varsity coach's involvement with an AAU basketball team. The community discussion eventually ran its course on the Pleasanton Weekly Town Square Forum. Now the usually civil Danville community is facing a similar uproar over its local basketball programs with nearly an exact set of circumstances as that of the Pleasanton community. However, the Danville situation is a bit more involved because the managing director of a high priced youth basketball development company in town is not only the JV basketball coach at Monte Vista High School, and the 8th grade St. Isidore A team basketball coach, but as well has both the varsity and freshmen Monte Vista High School basketball coaches on his company's coaching payroll. Understanding that high schools despite CIF regulation to the contrary commonly involve themselves with AAU or quasi AAU basketball teams for the purposes of recruitment and training, the question for our Danville community though is how involved should a high school or local basketball development company involve themselves with each other until it is considered crossing the line and unethical? Please keep your remarks civil, polite, and constructive and please do not use personal names to identify individuals. I believe that this is an important topic for the community to face and discuss in the Danville Express/Town Square Forum. Thank you in advance for your well developed thoughts and opinions.

cdt1947b is a registered user.

Youth sports in our community have a reputation at times for being extremely "political". However, in my opinion the word "political" as utilized in describing our youth sports' structure is nothing more than a euphemism for the word CORRUPT. How political are our sports programs, it really depends on the sport, position, and age in which you are speaking. The simple difference of an over zealous little league "daddy coach" protecting his youngster for a coveted infield position, or perhaps promoting his undersized child on the basketball court at the point guard position, to that of an intermediate youth vying for a skilled high school football position such as freshmen quarterback. As you approach high school, where the stakes are higher, the political games and corrupt personal behavior begin looming much larger. Money and influence peddling are a part of the game in protecting or promoting some young athletes in our community. It is a sad, but real situation parents of truly talented children must contend, especially in our community where money is not always the limiting factor.

seyhey24 is a registered user.

Sports in local communities across our country as we all well know have changed and taken on new forms in the decades since many of us as children have last participated. For instance, the Sportstrong basketball website clearly states that the program is not affiliated with any school program and that they are a not for profit organization. Additionally, the Sportstrong managing director is the St. Isidore 8th grade A team basketball coach. The Sportstrong company has approx. 250 participants which generates upwards of $500k annually based on their published rate structure (of course there is no profit when the annual proceeds of the organization go to the coaches). The point is that youth sports no longer clearly follows the strict and simple volunteer structure it once did, but has since become big business in many local communities. Yes, it is not always fair, some kids or groups are at times neglected, but that is the reprecussion of business. Nuff said.

coolheadluke is a registered user. cheap jerseys china

The term "business ethics" is an oxymoron. Our recent national financial scandal demonstrates that unbridled business without regulation in the pursuit of profit understands no ethical boundaries. On the local Danville scene, not for profit sporting enterprises will operate on much the same principle unless checked by local groups such as our schools or churches. In the case of the Sportstrong matter, after our community's "uproar", the MVHS varsity coach went incognito with his relations to Sportstrong, and his personal name was quickly removed from the Sportstrong website. However, we all know and understand that Sportstrong manages and operates a high school AAU team with the MVHS varsity basketball coach called "RED BLACK". We all know and understand that St. Isidore's two 8th grade A level basketball teams are comprised of 80 90% MVHS prospects, and that the MVHS varsity coach was present at the St. Isidore try out evaluations. At minimum, there is at least a perceived conflict of interest at hand. Such sporting companies as they begin to monopolize the community can of course charge much more exorbitant pricing because they become the perceived "gatekeeper" in youth sport development and advancement. The business man merely desires maximum profit, the parents quite understanably desire maximum advancement for their children. who was also in fact the Northern California Section CIF president elect. The St. Isidore church pastor although aware of the situation states CYO is not affiliated with the local church and is a separate entity. Therefore the great Pontius Pilate once again washes his hands of the matter, and status quo reigns master.

bakedgoldfish is a registered user.

Is it a business? Is it a "non profit"? or Is it a way to supplement income for you and your coaches? Summer "Red Black" camp costs over $500. Where does that money go? Sportstrong helps coordinate the web site and sign ups for the camp? Sporststrongs' CEO has a son that gets paid several hundred dollars for working the camp? Coaches are at early morning workouts 3 mornings a week "supervising" off season practices where offensive plays are implemented. Ask a parent, how much do they pay during the year for "Red Black", where does all that money go? Who audits the non profit? It's a known fact, if you don't pay to play for Sportstrong (which is Red Black), you cannot play for the Mustangs and Coach Powers.

mustangmartha is a registered user.

Not sure about the 8th grade tryouts, but do know SportsStrong is the code name for Monte Vista basketball off season basketball program. SportsStrong now includes all the MV coaches on their payroll from Freshman through Varsity. If you are not playing for SportsStrong and supporting Powers part time paycheck, or the JV Coach's supplemental income (head of SportsStrong), you cannot play for the Mustangs. Not sure how CIF let's this go on, but from this first comment, have now figured it out with the MV administration. St. Isadore's has sold out out to support this effort with it's CYO program, and any parents thinking of putting their kids through St Isadore's cyo program must support SportStrong. There is more wrong about what's going on MV basketball right now, but I'm guessing just like the numerous issues with the administration, that his will be kept to quiet hush. Heaven forbid to attempt to play multiple sports at MV now, as if you can't participate in SportsStrong in the "off season", pay incredible fee's to support the coaches supplemental income, and attend those early morning so called workouts, there really isn't a chance to be a mustang basketball player. What's even worse is that it impacts kids. As for the $$'s that are running through these collectively programs, it's sad to believe that a church would affiliate itself with such activities. I agree, a sham has now become a shame.

KarenGreenbrook is a registered user.

I would not expect the Catholic church to take on any higher ground than Sportstrong on the issue of fairness in their youth basketball programs.

Both institutions although they claim not for profit status operate with the profit motive in mind, otherwise they would not be in business today!

What individual or group at St. Isidore in their right mind thought inviting Sportstrong to coach an A level basketball team at a church program was a good idea?

Let me see the raise of hands!

Personally, I don't expect anything less out of MVHS (nothing ever surprises me) as the high school pushes the envelope in all areas, some good, and some obviously bad such as stepping well past ethical lines.

Having the director of a local private basketball development company (SportsStrong) manage your high school junior varsity team definitely SCREAMS serious conflict of interest!

Having the director of a local private basketball development company (SportStrong)manage your 8th grade A team church basketball program definitely SCREAMS serious conflict of interest! cheap jerseys

Sorry to see a CYO program openly sacrifice their integrity for a amped up basketball program which now of course poorly reflects upon the St. Isidore parish.

The inmates certainly control the asylum, and the warden must be completely deaf, dumb and blind.

Boilermaker is a registered user.

My son has played CYO basketball(his coaches were NOT affiliated with Monte Vista) and played in the Sportstrong league(his coaches WERE affiliated with Monte Vista), and we are parishioners of St. Isidore Catholic Church. I base my opinions on personal, first hand observations, and not on hearsay statements of others. The Monte Vista coaches who ran Sportstrong were fantastic, and did a much better job than the CYO coaches who were not affiliated with Monte Vista. The Monte Vista coaches not only taught my son great basketball skills, but more importantly taught him great life lessons skills, like the value of integrity, being a good teammate, and used positive reinforcement to teach those values. As parents, we want quality people as teachers and coaches for our children, and that is exactly what the Monte Vista coaches were. Remember, it was these same Monte Vista coaches, who after losing a heartbreaking game to an Oakland team, organzied a fundraiser so the Oakland team could afford to travel and stay in Sacramento for their championship game. That was a fantastic, christian thing to do, and as a parishioner of St. Isidore, I am proud of them. There is no conflict of interest in having quality people work with our youth before high school, whether in CYO or Sportstrong. There is no "shakedown" by them, that you have to play Sportstrong or CYO for them to play at Monte Vista. In fact, most of the Sportstrong boys will not even play varsity basketball, or will play at another school, like De La Salle, or Doughtery Valley. Danville is blessed to have these quality people work with their children, whether in CYO, Sportstrong, or in high school. I think the negative comments are coming from parents of SRV, and have more to do with excuses as to why the Monte Vista program has been so much more successful recently than SRV, than any alleged ethical program. china wholesale jerseys

It is interesting that an individual is talking about ethics, yet does not know the SportStrong philosophy. The SportStrong basketball program also was not started by anyone associated with now or ever has been with the Monte Vista High School program. Although the JV coach at Monte Vista started the Sportstrong Youth Foundation to raise money for locl club programs to help sponsor financial assistance to those in need of aid, the basketball program is very much a separate entity. The club has been in operation for 8 years, the past four it merged with the foundation but is run separately my myself. I have 27 coaches involved, and fortunate to have 5 that coach or assist at the local high school. I cannot speak highly enough of the staff and their excellent job of mentoring and coching the kids. The JV coach at Monte Vista volunteers his services and does not take a penny. I have volunteered my services to my community for over 30 years and continue to do so. Currently over 76% of sportstrong players do not live in Danville nor will attend Monte Vista and 98% of the kids in the sportstrong program participate in CYO with the encouragement of the staff. The vast majority of the coaching staff at SportStrong has coached for years in the CYO program as well at various high schools in the east bay. To offer kids the opportunity to receive excellent coaching and mentoring, whether at the CYO level or at the club level, I view as a positive.

Sincerely, David See SportStrong Director wholesale jerseys

RSchmidt is a registered user.

Of course actual enrolled MVHS students represent an extremely small percentage of Sportstrong's overall demographic clientele. First of all Sportstrong is primarily a preparatory basketball program targeting both boys and girls of various talent between the ages of 3rd and 8th grade ( 25 teams). Additionally, Sportstrong serves other youth basketball communities outside of the Danville area. Therefore one would reasonably expect the number or percentage of high school students, let alone the number of specifically enrolled MVHS students served by Sportstrong to be extremely low in comparison to their overall demographics.

Sportstrong does though indeed have two high school basketball teams, one called "Red Black," and the other called Sportstrong JV. Would any reasonable thinking individual venture to guess the percentage of MVHS students on the "Red Black" high school team, or the Sportstrong JV team? Or for that fact even the number of MVHS prospects on the St. Isidore/Sportstrong 8th CYO A team?

Earlier this year, International Business Timesreported that Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich would the first Android operating system to be used on both tablets and smartphones. It turns out that's not exactly the case. While Google will be rolling out updates for many of the newest and most popular Android devices on the market, many will be left behind, typicallystuck with Android 2.0 Gingerbread. As for Android 3.0, it appears that the tablet based operating system was essentially dead on arrival.

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HTC Evo 3D: This phone is a relatively new phone for HTC, and the company has historically been good about maintaining service for their dated products. While the HTC Evo 3D isn't the biggest seller, it's clear that HTC Evo 3D will be upgraded to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

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Optimus Black P970: Similar to HTC, LG announced the set of phones being upgraded to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on the company's Facebook page. The LG Optimus Black will be one of the first phones by LG to be upgraded to ICS. In a separate announcement, LG said that the upgrades will egin in the second and third quarters of 2012.

Optimus V: While many of the LG Optimus phones will be upgraded to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the Optimus V will not be one of them. At the time that this article was published, there was no apparent port of ICS for the Optimus V.

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Samsung Galaxy Nexus: [UPDATED 12/28/11] The Samsung Galaxy Nexus is one of the flagship phones for the Android 4.0 operating system. Expect this phone to be supported for a long time.

Samsung Nexus S: [UPDATED 12/28/11] Though the Nexus S began to be upgraded over the air in mid December, The Verge is reporting that Google has paused the rollout. Apparently this is typical of most over the air rollouts from Android in order to make sure things are working properly.

The vast majority of debris in the ocean about 75 percent of it is made of plastic. It can consist of anything from plastic bottles to packaging materials, but whatever form it takes, it doesn't go away easily.

While plastic may break down into smaller and smaller pieces, some as small as grains of sand, these pieces are never truly biodegradable. Christian Louboutin Shoes For Sale

Thompson says limiting the damage plastics can cause to sea life doesn't mean giving up plastic entirely. "It's not about banning plastics," Thompson says. "It's about thinking about the ways that we deal with plastics at the end of their lifetime to make sure that we capture the resource."

By recycling items like plastic bottles, he says, and then ultimately recycling those products again, what might have become harmful debris can be turned instead to better use and kept out of the ocean.

You can hear Block's full conversation with Thompson at the audio link above. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

What we're dumping into the ocean can be gauged by what washes up on shore. The vast majority of marine debris, about 75 percent of it, is plastic plastic rope, plastic bottles, packaging materials, food containers, fishing line, plastic bags. These may break down into smaller and smaller pieces, but they never biodegrade. And those tiny pieces or micro plastics threaten marine life too. Marine biologist Richard Thompson of Plymouth University in England has been studying the effects of those tiny particles as small as a grain of sand.

RICHARD THOMPSON: If we were to have, say a coffee mug in front of us, full of sand and we worked our way through it, we might only be finding 2, 3, 4, 5 perhaps an exception 20 pieces of micro plastic, which doesn't seem a lot out of a coffee mug full of sand.

BLOCK: Yeah.

THOMPSON: But when you scale that up to the number of beaches worldwide and you consider that this material's also present at the ocean's surface and at the seabed, you realize that there's actually quite a lot of material that's present at this microscopic scale. And it certainly appears now that that is the most numerous type of marine debris these microscopic fractions. And of course over time, what we would like to expect is that the large items that are present in the ocean today will break down progressively into these smaller and smaller pieces. So you know, unfortunately, even if we were to stop releasing plastic to the oceans tomorrow, we would still likely see an increase in these very, very small particles. And that's why it's important that we understand the potential consequences.

BLOCK: Well, what are the consequences? Why are these tiny particles such a big problem? fake bags

THOMPSON: They are of concern because they could result in different problems to the larger debris. And we don't fully understand, at the moment, the nature of those problems. We know that large items of debris can threaten a whole range of species through entanglement and ingestion. And of course the smaller the piece of debris, the more accessible it is the wider the range of creatures that could potentially eat it, including some quite small marine invertebrates. Things, you know, less than an inch in length some small selfish, small marine worms have the potential to ingest these microscopic fragments of plastic. One recent study looking at a commercial species of crustacean a kind of small lobster the Dublin Bay prawn showed that over 80 percent of some populations had small but had quantities of plastic in their guts not very many particles, but 80 percent of the individuals. Similarly, if we look at some seabirds if we look at the northern fauna we find that up to 95 percent of some populations have got plastic in their gut. So there's cause for concern there, first, to want to understand more about the impacts. cheap oakleys

BLOCK: Along with ingesting these microscopic particles, there have been studies done necropsy's done on wildlife show huge amounts of big pieces of plastic inside their systems. What do those studies show?

THOMPSON: Well, I've seen examples from the guts of a whale, which has shown substantial numbers of plastic bags. I've seen examples coming from large seabirds, like an albatross, which could contain really quite large everyday items like a toothbrush or a cigarette lighter.

BLOCK: Short of banning plastics altogether, what would you say is a solution that would reduce have an impact on the amount of plastic that ends up in our oceans?

THOMPSON: The solution certainly is not about banning plastic. Plastics are not the enemy here at all. In fact, plastics bring many societal benefits. And I believe that in the long term, plastics will help to reduce our environmental footprint on the planet. So it's not about banning plastics, it's about thinking of the ways that we deal with plastics at the end of their lifetime to make sure that we capture the resource. The plastic bottles can be recycled and turned back into new plastic items. So same for many of the things that we see in the sea. If we could capture them and harness that resource and use again, it would be much more efficient.

BLOCK: And what about cleaning up the vast amount of plastic that's already in the ocean? How do you deal with that?

THOMPSON: Well, cleanup of course is very important because our seas are heavily contaminated with plastic debris. The problem is, that at the moment, we're putting this debris and so quickly and we don't have absolute numbers on the rates of injury to the ocean but the quantities are so substantial that it's going to be almost most impossible for us to think about cleaning up as fast as it's going in. So the analogy I would use is, it's a little bit like trying to mop the floor up in your bathroom. If the bath is overflowing and both taps in the bath and the shower are all running at full speed, it's a waste of time trying to just clean up. You will need to clean up eventually but the first thing is to stem the flow. And that has to be the priority.

BLOCK: Professor Thompson, thanks for coming in.

THOMPSON: Thank you very much.

BLOCK: Richard Thompson is a professor at the School of Marine Science and Engineering at Plymouth University in England.

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

This is NPR News. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to NPR. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future.

For the majority of people, fashion is just a harmless interest they choose to indulge in every now and again. But, all over the world, fashion is becoming something people rely on, causing shopping to become an addiction which could potentially lead many into serious financial difficulties.

For many women as well as men, fashion provides that much craved feel good factor. For women especially, fashion is relied upon for make them feel good, as, as the saying goes, to look good is to feel good. However, anything that makes someone feel elated can become potentially addictive, and, combined with the media's visual of looks relating to success, can create a real problem.

The fashion industry has also changed considerably in recent times, with 'throw away' fashion making it more expensive to keep up with the ever changing trends. Not only do the fashions change throughout the year, but also at any one time there can be numerous trends to tempt shoppers, meaning the fashion conscious shoppers having to spend even more. china wholesale mlb jerseys

Perhaps most significantly, it is the media that makes the importance of fashion and image more pressurising. With magazines, television, film and music stars all bombarding women with idealised visions of perfection, it's almost impossible to not feel influenced by the media. There is also a believed correlation with beauty and success, meaning many people feel that they have to look 'perfect' to feel successful. wholesale mlb jerseys

Not only are people starting to spend more of their incomes on fashion, they are also turning to store cards and credit cards in order to satisfy their need of a fashion fix. With more people turning to unsecured credit and loans to get their next quick pick me up, it's clear there is a problem with the level of worth people are placing on fashion.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) Like a trip through pop music history that ended on the cutting edge, covers from the past five decades of Rolling Stone ma'Sacred Sperm' film explores ultra Orthodox Jewish taboosPascal's exit from Sony concludes the 'Interview' sagaBrian Williams' credibility questioned after fake Iraq storyOscar Countdown: 17 Days: Oscar Junkie MattE goes inside the 87th annual Academy AwardsCities across US are home to zombie themed escape showsThe Daily FixGallery: Icicles around the regionGallery: Firefighters battle Porter Township house firePODCAST: Political Roundtable (2/5/15)Gallery: Throwback Thursday: Historic photos of the RegionCALUMET CITY Target will close its Calumet City store by the River Oaks Mall because it was underperforming. wholesale nhl jerseys china

The Minneapolis based retailer plans to close 11 struggling stores nationwide, including the south suburban store at 1717 E. West Road. The Calumet City location, which is tucked back off Torrence Avenue, is slated to close on Feb. 1. china cheap nhl jerseys

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The Calumet City Target, which has a pharmacy and grocery department, is only about five miles west from the Target on Calumet Avenue in Munster and seven miles east of the Target in Homewood. The big box retailer also has area locations inHighland, St. John, Hobart and Valparaiso. cheap nhl jerseys china

Target, which currently has about 1,800 stores in the United States, is just the latest big retailer to leave the beleaguered trade area in Calumet City. Carson Pirie Scott closed its department store at the mall in 2012, and the Sears shuttered its 50 year old River Oaks location last year.

The Cal volleyball team is coming off its best season in program history. The Bears took their first Pac 10 title, and made their first appearance in the national championship match.One school of thought would be not to mess with success and simply plug in new players to fill the two vacant positions at setter and defensive specialist in the starting lineup.Reigning AVCA Coach of the Year Rich Feller is taking a slightly different route. While the overall offensive and defensive schemes will remain in place, Feller said he is mixing things up in the lineup, beginning with tonight season opener against UC Riverside."I don't think you'll see any sweeping changes," Feller said. "We have a lot more weapons now. Minus Carli (Lloyd), who was the setter, we increased our offensive threats by three or four new players."Last season, the starters were solidified very early in the preseason, and didn change much throughout the year. This season, even those accomplished starters that were key contributors last year have to fight for their positions.Most notably, Correy Johnson, who garnered All Pac 10 and AVCA honorable mention accolades as a right side hitter last season, is duking it out with two of the conference top blockers, Shannon Hawari and Kat Brown, for a spot in the middle."Mostly, we need one of the middle positions to be able to hit behind the setter exceptionally well," Feller said. "Correy does that better than anyone. We may continue to bounce her between middle and right side."If Johnson does not win a spot as middle blocker, she'll battle highly regarded freshman Christina Higgins for a position on the right side.As Feller experiments with different rotations, the setter position will foreseeably be locked down.After two years as Lloyd's understudy, Elly Barrett will take the helm. The untested junior has some huge shoes to fill Lloyd earned National Player of the Year honors last year but benefits from two years of experience setting the B team.Barrett will be surrounded by powerful attackers to help her ease into the role. All American Tarah Murrey returns as the lone senior on the team coming off a breakout junior campaign in which she emerged as one of the country's top outside hitters. Murrey will step into Lloyd's role as the vocal leader in addition to the strongest offensive threat.While Murrey will certainly be heard, she notes that the team has a more reserved temperament this year."Me and Carli last year, we could get a little rowdy," Murrey said. "But I think that once we get more comfortable with each other, all of our true personalities are going to come out and it's going to be a lot of fun."The ability to keep energy up down the stretch will be crucial, as the Bears face a stacked conference slate that includes three other teams ranked in the top 10 nationally.After a weak preseason, Cal will have to be on top of its game to host perennial power No. 6 Stanford to open conference play on Sept. 13. The addition of Colorado and Utah extend the Pac 12 season by four matches, forcing the first leg of the Big Spike to take place on a Tuesday night.No. 2 USC, picked to win the Pac 12, will pose the greatest challenge for the Bears, who are predicted to finish second. The Trojans return all of their starters from the team that lost to Cal in the Final Four, but defeated the Bears twice in the regular season.Cal not quite ready to face the likes to Stanford and USC yet, but are putting the work in to get to that point.played some hard volleyball in practice, so conditioning wise we right there, Murrey said. we getting ready every single day. ready to play. china wholesale nba jerseys