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Lawrence Bender went to the University of Maine because he liked its civil engineering program.
While there in the 1970s, he fell in love with dance and became a dancer. But he got his engineering degree too.
Looking back now, Bender says his UMaine experiences — civil engineering training combined with the discipline and artistry needed for dance — were the perfect preparation for what turned out to be his career: Hollywood film producer.
"When I started producing, I realized that all the training I had in college really prepared me," said Bender, 55, whose credits as producer include "Pulp Fiction," "Good Will Hunting" and "Inglourious Basterds." "When you produce, you have one foot in the practical world, the nuts and bolts of things, and that's where the engineering came in. But you also have one foot in the creative world, and that's the dance part.
"The University of Maine gave me everything I needed to do what I do. There's so much stuff out there, and when you're in college, you've got to grab it and absorb it."
Bender, who's based in Los Angeles, will return to his alma mater on Saturday to speak during graduation ceremonies. He'll address graduating students at both the 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. ceremonies at Harold Alfond Sports Arena, located on the UMaine campus in Orono.
He'll also be getting an honorary doctorate of humane letters to go with the bachelor's in civil engineering he earned from the university in 1979.
Bender was chosen as commencement speaker and recipient of the honorary doctorate because he's "performing at the highest levels of his profession" and is "helping to change the world through his art and work," said Daniel Williams, planned giving officer with the University of Maine Foundation and one of the people who recommended Bender.
Williams met Bender when Bender came to Orono for an award in 2009 and was impressed with both Bender's accomplishments and his clear recollections of what his time at UMaine had meant to him.
"I was really struck with his comments about how the university had impacted him, how he was taught to solve problems through civil engineering courses, but he found his artistic side here too," said Williams. "I really thought future graduates should hear his story."
Bender was born in New York City and grew up in New Jersey, where his father was a college history professor and his mother was a kindergarten teacher. In high school, he decided to pursue the very practical career of a civil engineer for very practical reasons — he was good in science and math, his grandfather had been a civil engineer, and he heard there were good jobs available in the field.
So he picked the University of Maine mostly because of its civil engineering program. He had no family in Maine, and hadn't come here to camp or vacation. But he did like the idea that he'd be able to ski nearby in the winters.
While at Orono, Bender still wasn't completely sure what he wanted to do with his life, and he says he was definitely in a period of "self-exploration." A girl he was dating asked him to take a dance class, and he loved it.
Later, a dancer named Arthur Hall came to Orono to teach workshops. Bender became inspired, and took up dance with a passion. He studied dance and worked as a dancer while also finishing his civil engineering degree.
After graduating, he was a dancer with the Ralph Robinson ballet company, and moved to New York City. But after several dance-related injuries, he gave up his dance dreams, moved to Los Angeles and decided to pursue acting instead.
He took acting classes and worked on film sets as a grip and in other low-level jobs. For a while, he thought he was going nowhere.
"I was working on movie sets at that point just to make money, and I remember looking at the producer and thinking, 'That's the guy I want to be'," said Bender. "Once I decided to try it, everything started coming together for me. I had been failing as a dancer and an actor for about 10 years, and I started to understand that all my training had prepared me to produce."
By the time he decided to try producing in the late 1980s, Bender already knew people in Hollywood, including other struggling but talented would-be filmmakers.
He found a horror story set in a grocery store, and raised $100,000 to make it. He got a struggling filmmaker named Sam Raimi (who would later direct such blockbusters as "The Evil Dead," the "Spider-Man" trilogy and "Oz the Great and Powerful") to play one of the lead roles. The film, "Intruder," was a modest success.
The director of "Intruder," Scott Spiegal, introduced Bender to a struggling screenwriter who had some scripts he wanted to try to make into films.
The screenwriter's name: Quentin Tarantino.
"We got together, and he (Tarantino) wrote the script for 'Reservoir Dogs' in about three weeks," said Bender. "I read it. I didn't know anything, but I was blown away. It was amazing. He wanted to make it for $50,000, but I said, 'Let me try to raise some real money to make this right.' "
At the time, Bender was taking an acting class, and his acting teacher got the "Reservoir Dogs" script into the hands of veteran actor Harvey Keitel. Keitel loved it, wanted to be in it, and even paid to fly Bender and Tarantino to New York to audition actors.
"Reservoir Dogs" came out in 1992 and became an instant cult classic, launching both Bender's and Tarantino's long and successful careers. The two would go on to collaborate on many of the films for which Tarantino is best known, including "Pulp Fiction," "Inglourious Basterds," "Jackie Brown" and both "Kill Bill" movies.
But that's only the beginning of Bender's success in Hollywood. He has more than 40 producing credits, including the feature films "From Dusk Till Dawn" (which co-starred Tarantino), "Good Will Hunting," "Anna and the King," "The Mexican" and "Safe," and numerous TV shows and documentaries, including "An Inconvenient Truth" with Al Gore.
In all, Bender's films have received 29 Academy Award nominations and won six.
But Bender will also tell you he's made some duds — or, at least, movies that didn't perform as well as he thought they would. One of these he mentions by name: "White Man's Burden" (1995), with Harry Belafonte and John Travolta.
"The idea was, 'What if America had been settled by Africans and white were the oppressed minority?' We thought we could make something relevant," said Bender. "But there wasn't enough of a story. My lesson there was, story always comes first."
Bender also works to promote various causes. He's made films about some of them, including the threat of nuclear proliferation, environmental protection and sustainability, and the nation of Israel.
He says he continues to live and work the way he did at Orono — being curious about lots of things and trying his hand at many.
"Life is more interesting when you're curious," he said.
Staff Writer Ray Routhier can be contacted at 791-6454 or at:
Twtter: RayRouthier
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Varsity Maine
Cold, wet and welcome: York County soccer teams get back in the game
Dodgers one win away from ending 32-year title drought
Varsity Maine
Monday's high school roundup: Gorham sends Portland to first loss in girls' soccer
Boston Red Sox
Tom Caron: An open letter to Red Sox managerial candidates
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Cheverus girls start fast, win at Waynflete


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Most computers these days will have a grammar check option in their writing program somewhere. (Microsoft Word being the most obvious one.)Wingtear wrote: Oh, I always do that. But English isn't my first language so I do miss stuff. Is there any online grammar check to down load? or did you just mean the ordinary manual one
I expect there will be ones you can download somewhere on the internet, but I wouldn't know where to start looking.

subset: commoncrawl


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- Description
DetailsWhat better way to serve cakes snacks at your next party, than on these vibrant and individual paper plates? Three Tier Cake Themed Disposable Paper Plates measure 9 Inches in diameter & comes in a pack of 6. It is water & heat resistant ,non toxic and can be used for microwave heating. These wonderful paper plates ensure fast and easy party cleanup.


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I have uploaded several shape activities already and you can download activities and smartboard files from the tes website by following this link.
I have also produced progression documents for 2D shapes, 3D shapes, angles and position and movement.
Remember, if you click on the picture, you will access the full document, however the hyperlinks won't work. To download the zipfile, click here (Mediafire) or here (4share):
If you do download the zipfile, be patient it takes a while. You will need to unzip it, open the folder and locate the word document: LT 2D shape, LT 3D shape, LT angles or LT position and movement. Everything hyperlinks from there.
I have attached a step by step guide for unzipping the folder. click here
And here is a great pentomino activity…
- Pentomino
Click on the picture to link to an interactive file from NGFL CYMRU. When I introduced it to my class, I began with this activity:
Children invetsigated all by finding all 12 pentominoes using square paper provided below, then sorted onto Venn diagram: Net of open cube, at last 1 line of symmetry. Finally, they solved the attached puzzles:


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There are no Upcoming Shows listed for this comedian.
Kymedienne always had a funny sense of humor about herself. It was about 1998 that she started to notice that people around her were always laughing. She would encounter different people and situations that humored people from all walks of life. She decided to pursue a comedy career professionally.
She began her comedy career in 2006 at Ontario Improv Comedy Class with the help of her comedy instructors Johnny Dam and Gary Cannon. She performed at the Ontario Improv in front of 300 people. The audience received her well. Kymedienne's true passion and talent is comedy.
In 2008 she started her acting career. She has one of the highest ratings on Tru TV on Operation Repo other television shows The Doctors, 1000 Ways To Die, We the People With Gloria Allred, and she is also in upcoming films the Last Cry and Black Gold in 2012, also she will be appearing in Take 6 Christian R&B group "One" music video which includes Brian McKnight, Lil' Fizz and Mr. Stevie Wonder.
In 2010 is entered the world of radio as Co-Host on the Truth w/ Cocoa Brown Radio Show on Hollywood Outlaw Radio. She also was appointed Guest Relations Manager at
Cocobub Media Productions.
List of Performances: Ontario Improv, Laugh Factory, Comedy Store, Comedy Union, the J Spot, Flappers Comedy Club, the Ice House, Ha Ha Comedy Club, Pechanga, Downtown Comedy Club and many other clubs in the Los Angeles, San Diego Comedy Palaces and Los Vegas area.
Kymedienne's Upcoming Shows
Kymedienne is Known For
|We the People /w Gloria Allred
|Tragedy of a Mother & Son
|Black Gold
|The Last Cry


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Indicative Rate * AU$140 to AU$280
Spend the night with a platypus.
Broken River Mountain Resort is an Eco-tourism establishment based at Eungella National Park in the hinterland of the Whitsundays and about 85 kilometres west from Mackay and is accessible on a sealed road. They aim to provide clean, comfortable accommodation and excellent meals for you whether you are seeking an unforgettable nature based experience or just to relax and rejuvenate in the mountains. The Resort also offers an up to date conference facility for groups of up to 50.
The property is located on a riverbank overlooking a significant platypus habitat and is surrounded by pristine sub tropical rainforest. Accommodation is provided in self contained lodges featuring timber construction and equipped with all the creature comforts most of us have come to expect. The theme continues to the main lodge and restaurant where the emphasis is on uncomplicated dining in a tranquil atmosphere.
Spacious one bedroom unit with ensuite, television, dining area, kitchen with full cooking facilities, log fire burner and deck chairs with garden view.
Open plan studio unit with ensuite, television, kitchenette, oil column heater and deck chairs with rainforest view.
Open plan studio unit with ensuite, television, kitchenette, log fire burner and deck chairs with rainforest view.
Spacious two bedroom cabin with ensuite, television, dining area, kitchen with full cooking facilities, log fire burner and deck chairs with river view.
Note: Information on listed products and services are provided by the operator and were correct at the time of publishing. Rates are indicative based on the minimum and maximum available prices of products and services. Please visit the operator's website for further information. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD).


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Recipe from Matthew Delcoure of Monroe, La.
Total Time: 1 hr 30 min
1 whole chicken
1 can cream of mushroom
1 can cream of chicken
8 oz sour cream
1 stick of butter
1 small onion chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1 box club crackers
1. Boil and debone chicken, and saute onion.
2. Mix soups, sour cream, chicken, onion and broth,set aside.
3. Crumble 1/2 of the box crackers in bottom of pyrex dish.
4. Drizzle 1/2 of the stick butter over crackers, pour in mixture and repeat w/ crackers on top.
5. Bake at 350 until hot.
Yield: 4-6 Servings
Comments: Except for the chicken, this is easy.
*DISCLAIMER*: The information contained in or provided through this site section is intended for general consumer understanding and education only and is not intended to be and is not a substitute for professional advice. Use of this site section and any information contained on or provided through this site section is at your own risk and any information contained on or provided through this site section is provided on an "as is" basis without any representations or warranties.


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Top 10 Tips to Attract Birds to Your Feeders
Try these tried-and-true ways to attracting birds to your birdfeeders.
1. Maintain a four-season habitat. Once you attract birds, don't stop there. Make your yard a neighborhood hub by providing food, shelter and water year-round, even when the weather is warm.
2. Create a comfort zone. Birds like cover, especially near feeders, so plant evergreen trees, bushes, vines or ground covers nearby.
3. Leave a little garden debris in winter. Instead of doing a thorough cleanup in the fall, let the birds enjoy the seedpods, leaf piles, dropped fruit and other natural materials that usually get cleared away weeks earlier.
4. Choose garden plants that make a hearty meal. Seed- and berry-bearing plants will attract hungry birds to your yard. Select plants that peak at different times of year for a long-lasting backyard buffet.
5. Supplement nature's bounty with a variety of foods. Feeders full of seeds, suet and fruit will delight your winged guests. Also, consider hanging different styles of feeders around your garden to boost the appeal.
6. Go nuts! Chickadees, nuthatches, brown creepers and woodpeckers all love peanut pieces. Mix them with seed, or hang a special peanut feeder to attract extra attention. Peanuts in the shell are favorites of blue jays. Watch for fussy jays to pick up several peanuts before choosing just the right one.
7. Add water to your landscape. A clean bird is a comfy bird. If your area experiences winter freezes, switch to an electric or solar heater to warm up your birdbath so birds can stay tidy and have a drink on icy days.
8. Garden green. Once you commit to attracting birds to your backyard, take an eco-friendly approach to garden care by avoiding toxic chemicals. Choose products that are safe for the creatures you'll host.
9. Keep track of your visitors. By observing their comings and goings over the seasons, you'll know what birds to expect and when. You'll also learn about the habits of each of the visiting species. Go one step further by joining a program such as Project FeederWatch, where you'll report your sightings to ornithologists who record bird trends across North America.
10. Get your neighbors involved. Expand birds' local habitat by inviting your neighbors to participate. With additional space, perches and food available, you're sure to welcome more birds to your area.


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Document Type
- Article (1)
- Monograph/Edited Volume (1)
- Doctoral Thesis (1)
- Forschungskolleg (1)
- Hasso Plattner Institute (1)
- Hasso-Plattner-Institut (1)
- Klausurtagung (1)
- Leistungsvorhersage (1)
- Performance Prediction (1)
- Ph.D. Retreat (1)
- Quantitative Modeling (1)
- Quantitative Modellierung (1)
The modeling and evaluation calculus FMC-QE, the Fundamental Modeling Concepts for Quanti-tative Evaluation [1], extends the Fundamental Modeling Concepts (FMC) for performance modeling and prediction. In this new methodology, the hierarchical service requests are in the main focus, because they are the origin of every service provisioning process. Similar to physics, these service requests are a tuple of value and unit, which enables hierarchical service request transformations at the hierarchical borders and therefore the hierarchical modeling. Through reducing the model complexity of the models by decomposing the system in different hierarchical views, the distinction between operational and control states and the calculation of the performance values on the assumption of the steady state, FMC-QE has a scalable applica-bility on complex systems. According to FMC, the system is modeled in a 3-dimensional hierarchical representation space, where system performance parameters are described in three arbitrarily fine-grained hierarchi-cal bipartite diagrams. The hierarchical service request structures are modeled in Entity Relationship Diagrams. The static server structures, divided into logical and real servers, are de-scribed as Block Diagrams. The dynamic behavior and the control structures are specified as Petri Nets, more precisely Colored Time Augmented Petri Nets. From the structures and pa-rameters of the performance model, a hierarchical set of equations is derived. The calculation of the performance values is done on the assumption of stationary processes and is based on fundamental laws of the performance analysis: Little's Law and the Forced Traffic Flow Law. Little's Law is used within the different hierarchical levels (horizontal) and the Forced Traffic Flow Law is the key to the dependencies among the hierarchical levels (vertical). This calculation is suitable for complex models and allows a fast (re-)calculation of different performance scenarios in order to support development and configuration decisions. Within the Research Group Zorn at the Hasso Plattner Institute, the work is embedded in a broader research in the development of FMC-QE. While this work is concentrated on the theoretical background, description and definition of the methodology as well as the extension and validation of the applicability, other topics are in the development of an FMC-QE modeling and evaluation tool and the usage of FMC-QE in the design of an adaptive transport layer in order to fulfill Quality of Service and Service Level Agreements in volatile service based environments. This thesis contains a state-of-the-art, the description of FMC-QE as well as extensions of FMC-QE in representative general models and case studies. In the state-of-the-art part of the thesis in chapter 2, an overview on existing Queueing Theory and Time Augmented Petri Net models and other quantitative modeling and evaluation languages and methodologies is given. Also other hierarchical quantitative modeling frameworks will be considered. The description of FMC-QE in chapter 3 consists of a summary of the foundations of FMC-QE, basic definitions, the graphical notations, the FMC-QE Calculus and the modeling of open queueing networks as an introductory example. The extensions of FMC-QE in chapter 4 consist of the integration of the summation method in order to support the handling of closed networks and the modeling of multiclass and semaphore scenarios. Furthermore, FMC-QE is compared to other performance modeling and evaluation approaches. In the case study part in chapter 5, proof-of-concept examples, like the modeling of a service based search portal, a service based SAP NetWeaver application and the Axis2 Web service framework will be provided. Finally, conclusions are given by a summary of contributions and an outlook on future work in chapter 6. [1] Werner Zorn. FMC-QE - A New Approach in Quantitative Modeling. In Hamid R. Arabnia, editor, Procee-dings of the International Conference on Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Methods (MSV 2007) within WorldComp '07, pages 280 – 287, Las Vegas, NV, USA, June 2007. CSREA Press. ISBN 1-60132-029-9.
Proceedings of the 4th Ph.D. Retreat of the HPI Research School on Service-oriented Systems Engineering (2010)


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By: Agence France-Presse
Three men kidnapped by Islamist militants in the southern Philippines escaped while their captors prayed, dodging bullets as they ran, police said Saturday after a ruse using fake ransom money failed.
The fate of a fourth man who ran off in a different direction was unclear.
The construction workers were taken to the police on Jolo island on Friday, four weeks after being abducted by the Abu Sayyaf group, which is holding more than a dozen other hostages including several foreigners in remote jungles.
The gunmen had received an undetermined amount of cash for the hostages on Thursday, but refused to release them after realising the money was fake, regional police chief Reuben Sindac told AFP.
"While the abductors performed their afternoon prayer, the victims took advantage and (ran) but they were chased and fired upon," Sindac said, citing an official report.
The Abu Sayyaf, blamed for the worst terror attacks in the nation's history, is known to behead hostages unless ransom payments are made.
Sindac said a village official found three of the hostages near the Jolo town of Talipao early Friday, one with a gunshot wound to the head that was not thought to be life-threatening.
The official brought them to the police hours later.
The three told police their fourth colleague had run in another direction and it was unclear if he had escaped or been recaptured by the militants.
Sindac said he did not know who paid the fake ransom money.
The Philippine government as a policy does not pay ransom, and the gunmen are known to negotiate directly with the victims' families or employers.
The militants beheaded two Canadian hostages last year and a German captive in February after ransom demands were not met.
Police said the militants also beheaded seven loggers on the southern island of Basilan last month, during which a Vietnamese hostage was also killed in a gunbattle between his captors and the security forces.
A Basilan-based Abu Sayyaf faction has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and joined up with militants who seized parts of the southern city of Marawi in May.
The militants have withstood a US-backed military offensive in Marawi that has claimed 725 lives and displaced nearly 400,000 people.
President Rodrigo Duterte has imposed martial law across the southern third of the Philippines, including Marawi, Basilan and Jolo, to quell the militant threat.(AFP)


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Create your look, your way, with our gorgeous selection of WINK stacking rings. Modern and petite, keep it ultra simple with a single favourite, or choose a unique combination across multiple fingers to create your own personal style. All rings come gift-wrapped in a beautiful WINK jewellery tin.
Wink Jewellery
This style of ring is a favourite of the modern minimalist who is after something simple and geometric that can be worn every day. Lightweight with a shiny finish, its simple design will feel like your second skin and is the perfect gift for your best friend or girlfriend.
- Sterling silver
- Band width 1mm
- Available in three sizes
- Ships worldwide
- Gift wrapped
- Free shipping within Australia
Also available in rose gold, here: Rose Gold Triangle Ring
Sizing Guide:
Size 6 (USA) = Size L (UK) = Size 52 (Europe) = 16mm (inner diameter)
Size 7 (USA) = Size N (UK) = Size 54 (Europe) = 17mm (inner diameter)
Size 8 (USA) = Size P (UK) = Size 57 (Europe) = 18mm (inner diameter)


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Metallic Lacquer Coconut Bowl
SD01.2 rood metaallak
Regular price
These pots are multifunctional.
These little pots are decorative items that can also be used to store dry food items: sweets, cookies, popcorn, crisps.
Hand-wash with soap and warm water
NOT dishwasher, oven or microwave-proof!
Diameter: 12-14.5 cm
Height: approximately 5.5 cm - Rim thickness: 2 mm
Please take into consideration that every pot is unique.
The dimensions will vary from pot to pot.


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Sign In to access this Webcast
This monthly webcast provides the latest insights from TCB's Economics Team for the Euro Zone as well as the outlook for several of the larger European economies.
As a special topic, this month's Economics Watch offers an economics perspective on the most pressing challenges on the minds of the chief executives who responded to The Conference Board CEO Challenge® 2014. We will discuss what is happening in the European and global business environment and the strategies business leaders are pursuing to meet the challenges they have identified. This webcast also explores productivity and challenges in the light of recent economic developments and medium-term prospects. They will also rely on the latest results from TCB's annual release of productivity growth around the world.
Who Should Attend: Those who are interested in the current economic environment globally, strategy executives, economists, and business professionals.
Charles Mitchell
Charles Mitchell, the executive director, knowledge content & quality at The Conference Board, is responsible for the development of member-generated content and ensuring the objectivity, independence, accuracy, and business relevance of the organization's research. In recent years he h...Full Bio
Rainer Schultheis
Rainer Schultheis is Executive Vice President and Managing Director, International. His previous positions at The Conference Board include executive fellow for the European finance and economics councils; program director of the Asia-Pacifi c CFO Council, the Asia-Pacific Supply Chain Council, an...Full Bio
Kathy Bostjancic
Kathy has extensive experience providing insightful global economic and financial market analysis and forecasts to institutional and retail investors and Fortune 500 business leaders and professionals. She has a deep understanding of U.S. monetary and fiscal policy and its impact on the economy a...Full Bio
Abdul Erumban
Abdul Erumban is an assistant professor at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands and a senior research fellow at The Conference Board. His research centers on the fields of productivity, technological change, structural change, digital transformation, and its impact, globalization, global ...Full Bio


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Mayor's Office
Mayor Chris Beutler today announced that mandatory water restrictions are now in effect for the City of Lincoln due to historically low flows in the Platte River basin Residents are now REQUIRED to follow the designated day schedule for all outdoor watering, including the washing of vehicles:
The City has not issued mandatory water restrictions since 2002. Mayor Beutler said the City reached the decision to implement mandatory restrictions after reviewing the results of new computer modeling on the impact of the reduced river flows. He said City officials also have met with State officials about the City's water rights under its existing permit. That permit designates the amount of water the City is legally entitled to draw from the Platte River basin.
"We do have the legal authority to decrease the amount of crop irrigation upstream to increase the river flows at our wells near Ashland," Beutler said. "But we also realize that agriculture is the economic backbone of this City and of this region, and this is a crucial time for our ag producers. We should not require them to make potentially devastating sacrifices before making further efforts ourselves."
Under the mandatory water restrictions, washing sidewalks, driveways and other paved areas is prohibited. Re-filling or adding water to private swimming pools and wading pools may occur only between midnight and 6 a.m.
The Mayor thanked residents who have responded to the City's our call for voluntary water conservation. On August 3, he lowered the goal for water usage to no more than 60 million gallons a day. Since then, daily water use has averaged about 64 million gallons.
The Lincoln Police Department will enforce mandatory water restrictions. Violators who are convicted may be punished by a fine of up to $500 dollars or up to six months in jail or both. Each day that a violation continues is a separate offense. Violations should be reported to the Lincoln Police Department non-emergency number - 402-441-6000.
"We are encouraging residents to be good neighbors," Beutler said. "If you see someone watering on the wrong day, please consider the possibility that they may not know about the mandatory restrictions or be confused as to the proper days. A friendly reminder may correct the problem and prevent a visit from the police."
City departments and facilities have already implemented water conservation measures. The City is contacting other large government and education partners in Lincoln to encourage cooperation with the mandatory reductions.
"This is one of those times when we must work together as a community to achieve an extremely important goal - the protection of our water supply," Beutler said. "We can have the biggest impact by reducing our outdoor water use. Our Water Management Plan includes additional and more restrictive steps we can take if needed. But I believe the public will respond and help us prevent any more serious restrictions, and bring closer the day when restrictions end."
Those with questions on the water restrictions can contact the Lincoln Water System at 402-441-5918.
The daily usage information, water rates, the City's Water Management Plan and more information on water conservation is available at lincoln.ne.gov.


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Product Description
The 7.62x51 NATO (.308 Winchester) PMAG 10 LR/SR GEN M3 brings GEN M3 technology to the smallest possible magazine size.
Ideal for hunting applications, depending on local hunting laws, and also for states where overall capacity is limited. Perfect for use with a bipod or when shooting off of a pack.
Sales Restrictions
If you live in a state that bans 10 round mags we are deeply sorry to hear it. It is your responsibility to know the laws of your state and adhere by them.
Additional Product Images


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Events submission closed
The events system is currently undergoing maintenance. If you would like to submit an event please visit the Submit an Event page on the Eastern Daily Press website and log in using the details you would normally use. Your event will still be listed on this website.
Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused.


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Bumbalough, Derrick, Heath, Jager, Lomong and Tegenkamp All Expected To Race at the Columbia Last Chance Meet
by LetsRun.com
February 25, 2013
The Columbia last chance meet just got a lot more interesting.
Jerry Schumacher wants his men in a 5000 and it could be record-breaking.
LetsRun.com has learned that many of the top runners that train in Jerry Schumacher's Nike group in Portland – Andrew Bumbalough, Chris Derrick, Elliott Heath, Evan Jager, Lopez Lomong, and Matt Tegenkamp – are all planning on running the 5000 on Friday night at the Armory in New York City. Race time is scheduled for 8:55 pm.
Considering the names assembled and their current fitness (Andrew Bumbalough: 8:13 2-mile at Millrose, Chris Derrick: USA XC victory, Elliott Heath: 4th at USA XC, Evan Jager: 8:14 2 miles at Millrose, Lopez Lomong: 3:51.21 Millrose mile record, Matt Tegenkamp: 3rd at USA XC) as well as past 5000 meter success, (Bumbalough 13:16, Derrick 13:19, Heath 13:26, Jager 13:22 (from 2009), Lomong 13:11, Tegenkamp 12:58), it seems reasonable to ask, "Will the American record of 13:07.15 – which Benard Lagat set at last year's Millrose Games – potentially be under assault?"
It seems possible – although someone needs to be pretty darn track sharp to do it. Thus if anyone was going to do it, we'd say Lopez Lomong is your best bet.
The primary goal of the race is not to get the American record. It's being set up as a race for the guys to get the IAAF 'A' standard of 13:15.00 in the 5000 for the 2013 Moscow World Champs. Dan Huling and Travis Mahoney will pace and the goal is to go through 3000 in 7:55 (13:11.67 pace) so someone would have to ram it down from their to get the AR, particularly if the rabbit hits 7:55 and the field his 7:56-7.
The NYRR is helping kick-in and cover some of the travel costs for the runners.
LetsRun.com is going to try to be there to cover it for you.


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As part of its mission, NEH supports radio, television, and film productions that make the humanities accessible and exciting to tens of millions of Americans. Many of those productions win the nation's most prestigious awards for content and artistic quality, and many become invaluable historical and cultural resources for use in classrooms.
Listed below is a selection of the latest NEH-supported projects. For a complete historical list, see the Endowment's Media Log.
FREEDOM RIDERS This award-winning two-hour documentary, which appeared on PBS in May 2011 as part of the American Experience series, depicts the frightening and moving story of the hundreds of Americans who risked death in mid-1961 to challenge segregation on public transportation in the deep South. (VISIT WEBSITE)
THE PANAMA CANAL First aired on television in late January 2011, this 90-minute film shows how – at a cost of 5000 lives and $350 million – the canal finally connected the Earth's two biggest oceans and reinforced America's international stature in the early 20th century. (VISIT WEBSITE)
ROBERT E. LEE This two-hour program, which had its premiere January 3, 2011 on the American Experience series, depicts the Confederacy's greatest general's rise to heroic stature and his much longer battle with his own heritage and conscience. (VISIT WEBSITE)
PARIS: THE LUMINOUS YEARS Much of what we think of as "modernism" in art, music, dance and literature was shaped by the exuberant creativity of Picasso, Chagall, Hemingway, Diaghilev, Duchamp and more. A lavishly illustrated overview of the period aired on PBS in December 2010. (VISIT WEBSITE)
THE BUDDHA The life story of Siddhartha Gautama, who became the supreme Buddha ("awakened one") two and a half millennia ago, is enduringly fascinating. It is retold in a production by award-winning filmmaker David Grubin which was first shown on PBS in April 2010. (VISIT WEBSITE)
The Media Log contains descriptions of more than 800 past projects supported by NEH, including The War, Ken Burns' prize-winning 14-hour series on World War II, numerous other acclaimed documentaries including The Great Depression, The Civil War and FDR, numerous biographies of American writers and a host of presentations on the arts, society, politics and culture.


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Canadian Miniatures
Ring homepage
25 sites out of 33
Wood'n Bits
Woodturnings and furniture for the discerning collector
Jane Staples - Paintings in Miniature
Paintings in miniature, equestrian art, half Scale, (˝" to the foot)miniatures
The Little Dollhouse Company
A Fantastic Miniature Shop in Toronto,Canada.Features our own line of dollhouses at amazing prices.
"Wendy's Wee Woolies"
Handcrafted miniature needle felted and crochet thread bears, cats, rabbits and other animals as well miniature knitted and crochet doll clothing and accessories. Free patterns available.
My Miniature Market
handcrafted polymer clay art dolls in a victorian era market setting
Montacute Miniatures
Porcelain by Debbie Burville
Fay-vourite Crafts & miniatures co.
We specialize in quality Judaica miniatures, creating a wide range of items, from food to ritual accessories, life-cycle, and holidays, flowers/plants and kits
Designer of miniature doll kits, dressed dolls, sewing & knitting patterns, molds for miniatures, ceramic pieces
Victoria miniLAND
Everything you need for your dollhouse or miniature setting.
MiniCreations Online Miniature Sales
Dollhouse and accessories online sales
ShoeString Miniatures
We represent a number of very talented miniaturists from Canada and elsewhere. We are also proud to introduce our own line of original 1:12 scale laser cut dollhouse furniture and custom finished furniture.
White Mantle Miniatures
Affordable 1/12" scale furniture, foods, flowers and other dollhouse accessories.
Maple Leaf Miniatures
Wedding Cakes, wood and acrylic turnings, hand crafted, corian table tops
Mini Square
Mini Square is a concept of an imaginary mall which represents a smaller scale of a real life shopping mall. Each level (or floor) represents a department. Here you will find houseware, furniture, stationary, foods, gifts, pet supplies and more.
Lesley's Garden - Miniature Plants
1/12 & 1/24th scale miniature plants and stoneware pots designed by a professional garden designer for landscape designers, dollhouse collectors, or as special gifts for gardening friends. Named varieties are our speciality.
Danielle Perry Miniatures
Full Service Store and website for quality miniatures
Grandpa's Doll House
Full service dollhouse & miniature store featuring dollhouses, kits, miniatures, accessories, workshops, artisan originals, building, landscaping and lighting supplies. New stock arrives weekly!
Ladybug Miniatures-Dollhouse Furniture
Unique handcrafted 1" & 1/2" Miniature Dollhouse Furniture by miniaturist Lorraine Cosburn
weeGems offers you miniature jewellery and adornments in full one-twelfth scale. Charles Becker works with the love, passion and spirit his profession has to offer.
Keenderson Miniatures
We build one-of-a-kind dollhouse furniture and room boxes for the miniature enthusiast, specializing in Federal and Modern styles. Our pieces use traditional cabinetry techniques for a miniature world.
Kay's K9s: Miniature Needle Felted Dogs
Handmade miniature needle felted dogs (and cats!), created in 1:12 scale by Artist K. Turple. Commissions accepted - have a miniature version of your pet created today!
Country Classic Miniatures & Dollhouses
A dollhouse miniature store located in the Bayfield Mall, in Barrie, Ontario, Canada.
Maia's Twinkle Miniatures
Unique handcrafted dollhouse miniature accessories: paper dolls, music boxes, Twinkle Magnets, doll's dolls and OOAK.
Kingsford Miniatures
Manufacturers of 28mm pewter figures.
Westwinds Miniatures
Artisan miniature hats, dressed mannequins, miniature carnival masks, hand- painted miniature accessories and exquisitely accessorized miniature furniture.
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Isabelle Scheltjens
Isabelle Scheltjens - Faustine (SML)
Glass Mosaic
119 x 90cm
Interested in art from a young age, Isabelle Scheltjens studied Decorative Arts and Crafts in Antwerp. Inspired by her husbands glass work she started to learn the technique.
After years of intense practice and stacking countless pieces of coloured glass to refine her method and truly mastering colour theory; she now uses a pointillism, glass-fusing technique where by pieces of glass in different colours, sizes and textures are melted together resembling the dots of paint used by pointillist painters. This forms an abstract image up close, yet a dramatic and precise portrait from a distance.


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State vs John Sheedy et al
State vs John Sheedy et al
This is an image of page 208 from Criminal Complete Record, Volume D of the Lancaster County District Court for the case of the State versus John Sheedy et al.
- NSHS No.: RG207-D-208
- Collection: Nebraska State Historical Society Manuscript Series 5
- Nebraska State Historical Society
Sheedy, John [Narrative] [Brief Biography]
Home • Explore the City • Spatial Narratives • Interpretation and Narrative • Comments?
Guides and Resources • Archive of Documents • About the Project
Directed by Timothy R. Mahoney, Plains Humanities Alliance, in collaboration with the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities.
Funded by the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities, the Nebraska Humanities Council, and the Plains Humanities Alliance.
© 2007–2008, University of Nebraska–Lincoln


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By DAVID GREEN
Fayette village council members voted Thursday to repeal the ordinance requiring fences around swimming pools, but the approved an ordinance amendment to tighten limitations on off-road vehicles on private property.
Only Ruth Marlatt and Mike Maginn voted against the repeal of the fence requirement. Julia Ruger, Jerry Gonzales, Ken Delphous and Paul Shaffer voted for the repeal.
Shaffer explained his voted by saying that even though the ordinance requires a fence five feet in height, a fence could actually be open at the bottom or in poor condition below the required height.
Only Gonzales vote against an amendment to add all-terrain vehicles to an existing ordinance that prohibits the operation of snowmobiles on private and public property without the permission of the property owner.
"We have a problem?" he asked village administrator Amy Metz.
Metz confirmed that there have been complaints of operation on private property, and she added that the police chief recommends the amendment.
It was mentioned that golf carts are legal in the village providing they have lights and turn signals. However, they can't be operated on private property without permission.
STIMULUS FUNDS—Council voted unanimously to accept a $136,000 subsidy from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help pay for Phase I of the combined sewer overflow project (Long Term Control Plan). The project covered repairs to the lift station and improvements at the sewage lagoons and is now completed.
A $60,728 low-interest loan was included in the deal.
Stimulus funds will be used to address 267 water pollution control projects and 65 drinking water projects in Ohio.
SIDEWALKS—Council approved an application to the Safe Routes to School program that would provide funding for sidewalk repair and installation. The project is estimated to cost $227,600. The village would be required to pay all costs not covered by a grant.
TREES—The decision of which village trees to cut is being made based on an inventory list provided by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Metz said.
She's heard questions asked about why certain trees were cut and others were not, and she welcomes citizens to visit village hall to view the DNR list.
LEAF COLLECTION—The Harbor Career Connection has young people available for community service work at no cost to the village. Metz had suggested to the Public Works committee that three youths could work collecting leaves while one village employee drives the truck.
On the first day, only one youngster showed up to work, so Metz decided they shouldn't be used for leaf pickup since a dependable service can't be offered.
When Harbor youths do show up to work, she said, they can focus on village property. Gonzales suggested that they could also be used to clear leaves and debris from gutters.
HYDRANTS—Fire department members will color-code hydrants to indicate pressure and flow characteristics.
CRUISER—Mechanical problems continue to grow with the 1999 Crown Victoria police cruiser. Police chief Jason Simon would like to replace the vehicle before repair expenses become high.


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Archives & Manuscripts Index
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Browse and search an inventory of the Austin History Center's archival collections. Where appropriate, click on the collection title to view the collection finding aid (a detailed description of the collection) hosted by Texas Archival Resources Online. These links will open the description in a new browser window.
To access the collections you must visit the Austin History Center.
If a finding aid is not available online, you are unable to find what you are searching for or access is listed "Advanced notice required" or "Some portions may require advance notice" contact AHC staff for more information. Contact Us by mail or by phone: 512-974-7480.Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 results for your query
Dates: 1794 - 1984
Creator: Hart family
- Hart, James Pinckney
- Meriweather, Carrie
- Hart, William de Normandie
- Hart, James Hill
- Hart, Nannie Strother Furman
- Jagou, Helen Furman
- Hart, James Pinckney
- Hart, Katherine
- Heritage Society of Austin
- Austin History Center
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- University of Texas at Austin
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Access: Available on-site


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Achieva honors volunteers for service to the disabled community
December 14, 2004
Achieva recently hosted the 2004 Volunteer Awards of Excellence at the Sheraton, Station Square. The awards honor individuals, families, groups and organizations whose efforts improve the lives of people with disabilities. The recipients of this year's awards follow.
The Sattler Humanitarian Award was presented in memory of Anthony P. Leech, Esq., who was the existing chair of Achieva's Board of Trustees when he passed away in August 2004. A devoted husband, father, son and brother, Leech was held in the highest regard by his friends, co-workers, neighbors, clients, civic leaders, parishioners and fellow volunteers. He was known for his high ethical standards in both his professional and personal life.
Leech was a talented, warm and inspiring individual who founded, along with Ted Tishman, the law firm of Leech, Tishman, Fuscaldo and Lampl, which grew into a successful firm under their leadership. He was an involved leader, whether it was in his role at the firm, as a coach to his children's many sports teams, or in his role as Achieva's board chair. He had deep compassion and an unwavering commitment to working with people with disabilities.
Foster S. Goldman, Jr., Esq. earned the Joe Ott Award for Excellence in Volunteer Service. Goldman has been active for more than 25 years as a volunteer and trustee with Achieva, currently serving on the board of the Family Trust. In 1987, Goldman was instrumental in changing the law for families of people with disabilities. That year he persuaded the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that parents could plan for the financial stability of their children by using special trusts.
The Excellence in Volunteer Service Award was presented to the Children's Aid Society of Jewish Women. This volunteer service has provided 40 years of care and community living support for children and adults with mental retardation.
State Representative Tom Petrone earned the Excellence in Legislative Services Award. Petrone introduced House Bill 1530, "The MH/MR Staff Member Loan Forgiveness Program Act," which will allow staff members employed in the mental Health and Mental Retardation fields to have up to $20,000 of their Pennsylvania student loans forgiven. The bill will be reintroduced in the next legislative session.
The Excellence in Professional Service Award was presented to Dr. Craig Taylor, the Psychiatric Consultant to the Health Care Quality Unit of Pennsylvania. Taylor is one of a few leading neuropsychiat-rists in Pennsylvania working with people with disabilities and multiple psychiatric issues, and his dedication and caring is evident to anyone who meets him. He provides individual consultation, diagnostic and training support to staff and advises families on the best possible treatment. He has been consulting with people who have disabilities for nearly 20 years.
The Excellence in Employment Award went to Highmark as the lead company for the Pennsylvania Business Leadership Network, a group of Pennsylvania businesses collaborating to increase the employment of people with disabilities. Their dedication to employing people with disabilities is evident every day through their regular disability awareness training sessions and their annual participation in Disability Mentoring Day in October.
The Pittsburgh Penguins Alumni Association earned the Organizational Excellence Award as a result of their work to improve the lives of people with disabilities through their fundraising efforts for many years.
The Excellence in Community Awareness Award was presented to Saint Anthony School Programs, a one of a kind program that promotes inclusive education for children with disabilities within 11 participating Pittsburgh area Catholic schools. This year, they are celebrating 50 years of their commitment to people with developmental disabilities from ages five through 21. The program seeks to maximize the individual student's potential for academic learning, foster self-respect and confidence, and to develop competence in employment and living skills.
The Excellence in Media Coverage award went to Gary Rotstein, reporter, and Annie O'Neill, photographer, both of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. In May 2004, they wrote and photographed a multi-page story focusing on the waiting list for mental retardation services in Pennsylvania, and its impact on the families that are affected. The series was the largest ever written on the waiting list, and it helped to increase public awareness of this issue.
Sheila Cannon was the recipient of the Excellence in Family Support Award. Cannon is the coordinator for the Down Syndrome Center at Children's Hospital, which has supported families in Pennsylvania since 1989. It was founded to provide medical care for people with Down syndrome and supports for their families, beginning at birth.


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With the widely anticipated introduction of a tablet computer at an event here on Wednesday morning, Apple may be giving the media industry a kind of time machine — a chance to undo mistakes of the past.
Almost all media companies have run aground in the Internet Age as they gave away their print and video content on the Web and watched paying customers drift away as a result.
People who have seen the tablet say Apple will market it not just as a way to read news, books and other material, but also a way for companies to charge for all that content. By marrying its famously slick software and slender designs with the iTunes payment system, Apple could help create a way for media companies to alter the economics and consumer attitudes of the digital era.
This opportunity, however, comes with a sizable catch: Steven P. Jobs.
Mr. Jobs, the chief executive, made Apple the most important distributor of music by imposing its own will on the music labels, bullying them into accepting Apple's pricing and other terms. Apple sold lots of music, but the music labels claimed that iTunes had destroyed the concept of the album and damaged their already deteriorating bottom lines.
With the new tablet, media companies could be submitting themselves to similar pricing restrictions and sacrificing their direct relationship with customers to Apple.
For now, at least, the technology and media industries are looking at the brighter side. "Steve believes in old media companies and wants them to do well," said a person who has seen the device and is familiar with Apple's marketing plan for it, but who did not want to be named because talking about it might alienate him from the company. "He believes democracy is hinged on a free press and that depends on there being a professional press."
Part of the media industry's high hope for the tablet comes from descriptions of the device from analysts and others who have been briefed on it.
It will run all the applications of the iPhone and iPod Touch, have a persistent wireless connection over 3G cellphone networks and Wi-Fi, and will be built with a 10-inch color display, allowing newspapers, magazines and book publishers to deliver their products with an eye to the design that had grabbed readers in print.
Their optimism for the tablet also stems from consumers' willingness to spend money using mobile devices. In the last decade, while people downloaded music illegally to their desktop computers, they happily paid small amounts of money on their cellphones to download ring tones and send text messages.
The iPhone has provided further proof that the economics of mobile devices are unique: the Apple App Store is expected to generate an estimated $1.4 billion this year, according to an analysis by Piper Jaffray.
"The iPhone was a harbinger," said Trip Hawkins, a founder of Electronic Arts and now chief executive of Digital Chocolate, which makes games for cellphones. "When you have a device that is this convenient and fun for consumers to use, you can get a lot more people interested in paying for and engaging with the content. Big media companies should be all over this like a cheap suit."
Indeed, they already are. The New York Times Company, for example, is developing a version of its newspaper for the tablet, according to a person briefed on the effort, although executives declined to say what sort of deal had been struck.
On Monday, The Times also announced that its media group division had created a new segment for "reader applications," and named Yasmin Namini, the senior vice president for marketing and circulation, to head it. Executives said the timing was coincidental, prompted not by the Apple device specifically, but by the growing importance to The Times of electronic reading devices in general.
At least three publishers, Hearst, Condé Nast and Time, have also created mockups of their magazines for tablets, even before such devices have hit the market. "Apple upended the smartphone market with the introduction of the iPhone, and it's likely that they will, if they enter the tablet market, lead the pace there," said Thomas J. Wallace, editorial director of Condé Nast. He said that "2010 is going to be the year of the tablet, and we feel we are in a very good position for it."
To successfully sell their material on the coming wave of tablets from Apple and other hardware makers like Hewlett-Packard, media companies may first have to adjust other parts of their digital strategies — so consumers don't simply use the tablet's browser to get the same content free on the Web.
Such shifts are under way.
In October, The Wall Street Journal, which is owned by the News Corporation, began charging for access for certain elements of its iPhone application. Esquire and GQ have taken steps toward charging for digital content, offering iPhone versions of their magazines for $2.99 for each issue.
The December issue of GQ was downloaded from the app store almost 7,000 times, and twice as many times for its January issue. Last week, The New York Times announced plans to begin charging, by next year, frequent Web site visitors who are not also newspaper subscribers to read the online version.
Media companies may have to swallow hard before tethering their futures to any high-tech company, let alone Apple. Many publishers believe their economic health depends on finding a direct line to their customers, and it is not clear whether Apple — and other aggregators of Internet content — will allow that.
Magazine publishers, for example, maintain sophisticated databases about their customers, which lets them cross-sell products, renew subscriptions and entice advertisers with statistics about their wealthy readers. A big part of the business is automatic renewals charged to credit cards.
But when magazine publishers sell applications through the iTunes store, they do not get credit card information or even the name of the buyer.
However, Apple, which makes most of its money selling devices, not content, has shown itself in some cases to be a more benevolent warden of online content, than, say, Amazon.com. Unlike Amazon with the Kindle, Apple allows application makers to set their own prices; some, like The Financial Times, give away applications for the iPhone, but then bill customers directly for repeat use.
Nevertheless, concern over preserving the customer relationship is one reason, late last year, that major publishers including Time, Condé Nast, Meredith, the News Corporation and Hearst announced they had formed a consortium, called Next Issue Media, that plans to run its own online store selling digital issues and collecting consumer information.
"It's fundamental to the business model of publishers," John Squires, the interim managing director of the consortium, said last month. "We've always enjoyed an opportunity to know exactly where our consumers are, and be able to market other products to them. It's a very key issue for the founding members of this business."
One branch of big media whose fortunes may not be lifted by an Apple tablet, at least initially, is the TV business. Apple has also talked to television networks about offering access, for a monthly fee, to a selection of their hit shows, bypassing traditional distributors.
But perhaps smarting from their experiences with Apple, many of the old-line media companies — NBC Universal, Viacom and Discovery among them — shrugged at (or totally dismissed) Apple's plans for a TV subscription package, according to executives briefed on the talks. A person briefed on Apple's plans confirmed that such a subscription video option was not part of any immediate offering.


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A Sandwich a Day: Homestyle Meatloaf Sandwich at Dickson's Farmstand Meats
A new sandwich every day.
In this great city of ours, one could eat a different sandwich every day of the year—so that's what we'll do. Here's A Sandwich a Day, our daily look at sandwiches around New York. Got a sandwich we should check out? Let us know. —The Mgmt.
Until Dickson's Farmstand Meats starts making pressed sandwiches (happening soon), the options at their All Good Things stand are of the refrigerated grab-and-go variety.
On the Homestyle Meatloaf Sandwich ($8), beef and bacon meatloaf acts as the wise chaperone to a youthful couple of ketchup and pickles. The meat is fresh and well seasoned, and the bacon gives it a nice faint touch of salt and smoke. The sandwich's time spent in the fridge case doesn't have the friendliest effect on the white bread, but the texture and snap from the pickles adds a certain liveliness that helps rejuvenate it. It's what's inside that counts here, and it's clear Dickson's doesn't shy from quality.
Dickson's Farmstand Meats
Multiple locations in the Chelsea Market and All Good Things
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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PickupHockey All-Star
3670 Posts
PickupHockey Pro
525 Posts
quote:Lightning GM Steve Yzerman and veteran agent Don Meehan, who represents RFA-to-be Steven Stamkos, spoke again last weekend in New York. It doesn't sound like they're close at this point.
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quote:Originally posted by Guest4859I own both is my salary cap league, and they've been ice cold for the last 5 games...Lets hope they wrap up Stammers new contract soon (at a reasonable price) so they can get back to wracking up the points!PS: I doubt Stammer will get less than 7mil. Yes, Backstrom got signed for $6.7M per, (for the next decade) but goal scorers seem to fetch more.
PickupHockey Legend
6113 Posts
quote:If Zetterberg, Franzen and Datsyuk is willing to take less for runs at the Cup,
quote:Originally posted by nuxfanDid they?Datsyuk is in the middle of a 7yr/47M deal that pays 6.7M a year. In 07/08, there were not many players making 6.7M a year, making Datsyuk's deal one of the richest at the time - which is fair considering he is one of the best centres in the game.Zetterberg is in the second year of a whopping 12yr/73M contract, that pays a sliding scale for a cap hit of just over 6M per year. This year he's making 7.75M, and will make that for the next 4 years as well. That makes him the 13th highest paid player in the NHL this year, sandwiched between Brad Richards and Henrik Lundqvist.Franzen is in the third year of another whopper, 11yr/43M. Also a sliding scale contract, he's making 5M this season, and will make over 5M for the next 6 years. Not bad for a player that has only cracked 50 points once before this season.None of these contracts are what I would consider "taking one for the team". Its just good team contract management, same as any other team needs to employ.
quote:Yes they did. Datsyuk could have easily gotten the max 7.8M as a UFA in other locations. He took less. Same did Zetterberg where the max was 8.5M range.Franzen took less also. He pretty much guarantees 15 points with 10 goals in the playoff. That is worth a little more than 5M per no? And when healthy is much better than a 50 point player in the regular season. Just call him a bigger and more skilled but more injury prone Claude Lemieux.
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text:
I never had Baskin Robbins before now.
During Golden Week they had a 31% off promotion. We were in Naka-Meguro attempting to go to another bagel shop that unfortunately closed selling out all its stock before they were supposed to close.
A little miffed we decided to walk to Shibuya.
We saw Baskin Robbins along the way so to escape the wind we indulged in a double cone. I have to say it was much better than Cold Stone Creamery.
NTT docomo are overexposing a Darth Vader campaign in Tokyo stating "Who is my boss?". I'm not sure what they are implying but if you have DV pointing his finger at you, I think it's pretty easy to believe that he (meaning docomo) is your boss. Maybe they probably want to make you think that you are the boss, but personally I don't think so. All shall be revealed on the 11th of May.
I mentioned quite a while ago about Mo Mo Paradise. They changed their name to Nabezo.
It's still a great deal, about 2,000 yen for 90 minutes of "all-you-can-eat" Shabu Shabu. Good thing they have an English menu (not that you'd need it too much) as well.
Thursday, 29 April 2010
Who Is My Boss?
Posted by Jimmy In Japan at 11:59 pm 0 comments
Wednesday, 28 April 2010
Second Cut Is Deeper
This is just a place marker. I know what it's about, and that's all that matters..
Posted by Jimmy In Japan at 11:59 pm 2 comments
Sunday, 25 April 2010
Maruichi Bagel
I thought I was SO original with my "New York Minute" video.
I was surprised to find someone else had made the SAME titled Youtube video, and used a fast photo slideshow too. (His was first, 2006). Strange thing was the guy's name was Jimmy as well! I definitely hadn't seen the video before I did mine, so I have to say that was an amazing coincidence.
Since coming back from New York, I'd been trying to find the same kind of bagels as Ess-A-Bagel. I've had Bagel & Bagel ones here. While they actually taste pretty good and offer quite a few fillings, I've always still felt hungry after eating them.
Scouring the net, I came across Maruichi Bagel. There's an interesting story how she went to New York working at Ess-A-Bagel and bringing the New York's style bagels recipe back to Tokyo.
Her unassuming storefront is located in Shirokane-takanawa station on the Namboku and Mita subway lines.
The map on their website is very clear. It's only two streets away from the station. Unfortunately there's not much else to do in this area.
There are quite a few options to choose from. Each bagel is around 200 yen. A half bagel sandwich with a cream cheese filling is 250 yen.My verdict? These bagels although seemingly smaller than Ess-A-Bagel ones, were definitely more filling than Bagel & Bagel.
The taste compares favourably to the New York version too. My only small qualm is that it'd be great to have more variety in the cream cheese options that made Ess-A-Bagel the greatest thing since sliced bread.
If you're in the area though I think it's worth your time to check it out.
Posted by Jimmy In Japan at 10:10 pm 0 comments
Saturday, 17 April 2010
Blade Number 2
As you might remember, (but probably not), I don't go through those Gillette blades very often.
The last time was here. So that's ONE YEAR, 3 MONTHS and 25 DAYS. Impressive huh? It didn't beat my previous record, but once I used that new blade, my face was grateful. I'm don't think Gillette are going to call me for endorsements anytime soon.
Posted by Jimmy In Japan at 8:53 am 0 comments
Sunday, 4 April 2010
Spring Has Coming!
And with that, so do the Cherry Blossoms. I've said it before, I'm not a flower lover per se, but seeing Cherry Blossoms bloom is a definite highlight of living in Japan. And the fact that they go all too soon, it's hard not to feel a sense of loss. No one takes sakura for granted here.
I was considering going to the Penis festival again today, but damn, I had a hard time waking up early enough to see the procession.
Instead, we went to Yoyogi Park to catch the hanami parties, helped along by some Asahi "Strong Off" and some Bagel & Bagel bagels. Not to the high standard of the New York variety, but they did the trick.
To give you the idea of how big hanami is here, I had a good excuse to do a panorama shot of the people around me. With people moving all the time, I thought it wouldn't come out this good.
After Yoyogi Park, I did the biggest impulse buy ever, and got a Master Replicas Star Wars Lightsaber in Shibuya like the one I tried year's ago in Shinjuku. The alcohol helped me make that decision. It wasn't so great that I had to lug it to Chidorigafuchi to have our second little hanami fun.
We bought Sbarro pizza slices and I also had a Chocolate beer to chug down under the Cherry Blossoms. Yes, that's my lightsaber I'm holding.. Hey, it looks like I threw my saber in the tree behind me, ne?
Posted by Jimmy In Japan at 11:59 pm 0 comments
Thursday, 1 April 2010
April Fools Headphones
The Sennheiser headphones I bought barely a few weeks ago have already started to lose the rubber shielding at the plug.
Considering their price I would've expected them to hold together longer than this. Even my old el' cheapo Panasonics held together better than this.
Lucky then I have a 2 year warranty on these, and that the Sennheiser office is not too far away in Aoyama. They said it'd be ready to pick up in a week. While we were in Aoyama, we took in a nearby cemetery that had a lot of sakura.
Also today the painters have finally taken away all the scaffolding to reveal that I now live in.. the White House!
Posted by Jimmy In Japan at 3:04 am 0 comments


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Granby's James 'The Bear' McDonald triumphs in Wing Bowl
Jamie "The Bear" McDonald was rewarded with a chorus of boos Friday morning after putting away 287 wings in a little over an hour, winning Wing Bowl 21 in Philadelphia.
The 20,000 raucous fans packed into the Wells Fargo Center weren't happy to see an outsider win the title.
But the Granby resident walked away with a smile, a face covered in wing sauce, a $20,000 check and a $7,500 ring.
McDonald, 37, edged out New Jersey's Jonathan Squibb, who ate 282 wings. His total was the second most in competition history, behind only Japanese pro eater Takeru Kobayashi who ate 337 in 2012 but declined to enter the competition this year.
The Wing Bowl is one of the top competitive eating competitions in the country. It is held each year before the NFL's Super Bowl.
After the first round, Squibb trailed Goldstein, 148-138, with McDonald third at 130. In the second 14-minute round, McDonald ate 135 wings to take a 265-253 lead over Squibb.
McDonald trained for the event by eating wings at Griff's Chicken Shack back on Jan. 7.
The Friday morning festivities started well before 8 a.m., with revelers crowding the parking lots surrounding the Wells Fargo Center through the wee hours of Friday morning. At 6 a.m., the lots were packed, with traffic outside the lots tied up for blocks. Hundreds of empty beer cans and bottles littered all of the parking lots.
McDonald has competed in more than 25 competitive eating contests on the national level, including ones sponsored by the All Professional Eating and Major League Eating organizations.
He's won the titles of "World Champion" eater of meatballs, bratwurst, pumpkin pie, hamburger, fried peach pie and fried mushrooms. He was name the 2012 Rookie of the Year by the All Professional Eating league.
Delaware County Daily Times reporter Bruce Adams and Register Citizen co-managing editor Tom Cleary contributed to this report.


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Pediatrics group says morning-after pills should be prescribed in advance to teen girls
The morning-after pill should be prescribed in advance to teens just in case they one day need it, says the country's leading medical society of pediatricians.
The American Academy of Pediatrics said Monday that emergency contraceptives like Plan B and Next Choice can be used to curb a U.S. teen pregnancy rate which, while declining over the past two decades, still surpasses that of other developed countries.
"Adolescents are more likely to use emergency contraception if it has been prescribed in advance of need," the academy's Committee on Adolescence wrote in the statement, which was published online Nov. 26 in Pediatrics and will also be in the December print issue. "Pediatricians have an important role, through their interactions with adolescents, to address the major public health objective of continuing to reduce adolescent pregnancy in the United States."
- Some NYC schools to offer "morning after" pills
- Morning-after pill block "medically inexplicable," experts say
- OB/GYN society says birth control pill should be sold over-the-counter
Emergency contraceptives are indicated for use following sexual assaults, unprotected intercourse, condom breakage or slippage, or missed doses of hormonal contraceptives such as the pill, patch and ring.
In all U.S. states, females 17 and older and males 18 and older can obtain emergency contraception without prescription from a doctor or pharmacist, while those under 17 need a script.
The statement's authors note that about 34 out of every 1,000 15 to 19-year-olds give birth and nearly 80 percent of pregnancies in adolescents are unintended. While both hormonal birth control pills and condoms are very effective at reducing pregnancy chances, both methods require strict adherence or else they aren't effective, the committee notes. Missing birth control is a situation where emergency contraceptives could help reduce unwanted pregnancy, according to the committee.
The morning-after pill is most effective if used in the first 24 hours but can be taken up to 120 hours after unprotected intercourse.
"Studies have shown that adolescents are more likely to use emergency contraception if it has been prescribed in advance of need," wrote the committee. "However, a majority of practicing pediatricians and pediatric residents do not routinely counsel patients about emergency contraception and have not prescribed."
Increased access to contraceptives was a major reason the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) announced last Tuesday it wants birth control pills to be sold over-the-counter. The group argued that practical limitations of taking the pill every day could be curbed by making the pill more readily available. That could also reduce health risks to both mom and newborns and cut health care tax dollar burden, the group said.
In its new statement on morning-after contraceptives, the pediatrics academy said it aims to educate doctors about available emergency contraceptives, and to encourage routine counseling and advance prescriptions of emergency contraceptives as a public health strategy to reduce unwanted pregnancies.
The statement also encourages pediatricians to push for better insurance coverage and increased access to emergency contraception for teens regardless of age.
Though this may create an ethical dilemma for some physicians and pharmacists, the academy said pediatricians have a duty to inform their patients about relevant treatment options and have a "moral obligation" to refer patients to other doctors who will provide and educate about those services.
Steven Mosher, president of the anti-abortion rights organization the Population Research Institute, of Front Royal, Va., told WebMD the new policy from the academy "is a violation of parents' rights and is also not in the best interest of the teenagers themselves."
Last December, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was preparing to lift an age limit on Plan B One-Step emergency contraceptives which would have made the pills available over-the-counter. However Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius stepped in and blocked the move, because girls as young as 11 are physically capable of having kids, and data did not sufficiently show girls that young could properly understand how to use the product with adult guidance.
Dr. Robert Block, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said at the time, "The decision to continue restricting access to this safe and effective product is medically inexplicable."


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Google's Android mobile platform is experiencing considerable growth, but the company is reportedly concerned by the slow pace of application sales from the Android Market. In an effort to boost sales and keep developers happy, the search giant is taking steps to revitalize the Android Market.
Google is going to add support for in-app purchases and has been working to establish carrier billing relationships with network operators. The company also recently launched a major redesign of the Android Market application, with the aim of making software more discoverable and smoothing out the process of finding and buying applications.
Despite these efforts, the challenges have proved difficult to overcome. Developer dissatisfaction with the Android Market has been steadily growing, and high-profile developers are becoming more vocal about their concerns. One of the most iconic examples is Rovio, the company behind the popular Angry Birds game.
Rovio originally tried to avoid the Android Market entirely and distribute to Android users through alternate venues, but changed course after some early problems trying to use market competitor GetJar. Rovio eventually settled on a free, ad-supported model. Last month, Rovio announced plans to launch its own payment platform, called Bad Piggy Bank, which they will also offer to other third-party developers. Rovio's CEO cited the poor Android Market experience as a chief motivation for launching the new payment service.
The big issue for Rovio is the user experience. They want to make purchases easier and less intrusive. Users shouldn't have to leave the game or enter a credit card number in order to buy game content. It also looks increasingly like Rovio wants a more granular micropayment model where users will be able to trivially buy new level packs or pay for access to special features.
At NokiaWorld last year, the company showed how they planned to use in-app billing in Nokia's Ovi store to sell users a pig-busting Mighty Eagle bird that they can throw when they get stuck on an especially tricky level. The Bad Piggy Bank appears to be Rovio's strategy for bringing a similar capability to Android.
Google is responding by working to accelerate its push to deliver in-app billing. The feature is expected to arrive natively on Android this year, but hasn't materialized yet. It's not really clear yet how much control over the payment experience it will give to third-party developers.
Google has also been working hard to add partners for carrier billing, which allows users to add the cost of their application purchases to their monthly telecom bill rather than having to use a credit card. Android's carrier billing feature launched with T-Mobile last year and they recently signed a similar deal with AT&T.
Bringing these capabilities to Android will likely make third-party developers more comfortable selling their applications rather than using the ad-supported model. One of the problems faced by Google is the general lack of good commercial software for Android with mainstream appeal. In most cases, there are free alternatives for Android that are just as good—if not better—than the commercial offerings.
Looking at the list of top paid applications, it's surprising how many of them are solely intended for the modding community. For example, among the top ten paid applications (not including games), I currently see ROM Manager, Root Explorer, and SetCPU—all of which are intended for users who have rooted their phones. It's pretty clear that regular non-technical Android users just aren't buying much commercial software.
Another issue is that commercial applications aren't supported in some geographical regions. Developers in unsupported countries can't sell their software in the Android Market and users in those countries can't purchase commercial software. The popular LauncherPro Plus homescreen replacement application, for example, can't be sold in the Android market because its developer doesn't live in one of the supported countries. He is forced to sell the application through PayPal instead.
The new Market app doesn't fix it
One of the things that Google has done recently to encourage more sales is an overhaul of the Android Market application. Although they added some nice features—such as a "related" section in application listings that will show you similar software—they created far more problems than they solved.
The new Market application is very sluggish and regularly hangs on my Nexus One. The new featured section that wastes a ton of space at the top of the Market's main screen only loads in thumbnails approximately half of the time, making it totally useless. There are also much-needed features that are still missing, like the ability to sort search results by rating or download popularity.
If you are trying to find software that serves a certain function but you don't know specifically which application you want, you aren't going to have much luck finding the best option through the Android Market application. It's much easier to go online and use a website like AppBrain that has significantly more sophisticated search tools and does a better job of exposing popular applications.
In addition to expanding the feature set of the payment platform, Google needs to expand the Market's geographical reach and rethink its approach to improving the Android Market application. If Google wants to increase paid application sales, the company has to take strong steps to prove to developers that they can make money selling software through the market.


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FM Announces New Pay Scales for Employees of RRBs at Par with PSBs
FM Asks RRBs to Expand their Branches with CBS to Achieve
Financial Inclusion
FM Reviews Performance of RRBs in Annual Review Meeting
Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee has asked the Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) to bring their Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) below 5% by this year itself. Finance Minister also announced the wage revision of the pay-scale and allowances of the employees of the RRBs corresponding to those of Nationalised Banks as per 9th Bipartite Settlement. The additional cost burden of the arrears on this account would be about Rs. 791 crores. He was addressing the annual review meeting of Chairmen of RRBs and General Managers of Sponsor Banks, here today. Shri Mukherjee asked the RRBs to speed up their activities to expand their branches on platform of Core Banking Solutions. The Finance Minister emphasized upon use of new technology including Business Correspondents, mobile banking vans, tele-banking etc. to provide banking services to entire population of the country, especially in the rural areas.
Secretary Financial Services, Shri R. Gopalan, Deputy Governor RBI, Dr. K.C. Chakravarty, Chairman NABARD, Shri U.C.Sarangi and Additional Secretary, Financial Services, Shri Rakesh Singh were also present on this occasion among others.
Following is full text of the speech delivered by the Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee on this occasion:
"I am happy to be here in the annual review meeting of Chairmen of RRBs and General Managers of Sponsor Banks. Such meetings are being organized regularly since January 2007 and have helped in preparing a realistic action plan for strengthening the RRBs on a sustainable growth trajectory. I hope that this meeting will help us in further consolidating the efforts being made by the RRBs, Sponsor Banks, Govt Of India, NABARD and the Reserve Bank of India.
As you are aware, the first batch of RRBs were established on 2 October 1975 and their number gradually increased to 196 in 1986. The RRBs were designed as unique financial institutions with exclusive focus on development of rural areas. It was expected that these institutions would provide efficient financial services at affordable cost to the disadvantaged sections of the rural population.
Government of India had initiated a series of measures in the recent years to strengthen the RRBs to emerge as strong financial institutions for meeting the financial needs of the rural population. In the wake of the announcement in the Union Budget 2007-08, 27 RRBs which had negative networth as on 31 March 2007 have been recapitalized. A conducive policy environment has been created for expanding the branch network of RRBs. The branch licencing norms have been made flexible. RRBs have responded to these measures and have opened 716 branches during the last 02 years.
For further improving the financial health of RRBs, the Government of India started the process of structural consolidation of RRBs by amalgamating RRBs sponsored by the same Sponsor Banks within the State. The process of amalgamation is almost complete. As on date, there are 82 RRBs (46 amalgamated and 36 stand alone) with a branch network of 15,475 branches covering 619 districts, 26 States and 01 Union Territory (Puducherry).
RRBs are expected to play a vital role in promoting financial inclusion in the country. To achieve this objective, RRBs are being supported out of the Financial Inclusion Fund and Financial Inclusion Technology Fund set up in NABARD. NABARD had launched a pilot project for facilitating Financial Inclusion with ICT in 15 RRBs. The pilot project is expected to cover 150 villages in 30 districts of 14 States. All RRBs need to draw up individual plans for financial inclusion in their areas of operation at the earliest and also adopt the BC / BF model.
I am happy to note that RRBs have shown improved performance in many areas. The total loan outstanding of RRBs as on 31 March 2010 was Rs.83,562 crore whereas the deposits amounted to Rs.1,42,814 crore. The ground level credit flow of RRBs has improved from Rs.43,367 crore to Rs.56,268 crore thereby recording an appreciable growth rate of about 30%. A significant part of their performance is substantial lending to the priority sector. RRBs are mandated to lend 60% of their loans to the priority sector. During the last three years, RRBs have not only achieved the target fixed for the purpose but have maintained priority sector loans above 80%. I am also happy to note that RRBs have maintained their focus on agriculture as over 61% of the priority sector loans are for agriculture sector. The RRBs have also improved the health of their credit portfolio as the net NPA has now reduced to 1.62%. Only three RRBs are now making losses.
There is no doubt that the enabling environment created by Government of India, RBI and NABARD has helped the RRBs in improving their performance. Still, there are many areas of concern. 30 RRBs had accumulated losses to the tune of Rs.1,808 crore. All weak RRBs need to chalk out a time bound action plan to wipe out the accumulated losses and simultaneously achieve all the prudential norms.
In the last review meeting held in August 2009, I had expressed concern that a very large number of RRBs continued to have low CRAR. It was also observed during the review that some of the RRBs presently having reasonable CRAR would also be not able to maintain it on account of certain expenditure they might have to incur in the coming years for payment of enhanced wages and installation of CBS. To address this situation, a Committee was set up under the Chairmanship of Dr. K C Chakravarty, Deputy Governor, RBI to analyse the financials of RRBs and suggest measures so that each RRB has atleast 9% CRAR by 2012. The Committee has already submitted their report. The report is now under examination in consultation with NABARD and RBI. I am sure the implementation of the feasible recommendations of the Committee would help the RRBs to emerge as stronger financial institutions.
It is imperative that all RRBs embrace the latest technology for providing services to their customers. I have been constantly laying emphasis that all RRBs in a time bound matter should have all their branches under Core Banking Solution. I understand that 21 RRBs have now covered their entire bank branch network under CBS. 10 more RRBs are on the way to achieve full coverage of their branches under CBS. However, it is a matter of concern that CBS is yet to take roots in 51 RRBs. I would urge upon all the RRBs and their sponsor banks to attach utmost priority to CBS and in today's meeting a time bound programme should be fixed for CBS implementation for each of the RRBs.
The sponsor banks also need to closely monitor the performance of their sponsored RRBs and provide timely guidance to them wherever necessary. It has been brought to my notice that some of the sponsor banks have withdrawn the Chairmen of RRBs before the completion of their tenure. Though the premature withdrawal must be for valid reasons, this could affect the performance of the RRBs in an adverse way, besides impacting the morale of the staff of RRBs. I suggest that the sponsor banks take all precautions at the time of selection of Officers for the post of Chairman of RRB so as to ensure that they continue to guide the RRBs for a period of at least three years.
I understand that of the 46 amalgamated RRBs, 39 are now scheduled by Reserve Bank of India. In case of 7 other RRBs, NABARD is required to undertake their inspection with reference to their annual accounts as on 31 March 2010. I would impress that this process of scheduling the remaining banks should be completed at the earliest.
I have noted that RRBs (officers and employees) Service Regulations 2010 have since been issued by GOI and the process has been initiated by the RRBs for adoption of these regulations. The new Appointment and Promotion (officers and employees) Rules have already been issued on 13.7.2010 for publication in the Gazette of India. These measures should help in improving productivity and business of the RRBs.
Keeping in view the expectations from the RRBs, the training and capacity building of RRB Officers and Staff need to be given utmost priority. A Committee set up for the purpose has identified a number of areas for capacity building of RRBs. All the RRBs should prepare a comprehensive plan for meeting the training needs of its staff members. A mechanism should be created for providing funding support to RRBs for conducting these training programme duly involving NABARD, sponsor banks and the RRB itself.
In the light of the ninth bipartite settlement between the Indian Banks Association representing the managements of the Public Sector Banks and the United Forum of Bank Union representing the associations/unions of all PSBs, the wage revision of the pay and allowances of the RRBs has also been taken up. The additional cost burden of the arrears is likely to be Rs 791 crores , which will bring down the total profits of the RRBs from Rs 2374 crores , as on 31st March, 2010 to Rs 1615 crores , adjusting for the additional cost burden of arrears on the RRBs. This is likely to lead to more RRBs going into losses against only three loss making RRBs at present. Yet the Government is committed towards fulfilling its obligation of giving equal pay scales corresponding to those of nationalized banks to the RRB employees. I am happy to announce that we are fulfilling the Government commitment of giving equal pay scales corresponding to those of nationalized banks to the RRB employees, as per Ninth Bipartite Settlement.
I look forward to our deliberations today and am sure that the gathering will have fruitful discussions and come out with pragmatic and innovative suggestions for further improving the performance of RRBs."


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From Laura Baverman of Cincinnati.com {linked here}
Smile. Be engaging. Pick up trash. Report spills. Never say, "I don't know." Always say, "Let me help." Those may seem like basic goals, but Cincinnati Reds officials say great customer service is as important as scoring runs on the field in 2011. Happy fans can equal greater loyalty to the team, more tickets sold and more revenue to pump back into the payroll.
Isn't that what they are suppose to do in the first place? There are many great ushers at Dodger Stadium but there are also a few that make you feel unwelcome. Also, why is it that once you are about to enter the park, you are being yelled by a big security guard to open your bags? He can't tone down his voice and ask politely?
Fans are at fault too because they are not ready to get in. They barely open the bags when you are being searched by a security guard. I'm always ready. I'll have my backpack open. Ready to be searched.
More from the article -
And so more than 2,200 Reds employees – from ushers and grounds crew to mascots and players' nannies – are spending time in March learning the "Reds Way," which involves five standards of service: being courteous and efficient, keeping the ball park safe and clean, and making a connection with fans.
"This culture we're trying to grow through customer service, we want it in every nook and cranny throughout the ballpark," Reds client service manager Nancy Bloss said during a recent Reds Way training session.
Great idea! Maybe the Dodgers should do this. The problem is not really with the ushers but the employees that charge you the hot dog. Why does it take an hour to get your food? And when you do get it, sometimes you are being treated as if you're getting food from a prison.
Also, why is it that we have 90 year old employees working? I love old people. I do. My dad is old. But damn, it takes you a couple of minutes to give me my change when it should only take you five seconds to give me a quarter back.
And I understand that some fans are not even ready when they reach the counter. I'm ready. I got my money out. I know what I'm going to get. I hate it when the fan in front of me says "Let me see...."
What do you mean "Let me see"? You should know by now what you want!
Like I said, most ushers are great. But there are a few where they ruin the experience. Let's say I'm sitting in field level an hour before game. I'm watching batting practice. Why does a usher ask me for my ticket? Yes, those are my seats and I'm watching batting practice. Quit bothering me. I have to take out my tickets and show it to him. They don't even ask nicely. They just say "Let me see your ticket". And then when you show them the ticket, they smile and say "Good, have a great night".
Then five minutes later, a different usher will ask me the same thing. Seriously? I'll just tape the damn ticket to my shirt.
I've been to different stadiums and it always amazes me that Dodger Stadium is different. I didn't see any problems at Fenway Park when I made the trip to Boston last year. I got my food quick. The employees were awesome. Heck, a usher got a towel and cleaned my wet seat! {linked here}
You might be thinking that Fenway Park is small and that's why it's different. Fine. How about Yankee Stadium? The place is huge and waiting in line for food wasn't that bad. {linked here}
I know not all employees are at fault. Certain fans act like idiots. I understand. That's why I hate the term "A customer is always right".
No. That's not true. Trust me. It's not true. My parents have their own business and I have seen this many times. 99% of customers are wrong. So I'm not asking the Dodgers to treat the fans like they deserve everything. All I'm asking is for a little courtesy and quicker service.
"The thought had always been that fan experience really depends on what happens on the field," said Rob George, a Hartford, Conn., customer service consultant who has worked with the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees. But teams have started to recognize they can control the fan experience in the stadium off the field, which helps drive loyalty and season ticket sales, he said.
"We really recognize the precious commodity of people's time," said Karen Forgus, the Reds' senior vice president of business operations. "If they give it to us, we want to make it worthwhile."
I agree with this. And I know most Dodger fans will not agree with this. I go to Dodger Stadium to have a great time. The game itself is a bonus. If the Dodgers win then that's great but if they lose I will not go home and be mad. If I had a great time at the park then all is good. If a player down in Autograph Alley took the time to chat for a few seconds then that's great. If the service to order food was quick, then that's great. If the employees treat me nice and seem to be happy, then that's great.
But that's just me....
The rest....
Employees are to greet fans with enthusiasm, engage them in conversation and never be stumped by a question or request. In addition to attending an hour-long session before the season starts, each employee receives a game-day handbook with 18 pages of Reds Way content.
The Reds reward employees for good customer service; hundreds of gift cards ranging from $5 to $15 were distributed in 2010. Warman and Bloss hope to double or triple that number this year, and add major prizes such as flat screen televisions and trips to 2012 spring training. They've signed on 40 season ticket holders to help spot Reds staff doing good work.
I'll leave you with this great picture. This Angels usher is not too happy. Read the story if you don't remember what happened here. {linked here}