Powerball: None of the tickets sold for the Powerball game on Saturday night matched all six numbers drawn. The prize goes to an estimated $46 million for Wednesday. Dakota Cash: No one won the jackpot in the drawing on Saturday night. Next estimated jackpot: $235,000. Wild Card: No one won the jackpot in the drawing on Saturday night. Next estimated jackpot: $635,000. Hot Lotto: No one won the jackpot in the drawing on Saturday night. Next estimated jackpot: $1.05 million.
Aberdeen - The service for Gordon R. Gray, 64, Aberdeen, will be 10 a.m., Thursday, June 19, 2008, at Plymouth Congregational UCC with Pastor Richard Fylling officiating. Burial will be at Northville Cemetery with military honors by the Northville Post 149. Gordon died Monday, June 16, at Avera St. Luke's Hospital. Visitation will be from 1-7 p.m., Wednesday, with family present from 5-7 and a prayer service at 7 p.m. at Spitzer-Miller Funeral Home, 1111 S. Main St. Aberdeen. Gordon R. Gray was born on Oct. 10, 1943, at Toledo, Ohio, to Gordon and Pauline (Smiths) Gray. He attended school in Sherwood, Ohio, and graduated from Fairview High School with the Class of 1961. He entered the U.S. Airforce on May 25, 1961, and was honorably discharged on Dec. 19, 1962. Gordon moved to Aberdeen and married Sherrie (Summers) Zinter on June 2, 1984. He then attended NSU where he received his Bachelor of Science Degree in 1986 and his Masters Degree in Educational Administration in 1989. Gordon taught at Aberdeen Central High School. He was also CEO and principal at various places in South Dakota. He retired from education in 1998, and worked parttime for Money Station. Gordon really loved being with his family. He loved his flower garden, enjoyed his pets, and especially loved his cat, Jax. One highlight of his life was finding his extended family in 2004. Grateful for having shared Gordon's life are his wife, Sherrie Gray, Aberdeen; son, Elliott Gray, Aberdeen; daughters, Haylee Gray, St. Paul, Minn.; Krista Gray, Bakersfield, Calif.; stepdaughters, Niki (Darren) Pahl, Ellendale, N.D.; Donna (Larry) Wieczorek, Valencia, Calif.; Linda (Doug) Yates, North Hollywood, Calif.; grandchildren Dahltin Pahl, Kolbey Pahl, Ellendale, N.D.; Nicole Yates, Cypress, Calif.; Patrick (Sophia) Yates, Burbank, Calif.; Erin Wieczorek, Valencia, Calif.; great-granddaughter, Cameron Yates, Burbank, Calif.; brother, Dennis (Lou) Gray, Arizona; and half sister, Joyce Moore, Indiana; and his best friends, Elaine and Burt Elliott, Aberdeen. He is preceded in death by his parents. www.spitzerfuneralhome .com
THIS IS A make-or-break legislative session for Parris Glendening. When the opening gavel sounds Wednesday, Maryland's governor takes center stage. If he delivers a bravura performance, he could be on his way to re-election; if he falters, the governor risks political unemployment.
That's heady stuff three years from his next election. But Mr. Glendening is in such a weak public posture that he's got to use this legislative session to recoup.
Overcoming an initial bad impression is tough. Psychologists say it takes multiple good deeds to erase an early, negative imprint. That helps explain why Mr. Glendening still stands so low in polls.
His narrow election victory was deemed a fraud by angry Republicans, who tried to win the race in court. Thus, a considerable segment of the public never gave him a chance to prove his bona fides.
Then he stumbled miserably in his first few months. Controversy erupted over a $100 million deficit he left behind in Prince George's County; worse, the new P.G. officials discovered that Glendening & Co. had set up an extremely generous pension plan for themselves, one that would pay them six-figure amounts almost immediately. So much for the governor's well cultivated image of public integrity.
Then he named the two men who engineered the pension deal to his cabinet. That meant spending valuable political capital getting the two confirmed. Yet within months, both men had been forced out for new lapses in ethics.
As an outsider, Mr. Glendening didn't know Annapolis and had never dealt with a large legislative body. Thus, his first session was a series of missteps. Little of far-reaching substance was achieved; most hot issues were shelved. Legislative leaders had few good words for the governor.
The truth is that most Marylanders still don't feel comfortable with Mr. Glendening. He remains largely unknown; his accent hints of Florida, not Maryland. He doesn't act or talk like Schaefer, Hughes, Mandel, Agnew, Tawes, McKeldin or Lane. He comes from a part of the state that looks to the nation's capital for its news and direction, not toward the state capital.
Most voters still have little affinity with their governor. He remains an outsider. He has an aloof personality. He comes across as stiff and programmed. He doesn't hail from their community and doesn't seem to understand their concerns.
The best way to change that impression is to establish a solid record in the legislature -- not only a blockbuster package of bills that defines the Glendening administration, but a display of political skills that leads to success.
That's no easy task, especially for a governor with few friends in the legislature and a staff that lacks expertise in dealing with the highly politicized and exceedingly complex General Assembly operation.
There will be, for sure, a number of symbolic proposals in the governor's package -- political sops to special interests, such as bills on gun control, liberalized state-funded abortions, collective bargaining for state workers and a new teacher-certification plan putting the teachers in charge of their own credentialing. These are measures that the governor can afford to lose.
But on other issues, he must win. His economic-development program is an essential element in shaping this administration. Losing a big part of this centerpiece would be devastating.
It could be, though, that Mr. Glendening's biggest obstacle lies in overcoming opposition to new football stadiums. He has staked his prestige on bringing the Redskins to Landover and Art Modell's NFL team to a state-built stadium in Baltimore. The governor thought he'd be a hero. Instead, he will have a devil of a time getting both proposals approved.
Only a politician with finely honed negotiating skills can win this one. It is a delicate situation, requiring deal-making with the NFL owners, local officials and state legislative delegations who have vastly different objections to the stadiums. He's got to win this one -- or look like a fool.
Dolories Gurrola of Merced, Calif., enjoyed eating a dish called spinach Marie at a local restaurant. "I've eaten it many times there and asked for the recipe, but they won't give it out. I also collect cookbooks, but can't find the recipe in any of them. Please help."
Frances Hamilton of Los Osos, Calif., responded. She wrote, "I think this is what Dolories Gurrola requested."
Butter a 9-inch glass pie plate or a 9-inch square dish well. Thaw and drain spinach. Beat the eggs well and beat in the salt, pepper and cream. Stir in the spinach and cheese. Pour into the dish. Top with 1/4 cup to 1 cup of the bread crumbs and sprinkle generously with paprika. Dot the top with bits of butter.
Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven 35 to 50 minutes (start checking at 35 minutes). Remove when the center has set and the top is beginning to be golden-brown. Do not overbake.
Tester Laura Reiley's comments: "I would add the full cup of bread crumbs - it's needed to soak up some of the creamy liquid. The resulting souffle is rich, not too spinachy and very subtly flavored. If you want to add a little pep, saute a cup of finely minced onions in a little butter, then add the spinach briefly before stirring the whole thing into the egg-cream mixture. A dash of Worcestershire or a bit of garlic might also be nice."
Jerry Linder of Paso Robles, Calif., is seeking an oatmeal-dish recipe that he had in Hawaii at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. "Someone suggested that we try the oatmeal dish, and it was the most delicious dish we've ever tasted. We left without the recipe, and I hope someone else has had it and can help."
Betty Sheppard of Baltimore is seeking a raisin-pie recipe. "I had a recipe, but when my husband died and I had to move, I lost it. Please help."
If you are looking for a recipe or can answer a request for a hard-to-find recipe, write to Ellen Hawks, Recipe Finder, The Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, MD 21278. If you send more than one recipe, put each on a separate sheet of paper with your name, address and daytime phone number.
Martin Lawrence goes the well-trod, kid-friendly route in Rebound, playing - and how many times have we seen this one before? - the irascible, fish-out-of-water coach of a bunch of not-ready-for-prime-time kid athletes who have about as much chance succeeding in sports as a snowball has of making it through Hades unscathed.
But what do you wanna bet both the kids and the coach come away from their experiences together not only wiser, but better people?
If this sounds a little like The Bad News Bears, that's only because it is (and aren't we all looking forward to that remake later this summer?). It's also, with a few little tweaks, the plot of Hoosiers, A League of Their Own, School of Rock, Hard Ball, The Mighty Ducks and at least a dozen other films we could all think of with just a little effort.
What we have here is a formula movie for a star looking to soften his image, scale back his bad-boy rep for one that's more palatable to the masses. Rebound realizes that modest goal but not through any fault of its own.
Listlessly directed by Steve Carr (Daddy Day Care and Dr. Dolittle 2, movies in which Eddie Murphy went for the same image makeover Lawrence is after here) from a script utterly devoid of original ideas, Rebound works only because of Lawrence's easy charm and the kids' irresistible appeal. Lawrence is a pro, so it's no stretch for him to tone down the act and become all embraceable. And what's not to love about a bunch of misfit kids given the chance to shine?
On the other hand, what's to admire about it? Everybody goes through the motions (including a team of five writers, three of whom were needed to come up with the idea for this film). You may smile watching the results, even laugh occasionally, but you're not going to walk out of the theater impressed with anyone's effort or dazzled by anyone's profundity.
Lawrence plays Roy McCormick, a mega-successful college hoops coach with a huge ego and an even bigger temper. When the latter goes on display one time too many, he's suspended from the league. His only way back: accept a job coaching at his junior-high alma mater and hope the resulting image rehab takes hold of the national consciousness.
The kids he's given to work with at Mount Vernon Junior High leave a lot to be desired. One throws up all the time, another is too busy staring at himself in the mirror to play the game, a third is more likely to have a ball bounce off his face than dribble it, and the only kid who does know how to play is a hot dog who refuses to pass. As a team, they've never scored a basket.
At first, Roy wants nothing to do with any of this; he's content to just sit on the sidelines and hope his agent can generate some good publicity out of it all. But soon his pride takes over, or maybe he just feels sorry for the kids, or maybe he just wants to score points with the sexy single mom (Wendy Raquel Robinson) of one of the players.
Whatever the reason, he starts teaching the kids the finer points of the game, as well as the finer points of life - like taking pride in yourself. And what do you know, within a few weeks, his Smelters are playing for the state championship.
Not a thing happens in Rebound you shouldn't be able to guess within the film's first 10 minutes. And while the kids are all given their crowd-pleasing moments to shine, some of them deserve better. That's especially true of Tara Correa as Big Mac, a bruiser of a girl who's recruited by Roy to serve as the team's muscle - a joke that never goes anywhere, despite the young actor's best efforts (oddly, she's not even included in the film's triumphant final scene).
Rebound is determinedly lightweight fare that shamelessly resorts to every crowd-pleasing cliche it can think of to wring sympathy and laughs from its audience. To say it succeeds is not meant as a compliment.
Ouster of police chief leaves town guessing at the reason By Josh Mitchell | Josh Mitchell,SUN STAFF
Palestinian tries to make himself one of the people By Peter Hermann | Peter Hermann,SUN FOREIGN STAFF
Seeking a cure for a disease of connective tissue By William Hathaway | By William Hathaway,HARTFORD COURANT
Richard Byrd Martin, 75, sergeant with city police, amateur singer By William Wan | William Wan,SUN STAFF
Columnist Dave Barry, who used to be funnier, says farewell for now -- and thanks to you all By Dave Barry | Dave Barry,Knight Ridder / Tribune
One-lane bridge leads to green development started in 1889 By Natasha Lesser | Natasha Lesser,SPECIAL TO THE SUN
MobilePro led the way as Maryland firms beat S&P By Jamie Smith Hopkins | Jamie Smith Hopkins,SUN STAFF
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama on Friday will formally nominate Carolyn W. Colvin to head the Social Security Administration, where she has served as acting commissioner since last year.
The decision comes as the Woodlawn-based agency has been criticized by some on Capitol Hill over a long-standing backlog of disability claims and, more recently, the shuttering of dozens of field offices across the country.
The nomination begins what is likely to be a contentious confirmation process in the Senate. The agency has more than 60,000 employees across the country and serves 57 million beneficiaries.
"I am grateful for Carolyn's past service in various roles at the Social Security Administration, and I am confident that she will serve the American people well in her new role," the president said in a statement Friday. "I look forward to working with her in the months and years to come."
Colvin, a former Maryland state official, took the reins from Michael J. Astrue, a Bush appointee, who left in early 2013. She has served as deputy commissioner of Social Security since 2011.
Colvin was a special assistant to the Secretary of Transportation in Maryland from 2009 to 2010. She was the director of the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services from 2003 to 2006. She holds a B.A. and an M.B.A. from Morgan State University.
In a statement, SSA spokeswoman LaVenia J. LaVelle said that Colvin was honored to be nominated" and "looks forward to a swift confirmation process."
AARP Senior VP of Government Affairs Joyce Rogers said Colvin would add an "important voice to the conversation."
“We’re pleased to see that the President has nominated a new Commissioner of Social Security at a time when Social Security faces long term challenges that Congress needs to address sooner rather than later," Joyce said.
Laguna Beach Unified School District board members approved a guitar/ukelele course at Laguna Beach High School next fall during its regular board meeting Tuesday night.
The board voted 5-0 for the elective course that will count toward the high school's fine art graduation requirement or general elective credit, according to a district staff report.
Twenty-three students already had signed up for the class as of Tuesday, said Deni Christensen, the district's assistant superintendent of instructional services.
Students will learn proper playing technique and instrument care, standard notation, chords and symbols. They will also study music theory, key composers, historical context and significant performers.
The $500 for books is covered by the school district's budget while the estimated $6,150 for guitars, ukeleles and tuners will be covered by the Marjorie Nelson Music Trust budget fund, which was bequeathed to the district for music programs and instruments.
Board member Theresa O'Hare questioned whether the $6,000 for 20 guitars and ukeleles, including cases, is too much since some students could bring their own equipment.
"I have run a guitar class, and it won't be a waste," Christensen said. "Less students will bring ukeleles."
Staff will enter into a contract with All City Management Services Inc. to provide a crossing guard for the 2013-14 school year, according to the district staff report.
The district and city will share the $11,000 for the crossing guard, the staff report said. The district would not be liable to All City Management Services for any costs or expenses paid or incurred while the guard performs duties.
School districts are not required to provide crossing guards adjacent to schools, but the district factored in the issue of liability when considering a crossing guard at Thurston.
Cous Cous is a charming 3-year-old Chihuahua mix who resembles a fox, perhaps indicating some Pomeranian in his background.
Gentle and affectionate, this little guy enjoys having his chin scratched and joyfully prances on his walks. He is calm on leash and responds to the "sit" command.
If you are looking for a pet who loves to please, Cous Cous would be the perfect match for you. Already neutered, he is ready to go home now.
Starting Thursday, the adoption fee for our weekly featured pets will be discounted 25% for the entire week, when you mention seeing this announcement. Come visit the Orange County Humane Society, 21632 Newland St., Huntington Beach.
For more information, call (714) 536-8480 or visit http://www.ochumanesociety.com. You are also invited to our special holiday "Santa" events at the Strand in Downtown HB, 1 to 4 p.m. each Saturday from Saturday through Dec. 17.
When a spouse has died, financial decisions are the last thing you want to make but that's when it's most important to pay atten
A loved husband or wife has died. Mourning has just begun, when time stands still and the ache of loss cuts deep.
During this time of grief, the last thing on Earth you want to do is face questions about money, finances and the future, especially if the departed spouse took care of everything financial.
But soon, decisions must be made, plans evaluated. Whether you like it or not, you're the one who will need to address them.
Let's say you steered clear of financial decision making. The prospect of becoming active now, when you're emotionally raw from the loss of a spouse, can be daunting.
And among local financial planners, it is a situation they see all too often with widows of a by-gone era when traditional gender roles kept them out of the fiscal loop.
Spurred by a personal trauma, a Hagerstown financial planner decided to do something to help people carry on after loss.
To shed light on what can be a scary situation for widows, Scott Ford, president of Cornerstone Advisers in Hagerstown, maps out six areas requiring attention in "The Widow's Wealth Map: Six Steps to Beginning Again" (2002).
The book originated from an experience Ford had when his son, born in August 1995, was an infant. The baby was diagnosed with patent ductus arteriosus, a condition where a temporary artery connecting the main arteries of a baby's heart while in the womb does not close after birth.
"It was one of those heart-wrenching, gut-checking moments. If my son at six months old is on (an operating) table, we really don't know how long we'll be here."
So he decided to write a book that focuses on one of six pillars of a balanced life: spiritual, family, health, career, philanthropy and finances.
"The dilemma I see is, typically the males have handled the finances on the investment side of things, the estate planning side of things," Ford, president of Cornerstone Advisers, says. "(Women) may have handled the check writing, bill paying, but didn't participate in the investment side of things and it wasn't usually communicated very well to them."
Not handling financial decisions is a generational problem likely to dissipate over time because with younger couples, both spouses work, have their own retirement plans and each possess at least a working knowledge of finances and investments.
"It's very rare these days when I deal with only half of a married couple where it's something that impacts both of them," Schlichter says.
When he entered the business in 1969, Schlichter estimates that 90 percent of the time he dealt with one-income families. These days, the paradigm has reversed, with 90 percent of his clients relying on two paychecks.
"You still generally find a dominant spouse to some extent," he says, "But now it might be 60-40 instead of 99-1."
Schlichter works with many older clients who had worked with his uncle and father before him. Processing 20 to 40 death claims each year, he says it isn't unusual to see widows haven't followed the money until they are suddenly thrust into the situation.
"In that generation, usually the ladies didn't work and weren't as familiar with those things," Ford says. "And the struggle is a lot of them still don't want to be involved in those things, but they're in a position where they have to be."
As a result, Ford has fashioned a three-stage process he follows with widows to manage money matters:
Vision stage - The first step, taken within a few months of a spouse's death, is a meeting to determine what goals the widow has. Simultaneously, care is taken to make sure immediate bills are paid for.
"It's very easy to make emotional decisions no matter who you are," Ford offers. "Those strong emotional decisions early may turn out to be the opposite of what you want."
For instance, a widow shouldn't decide to self a long-time home right away because down the line she may miss having the warm memories the home could spur.
Implementation stage - After waiting a few months to allow the widow to mourn, Ford says he sits down with her again to put a vision plan in motion.
"It's so important to set up new goals and dreams, and beginning again and having a reason to live and reason to grow," he says. "One of the reasons we have a six-month gap between meetings is because it's going to take a few months for them to figure out their goals and dreams."
Monitoring and review stage - Every six months or year thereafter, Ford recommends revisiting the plan, adjusting it as necessary.
Dan Aufdem-Brinke has long enjoyed Italian food, and he's even delivered his share of pizzas - but now he's got his own slice of the pie.
"I used to work here as a delivery driver, and I've been coming here to eat since I was a kid," he said. "I'm looking forward to the challenge, to working here and to serving the public."
Jim and Sherri Asaro opened the small restaurant at 4 N. Main St. about 22 years ago. The couple shared the "tricks of the trade" with Aufdem-Brinke while training him to take over the eatery during the past five months, he said.
"I am very thankful to Jim and Sherri for this opportunity," said Aufdem-Brinke, who lives in Keedysville with his wife, Stacie, and infant daughter, Kayla.
His restaurant experience is limited to his stints as a pizza delivery driver for Asaro's and a busboy at the South Mountain Inn in Boonsboro, but Aufdem-Brinke has honed his customer service skills in the retail sales industry, he said.
He spent five years in retail management at The Finish Line at Valley Mall and at Francis Scott Key Mall in Frederick, Md., he said.
Owning his own restaurant has been a dream for more than a dozen years. And though Aufdem-Brinke hopes to put his own signature on the pizzeria's dining area, he doesn't plan to change too much of a good thing, he said.
"This is an established business," he said. "I am not changing the ingredients that are used, and I'm keeping the name. People around here are familiar with it."
Eventually, Aufdem-Brinke may expand Asaro's menu, update the restaurant's computer system and give the restaurant a face-lift - including adding outdoor dining - to better serve the business' steadily growing customer base, he said.
"We want to change the dining area eventually. Nothing fancy - just a new look," Stacie Aufdem-Brinke added.
Her husband hopes future expansion will enable Asaro's to accommodate more banquets and parties, he said.
“Seriously ugly,” “cumbersome,” and “error-prone” are words some IBPA members use to describe their systems for tracking and calculating author and illustrator royalties. “We’ve outgrown our spreadsheet method” and “Would love something that brings us into the computer age!” are among the comments from other members eager to learn about software options.
In addition, publishers using QuickBooks for accounting want royalty software that is QuickBooks-compatible.
The cost of new software is most commonly cited as the reason even larger presses stay with outgrown or obsolete systems. A second frequently mentioned reason is time: time to research new software, time to convert, time to train staff, time to troubleshoot.
“Because we have only one author to calculate royalties for, I am able to keep it very basic, simple, and streamlined,” says Kathryn Wallace at T. F. Wallace & Co. in Cincinnati, whose comments are typical of smaller houses. “I track sales in QuickBooks, export them to Excel, and do the calculations in Excel,” she reports.
The cumbersome part, Wallace points out, is recreating the Excel report fields each time: “There is software that will fulfill that function, but since we do only one report twice a year, I can’t justify the expense or the time to set it up and learn it.”
At Pendant Publishing in Grand Junction, CO, Kevin Van Gundy describes his workaround for calculating royalties with QuickBooks: “We set up each author as a credit card, and each title has its own class. The initial advance puts the author’s account in the red, and then as product is sold and royalties earned, we end up owing the author money. So far, so good.”
But, Van Grundy adds, there’s a problem. “Each quarter, sales reports by product and author have to be run manually and individually, and the corresponding sales/royalty figures then have to be entered. With a few dozen authors and a few dozen books, it’s a hassle, not a nightmare. But as we grow, the system will become unwieldy, eventually breaking down into chaos.”
Many publishers complained about inability to tailor QuickBooks for royalty payments, but Dan Poynter of Para Publishing in Santa Barbara, CA, has a simple solution: “Pay on the cover price, not the net, which makes figuring royalties quick and easy.”
Even much larger presses are using spreadsheets, as Richard Sorsky at Quill Driver Books in Fresno, CA, reports. “Unfortunately there is no royalty module to the program written for the company many years ago,” he says, “and so royalties are figured on a spreadsheet monthly. The figures are entered in each sheet for each book by hand, and as you can imagine, it is a bit tedious with 160-plus titles, but we are muddling through. At some point we will have to bring ourselves up to date with much more sophisticated software.”
“We can’t afford a more sophisticated program,” says Joe Taylor at the University of West Alabama’s Livingston Press. “We use My Invoices, which no longer has a royalty control, so what we do is not enter inventory. If we sell a number of books, the program shows minus that many books. It does figure in returns.”
At Simply Read Books in Vancouver, BC, Gillian Hunt says she would welcome a better program: “We use Simply Accounting (a Canadian software package). The inventory module tracks sales according to each title and units sold, and then royalties are calculated manually and entered onto a spreadsheet. A time-consuming process, but we’ve asked around, and there doesn’t seem to be a software program that anyone can recommend without misgivings.”
Sylvan Dell Publishing in Mount Pleasant, SC, continues to use Excel for its quarterly statements to 64 authors and illustrators. “I am able to dump the QuickBooks data for all title revenue and unit sales (since we have escalating royalties based on unit sales), and all quarterly data for author statements are instantly updated,” explains publisher Lee German. “Takes me about three to four hours to get the statements out. A bit primitive, but cheap.”
German is among the publishers who have considered more sophisticated programs such as Acumen, Cat’s Pajamas, and iPUB. Often, people decide against switching because of the ramp-up time and the potential for glitches.
Norman Goldfind at Basic Health Publications in Laguna Beach, CA, reports a relatively smooth transition to a service marketed by Infocrossing, which specializes in royalty accounting and reporting. “At the startup, it required effort to establish the basic format, and to input data for our published titles,” he reports. “Once we provided that information, and my accounting department did an electronic transfer of our prior royalty accounting records, we only needed to input our new title information as we publish, and to modify existing records for address and price changes.”
At Stenhouse Publishers in Portland, ME, which pays royalties to 164 authors for 261 titles, operations manager Elaine Cyr is generally pleased with Cat’s Pajamas. “It does very well for tracking sales and royalties, and the accounting system works well once you get used to its quirks.”
Those quirks? “We’re able to view but not print payment information, which some customers would like, especially at tax time,” Cyr explains. In addition, “the payment application process can be a bit clunky if a customer does not pay enough on the invoice. It requires processing a chargeback, a two-step process.”
Tilbury House in Gardiner, ME, is one of several IBPA members using Acumen. The company calculates royalties for about 120 titles, 100 authors, and 40 illustrators; and publisher Jennifer Bunting says: “We use Aatrix for payroll and Excel for some simple distribution reports, but everything else has gone through Acumen since 1995. After you plug in the royalty information for each new title (royalty rates, escalation clause, subrights, etc.), it will calculate royalties from invoice information automatically and it’s a simple matter to run off the royalty reports and print checks.”
Tilbury House uses the most basic Acumen program on Mac OSX. “We’ve had to upgrade our computer systems periodically to keep up with Acumen,” Bunting notes. “It was expensive to start with, and there’s a monthly maintenance charge, but the tech service is excellent. The tech staff can access your program over the Internet and figure out what needs fixing. It quickly generates a variety of sales and inventory reports and really helps us stay on top of sales information, cost of goods, and operating expenses.”
In short, “It’s an extremely efficient program for a publisher our size.” But, Bunting adds, “it would be overkill for a start-up or a company with a handful of books.”
Acumen also gets positive comments at Rose Publishing in Torrance, CA, and Pariyatti Publishing in Onalaska, WA, although publisher Julie Schaeffer at Pariyatti notes: “While the royalty system is one of the best features of Acumen, it’s not glitch free—you have to double-check the check amounts when automatically creating checks.”
What Acumen costs depends on when it was purchased and how many modules are included. One publisher with 100 titles and 35 authors estimates his initial cost at $20,000 and monthly maintenance at $400. Another, who converted six or seven years earlier, paid about $10,000 and has a monthly fee of $195.
Joggling Board Press in Charleston, SC, is trading the QuickBooks/Excel combination for iPUB. Susan Kammeraad-Campbell, publisher, says she’s convinced iPUB will allow her staff to create quarterly reports much more efficiently. “In addition to keeping track of royalties, the program allows for seamless tracking of shipments and inventory,” she adds.
DashBook is what Mary Shafer has been beta-testing at Word Forge Books in Ferndale, PA. “It seems really good if you’re a PC-based company, but I’m holding out for a native Mac version, because the PC-based version shows up wonky on Parallels, the emulation software that allows Mac users to run PC software,” she reports.
Shafer goes on to give DashBook developer Greg Carrier high marks for service. “I have never experienced such responsive customer service for any other software,” she declares. She’s also impressed by the online tech support, FAQs, and an informative, interactive blog.
Although some publishers who have tested DashBook call it a work in progress and say they are waiting for more progress, Tamara Mazzei at Trivium Publishing in San Antonio has converted to it from AnyBook. “The interface is well designed, and the program itself is easy to use and economical,” she says, noting that “the single-user version costs $249.”
Mazzei also praises the DashBook crew for its speed in adding new features. “I pay some of my authors with PayPal, and DashBook has incorporated the ability to pay directly from the interface: I think that’s brilliant! I can calculate royalties, click a button to email a royalty report, and then click another button to make a royalty payment, and I’m done for that royalty period. You just can’t beat that.”
Some publishers use PayPal, by the way, partly for reasons noted by Penny Weigand, CEO at Bellissima Publishing in Jamul, CA: “My Australian writer prefers to be paid through PayPal because he avoids certain transaction fees. Since I am small, I can accommodate him and save him some money as well. To send money that way costs me nothing.”
“A great program: inexpensive and keeps track of inventory, invoicing, and royalties,” says Tom Edinger at Marshall Publishing and Promotions in Barrington, IL, who previously used Mail Order Manager. “A little complicated to set up, but the customer service and software programming staff are readily available and will customize for customers,” he adds.
“I like the different levels to fit your business needs, and AnyBook can grow with you,” says Jannifer Anderson at ParaMind Publications in Kennesaw, GA, who has been reviewing royalty software programs. “The level I want is the top of the line at $729 for three users, which will give my accountant access to my accounting records to make sure I work the program correctly.”
At start-up Aquila Polonica in Crowborough, East Sussex, UK, principal Terry Tegnazian plans to follow the recommendation of consultant Marion Gropen at last year’s Publishing University and use PubAssist, created by IBPA member Steve Carlson. This program, which started life in 1989 as PiiGS (for Publishers’ Invoice and Information Generating System), is now available in a full single-user edition as freeware called Lyric. It previously sold for $1,495.
Sage Mas 90 is another accounting program that calculates royalties. “We have been very happy with Mas 90—it meets all of our needs for the business, but we are not planning to upgrade it because of the expense,” says Fran Wheeler at SPC Press in Knoxville, TN. Since SPC’s list is small, with 27 active titles and about 15 authors receiving royalties, the company’s accountant has recommended a switch to QuickBooks.
If you’re looking for still another option, here’s one from Joan Liffring-Zug Bourret at Penfield Books: Buy outright instead of paying royalties. “We simplify,” says the Iowa City, IA, publisher. Penfield now pays royalties on only one of its titles, having purchased all rights from the compilers and translators of its other titles prior to or at the time of publication.
“It’s complicated to change horses in the publishing software realm, and I haven’t found anything yet that is both easy to use and glitch-free,” one publisher says.
And don’t expect complete satisfaction, two others warn. “Software programs are all built for accountants, not for real people,” says Eugene Miller at Antelope Press in Dillon, MT. And Roy Carlisle, communications director for the Independent Institute in Oakland, CA, wryly notes : “My last publisher used three different programs, and all of them created problems that everyone seemed to bitch about continually.”
Linda Carlson (lindacarlson.com) writes from Seattle, where she receives royalties for Company Towns of the Pacific Northwest from University of Washington Press.
To handle royalties, you’ll need Professional Level III, which costs $239 or, for a network-enabled program (no workstation limit), $269.
Created in the 1970s, Cat’s Pajamas was purchased in 2007 by Media Services, which had until then offered such publishing software as BookWorks. Cat’s Pajamas is offered with a choice of modules. None calculates subsidiary or foreign rights. It can be purchased as a standalone royalty software program starting at $5,000 to $10,000, or as a complete accounting program starting at $10,000.
This software, also offered by Media Services, can be used via the Internet or installed on your computer system. It handles digital products and sales of fractional content (chapters or other portions of a publication) as well as sales of entire publications for an unlimited number of contracts. The Web-based product starts at about $900 per month for a single user.
Check the Web site for a free 30-day trial of this new software, priced at $249 for a single-user system. The site describes it as having setup wizards that make it easy to use for the nontechnical and those without accounting experience.
Described as “Affordable desktop applications for publishers, packagers and agents,” this is a standalone program that requires you to enter sales data manually or import it from an Excel spreadsheet, CSV files, or another standard format. You can try it free for 30 days. Single-user pricing starts at $1,400 for 200 titles.
Infocrossing is a vendor of royalty calculating and processing services, not a software program, and requires that information be entered and retrieved online. The company offers different levels of service, including cutting checks. Fees depend on service level, number of contracts, and number of processing runs. The base charge is $2.50 per person per contract (in the event of multiple-royalty recipients per contract), and that base fee declines as the number of contracts increases. Processing runs are usually quarterly or semiannual, with a minimum charge of $500 per cycle. There is also a monthly maintenance fee. Robert Lucero, who handles Infocrossing client relations for publishers, cites continuity through publisher personnel changes as one reason to consider outsourcing for royalties.
This start-up’s iPUB software is QuickBooks-compatible and is available online or in-house. Pricing for the I-Pro-hosted program starts at $199 per user per month. Site licensing has a higher one-time fee and an annual maintenance fee. Other installation fees are based on data conversion costs, amount of training, cost of server (for site license), and integration with other services such as e-commerce and EDI. The number of contracts is unlimited.
JAYA is a Web-based enterprise application sold by monthly subscription, with pricing based on how many orders you fulfill each month. Fees start at $15 for 200 orders per month. A free trial is available.
Sage, which also offers the Peachtree program, describes its MAS 90 as a more comprehensive small-business accounting software system. MAS 90 editions are designed for publishers who are migrating from more basic programs such as QuickBooks. Costs start at $3,800 and depend on configuration and number of concurrent users.
Besides the single-user freeware Lyric, Publishers’ Assistant offers Epic, multiuser software for larger publishers, available with a software support agreement for $35 per month. Upper Access publisher Steve Carlson says PubAssist software was designed to handle multiple-royalty authors, trade distributors such as IPG and Midpoint, and royalties that are computed when books are paid for rather than when they are shipped.
This Web-based, QuickBooks-compatible service can handle 10,000 contracts. The base program, which does not handle subsidiary rights, was priced at $12,500 annually in a 2009 promotion that may continue through July. You can try it for three months on a refundable basis.
The ugly American is alive and well, and playing Davis Cup tennis for the United States. Never have I been so ashamed of American athletes, and American fans, as I was watching their disgraceful display last weekend.
We condemned the fans of Mexico and Paraguay for their unsportsmanlike conduct during previous Davis Cup rounds, and darned if we didn't do the very same contemptuous thing. Absolutely inexcusable.
Deputies' Downfall Began With a Videotaped Sting : Crime: Officers were jailed. Drug dealers went free. Credibility was shaken. And the probe is not yet over.
Hathaway to Reopen for Families : Highland Park: Plans call for the former children's home to offer counseling, day care and other services for low-income area residents.
On the night of March 10, 1986, Richie Sandoval entered a boxing ring at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas as the World Boxing Assn.'s bantamweight champion.
When they carried him out on a stretcher about 30 minutes later, he was not only an ex-champion, he was almost dead.
Sandoval, 25, absorbed a fearful beating by Gaby Canizales that night. Canizales knocked Sandoval down five times--three times in the seventh and final round. When three ringside physicians reached him, he wasn't breathing. He was unconscious for 14 minutes.
The Sandoval case is a prime example why boxing promoters should be required to have ambulances present for professional boxing shows.
The subject comes up in California every time a boxer dies as a result of injuries in the ring. It happened last Saturday, when Rico Velazquez of Baldwin Park died about 18 hours after collapsing immediately after a state lightweight championship bout in San Jose.
Velazquez received immediate attention from a ringside physician, but ringsiders agreed the wait for an ambulance was 20 to 25 minutes. The night Sandoval went down in Las Vegas, there was an ambulance parked behind the bleachers, about 150 feet away. Nevada law requires an ambulance for any boxing show at which attendance is expected to exceed 4,000. In California, only a ringside physician is required. Ambulances optional? For pro boxing? Come on, California Athletic Commission, get serious. "That ambulance being right there, that saved my life," Sandoval said the other day.
Dr. Flip Homansky was one of three ringside physicians that night. Recalling the Sandoval scare the other day, and said: "I've worked over 1,000 pro bouts, and that's still the worst thing I've seen in a ring. When I got to Richie, he wasn't breathing.
"He was having a seizure, and anyone having a seizure stops breathing at least momentarily. We cleared his airway (with a plastic breathing tube), and he resumed breathing. He was put into the ambulance quickly, and we had him at the hospital within four or five minutes.
Dan Goossen, who has promoted boxing in Reseda for the last four years, says he has an ambulance parked outside his venue, the Country Club, on fight nights.
"We've had fights there once a month for the last four years, and we've had an ambulance at every show," he said. "I can't understand how promoters who don't have an ambulance on duty can have peace of mind."
Ken Gray, executive officer of the California Athletic Commission, has said that economics is the main reason ambulances are not required. Karen Pointer of Medevac Emergency Service in El Monte said the cost of maintaining a two-person ambulance crew at a 2 1/2-hour boxing show in Los Angeles County would be about $160.
"It probably wouldn't have mattered in Velazquez's case, because he had such a severe brain injury," said Dr. Jeffrey Gutman, who treated the boxer at San Jose Medical Center.
"But in others, it could help. The first step in aiding a boxer who isn't breathing is to clear an airway for him, and, unfortunately, some counties, like Santa Clara County, don't allow paramedics to (insert a breathing tube into the windpipe of trauma patients) for insurance reasons."
Would an on-site ambulance have saved the life of Kiko Bejines, who died in 1983 after a fight in Los Angeles? Or the life of Johnny Owen, who died in 1980 after a fight in Los Angeles?
Poor Mike Tyson. The world sure treats him rough, outside the ring at least. First, the heavyweight champion's sister-in-law finks on him, telling a newspaper reporter that Mike beats her sister, Robin Givens, who is Tyson's wife.
Then Mike tells everyone that his manager, Bill Cayton, is gone. The lawyers talk this over, then have to tell Mike that Cayton not only isn't gone, but that his contract is so ironclad, he's Tyson's manager until 1992.
Mike says he went to a 24-hour clothing store in Harlem. OK, so it just happens to be next door to an after-hours nightclub. He says he was there to pick up a new jacket.
And who does he happen to meet there? A former opponent, Mitch Green. At the sight of Tyson, Green goes into a state of great agitation, screaming something about money Tyson is supposed to owe him.
After more words, the fighters resort to fisticuffs and Tyson breaks his hand on Green's head. This, mind you, not long after it was revealed that Tyson's people last year had to pay $105,000 to settle a case involving an allegation that Tyson slapped a parking lot supervisor in Los Angeles.
Neurological Exam Nearly Costs Forum : Boxing: Raul Perez has to take test three times before getting the chance to fight Gaby Canizales.
TORSHAVN, Denmark — Far from the sun-drenched haunts of package tours, the 18 rugged Faeroe Islands in the North Atlantic cater to the more independent visitor, and that's how the residents of the Faeroe Islands want to keep it.
There are 47,000 Faeroese, and a busy year brings almost as many tourists. Most of them come during the short summer season, June through August, when the days are long and millions of migratory birds screech and swoop around their nests on the towering cliffs.
"The Faeroese don't want a dramatic explosion in tourism," said Tourist Board director Jakup Veyhe. "They've traveled a lot and they're scared by the mass tourism they've seen in areas such as the Mediterranean."
Descended from Vikings who drove out or killed the Irish monks they found here in the 8th Century, the Faeroese have traded their ancestors' reputation for rape and pillage for the security of the Scandinavian welfare state.
But excessive investment in fishing boats, social services and costly roads and tunnels have plunged the islanders, who enjoy home rule under the Danish crown, into economic crisis.
Almost all the Faeroes' export earnings come from fish, and tourism is one of the few alternative sources of foreign currency.
Prime Minister Jogvan Sundstein thinks tourism can help solve the islands' problems. "But facilities are limited," he said. "We don't want to go too fast, and 50,000 tourists in our short season is perhaps enough."
Torshavn has two international hotels with about 160 rooms. Small hotels, youth hostels and camp sites are scattered around the volcanic islands. Some rooms are also available in private homes.
"We only recommend camping for experienced visitors," Veyhe says, noting that Atlantic gales and driving rain can attack with little warning on the stark islands midway between Iceland and Norway.
One positive feature of the Faeroes is the Philatelic Bureau, which since 1976 has issued 200 stamps featuring local themes, the high quality of which has made them a hit with collectors round the world.
"We have 70,000 subscribers who regularly buy our issues," said Edvard Jonsson, the bureau's production and development head. "Stamp sales are the Faeroes' second-biggest export earner," with a net profit of almost $2 million last year.
Jonsson says the stamps, focusing on all aspects of local life and history, bring thousands of letters a year from collectors wanting to know more about the islands they describe.
Dramatic landscapes, Viking handicrafts, the traditional chain dance and the turf-roofed prime minister's office have all traveled the world on Faeroe stamps.
A vacation in the Faeroes is not a casual venture. A 96-year-old law bans the sale or consumption of alcohol in shops, restaurants or hotels, except in private rooms.
Visitors must rely on their duty-free allowance, befriend a Faeroese or order their drink well in advance from the local brewery. Faeroese have a quarterly import allowance, and many visitors join one of the clubs that import and store their rations.
Delicacies include whale and puffin, although supplies of both vary considerably and are seldom found on restaurant menus.
The whale hunt, an old tradition, is limited to the pilot whale, a small but tasty species so plentiful that the International Whaling Commission says it needs no protection.
Schools of whales sighted near land are driven ashore and slaughtered with special knives and the meat divided among the hunters.
"I was called in to divide up the meat and blubber after a killing at the weekend," one businessman said at a recent lunch.
"Each of those who took part received about 145 pounds. I like to freeze some of my share and hang up some to dry in strips. It's very good sliced thinly, like salami, with vegetables."
Ferries, fine roads and even helicopters make it easy to move around the islands, where not long ago fishing villages were accessible only by sea, and then only in good weather.
"More than half our tourists are Danes, not surprising because there are daily flights from Copenhagen and regular ferry services," said Veyhe.
Other Scandinavians are the next most numerous visitors, followed by Germans, their journey simplified by a ferry service from Jutland.
Sarah Steele has a "huge" problem performing a script "I don't believe would happen. As an actress it's very crucial that I actually believe that a character exists."
So the 16-year-old actress, a junior at a private Philadelphia high school, "definitely had my doubts about myself as an actress. Then honestly, with just sheer dumb luck, I got this."
"This" is the role of Bernice, the sweet, overweight daughter of Tea Leoni and Adam Sandler in James L. Brooks' comedy-drama "Spanglish." Steele brings poignancy to her role, especially in her touching scenes with a subdued Sandler. In his "Spanglish" review, The Times' Kenneth Turan describes her performance as "truly winning."
She had to super-size herself to play Bernice. At just 5 feet tall, the petite Steele fluctuates between a size 1 and 2. "I gained probably 15 to 17 pounds," she says. "And then I had my fat suit. It was cotton and spandex. It was pretty comfortable."
Though her father is a doctor who specializes in diet and nutrition, Steele didn't go on a special diet. She bulked up on McDonald's. And she had no problem maintaining her weight.
"The food on set was amazing," she says, laughing. "I was the only actress who could eat it. Everyone else sort of watched their weight."
Steele says she felt it was her duty to do justice to Bernice because few films explore teenage obesity problems.
"You just see all of these movies where the kids are thin, blond and gorgeous and perfect. People can't relate to that. Sometimes I would just put on the fat suit and walk around and people do look at you differently."
She credits Sandler for making her feel comfortable on the set. "Between scenes and stuff he would sit around and talk to me about his high school experience. I honestly felt like I was right back in high school. He made me laugh."
District Justice John Gombosi's office at 402 E. 4th St., Bethlehem, was broken into for the second day in a row, according to Bethlehem police.
Investigator Harold Smith reported the second break-in was discovered when the office was opened for business yesterday morning.
Smith said the intruders entered through the front door and kicked down a second door leading to Gombosi's courtroom, smashing the door frame and causing about $100 damage.
According to reports, a bar was used to pry open the E. 4th Street door between 11:30 p.m. Sunday and 8:30 a.m. Monday.
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