text:
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Download it now to read this article plus other related content.
Grid computing--also called computing on demand--has the potential to change the computing model we've used for more than a half of a century. Computers have essentially been self-contained systems with local memory, I/O and storage. This model has been expanded and refined over the years while remaining essentially unchanged.
Of course, there have been numerous computer revolutions in the last five decades: networked computers on LANs; two-tier computing or client-server computing, which separates the application from the data; three-tier computing that separates the user interface from the applications and the data such as Java. And the short list of giant leaps in computing would certainly need to include the Internet, WWW, SANs and high- performance or massively parallel computers.
Yet in spite of these admittedly significant advances, the basic model remained the same. Grid computing is the first real change to the model that leverages these advances. For the first time, users will be able to get the computing they need, on demand, without having to know anything about computing. Computing on demand will have a huge impact on the way data is used, shared and stored.
|Grid Computing's Impact on storage
Internet on steroids
Some have called grid computing the Internet on steroids. In reality, it's the virtualization of computing to the user. Grid computing allows IT organizations to forego having to provide individual computers to provide computational capabilities.
The Global Grid Forum and the IETF for Grid
Computing define the grid as a type of parallel and distributed system that enables the sharing, selection and aggregation of resources distributed across multiple administrative domains based on their availability, capability, performance, cost and users' QoS requirements.
Grid computing is often confused with cluster computing. If distributed resources happen to be managed by a single, global centralized scheduling system, then it's a cluster. In a cluster, all nodes work cooperatively with a common goal and objective as a centralized, global resource manager performs the resource allocation. In a grid, each node has its own resource manager and allocation policy.
What this means is that applications will be able to dynamically draw processing cycles, memory, I/O and storage from anywhere on the grid based on its moment-by-moment requirements and resource availability. The grid continuously identifies computer processing, I/O, memory or storage demand and assigns the appropriate computer resources to fulfill that demand.
The compute resources on the grid must be interconnected across a high-speed, high-performance network. These resources can be local or geographically distributed. The grid resource allocation software takes into account the physical location of the resources before assigning them. Bandwidth and performance to each compute resource have an impact on the decision algorithm.
Grid computing has enormous potential and has captured the attention of the computer industry as well as a fistful of research dollars from companies such as Fujitsu Softek, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Microsoft, Siemens, Sun Microsystems and others. Grid computing has the potential to reduce research time by orders of magnitude. It could allow cancer researchers to test thousands of drug candidates in minutes vs. years, or astronomers to map all near earth objects in months vs. decades or provide meteorologists with an incredibly accurate forecast of any given spot in the world. Grid computing is at the same point that the World Wide Web was in 1991.
That sounds almost too good to be true, but today there are dozens of working grid projects around the world. Of course, there are still many significant challenges ahead to take grid computing beyond the do-it-yourself experiment stage to commercially shrink-wrapped viability. Perhaps the most important challenge for grid computing will be how to manage the storage.
This was first published in August 2003


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NORTH MANKATO — Thefts from vehicles plunged in 2012 while domestic assault rose, North Mankato Police Chief Chris Boyer told the City Council Monday during his annual report on crime.
Boyer credited the drop in thefts to citizens calling police about suspicious people and to his officers for making the arrests.
Overall, violent, or "personal" crimes rose from 510 in 2011 to 556 in 2012. Domestic assaults rose from 18 in 2011 to 34 last year. Boyer said he couldn't explain the increase.
Councilwoman Diane Norland asked Boyer if police tell victims about the services offered by CADA, a nonprofit that runs a shelter for victims of domestic abuse.
Boyer said, "We offer it every time. We try to push it as much as we can because it's a great service."
Assaults stayed the same (19) and cases involving criminal sexual conduct dropped from 15 to 10. There was only one robbery last year, compared with three in 2011. Harassment cases rose from 25 to 40.
Overall, property crimes dropped from 481 to 388 for 2012.
Most of the drop was accounted for in thefts from vehicles, which dropped from 143 to 54. Still, that was more than in 2010, when 27 were reported.
Burglaries also dropped, from 45 in 2011 to 28 last year. There were 23 burglaries reported in 2010.
Underage consumption of alcohol stayed rare, down from 6 to 5 last year.
And there were no crashes in the city caused by alcohol in 2012.
"That's tremendous," Boyer said.
There was one traffic death, on Lookout Drive in January.
The total number of police reports dropped by about 3 percent, to 3,145.
Boyer looked ahead to next year's report, saying gun permit requests are "going to go through the ceiling."
"It's going to be double if not triple for 2013," he said.
Crime comparisons with other cities are difficult at this time because the FBI will not release its analysis of 2012 crime until this summer.
Norland ended the meeting by noting that, again in 2012, there were dozens of cats euthanized and few or no dogs.
"Please, for heaven's sake people, fix your cats. Honestly, it's not that big a deal.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Rob Cockerham of cockeyed.com is a sociologist provocateur that we've featured quite a few times here on Boing Boing. His experiments never fail to delight and illuminate.
Recently Rob found $60 in parking lot and when he reported it on Craigslist he received three replies. Intrigued, he posted another (this time, ersatz) announcement that he'd found money and wanted to return it to its rightful owner. Look how four "different" people replied to his annoucement:
Catherine: I was shopping at the Mervyns on camp wisdom and three hundred dollard fell out of my wallett it was twenties and one hundreds. It was my kids back to school money and have been loosing my mind. Not sure if you found all of it or part. but please email me back either way. Thank you, Catherine (Fri. 4:36pm)Cockeyed.com presents: You Found my Money! Discuss
Jack: My wife and I where shopping at Mervyns and lost 260.00 it was one fifty one ten five twenties and one one hundred dollar bill. We where at the Mervyns on Plano Rd. In Dallas please let me know if you found any part of this money we would greatly appreciate it. (Fri. 4:40pm)
Rob: Hi Catherine, I'm sorry, I found more money than that, so I think it must be someone else's. I am very sorry. Good luck. (Mon 10:30am)
Rob: Hi Jack, I'm sorry, I found the money in the shoe department at the Camp Wisdom Mervyn's store. Good luck. (Mon 10:31am)
Bella: Hello I was shopping at the mervyns on camp wisdom with my family I was in the shoe department and jewlrey department. somewhere in either department I lost three hundred dollars. and I am going out of my mind ! please email me back and let me know if you found it. I have been worried sick. thank you (10:35 am!!)
Rob: Hi Bella, That is the same store where I found the money, but I found almost $800 wrapped in paper. I'm sorry. It might even be from the store itself, so I've been planning to go and ask the manager if their deposit was missing or something. Good luck. (Mon 12:50 pm)
Eric: I saw your post on cl just as I was going to put one up. my boss told me about cl. I lost some money at mervyns on camp wisdom I had just come from the bank and stopped in to get some sneakers. the money I lost is my rent money. it was wrapped in paper and was 780.00 . my wife is needless to say unhappy with me for loosing it. I called the store and no one has turnend it in. if you can email me back. thank you. (Mon 12:54 pm)
Bella: thank you for emailing me back. someone just called me who found my money! so thankfully I got it back.
Rob: Hi Eric, Ok, thanks for writing. I called the store and tried to talk to the manager to see if it might be misplaced or stolen from the register, but she was not available. I hung up after 7 minutes on hold. Anyway, I'm waiting for them to call me back too. I want to be sure I have the right person because it was a lot of money. Can you tell me anything about the paper? -Rob
Eric: It was wrapped in white paper, I am loosing my mind paniking because that was almost my whole pay how could I possibly recoop that you know?
105 Responses to "Experiment on Craigslist: "I found some cash. Did you lose it?""
Antinous says:
I think that you missed BDCD's point.
Finally, your posting history makes it seem like you're that guy who creates nothing, but sits around complaining about everything that other people have created and then delivered to him for free. Don't be that guy. Nobody likes that guy.
A point which, funnily enough, I have also made to you. Go grind your axe elsewhere.
Cpt. Tim says:
#1: He's scamming about as much as the newspapers that put out wallets with money in them to see who is honest enough to return them.
So i guess if he's trying to scam some dishonesty from people, then he's benefiting.
what is a unit of dishonesty called?
garfield1979 says:
It's like those guys taking on 419 (nigerian) scammers.
it's interesting to see at what lengths people will go to scam someone else.
sad really.
slowpioson says:
Did you notice the characteristic use of lowercase after a period in all but one of the emails! And also see misspelled losing (loosing) in Catherine's and Eric's emails.
I'm sure Rob was at least tempted to have more fun with this!
Anonymous says:
to OM (#45): I'm curious to know how Rob Cockerham's (albeit informal) experiment is detrimental to the field of sociological study.
I don't know if it's customary here but I'll go ahead and link to this xkcd comic which I think is applicable.
Basically, Rob performed an experiment and published his results. Where's the detriment?
"Formally accepted" research has used similar techniques, e.g.
mdhatter says:
HuronBob – I second what he/she said to you.
TristanFerrer says:
Very similar to the replies I got on CraigsList for the this ad:
skramble says:
We've got Rob Cockerham on one end of the spectrum and Jason Fortuny at the other opposite end.
Brett Burton says:
Wow. These are some odd reactions. Who cares if Rob isn't a real sociologist? I don't think he's claiming to be rigorously scientific about anything. These are entertaining pranks that maybe offer a little insight into the human condition. Not anything to base federal funding or even a college term paper on. And how can you feel sorry for a bunch of desperate liars who were trying to swindle money out of a stranger? Keep going Rob, this stuff is gold!
Ugly Canuck says:
Scam vs. Scam.
Didn't this appear in Mad Magazine?
Ugly Canuck says:
I meant "Sham vs. Scam"…. there's a diff if the words are diff, right?
Ugly Canuck says:
Down the aisle near the Spam…
seyo says:
False hope??? They were lying about having lost money! Jeez, bleeding heart much?
Ugly Canuck says:
I do hope my doggerel's ethical.
Or at least ethical enough…
takeshi says:
"What Rob's doing is detrimental to the field of study…"
This is where I stop believing you're a sociologist. If what Rob did is "detrimental," then what about the would-be scammer? Frankly, your argument falls flat. Rob never touted his sociological expertise, unlike SOME people.
Please explain to us, oh wizened social behaviorist, how your comments here have in any way been beneficial to the field of study. Prank, stunt, social experiment, whatever you want to call it… Rob's online activities haven't exactly set you back twenty years. Get real. Seriously.
If he was claiming to be a sociologist, that'd be one thing, but a truck driver sketching a naked lady on the inside of a matchbook cover doesn't hasten the demise of visual art. A child clinking away on a broken toy piano doesn't make Franz Liszt irrelevant, nor does it have any measurable influence over the future of music. And your Marquis DeSade reference doesn't make your point any less fatuous.
I'd like to see a list of your accomplishments, with exhaustive annotation regarding the positive impact that your work has had upon "the field." We'd need an expert opinion, after all.
Mark Frauenfelder says:
Rob isn't trying to scam anyone. Also, I'm the one calling him a sociologist, he probably has a different name to describe what he does.
Lobster says:
@10: I didn't notice that until you mentioned it. Looking at the time stamps helped too. I guess I'm just too trusting. :(
Hey, while we're all chatting, could I get someone to look after my house for a few weeks? :D
Anonymous says:
"Bella: thank you for emailing me back. someone just called me who found my money! so thankfully I got it back."
LOL. Like someone ELSE in the world would be such a good samaritan (like the experimenter) to post and THEN give the money back. She thought she'd found some poor kind-hearted sap to scam to begin with, what makes her think you would believe there would be TWO?
Good going Bella, err Eric, err Catherine, err Scammer. Nice save. LOLLOL.
Wally B says:
Chris G(#22) FTW. I'm gonna laugh about that all day.
@Phikus (#87), what's the conversion from a lie to a cheney? 1 to 100 (100 lies = 1 cheney)? Now I'm desperate to think of what the superunit of a cheney could possibly be…
jimbuck says:
Great stuff … There's no false hope here. None of those people actually lost money.
My uncle's friend bought a house, and when doing some renovations found $10,000 in cash inside the walls. When you buy a house, you get everything in it – including money hiding in the walls :-P
racer x says:
"I think you misunderstand the legal meaning of the word "entrapment"; it only applies when law enforcement induces a person to commit a crime that they had no previous desire to commit, and would not have committed otherwise."
"If you leave a pine of gold visible in your open garage, and arrest everybody who walks in and takes some, that's not entrapment."
You're kind of contradicting yourself here – if "leav[ing] a pine of gold visible in your open garage"…"induces a person to commit a crime that they had no previous desire to commit, and would not have committed otherwise" – wouldn't that satisfy your definition of entrapment?
But this –
"@celynnen: Well, you know how parties get. Someone made a big batch of egg nog, and before we knew it, Midas had his gloves off and was touching stuff.
The important thing is, nobody was hurt."
- is funny.
Takuan says:
a TSA?
Samurai Gratz says:
This reminds me of the Mark Twain short story, "The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg." One of his best.
JJR1971 says:
Reminds me of a few cases when I used to work for a travel insurance assistance service; One client was incensed we would not reimburse her for money she claimed was stolen from her hotel room (what can I say–use traveler's checks next time?), and others that were upset that they had to produce a doctor's note if canceling their trip for illness-related reasons. I used to say "if you're not sick enough to go to the doctor, you're not sick enough to miss the trip, sorry."; that may or may not be factually true, but the point is we couldn't process a claim without documented evidence in support of said claim. Amazed me how many customers just never got this through their thick skulls.
(fictional dialogue)
customer: "Evidence? We don't need no steenkin' evidence…"
me: "Sorry, we don't do faith-based insurance claim settlements".
Chris G says:
@ Cpt. Tim: It's called a "cheney."
Ugly Canuck says:
I once saw an actual pine of gold and for $50 I will send you…no wait, scratch that.
In NYC IIRC the police would put out a wallet and bust those who picked it up but didn't tell the first cop they saw….or drop it in a convenient mailbox…
Deception practiced to get others to reveal themselves…this guy should be a spy. Perhaps Spy vs. Spy isn't so far off the mark…
Mark Frauenfelder says:
Huronbob@30: How are the negative vibes of your schoolmarmish shaming any better than what Rob did?
buddy66 says:
What's a "pine of gold"?
arkizzle says:
akbar56 says:
Hey now… whats wrong with shopping at Mervyns? Still the best place to find a pair of jeans.
seijihyouronka says:
Anonymous@47: That comic is brilliant, and so apt here! Thank you! I think it illustrates the point rather nicely (Feynman, yaaay).
Mark: Thanks for posting this!
Rob: I personally find your experiments — yes, experiments — fascinating. Also, that you encountered only (ostensibly) two people out of all the people in all those cities (and perhaps beyond) who read your post and tried to deceive you is great news!
*more after this Kumbaya break*
Huronbob: If you're even still reading this post, please know that I don't mean to offend you and that it pains me to see negative comment after negative comment exchanged between yourself and various people on boingboing of all places!
It's clear you have much to contribute, and much that other people will disagree with, but I ask you to consider what harm there would be in assuming the best in people here. That is to say, perhaps people are … in ways you find varying degrees of palatable … wishing you to be more positive or perhaps just less aggressive in your criticism. We all have different boundaries here, but I find the best way not to cross anyone's is to have faith that they don't mean to cross ours.
Happy Friday (if applicable) and Happy Commenting to ev'rybody, and thanks for wading through my clauses.
arkizzle says:
"Bert de Gylpyn drew of Normandie
From Walchelin his gentle blood,
Who haply hears, by Bewley's sea,
The Angevins' bugles in the wood,
His crest, the rebus of his name,
Pineapple-a pine of gold
Was it, his Norman shield,
Sincere, in word and deed, his face extolled.
But Richard having killed the boar
With crested arm an olive shook,
And sable boar on field of or
For impress on his shield he took.
And well he won his honest arms.
And well he knew his Kentmore lands.
He won them not in war's alarms,
Nor dipt in human blood his hands."
But I have a feeling that neither of these are what BobDole meant.. :)
Antinous says:
Is that from when pineapple meant pine cone?
arkizzle says:
Opportunity to commit a crime is not the same as motivation to commit it.
Are jewellry stores that have open display cases guilty of entrapment? Is setting down your bag, as you turn to open a car-door entrapment?
Entrapment is analogous to offering the motivation for the crime, not offering the opportunity for the crime.
"To determine whether entrapment has been established, a line must be drawn between the trap for the unwary innocent and the trap for the unwary criminal"
Sherman v. United_States
Takuan says:
ahhkie yew bastid, game on dontchaknow?
arkizzle says:
Antinous, I'd say so:
1398, "pine cone," from pine (n.) + apple. The reference to the fruit of the tropical plant (from resemblance of shape) is first recorded 1664, and pine cone emerged 1695 to replace pineapple in its original sense. For "pine cone," O.E. also used pinhnyte "pine nut."
The song I quoted is originally 1200~, but the version above is reworded, probably from 1600~
Ugly Canuck says:
For Dole Corp. it really is a pine of gold.
UrinalPooper says:
#45 OM: "What Rob's doing is detrimental to the field of study"
Um… compared to the Milgram experiment and the Stanford Prison experiment, I'm not certain the field of study is suffering from some guy trolling craigslist.
arkizzle says:
Gilpin Coat of Arms
Or, a boar statant sable, langued and tusked gules.
Crest: A dexter arm embowed I armor proper, the naked hand grasping a pine branch fesswise vert.
buddy66 says:
I can almost always count on you for an answer. You're an encyclopedia of interest. Thanks, again.
nuorder says:
I just did a craiglist search in my area for anything similar (copycats) and I found one that seems very close to what Rob is doing.
If you search the Chicago craiglist's lost/found ads, you'll find one about a "large sum of money" found near a target.
I just e-mailed him to tell him/her that he needs to be a little more creative than that.
SherryArt says:
Another interesting use of Craig's List personals is to post creative writing, a sort of short story or narrative, in the message box. I'm sorry I can't offer an example (I thought I had saved some) but these essays appear every few months. Sometimes I write to the person and tell them what a good writer they are and perhaps this will be an interesting new medium. It's only a matter of time until "Craig's List Postings" becomes an assignment in those expensive weekend writing workshops, not to mention high school and college courses. Try it if you're a struggling writer.
Takuan says:
ah laik pieah
dainel says:
Coating is red. Now where's my gold pinecone?
Bob Doles Communist Doppelganger says:
@Antinous: People who aren't very good at making ethical distinctions are no better than Hitler.
arkizzle says:
People who get worked up on BB always seem to get pie.
Antinous! Where's my pie?
[inset fabulous inuendo here]
minTphresh says:
heronbob, anti has to read your drivel. it's his j-o-b. i personally get a kick out of your trollishness. you are what the huron would have called a 'contrary'. whatever the direction of the prevailing breeze, you gotta fart into the wind.
retchdog says:
@25 Antinous: Although Rob created a fictional situation, it may be close enough to a real one as to prompt a (hypothetical) accidental victim to give up the search.
Admittedly, this is extremely unlikely and I personally am not offended by what Rob did; in fact I was quite amused. Still, it might be an issue of concern were he to run this as a proper Sociological Experiment, and I would think a "tag-back" and postmortem explanation would be required.
Calling this an "experiment" is also a bit silly, even though the adaptiveness of the sequence of responses is notable.
minTphresh says:
PIE!?!?! gimme CAKE!!!!!! ( but pie is good too…)
Antinous says:
I'm an ice cream person myself.
arkizzle says:
Big yellow BrassEye cake, yeh?
(by the look of those exclamation marks)
number14 says:
Yes, no one could have had false hope because it's inconceivable that anyone lost money at Mervyn's recently.
minTphresh says:
the twain shall be mixed for a tasty treat that can't be beat ! i decree it!
arkizzle says:
Well that's a coincidence, what with all the free ice cream around here.. pity about the flav.. uh, nothing.
Phikus says:
HURONBOB: While you're crackin' down on unethical behavior on Craigslist, why don't you try to get people from scalping tickets there? That's something they state definitively as unallowed in policy, and yet is rampant. Ever heard the phrase: Pick your battles?
ARKIZZLE: I don't think i've ever been this entertained by what surely began as a typo. A pine 'o gold to you sir!
ANTINOUS: Does this mean we can stop you if you're passin by?
eustace says:
Sadly, there is no cake. (Although I saw it, and it looked delicious and moist)
So we must settle for pie. Like that's settling!
minTphresh says:
know what goes great on a warm slice of apple pie? a slice of cheddar! cheese that is.
sswaan says:
I enjoyed this and think that it's being taken a slight bit too seriously by some–entrapment, enshrapment, whatever. That said…
Cockerham noted on his blog that he finds money a lot and tries to find its rightful owner–although admitting that this is almost impossible. I've also found money (usually $10-$50) a bunch of times, and although I could certainly use it, I feel some karmic responsibility not to keep it. But since the chances of finding the original owner are slim to none, I make a donation to a charity–a food bank, the Red Cross, AmRef, etc.–in that amount. It seems as good a solution as any.
arkizzle says:
Phikus, why thankyouverymuch :)
Anonymous says:
the basic unit of dishonesty is the lie
Bob Doles Communist Doppelganger says:
I think you misunderstand the legal meaning of the word "entrapment"; it only applies when law enforcement induces a person to commit a crime that they had no previous desire to commit, and would not have committed otherwise.
If you leave a pine of gold visible in your open garage, and arrest everybody who walks in and takes some, that's not entrapment.
If an undercover officer tells someone about the gold, and they're not interested, but he keeps bugging them and demanding that they go take some and he arrests them when they finally do, that's entrapment.
Rob posted an actual ad about lost money initially, was intrigued by the odd responses he got, and posted a false ad which resulted in him being targeted by a con artist who without encouragement or prompting used multiple pre-prepared email accounts to attempt to scam him out of the money. If he were an officer of the law, and he were to meet and arrest the person in question, it would most certainly not be entrapment.
Antinous says:
Is that a puzzle? Where's Takuan?
Speaking of cake, BB used to have a cake post about once per week. If the universe were working properly, we should have already had a Montauk Monster cake. We should definitely see a dead-bigfoot-in-a-fridge cake by Friday. And maybe a cockroach-with-Franz-Kafka's-head cake for good luck.
Phikus says:
mmmmm… cake…
arkizzle says:
Yeh, where isTak? The puzzle in Untitled is a humdinger, and i needz clooz!
buddy66 says:
Woo…no cake for me!
A lie is the basic unit of economics.
Phikus says:
ANTINOUS: Actually, I think of you as the Good Humour Man… =D
celynnen says:
a pine of gold? damn, that must be an expensive xmas tree! =oP
Phikus says:
ANON@81: "the basic unit of dishonesty is the lie"
If that's true, it's a unit that comes in all sizes. Cheneys, then, would appear to be only the really big ones.
Bob Doles Communist Doppelganger says:
@celynnen: Well, you know how parties get. Someone made a big batch of egg nog, and before we knew it, Midas had his gloves off and was touching stuff.
The important thing is, nobody was hurt.
travispulley says:
Wow that's pretty neat, you can tell it's the same scammer because of the consistently poor spelling and progression of repeating clues.
Rob Cockerham says:
I think it is worth noting that honest people didn't write, except to express their praise.
I got no schemers from Minneapolis, Las Vegas or Seattle.
ChesterKatz says:
BWCBWC@108: "Bella" was definitely part of the scam. Rob provides her with "wrapped in paper" and "almost $800″, both of which are immediately echoed back by "Eric".
(Sorry for posting to an old story, but I just stumbled across this.)
Bob Doles Communist Doppelganger says:
@100: Bait cars aren't nearly piney enough. Unless they've got those little air fresheners, which most of them don't.
Anonymous says:
Rather than use the "Gold in a Garage" example, why not use Bait Cars? An actual practice most people should be familiar with.
TheWillow says:
I wonder if Rob lives in my apartment building – about a month ago I found a $20 on the front stoop, and basically came to the conclusion that the odds of actually discovering who it belonged to were pretty much nil (Even with a "I found money, tell me how much and it's yours" note, *someone* was gonna guess a $20.) and kept it.
The next morning, $15 was laying on the floor next to my doormat. I walked on by. It may be paranoia, but I was convinced if I picked it up I'd be entering some bad matrix-esque B-movie plot.
Anonymous says:
This is just another juvenile scam. It is a lie, with the intent of getting other people to lie.
dainel says:
If you lose $800 in America, forget about getting it back. It's gone. Whoever finds it is going to keep it. But if you lose $800 in Japan, nobody would even think of keeping the money. The person who finds it will spend a lot of time looking for the owner, and if they couldn't find the owner, will turn the money in to the police. The owner will presumably check with the police as well.
I heard this from a podcast by an American teaching living in Japan, talking about how his students had found a pile of cash. Can't remember if it was Tokyo Calling, or Hello Flom Japan.
Earlier this week, as I was walking to my car after work, I found a Honda car key on the road. I looked around, there were no Honda cars nearby. So I put it on top a tree stump about 1m away, in case the owner comes back looking for it. What should I have done if there was a Honda car nearby?
Moon says:
When I saw "folded money", I immediately thought Mob Guy. And, if Mob Guy responds, you had better fork over the cash, whether or not he's lying.
Phikus says:
NUMBER14@26: I feel I lose money every time I go to Mervyn's…
All: How many cheneys does it take to get a mendacity?
johnnyuber says:
This is art.
I think of all of the old school the fun be had pranking and manipulating these manipulators.
It reminds of these guys….
I am a new fan of Rob Cockerham for sure….
He reminds of an Author…. who should be signed to my favorite Indy Publisher "RE/Search"… (especially in VOL3 book Pranks) "http://www.researchpubs.com/books/prankprod.php"
And come to think of it…. BoingBoing reminds me in some way of that "RE:Search flavor" of content for the digital age… BRAVO
mdhatter says:
All the little air fresheners in the world won't disguise the scent of bait.
CarnyTrash says:
Slightly related, my best friend posts several CL ads like this:
a month. They never fail to amuse me.
OM says:
…This is one of the reasons I avoid any craigslists like the plague. You never know when someone's scamming you like this. Rob's one of those bozos who I'd love to give the same black eye to that he's given to sociology and psychology. He's about as much an experimenter as the Marquis DeSade was a massage therapist.
[shakes head in utter dismay]
Daniel Davis says:
I used to do stuff like this, but before the Internet. My friend and I once made about a thousand fliers printed with cryptic symbols, worded: If you know what this means, meat at the Lyons in Clovis, on Friday the 16th of March, at 9 p.m.
We would then go to the meeting place and just watch people to see if anyone had the fliers or if there were people there looking around suspiciously (besides us).
We never planned on making contact with anyone, and we never really cared to discover if anyone ever followed the fliers.
We always hung out at Lyons (this was when you could smoke inside, and so we would often spend hours and hours just smoking and drinking coffee), and we thought it would be fun to do.
I don't know if this "experiment" was on us or them…
Lobster says:
I expected a lot of people who were obviously trying to rip him off but these are just kind of sad. It's like he's giving them false hope. :(
dainel says:
What *should* you do if you actually found money, and you want to return it?
Leaving a note with the store manager *is* a good idea. But I wouldn't post on craigslist. What are the odds of the owner looking there? A better thing to do would be to write a note on piece of cardboard, and leave it where you found the money. Make up a random email address, and ask them to email you there – eg email@example.com, then go home and create that new email address at yahoo. Check that mailbox for a month. Even if they don't use email, they could get a friend or relative to send it for them.
What about the problem of "subsequent" person "mysteriously" giving the information you just "leaked" to the previous person? A good tactic may be to provide false information. For example, "Sorry, the money I found was more than that. Besides, there were a pile of pennies in a little plastic bag". Create some different fake info each time. When subsequent persons mentions the fake info, you could just ignore them. Or email back saying, "Sorry, Alisha, the pennies I mentioned to Jesa was a trick to catch dishonest people like you. There were no pennies."
palindromic says:
I found in a pinecone made out of gold in the parking lot of Rancho Mirage. If you can describe the life and times of Bertrand Russell I will place an egg at the top of the Sears Tower. If you can correctly identify the breed of bird which gave hence to this egg, I will massage the tummy of a newborn kitten. If you can tell me the number of kittens in the litter from which that kitten was born, I shall produce, from an undisclosed orifice on my body, another egg, this one made entirely of chocolate. Identify the color of the candy coating, and the pinecone is yours!
Cpt. Tim says:
i completely disagree with huronbobs assessment of the experiment.
and completely agree with most of the other posters such as the bob dole posters.
yet i still think "put a sock in it."
is a very O'Reillyian thing to say. Especially for a mod.
se7a7n7 says:
Wow, I should hang out at Mervyn's!!! There's 1,000s of dollars floating around!!!
Mark Frauenfelder says:
I think the sad thing is that these people didn't care that they were trying to take money that somebody else lost. Rob's experiment harmed no one.
minTphresh says:
he gets his point across.
bwcbwc says:
Antinous, and others saying there was no "false hope" should check the messages from Bella (no timestamp provided). I suppose she could have been part of the scam threads, but there was no reason for her to send a response saying someone else had found her money.
redsquares says:
These people may have lost money, but when it comes to 'losing' they've all gained 'o's.
Kishi says:
@Rob Cockerham: No scammers in Vegas? Oh, Sin City, you disappoint me.
se7a7n7 says:
Also, this reminds me a similar experiment me and an old roommate did a few years ago.
We posted an ad in Personals offering a $20 blow job, saying that I was a fair looking girl that needed some extra money for the weekend.
Within an hour we had 30 responses, all of them hilarious and pathetic. Guys were offering cab fare and even sending their pictures of them standing next to their girlfriends….
Oh, good times!!
loopGhost says:
-Sorry, the paper was in fact BLUE.
Dear sir, I lost $800 in Blue Paper.
-What was written on the outside of the Paper?
The words "COCHEASE HAZ DA MONEYZ"?
-Sorry, the words "Monkey Kitty Slappy" were written on the outside of the paper.
DEAR A*HOLE – I LOST MY BLUE PAPER WRAPPED 800 DOLLARZ W/ "Monkey Kitty Slappy" ON IT. GIVE IT OVER BEFORE I HUNT YOU DOWN AND BEAT YOU SENSELESS.
etc, etc.
Bob Doles Communist Doppelganger says:
@huronbob: You're pretending to have misunderstood what I said about entrapment for reasons that are known only to you. It's still a semi-free country, so keep right on doing that as long as you find it entertaining, I guess. If you're honestly confused, there are plenty of references available online.
As for your second post, who knows? If BB (like craigslist) was plagued by criminals who spent their time and effort trying to scam the legitimate posters, I suspect that someone who poked fun at them by exposing their activities would be welcomed.
Finally, your posting history makes it seem like you're that guy who creates nothing, but sits around complaining about everything that other people have created and then delivered to him for free. Don't be that guy. Nobody likes that guy.
justONEguy says:
I don't see what's so sociologically provocative about this. Its fairly safe on his end and the results are pretty predictable.
stupidjerk says:
I myself like to post vague missed connections…
"You had on tight jeans, a faded t-shirt, aviator sun glasses and a chrome messenger bag…you were standing in the corner with your arms crossed, looking disinterested…you were totally hot…"
Etc etc etc.
The responses are overwhelming. And no, it's not nice.
Bob Doles Communist Doppelganger says:
Did you miss what was happening here? The same person was emailing him numerous times from different accounts, each time using the information that he gave the last "person" as a starting point for extracting more information from him, with the eventual goal of being able to exactly describe (and claim) their "lost money".
OM says:
"Rob isn't trying to scam anyone. Also, I'm the one calling him a sociologist, he probably has a different name to describe what he does."
…Mark, my degree *is* in sociology. What Rob's doing is detrimental to the field of study, and has about as much scientific validity as studying the effects of coin tossing on cows farting 300 miles away.
mmbb says:
Well, at least Rob Cockerham didn't post e-mail addresses, photos, and other confidential PII like Jason Fortuny (rfjason) did.
Antinous says:
The majority of your comments are cranky, complaining, carping negativity, and a variety of commenters have suggested that you put a sock in it. If the content of BoingBoing doesn't please you, why are you here?
Antinous says:
Rob created a completely fictional situation. Rob's post could not have elicited any responses from honest people. Rob was unsuccessfully worked by a would-be con artist. I don't think that you're very good at making ethical distinctions.
Antinous says:
I read your comments because I'm a moderator and that's what I do. If you can't be more pleasant on occasion, please step away from the keyboard and go have some pie.


text:
Insights into health care and entitlement reform.
A lot of people have been justly offended by the Solyndra scandal, in which the Obama administration squandered $535 million in a failed solar-energy company backed by one of Obama's largest donors. But $535 mill in failed loans is chump change for this administration. Obamacare, according to the White House, will waste over $3 billion on faulty loans to state-sponsored health insurers called CO-OPs. It's bad enough that taxpayer funds are going down the tubes. But internal documents show that the administration isn't particularly bothered by it.
First, some of the backstory. When moderate Democrats balked at the government-run "public option" in their health-care bill, they compromised by creating state-sponsored insurers called Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans, or CO-OPs. These CO-OPs, however, are not to be confused with private co-ops, which are privately sponsored cooperative enterprises. The Obamacare CO-OPs were designed to fail.
The Obamacare CO-OPs were allocated $6 billion in subsidized, cut-rate loans, so as to ensure that they would meet state capital requirements. (Insurers have to have a certain amount of money in reserve in order to pay out the claims of their beneficiaries.) Interest on the loans would be a point or two less than Treasurys—a nice deal, if you can get it. But the bigger problem, as Bradford Gray of the Urban Institute explained last summer, is that the CO-OPs aren't built to function like normal insurers.
Structural flaws in the design of CO-OPs
For one thing, the plans are prohibited from using the loans for marketing purposes. So there isn't an easy way for the plans to make consumers aware of them. The plans are prohibited from working with insurers already in operation, hence limiting their ability to gain from the experience of existing market players. The plans will have to enroll members and contract with providers—but unless they are able to enroll a good mix of healthy and sick people, they'll pay out more in claims than they take in premiums: the classic problem of adverse selection. Since healthy people have plenty of options already, it's sick people who will be most likely to sign up for the CO-OP plans.
Because of these problems, Congress last summer stripped $2.2 billion from CO-OP appropriations, leaving the program with $3.8 billion in subsidized loans. Nevertheless, last July, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services made public their projection that 36 percent of the remaining loans would go unpaid: a staggering $1.4 billion. When Congress demanded answers from HHS, the agency replied that "we believe that the changes we have made…improve the potential viability of CO-OPs," but maintained their previous insolvency projections.
White House projects 91 percent of CO-OP loans will fail
Then, in early 2012, the White House's Office of Management and Budget projected that 91 percent of the CO-OP loans would go unpaid: $3.1 billion of the now-$3.4 billion program.
Rest assured that taxpayers will be stuck with the bill. As a letter from the House Energy & Commerce notes, "Because the CO-OP regulation does not specify any collateral for the loans, and, as mentioned above, holders of surplus notes are usually at the bottom rung in terms of priority if an insurer goes into rehabilitation or liquidation, the Federal taxpayer would be among the last in line for repayment should a CO-OP experience financial distress." (Emphasis added.)
It's not just Republicans who are concerned about the CO-OP disaster. Sen. John D. Rockefeller (D., W.Va.), an advocate of single-payer health care, has pointed out that "there has been no significant research into consumer co-ops as a model for health insurance. What we do know, however, is that this model was tried in the early part of the 20th century and largely failed…This is a dying business model for health insurance…I believe it is irresponsible to invest over $6 billion in a concept that has not proven to provide quality, affordable health care."
Labor union giveaways
Over at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, however, it's full steam ahead. Earlier this month, CMS awarded $137 million to two new CO-OPs in Michigan and Nevada. I've obtained an internal CMS document containing talking points regarding the two giveaways.
The talking points concern, among other things, the fact that the Nevada plan is "sponsored by a Taft-Hartley (union) plan." This, despite the fact that existing plans are specifically barred from receiving CO-OP loans. "The Affordable Care Act excludes pre-existing issuers from CO-OP participation," CMS acknowledges, but because the union plan in this case is not licensed in Nevada, but in Delaware, according to CMS, they're not an "existing plan." Okay then.
The funniest part of the document is when CMS asks itself, "aren't loans like this risky?" Contrary to the agency's own projections, let alone those of the White House, CMS says everything's copacetic. "Loans will only be made to private, nonprofit entities that demonstrate a high probability of becoming financially viable." According to the government, it seems, if you have a 9 percent chance of repaying your loans, you've demonstrated a "high probability" of success.
Remember that the next time someone tells you that government-run health care is "more efficient" than the private sector.
Follow Avik on Twitter at @avik.
UPDATE 1: Wendell Potter disagrees (h/t commenter jnail). An earlier version of the piece stated that CO-OP plans were banned from marketing; in fact, plans are only blocked from using federal loan subsidies for marketing purposes (h/t commenter Amy).
UPDATE 2: The Obamacare Watcher blog finds that the White House was requesting an increase in the amount of subsidized CO-OP loans to $7.25 billion, with expected defaults of $3.1 billion, for a default rate of 43 percent, not 91 percent as described above. They add these observations:
Some state insurance commissioners expressed their concerns with these new CO-OPs on a recent conference call of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. One of their concerns is that, because CO-OPs are run by their policy holders, there may be a bias in favor of lower premiums which might result in premium underpricing.
While in the short term lower premiums may benefit consumers, underpricing could have long term negative effects not just on CO-OPs but also on the health insurance market.
In addition, there was some sentiment amongst the state insurance commissioners on the call, that the influx of loans to be used to meet state solvency requirements might also be bad for state health insurance markets.
We've sent two Freedom of Information Act requests on CO-OPs to the Department of Health and Human Services. In the first FOIA we asked for information on who has applied for the grants and who has been denied. Then, on April 16, 2012 we filed a FOIA to find out exactly what is in the contracts the Obama Administration is signing with these new entities.
And, now, we're not the only ones investigating them.
On April 24, 2012, the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent Marilyn Tavenner, Acting Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), a letter demanding answers to 18 questions by May 8, 2012.
We look forward to reading their responses.
In a separate post, the Obamacare Watchers investigate the "Hospitalty Health" CO-OP's registration in Delaware:
They go on to comment:
We suspect that "Hospitality Health, Ltd." is the organization that received the $66 million loan grant from HHS, and we are working to confirm this by requesting the organization's Certificate of Incorporation from the Delaware Division of Corporations.
In any case, there is apparently yet no organization registered under the name "Hospitality Health CO-OP."
In the interests of transparency, HHS should have given the real name of the organization and made public the fact of Hospitality Health's Delaware incorporation.
UPDATE 3: John Morrison, President of the National Alliance of State Health CO-OPs, offers in the comments a "point-by-point rebuttal to some of these falsehoods or misleading statements" that I've made. His main argument appears to be that "default would occur when Risk Based Capital drops below the typically required 200% of reserves," hence it shouldn't count as default. Not sure if private-sector insurers—or their regulators—would agree with that assessment, but I leave that to others to adjudicate.
If the scrutinizing over military spending nationbuilding overseas was 1/4 as great as the scrutinizing for the spending of money nationbuilding the greatest nation on earth, we'd never nationbuild again. BTW we spent WAY MORE than $10 billion on FREE HEALTH CARE FOR IRAQIS all of which was unpaid.
I'm a 38 year old white guy(Jewish too). I'm 6-0, 165lbs, with a cholesterol level under 140. I was REJECTED by all 6 for profit health insurance companies when I applied for individual High-Deductible HSA Health Insurance(1 plan had a $10,000 deductible). Thankfully, due to Prez Obama's awesome, strong LEADERSHIP(GOD I LLLLLLLLLOVE THAT WORD) I have HIPMichigan: the ObamaCare Pre-existing condition plan for Michigan. Contrary to the LIES repeated by conservatives. ObamaCare doesn't outlaw high-deductible plans. I know; I have 1. It has a $3500 annual deductible. Now the SCOTUS might take it away, and if they don't, Mitt Romney will make sure of it. If he does, I'm left nothing and won't qualify for HIPAA since I won't have been covered for 18 straight months. I guess I have your permission to use the ER for every medical issue, ignore the bill, and let insurance payers make up the difference.
I'm happy with government care. It is the best, most comprehensive care I've ever received. I've never been happy with healthcare in this country and it's not efficient by any stretch of the imagination.
The monopolies, top to bottom, nothing efficient or even patient friendly, particularly when the patient receives bills for services he didn't know he received from someone he's never heard of before.
The frontline care personnel may work very well and efficiently with the patients, only to have a positive experience completely ruined by the 1 and 1/2 hour wait from your appointment time until you see the doctor.
The system is broken in terms of administration, structure and incentives to name a few areas. Technical aspects are generally excellent, doctors and nurses are generally well trained so patient care and recovery are generally memorable until the patient is found after committing suicide because they couldn't deal with the endless barrage of bill, even worse if there's an insurance company involved.
I wonder who insisted about the "No advertising" part?
"Government in capitalism is not compassionate. It usually serves the interests of (and is comprised of) the elite. The elite in capitalism means the people who benefit from the system: the people who own the means of production and the people who have a monopoly on empowering jobs. They use government to protect their interests and bring themselves further profit and better conditions. The condi…tions for the poor must be worsened as a by-product because in capitalism to increase my wealth I have to take wealth from someone else. "
Just sayin.
Avik your glass half empty view of all things Obama gets really tiresome. If you really had some health insurance industry experience your Eeyore like view of Obamacare might have some merit.
Wendell Potter, a far more experienced and true expert on the industry sees these Co Ops in a very different way.
Having been in this industry for over 35 years the one thing it needed was to be "Toyotaed", ie have a major new competitor come in and force change with a better product and costs. That never happened because of the sheer expense required to start and build that type of game changing entity.
The Co Ops offer a chance to do just that at the local level, esp. if they focus on direct primary care as the base of their models.
Per Mr. Potter:
"In fact, CO-OPs could be one of the sleepers in the health care reform law that truly transforms how care is financed and delivered in this country. And they could even hasten the day when the big investor-owned corporations cede the marketplace to nonprofits and move on to other ways of earning a profit."
A reformer in ME, thevex insurance commissioner sees it this way in their state:
"With seed money from the federal government, along with the subsidies moderate-income and middle class individuals and families will receive if they buy coverage through the exchanges, the CO-OPs could be significant game-changers, especially in states where the whole market is dominated by a single company."
Ms.Kofman adds:
Kofman said she believes there is great potential depending on how the CO-OPs are organized. She likes what she has seen so far. At least three of the twelve organizations receiving grants so far will grow out of community health centers that have a focus on providing primary care. Some others are affiliated with Medicaid managed care organizations that also have an emphasis on prevention and primary care.
"Their philosophy is very different from what most of us are used to," she said.
It is this different philosophy that could transform the U.S. health care system, especially if the nonprofit CO-OPs — which, blessedly, will not have to devote a lot of premium revenue to satisfy Wall Street investors — live up to their potential."
Not quite the Solyndra sturm and drang you are trying to,sell.
An investment of $3.7 in an industry with over $2.5 trillion in revevues, 1/6 of the entire economy is a tiny drop that could yield enormous results over time.
The Federal goverment invested $29B in EHRs in the HITECH Act under ARRA and the returns on that are already starting to pay off in Medicare.
We can either put our head in the sand on the heathcare cost crisis or try things to fix it. Your answer is always to criticize and not offer any real alternatives.
Why does Forbes keep publishing you, Sally Pipes and John Graham?
Basic economics, just not Free Market economics. The game is rigged.
jnail, the most significant reasons advanced for the hope of success for CO-OPS seems to be that they promise to reform delivery and financing of primary care.
Without disputing whether these need reforming, I would point out that primary care accounts for far less than half our nation's medical expenditures. So I don't quite see how meaningful reform of this sector "could be significant game-changers".
Also, I note that Maine officials, after fumbled Dirigo, are now aligning with CO-OPS. And I say, why wouldn't they do so, if it means additional federal dollars going into Maine?
But mainly, I feel uneasy if CO-OPS only represent another run at the same misguided strategy that lies at the center of ACA. Namely, that we have serious problems of medical delivery and cost, yet the federal government and the states are focused on insurance solutions, i.e., who shall be subsidized and by how much. I think insurance solutions do not respond to the problems, and will result in no better outcomes than we have witnessed for the past 46 years. Even Moses found the way out of his wilderness in 40 years. Of course Moses had a real expert to guide him; we seem to have multitudes of experts, but few agree with one another and seem to spend most of their time arguing with one another.
(This is only indirectly related but I think you betray the purpose of this board by suggesting that Avik Roy should be silenced. If you can bring good perspectives or make points on this board, then do it; if you cannot, you bring yourself no credit by wishing that your counterpart will go away.
Wendell Potter isn't an "insurance expert." He was a PR flak for Cigna.
I believe that there is an error in your article. The CO-OP plans are not prohibited from marketing, rather they are prohibited from using the federal loan money toward marketing. Marketing can be paid through private funding or other sources.


text:
Carol Pinchefsky, Contributor
I mean business about science fiction and geek culture.
Game of Thrones spent its first season traumatizing us with its predilection for violence, and from the last week's episode, we can tell season 2 would be equally scarring. But episode 2.02 was shocking for a different reason: "The Night Lands" had only one off-screen murder. And to compensate, the director filled the screen with breasts.
There was a great deal of sex in "The Night Lands," and whether its startling, character-revealing, or just plain lascivious, none of it is actually sexy. In fact, Game of Thrones, characters have frequently coupled, but I don't believe any of them has ever made love. Lest you think this is a criticism, it fits in perfectly with the book.
As an example of sex as character development, we see Theon Greyjoy using the captain's daughter for his pleasure ("You're not my whore. I'm not paying you."), a window into the way Theon treats people. Perhaps it's genetic. When Theon returns to the Iron Islands, his father greets him with outright contempt. And then there's his cunning sister, Yara (known as Asha in the books), who lets Theon attempt to seduce her as a way of determining his character.
When Yara reveals her relationship, I realized we were viewing the third instance of incest in the series, after Jaime and Cersei and Craster and his daughters. I hope to the seven gods it will be the last.
And speaking of the seven gods, Stannis Baratheon burned them in the previous episode, and now the priestess Melisandre wants to replace more than his deity. She wants to take her place by his side…of the bed. Stannis refuses her out of obligation to his wife. But Melisandre promises him a son, and with that, he takes her on a table shaped like the map of Westeros. Wooden pieces, representing knights and castles, scatter and fall with their not-lovemaking. Subtle.
Not enough sex for you? We were also given a startling look at the goings-on in Littlefinger's brothel…and an even more startling look at Littlefinger, which marks the first time I've been disappointed with a character in this series.
In the book, Littlefinger is as subtle as he is surprising as he is self-interested. But a scene with the prostitute Ros—who came to King's Landing from Winterfell—contradicts all of this.
Ros, who is crying over the death of a child (see the previous episode), is unable to service a customer. Littlefinger tells her that a woman he had purchased from Lys had also cried, and so to cut his losses, he sold her to a cruel man, implying Ros would share the same fate. The whole scene angered me. First, Littlefinger is too cunning to threaten outright; second, he didn't purchase Ros. She came from Winterfell, looking for work. There were no losses to cut.
Littlefinger is far more interesting when you don't know what he's thinking or what his motives are. Read the book to see what I mean.
And speaking of interesting, Tyrion wakes to find Varys the Spider at his table with Shae. As we know, Tyrion's father has forbid him to bring Shae to King's Landing, but he defied his father's order. Somehow Varys knows, and now Tyrion knows that Varys knows. Better yet, Tyrion knows that Varys wants Tyrion to know that he knows. Damn, these people are treacherous.
Digging the guilty pleasure factor that HBO is so notorious for, but it's a little much on the incest for me, too. Just unnecessary. I'd like to retain my belief that, while certainly incest existed in the ancient (not sure about medieval) times, the amount of gratuitous sex and cursing is not truly reflective of fact. Outside of the brothels, that is. Just doesn't seem so ladylike.
The sex and gore and cursing may well be established in the novels, but there they are at least relevant to plot and character development, which the "special additions" to the T.V. series are often not. I cite all scenes and references to "Ros the whore" and also Littlefinger's status as owner of a string of brothels which he only gets as far as considering a good investment in the books, although I can see how this could become a useful element in the development of future plot developments with Jeyne ("but they trained me") Poole. Overall, however, I think the author's collaboration in scriptwriting for film/t.v. generally works better when the author is not being pressured into "improving" the product to suit the production team's demands.
"second, he didn't purchase Ros. She came from Winterfell, looking for work. There were no losses to cut."
… no losses to cut? i thought you worked for a bussiness website/magazine. do you think he lets her work there with out taking his cut?
"Craster knocks him out before Jon, and the audience, can learn more."
actually we learn pretty clearly what Craster does with his sons, you plainly see that he gives them to the white walkers. i hope you dont watch stocks for Forbes as well.
I don't see why we have to have Ros in it at all. The books manage very well without her.
Incest is all over the books. The fact that it plays a key role in the book series should already inform you that it will show up in the television adaptation. In fact, Theon comes on to Asha [or as they've decided Yara] quite a bit more graphically in the book. Not to mention that Cersei and Jaime play a more obvious incestual role, the entire ruling family before Robert's Rebellion [the Targaryens, as in Danaerys] married exclusively within their own family except for the few times when no women were born into the same generation as the heir to the throne. You can't have A Song of Ice and Fire without the incest, it's meant to make you uncomfortable, and is a necessity.
In response to Veronica Antonova, the incest is key to the story, reading the books makes that quite clear. Also, just for a little education here, the royal families of countries like England, Russia, Germany were all members of the same family, and were almost exclusively inbred. In fact, the reason the Russian Royal lineage was snuffed out was due to the incest in their line making hemophilia common in the princes. So yes, incest was quite prevalent in history, and it plays a key role in this story.
To characterize the royal families of Europe as being historically "almost exclusively inbred" is ridiculous and completely false, particularly when mentioned in relation to Game of Thrones, where the incest has been (so far) father/daughter and brother/sister.
While it was not uncommon for first cousins of the European royal houses to marry and have children (a practice that is still common today and is not considered incest by many cultures), it was less common for aunts/uncles to marry nephews/nieces and exceptionally rare for brothers and sisters or parents and children to marry. Not to mention that royal intermarriage (again, which would typically only be between cousins) was always a strategic move in order to strengthen the ties within the house, which is less shocking when marriage is considered to be a tool for this purpose rather than an expression of love or sexual desire. Note, I'm not saying this was ok, or a good idea (as with the Hapsburgs), but there is a very clear difference between incest in the royal houses of Europe and the incest portrayed on Game of Thrones.
In Game of Thrones, the incest between Cersei and Jaime, Theon and Asha and Craster and his daughters has absolutely nothing to do with dynastic ties, so to compare it to the royal families of Europe makes no sense. (It does make sense in relation to the Targaryens but the commenter was referred to the incest that has been shown in the tv show.)
Further, the Russian imperial family was not "snuffed out due to incest in their line making hemophilia common in the princes." The last direct prince did have hemophilia but the idea that hemophilia in males is caused by or exacerbated by cousin marriages is now considered to be a myth. He did inherit the gene from his grandmother Queen Victoria, who inherited it from her father, but incest was not the cause. The simple fact is that it was common in royal lines because Queen Victoria had so many children and worked so hard to intermarry them with the other royal houses of Europe.
The immediate Russian imperial family was murdered by the Bolsheviks. Several members of the family survived the revolution and, had they not been murdered, it is likely the Tsar's children would have continued the direct line.
you consider innuendoes referring to a woman's vagina as "fish pie" impressive dialog? really? wow.


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By Tim Graham
Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus has frustrated fans over the past couple years.
When he limped off the field against the New York Jets and I tweeted Dareus had an ankle injury, several fans replied they were glad he was out of the game because the 2011 first-round draft pick wasn't doing anything anyway.
Dareus, though, has been productive.
He recorded a pair of sacks and seven tackles in Sunday's victory over the Baltimore Ravens.
"He's played good," Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams said. "It's the same thing that we've talked about, just knowing that he's always had it, just waiting for it to turn it on, and I think we're getting there. You still have to go out and make it happen every week, but he's getting there."
Dareus has 14 sacks, tied with Ndamukong Suh of the Detroit Lions for most by an NFL defensive tackle since 2011. Geno Atkins has 22.5 for the Cincinnati Bengals.
ProFootballFocus.com shows Dareus is effective beyond sacks. The analytics site ranks Dareus fourth among NFL defensive tackles (minimum 25 percent of his team's snaps) in pass-rushing productivity, a metric that reflects how often a player gets a sack, quarterback hit or hurry.
PFF has Dareus generating meaningful pressure on 10.1 percent of his pass-rush snaps. Suh leads the league at 12.5 percent.
PFF also ranks Dareus seventh in stop percentage, a metric that measures run defense. PFF has charted Dareus for 10 tackles and two missed tackles on 74 run snaps.
Dareus was drafted early in a class that has produced some major NFL contributors among its first 10 picks: Cam Newton, Von Miller, A.J. Green, Patrick Peterson, Julio Jones, Aldon Smith and J.J. Watt. That group has been to 10 Pro Bowls already.
Williams conceded Dareus might be feeling that pressure to perform.
"Knowing him, yeah, he probably does," Williams said. "I think different guys are wired in different ways. I think he pays attention to that, what;s going on with the guys around him, the guys that were drafted around him. I think that kind of fuels him a little bit."
taggedKyle Williams | Marcell Dareus


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The Hayabusa Goorudo Gold Weave Jiu Jitsu Gi is a high-performance Gi designed to outperform the competition!
Delivering the durability of a double weave and the breathability of a single weave, the Goorudo™ Gold Weave Jiu Jitsu Gi gives you the tactical edge you need.
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(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)
you get what you pay for
By patrick
from belvidere, nj
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Comments about Hayabusa Goorudo Gold Weave Jiu Jitsu Gi:
I've had this gi for two weeks and I am amazed. Up until the goorudo caught my eye I swore by one specific gi company and that company only. This is my first gold weave hi so scant compare it to others. The gi feels indestructible. It's a slimmer fit, which I prefer, and the a2 fits like it's tailored. At 6' 195lbs I often get stuck in between a2 and a3 with other brands. I absolutely recommend this as an every day training gi.
Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
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HOME NBA Boston Celtics Gear Boston Celtics Hats Boston Celtics Hats Knit (23 items) Product ID: 1079557
Main Content
Both fashionistas and sport enthusiasts will love this spirited scarf from Sportin' Scarves, which provides softness, comfort, and durability. This fringed scarf is embroidered with your favorite team's NBA logo.
- 100% Viscose
- Dimensions: L 72" x W 29"
- Dry clean or hand wash only
- Embroidered with NBA team logo
- Fringed scarf
- Made in India
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Special event items are produced by manufacturers only after the outcome of a game or event. These are advanced sale items and will ship immediately after they are received in our warehouse.
Manufacturer direct items are shipped directly from the manufacturer. These items are not available for international or expedited shipping.
Customized items can be personalized with options such as your name, your favorite number, and/or designs. Some options may be limited by league rules.


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|Marvin A. Olofson, 78
|Written by TRF Times
Crookston - Marvin A. Olofson, 78, formerly of Gatzke, died at Altru Hospital in Grand Forks, N.D., on Friday, September 30, 2005.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October 5 (today), at United Lutheran Church in Gatzke, with Pastor Jim Field officiating. Casket bearers included Richard Engelstad, Ronald Engelstad, Rick Larson, Wayne Lunsetter, Howard Lunsetter and Bruce Lunsetter. Interment will be held at Landstad Cemetery in Gatzke.
Marvin A. Olofson, the son of the late Martin and Anna (Magnusen) Olofson, was born on July 7, 1927, in Veldt Township of Marshall County, near Gatzke. He attended school and grew to manhood there, and was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran faith. Marvin was employed by various farmers in the Gatzke area, and later on the Iron Range for several years. He returned to Gatzke for some time, and for the past 18 years, made his home in Crookston.
He is survived by one sister, Mildred (Reuben) Kilbo of Braham; one sister-in-law, Mille Olofson of Chisholm; one brother-in-law, Walter Lunsetter of Gatzke; in addition to several nieces, nephews and other relatives.
Marvin was preceded in death by his parents, eight brothers, Melvin, Henry, Art, Harold, Herman, Noble, Berger and Palmer; and one sister, Mable Lunsetter. A00003B2005OT05


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By Andrew Glover
STILLWATER, Okla. —
After making a run to the Class 3A state finals last season, the Perkins-Tryon Lady Demons are preparing to make more as more than 80 children from across the state started the Lady Demons' annual basketball camp Monday in the high school gymnasium.
"They're not just from Perkins," coach Jerry Burnett said. "They come from Dale, Colorado and some from out of state. It's good."
The Lady Demons went 28-1 last season with their only loss happening in the state championship game against an undefeated Sulphur squad. Last season's run was the Lady Demons' third consecutive state tournament appearance and 10th in school history. Burnett said his team's success does help attract interest.
"You can always tell the years we do really well," Burnett said. "We have a bigger turnout."
Burnett said the focus this week is on fundamentals.
"We break it down as simple as we can," Burnett said. "It's stuff that they have to take home and work on. We teach them how to shoot, make live ball moves, We do some contests. The only reason we do contests is have kids learn how to compete."
Burnett said the campers have a lot of talent and looks forward to hopefully seeing some of them help his program in the next several years.
"That's our future," Burnett said. "We are limited in how much we can work with them. We try to teach them as much as we can in the summer. We feel like we have the best camp in the area."
At the end of camp on Monday, the campers engaged in mini scrimmages and were evaluated by members of the varsity Lady Demons. The campers will compete in a league during afternoons the rest of the week. Senior starting point guard Jeri Adkism said it's exciting to see the future of the Lady Demon program.
"These girls are really good," Adkism said. "People don't understand that we didn't get a state championship but coach Burnett knows what he is doing. A lot of girls will come here and learn a lot. We have girls from a lot of places. It's really good that we have girls from a lot of towns and schools want come to Perkins to learn how we play."


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That's it, I have decided this now MUST be found. (For those who don't know I have been chasing a clunk now for about 9 months - no idea what it is, it's baffling). Some thing is shifting about down there that shouldn't be.
It's driving me absolutely insane.
I am trying to decide what is the best course of action to take.
It could be the rack, but I don't think it is. It's more under weight shifting.
It could be the shocks, but again I don't think it is. I've checked them and they seem fine, and it seems deeper in the car.
So, what I propose to do is:
1) Drop the subframe.
2) Poly bush the ARB.
3) Poly bush the steering rack.
4) Replace rear subframe bushes.
Then drive and see if it's fixed it.
If not, I will cry....


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From Cacheopedia
A Blinker is a particular kind of nano-cache container.
The name "blinker" comes from the blinking LED jewelry that was originally used to create them. The blinking LEDs were removed or painted over, leaving a compartment for a button-cell battery with a tiny magnet attached. The battery was removed and replaced by a skinny strip of paper rolled up into a scroll (the log sheet), and the magnet was used to attach the blinker to a magnetic object.
Today, ready-made blinkers can be purchased from various sources.


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3:23 p.m. Christiano's, once thought to be Billy Joel's famed "Italian Restaurant," has uncorked their last chianti after 56 years of business. Read the story here.
2 p.m. A Queens man will serve jail time, get probation, and pay restitution for setting fire to dumpsters on the Fourth of July. Read the full story here.
1:15 p.m.: A Lindenhurst man was arrested Tuesday after police say he held two females, one just 15-years-old, against their will and forced them "to engage in acts of prostitution." Read the full story here.
11:20 a.m.: A "person of interest" strolled right past Nassau County Police headquarters Tuesday without getting arrested. NCPD posted a picture on its Facebook page of Jim Caviezel, star of hit CBS show, "Person of Interest," as he walked near NCPD headquarters Tuesday. See the photo here.
11:05 a.m.: Two people were arrested Tuesday afternoon in Ronkonkoma after police discovered "a large quantity of heroin" in their car, which was also occupied by their 5-month-old son, police said. Read the full story here.
10:28 a.m.: Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine are slated to announce a plan Wednesday that will provide bus shelters on county roads within Brookhaven Town. The town has agreed to extend its advertiser-supported bus shelter system to the county. The resolution will be voted upon by the Suffolk County Legislature next Tuesday.


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Buses crash on I-95 in Conn., injuring 10 people
STRATFORD, Conn. (AP) - An accident involving two buses on a major Connecticut highway injured 10 people and left traffic backed up for miles.
Lt. J. Paul Vance, a state police spokesman, says the accident occurred just before 10 a.m. Wednesday on the southbound side of Interstate 95 in Stratford. He says the crash also involved a tractor-trailer and a car.
Vance says 10 people suffered minor injuries, and several of them were taken to hospitals. The highway was closed while crews worked to clear the scene and two lanes remained shut down into Wednesday afternoon.
Traffic in the area was backed up for several miles.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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Hi cyclists,
My name is Ryan and I work for Williams Cycling. We're looking for an experienced graphic designer to help us put together a brochure/presentation focused on cycling. The ideal candidate would have experience with Adobe Creative Suite and be confident editing text and images creatively to create powerful and rich graphics. And, of course, you have to be passionate about cycling!
This would be a contract position with pay depending on experience. It's a great opportunity for someone experienced to have fun working on a cool project and make some extra money.
If interested, please send your resume and a brief cover letter to info@williamscycling and put "Graphic Design Project" in the subject line.


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Jim and Norma June Blyth celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on June 19.
They played a game of kick ball and had a picnic with family.
Jim and Norma June were married June 19, 1960 at Drake Avenue Christian Church in Centerville with the Rev. Orville Walker officiating.
The couple have three children, Cherie (David) Finley, of Woodbury, Minn., Patrick of Maplewood, Minn. and Michelle (Joel) Anderson, of Isanti, Minn.
They have three grandchildren, Michaela and Eric Finley and Deegan Anderson.
Jim and Norma June live at 2457 North Chatsworth, St. Paul, MN 55113.
50th wedding anniversary celebrated
Jim and Norma June Blyth celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on June 19.
- Anniversaries
Browns to celebrate 50th anniversary
The children and grandchildren of Lonnie and Judy Brown of Livonia, Mo. would like to invite friends and relatives to attend an open house to celebrate their parent's and grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary.
Bains celebrate 50th wedding anniversary
Virgil and Arfleata (Berndt) Bain were married Aug. 5, 1962 in Lineville.
Gordens celebrate 50th anniversary
Richard and Marilyn Gorden of Plano will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary on Sunday, July 22 from 2-5 p.m. at the Plano Christian Church Fellowship Hall. You are invited to join them for cake and punch to celebrate.
Sowders celebrate 50th anniversary
Bobby and Linda (Sacco) Sowder were married in Denver, Colo. June 9, 1962.
- Powells 60th anniversary celebrated
- Browns celebrate 25th anniversary
- Bellomas celebrate 50th anniversary
- Royers celebrate 25th anniversary
- Bratzes celebrate 25th anniversary
- Dick and Marianne Wakefield celebrate 60th wedding anniversary
- Shiltz's celebrate 25th anniversary
- 60th wedding anniversary planned
- Clarks celebrate 50th anniversary
- Pilkentons hold open house for 50th
- Martins celebrate 50th wedding anniversary
- More Anniversaries Headlines
- Browns to celebrate 50th anniversary


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Acting without agony: an alternative to the Method
Allyn & Bacon, Incorporated, 1993 - Performing Arts - 192 pages
This practical, step-by-step guide is organized into 18 lessons for achieving outstanding performance in acting and directing. This text offers an alternative to the Stanislavsky "method" and teaches another way of arriving at emotions, which is described in detail throughout the text. MARKETS: Undergraduate and graduate courses in acting and directing.
From inside the book
9 pages matching Bettmann Archive in this book
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Review: Acting Without Agony: An Alternative to the MethodUser Review - Molly - Goodreads
The title says it all. Nice read. Practicing with Brad Heller right now (Don's protege). If you're interested in classes, give me a buzz. Their technique booked me my first theatrical agent. Read full review
Review: Acting Without Agony: An Alternative to the MethodUser Review - James - Goodreads
One of the greatest teachers and mentors for acting and directing. I experienced his presence, wisdom, and guidance through riveting classes that had me up most of the night. His private classes are cherished on my journey. A must read for anyone with interest in the topic. Read full review
What Is Acting?
What Must I Think?
Who Is My Character?
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Ouija Board
Ouija Board
Re: Ouija Boardcalebbotts on Saturday, September 3, 2011 - 4:25am
personally I haven't tried it, nor do I intend to.
However I do believe it can work, I do not however believe it lets you communicate with the dead, I think it's got a much stronger demonic influence behind it and I think it's best to let sleeping dogs lye.
Re: Ouija Boardsapphiresecrets on Saturday, September 3, 2011 - 6:15am
I WOULD SAY NEVER USE THE OUIJA BOARD.....when my parents were young they dabbled in it with friends....I was'nt born then but my sister was and a brother I never new......Well this night they were doing the baord with friends everythig was right in the roon like I mean dark candles etc.....the glass stared to move my dad asked a questons (AS YOU DO) it said yes/no then all of a sudden it spelt out my brothers name twice........this shocked my parents two weeks later he died.... he was 8 months old,he died in his cot, they blamed THE ouija Board and never ever touched it again it nearly ...thats part of a story I will tell to many of you on FEARNET.......
So please dont dabble in the baord and this is a true story
Sappy xo
Re: Ouija Boardbootsngin on Saturday, September 3, 2011 - 8:12am
sad story sapp. sorry to hear about your brother..
for the board to work you have to use a real crystal the one that comes with it in the box is fake crap.
but take warning in what caleb, said there - hes 100% correct - that's not the dead trying to communicate.. that's bad bad mojo & if you know nothing of demons or the dark side of things, don't even play with a board!!! seriously don't mess with em unless thats what your searching for, and if what your truly searching is the supernatural side of things there are a bunch of healthier & safer methods of practices.. try the hu mantra for starters it's easy safe and doable...
ouija!!??thecarpenter666 on Saturday, September 3, 2011 - 10:10am
supposed to be a fookin hell a horror coming out about the ouija,, i for one am well up for a bit of the old communicating with the demons sheeet,,, making sure of course me wear me reinforced undergarments for special protection againt me papping it big time!!!!, yeah those things are creepy as fook,,, there also ancient as fook dont know how the history goes with these things but ,,, u can make the fookin things ,,, dint know about the cyrstal though boots!!
ouijathecarpenter666 on Saturday, September 3, 2011 - 10:14am
looking forward to lords of salem as it goes with old playing back the record trip , and hearing the voices which turn out to be nasty as fook!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!hellraiser springs ot mind,,,,,, but not saying anything like a ouija far more historic where being the record nice and contemporary in the horror field alright given there have been movies on this but not by rob the fookin man ZOMBIE!!!!big up!!!
Re: Ouija BoardLauraCamille on Saturday, September 3, 2011 - 3:56pm
I say go for it. Even if nothing happens, it's fun to creep yourself out! Just be smart about it. Don't try to agitate whoever/whatever you might contact. If you start getting unnerving responses, stop using the board immediately. A lot of sites I've gone to suggest using a protection prayer/charm before you start and when you finish (you can find one online or even write your own).
Re: Ouija Boardcalebbotts on Sunday, September 4, 2011 - 2:14am
stopping doesn't really help, when you take an action against a form or invocation like this where it's already shown to start working, then it would be like letting a murderer into your house and attempting to close the door behind him to keep safe, if the demon establishes communication, then it's already there and stopping won't alter that.
re: Ouija Boardklownz on Sunday, September 4, 2011 - 2:33am
LOL! its all a load of bollox! ........... tarro card , palm reading type bollox! religion ETC. BOLLOX .... NOT REAL! bull shiz!
ghost hunting blah blah blah!
Re: Ouija BoardLauraCamille on Sunday, September 4, 2011 - 3:17am
I guess I don't mean "stop" like just walk away from the board. From what I've read, if things start taking a negative direction you're supposed to firmly set/slam the planchette on "goodbye" and wrap up with a closing prayer/protection thing. Then again, I haven't had much luck with a board personally so I'm sure more detailed suggestions can be found elsewhere. I had a few good sites bookmarked but I didn't get a chance to save them before my laptop was reimaged. >_<
Re: Ouija Boardparasect on Tuesday, March 6, 2012 - 3:53pm
Okay, well this happened when I was a little girl, I am now 16. When I was 5 I remember my uncle buying a Ouija board for my cousin for his 14th birthday and he said, here you go enjoy your birthday gift. My cousins and I were all like okay well sneak a peek.
I remembered that night we waited until the sun went down so we could play the game. My cousin, who was the birthday boy, opened it. We all knew what kinda game it was. You spell out what your saying or just say something and watch the triangle mirror move. We were messing around with it and we all had our laughs, it was fun. I remembered it clearly, we made fun of how this game was boring and that it was just a make a believe game, and so after we had our fun we blew the candles out and slept through the night.
I lived in a small house. We had two families living in one. I was the first one to wake up that next morning. I went to the living room and watched cartoons like I always did when I wake up. Suddenly I felt like this tingly feeling like something was there like I didn't even want to do be in the living room. In the living room there was this doll on our counter dressed like a witch. I never liked it but I thought that if I knocked it down I wouldn't be scared so I knocked it down and ran into my parents room.
When I came out the witch doll was where it was placed like it wasn't even touched. You probably don't believe this but I know what I saw. I didn't tell anyone until my dad told us when he arrived home from work he smelled eggs as if someone were cooking and as he went into the kitchen he saw an old lady cooking. Once that happened we moved out down the street. Ever since then we still feel as if someone is following us and when we pass my old house during Halloween there's always a new family moving in or out of the house. I guess that what happens when you play with an Ouija board.


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Availability: Metterra Hotel on Whyte
Earth Room, 1 KingMax Occupancy: 2 guests (up to 1 child, 1 infant)
Earth Room, 2 DoubleMax Occupancy: 4 guests (up to 3 children, 3 infants)
Water Room, 1 KingMax Occupancy: 2 guests (up to 1 child, 1 infant)
Fire and water Suite, 1 KingMax Occupancy: 2 guests (up to 1 child, 1 infant)
Eco-friendly hotel with a complimentary breakfast, in Edmonton (Old Strathcona)
With a stay at Metterra Hotel on Whyte in Edmonton (Old Strathcona), you'll be minutes from Magic Lantern Princess Theatre and Varscona Theatre.
This eco-friendly hotel is within close proximity of Strathcona Streetcar Barn and Museum and Kinsmen Sports Centre.
Make yourself at home in one of the 98 air-conditioned rooms featuring refrigerators and flat-screen televisions. Your room comes with a pillowtop bed. Wired and wireless Internet access is complimentary, while iPod docking stations and cable programming provide entertainment. Private bathrooms have rainfall showerheads and designer toiletries.
Take advantage of recreation opportunities such as a fitness center, or other amenities including complimentary wireless Internet access and a fireplace in the lobby.
Take advantage of the hotel's room service (during limited hours).
Featured amenities include complimentary high-speed (wired) Internet access, a 24-hour business center, and limo/town car service. This hotel has 3 meeting rooms available for events. Free valet parking is available onsite.Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!
Metterra Hotel on Whyte Amenities
- General
High-speed wired and wireless Internet access is complimentary. This 3.5-star property offers access to a 24-hour business center, limo/town car service, and small meeting rooms. A complimentary breakfast is offered each morning. 3 meeting rooms are available. This eco-friendly hotel also offers a fitness center, multilingual staff, and complimentary newspapers in the lobby. Complimentary self parking and valet parking are available on site.
Metterra Hotel on Whyte is a smoke-free property.
- 24-hour front desk
- Complimentary newspapers in lobby
- Free breakfast
- Fitness facilities
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Elevator/lift
- Express check-in
- Express check-out
- Fireplace in lobby
- Free Wi-Fi
- Free wired high-speed Internet
- Limo or Town Car service available
- Meeting rooms
- Multilingual staff
- Number of floors - 8
- Total number of rooms - 98
- Free valet parking
- Porter/bellhop
- Luggage storage
- Room service (limited hours)
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- Free self parking
- Number of meeting rooms - 3
- Year Built 2004
- 24-hour business center
- Smoke-free property
- Number of buildings/towers - 1
- Television in lobby
- Internet
Available in all rooms: Free Wi-Fi , Free wired high-speed Internet
Available in some public areas: Free Wi-Fi , Free wired high-speed Internet
- Parking
Free self parking, Free valet parking
- Room Amenities
- Premium TV channels
- Premium bedding
- Air conditioning
- Hypo-allergenic bedding available
- Phone
- Bathrobes
- Designer toiletries
- Rainfall showerhead
- Climate control
- Coffee/tea maker
- Complimentary toiletries
- Desk
- Free local calls
- Hair dryer
- Daily housekeeping
- Iron/ironing board
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- iPod docking station
- Cable TV service
- Flat-panel TV
- Free Wi-Fi
- Free wired high-speed Internet
- Minibar
- Private bathroom
- Refrigerator
- Pillowtop mattress
- Cribs/infant beds (complimentary)
- Dining
Guests are offered a complimentary hot/cold buffet breakfast each morning.
Room service (during limited hours) is available.
- Recreation
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
- Golfing nearby
- Hiking/biking trails nearby
- Accessibility
To make requests for specific accessibility needs, complete the "Special or Accessibility Requests" section of "Trip Preferences" when you book your hotel.
- Accessible path of travel
- Accessible bathroom
- Roll-in shower
- In-room accessibility
Metterra Hotel on Whyte Policies & Fees
- Check-in
Minimum check-in age is 18
Check-in time starts at 3 PM
- Check-out
Check-out time is noon
- Payment types
Accepted at this hotel: MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Diners Club
- Pets
Pets allowed, Maximum number of pets per room 2, Pet maximum weight in lb is 40
- General
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
- The name on the credit card used at check-in to pay for incidentals must be the primary name on the guestroom reservation.
Debit cards not accepted
No rollaway/extra beds available
- Fees
- The following fees and deposits are charged by the property at time of service, check-in, or check-out.
The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.
- Pet fee: CAD 20 per stay
- Additional Details
Children 12 years old and younger stay free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding. Guests can arrange to bring pets by contacting the property directly, using the contact information on the booking confirmation (surcharges apply and can be found in the Fees section).
Awards & Affiliations
- Details
- A Green / Sustainable Property - Third Party CertifiedThis property participates in Green Key Eco-Rating Program, a third-party certification program that has been independently certified. Third-party certification measures the property's impact on one or more of the following: environment, community, cultural-heritage, the local economy. An objective assessment of a company's sustainable tourism practices has been performed at this property by an auditor who is independent of the third-party certification program.


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Global Research Awards
One of the key ways the CIBER supports Fisher College faculty and their global research interests is through its Global Research Award (GRA) program.
GRA Award Selection Process
GRA awards are allocated in January each year, following a request for faculty to submit proposals. A small committee of international business faculty and CIBER staff review applications and make awards.
Awards vary in amount, depending on the length and scope of faculty projects. Projects which are interdisciplinary or which prominently feature more than one Fisher College faculty member, and which speak to the CIBER's overall theme of "global knowledge management" are highly encouraged. Faculty receiving GRA awards are asked to present their research and any findings at a colloquium held each year in the fall.
Deadline to apply is December 1, 2012.


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Qambodja Spa
Gorgeous spa where you select your choice of oil (uplifting, harmony) depending on the effect and mood you require from your massage, which includes Thai, Balinese and shiatsu.
Gorgeous spa where you select your choice of oil (uplifting, harmony) depending on the effect and mood you require from your massage, which includes Thai, Balinese and shiatsu.
A cultural powerhouse offering classes in painting, woodcarving and batik. Other courses include Balinese history, Hinduism and architecture. Classes cost US$25 to US$55.
The best tour company in the area. Diligent owner Harry Purwanto knows every klotok , captain and guide and can help you organise the best trip from all available choices.
Blink blink – can it be? This fabulous Mediterranean-style hotel pool with adjoining restaurant is a lifesaver on a scorching hot day. It's 1km east of town.
Rents stand-up paddle boards, gives lessons and arranges great-value transport to and from whatever beaches have good conditions on a particular day.
Treks into the Gunung Leuser National Park require a guide and can last anywhere from three hours to two days.
Not far from Brahma Vihara Arama, these hot springs percolate amid lush tropical plants.
You can see most of what Banjarmasin has to offer in a single journey. This begins by catching a dawn boat under Jembatan Dewi (Dewi Bridge) to the floating markets, where canoes full of wares mill about in search of a buyer. It takes an hour or so to get there via canals lined with ramshackle homes (many of which are collapsing into the water), each with its own outhouse.
The HPPGB has a monopoly on guided climbs up Gunung Batur. It requires that all trekking agencies that operate on the mountain hire at least one of its guides for trips up the mountain.
There are innumerable hiking trails in the Meratus combining forest, villages, rivers, suspension bridges and longhouse visits. However, deforestation has taken its toll: it's a good five hours' walk to get to primary forest these days. The best one-day trek is from Loksado to Bali Haritai (four to six hours, depending on the route), which includes some waterfalls.
The number one tour from Pangandaran is to Green Canyon (Cujang Taneuh); it's clearly signposted at several points along the highway. Many tour operators in Pangandaran run trips here for 150,000Rp and include 'countryside' excursions to make a full-day tour.
From Batutumonga, a beautiful walk west takes you to Lokomata , a village with cave graves hewn into a rocky outcrop, and outstanding scenery. Backtrack and take a small, unmarked trail down the slopes to Pana , with its ancient hanging graves, and some baby graves in nearby trees.
The traditional village of Palawa , east of Batutumonga, is similarly attractive but less popular than Ke'te Kesu, and has tongkonan houses and rice barns. There are possibilities of staying here overnight in one of the traditional houses but this can only be organised with a guide as part of a trek.
Kids love Bali Safari and Marine Park and their parents are happy they love someplace. This big-ticket animal-theme park is filled with critters whose species never set foot in Bali until their cage door opened. Displays are large and naturalistic.
Your first port of call on Balai should be Yayasan Pulau Banyak, an NGO that is trying to develop ecotourism as an alternative livelihood for local communities. YPB can provide information on places to stay and transport, as well as guides and tents. It was set up to promote sea-turtle conservation in the region, and continues to do excellent work.