Yanni believes size doesn’t matter.
After all, the world’s been his stage. He’s played at the Acropolis, the Taj Mahal, the Forbidden City.
“I put out the same energy; as long as somebody’s watching, you’re putting on a show,” he said. “I think the audience will enjoy smaller [theaters] because you feel like you can touch them. It’s more like you’re playing in your living room and everybody is close to you.”
Fans will have an intimate evening when Yanni brings his “Truth of Touch” Tour to Detroit’s 5,000-seat Fox Theatre for a 7 p.m. concert March 27. Tickets range from $28.50 to $79.55.
Released last month, “Truth of Touch” is the 19th disc of the prolific musician’s career. It’s a return to mostly instrumentals.
“I just went for a more defined, more Westernized, edgier sound on purpose because I liked it; I was in the mood for it,” Yanni said from Florida during a teleconference. “When I was younger, I used to play in rock ‘n’ roll bands. So I let a little bit of the rock player out in a couple songs like ‘Vertigo’ whenever I wanted to kick out a little bit.”
The Grammy-nominated artist has U.S. sales of 11 million discs, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, and 24 million in other countries.

Yanni

Despite the success, there was a time Yanni retreated from the music world.
“Back in ’98, I burned out. We had, between going to India and China for the Taj Mahal and Forbidden City, and producing that video, I think I did something like 120 concerts. And I just ran away,” he said. “I didn’t know if I was going to come back ever. I am an all or nothing type of person.
“It was like let it go, heal yourself, and if music is really your life like you say it is, it’ll be there for you,” he continued. “And that’s exactly what happened. And now I got to a place in my life where I don’t feel as an artist that I have to prove anything to anybody anymore and that gives me a lot of freedom and a lot of relief. So I can do anything I want.”
That creative independence helps keep his music honest.
“With instrumental music, you can’t lie,” Yanni said. “You have to know love, passion, certain emotions that you’re describing. And then you have to be capable of putting those emotions into notes and rhythms and sounds so that the listener can comprehend it or feel it.”
He talked about the tools to make that translation happen.
“The No. 1 element I think, the most important, is melody. The theme, the main theme, is everything, especially in instrumental music because the entire message is dependent on sound, rhythm and melody, not lyrics,” he said. “So if you don’t have a main theme, it’s like, ‘Where’s the beef?’ ”
Yanni knows some unfamiliar with his music may ask that question about him.
“It doesn’t matter if you do rap or you do classical music or you do rock ‘n’ roll, whatever, people are going to like you, hate you, whatever. It’s part of the deal,” he said.
“I know there are people in the audience that don’t want to be there; somebody brought them there,” he said and laughed. “But I know that they’re going to walk away satisfied. … I know they have to be impressed with the virtuosity of the musicianship.”

A CEO, a member of the Tea Party and a union member sit at a table with 12 cookies. The CEO takes 11 cookies, leans over to the Tea Party member and says, “Watch out, that union guy wants some of your cookie.”
It would be funny if it weren’t so damn true. As firefighters and union members, we want to set the record straight on a few myths about Senate Bill 5.
Myth: Binding arbitration is inherently evil
Thirty years ago, Toledo was crippled by a strike of its safety forces. This occurred when management and labor could not reach an agreement on pay and working conditions. From the ashes of that strike, a compromise was born. Safety forces agreed not to strike and the city agreed to submit disputes to binding arbitration.
The term “binding” applies to both sides, not just the city. Many arbitration decisions favor the city, they just don’t make news. The city’s economic status is always included as evidence in arbitrations regarding economic issues. Just because the city doesn’t always win does not make the system wrong.
With police and fire, there is a definitive need for a fair conflict resolution when it comes to safety issues, both for us in the workplace and for citizens. S.B.5 eliminates binding arbitration and replaces it with a system in which City Council replaces the arbitrator. That is not justice; it is like letting your in-laws decide your divorce settlement.
Myth: This legislation will not affect services
In 1960, 140 firefighters responded to 7,884 incidents. In 2010, 103 firefighters responded to more than 52,000 incidents. Motivated by increasing run volume and decreasing manpower, Toledo Fire launched a campaign to create safe and reasonable minimums for firefighters on duty each day. A minimum of 103 prevailed as the base safety manning. By every comparative standard, Toledo Fire has proven 103 is a necessity, not a luxury.
S.B. 5 arbitrarily eliminates safety minimums. This will affect service to citizens. Response times will increase, stations may close. Depending on run volume, your emergency may go on a wait list. Who would want to move here and raise a family, let alone invest and start a business with those problems?
Myth: It is unfair that public employees have pensions
Public workers have a pension system because they are not eligible for Social Security. Just as private employers and employees pay into Social Security, public employers and employees pay into pension funds.
About 20 years ago, the city approached us to start “picking up” our contribution to pension in an effort to stunt the growth of base pay. The percentage pick-up was in lieu of pay raises, the savings being the potential of cost not paid in salary if it had been added to base pay during the long term. For years, these employees agreed to forego pay increases at the city’s request, saving millions in the process.
S.B. 5 makes this practice illegal and voids already-bargained-for payments without compensation for the lost wages.
Myth: This is not an attack on unions or the middle class
If this is true, why does SB5 force 120 firefighters out of the union against their will? Under this law, any firefighter who is a lieutenant or above is forbidden from being in the bargaining unit. If such a person chooses to stay in the union, the bargaining unit is disqualified. What is the purpose of this provision, if not to weaken the union?
No one ever became a millionaire by fighting fires. We are by definition middle-class and this is an attack on us.
Myth: This is the mandate of the people
If this is the will of the people, why subvert democracy? While in Senate committee, both Republicans and Democrats were working to forge a compromise on S.B. 5. When two Republicans expressed concerns with the bill’s fairness, they were removed from the committee and replaced with two senators who quickly voted yes. One was our own Mark Wagoner. Wagoner apparently decided he only represents Republicans in the State Senate, not his entire constituency. Members of the House committee were also switched for the same reasons.
When Wall Street accepted tax dollars as bail-out money, it defended massive salaries and benefit packages. It was argued government shouldn’t set compensation ranges. S.B. 5 sets compensation ranges. It was also argued it was necessary to compensate people well to attract talent. Why does this logic not apply to those who teach our kids, fight our fires and keep our streets safe?
Wall Street types such as Gov. John Kasich argued that bonuses should be paid with bailout money because they negotiated for it and it was contractual. Honoring contracts is the basis of our economic system, they said. S.B. 5 creates a situation where what we bargained for in the past is taken away by law.
S.B. 5 is bad for firefighters and worse for Toledo. Erasing minimum manning will affect citizen safety. Fair and reasonable conflict resolution is necessary. The state should not be allowed to tear unions in half, nullify negotiated contracts and dictate to cities what it can negotiate with its safety forces.

Michael Nicely has been a firefighter for 19 years. He is a paramedic and certified in confined-space rescue. Tom Bartley has been a firefighter for 11 years. He is an EMT, registered nurse, rescue diver and is certified in confined space rescue.

The word “nostalgia” often brings many images of the past that were great moments in time.  For me, it was driving around in my ’56 Chevy enjoying the warm summer air and cruising around the streets of Bryan.  The beauty of “cruising” sure did stand out as a fond memory like many other images from my past.
Mark often remembers the times that his grandmother would walk with him to the corner store and they would share a piece of Chuckles candy together. Sitting together on the front step of the candy store discussing which Chuckles was better, the red or the black? Thanks to this fond memory, Chuckles is the official candy of The Retirement Guys and we always have a box on hand.
Yet, investors should beware of this emotional euphoria, which can cause some people to make poor investment decisions right about now.
We recently interviewed Suze Orman about the American Dream of yesteryear and what the reality of that dream is today. She covers this and many other timely topics in her book, “The Money Class.”
Mark often says, things “ain’t like they used to be,” and boy, he sure hits the nail on the head! For generations, the dream of an enjoyable retirement meant working for a company for a lifetime, counting on a pension, Social Security and a little savings for retirement.

As Orman points out, “The truth is, you must learn to trust yourself. To follow a path that is right for you, to make choices that are realistic for you and your family. Becoming that person requires education, a course of study.”
Here at the Retirement Guys Resource Center, we couldn’t agree  more. Our mission is to educate all Americans on how to be financially self-reliant. Today, after a major decline in traditional defined pension plans, most Americans are left in charge of saving and investing for their own retirement dreams. That responsibility along with a lost decade in the stock market, has now birthed the No. 1 fear among seniors, retirees, and baby boomers: running out of money. They realize that this threat is staring them straight in the face. Getting educated financially will give a retirees the power to eliminate their fear and replace it with a platform of “security and hope” as Orman so smartly points out.
We shouldn’t count on our government to take care of us in the future.  With current national debt levels now topping $14 trillion and future liabilities for interest expense, Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid costs topping $112 trillion by some estimates, our country faces serious financial problems now and in the future. Although these problems seem to be out of control, the consequences could be much higher taxes in the future. What is the solution? Start doing some smart planning now resulting in better control of individual tax situations.
As bad as these debt levels and unfunded liabilities seem, this is a crucial point in time when Americans are, more than ever, in control of their own financial destiny. Instead of relying on the government or a company for a peaceful retirement, you can have more control of your own outcome. In Orman’s new book, “The Money Class,” she tells us to “stand in our truth.”
It is important to rebalance your portfolio before the next meltdown occurs. Forget the benchmark. Instead, set your own thermostat. Standing in your truth means knowing what’s real right now and having a good understanding of your future needs.
Once there is an honest discussion about what your needs are, not about what the “Jones” are doing down the street, then and only then can you create a plan that is based upon what’s essential to your family.
Once a family knows this, they can work to set up a plan — adjust the thermostat, if you will — to make them comfortable and ignore what’s happening down the street at the “Jones’.”
For many investors, looking at their finances from this perspective will be a way, perhaps for the first time, to reach the ultimate financial confidence.

For more information about The Retirement Guys, tune in every Saturday at 1 p.m. on WSPD 1370 AM or visit  www.retirementguysradio.com. Securities and Investment Advisory Services are offered through NEXT Financial Group Inc., Member FINRA / SIPC.  NEXT Financial Group Inc. nor its representatives provide tax advice.  The Retirement Guys are not an affiliate of NEXT Financial Group. The office is at 1700 Woodlands Drive, Suite 100, Maumee. The phone number is (419) 842-0550.

Recently on FOX Toledo, we discussed the potential impact of the natural disasters in Japan on the global economy and financial markets.
At that time, much of the damage from the earthquake, along with the ensuing tsunami and aftershocks, was still being assessed. Based on what we were seeing from early reports, we explained that the economic impact in the United States should actually be relatively muted; that the greatest impact would be felt by those holding investments in companies that have been directly affected.
Obviously this does not include the myriad Japanese who have sadly lost their homes, their businesses or their lives.
We started by explaining that events like those in Japan “don’t shape markets, they shock markets.” However, we also realized that the situation in Japan was and is still fluid, and that consequences could be  different if problems like those we are seeing with the Fukushima reactors continue.

For the most part, what we said then still holds true: We still expect the impact of these events on the global economy and the world’s financial markets to be fairly low. Outside of Japan, we expect that those who will be hurt the most by these events will be those with investments in Japanese companies.
All-in-all, we believe that the vast majority of the decline in the world’s capital markets has been due to fear, not economics. As we said on FOX Toledo, these events have caused many investors to reassess some of the risks in their portfolios. Unfortunately, the fear resulting from the Japan events have caused the U.S. stock markets to give back almost all of their gains for 2011.
As reports continue to come out of the region, it is becoming increasingly clear that Japan’s domestic economy has suffered tremendous blows. These problems will only get worse if the reactor problems continue to worsen, as the time required to rebuild would be extended.
However, even if the reactor problems do spread, we still expect the effects on the global economy to remain minimal. The only exception would be if Japan’s manufacturing capacity is affected, though it has remained mostly untouched so far.
The little impact that has been seen so far on Japan’s manufacturing industry has been due to limited electricity. While the earthquakes and tsunami don’t appear to have hit Japan’s manufacturing center directly, they have damaged both the infrastructure used to get products into and out of the country, and the production of electricity used to manufacture goods.
Though the disasters in Japan didn’t strike industrial plants, they did strike in areas that seemed to have high concentrations of electricity-producing facilities. Already we’re hearing stories of rationing electricity, as well as goods like food, oil, etc. This, in turn, is hurting manufacturing.
There’s another aspect to these events that we didn’t get the chance to cover on FOX: how they further support what we’ve been saying for some time: Manufacturing will return to America.
In our discussion on TV, we did point out that events like those in Japan remind the public of the risks involved in investing internationally. Additionally, they also remind businessmen of the dangers of putting down roots in higher-risk areas.
After all, there’s a reason that you don’t hear about many businesses setting up shop in Colombia, Venezuela, or the Middle East, all areas with significant exposure to political turmoil.
The stories coming out of Japan should also serve to remind business leadership to consider geographic risks, not only as they relate to shipping costs but also the potential for natural disasters. Apart from the potential damage caused by disasters themselves, we are also being reminded of the threat of commercial downtime caused by any ensuing fallout, plus the time required for cleanup before business can return to normal.
It goes without saying that our thoughts and prayers go out to those in Japan who have been so terribly impacted. We can only hope that the problems there do not continue to compound, and that people around the world can learn valuable lessons from this tragedy.

Dock David Treece is a discretionary money manager with Treece Investment Advisory Corp and a stockbroker licensed with FINRA. He works for Treece Financial Services Corp and also serves as editor of the financial news site Green Faucet and as a business commentator for Toledo Free Press. The above information is the express opinion of Dock David Treece and should not be construed as investment advice or used without outside verification.

When we launched the “Education Champions” series in mid-January, we hoped to present a picture of Toledo Public Schools (TPS) that showcased the forest and the trees. It was important to illustrate that TPS has great success stories that triumph in a time of great financial challenges.
We joined forces with the United Way of Greater Toledo and Doni Miller of 13abc’s “Bridges” program to celebrate the work and results of some special and dedicated people.

We have witnessed the impact of the Lucas County Initiative to Improve Birth Outcomes, the social and emotional learning process, the Collaborative Learning and Instructional Pre-school Project, the Stable Families Collaborative, Toledo GROWs and other outside-the-box programs and initiatives.
We have met extraordinary educators who refuse to quit even as they face increasingly difficult conditions and we have seen how they improve lives in demonstrable ways.
Upon publication of the final two “Education Champions” stories on March 27, we hope you will participate in a 48-hour vote at www.toledofreepress.com that will determine which of the highlighted programs will receive a $1,000 grant from the United Way of Greater Toledo at a March 29 reception sponsored by Columbia Gas of Ohio.
Now, one week before the last installment of the original 12-part series, we marvel at how fast time can fly by, and realize that a brief 12-part series is nowhere near enough space to fully explore this topic; scores of readers have nominated people and programs that merit equal attention.
Therefore, “Education Champions” will continue to be a regular feature in these pages as we progress through 2011 and accompany TPS officials on their difficult and unenviable journey.
Other local publications are following our lead by announcing their own education series; that increased attention will further serve to spotlight the ideas and implementations we began back in January, and we welcome their efforts to contribute to the ongoing education conversation.
We owe great thanks to United Way, 13abc, Columbia Gas of Ohio and everyone who contributed to the series so far.
There is a lot to be learned, and when it comes to devoting resources to this crucial topic, we intend to continue to be with those at the head of the class.

Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him at tpounds@toledofreepress.com.

Related story: ‘Trying to return to normal’ by Michael S. Miller

Defiance native Andrew Atkinson has seen two major Japanese earthquakes. He lived through the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake in 1995 and now lives in Nara, Japan, about 400 miles from the areas hit by the recent earthquakes and tsunami.
Atkinson, who was raised in Temperance, spoke with Toledo Free Press via e-mail about his experiences.
“The possibility of an earthquake is always something I think about living here. We have things prepared in case of an earthquake — emergency food and water, sleeping bags, flashlights, portable radio, even an emergency toilet,” he said. “While Nara and the vicinity is relatively calm in terms of an earthquake, we are always, or try to be anyway, prepared in case a big earthquake hits here.”
Atkinson runs a business that offers an English language school, import and retail of English language teaching materials and does Japanese-English translation. Although he said his business has been affected only minimally, he has seen a decline in online sales. Also, no shipments are being accepted for addresses in the Northeast.
“We are worried about aftershocks and what will happen to the nuclear power plant,” he said. “We’re concerned about the potential nuclear power crisis.”
A major difference from the 1995 earthquake, he said, is the huge role social media has played in connecting and sharing information.

Kisenuma city, Miyagi prefecture, Japan. (AP)

“People are using Twitter to share information about news, missing persons, where to get emergency rations and such,” he said.
In the affected areas, people are having trouble getting information because there is still no electricity, he said, so much of their news is coming from sources such as Twitter.
While he said the media is accurately depicting what is happening, the real news for most of those affected is coming from social media.
Thankfully, Atkinson does not know anyone directly affected and his friends who do have friends and family in Tokyo are all safe, he said.
“These people are planning to send food, like rice and other necessities, diapers and baby formula, to their relatives as stocks are short in supermarkets there,” he said. “We just all think it is a horrible tragedy after seeing the same footage [the U.S.] has seen.”
Atkinson said he has noticed that stocks of batteries, bottled water and instant noodles are running low in stores near him as people plan for the possibility of a power outage there.
“A friend told me that flashlights and batteries were all sold out even at larger electronic stores in Osaka,” he said. “Tokyo and Northeastern Japan are experiencing mandatory power outages, but because the electricity is different here in Western Japan (60 mhz to Tokyo’s 50 mhz), we don’t need to worry about conserving electricity.”
Atkinson moved to Japan in 1992 to study art as a recent Japanese art history graduate from the University of Michigan. His brother is Steve Atkinson, the marketing director for TARTA. Andrew was supposed to visit Toledo soon, but he has decided not to for now.
“With the nuclear reactor situation, as well as continuing aftershocks in Kanto (Tokyo), I thought it would be best to stay. Also, I am worried about the safety of my wife and daughter,” he said.
The Japanese people, he said, are grateful for the swell of aid from around the world.
“The people and residents of Japan are very thankful for the support they have received from the U.S. and other countries around the world,” Atkinson said.

Since 1965, a blue water tower has stood as a silent sentinel in Lenawee County’s Raisin Township. It is rusty, empty, and as of March 4, lying on its side on the quickly thawing ground.
The 500,000-gallon tower was brought down to make room for more parking. It looks like a felled prehistoric beast nobly trying to lift itself out of the mud, and as I drive past it each day, I mark the progress of its dismantling. There is no emergency rush to scrap the tower, but it fascinates me to see the effort it takes to clear the land of the 165-foot-tall landmark. Without the blue water tower, the Raisin Township skyline will never be the same; how can the mind make the leap to the survival adjustments facing those affected by Japan’s earthquake and tsunami disaster?

Having seen a week’s worth of photos of the devastation in Japan, I cannot fathom how long it will take to make some of its cities habitable. The punishing earthquakes, aftershocks, tsunami and nuclear crises that ravaged the country made Hollywood’s best digital effects seem feeble and lazy. The crushing water treated boats, cars, homes and lives with fatal indifference.
Upon hearing the news March 11, I checked Facebook to see if two friends who live in Japan were OK. Both of them were, and graciously took the time to answer some e-mailed questions about their experiences.
I met Donald Kerns and Jason Van Meter-Yamada  during my time with the now-defunct Student Union Board at the University of Toledo. They moved separately to Japan after graduating in the late 1990s, at the suggestion of UT Japanese professor Joseph Hara.
Kerns, a U.S. Army veteran, teaches English at a private language school and for seven years has run an English language circle at community centers in Sano City, Tochigi, about 300 kilometers from the heart of the disaster.

Kerns

“I felt the news as it happened,” Kerns wrote. “I was teaching a 3-year-old student when the first quake hit. It was magnitude 6 in our area. I carried her to the parking lot with her family and two Japanese staffers. When it stopped, we returned to the office and turned on the TV. Phones were down, but the 3G service allowed us to use the Internet. I went onto Facebook after the first aftershock.”
Kerns said people immediately went into “survival mode.”
“The convenience stores sold out of bread and pastries first. Instant noodles and ready-to-eat meals were also quick to disappear from shelves. Finding toilet paper is nearly impossible. Batteries and other emergency goods are also scarce,” he wrote. “Gasoline is also limited. Electricity at my home was off for a while. The trains and buses were stopped and the freeway was closed. I had several friends trapped in Tokyo and other areas.
“School lunches were affected; my son’s school let out before lunch. In the south, the school lunches have stopped until the end of the week.”
Kerns has not heard of any rioting or looting.
“Japan is handling this in a very Japanese way,” he wrote. “I do not foresee riots or mobs. Everybody understands and is doing their best to get through to the next day, even those who have lost or are missing someone. Right now, the main concern is about the radiation released from the damaged nuclear plants.”
Kerns said he has no inclination to leave his home.
“I don’t plan on leaving. Unless the nuclear issue becomes very serious, I won’t move within Japan, either,” he wrote. “I do have options if things become difficult. Earthquakes, typhoons and other disasters are nothing new to Japan. This particular disaster is larger in scale.”
Van Meter-Yamada is an English teacher at Interac Nagoya and lives in Seki, about four hours from the major disaster areas.
“We also live in the mountains, so we felt nothing more than a light jumble,” he wrote. “We are close enough to be worried if they have a total nuclear disaster; we could get some radiation no matter what the wind does.”
Like much of the world, Van Meter-Yamada saw the destruction on television.
“I had just come back to school from a field study. I watched the tsunami crash into Sendai live. That one was more than 33 feet high,” he wrote. “It is surreal to see that entire villages and cities are gone, missing half the population or more. It has been making me feel pretty sick.

Van Meter-Yamata

“Japan lost 40 percent of its gross domestic product. That is a lot of jobs, and there are now a lot of homeless. There is no tsunami insurance; those people will be rebuilding from their own pockets. The Kobe quake was about 16 years ago and they still have not recovered financially in any way. That was one city and some suburbs. This is an entire swath of the nation. The economy is already taking a massive blow; banks are kind of going crazy. There were places like local sake breweries, around for hundreds of years, that are now gone. The history is gone. Those were cultural treasures.”
Kerns has adopted his new country’s calm demeanor.
“Just like Ohio has tornado and fire drills, we have earthquake drills and other safety drills,” he wrote, “but the devastating tsunami which jumped the protective barriers was not expected. The nuclear issue was also not expected. For the most part, we are trying to return to normal.”
I am grateful that my friends have been spared the worst and grateful to Facebook for being a vital link to them. Please join me in donating to the earthquake and tsunami victims by visiting www.redcross.org.

Michael S. Miller is editor in chief of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him at (419) 241-1700 or at mmiller@toledofreepress.com.

On Mar. 16 at Savage Arena, senior guard Jessica Williams was facing the sobering reality of playing her last game in a Toledo uniform as Elena Delle Donne’s Delaware squad held a 51-43 lead with 3:15 to play in the Rockets’ first round matchup with the Blue Hens in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament. While former top high school prospect Delle Donne had a game-high 31 points, Williams got the last laugh.

Williams hit a three-pointer with 2:35 left to make it 51-48, then nailed the go-ahead trey with 53 seconds left as Toledo held on for the 58-55 victory.

“As a senior, you always want to keep playing,” Williams said. “Coach [Cullop] always talks about playing every game like it’s our last. That’s basically my mindset. I know I got into foul trouble early, but I put all my energy that I could when I was sitting on the bench into my teammates and told them to keep pushing.”

Williams finished with nine points for the Rockets. Sophomore center and Start graduate Yolanda Richardson led UT with a team-high 14 points and nine rebounds, while freshman guard Andola Dortch had 13 points for Toledo.

“I’m so proud of our team,” Toledo head coach Tricia Cullop said. “The one thing that was probably sickening to us as we left the Eastern Michigan game was to know that their gameplan was to take Naama out of the game and challenge other people to beat them and we didn’t. We didn’t have other people step up. I thought Yolanda tried to step up in the Eastern Michigan game, but she was left alone.

“I thought they did whatever it took to win [tonight].”

Junior guard Naama Shafir finished with eight points and four assists against Delaware, finding many of her teammates for open looks.

“The entire game we talked about how if we penetrate, we have to move and try to be in a spot that we can pass, and they did a great job,” Shafir said. “They were open. They made it easier for me, and they made the shots. It doesn’t matter who makes the shot if we win at the end of the day.”

In the first half, the Blue Hens (20-14) jumped out to an early 6-0 lead by the 17:56 mark after a pair of free throws from Lauren Carra. The Rockets (24-8) countered with a 5-0 run to make it 6-5 after a lay-in from senior forward Melissa Goodall and a trey from Shafir. Junior guard Haylie Linn gave Toledo its’ first lead of the game when her jumper made it 9-8 with 14:07 remaining in the period.

Seven-straight points from Delle Donne gave Delaware a 15-12 advantage by the 11:28 mark, but Richardson responded by scoring six of the Rockets’ next nine points to help Toledo regain the lead and make it 21-19 with 6:12 left before the half. The Rockets outscored the Blue Hens 8-4 from that point to take a 29-23 advantage into halftime.

“I think Yolanda realizes the season’s coming to an end and she can do something about it,” Cullop said. “I was so impressed with her intensity. I thought she fought incredibly hard tonight on the boards.”

Delaware outscored the Rockets 6-5 to start the second half, but Richardson’s bucket from the low block made it 36-29 at the 16:41 mark. Despite good defense from Goodall, Delle Donne responded by hitting a three-pointer on the Blue Hens’ ensuing possession to make it 36-32, then made a difficult jumper off the glass with 13:51 to go to cut UT’s lead to two. Delaware tied the game at the 13:22 mark after a pair of free throws from Danielle Parker, who then made a putback layup with 10:29 left as her team went on a 9-0 run and took a 38-36 lead.

A three-pointer from Williams at the 10:14 mark gave the lead back to Toledo. However, Delle Donne got the and-one on her layup to make it 41-39, the first of nine-straight points she scored as the Blue Hens took a 47-40 lead with 6:28 remaining in the game. Richardson stopped the bleeding when her bucket made it 47-42 at the 6:12 mark, and a trey from Williams made it 51-48 with 2:35 left to go.

Shafir split her free throws at the 2:08 mark to make it 51-49, and Delle Donne knocked down both of hers to give Delaware a 53-49 lead with 2:01 on the clock. Dortch responded by knocking down a three-pointer on the Rockets ensuing possession to make it a one-point game, and Williams followed suit with a trey of her own on Toledo’s next trip to give the Rockets a 55-53 lead with 53 seconds left.

With time expiring, Delle Donne missed her three-point attempt as Toledo won 58-55.

“We had good energy,” Shafir said. “We played good defense on her and then they came back, but we never gave up.”

Toledo will play the winner of the Tennessee Tech (23-7) vs. Auburn (15-15) game on Mar. 19 at noon in Savage Arena.

“I believe… dream work helps us see what amazing gifts are there, just below the surface of ‘manifest content’ and obvious appearance.” – Jeremy Taylor

Dear Lauri,
I was choking on something I drank. When I looked in the mirror, I saw all these veins of blue all over my face. The veins were heavier on the left side than the right. I was freaked out by the veins so I woke myself up. – Nikole 35, Memphis, TN

Lauri: Like a mirror, dreams are a reflection of what’s really going on in our life as well as what is going on within the self. Your dream seems to be showing you that you may have recently choked on your words. Is there something you need or want to say but can’t or didn’t? When a dream draws attention to the face, it usually means there is a reality you need to face. Veins may be a play on words and mean vain. Are you afraid that speaking up may be “in vain?”

Nikole replies: This is too funny. There’s definitely a situation I could’ve handled differently. I could’ve spoken my mind but decided it would be in vain and not worth the trouble. Funny how I missed the literal translation because I was so focused on the color blue. I didn’t explicitly tell someone how I felt about their actions and I just let the friendship end quietly. It wasn’t worth the effort when I looked at it as a whole.

Lauri replies: That may be why the veins were heavier on the left side of your face. Through the dream you were probably “facing” the reality that this issue would be better “left” alone.

Nikole replies: That makes perfect sense. Thanks for making it all so clear.

Lauri Quinn Loewenberg is a certified Dream Analyst, author of “Dream On It” and member of The International Association for the Study of Dreams. She joins The Kiss Morning Show on 92.5 every Tuesday morning at 7:10 analyzing listeners’ dreams. You can visit Lauri at www.thedreamzone.com

Musicians live an uncertain life in a difficult industry. Paul Fuzinski and his band mates have struggled through this rough life and conquered it. Fuzinski recently joined the metal band NightShade and signed a deal with Bullet Tooth Records.

“People say ‘starving artists and musicians’ for a reason,” Fuzinksi said. “We find out about tours five or six months in advance so we’ll get a job long enough to support ourselves for a month on the road, do the tour and blow all the money, come back home and work again. That’s how our lives have been for the last two years.”

Until recently, Fuzinski was the guitarist for the band Blood of the Prophets and was touring the United States with Mobile Death Camp. Their mode of transportation was anything but luxurious.

“We travel by van,” Fuzinski said. “It’s rough. There’s not a lot of sleep and not a lot of showering. Right now there are five people in our band, but before there were seven plus all of our instruments. We had a trailer. But it’s wasn’t easy to get around in cities like New York.”

NightShade’s members plan on traveling a few more miles. After finishing its American tour, the band is flying to Europe to tour more than six countries, including France, the lead guitarist’s home country.

“There is a huge language barrier. Our lead guitarist speaks very broken English so I have to listen hard. I’m going to help him with his English when he gets here in April. He does all the speaking for the entire band, so he’ll have to talk to the people with our label and he’s worried about not being able to say what he actually means,” Fuzinski said.

Other band mates include former Blood of the Prophet members, all of whom Fuzinski had met on the music scene throughout high school and college.

“After we went on tour I never went back to college,” Fuzinski said. “We’ve been playing around the country for the last two years now. It’s grown to be a lot bigger than I expected.”

But Fuzinski doesn’t advise other hopefuls to follow in his footsteps.

“If you really want to do it, it’s going to be awful. If you don’t really want to, you might as well give up early because there’s really no point in blowing all your money. You have to want it more than anything because it’s not easy to make $3,000 and then go out on the road, use it all up, come back home and do it again. It’s a constant process of being broke. If you want to do it, then do it. If you don’t? Then stop. Go to school if this isn’t your thing. But I wouldn’t want to do anything else.”

The release date for NightShade’s album, “Lost in Motion,” is April 19, but fans can preview NightShade on Bullet Tooth Record’s website or catch a concert listed on the band’s Facebook page. NightShade is scheduled for concerts in more than 10 states, and will drive to each.

“It will probably be the same size van,” Fuzinski laughed. “It doesn’t get too spectacular yet.”

By Blair Bohland