KRAM1

You, my friend, are very generous. You are going above and beyond to help...not only playing, but making not one, but two donations in support. Thanks...cannot tell you how much you are appreciated. And, as we said, it's not necessarily what group is being supported by this event, it is that it supports UNT and the UNT Athletic program. Every dollar raised in support of the Cheer Squad frees up another dollar in the Athletic Dept. budget for scholarships, coaches salaries, etc., etc. Thanks so much...and GO MEAN GREEN! See you at the game!

OK, GMG.com folks, we still need your help in a big way to make our goal in fund-raising for the Cheer Squad through our first ever ANNUAL GMG.COM BB CLASSIC! We have the expenses of the playing shirts and the programs to cover BEFORE we can present the Athletic Dept. with the donation. We are looking to provide a minimum of $1000 in support, and we need your help. The PayPal site here on GMG.com makes donating very easy...but, if you look at the bar you will see we are stuck at $170.00 out of a goal of $500.00. That bar needs to move to the right. I know you get hit up all the time, but if you can manage just $5 or $10 it would help a good deal. We have had some very generous donations that have been mailed to me, so they do not show up in the PayPal bar, but after paying for the shirts yesterday and anticipating the costs for the game day programs, I can see we are a bit behind goal. I will be meeting with the Cheer Squad this afternoon to pick up ad copy and donations that they have worked to obtain, so we are getting closer and closer. But, we are not there as yet. We have our teams set, and it looks to be a fun group...I am not sure about basketball skills, but the group is a good group for sure. Come and and watch the fun! If you can donate, as little or as much as you feel comfortable doing, it will be very much appreciated... The cause is worthy...think of it as helping YOUR UNIVERSITY as it surly will...GO MEAN GREEN! Thanks to all those who have donated, have brought in sponsors and who have signed up to play! IF you have questions or need info, PM me...I can answer your questions...and if you would rather send a check than use the PayPal site, I'll give you the address.

Please take note of the Metzler's BBQ logo on the basketball thread header. Metzler's is the TITLE SPONSOR for our GMG.COM BB Game. If you have never had Metzler's BBQ at one of the local restaurants...give it a try. They are great supporters of UNT and this GMG.com BB game. Great food and cold beer as well. In fact, the Metzler's were at Hot Springs for the recent tournament...great fans, great supporters with both their time and treasure. Please patronize Metzler's BBQ. UPDATE: Game shirts ordered! It's getting closer and closer...it's gonna be fun! GO MEAN GREEN...GO UNT CHEER!

Just some random thinking about what is now developing in Libya. It does appear that the rebels are being beaten back by the government forces. I know it's not over as yet and may turn really ugly before it is, but I was pondering the lack of any real response by the West in this situation, and wondering what others may think of it. It seems to me the West is simply sitting back and allowing this to develop and providing the pro-government forces with all the time they need to put down the revolution. Sure, Libya is a non-player pretty much in the oil-rich Middle East, so that's not much of an issue for the West. But, here we have a nation's citizenry rising up in protest of a tyrant of a dictator, taking up arms in the hopes of overthrowing the dictatorship, and the collective West, led by the Unites States lack of any action, sits on its hands and talks. Is this an opportunity missed? Is it important that the United States and its allies support such movements? Will this be an opportunity lost? Or, is this a case where the US and its allies should do what it is...pretty much nothing? The rebels have been offered amnesty if the lay down their arms. Does anyone really believe that they would be allowed to just "go home" and live peacefully with the same government still in place? Really? If so, I would love to sell you a bridge in Brooklyn. One can almost guarantee retaliation in one form or another...and probably a series of disappearances and sham trials for the leadership of the revolt and "simple" jail, murder and/or torture of the lesser participants. While the US didn't help plan this revolt, is this somewhat akin to the Bay of Pigs disaster where the West simply backed off at the last minute and allowed all the invasion forces to be slaughtered on the Cuban beaches? Is standing by and doing nothing the proper thing to do in this case? I really am beginning to wonder about what the West is responsible for in this whole mess. I know the West cannot "bail out" revolts and intercede in every part of the globe with military force or with material for that matter, but should it simply stand by and watch the slaughter? Pretty big question. And, I know I am glad that I am not the one making the decision. But I do feel for the people of Libya who "caught the fire" of rebellion lit in the area and which was fostered by the citizens of Egypt, and who now have pretty much found themselves abandoned by the West (at this stage of the game anyway). Thoughts? Seems to me the West tells folks "rise up, overthrow your dictatorial leadership, set up a more democratic form of government, embrace freedom" and we will support you, only to sit idly by when the opportunity comes to actually help. How will history judge the actions of the West? Don't know...I have no crystal ball. I only ask the question and ponder the answer. Thoughts?

Autographed football will be on hand for silent bidding...I am still working on trying to get a basketball as well. This is going to be fun!

Thanks for the thoughts Coach V. I am really glad you wrote what a lot of us were thinking. I had more fun watching this team play in Hot Springs than I could have ever imagined. This team has represented the University of North Texas very well and I am as proud as I can be to be part of the great Mean Green Nation. Never ceases to amaze me what some folks can find to complain about, but then, there are just some unhappy people walking around and they seem to find the glass always half-empty. That's their own personal problem. Unfortunately they tend to try to make it some other person's problem as well. Sure, every fan of the Mean green was disappointed at how the final game played out. We all thought the championship was "in the bag", but this is college sports and college kids playing their hearts out and sometimes it just doesn't happen the way you want it to happen. Someone wins and someone loses. That's the nature of the beast we all love (college sports), but at the end of the day for this team and its seniors...well...thanks for the memories. You guys carried yourselves well both on and off the court and I will be forever grateful for all the great times I had watching you guys play. You have done it the old fashioned way...you earned it. I am sure I speak for most of the great Mean green nation when I say...WELL DONE! Go Mean Green!

Hey, Deep, is that the free subscription you get by being a member of the UNT Alumni Association? BTW, I do seem to recall a very big spread on UNT in one of its issues last year...I think there was an ad section where many of the local and state universities had full pages or more. UNT was indeed represented.

Good question...Royce West and Lee Jackson could be front and center on that float. Where was UNT Dallas in all of this?

I was at Pizza Hut Park for Saturday's game against TCU! Great win for the ladies against a local Metroplex rival. And, yes, those horned frogs were none to happy about being beaten by the Mean Green either! Pretty decent turnout for the Mean Green as well. I was happy to see the green in the crowd. I totally agree with Matt...what a great event a "Battle fopr the Metroplex" would be between UNT, SMU, TCU and UTA every year. One can only hope and dream!

WOW! 5-10K UNT Alums in that parade group? Really? How did you come up with that number? That's impressive, indeed. And, to think if those 5-10K would have actually joined the Alumni Association as dues paying members, the Alumni Assoc. may have just had the "free cash" to help sponsor such a parade float. The TOTAL paying membership of the UNT Alumni Assoc. is in the 8000 range...and you say 5,000-10,000 UNT Alums were along that parade route. Just think what might could be accomplished if those alums supported the UNT Alumni Association with as little as the $45 annual dues cost. WOW! A lifetime membership is only $500 ($600 for joint). You don't have to expect to live too many years to make that a great deal...and you can set up a payment plan. Do you go to the parade every year? Are you willing to take up the challenge and be the fundraising and work committee organizer for the event next year? I'm game to help. I know you personally do a lot to support UNT, so I am definitely not calling you out or anything like that...but you seem to have a passion for this event and think UNT should be represented...I do not disagree, but can't step in to be the "front man" for this event. It needs more of a Dallas presence. Can this be done for next year? You say it is $600 plus the cost of the float...if the float isn't too elaborate it sure seems doable to me...what do you say? EDIT: OK, I see I got a -1 for this post. Please do tell me what was worthy of a -1 here? You can PM me if you would like. Please do tell. Did something I wrote land a little too close to home for someone?

This seems to come up every year after the Dallas St. Pat's Day Parade. I wonder if such an effort is worth the time and dollars spent? I wonder how many of the alums watching the parade from UNT are actual dues paying members of the Alumni Association? I would bet that both OU and N. Dame have many many more dues paying members than does UNT. I would also guess that both floats were done by local area chapters and funded by the local area chapters donors. I am, however, simply guessing about that. What I do know is that the UNT Alumni Assoc. is placing its precious few disposable dollars into the construction of the new UNT Alumni Pavilion being built alongside the new stadium. BTW, was TCU, SMU and UTA represented with floats in the parade? Some of this is about resources of both the monetary and personnel variety. Both of which are severely lacking for UNT's Alumni Association. In fact, I am constantly amazed at all the great stuff the Alumni Association is doing these days with such a small budget and small staff. If memberships were to anywhere near represent the alumni base UNT has in the DFW area, such projects as this just might not be that impossible to pull off. I would love to see UNT represented in the parade as I am sure everyone here would. It's just priorities and money and personnel. If anyone wants to take this project on for next year and start a fundraising effort and volunteer committee/workforce I would be happy to participate. I think greenjoe has said he would help as well. Any takers to start the ball rolling as fundraising/committee head?

Just FYI...the teams have been announced for the first ever ANNUAL GMG.COM BB CLASSIC! Go to the blog portion of the game thread and see which team you are on or which team you will be cheering for on the 26th! ALSO...We have an autographed football...autographed by the Mean Green football coaching staff...to auction off (silent auction) at the game and after event party...bids will start at $25...you do not have to be present to win and you do not have to be playing in the game or watching the game to bid. If you want to bid and will not be playing or attending, just let me know your top bid and I will bid for you...I will not go to your TOP unless necessary. BIDDING STARTS at $25 and bids must be increased by a min. of $1.00...all bids must be in round dollars. A bid sheet will be available at the game and after event party...BE THE FIRST to have a UNT Football coaching staff autographed football highlighted by none other than HC Dan McCarney himself! Ok, I don't really know if you would be the first one, but it sounds good so I am going to go with it! PM me if you want me to bid for you during the event...if you are going to be present, please do your own bidding! This is going to be FUN!

UPDATE!!!!! This just in...GMG.COM CLASSIC TEAMS SETY TO FACE OFF ON MARCH 26th. Go to the blog portion of this thread and take a look at the match ups...Let the trash talking begin! BTW...the draft was done in a sealed and padlocked room by "uninterested" parties...as both coaches were unavailable this weekend for the draft. Oh, man...this will make for even more suspense...... Take a look-see...which team are you on? Which team will be victorious in the first annual GMG.Com Classic BB game?????

Really well done brochure. Have to hand it to the Athletic dept. folks. Nicely done...this thing had to cost a pretty penny to create, print and mail. NICE JOB! This should really help folks to understand the process a good bit more clearly. Thanks to the Athletic dept. for getting this in everyone's hands. Big time brochure! I like!

I just knew you'd make it...just waiting until the last second to make me wonder, right? Thanks, Rudy...glad to see you made it! Thanks, see you on the court! I'll work on trying to find that little trampoline thing!

That left hand looks a lot older than that nice looking young lady in the photo. I sure hope she's your daughter or some family friend.

greenminer...definitely agree that there is a fine line to be walked here, and all "sharing/downloading" is not the same. Not even in the eyes of the artists, courts or anyone else for that matter. But, people who do this know exactly what they are doing and why they are doing it. Whether stuff would or would not be purchased is totally beside the point in this discussion. The crux of the matter is that people are stealing intellectual property and that damages the artists and the industry whether or not a few artists think otherwise. I am a big fan of Dave Matthews, but my guess is that when he was first trying to get started and selling few records his ideas of "sharing" might have been a bit different. Now that he is the star that he is, it may not be as big an issue for him...but it still is for the people producing the content and attempting to legally sell it to the public. Far too many people feel that intellectual property is not "real property" as it is simply ones creation...gee, what did that cost? Well, intellectual property is as much "property" as that new BMW you just bought. That intellectual property is the product to the artist as that BMW auto is to Bavarian Motor Works. I would imagine that BMW would take a hard view of people popping into the factory and just helping themselves to a few shiny new BMW's. Yes, I know, interesting analogy, but proper all the same. Anytime one downloads something that would otherwise be purchased, economic loss occurs. It is a very big issue around the world, and it is getting bigger every day. If you are in the music business you have seen the effects first hand I would guess. If not, how about "sharing" that new song you just wrote with someone who then goes out and makes good money on it while you get ZERO? Do you sit back and say, "gee this sharing is great stuff", or do you take the guy to court? I know I am a bit broad in my discussion, but I am simply trying to drive home the point that this stuff is hurtful and it is illegal. The cost is often small when one does it one time, but add that "one time" to thousands and those small costs start adding up pretty fast. I simply think people are way to quick to write this stuff off as "gee, it really doesn't hurt anyone, and those dollar figures really have no basis in the real world". I beg to differ. Study after study shows those loss jobs and dollar numbers to be pretty darn accurate. Theft of intellectual property is not just what one thinks of as "artistic work", but includes knock-off handbags, jeans (well, clothing of all kinds), medicine (were you aware that up to 80% of all medicine in many developing nations tends to be counterfeit? Well, that too is a theft of intellectual property as they use the labeling from legit firms...a company's logo is, indeed, intellectual property. Just food for thought. Nice job with the reply, greenminor. Well done.

If you care to read it...here's a little on the piracy issue. My organization, IPI, is quoted in the study. We have done a good bit of work in this arena. Note the point of 71,060 US jobs lost and $2.7billion in worker's earnings lost. This is not small change. Still think it's "fun" to pirate music, videos, TV, etc., etc.? Try asking one of the 71,060. Pay to play; Is downloading music illegally really stealing? Experts think so BYLINE: By Zobia Chunara, Northside, and Nykia Tanniehill, Walter Payton The battle between the music industry and illegal file-sharing services has been a long struggle that many teens are familiar with. From the crackdown on Napster in 2000 to the recent shutdown of LimeWire in October 2010, the government is slowly fighting back against free consumer access to thousands of unlicensed music files and sharing software. Once regarded as invincible alternatives, even other peer-to-peer sharing sites such as BearShare, Ares, BitTorrent and FrostWire could be in jeopardy. Among the many music lovers who are disappointed are teens, and while some are becoming comfortable with the idea of paying for their favorite song, others are determined to seek out alternative options. Though piracy is an age-old offense, these recent cyber shakedowns stemmed from a variety of factors -- many of them being economic. A digital music study conducted by the entertainment research firm NPD Group concluded that in 2009 alone, U.S. consumers had paid for only 37 percent of all the music they acquired that year. Frontier Economics also recently estimated that U.S. Internet users annually consume between $7 billion and $20 billion worth of digitally-pirated recorded music. Cara Duckworth Weiblinger, vice president of communications at the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) -- a group that represents recording industry distributors in the United States -- says that downloading music illegally is like stealing the artists' work. "File-sharing sites are clearly recognized as platforms that only cheapen music's value and threaten musicians' ability to put food on the table," Weiblinger said. "File-sharing sites ... threaten investment in new bands and they cost musicians their jobs. We believe in music and the rights of musicians to get paid for their work. Paying for music and legal services helps the next generation of talent succeed and reach the public's collective ears." However, Kenwood senior Rachel Smith believes that her money is just as valuable. Smith has already discovered other file-sharing and video-converting websites such as beemp3.com and, like many teens, believes that the rise in illegal downloading resulted from a desire to find a more cost-effective option. "If I paid for all of my music, I would be broke for decades, so I'm pretty much looking out for myself," Smith said. Smith is not alone. According to the Institute for Policy Innovation (IFPI), many other music lovers are guarding their pockets, and thus emptying those of the industry. IFPI reports that 71,060 U.S. jobs and $2.7 billion in workers' earnings are lost each year as a result of global music piracy. If it's still difficult to imagine Lady Gaga crying over a dollar lost to illegal file sharing, Professor Jacqueline Lipton, a professor of Intellectual Property Law at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, suggests that teen users think of the issue as being less about an artist's paycheck, and more about protecting his or her intellectual property. But Lipton thinks that getting teens to understand an artists' right to protect his or her work is growing more difficult in the Internet age. "The problem is that now we have this 'cut-and-paste' society, where you can make immediate digital copies of any song because it's all software code and code can be copied very easily and very quickly, and it can travel very far geographically," Lipton said. "That wasn't possible before the Internet." Katherine Graden, a junior at Northside, believes that the chances of artists putting a permanent end to every illegal digital avenue are nearly impossible. "I think that LimeWire and similar websites are a testament to the teen culture and their determination to have access to all the music they possibly can," Graden said. RIAA also sees no immediate end. "As long as there's Internet, illegal downloading will always be around," Weiblinger said. "There will always be people who think music should be free and will break however many laws to get it. But what we can do as an industry is make sure fans have the best music experience possible by providing convenient, affordable and legal ways to access their favorite tunes." Weiblinger is talking about Internet radio sites such as Pandora, Last.fm and MOG, where fans can stream their music for free. These sites also offer a music discovery element, providing fans the opportunity to hear new music from artists with similar sounds as their favorite bands. However, there's a catch. "If a fan wants to download music and keep it forever, it's likely they'll have to pay at least a few cents for the song itself," Weiblinger said. "Paying to permanently keep songs is one of the ways fans can support musicians and contribute to the investment in new artists." In the meantime, teen music fans are daring to be creative with their options as well -- subscribing to pay-per-month sites like Rhapsody, sharing files through blog interfaces like Tumblr and WordPress, streaming music on sites such as Pandora, Grooveshark and Epitonic, or following Smith's lead with online video converters. However, for other teens, like Graden, the end of pirated digital downloading might be an opportunity to share music in more old-fashioned ways that bring music lovers closer together. "I think the best and most fun way to get new music is to switch iPods for a few weeks with a friend and get a look into different styles you may not have listened to before," Graden said.

Sent mine to you yesterday. Go Get 'em Derrick!

The schedule shows a 2:00PM kick-off at field # 13. I happen to be working the FC Dallas Showcase tournament as a rep for the US Merchant marine Academy's soccer team. I'll be evaluating players for the Academy. Should be able to catch at least part of the action. GO MEAN GREEN!!!!! Beat TCU!!!!!!

As much as some may disagree, this is a form of stealing and it is clearly illegal. It is an infringement of intellectual property rights among other things. The guy obviously knew he was in the wrong or he would not have tried to "cover his tracks". Folks, you may not be aware or you may not care, but this type of activity is really hurting legitimate artists and legitimate businesses. I know lots of people think this thing is fun because they are getting away with something for "free" that they should rightfully be paying for when used, but that is the heart of the problem. This was not a victimless crime, and whether or not you like the idea of "big corporations" wrong is wrong. If you don't think the law is just, work within the system to change it. Until then, try not to be part of the problem. Stealing is stealing any way you want to cut it, and any person of even normal levels of intelligence knows it as such. Now, does the arrest, etc. fit the crime? Maybe, maybe not, but I can tell you from the research and policy work that we do here at IPI on Intellectual property and Intellectual property rights...IT IS A VERY BIG PROBLEM and it actually does financially hurt a lot of people...even people not associated with those big corporations some folks like to see as the root of all evil in the world. My guess, if the programs being downloaded and songs being downloaded "free" were yours and it was a part of the work you did to support your family, you would see it in a bit of a different light. This sort of thing has put many people out of work, cost untold millions in lost tax revenues, etc., etc. That may not be a popular fact with some folks, but is happens to be the truth. Please think about it the next time you or someone you know downloads a "free" song, movie, tv program, etc., etc. that they have obtained in such a manner. It's all part of a much bigger problem, not the laest of which is simple lack of honesty.

Got you down aztecskin...many thanks. GO MEAN GREEN!

Darn spell check...it knew what I meant and screwed me anyway!

Looks like pretty good stuff to me. I cannot wait to see this thing come together. Wow, just fantastic stuff. I had several people recognize my UNT gear at Hot Springs come up to me and mention our new stadium. At the Alumni breakfast on Sunday morning (excellent food btw) we had people coming to our Alumni Association booth to check out the photos and drawings we had on display. Every comment was in the range from "great to awesome", and this was coming from our fellow Sun Belt school's alumni and administrators. Also...you would have been proud of YOUR Alumni Association...by far the best Alumni/school booth at the event that morning! Well done!

Thanks to all who made the trek to Fox and Hound to watch the game last evening. We had a nice crowd of about 27 in the room, and I enjoyed watching with other members of the great Mean Green Nation. Tough loos to take, and it took me about 3 seconds to depart the building after that 3-pointer went in and sealed the deal for UA-LR. Man, that was tough to take, but it was good to see everyone last evening at Fox & Hound. Thanks for making a tough ending to a game "better" by your presence. The Mean Green Nation is awesome and getting more awesome each and every day! Thank you seniors for a great ride! GO MEAN GREEN!