estate sale; the vintage cover and incredibly charming first 2 pages won my heart.

A New Penny - Biana Bradbury. 1971. The rare idea of a teen shotgun marriage in this era -- when it would still be expected, but also more likely to fall apart and end in a young divorce or separation -- fascinated me; I was curious to see how such an adult situation would play out.

Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer - Katie Alender. 2013. I mean...it is really all right there in the title and/or the awesful puns all over the cover. ("Let them eat cake...AND DIE!") Pure unadulterated crack, combining my two fave specialty genres of history and horror? Yes ma'am.

Me And My Mona Lisa Smile - Sheila Hayes. 1981. I was looking up this author of a Little Golden Book to see what else she had, found one that suggested a student/teacher romance, and bolted for it.

To Take a Dare - Crescent Dragonwagon/Paul Zindel. 1982. 50% due to the first author's cracktastic name and my full expectations of it being melodramatic, 50% because I was still on my "Hellbent" high and looking for similar teen runaway stories.

To All My Fans, With Love, From Sylvie - Ellen Conford. 1982. The last one from my attempt-at-a-Hellbent-esque-storyline set -- girl hitchhiking cross-country is picked up by a middle aged man who may or may not have pure intentions, by an established quality author.

Be Good Be Real Be Crazy - Chelsey Philpot. Bright cover called out to me; I was in the mood for a fun road trip novel for spring/early summer.

This is the Story of You - Beth Kephart. Kephart's name always gives me pause due to her fuzzy writing style, but I loved Nothing But Ghosts, so I could not resist the promise of surviving a super-storm disaster.

A Little in Love - Susan Fletcher. "Eponine's story from Les Mis" on a YA novel = immediately awesome; I LOVE HER??? Also it's just my fave musical, generally.

Adrift - Paul Griffin. 2015. I've been really digging survival stories this year, and while stories about survival at sea aren't typically my fave, they keep popping up in my path so I keep poppin' em like candy.

Life in Outer Space - Melissa Keil. 2013. After delighting my brain with concept sketches for a high school AU, I set out to find the equivalent of Scorpion's team dynamics/main relationship in a YA novel, and by god I found it.

Everything Must Go - Fanny Fran Davis. 2017. The brightly colored cover drew me in, and the format of being like a scrapbook of personal documents/paper ephemera lit up the scrap-collecting center of my brain.

Going Geek - Charlotte Huang. 2016.

originally I thought it might be like Life in Outer Space, but once I realized the title geeks were all girls I shrugged and went, "Eh, still a solid contemporary YA novel at a cool setting (boarding school)."

Like Mandarin - Kirsten Hubbard. 2011.

By the author of my beloved Wanderlove, I was drawn in by the title, intriguing cover photo, rural Wyoming setting and the concept of a high school freshman girl latching onto/idolizing a cool senior girl.

Sixteen: Short Stories By Outstanding Writers for Young Adults. ed. Donald R. Gallo. 1984. Tripped over it at the library, and immediately wanted to consume a set of 80s teen book content from a pack of authors I know and love.

A & L Do Summer - Jan Blazanin. 2011. In the summer, sometimes you just want to vicariously relive the feeling of being a largely-responsibility-free teen in a small-town location.

The Assassin Game - Kirsty McKay. 2015. Looked like the (Welsh!) boarding school version of Harper's Island. (spoiler alert: it is rather less stabby than that, but still fun)

We Are Still Tornadoes - Michael Kun/Susan Mullen. 2016. "College freshmen? Writing letters to each other? Sure, looks solid."

Nothing - Annie Barrows. 2017. It looked relatable: like the kind of book that would happen if I tried to turn my high school journals into a book. (spoiler alert: dumber)

The Memory Book - Laura Avery. 2016. Contemporary YA about a girl with a(n unusual) disease, but mostly, the title and promise of it being a collection of entries in different formats.

Kindess for Weakness - Shawn Goodman. 2013. LITERALLY AU RYAN ATWOOD.

Make Lemonade - Virginia Euwer Wolff. 1993. True Believer - Virginia Euwer Wolff. 2001. This Full House - Virginia Euwer Wolff. 2008. I reread the first two so I could give them proper reviews on Goodreads, and then realized I hadn't read the last one at all.

Blue Voyage - Diana Renn. 2015. A hefty teen mystery in a unique exotic location (Turkey) -- with an antiquities smuggling ring! - called out to me.

Girl Online - Zoe Sugg. 2014. I was really in the mood to read something on the younger end of YA, something cute and fun, when I saw this at the library.

Wilderness Peril - Thomas J. Dygard. 1985. Reread of a book I rated 4 stars in high school but couldn't remember, which happened to be lying next to me on a morning where I didn't wanna get out of bed yet.

Survive the Night - Danielle Vega. 2015. The cover had a GLITTERY SKULL. Give me that delightfully packaged horror story for the Halloween season!

The Hired Girl - Laura Amy Schlitz. 2015. I've been digging into my journals and old family photo albums lately, really fascinated by personal historical documents (also recently obsessed over The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt), and when I saw a diary format book set in 1911 -- a housemaid's diary, no less; that must be interesting as far as recording grand house details -- it spoke to me.

Fans of the Impossible Life - Kate Scelsa. 2015. The colored-pencil-sketch cover gave me Rainbow Rowell vibes.

All The Truth That's In Me - Julie Berry. 2013. Someone who favorably reviewed The Hired Girl also recommended this one; the cover caught my eye, and it sounded like a thriller.

Girl In A Bad Place - Kaitlin Ward. 2017. I heart YA thrillers featuring girls.

Facing It - Julian F. Thompson. 1983. I was in desperate need of a book one night and my only option was to buy one off the library sale cart, so I snagged the one that looked like some entertaining 80s melodrama with a fun (summer camp) setting. (Spoiler alert: fun and entertaining it was not.)

A Good Idea - Cristina Moracho. 2017. "Rural literary noir," promised the cover blurb, and as I just mentioned: I heart YA thrillers.

Something Happened - Greg Logsted. 2008. Short/easy read + I was hoping for either a misinterpreted Genuinely Caring Teacher, or scenarios to use in an appropriate age difference context.

In Real Life - Jessica Love. 2016. My shipper radar pretty much looked at the summary and went "THE AU CHRISTIAN/GABBY SETUP OF MY DREAMS."

The Black Spaniel Mystery - Betty Cavanna. 1945.

Adorable cover (and dogs!) from an established quality author.

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CHILDREN’S / MIDDLE GRADE

The Cloud Chamber - Joyce Maynard. 2005. The cover made me think of Under the Dome, and the MC immediately reminded me of Joe McAlister.

Terror at Bottle Creek - Watt Key. 2016. After rereading Fourmile, I got a hankering for more books I might be able to cast with the kids from Under the Dome, and figured more Watt Key + a thrilling survival adventure was the ticket for that.

Swampfire - Patricia Cecil Haas. 1973. One of approximately 100 unread vintage horse books I own at any given time; finally in mood because it was short and sweet.

Baby-sitting Is A Dangerous Job - Willo Davis Roberts. 1985. Reread a childhood favorite in order to give it a proper review on Goodreads.

In The Stone Circle - Elizabeth Cody Kimmel. 1998. Same as above.

Wild Spirits - Rosa Jordan. 2010. Clearly the "Kat & Tommy take Justin under their wing" Power Rangers AU of which I have always dreamed, in my very favorite version of it: the one where Kat surrounds herself with animals.

Claudia - Barbara Wallace. 1969. Picked up cheap at a book sale, standard cute vintage Scholastic about a girl and her school life. Comfort food.

Reasons to be Happy - Katrina Kittle. 2011. The cover and the 5 reasons excerpted in the summary were so cute that I wanted to know what more of the reasons were.

Dark Horse Barnaby - Marjorie Reynolds. 1967. Needed a quick read and I'll p. much read any vintage horse book.

Runaway - Dandi Daley Mackall. 2008. Start of a companion series to my beloved Winnie the Horse Gentler, featuring some favorite themes: foster care + animal rescue.

Wolf Wilder - Katherine Rundell. 2015. Pretty cover, girl protagonist, historical Russian setting, wolves. All good things!

Backwater - Joan Bauer. 1999. Sounded like a beautifully tranquil setting.

The Dingle Ridge Fox and Other Stories - Sam Savitt. 1978. Animal stories + author love = automatic win.

If Wishes Were Horses - Jean Slaughter Doty. 1984. Overdue reread of a childhood favorite because I needed some short books to finish the reading challenge.

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NONFICTION

Junk: Digging Through America's Love Affair with Stuff - Alison Stewart. 2016. I mean, I am definitely an American who has a love affair with stuff.

Keeping Watch: 30 Sheep, 24 Rabbits, 2 Llamas, 1 Alpaca, and a Shepherdess with a Day Job - Kathryn Sletto. 2010.

As soon as I saw my favorite fluffy creature on the cover, I felt an immediate need to transport myself into this (dream) hobby farm setting.

(Side note: this is probably the lowest amount of nonfiction I have read in 1 year for a decade, but I was just so busy hunting down specific types of stories that I could not get distracted by random learning.)

#why I read #quality data #queued

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flauntpage · 6 years ago

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Earnie Stewart’s Union Legacy is What, Exactly?

It’s funny how most people who leave the Philadelphia Union organization go on to bigger and better things. A pair of public relations folks ended up with the LA Galaxy and Atlanta United. A third works for Adidas. Nick Sakiewicz became commissioner of the National Lacrosse League and Taylor Twellman steered his color commentary job into an international ESPN gig.

Sporting Director Earnie Stewart is the latest to hit the upgrade button, turning his two-and-a-half seasons into a national role as the very first General Manager of U.S. Soccer. I don’t know exactly what the job entails, since it’s brand new, but Earnie is a former USA international who appeared 101 times for his country and went on to have success navigating the transfer market and promoting homegrown athletes in player-personnel roles with Dutch clubs NAC Breda and AZ Alkmaar.

I’m confident he’ll do a good job with the USMNT, hopefully better than what he did in Philadelphia, because his tenure here was average, at best.

To really understand things, though, you have to go back to 2015, when the Union were sort of flopping around at the tail-end of the Sakiewicz years. Jim Curtin was an inexperienced 36-year-old coach. Chris Albright was a second-year technical director. Rene Meulensteen had returned to Europe after completing a half-assed consultation gig and the Union had just lost a second-straight U.S. Open Cup final on their home field while fumbling their way to a 10 win, 17 loss, 7 draw regular season. February signing Steven Vitoria was a bust and Fernando Aristeguieta struggled with injuries. Maurice Edu was again forced into defense and goals were just hard to come by.

So the overarching thought back then was that this franchise just needed an executive with clout, somebody with connections and experience to make a few good signings and guide Curtin and Albright. They really just needed someone to tie this whole thing together. With the addition of Bethlehem Steel on the horizon, you now had a real pipeline in which to pull young Philadelphia-area players through your academy, up to the Lehigh Valley, and ultimately into the senior team.

That was probably Stewart’s biggest achievement, giving the green light to Derrick Jones, Auston Trusty, Matt Real, Mark McKenzie, and Anthony Fontana. Even if Tommy Wilson and Jeff Cook and Chris Brewer (and others) did the hard work of training those kids in the academy, Earnie believed that they were ready, and he really was the final piece to completing that puzzle. All five of those players have earned senior team minutes this season, though the most talented of the bunch, Jones, has been relegated to the bench, or out of the 18 completely.

Beyond that, there isn’t much to write about. Stewart brought a sense of professionalism to the team. He tried to build a scouting department from nothing. The team literally did not have a scouting department, and now two former interns work with Albright and the GM on external acquisitions. He installed workplace methods and processes that make it seem like things run more smoothly behind the scenes, but the on-field results haven’t really improved that much. His 2016 team stormed out to a 1st place summer, then struggled badly down the stretch and bombed out with 14 losses and a wildcard playoff exit. The 2017 team finished 11-14-9, 8th place in the east. This year’s squad currently sits in 7th with an 8-10-3 record.

Overall, the club finished with 30 wins, 38 losses, and 21 draws during Stewart’s tenure.

Maybe it was the archaic and clunky single-entity MLS rules or maybe it was the Union’s cheap budget, but Stewart’s foreign signings ended up being just okay. Some guys bombed out entirely while others turned out to be nice pieces. There really was no stud acquisition or slam dunk signing.

Looking down the list, it’ a lot of hit or miss:

Jay Simpson*

Anderson Conceicao

Ilsinho

Alejandro Bedoya**

Roland Alberg

Giliano Wijnaldum

Haris Medunjanin

Borek Dockal

Fafa Picault

David Accam

Ken Tribbett

Oguchi Onyewu

Corey Burke

Olivier Mbaizo

Charlie Davies trade

Sebastien Le Toux trade

homegrowns: Derrick Jones, Mark McKenzie, Matt Real, Anthony Fontana, Auston Trusty, Adam Najem***

drafting Keegan Rosenberry, Josh Yaro, Fabian Herbers, Jack Elliott, and Marcus Epps

It’s always hard to say how much specific people are responsible for certain moves.

Jim Curtin and Chris Albright wanted to bring in Bedoya in 2015**. Albright went to England to meet with Simpson*. Tribbett and Rosenberry were players Curtin was already familiar with. Najem came through New York’s system, even though he counted as a homegrown player with the Union***. The Davies trade was a disaster and the Le Toux trade made sense, though it was not popular with the fan base. Some of the draft picks went through bad sophomore slumps. Guys like Chris Pontius and Walter Restrepo I believe were targeted before Stewart officially started on the job, but I guess since Earnie was at the top of the personnel food chain, blanket successes and failures both fell at his feet.

There were definitely some good signings, like Medunjanin, Ilsinho, and Dockal. There are some big disappointments, like Wijnaldum and Simpson. Alberg was an excellent player with a shit attitude. Picault definitely has his moments. It certainly wasn’t all bad.

One thing I found interesting was Stewart’s defense of Curtin, and he went to bat vehemently for his head coach on more than one occasion, famously saying this at a closed-doors town hall meeting with season ticket holders last May:

“It really bugs me that my coach gets booed. You know what? I’m here every single day, and I watch every single practice. There’s nobody there. There’s nobody watching what he does with his coaching staff every single day. Not one person. Still, I come here on Saturday, and they boo him. That pisses me off. It really pisses me off. Is soccer about winning and losing? Yes, it is. It is about winning and losing. That part I get. That part Jim gets. We all get that. And that part sucks, that there always comes a moment where you have to have conversations with each other. But I see what they do every single day, what I ask them to do every single day – to train our system, to train our players, make sure they go from 6,000 meters to 8,000 meters, 10,000 meters to 14,000 meters.

“And still, Monday through Friday, I don’t see anybody out there. Still, they come and they criticize.”

In that same meeting, Stewart gave an impassioned, 20 minute reply to a question about the lack of attendance at the stadium, the waning interest in the team, and the overall absence of success since the team’s 2010 founding.

The most intriguing part began with a look back at his Alkmaar years:

“…In the five years I was there we managed four times to get European soccer and evolve. What made me proudest of all was that I turned on the TV, I’m watching my old team, and they’re playing at FC Twente. They started the game with five players that came out of the academy. The three substitutions that came in were academy players who came in for players that they bought. That’s eight academy players on the field and they won the game in the last minute. It doesn’t say much, but all of the crap that I took for having a plan and having a vision, but that game, and I’m not there anymore, those eight kids were out there. They’re really good. One is up for the Dutch national team. Another has gotten sold for millions. The others are competing for European soccer. That part makes me very proud.

That’s why I sit here and can say to you, and I don’t want to sound corny or sound like the 76ers, but I have a passion and a burning desire and we’re going to get there. Hopefully, soon those seats will be full. And people who come for winning and losing? If they’re only coming for that, I’m not going to promise it. If you come to see us win every single game, don’t do it. You’re going to get disappointed. But if you come to watch our players roll up their sleeves, go out every day, play within our vision, play in our system, and compete, we give those players chances. Everybody talks about DPs. Playing Derrick Jones and Josh Yaro, they are DPs for me. They don’t make DP money at all. They’re not even close. But they are gonna be DPs for us.”

I always had a problem with that quote – “people who come for winning and losing.” This is Philly. It most certainly is about winning and losing. It’s not about driving down to desolate Chester, Pennsylvania to golf clap for a “good job” by the lads.

And of course, he backed up Curtin’s insistence on playing the same 4-2-3-1 formation day-in and day-out, suggesting that maybe the players were unable to learn something different:

Exchange between myself and Earnie Stewart regarding the Union's commitment to the 4-2-3-1: pic.twitter.com/ugMNoME1F2

— Kevin Kinkead (@Kevin_Kinkead) May 3, 2017

Earnie definitely hitched himself to the Curtin bandwagon when the fan base was not entirely enthusiastic about the head coach.

I know Stewart never had much to work with as a Sporting Director operating under the frugal and ambition-less Jay Sugarman, and maybe he was trying to temper expectations via misdirection and the elevating of auxiliary goals such as youth development and U.S. national team placement. Maybe he knew this was an impossible task and tried to drop us some hints along the way. But at the end of the day, you play to win the game, as Herman Edwards once said. I think it’s really cool for the Union fan to see Derrick Jones in a United States kit, but they definitely would prefer the first playoff victory in franchise history.

Recently, I’ve come around to the idea that maybe we put too much on Earnie’s shoulders as fans and media. To think that a player-personnel executive was going to fix all of the ills of this team was, in retrospect, naive, but people need to remember that we were exiting the Sakiewicz years and it felt like this franchise, for the first time ever, was moving forward with a cohesive strategy. Everybody got along with one another. The media leaks and the ridiculous behavior stopped. Peter Nowak and Diego Gutierrez were long gone and the lengthy list of Union disappointments and fuck-ups seemed to be a thing of the past. Earnie did a lot to clean up the culture around the club and get it operating like a professional sports franchise, which is the very least that should be expected out of a Major League Soccer club in 2018. The Union now have practice fields, an excellent training facility, and a pipeline from the academy to the senior team. The most evasive thing has been meaningful wins on the field.

So I don’t really know what to think. I would say that, yes, the Union are in a better spot now than when Earnie Stewart started in 2016. On the IASIP podcast, we sort of characterized the team as a website that now runs more smoothly on the back end with a smarter layout and operational fluidity that didn’t previously exist. It’s kind of like going from Geocities to WordPress, right? The analytics and scouting and day to day processes are in place. The foundation is there. A lot of the behind the scenes stuff is much improved, which is difficult for the average fan to see since it’s not readily apparent.

It’s hard to describe, but it just “feels” like the Union are more buttoned up than they were a few years back.

But the problem is that the evolution is not congruent with the way the rest of the league has grown. Yes, the 2018 Union are probably better than the 2016 Union. But the 2018 Red Bulls are also better than the 2016 Red Bulls. Atlanta and Los Angeles, recent expansion teams, are light years ahead, playing high-level soccer in brand new, downtown stadiums. Toronto FC lost a continental cup final on penalty kicks after knocking out a couple of elite Mexican clubs.

Where are the Union? They’re now eight seasons in with zero playoff wins. They’re 0-2 in cup finals and hemorrhaging season ticket holders. They can’t score goals and they simply can’t compete with the upper tier of MLS clubs.

It’s nice that Stewart came in and improved things and stabilized the structure and added the foundation and whatever, but you’re a professional sports team. You’re SUPPOSED to have a foundation. It shouldn’t take eight seasons to establish that. You’re supposed to have scouts and analytics and an academy and a minor league team. These really are bare minimum prerequisites for running a professional sports franchise, and it shows you just how far behind the Union actually were when they started from scratch in 2008.

Earnie Stewart’s legacy, then, feels like a connecting flight, when I think everybody had hoped to reach their final destination instead.

The post Earnie Stewart’s Union Legacy is What, Exactly? appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Earnie Stewart’s Union Legacy is What, Exactly? published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

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hollywoodages-blog · 7 years ago

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Dianna Agron Height Weight Measurements

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Dianna Agron Height Weight Measurements

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Dianna Agron Biography

Dianna Elise Agron born on April 30, 1986 is an American performing artist, artist, artist, and music video executive. In 2006, Agron made her TV debut as Jessica Grant on CSI: NY. From 2006 to 2007, Agron had repeating parts on Veronica Mars as Jenny Budosh, and Heroes as Debbie Marshall. In 2009, Agron was given a role as Quinn Fabray on the Fox musical satire dramatization arrangement Glee. Agron has showed up in the movies The Hunters (2011), I Am Number Four (2011), The Family (2013), Zipper (2015), and Bare (2015). Agron was born in Savannah, Georgia, and brought up in San Antonio, Texas, and San Francisco, California. She is the girl of Mary and Ronald S. Agron, a general director of Hyatt inns. Because of this, Agron said she and her family lived in various lodgings growing up. She has a more youthful sibling, Jason. Agron’s dad’s family is initially from Russia, and as per Agron their unique surname, Agronsky, was modified by Ellis Island authorities. Her dad was destined to a Jewish family, while her mom changed over to Judaism. Agron went to Hebrew school and had a bat mitzvah. When she was 15, she discovered that her dad had numerous sclerosis. In a meeting for Cosmopolitan, she uncovered, “A considerable amount changed after that. At that age, you don’t see mortality in your folks.” The infection brought on her guardians’ relationship to go into disrepair, and they chose to isolated, which was destroying for her and her more youthful sibling. She expressed, “I needed to play specialist to my family… be the paste. Those sorts of things I’m not prepared to talk about yet.” Agron went to Burlingame Intermediate School and Burlingame High School, where she was in the Homecoming Court, and filled the role of Marty in Grease; she was additionally included in set outline, ensembles, and painting. She has been moving following the age of three, concentrating primarily in jazz and expressive dance, and later started hip-jump moving. Agron then began to look all starry eyed at musical theater, and frequently performed in neighborhood and school preparations. She played Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz in fifth grade, and started showing move as a young person. She says she was not “mainstream” in the cliché sense in secondary school, however she had numerous companions from various factions around the school. Agron has showed up on TV programs, for example, Shark, Close to Home, CSI: NY, Numb3rs, and had a repeating part on Veronica Mars. She then showed up as Harper in a 13-scene arrangement of short movies called It’s a Mall World, coordinated by Milo Ventimiglia, airing on MTV. She then had a repeating part on the second season of Heroes as Debbie Marshall, the head team promoter/chief of the cheer squad at Costa Verde High School. After this part, she was just offered blood and guts movies that included bareness, and turned every one of them down. Agron’s most prominent part to date is as Quinn Fabray, a secondary school team promoter, on the Fox comic drama dramatization arrangement Glee. Agron was the last essential on-screen character to be thrown, having won the part just days before the pilot started shooting. Agron said in a 2009 meeting relating to her throwing session: “I almost abandoned my tryout for the appear. I was so apprehensive.” Before being given a role as Quinn, the show’s makers thought about whether she showed up excessively pure. Agron said in a meeting: “They instructed me to return with straight hair and to dress sexier. Soon thereafter, I began She tried out with Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon”. Quinn is portrayed by Agron as Rachel Berry’s (Lea Michele) adversary, and “shocking, the meanest young lady.”

Dianna Agron Personal Info.

Full Name: Dianna Elise Agron

Nick Name: Charlie, Di, Lamb, Kitty and Weirdo Hipster

Family: Ronald S. Agron – (Father) Mary Barnes – (Mother) Jason Agron – (Broter)

Education: Di had her rudimentary instruction from Hebrew School. She had a bat mitzvah at Hebrew School. She moved to Burlingame Intermediate School for Intermediate and Burlingame High School for advanced education, situated in California, USA.

Date of Birth: 30 April, 1986

Birthplace: Savannah, Georgia, USA

Zodiac Sign: Taurus

Religion: Jewish

Ethnicity: White

Nationality: American

Profession: Screenwriter, Film producer, Film director, Actress, Dancer, Model, Singer

Measurements: 34-25-35 in or 87-64-89 cm

Bra Size: 32B

Height: 5′ 6″ (168 cm)

Weight: 116 lbs (52.5 kg)

Eye Color: Hazel

Hair Color: Dyed Blonde and Naturally Dark Brown

Dress Size: 04

Shoe Size: 08

Friends: Carey Mulligan, Chloe Grace Moretz, Emma Stone, Milo Ventimiglia, Jessica Szohr, Kristen Bell, Malin Akermann, Anna Paquin, Jessica Stam, Lily Collins

Boyfriend/Dating History:

Tim Tebow – An American Football quarterback. The performer was said to have an unsanctioned romance with the footballer, yet later on it was said to be talk.

Chris Evans – Another rumorous fixing of Dianna’s life accompanied Chris Evans, otherwise called the Human Torch from the Fantastic 4 arrangement.

Dave Franco (2008-2009) – An American TV, film and voice performer. Both imparted emotions to each other for just about 2 years.

Alex Pettyfer (2010-2011) – An English on-screen character and model. The couple got together while shooting for “I am number 4”, yet relationship didn’t keep going for long.

Sebastian Stan (2010-2011) – A Romanian-conceived American on-screen character. Proceeding onward from her connection with Alex, Di got candidly appended with Sebastian. The couple softened their relationship up 2011.

Henry Joost (2012) – An American chief. Dianna got together with the executive in the wake of separating her courses from Sebastian. Be that as it may, both canceled their connection, that year.

Christian Cooke (2012-2013) – The on-screen character began dating English performing artist, Christian Cooke in July 2012. The couple were spotted together a few times until 2013. After that, they gave it up.

Scratch Mathers (2013-2014) – From July 2013 to January 2014, Dianna dated Australian restaurateur Nick Mathers. It was Dianna who dumped him.

Thomas Cocquerel (2014) – In April 2014, she began dating another Australian; this time a performing artist named, Thomas Cocquerel. They dated for only over 6 months until November 2014.

Jack Street (2014) – In December 2014, she was Rumored to had fling with performing artist Jack Street.

Luke Bracey (2015) – Again, in February 2015, she was Rumored to had an experience with Australian performing artist, Luke Bracey.

Nicholas Hoult (2015) – After meeting by means of a shared companion, English on-screen character and Agron were Rumored to be a thing in summer of 2015.

Winston Marshall (2015-Present) – Mumford and Sons’ banjoist Winston Marshall and Dianna Agron are dating since July 2015.

Known For: Dianna Agron is best known for appearance as Quinn Fabray in Fox TV series “Glee” and in movies like, “The Hunters” (2011), “I Am Number Four” (2011), “The Family” (2013), “Zipper” (2015), and “Bare” (2015).

Active Year: 2006 (present)

Favorite Movies: I Am Bored

Favorite TV Show: Glee

Favorite Song: ‘Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It’ by Will Smith

Favorite Books: Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll & The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

Official Twitter: Twitter Account

Official Facebook: FB Account

Dianna Agron Filmography:

Filmography

Film

Year Title 2006 When a Stranger Calls 2007 T.K.O. 2007 Skid Marks 2007 Rushers 2009 Dinner with Raphael 2009 A Fuchsia Elephant 2010 Bold Native 2010 The Romantics 2010 Burlesque 2011 The Hunters 2011 I Am Number Four 2011 Glee: The 3D Concert Movie 2013 The Family 2014 Transformation 2015 Zipper 2015 Tumbledown 2015 Bare 2015 Unity 2016 Headlock 2016 A Conspiracy on Jekyll Island 2016 Hollow in the Land 2016 Novitiate

Television

Year Title 2006 Close to Home 2006 CSI: NY 2006 Drake & Josh 2006 Shark 2006 After Midnight: Life Behind Bars 2006–07 Veronica Mars 2007 Heroes 2007 It’s a Mall World 2008 Numb3rs 2009 Celebrities Anonymous 2009–15 Glee 2012 The Glee Project 2014 Inside Pediatrics

Search Terms:

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dansnaturepictures · 7 years ago

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Celebration of going to my 10th consecutive Bird Fair

When this blog is timed to go out for I should be in the East Midlands for a few days with the main purpose going to Rutland Water’s Bird Fair, (I say should as I hate tempting fate for these things!) and this will be a very special one for me as it’s the 10th one I’ve been to and I have been every year since 2008. I’m away from Wednesday until Sunday, I don’t know if there is wi-fi in the place we’re staying at or how strong it is. So this may be the last you hear from me until Sunday, I may post updates from the trip or I may even be able to post my pictures and blogs as normal. If not though I will most probably tweet my pictures and post my blogs on Sunday or Monday evening.

I’ve adapted this blog from a couple of years ago which says why I love going to the Bird Fair which I think is great to post now as it shows perfectly why we go back year after year for 10 years. This post is structured with 6 key reasons why I love going to Bird Fairs, and pictures relating to each which I will point out along the way. It’s weird to think the first Bird Fair I went to in 2008 was the summer before beginning secondary school, and this summer I’m into my working life. I’ve grown up with this event as I have with the whole wildlife hobby, and I’ve grown ever fonder of it with each passing year.

One thing I enjoy about the Bird Fair is the community feel of it. We’re all there because we have some kind of interest in the natural world. I don’t think there’s many other gatherings like it for us like-minded people that attracts such numbers not only in this country but all over the world. It’s always such a friendly atmosphere as well, it feels like we’ve turned out from wherever to do whatever, but we’re in it together to raise money for the good cause of the Bird Life Projects.

Added to that the celebrities are a huge attraction to this event, and what first motivated us to go in 2008. The 1st picture in this photoset shows me with Simon King, him and Johnny Kingdom we seem to meet most years, and I’m with Mike Dilger in 2016 in the 2nd picture in this photoset but I’ve also met people like Chris Packham, Nick Baker, Jonathan Scott, Bill Oddie, Iolo Williams, David Lindo, Martin Hughes-Games, Charlie Hamilton James and Philippa Forrester over the years. They are all so down to earth when you meet them as well, and are there for the same reason as everyone else. I remember the first year I went I met Simon King, then later when going to the toilet at the centre at Egleton he was in there and he remembered me and said hello. They also give inspirational talks within the topics of wildlife and the natural world, and it’s really so wonderful to hear what they’re famous for in person.

Which leads me on to mentioning the tent I spend the most time in, the Events Marquee. This is one of the places where the celebrities give their inspirational talks, and it’s a great setting for it. There’s also a comic element to this place with the various quizzes that take place there, from ‘Call My Ruff’ to ‘Just a Linnet’, from the prestigious ‘Bird Brain of Britain’ to the comic celebrity version which has morphed into a ‘Pointless’ adaptation in recent years. There really is a wide variety of things that take place and I spend so much time in this tent on this weekend every August. The 3rd picture in the photoset from 2014 is of ‘Bird Brain of Britain’ being conducted by its iconic host, Bill Oddie, who in the years I’ve seen him do it takes it in his stride and brings a funny style. This place also gives out lots of information on the wildlife the event helps.

The wildlife of Rutland Water is also a major attraction to this event, especially the Ospreys. Rutland plays a big part in why it’s one of my favourite birds. Even though it’s not strictly in the Bird Fair I go to Lyndon to see them before every year, and in the first and eighth year as I am doing this year I went on a cruise on the Rutland Belle to see them. They are spectacular birds of prey and really beautiful, and seeing them at Rutland is fitting because it displays such a conservation success. One year Egleton the Bird Fair site had nesting Ospreys which caused a lot of interest, and in 2011 I remember a pair flew over the fair. The announcers pointed them out and I just look back at this as an amazing moment. 2011 was probably the year I got one of my best pictures of them too the 4th picture in this photoset. Also pictured in the 5th picture in this photoset are some Tree Sparrows at Lyndon in 2016, which I don’t see often in the south so I always enjoy seeing them. I remember in the first Bird Fair I went to I got 4 life ticks, Osprey, Tree Sparrow, Egyptian Goose and Ruff so I just always associate these birds with the fair. The 6th picture in this photoset is of a Greenshank we got close to in 2010 which the waters also good for. Common Sandpiper seems to be one of the stars of Rutland Water especially Lyndon and always one of the birdwatching highlights too. In my first ever Bird Fair I saw a Weasel, Hare which I have seen at Egleton the Bird Fair sight since and Muntjac Deer which were magical wildlife encounters. In 2009 we saw two new birds at Lyndon, a Spotted Flycatcher which as I said on Saturday I’ve only gone onto see four more times so far and a Nightingale which I have not yet seen again and this will always be one of the greatest birds I’ve seen in my life and the fair gave me the chance to see it. It really is such a wild place.

Within the Bird Fair the BTO stand offers marvellous opportunities to get close to birds and see ringing in action and learn about how it’s done and its importance. The 7th picture in this photoset is of the Sedge Warbler being ringed at the stand in 2011, this picture paved the way to it becoming one of my favourite birds mostly due to its lovely colour. I also saw a lovely Garden Warbler that year too and another amazing moment at the BTO Stand in 2015 was seeing my first ever Lesser Whitethroat in the 8th picture in this photoset. This was a key highlight of the 2015 Bird Fair along with seeing another bird for the first time the Yellow-legged Gull that year on an Osprey cruise with David Lindo and the Lesser Whitethroat really got a buzz going around the fair with them announcing it over the speakers and it was just a lovely moment.

But it’s not just the wildlife that’s took the event to my heart, but the beautiful area in general which I look forward to exploring a bit more deeply this year. I love seeing the stunning views across Rutland, Northamptonshire and Leicestershire, it’s a marvellous duel of the country. The 9th picture in this photoset shows the magical end to our 2015 Bird Fair when we were in the hide and the rain started pouring outside and the view was beautiful allowing my best ever rain picture to be taken. The villages are lovely too, and Rockingham in Northamptonshire (shown in 2014 in the 10th picture in this photoset) and Caldecott in Rutland are two of my favourites in the country.

I’ll have been to 10 in a row now and who knows how many more I’ll clock up, but it’s a highlight of summer and my year and I look forward to every year and I’ll never tire of going. This event and place really does have a very special place in my heart and I am buzzing to record my 10th consecutive visit. It brings people together for a range of ways to enjoy it, but it’s all for the wildlife and it’s a wonderful time. If you’ve never been I would definitely recommend it.

In this Twitter thread: https://twitter.com/Dans_Pictures/status/892273718428389377 are past Bird Fair pictures I have taken which I’ve been posting on Twitter since August began.

#bird fair

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topicprinter · 7 years ago

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Hey r/entrepreneur!Q&A sites are not a new idea. In fact, since the beginnings of the web, the Internet has been populated by tons of Q&A sites like Yahoo Answers and WikiAnswers.Not only that, in 2010 (before Quora was released publicly), tech giants Google acquired Aardvark, a social search service that connected users live with friends who were able to answer their questions.In the same year, Facebook also rolled out Facebook Questions, a Q&A service that allowed users to poll the entire Facebook-verse.As you may have noticed by now, the Q&A world is a lucrative place to be in.However, despite such intense competition, Quora managed to launch publicly to a media frenzy in 2010.And 7 years later, Quora is now a social behemoth boasting an impressive 80 million unique visitors a month, and having collected an estimated 13 million questions.The question remains:How did Quora succeed despite having so many competitors?Here are some possible reasons (along with takeaways!):1. Quora’s primary focus is making a great productAdam D’Angelo, CEO of Quora has said repeatedly that the entire team is solely focused on making a great product.(They didn’t even consider monetization strategies until they were satisfied that the product was great.)A: Quora Requires Your Real NameInstead of signing up for an account with a fake username, Quora requires you to use either your email, your Google account or Facebook account.Because their names are now published publicly with every answer they post, users have become responsible for their answers. Trolls have been all but eliminated.B: Quora Implemented The Upvote SystemThe upvote system, originally pioneered by Reddit, helped Quora moderate the quality of answers. Instead of prioritizing “clout” or “authority”, the upvote system allowed users to vote on the best answer to the question.This immediately pushed the best answer to the top, while answers that lacked effort remained unseen.C: Quora’s Onboarding Process Is Easy To FollowThe biggest problems faced by many companies is abandonment rate – basically people who are interested in your product, set it up halfway and abandon it.This is often due to a clunky onboarding process that disorient users and confuse them.To help solve that, Quora has made it relatively simple to sign-up using Facebook Connect.Quora also prompts you to find friends, find people to follow and find topics to follow — actions that slowly build up to a great experience at Quora.D: Quora Focused On Building A Community Of Smart And Educated PeopleLow-quality answers were the bane of Quora’s predecessors. Instead of receiving genuine answers to their questions, Q&A sites like Yahoo Answers got ruined by trolls.Besides that, people do actually enjoy hanging out with smart, like-minded people.Thankfully, due to Charlie Cheever and Adam D’Angelo’s illustrious background, Quora was able to attract high-quality answers from their Silicon Valley friends who were interested in try out a new product.Takeaway:People will only spread word-of-mouth about you if you have a great product and care about them!2. Both founders leveraged their existing network to kick off the platformNot many know this, but Adam D’Angelo was previously Facebook’s CTO while Charlie Cheever was previously a manager at Facebook in charge of Facebook Connect.When D’Angelo quit Facebook in 2008, there were already a huge media buzz surrounding him. While it wasn’t publicly announced at that time, D’Angelo had actually quit Facebook to begin work on Quora.Given the background of the 2 founders, they did not have problem raising media attention when they opened the platform publicly in 2010.Takeaway:Reach out to your network. You’ll never know who amongst your network has the star power or influence to help you drive word-of-mouth or even become a brand ambassador.3. Quora appealed to different people, who then spread the word amongst their peers to use the platformQuora is a platform that appealed to people in multiple verticals, each wanting to use Quora for their own purpose. This, in turn helped fuel Quora’s growth as they told more of their friends about it.A: JournalistsJournalists love Quora because it is a source of inspiration. Where better to look for stories or find first-hand opinions from leading experts than a platform curated for that purpose?MG Siegler, a reporter at TechCrunch even wrote an article discussing how journalists routinely use Quora for story inspiration:“We don’t do that type of full republishing, not because we think it’s bad, it’s just not what we do. Instead, when an interesting Quora thread pops onto my radar, I like to think it over and write it up in a way that I would any other story. That is to say, I like to inject my own words and opinions and expand on the thought.”B: Startup FoundersThings change quickly in the startup world. The latest information today could be the most outdated information tomorrow.These rapid changes cause a gap of information about how to build and scale startups, which result in huge demands for such information.On the other hand, successful startup founders were also looking for a way to tell their story of how they succeeded.C: ProfessionalsBy answering questions on Quora and giving detailed answers, the platform allowed professionals like lawyers and doctors to build thought leadership and authority in their respective fields.D: CelebritiesQuora also served as a platform for celebrities to build awareness for their upcoming projects. Celebrities also benefitted from leaving ONE definite answer for recurring questions they receive from fans.E: Marketing ExpertsMarketing experts who are trying to build awareness to their products and services love Quora because of the number of pageviews their content can generate — and also the fact that many Quora answers are ranked highly on Google.These separate groups of people, in order to maximize their use of the platform, began telling their peers about Quora and subsequently grew Quora’s userbase.Takeaway:Does your product help many people? Can you identify them and empower them in different ways to help you spread the word about your product?**4. 4. Quora puts a lot of effort in rewarding their best usersA little story by Landon Howell (incidentally from a Quora answer) is a sign of how Quora treats its power users:“For example, I posted a mere 50-ish answers on Quora before I was thanked and approached for Beta testing by Marc Bodnick, Kat Li, and Nick Huber (among others). Many of my contributions were retweeted by Quora, which told me that they appreciated my work and were dedicated to promoting quality content.”In 2012, Quora rolled out a Top Writers Program, where they recognized individuals who made the most valuable content contributions to the platform.The Top Writers were given a badge on their Quora profile and were also given Quora-branded clothing and books. They were also invited to events where the Top Writers could meet each other in person and build relationships.Once made to feel special, these Top Writers would continue to contribute to the platform and create great, quality content. The presence of great content will then draw more people in into using the Quora platform.Poof! Viral loop built.Takeaway:Reward your best customers, as they are the ones most likely to refer people to buy more of your products.5. Quora built strategic partnerships with media companiesIt’s no secret that media companies love Quora.Quora is an amazing resource for journalists, bloggers and editors looking for exciting, untold stories. One Forbes contributor, Bruce Upbin even wrote about how obsessed he was with Quora.Similarly, Quora is not ignorant of the fact that many editors from major media companies are lurking or participating in the platform.It was basically a match made in heaven.In 2014, Time Magazine announced a content partnership with Quora where the media company would syndicate Quora’s answers onto their blogs. Prior to that, Quora had already partnered with NPR, BBC, BuzzFeed and The Huffington Post.(Quora would later also have their own columns on Forbes and Inc.)It was a win-win situation for both parties. Media companies like Time are starved for online content, and they need people to churn out articles day after day. Quora provides a platform for them to generate content that is sure to be popular.By virtue of being published on these giant media outlets, Quora was able to gain attention and awareness to their platform. The partnership also meant that Quora is able to incentivize writers with the “carrot” of possibly being published on these media outlets, thus generating better content.Takeaway:You don’t have to do this alone. Partner with companies in similar verticals as you to reach more people and get them interested in your company.6. High-profile influencers who love Quora shared it with their many followersOne of Quora’s attractiveness is its ability to attract high-profile influencers to answer questions.Quora users include big names like Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Foursquare’s Dennis Crowley, Wikipedia’s Jimmy Wales and ex-US President Barack Obama. It was an knowledge-hungry person’s idea of heaven — delicious bits of information served right from the horse’s mouth on a silver platter.When these influential names answer a question, they would in turn share them with their followers. This exposed the platform to many people who were otherwise unaware of the presence of Quora.To capitalize on these influencers’ ability to drive visitors to their platform, Quora also launched Quora Writing Sessions, their own version of Reddit’s Ask Me Anything.Several days before, Quora will announce a Writing Session by an influential person, and users can then leave their questions on the page. The influencer would take several days to prepare for his/her answer and then post it on the Writing Session page.This basically pushed influencers to promote their Writing Sessions, which drove herds of people to the platform to read these influencers’ answers.Takeaway:Influential people who have curated an audience can unleash the floodgates to your business. Tap on them and their audience to drive awareness to your products.What do you think?Did you learn anything new, or did that get your juices churning? Let me know!I referred to Quora's marketing strategy via this case study.

#/r/entrepreneur #reddit

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omcik-blog · 8 years ago

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New Post has been published on OmCik

New Post has been published on http://omcik.com/buffett-assails-wells-fargo-defends-3g-at-wide-ranging-meeting/

Buffett assails Wells Fargo, defends 3G at wide-ranging meeting

By Jonathan Stempel | OMAHA, Neb.

OMAHA, Neb. Warren Buffett, the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N), on Saturday criticized Wells Fargo & Co (WFC.N) for failing to stop employees from signing up customers for bogus accounts even after learning it was happening, causing a scandal.

Wells Fargo, whose largest shareholder is Berkshire with a 10 percent stake worth roughly $27 billion, gave employees too much autonomy to engage in “cross-selling” multiple products to meet sales goals, Buffett said.

This “incentivized the wrong type of behavior,” and former Chief Executive John Stumpf, who lost his job over the scandal, was too slow to fix the problem, Buffett said.

Wells Fargo was among many topics discussed at Berkshire’s annual meeting in Omaha, where Buffett, 86, and Vice Chairman Charlie Munger, 93, fielded dozens of questions from shareholders, journalists and analysts.

“If there’s a major problem, the CEO will get wind of it. At that moment, that’s the key to everything. The CEO has to act,” Buffett said. “The main problem was they didn’t act when they learned about it.”

Still, Buffett’s support of current management and board was key to ensuring the re-election of the entire board last month.

Wells Fargo spokesman Mark Folk said “we agree” with Buffett’s comments, and have taken “decisive actions” to fix the problems and “make things right for customers.”

Buffett likened the situation to Salomon Brothers Inc, where in 1991 he was installed as chairman to clean up a mess after the former chief executive failed to tell regulators a trader was submitting fake bids at Treasury auctions.

Asked whether Berkshire’s decentralized structure could lead to a similar scandal, Buffett said “as we sit here, somebody is doing something wrong at Berkshire,” whose units employ 367,000 people. But he said Berkshire has an internal “hotline” to flag possible misbehavior, which gets 4,000 calls a year.

SUCCESSION, DIVIDENDS

The meeting also included discussions about Berkshire’s succession plans, its controversial partnership with Brazilian firm 3G Capital, and whether it will start paying dividends or make a monster acquisition.

Buffett has said Berkshire could have a new chief executive within 24 hours if he died or could not continue, and that nothing had changed just because he praised fewer managers than usual in his February shareholder letter.

He said it may have been harder to single people out because “we have never had more good managers.”

But he also said it would be a “terrible mistake” if capital allocation were not the “main talent” of his successor.

Buffett did lavish much praise on top insurance executive Ajit Jain, who some investors believe could be that successor, saying “nobody could possibly replace Ajit. You can’t come close.”

On 3G, with which Berkshire controls Kraft Heinz Co (KHC.O) and tried to merge it with Unilever NV (ULVR.L)(UNc.AS), Buffett acknowledged a dislike for the cost-cutting for which the Brazilian firm is known.

But, he said, “it is absolutely essential to America that we become more productive, and 3G was “very good at making a business productive with fewer people.”

Buffett also raised the possibility Berkshire could pay its first dividend since 1967, if “reasonably soon, even while I’m around,” the company had too much cash it could not reasonably deploy.

“It could be repurchases, it could be dividends,” he said.

Berkshire ended March with more than $96 billion of cash and cash-like instruments, and Munger said it could do a “$150 billion” acquisition now if it wanted.

AIRLINES, IBM

Buffett defended Berkshire’s foray into airlines, where it is a top investor in American Airlines Group Inc (AAL.O), Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL.N), Southwest Airlines Co (LUV.N) and United Continental Holdings Inc (UAL.N).

He had long disdained the industry, which had gone through many bankruptcies, but said he is confident it will not resort to “suicidally competitive” pricing strategies that could spell doom.

Munger added: “You’ve got to remember railroads were a terrible business for decades and decades and decades, and then they got good.” Berkshire bought the BNSF railroad in 2010.

Buffett also admitted he was wrong to think International Business Machines Corp (IBM.N) “would do better” when he started amassing 81 million shares six years ago.

Berkshire recently sold about one-third of those shares even as it built a huge stake in Apple Inc (AAPL.O), which Buffett said is more as a “consumer” company than a technology company.

He also addressed criticism that Berkshire discloses too little about businesses such as aircraft parts maker Precision Castparts Corp, which it bought last year for $32.1 billion.

“We want you to understand what you own,” he said, and “there are just a million things that are of minor importance” at Berkshire, whose market value is about $411 billion.

Buffett also noted that Berkshire reported far fewer investment gains in the first quarter, which dragged on results, but said the company now has a slight preference for taking tax losses, which could lose value if Washington lawmakers reduce the 35 percent corporate tax rate.

Shareholders overwhelmingly rejected a proposal that would have required Berkshire to disclose its political contributions twice a year.

The annual meeting, expected to draw more than last year’s estimated 37,000 shareholders, is the main event of a weekend of events that Buffett calls “Woodstock for Capitalists.”

Buffett and Munger took questions after the traditional shareholder movie, and after Buffett had roamed a nearby exhibit hall featuring products from Berkshire companies.

He was joined at the traditional newspaper tossing contest by friends including Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) co-founder and Berkshire director Bill Gates and Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

Hundreds of shareholders lined up early outside downtown Omaha’s CenturyLink Center for the meeting. Several said they got there nearly five hours before doors opened around 6:45 a.m.

“Every year it seems I have to come earlier,” said Chris Tesari, a retired businessman from Pacific Palisades, California who said he arrived at 3:20 a.m. for his 21st meeting. “It’s a pilgrimage.”

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in Omaha, Nebraska; Additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Jennifer Ablan and Nick Zieminski)

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olko71 · 8 years ago

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Buffett assails Wells Fargo, defends 3G at wide-ranging meeting

By Jonathan Stempel | OMAHA, Neb.

This “incentivized the wrong type of behavior,” & former Chief Executive John Stumpf, who lost his job over the scandal, was too slow to fix the problem, Buffett said.

Wells Fargo was among many topics discussed at Berkshire’s annual assembly in Omaha, where Buffett, 86, & Vice Chairman Charlie Munger, 93, fielded dozens of questions from shareholders, journalists & analysts.

“If there’s a major problem, the CEO will obtain wind of it. At that moment, that’s the key to everything. The CEO has to act,” Buffett said. “The main problem was they didn’t act when they learned approximately it.”

Still, Buffett’s support of current management & board was key to ensuring the re-election of the entire board final month.

Wells Fargo spokesman Mark Folk said “we agree” with Buffett’s comments, & have taken “decisive actions” to fix the problems & “make things right for customers.”

SUCCESSION, DIVIDENDS

The assembly in addition included discussions approximately Berkshire’s succession plans, its controversial partnership with Brazilian firm 3G Capital, & whether it will start paying dividends or make a monster acquisition.

Buffett has said Berkshire could have a new chief executive within 24 hours whether he died or could not continue, & that nothing had changed just because he praised fewer managers than usual in his February shareholder letter.

He said it may have been harder to single people out because “we have never had more satisfactory managers.”

But he in addition said it would be a “terrible mistake” whether capital allocation were not the “main talent” of his successor.

Buffett did lavish much compliment on top insurance executive Ajit Jain, who some investors believe could be that successor, saying “nobody could possibly replace Ajit. You can’t come close.”

On 3G, with which Berkshire controls Kraft Heinz Co (KHC.O) & tried to merge it with Unilever NV (ULVR.L)(UNc.AS), Buffett acknowledged a dislike for the cost-cutting for which the Brazilian firm is known.

But, he said, “it is absolutely fundamental to America that we become more productive, & 3G was “very satisfactory at making a commerce productive with fewer people.”

Buffett in addition raised the opportunity Berkshire could pay its first dividend since 1967, whether “reasonably soon, even while I’m around,” the company had too much cash it could not reasonably deploy.

“It could be repurchases, it could be dividends,” he said.

Berkshire ended March with more than $96 billion of cash & cash-like instruments, & Munger said it could do a “$150 billion” acquisition now whether it wanted.

AIRLINES, IBM

Buffett defended Berkshire’s foray into airlines, where it is a top investor in American Airlines Group Inc (AAL.O), Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL.N), Southwest Airlines Co (LUV.N) & United Continental Holdings Inc (UAL.N).

He had long disdained the industry, which had gone through many bankruptcies, yet said he is confident it will not resort to “suicidally competitive” pricing strategies that could spell doom.

Munger added: “You’ve received to remember railroads were a terrible commerce for decades & decades & decades, & then they received good.” Berkshire bought the BNSF railroad in 2010.

Buffett in addition admitted he was wrong to think International Business Machines Corp (IBM.N) “would do better” when he started amassing 81 million shares six years ago.

Berkshire recently sold approximately one-third of those shares even as it built a huge stake in Apple Inc (AAPL.O), which Buffett said is more as a “consumer” company than a technology company.

He in addition addressed criticism that Berkshire discloses too little approximately businesses such as aircraft parts maker Precision Castparts Corp, which it bought final year for $32.1 billion.

“We want you to understand what you own,” he said, & “there are just a million things that are of minor importance” at Berkshire, whose market value is approximately $411 billion.

Buffett in addition famous that Berkshire reported far fewer investment gains in the first quarter, which dragged on results, yet said the company now has a slight preference for taking tax losses, which could lose value whether Washington lawmakers reduce the 35 percent corporate tax rate.

Shareholders overwhelmingly rejected a proposal that would have required Berkshire to reveal its political contributions twice a year.

The annual meeting, expected to draw more than final year’s estimated 37,000 shareholders, is the main event of a weekend of events that Buffett calls “Woodstock for Capitalists.”

Buffett & Munger took questions after the traditional shareholder movie, & after Buffett had roamed a nearby exhibit corridor featuring products from Berkshire companies.

He was joined at the traditional newspaper tossing contest by friends including Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) co-founder & Berkshire director Bill Gates & Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

Hundreds of shareholders lined up early external downtown Omaha’s CenturyLink Center for the meeting. Several said they received there nearly five hours before doors opened around 6:45 a.m.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in Omaha, Nebraska; Additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Jennifer Ablan & Nick Zieminski)

Next In Banks

Citi lists Netflix, Tesla as potential takeover targets for Apple

Citigroup listed seven companies as potential takeover targets for Apple Inc , including Netflix , Walt Disney & Tesla Inc , as a way to put its cash hoard of more than $250 billion to work.

Goldman’s Blankfein says London could stall due to Brexit: BBC

LONDON London’s progress as a financial center could stall because of the upheaval Brexit will bring to the industry, Goldman Sachs Chief Executive Officer Lloyd Blankfein was quoted as saying by the BBC.

DBS to seek bids for non-life insurance distribution deal: sources

SINGAPORE/HONG KONG DBS Group plans to invite bids from insurers keen to sell general insurance products across the key markets of Southeast Asia’s biggest lender, in a deal potentially worth up to $350 million, sources familiar with the matter said.

#businessNews

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topicprinter · 7 years ago

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Hey r/startups!Q&A sites are not a new idea. In fact, since the beginnings of the web, the Internet has been populated by tons of Q&A sites like Yahoo Answers and WikiAnswers.Not only that, in 2010 (before Quora was released publicly), tech giants Google acquired Aardvark, a social search service that connected users live with friends who were able to answer their questions.In the same year, Facebook also rolled out Facebook Questions, a Q&A service that allowed users to poll the entire Facebook-verse.As you may have noticed by now, the Q&A world is a lucrative place to be in.However, despite such intense competition, Quora managed to launch publicly to a media frenzy in 2010.And 7 years later, Quora is now a social behemoth boasting an impressive 80 million unique visitors a month, and having collected an estimated 13 million questions.The question remains:How did Quora succeed despite having so many competitors?Here are some possible reasons (along with takeaways!):1. Quora’s primary focus is making a great productAdam D’Angelo, CEO of Quora has said repeatedly that the entire team is solely focused on making a great product.(They didn’t even consider monetization strategies until they were satisfied that the product was great.)A: Quora Requires Your Real NameInstead of signing up for an account with a fake username, Quora requires you to use either your email, your Google account or Facebook account.Because their names are now published publicly with every answer they post, users have become responsible for their answers. Trolls have been all but eliminated.B: Quora Implemented The Upvote SystemThe upvote system, originally pioneered by Reddit, helped Quora moderate the quality of answers. Instead of prioritizing “clout” or “authority”, the upvote system allowed users to vote on the best answer to the question.This immediately pushed the best answer to the top, while answers that lacked effort remained unseen.C: Quora’s Onboarding Process Is Easy To FollowThe biggest problems faced by many companies is abandonment rate – basically people who are interested in your product, set it up halfway and abandon it.This is often due to a clunky onboarding process that disorient users and confuse them.To help solve that, Quora has made it relatively simple to sign-up using Facebook Connect.Quora also prompts you to find friends, find people to follow and find topics to follow — actions that slowly build up to a great experience at Quora.D: Quora Focused On Building A Community Of Smart And Educated PeopleLow-quality answers were the bane of Quora’s predecessors. Instead of receiving genuine answers to their questions, Q&A sites like Yahoo Answers got ruined by trolls.Besides that, people do actually enjoy hanging out with smart, like-minded people.Thankfully, due to Charlie Cheever and Adam D’Angelo’s illustrious background, Quora was able to attract high-quality answers from their Silicon Valley friends who were interested in try out a new product.Takeaway:People will only spread word-of-mouth about you if you have a great product and care about them!2. Both founders leveraged their existing network to kick off the platformNot many know this, but Adam D’Angelo was previously Facebook’s CTO while Charlie Cheever was previously a manager at Facebook in charge of Facebook Connect.When D’Angelo quit Facebook in 2008, there were already a huge media buzz surrounding him. While it wasn’t publicly announced at that time, D’Angelo had actually quit Facebook to begin work on Quora.Given the background of the 2 founders, they did not have problem raising media attention when they opened the platform publicly in 2010.Takeaway:Reach out to your network. You’ll never know who amongst your network has the star power or influence to help you drive word-of-mouth or even become a brand ambassador.3. Quora appealed to different people, who then spread the word amongst their peers to use the platformQuora is a platform that appealed to people in multiple verticals, each wanting to use Quora for their own purpose. This, in turn helped fuel Quora’s growth as they told more of their friends about it.A: JournalistsJournalists love Quora because it is a source of inspiration. Where better to look for stories or find first-hand opinions from leading experts than a platform curated for that purpose?MG Siegler, a reporter at TechCrunch even wrote an article discussing how journalists routinely use Quora for story inspiration:“We don’t do that type of full republishing, not because we think it’s bad, it’s just not what we do. Instead, when an interesting Quora thread pops onto my radar, I like to think it over and write it up in a way that I would any other story. That is to say, I like to inject my own words and opinions and expand on the thought.”B: Startup FoundersThings change quickly in the startup world. The latest information today could be the most outdated information tomorrow.These rapid changes cause a gap of information about how to build and scale startups, which result in huge demands for such information.On the other hand, successful startup founders were also looking for a way to tell their story of how they succeeded.C: ProfessionalsBy answering questions on Quora and giving detailed answers, the platform allowed professionals like lawyers and doctors to build thought leadership and authority in their respective fields.D: CelebritiesQuora also served as a platform for celebrities to build awareness for their upcoming projects. Celebrities also benefitted from leaving ONE definite answer for recurring questions they receive from fans.E: Marketing ExpertsMarketing experts who are trying to build awareness to their products and services love Quora because of the number of pageviews their content can generate — and also the fact that many Quora answers are ranked highly on Google.These separate groups of people, in order to maximize their use of the platform, began telling their peers about Quora and subsequently grew Quora’s userbase.Takeaway:Does your product help many people? Can you identify them and empower them in different ways to help you spread the word about your product?**4. 4. Quora puts a lot of effort in rewarding their best usersA little story by Landon Howell (incidentally from a Quora answer) is a sign of how Quora treats its power users:“For example, I posted a mere 50-ish answers on Quora before I was thanked and approached for Beta testing by Marc Bodnick, Kat Li, and Nick Huber (among others). Many of my contributions were retweeted by Quora, which told me that they appreciated my work and were dedicated to promoting quality content.”In 2012, Quora rolled out a Top Writers Program, where they recognized individuals who made the most valuable content contributions to the platform.The Top Writers were given a badge on their Quora profile and were also given Quora-branded clothing and books. They were also invited to events where the Top Writers could meet each other in person and build relationships.Once made to feel special, these Top Writers would continue to contribute to the platform and create great, quality content. The presence of great content will then draw more people in into using the Quora platform.Poof! Viral loop built.Takeaway:Reward your best customers, as they are the ones most likely to refer people to buy more of your products.5. Quora built strategic partnerships with media companiesIt’s no secret that media companies love Quora.Quora is an amazing resource for journalists, bloggers and editors looking for exciting, untold stories. One Forbes contributor, Bruce Upbin even wrote about how obsessed he was with Quora.Similarly, Quora is not ignorant of the fact that many editors from major media companies are lurking or participating in the platform.It was basically a match made in heaven.In 2014, Time Magazine announced a content partnership with Quora where the media company would syndicate Quora’s answers onto their blogs. Prior to that, Quora had already partnered with NPR, BBC, BuzzFeed and The Huffington Post.(Quora would later also have their own columns on Forbes and Inc.)It was a win-win situation for both parties. Media companies like Time are starved for online content, and they need people to churn out articles day after day. Quora provides a platform for them to generate content that is sure to be popular.By virtue of being published on these giant media outlets, Quora was able to gain attention and awareness to their platform. The partnership also meant that Quora is able to incentivize writers with the “carrot” of possibly being published on these media outlets, thus generating better content.Takeaway:You don’t have to do this alone. Partner with companies in similar verticals as you to reach more people and get them interested in your company.6. High-profile influencers who love Quora shared it with their many followersOne of Quora’s attractiveness is its ability to attract high-profile influencers to answer questions.Quora users include big names like Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Foursquare’s Dennis Crowley, Wikipedia’s Jimmy Wales and ex-US President Barack Obama. It was an knowledge-hungry person’s idea of heaven — delicious bits of information served right from the horse’s mouth on a silver platter.When these influential names answer a question, they would in turn share them with their followers. This exposed the platform to many people who were otherwise unaware of the presence of Quora.To capitalize on these influencers’ ability to drive visitors to their platform, Quora also launched Quora Writing Sessions, their own version of Reddit’s Ask Me Anything.Several days before, Quora will announce a Writing Session by an influential person, and users can then leave their questions on the page. The influencer would take several days to prepare for his/her answer and then post it on the Writing Session page.This basically pushed influencers to promote their Writing Sessions, which drove herds of people to the platform to read these influencers’ answers.Takeaway:Influential people who have curated an audience can unleash the floodgates to your business. Tap on them and their audience to drive awareness to your products.What do you think?Did you learn anything new, or did that get your juices churning? Let me know!I referred to Quora's marketing strategy via this case study.

#/r/startups #reddit

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