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At around 7 a.m. on Friday in the conference room of an Indianapolis hotel, an NFL representative will flip a specially minted coin with a Carolina Panthers logo on one side and a Miami Dolphins logo on the other.

The winner of that coin flip will pick No.8 in April’s NFL draft. The loser will pick No.9. No matter what happens, both teams will have a chance to get a very good player.

“I think anytime you’re in a coin flip or any kind of competitive situation, you’d rather come up first than second,” Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said. “But if you lose the coin flip, I don’t think there’s a lot of disappointment or panic or anything like that.”

The Panthers and Dolphins must do this because they both finished with the same 6-10 record and their strength of schedule also turned out to be exactly equal. But there’s no guarantee that the No.8 pick will turn out better than the No.9.

Two quick examples: In 2000, Plaxico Burress was picked No.8. Brian Urlacher was No.9. Both have had fine NFL careers. But Urlacher’s has been better even if you discount the fact that Urlacher never shot himself and served jail time on a gun charge, as Burress did.

In 1996, the Panthers picked running back Tshimanga Biakabutuka No.8 and Oakland picked tight end Rickey Dudley at No.9. Dudley ultimately lasted three more years in the league and scored 19 more TDs than the injury-plagued Biakabutuka.

Now it is true that winning the flip will give the Panthers a bit more leverage at No.8 if they ultimately trade the pick away. Sports Illustrated’s Peter King writes: “The difference in one spot on the draft trade value chart – the chart most teams use to divine value when making draft-day trades – between picks that high is 50 points. That’s roughly the equivalent of a mid- to low-fourth-round pick on the chart.”

This got me thinking about coin flips through the years. The Panthers won a big one with Jacksonville back in 1994 to obtain the No.1 pick in the 1995 NFL draft (which they later traded away, choosing Kerry Collins at No.5 overall).

There have been many more important coin flips through the years, in and out of sports. Here are five of my favorites.

5. Hakeem the dream: In 1984, the NBA conducted a coin flip between Houston and Portland to decide which team got the No.1 overall pick. Houston won and picked Hakeem Olajuwon. Portland lost and picked Sam Bowie. But Chicago, who wasn’t involved in the flip at all, really won by picking Michael Jordan at No.3.

4. That’s not quite what I meant: Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck once correctly called an overtime coin flip in a playoff game, then brashly declared, “We want the ball and we’re going to score!” Hasselbeck then threw an interception that Green Bay returned for a touchdown.

3. Heads-Tails: On Thanksgiving Day in 1998, Pittsburgh’s Jerome Bettis called “heads-tails” while the coin was in the air to decide whether the Steelers or Detroit would get the ball in overtime. The coin landed on “tails,” referee Phil Luckett declared Bettis had called “heads” and a controversy ensued. Detroit won the game. That flip led to the NFL rewriting its coin-flip rule – you now have to call the flip before the coin is tossed.

2. Tail of two cities: In 1851, two men founded a large city in Oregon together. One was from Maine and wanted to name it “Portland.” The other was from Massachusetts and wanted to name it “Boston.” A coin flip decided “Portland” as the winner.

1. The Wright stuff: In December 1903, the Wright brothers were oh-so-close to flying. Their aircraft had room for only the pilot, so Orville and Wilbur conducted a coin flip.

Wilbur won. But his attempt on Dec.14, 1903, stalled out, lasted barely over three seconds and wasn’t successful. Orville, the coin-flip loser, ended up going for 12 seconds and 120 feet in Kitty Hawk, N.C., three days later to begin the aviation era with the historic “first flight.”

Whether the Panthers win or lose the coin flip Friday, it won’t matter much. Because as Wilbur Wright could have told you, fate can be as fickle as a flying machine.

See the original post here:
The tail end of coin flips

by Department of Education and Children

The Department of Education and Children recognises the need to create a dynamic and cost-effective Educational system which meets the needs of its students, the community and the developing economic needs of the Isle of Man.

To this end, the Department will be making changes to its provision in order to meet current financial requirements and rationalise its services going into the future.

We have considered all aspects of our expenditure line by line and item by item. We have sought ways to protect and further develop our core responsibility of providing schooling to young people and meeting the needs of the population of the Isle of Man for both Further and Higher Education.
Wherever possible, we have protected core services and those services which are only available through our provision and we have looked for opportunities where alternative provision or providers can meet the need.
However, it must be noted that schools have had no increase in budget again this year and this contributes significantly to Department savings.

Preschool Education

The Department fully understands the educational and social value of Pre-school Education both for the children concerned and for their families.  We have worked tirelessly for many years to improve the quality of Pre-school Education across all sectors.

• The Department currently provides Pre-school Education for between 50 and 60% of children whose families wish to
receive it.  It is not compulsory and not part of the statutory provision nor is it available everywhere on the Island.

• This lack of availability in some areas has been severely criticised by groups and individuals and the Department has long recognised the need to address this issue.

• We are therefore seeking to make very significant changes to Pre-school Education while supporting the quality of that which is provided.

• The Department’s aim, first stated more than 10 years ago, ‘to expand provision when resources and opportunities are available’, will not to be achieved in the foreseeable future and in the current financial climate.  It is therefore necessary to look at alternative methods of delivery.

• To address the issue of equity ability, i.e. to broaden availability, we intend to transfer the provision of the Pre-school year to private and voluntary providers of group care and Education. To this end, the Department will cease to provide pre-school places in its schools from 31 August 2012.

• Part of the funding released from doing this will be used to implement a system which will offer parents a degree of financial support in accessing Nursery Education for their children.  It was agreed by the Council of Ministers that a working group would be established to consider, as a matter of urgency, proposals which would provide a more effective alternative.

• This Pre-school Education will be able to be obtained from any provider which is registered from group care and Education to the age range 3 to 4 years.

• Given that currently our nurseries only take children for a 2 ½ hour slot in the morning or the afternoon, which is often not helpful to working parents, we do not foresee any negative economic impact from this measure. Indeed, the new flexibility will mean that working parents could top up the provision they can obtain through the new system so that their child can be in nursery provision for a full half day enabling them to work part-time.

• Schools will no longer be providing Pre-school Education, areas of the school, formerly pre-school classrooms, will be available for leasing to interested providers. Details will be published in the near future.

Primary Modern Languages

Significant changes were made in 2010/11 to this service and I wish to take this opportunity to thank the staff for their work in attempting to develop a new model.

Unfortunately, at the current time, it is not possible for the Department to support this aspect of learning in the manner which it is currently delivered.  From 1 September 2012, we will cease peripatetic teaching of French in primary schools. However, the Department does keep abreast of current research and development and recognises the important role of additional language experience in brain development and thinking strategies.  We will therefore be supporting our primary schools in offering language experience to children in-house.

Music

The Music Service has a long established role in supporting schools and individuals through instrumental tuition and support for primary schools in developing high-quality music teaching.  We will continue to support fully, the teaching which improves music publishing to all students.  Within the current restraints, it is now necessary to introduce charging for individual and small group instrumental tuition. We are working with the Music Service to develop an appropriate system and scale of charges.

Library and Mobile Library Services

These are two well-established features of provision which it is no longer possible to support through Department of Education and Children funding.  We are, however, hoping to negotiate with local authorities and other bodies to maintain some of this provision. This change is in an early stage of negotiation. However, the provision will cease in its current form at the end of August 2012.  We fully recognise and regret the loss of these services which bring huge social benefits to many, including those living in rural areas of our community.

Student Awards

There are a number of changes to Student Award Regulations which will be placed before Tynwald shortly.  Primarily, these changes, if approved, will maintain Student Awards within the current budget allocation.  This will be achieved by introducing a charge for postgraduate studies, and the fourth and subsequent years of study of undergraduate degrees. In addition, we will be raising the academic bar for students to be eligible for Higher Education award in 2013 from 160 points to 200 (including one grade C).
We will continue to fund three-year undergraduate degrees for all students.
The changes to undergraduate degrees will commence in August 2013 and will not affect any students who have already started their courses.

Bride School

Bride Infant School is earmarked for closure from September 2012. The school has just three pupils of primary school age, two of whom have already indicated their intention to transfer to Andreas Primary School this summer.

Predicted pupil numbers from September 2012 are three pupils in the Reception class (one of whom would be coming from outside the catchment area) and one in Year one. There will be no pupils in Year two.

If the school closes, the children will instead go to Andreas Primary School with which the school was merged in 2005.

Although my Department realises that the envisaged changes will not be popular, we have to play our part in maintaining high quality whilst working to ever tighter budgets. That is the simple reality of the situation.

We need to work more closely with private and voluntary providers, look at the leanest methods of delivery and prioritise services we are statutorily bound to deliver above those we have been able to provide when times were easier
We believe that these savings will help us towards our target budget even though most of them will only affect seven months of the next financial year.  One of the issues we face in Education, is working to the academic year which means that changes made have only 7/12 effects in the first year. Also some savings, most notably Student Awards, will not be fully realised for some years.

-ENDS-

In Other Isle of Man News

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Original post:
Department of Education and Children - Budget Speech

Offshore financial centres will come under continued international pressure to be more open in their affairs, the Isle of Man (Other OTC: MAGOF.PK - news) treasury minister Eddie Teare warned this week in his annual Budget speech

He told the Manx Parliament, the Tynwald there was much “ill informed comment “ about “so-called tax havens” but he expected further international initiatives on tax issues which would affect offshore centres.

He added: “I expect to see in the coming years new approaches to information exchange, new forms of international agreement, additional requirements regarding the ownership of business and investment structures and further pressure for greater transparency. We do not need fear these developments, but we need to be fully aware that they are coming, to continue to participate, to influence the outcome wherever we are able to, and to accept that if there are “rules of the game" which apply to the global marketplace then we will have to follow them “.

The island has already signed Tax Information Exchange Agreements with 25 countries. An agreement with China comes into force in April, and Manx law firm Applebys is opening an office in Shanghai in anticipation of more commercial business from mainland China. The firm is already established in Hong Kong.

The Budget contains only minor tax changes, with tax allowances frozen at present levels, and personal income tax rates unchanged at 10 per cent standard rate and 20 per cent higher rate. However, the very rich will pay a little more tax as the “tax cap”. which limits the amount of income tax paid by individuals. will rise from £115,000 to £120,000 .The amount of extra revenue raised will be only £375,000, which suggests fewer than 100 residents benefit from the tax cap.

The standard rate of company tax remains at zero but the Minister warned of anti-avoidance measures if individuals try to shelter personal income through companies.

Interest and dividends and pensions paid to non-residents, including British expats who hold savings and investments on the island, remain free of Manx tax.

The Manx government is cutting back public spending, after the UK Treasury reduced the Manx share of Value Added Tax receipts, a move which could cost the Isle of Man up to 25 per cent of its tax revenue. Mr Teare said this week that the fall in VAT receipts was not as much as feared, but he is still cutting public spending.

The Isle of Man lost its AAA rating for government debt last year, but it roughly balances its budgets, with an unemployment rate of 2.5 per cent and economic growth this year estimated at two per cent. But its inflation rate is higher than on mainland UK, having peaked last August at 6.8 per cent and currently four per cent.

View post:
Isle of Man must 'prepare for greater transparency'

23 February 2012

The Isle of Man government has announced its 2012/13 Budget, containing several tax measures as part of a rapid consolidation plan aimed at eradicating the territory's debt in the near-term.

Under the Budget, the island's income tax regime in terms of rates and thresholds remains unchanged. The Personal Allowance Credit, an annual payment for those on low incomes, however has been reduced marginally, by GBP200, per eligible taxpayer.

In addition, the National Insurance Employees' primary threshold is to be increased by GBP3 per week, while the upper earnings limit will be increased by GBP20 per week.

The government has also announced a National Insurance Rebate scheme to encourage firms to increase employment. From April 6, 2012, an employer will be able to apply to the Assessor of Income Tax for exemption from having to pay the secondary National Insurance Contributions where certain conditions are met, namely: the employment must be for an employee that has not been connected to the entity in the last two years; employment must last at least twelve months and be for at least 30 hours a week; and staffing levels must exceed that in the previous year. Employers must also be up to date in terms of payment of the payment of Income Tax Instalment Payments and National Insurance Contributions. The scheme is to run for a period of two years.

In addition, following consultation in 2010, the use of Online Tax Services for employers is to be introduced on a transitional basis from April 6, 2012. Employers with more than 100 employees will be required to use the system from April 6, 2012. The first annual online return, for the year ending April 5, 2012, will be due by May 5, 2013. Employers with 10 or more employees will be included from April 6, 2013, and compulsory online filing will be made mandatory for all employers from April 6, 2014.

Tax relief on mortgage and loan interest is to be restricted to the lower tax rate of 10%. Tax relief on maintenance payments is to be abolished, and maintenance received will no longer be classed as taxable income.

The Budget also commits to comprehensive retrenchment across government departments. The government reported that it had already achieved savings worth GBP12m to add to the GBP51m in savings made since 2010-11. Government expenditure will be GBP35m lower than in last year's budget.

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Go here to read the rest:
Isle Of Man Announces 2012/13 Budget

23 February 2012

The Isle of Man government has welcomed the successful application of TWLV for a license to operate a new online bingo site from the island.

The company launched its 'TWLV' offering on January 2012, and it is now open to the public.

Commenting on the launch, Ab Olde-Scheper, Head of TWLV Gaming Ltd, said:

"TWLV offers players an exciting new bingo game with a completely new approach which is refreshingly transparent and has an exceptionally high return, as well as the largest chance of winning compared to any game of chance of its kind."

The company said its decision to select the Isle of Man was because ?the island offers large telecoms capacity, first-class data centres, skilled professionals, world-class regulation and a business friendly and supportive government.?

Alex Downie, the Department of Economic Development?s Political Member with responsibility for e-Gaming, added:

"I am pleased that TWLV Gaming has announced the launch of their novel new website. In addition this showcases the island?s success as a leading jurisdiction for gaming companies due to its excellent reputation in regulation and support. The Isle of Man offers an ideal environment for TWLV to develop its business."

TWLV's decision to form operations in the territory follows closely after the decision of industry leader Playtech which applied for a license in February.

According to the government, operators seeking to establish operations in the territory benefit from a benign and simple tax environment, which offers exemptions from Capital Gains Tax; low personal income tax rates of between 10 and 20% and low betting and gaming duty.

The territory is also UK 'White List' accriedted; is a Tier 1 regulated island; and has a history of stability and security. A number of grants are also available such as government funding of up to 40% towards relocation costs, marketing, hardware and software; and annual government funding of to 50% available for training.

The island also benefits from a highly-skilled workforce; world-class telecoms infrastructure including: two self-hearing rings serving the Isle of Man; 1.2 terra bits capacity 0.02% utilisation; and anti-DDOS attack technology.

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More here:
Isle Of Man Lures Another Gaming Company