By the end of this season, Robert Pack might be speaking Croatian.

Veteran Teaches Rookie From Seats on the Bench
By LEE JENKINS

Published: December 1, 2003


ACRAMENTO, Nov. 30 — By the end of this season, Robert Pack might even be speaking a little Croatian.

Pack spends almost every game sitting on the Nets' bench near Zoran Planinic, the first-round draft choice from Croatia. As Pack points to the court, showing Planinic how to read a certain defense, Planinic nods earnestly. They had plenty to watch Sunday night against the Sacramento Kings, who lead the league in several offensive categories.

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The Nets selected Planinic because they needed a backup point guard to Jason Kidd, but since Planinic could not learn the offense in training camp and did not know enough English to call the plays consistently, the Nets were practically forced to sign Pack on Nov. 13.

The Nets still view Planinic as Kidd's eventual backup, but he has fallen out of favor with Coach Byron Scott, who publicly chastised Planinic for "not playing hard" and "not playing with any energy" after a home loss to Toronto last week. As a result, Pack was promoted and Planinic was benched for the next three games. Scott said Planinic had dropped out of the point guard rotation and would have to earn back any playing time in practice.

Despite an obvious language barrier, Pack is lending more than a hand to his young competition. He is imparting much of the wisdom he has gained in his 12-year N.B.A. career. When the Nets signed Pack, no one told him that tutoring Planinic would be part of the job. Pack accepted the responsibility on his own, making the ultimate veteran move.

"I try to corner him with no distractions and tell him, `This is what I see you doing; this is what you should be doing,' " Pack said. "He understands everything I tell him. Being a foreign player, it's sometimes hard for him to see the game. So I show him what I see. This is something I've always done because, when I was a young player, I had guys do it for me."

The Nets would have been satisfied if Pack just led Planinic by example. While Planinic is 6 feet 7 inches and can make the game look easy with his ability to pass and score, Pack has remained in the league simply by working it. He applies relentless pressure defense and works tirelessly on the court and off. When he arrived in New Jersey, Pack said he studied game tapes in his hotel room every night to learn the Princeton offense.

After Pack became comfortable with the system, he turned his attention to Planinic, who obviously is not. When Planinic gets confused, he can find Pack for clarification and advice. "It's like when you talk to a friend," Planinic said. "He talks to you about ideas. He tells me normal things that I need to practice. It's not like it's anything spectacular, but it's good."

Scott was pleased with Planinic's performance in early victories over the Knicks and Hawks, but he has also seemed exasperated with the rookie's easygoing demeanor. Pack is significantly more patient with his new protégé, believing Planinic will eventually learn to play with the energy Scott demands.

"Sometimes, when you're younger and not playing well, you don't know why," Pack said. "It can be easier accepting criticism from a teammate than a coach. Effort is learned. If you haven't played that way your whole life, it can be tough. As Zoran goes in this league, he'll see that his intensity level has to be at a certain level all the time. He'll learn to keep his intensity level up from the time he hits the court."

Neither of the backup point guards has seen the floor much recently. With the return of Lucious Harris, Scott is relying on Harris and Kerry Kittles to handle the ball when Kidd is on the bench. Harris has also taken minutes away from Brandon Armstrong, who was in the rotation as recently as last week but has not played since.

The Nets might seek more help from their bench as they complete this exhausting five-game West Coast road trip. After facing the Kings, who started 9-0 at home, the Nets play Monday in Utah, where the Jazz is 8-1.

"It's tough, there's no other way to look at it," Scott said. "This is the hardest part of the trip because of the teams we play."

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/01/sports/basketball/01NETS.html?ex=1070859600&en=103d84c3df1d98f5&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE
 

Croatia faces England, Switzerland, France in 2004

BY ROBERT MILLWARD
Associated Press
Nov. 30, 2003 9:42 a.m.


LISBON, Portugal (AP)— For the likes of Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry and Marcel Desailly, facing English stars like David Beckham and Michael Owen is nothing new.
It is for Jacques Santini.

Defending champion France must play England in next year's European Championship after Sunday's draw put them in the same group along with Switzerland and Croatia.

After beating the French in the Rugby World Cup semifinal on the way to a long overdue world championship triumph with the oval ball eight days ago, England hopes for something similar when its meets at the Stadium of Light in Lisbon June 13.

England hasn't won much at soccer either since the 1966 World Cup and now seeks to beat one of the top two teams in the world or rely on defeating the Swiss and Croats to reach the quarterfinal.

Its best hope is that France, which tossed away its World Cup title last year without scoring a goal, has another off day.

Santini's team qualified for the Euro 2004 finals by winning all its group games. Two weeks ago, it scored a 3-0 victory over Germany in Gelsenkirchen in a friendly.

Yet the French coach, who has impressively restored the good reputation of French soccer after last year's World Cup, doesn't think that Group B will be an easy ride for his talented stars.

"This is a very balanced group we will have to be on the top of our form to get out of it alive," the French coach said.

Arsenal's Vieira, Henry, Robert Pires, Sylvain Wiltord and Pascal Cygan, Manchester United's Mikael Silvestre, Chelsea's Claude Makelele, Marcel Desailly and William Gallas all play in the Premier League. They have plenty of experience against the likes of Owen, Steven Gerrard, Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney. The same applies to Beckham, who was with Manchester United for eight successful seasons before moving to Real Madrid.

They will have to pass that information on to Santini.

"It's going to be an open game, it's going to be an open group and anyone can beat anybody," Vieira said. "It's going to be difficult for us.

"The first three points will be important. We are quite confident in ourselves but we know it will be a difficult game."

Eriksson, who has been England coach for two years, also knows plenty about his opponents.

"The France that you saw in Japan was not the real France and I should think that at Euro 2004 you will see them back at their best," the Swede said.

"If you take their squad as a whole they have the best football players of any side in the competition. With France they don't just have one or two good individuals but many many players who play in all the best leagues across Europe.

"Technically, tactically and physically they are in top form, as they showed against Germany."

While the French and English are favorites to reach the quarterfinal, the Swiss topped their group, losing just one match in eight and beating Ireland 2-0 in their final match.

But that one loss, 4-1 at Russia, doesn't look good on its record and Kobi Kuhn's team will have to lift its game to reach the last eight.

Croatia made it to the finals through the runners up playoffs, beating neighbor Slovenia, and looks nowhere near as strong as when it made it to the World Cup semifinals five years ago.

But the Croats have shown they can perform well in major tournaments, reaching the quarterfinals at Euro '96. Each time they have qualified, they have lost to the eventual winner - Germany at the '96 Euros and France at World Cup '98.

http://www.foxsportsworld.com/content/view?contentId=1904764

European Soccer Championship Cup 2004

England's national soccer team coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, right, gestures while posing by the European Soccer Championship Cup with the coaches of Switzerland, Jakob Kuhn, left, and Croatia, Mirko Jozic following the Euro 2004 final round draw Sunday, Nov. 30 2003, in Lisbon, Portugal. England will play Croatia, Switzerland and France in Group B of the Euro 2004 European Soccer Championship that kicks off June 2004 in Portugal. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

South Carolina started freshmen Iva Sliskovic (Croatia)


Lady Tigers rally to stop USC in overtime thriller

CLEMSON 103, SOUTH CAROLINA 99

BY GENE SAPAKOFF
Of The Post and Courier Staff
CLEMSON--The sizzle of Rivalry Week got off to an early start late Friday night as the Clemson women's basketball team bounced back to down South Carolina, 103-99 in overtime, after blowing a 13-point lead with seven minutes remaining in regulation.

A crowd of 3,423 watched what was a physically and mentally draining season opener for both teams -- perhaps the best game in series history.

"I just think it's our basketball team's determination," Clemson senior guard Julie Aderhold said. "We have a group of girls who aren't going to cow down to anybody."

South Carolina senior guard Kelly Morrone knotted the game, 91-91, with a 3-point shot with three seconds left in regulation to send the game into OT. The Gamecocks took a quick lead in the extra period but sophomore guard Julie Talley dropped a 3-point shot to give Clemson a 96-95 edge, senior forward Lakeia Stokes scored on a putback to extend the lead to 98-95 and South Carolina couldn't get closer.

"This is certainly a tough one for our team," South Carolina head coach Susan Walvius said. "But it's a great opportunity for our team to learn and move forward. We need to win these close games."

Motivated by unusually low expectations for what has been one of the nation's elite programs, the Tigers avenged a 72-58 loss at South Carolina in the season opener a year ago.

"I thought we had more people diving on the floor than we had all last season put together," Clemson head coach Jim Davis said.

Three Clemson players had career-high scoring games: Stokes with 32 points, Aderhold with 24 and reserve guard Kanetra Queen with 13. Talley scored 15 points.

South Carolina, coming off back-to-back 20-win seasons, got a triple-double from senior guard Cristina Ciocan: 22 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds. Morrone scored 21 points and freshman forward Olga Gritsaeva 20.

Clemson was picked to finish seventh in the Atlantic Coast Conference in a preseason media poll and missed the NCAA Tournament last season for only the second time in Davis' 16 seasons as Tigers head coach. But experience paid off Friday night, particularly in the early going; Clemson has four starters back from last season while South Carolina started freshmen Iva Sliskovic (Croatia), Gritsaeva (Russia) and Lauren Simms (Columbia's Spring Valley High School).

Clemson leads the series, 30-19. The Tigers had won seven games in a row against South Carolina before the loss last year.

South Carolina hosts Appalachian State Monday night. Clemson plays Brigham Young at midnight Monday in the first round of the Great Alaska Shootout.

Copyright Š 2003, The Post and Courier, All Rights Reserved.
Comments about our site, write: webmaster@postandcourier.com

Vanja Rogulj (Zagreb, Croatia-Split) grabbing the top spot
 

Virginia Men's Swimming Wins Five Events In Texas A&M Invitational
UVa men in third place; Cavalier women are sixth after second day of competition.

Third-year Michael Raab won the 100-meter butterfly at the Texas A&M Invitational

Nov. 22, 2003

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The Virginia men's swimming and diving team won five events during the second day of competition Saturday (November 22) at the Texas A&M Fall Invitational, which is being held at the Student Rec Center Natatorium. The 11th-ranked UVa men stand in third place after 14 events, while the 17th-ranked Cavalier women are in sixth place.

The Cavaliers have scored 1,400 points and stand in third place in the four-team men's competition. Host and 13th-ranked Texas A&M leads the men's competition with 1749.5 points, while 23rd-ranked Florida State is second with 1,592.5 points. SMU is fourth with 930 points.

The UVa women have totaled 589 points through 14 events and are in sixth place. Eleventh-ranked UCLA leads the women's meet with 1,413 points, while 17th-ranked Texas A&M is second with 1,155. With 1016 points, eighth-ranked SMU is third, followed by 20th-ranked Florida State in fourth place with 915 points and Purdue in fifth (907 points). UVa is sixth with 589 points, while 19th-ranked Notre Dame is seventh with 483 points.


The Cavalier men won four of five individual swimming events and also won the 800-meter freestyle relay during Saturday's finals. Third-year Bo Greenwood (Manakin, Va./Goochland) led a one-two UVa finish in the 400-meter individual medley with a time of 4:17.31. Second-year Fran Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa./Germantown Academy) was runner-up to Greenwood in the 400 I.M. with a time of 4:18.50. Third-year Scott DeMarco (Great Neck, N.Y./Great Neck South) and fourth-year Andrew Pickett (Satellite Beach, Fla./Satellite) also finished in the top eight of the 400 I.M. DeMarco was fifth in 4:31.19, while Pickett placed eighth (4:38.62). Crippen won the 200-meter freestyle as he touched in 1:50.82 and also helped the Cavaliers win the 800-meter free relay. The foursome of Crippen, first-year Stefan Hirniak (Highland Park, N.J./Princeton Day), fourth-year Ian Prichard (Ventura, Calif./Buena), and fourth-year Luke Wagner (Englewood, Colo./Regis Jesuit) posted a winning time of 7:22.15.

In the 100-meter butterfly, third-year Michael Raab (Rockville, Md./Walter Johnson) was victorious as he clocked a time of 54.15. Fourth-year Jon Haag (Ashland, Ohio/Ashland) took the eighth spot in the 100 fly in 56.16. First-year Vanja Rogulj (Zagreb, Croatia/Split) rounded out the Cavaliers' individual event winners, grabbing the top spot in the 100-meter breaststroke with a time of 1:01.25. In the 100-meter backstroke, Wagner was second with a time of 55.12, while Haag placed fourth (56.58).

UVa placed two relays in the top eight of the 200-meter medley relay. The foursome of Wagner, Rogulj, Raab and fourth-year Adam Kerpelman (Lutherville, Md./St. Paul's School) combined for a third-place time of 1:41.44. Haag, Pickett, third-year Chris Cooper (Sparta, N.J./Sparta), and second-year Ethan McCoy (McMinnville, Ore./McMinnville) posted a time of 1:45.34 to finish eighth. In addition to winning the 800 free relay, UVa also had a team place fifth. First-year John Millen (Lilburn, Ga./Parkview), Raab, Greenwood and Kerpelman combined to post a time of 7:37.95.

In the women's competition, Virginia had a pair of swimmers finish in the top eight of the 400-meter individual medley. Second-year Katie Gordon (Winter Park, Fla./Trinity Prep) was third with a time of 4:47.98, while fourth-year Amy Baly (Atlanta, Ga./Marist School) placed fourth in a time of 4:48.18. In the 100-meter breaststroke, first-year Jenny Steiner (Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrence) turned in a sixth-place time of 1:11.83. The Cavaliers also finished fourth in the 800-meter freestyle relay in 8:16.59. Second-year Rachael Burke (Bethesda, Md./Good Counsel), Gordon, first-year Rory Schmidt (Phoenix, Ariz./Arcadia) and third-year Laura Lipskis (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East) each swam legs on the relay.

The Texas A&M Fall Invitational concludes Sunday (November 23).

University of Virginia Swimming & Diving

Copyright Š 2002, Student Advantage, Inc. and the University of Virginia.

Two young Croatians from Split, playing basketball in the USA

Northwestern University Men's Basketball

Vedran Vukusic continues to recover from being sick but had a complete day, finishing with 12 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. Davor Duvancic was also able to reach double figures, with 11 points,

Vedran Vukusic:http://nusports.ocsn.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/vukusic_vedran00.html

Davor Duvancic:http://nusports.ocsn.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/duvancic_davor00.html

Wildcats Even Record With 69-61 Win
Mohamed Hachad steps up to lead a balanced attack with 14 points at Welsh-Ryan Saturday

Nov. 29, 2003

Box Score

Coach Carmody Postgame Quotes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) - Mohamed Hachad scored 14 points Saturday and T.J. Parker added 13 to lead a balanced attack as Northwestern defeated Northwestern (La.) State, 69-61.

Perhaps most impressive about Saturday's win was that the Wildcats were able to break a tight game open despite the fact that senior leader Jitim Young sat much of the second half with foul trouble.

In a game that kept the Wildcat faithful nervous for much of the day, the 'Cats improved to 2-2 on the season. The Demons fell to 1-3.

"We played pretty well toward the end of the first half and during the second half," said NU head coach Bill Carmody. "We only had four turnovers in the second half after committing 14 in the first half. There could have been more tightness to our game."

Northwestern struggled mightily in the first half, and trailed 19-10 midway through the stanza. However, the 'Cats used the free-throw line to chip away at NSU's lead, hitting seven straight foul shots before Parker ended the 15-5 NU run with a three-point basket. Vedran Vukusic ended the half with a nice driving layup, and the Wildcats went into the locker room up 29-26.

Northwestern broke the game open with a pair of three-pointers midway through the second half by Hachad and Vukusic, taking a 46-37 lead at that point. The lead hovered between single and double digits for several minutes after that, but consecutive treys by Hachad and Vince Scott pushed the lead to 65-50 with 4:38 to play.

Northwestern State was able to draw within 67-61 with 1:07 on the clock, but Northwestern held the Demons at bay and iced it with Hachad's final points with 14 seconds left.

"I thought we did OK with Jitim sitting on the bench," said Carmody. "We seemed to run the ball a little bit better than when he was in the game, and other people were making shots."

Vukusic continues to recover from being sick but had a complete day, finishing with 12 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. Davor Duvancic was also able to reach double figures, with 11 points, while Young ended the day with nine -- his first game this season under double digits -- and Evan Seacat had seven off the bench.

Northwestern (2-2) committed 14 turnovers in the first half, but went 12-of-19 from the free throw line while Northwestern State was just 1-of-2 and committed 16 turnovers.

Jermaine Wallace led Northwestern State (1-3) with 15 points and Jermaine Spencer added 13. Clifton Lee also reached double figures for the Demons, with 11 points.

Northwestern will be at Florida State Monday night to tip off the 2003 ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The game is slated for 7 p.m. EST (6 p.m. in Chicago) and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.

Northwestern University Men's Basketball

http://nusports.ocsn.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/112903aaa.html
 

Zeljko Zupic had a team-high 13 points and nine rebounds.

Bulldogs Bite Pioneers, 90-58
Benzel, Zupic each score 13
Nov. 24, 2003

Box Score

SPOKANE, Wash. - Senior forward Zeljko Zupic (Sinj, Croatia) scored 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting, but it was not enough as the Denver Pioneers fell to the No. 16 AP, No. 21 ESPN/USA Today Gonzaga Bulldogs, 90-58, tonight (Nov. 24) in Kennel. Denver falls to 0-1, while the Zags improve to 2-1.

Junior guard Erik Benzel (Spokane, Wash.) hit two early 3-three pointers to give the Pioneers an early 13-6 lead with 15:27 remaining in the first half. The Zags closed the gap, but a free throw by Benzel at the 10:37 mark gave Denver a 24-20 advantage.

"I was really happy the way we came out tonight," Denver head coach Terry Carroll said. "Our foul problems and inability to rebound the basketball allowed Gonzaga to take control of the game. We showed signs tonight of what kind of basketball team we can be."

A lay-up by Bulldog point guard Blake Stepp tied the score at 28-28 with six minutes remaining in the first frame. Cory Violette's 3-point play gave Gonzaga its first lead (34-32), with just four minutes left in the first half. The Bulldog pressure just intensified as the Zags ended the first half with an 11-3 run and a 45-35 advantage.

The Pioneers began the second half just as they did the game, with lots on intensity. Junior point guard Rodney Billups (Denver, Colo.) fed off the intensity and hit a running lay-up to cut the lead to nine (53-41) with 15:15 remaining in the game. Gonzaga came out just an intense, using several Denver mistakes to open up a 61-44 lead on a fade-away jump shot by Adam Morrison at the 12 minute mark.

Two free throws by Ronny Turiaf with eight minutes left in the contest extended the Zags lead to 24 (72-48).Two more free throws, this time by Richard Fox, gave the Bulldogs an 84-52 advantage with 3:44 remaining in the game.

Turiaf led all scores with 21 points. Stepp added 14 and Morrison added 12 for the Bulldogs. Benzel added 13 for the Pioneers.

Gonzaga won the rebound battle, (42-28), including 12 from Morrison. Zupic had nine for Denver.

The Pioneers play the second game of their three-game road trip on Wed., Nov. 26. Denver will face Eastern Washington at 8:45 p.m. MT.


http://denverpioneers.ocsn.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/112403aaa.html

Capacity to re-establish a common system of reference

ZENIT - The World Seen From Rome
Date: 2003-11-28
Navarro-Valls Surmises Why the Media Are So Interested in Pope

Addresses an Academic Gathering in Honor of John Paul II

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 28, 2003 (Zenit.org).- The secret of the media's interest in John Paul II lies in his capacity "to re-establish a common system of reference," according to Vatican press office director Joaquín Navarro-Valls.

Navarro-Valls made that point Thursday during an academic event that the University of the Holy Cross dedicated to the Holy Father for the 25th anniversary of his pontificate.

"Today," Navarro-Valls said, "common systems of reference have disappeared, understood as a general framework of each age in which the words used are placed in a precise context and have meaning."

He was speaking in the capacity of a guest professor, invited by the university's School of Institutional Communication, and not as Vatican spokesman.

"This pontificate has re-created a common lexicon, which did not exist, to offer the Gospel and have the latter accepted," said Navarro-Valls. He gave as examples words such as "soul, family, God, prayer, human love and sexuality."

The speaker also underlined how the Pope with his trips has been able to transmit this system of values and offer his Christian message.

"The Pope offers a religious message, the system of truths and values of the Catholic religion which not only is of interest to the West but to all the world," he added.

Monsignor Rino Fisichella, theologian and rector of the Lateran University, focused on the Trinity as "theological horizon to understand the ministry and magisterium of this Pope."

The monsignor explained that "the Trinity makes visible that God is the center of everything, not man." John Paul II "situates his teachings in the Trinity, which is the foundation of his magisterium and where he always returns."

To understand the Holy Father, "we must always refer to 'Redemptoris Hominis,' the Pope's first encyclical, which contains his programmatic set of ideas," said Monsignor Fisichella.

The homage to John Paul II culminated with the presentation of the book "Giovanni Paolo II, Teologo: Nel Segno delle Encicliche" (John Paul II, Theologian: In the Sign of the Encyclicals), published by Mondadori.

The book comments on all the Pope's encyclicals, which are divided by subjects: Trinitarian, social, ecclesiological and anthropological. Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the Pope's vicar for Rome, wrote the prologue.

http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=45366

"Tutorial" on new FCC rule:

Your cell number, yours to keep

Your cell number, yours to keep
Coming Nov. 24 for cell phone users: better stuff, better prices, better service, better terms.
November 5, 2003: 4:12 PM EST
By Sarah Max, CNN/Money Staff Writer
BEND, Ore. (CNN/Money) ? If the hassle of changing your cell phone number is the only reason you've stuck with your wireless carrier, you might want to start shopping for a better deal.

On Nov. 24, the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) "local number portability" rule goes into effect in much of the country, giving cell phone customers the option of keeping their number when they switch carriers within the same geographic region.
Consumers have waited more than four years for the rule, which has been delayed several times since its initial 1999 deadline. This time, however, the change seems certain.
"The only thing that could stop it now is action in Congress," said Consumers Union policy analyst Adam Goldberg.
"When I wake up on Nov. 24 and it actually happens I'm going to feel really good," he added, while admitting that he won't really believe it until he sees it.
Telephone customers should also feel good. Not only will cell phone users get to keep their phone numbers, they may very well see better rates, terms and service as wireless carriers scramble to compete.
At the same time, customers of old-fashioned wireline phones could also see their rates come down. In certain cases, the rule will allow wireline customers to transfer their numbers to wireless phones, and vice versa.
What's the big deal?
As cell phone customers know too well, you can't take your phone number with you when you switch wireless carriers. Rather than deal with changing phone numbers, many customers stick with their carriers even if the cost is high and the service is sub par.
That may soon change, thanks to portability. The plan's proponents expect these and other benefits to emerge:
Better stuff. New phones, with advanced features and lower prices, are sure to keep coming. Superior gadgetry -- think picture phones -- is an ever-popular enticement.
"We think the market will change quite a bit," said Bill Hardekopf, CEO of CellUpdate.com, a site that compares cell phone plans.
Better prices. Free months or banked minutes may be waved in front of both new and existing customers, along with other financial enticements yet to be invented.
"Come the end of the month you might see some nice incentives for carriers who want current customers to extend their contracts," said Hardekopf.
Better terms. Contracts with steep termination fees are another barrier to dumping a carrier. Carriers could initially roll out longer contracts with higher termination fees, but may compete over the long run by offering fewer binding contracts.
"It's going to be hard for carriers to stick with a system that punishes consumers," Goldberg said. "Consumers just won't accept that."
Better service. The Management Network Group (TMNG) estimates that the turnover of personal cell phone users will jump from about 3 to 20 percent in the next 12 months as a result of portability. To stem that churn, companies will have to be, well, nicer.
Still, cautions Goldberg, "it may take some time for carriers to really understand the new competitive environment."
Cutting the cord at home
Portability could be a boon for all telephone customers.
That's because the rule will also give wireline customers the option of moving their home phone number to a wireless phone, depending on where the wireless carrier is located.

"Right now the FCC is clarifying the limits on wireline-to-wireless portability," said Chris Murray, legislative counsel for the Consumers Union, adding that a decision should come next week. "What I'm expecting is that they'll define the scope to be about the size of an area code."
Once people have the option of switching their home number to a wireless phone (and vice versa), local carriers may have no choice but to lower rates.
"Wireless is the only competitor for local phone monopolies," added Murray. "If the FCC makes it easier for customers to cut the cord, that's our best hope for a competitive local market."
Please "port" my number
While they've been fighting the portability rule, wireless carriers have also been taking steps to comply with the changes.
"The carriers have been very focused on being ready," said Cathy McMahon, an executive for wireless portability at Telcordia, a software company that is handling number switching for seven of the eight largest carriers.
Beginning Nov. 24, consumers in the 100 largest metropolitan statistical areas can request that a new cell carrier "port" their current number. (The deadline for carriers serving the rest of the country is May 26.)
The new carrier will need to validate information with the old carrier and notify a centralized system, but all told, the process could take less than three hours, according McMahon. Wireline-to-wireless transfers, however, could take several business days.


Though Telcordia has been testing the system for more than a year, potential glitches could arise if, for example, customers give inaccurate information about their old plans.
"It's a complex process with lots of systems interfacing with other systems," said McMahon. "There are places where things could go wrong."
What will it cost you? Wireless customers have actually been paying for the change for nearly two years in the form of a local number portability surcharge, typically around $1, levied on their bills.
The FCC has said that carriers can also charge a fee to departing customers who want to port their numbers, though it's likely that new carriers will offer to cover the cost of switching as long-distance carriers often do.

Š 2003 Cable News Network LP, LLLP. A Time Warner Company ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

PIVO

Profesor filozofije je pred razredom, a ispred sebe ima nekoliko predmeta.
Kada je sat poceo, bez rijeci uzima u ruke veliku praznu staklenku od
krastavaca i pocinje je puniti kamenjem promjera oko 5cm. Onda je upitao
studente da li je staklenka puna. Oni su se slozili da je. Profesor onda
uzima kutiju sa sljunkom i nasipa ga u staklenku. Staklenku je malo
protresao i naravno, sljunak je, kotrljajuci se, popunio prostor izmedu
kamenja. Onda je ponovo upitao studente da li je staklenka puna.

Slozili su se da je, uz smijeh.

Profesor sada uzima kutiju sa pijeskom i nasipa ga u staklenku. Naravno,
pijesak je popunio sve ostale supljine.
"A sada" - kaze profesor, "hocu da zamislite da je ovo vas zivot!"
"Kamenje predstavlja vazne stvari - vasu obitelj, vaseg partnera, vase
zdravlje, vasu djecu - sve ono sto bi vas zivot cinilo punim i onda kada
bi sve druge stvari nestale". "Sljunak su sve druge stvari koje su vazne
kao sto je posao, kuca, auto. Pijesak je sve drugo. Sitnice. Ako u
staklenku prvo stavite pijesak, za kamenje i sljunak nece ostati mjesta.
Isto vazi u zivotu. Ako sve vrijeme trosite na nevazne stvari, necete
imati prostora za ono sto vam je vazno. Obratite paznju na one stvari
koje su kljucne za vasu srecu. Igrajte se sa djecom. Nadite vremena da
odete kod lijecnika na kontrolne preglede. Izvedite svog partnera na
ples... Uvijek ce biti vremena za posao, da se kuca ocisti, pozovu
prijatelji na veceru...

Pobrinite se prvo za kamenje, za ono sto je zaista vazno. Postavite svoje
prioritete. Sve ostalo je samo pijesak!"

A onda, jedan student uze staklenku za koju su se i profesor i svi
studenti slozili da je puna i natoci konzervu piva u nju.

 

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Pouka ove price je: Koliko god da vam je zivot ispunjen, uvijek ima prostora

za pivo!!!!