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Archive for the 'Mercedes-Benz' tag
Hemmings Find of the Day – 1982 Mercedes-Benz 500 SEC
In its day, the Mercedes-Benz 500 SEC, like this 1982 example for sale on Hemmings.com, blurred the lines between performance and luxury, offering V-8 power and respectable acceleration, but with an emphasis on comfort, bank vault-like interior silence and composed road manners. Based on the W126 S-Class sedan—rather than the SL, like the outgoing SLC coupe—these full-figured two-doors offered a sporty image, plus ample room for four passengers and luggage.
"The car is incredibly quiet at maximum speed. It's very comfortable and the steering is dead positive," Road & Track wrote in a September 1985 road test of the 500 SEC. "The seats are firm but comfortable in the Germanic fashion. It feels like a large car, which it is, but nevertheless goes fairly quickly, and, again, the lack of noise is remarkable."
The 500 SEC tipped the scales at just over 3,800 pounds, around 22 pounds lighter than the sedans. With 231 hp on tap, spinning a conventional four-speed automatic transmission and a 2.24:1 rear axle, they weren't explosive sprinters—0 to 60 MPH in about 8 seconds and a 16-plus second quarter mile would've been the norm. But that was respectable by early 1980s standards.
Mercedes-Benz's muscular C126 SEC coupes made their public debut in September 1981 for the 1982 model year. The 5-liter 500 SEC was introduced as the upmarket alternative to the 3.8-liter 380 SEC and remained the top-of-the-line model until the arrival of the more powerful 560 SEC in 1986.
These coupes have a loyal following today, and the parts availability is excellent, albeit not inexpensive. Their styling has held up well and, given the rugged build quality of Mercedes-Benzes from this period, their mechanicals and bodies usually hold up pretty well too. From the owner's description:
This car is special. You don't see one of these come up for sale very often, in this condition and for a reasonable price.
Non smoker, no accidents, no rust. It has been cared for and properly maintained since new.
This 500 SEC runs and drives fantastic, turning heads wherever it goes. People give you the thumbs up when you are cruising down the road or want to talk about it at the gas station.
The 5.0L V-8 is smooth and quiet, but it will remind you of its power by pushing you into the bolstered seats if you floor it.
Maintenance has been done regularly since new, whether the car accumulated miles or not. As a result, the car rides like new.
Find more Mercedes-Benz for sale on Hemmings.com.
Hemmings Find of the Day – 1983 Mercedes-Benz 380 SL
The Mercedes-Benz SL convertible has always featured an appealing blend of luxury and performance, and used prices for 350, 450, 380 and 560 variants have yet to take off. According to the buyer's guide in the October 2014 issue of Hemmings Sports and Exotic Car, a low price for an early 380 SL is in the $15,500 range, but examples that need some work can be had for less. One such car is this one-owner 1983 Mercedes-Benz 380 SL, for sale on Hemmings.com, which is currently priced at a fraction of the low value we cite. Why? Cosmetically it's rough, and will need rust remediation, paint and a new interior. It's also showing 175,000 miles on the odometer, but for a Mercedes R107, that's not particularly high mileage. On the plus side, this car has an "almost new" soft top, all records (including the original documentation), and has been converted to a double-row timing chain; for the right mechanically inclined buyer, this could be the German luxury convertible bargain of the year. From the seller's description:
1983 Mercedes-Benz 380SL, One owner since new. Dual timing chain. Runs great and all records. Hard top clean and almost new soft-top. Small rust on left rear panel. Leather seats & passenger seat bottom has cracks. Driver seat replaced. Interior clean. Trunk like new. Original documentation. Solid car. Great candidate to drive now or for paint restoration.
Find more Mercedes-Benz models for sale on Hemmings.com.
Happy 125th birthday, Mercedes Jellinek
Mercedes Jellinek aboard a Mercedes Grand-Prix racing car from 1906. Courtesy of the Mercedes-Benz Classic archives
She wasn't an engineer, or a race car driver, or the founder of an automobile company. But Mercedes Jellinek, born 125 years ago today, left an indelible mark on the automobile industry, thanks to her doting father and his attachment to her name.
Emil Jellinek with his daughter Mercedes. Courtesy of the Mercedes-Benz Classic archives
Mercedes Adrienne Ramona Manuela Jellinek, born in Vienna, was the first daughter born to Austro-Hungarian businessman and diplomat Emil Jellinek and his first wife, Rachel Goggmann Cenrobert. Jellinek, a self-made businessman and the son of a Viennese rabbi, was an early automotive enthusiast who was to become Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft's best and most difficult customer. Always wanting to go faster, in 1896 he wrote to Daimler to order four cars, but only if they could attain 25 MPH.
Founder Gottlieb Daimler and engineer Wilhelm Maybach were reluctant to put a powerful engine in a small chassis – even then, the way to better performance – but the offer was too good to turn down. Jellinek was pleased with his new hot rod, and managed to sell the other three to another motoring enthusiast, Baron Arthur de Rothschild. (He caught Rothschild's attention by passing his Panhard on a hill, and sold him the first of three Daimlers on the spot.)
Jellinek was having such a good time selling Daimlers that he ordered six more – these were to have front-mounted four-cylinder engines, rather than the previous cars' two-cylinder engines. Again, Daimler and Maybach were reluctant, but again they found the offer too good to refuse. Jellinek entered the first of these cars in the Nice Automobile Week races, and, like many other racers of the time, competed under a pseudonym, adopting a name dear to his heart: Mr. Mercedes.
Jellinek did well with his new car, but did not win either the road race or the hillclimb. Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft would have to do better. They built a huge, powerful car for the 1900 Nice Week, but tragedy struck when factory foreman Wilhelm Bauer lost control at the first corner and was killed when the car hit a wall. At DMG headquarters in Cannstatt, which had just recently suffered the shock of losing Gottlieb Daimler a few days earlier, the decision was made to withdraw from racing.
Jellinek strongly disagreed. "If you do not enter, the conclusion will be drawn that you are unable to enter," he wrote. An abandonment of racing, he continued, would be "commercial suicide." He offered another alternative: a lower, lighter, wider, longer and all-around better race car. He wanted an engine of at least 35 hp, or seven horsepower more than the car in which Bauer had been killed. And he promised to buy 36 such cars, at the equivalent of $130,000 in 1900 dollars. In exchange, Jellinek asked for two things: One, he wanted to have the exclusive sales agency for Austro-Hungary, France, Belgium and the United States. And two, he wanted the car named after his daughter, Mercedes. The factory agreed.
Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft's 35-hp Mercedes of 1901, designed by Wilhelm Maybach. Courtesy of the Mercedes-Benz Classic archives
The first Mercedes was an even bigger success than Jellinek could have hoped for, dominating the 1901 Nice Week events by winning the hillclimb, the distance race and the sprint. He capitalized on that success by replacing the speedster's two seats with a four-place touring body and cruising the Promenade des Anglais to let everyone know that the race car was, in fact, a passenger car that they could buy. Lighter, more powerful and faster than the cars that had come before, the new Mercedes changed the world overnight. In 1905, Emil changed his last name to Jellinek-Mercedes, quipping, "This is probably the first time that a father has taken his daughter's name."
Mercedes Jellinek at 11 years. Courtesy of the Mercedes-Benz Classic archives
Mercedes Jellinek was 11 years old when the car bearing her name appeared. Hers would not be such a charmed life; her adult years were marked by illness and two marriages, and she would die in a Vienna apartment before reaching the age of 40.
Mercedes's mother had died in 1893, and Emil had remarried in 1899. Though she was surrounded by all the material comforts that a child of high society might expect, passing her time in luxury villas and on yachts, she felt increasingly neglected by her father.
Mercedes Jellinek at 15 years. Courtesy of the Mercedes-Benz Classic archives
Searching for a happier life, she married Baron Karl von Schlosser in 1909; with him, she took on the role of wife and mother, and bore two children, Elfriede and Hans-Peter.
Mercedes Jellinek and her husband, Karl von Schlosser, presumably on their honeymoon, in front of the Cathedral of San Marco in Venice, 1909. Courtesy of the Mercedes-Benz Classic archives
Her family's fortunes were already in decline by the time World War I broke out in 1914; in fact, Emil had fallen out with Daimler, losing his sole right to sell Mercedes cars in 1905. The French government suspected him of spying for the Germans, and eventually confiscated his entire property. By the time he died in January 1918, the war had ruined Mercedes's family's fortunes, too, forcing her husband to find work as a civil servant.
She fled this unhappy life in 1923, marrying Baron Rudolf Wiegl, a destitute sculptor. Wiegl was in poor health, and died soon after the marriage. Mercedes Freifrau von Weigl, née Jellinek-Mercedes, died of bone cancer in Vienna on February 23, 1929, not even having reached the age of 40. She was buried in Vienna in the family grave, near her grandfather, Rabbi Adolf Jellinek.
Not much more than the broad outline of her life was known until 2012, when a collection of materials from the estate of her son Hans-Peter Schlosser was donated to the Mercedes-Benz Classic archives. Among this collection were some 300 photographs, and they show a young woman enjoying life, riding horses, holding her newborn children. One even shows her at the wheel of a Mercedes Grand Prix car, though there's no evidence that she ever had much of an interest in automobiles.
Mercedes Jellinek, right, on the high seas, circa 1910. Courtesy of the Mercedes-Benz Classic archives
Mercedes Jellinek, on horseback at the Jellinek family's villa in Baden near Vienna, approximately 1905. Courtesy of the Mercedes-Benz Classic archives
It's her passport that reveals one detail that's invisible in all of the black-and-white photos: Her hair was chestnut brown, and her eyes were green.
Hemmings Find of the Day – 1982 Mercedes-Benz 240D
Mercedes Benz built its iron-clad W123 series cars from 1975 to 1986, amassing a fleet worldwide just shy of 2.7 million vehicles. Most of those cars (about 2.4 million) were standard wheelbase sedans like this 1982 Mercedes-Benz 240D, for sale on Hemmings.com, while 199,517 were wagons and 99,884 were coupes.
Oil burners were the most popular with buyers — which included a lot of taxi and fleet operators — and the stingy 2.4-liter four in the 240D led the charge for M-B diesels powering 448,986 sedans. By 1982 however, the OM617 3-liter, five-cylinder turbodiesel was gaining ground, particularly here in the states, where it powered fully half of all Mercedes-Benzes sold.
Mercedes expected owners to get hundreds of thousands of miles out of their light diesels without a major overhaul and these cars really are reliable if properly looked after. Due to the 30 pounds of vinyl undercoating applied to the underside of every one, they're not as prone to the rust problems that plagued other cars of this vintage and, with parts still available from Mercedes-Benz dealers as well as a myriad of other sources, W123 series Benzes are endlessly rebuildable.
In traffic, W 123 diesels, even the turbodiesels, feel lazy pitted against modern fuel-injected gasoline powered vehicles with variable valve timing and five, six, seven and eight speed transmissions. But all out on the highway, the Benz's Autobahn breeding becomes very apparent: these cars seem more stable, smooth and quiet at 75 mph than at 35 mph.
This particular example, complete with a no-nonsense four-speed manual gearbox and crank windows, is located in our home state of Vermont, where W123s are quite popular. We'd want to check beneath the hood, and perhaps review the car's maintenance history, but at first glance the diesel sedan looks like it's ready for a long-distance roadtrip today. From the seller's description:
MERCEDES-BENZ: 1982 240D, dark red/tan interior, sunroof, manual trans, looks and runs like new, never seen a winter road and always lovingly maintained, $8,000.
Find more Mercedes-Benzes for sale on Hemmings.com.
Hemmings Find of the Day – 1972 Mercedes-Benz 600 SWB limousine
What was the world's finest car in 1964? Those who thought they knew the answer – Rolls-Royce, just like always – found their presumptions challenged by Stuttgart's new 2-3/4-ton flagship, the 600. Demand from the world's VIPs was sufficient to keep the 600 in production until 1981, though just 2,677 would be built. This 1972 Mercedes-Benz 600 Limousine for sale on Hemmings.com pampers its occupants with amenities that include hydraulically-operated windows and seats, a self-shutting trunk lid, self-leveling air suspension and, for passenger use only, a set of crystal shot glasses. When new, it listed for nearly $33,000, which was double the price of the competing Rolls-Royce, and four times that of the Cadillac Fleetwood 75 limo. This wheelbase stretches 126 inches, though buyers who found that confining could opt for the Pullman, with its additional 28 inches of legroom. Today, as ever, the big Benz quietly commands your respect. From the seller's description:
This Arizona car has been in the family since 1979 and has never seen snow. The car has been driven once weekly from its home in an environmentally controlled setting. The odometer currently reads 66k miles. Included are service records, original manual, and other promotional Mercedes documentation. This meticulously engineered historic vehicle is original gray with chrome trim, and features an M-100 6.3 liter overhead camshaft fuel injected light alloy V-8 engine producing 300 horsepower 434-lb.ft/ torque. Details and extras include beautiful wood trim and black leather throughout, power sunroof, center console bar with original Stabilo Therm flask and crystal shot glasses, curtains, power seats, power windows, cruise control, radio with rear controls, air conditioning front and rear, and dual tone horn. Riding in this car is like gliding on a cushion of air, as its airbag suspension removes all imperfections in the road, a pleasure to drive. Serious inquiries only. Selling as is.
See more Mercedes-Benzes for sale on Hemmings.com.
Mercedes-Benz Unimog sells for €82,200 ($112,831) at inaugural Stuttgart auction
1976 Mercedes-Benz Unimog 406 Doppelkabine. Photos courtesy Bonhams.
What price peace of mind? At Bonhams's inaugural sale at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, one bidder answered that question by paying €82,200 ($112,831, including fees) for a 1976 Mercedes-Benz Unimog 406 Doppelkabine 4×4 Utility, ensuring his ability to get from point A to point B regardless of weather or road conditions. While not a world-record price, the high bid was nearly double the €40,000-€50,000 ($54,905-$68,632) pre-auction estimate.
Renowned for its off-road capabilities, the Unimog was developed by Mercedes-Benz to meet the needs of both military and commercial buyers. With an endless supply of accessories and configurations available, Unimogs (derived from the German "Universal Motor Gerät," with Gerät translating to "device" or "appliance") are frequently used in the civilian world as snowplows, firefighting brush trucks, cranes, augers, dump trucks and brush mowers, while military applications range from troop transports to radio trucks and even ambulances. Long on off-road performance thanks to low gearing, oversize tires and portal axles, Unimogs are not known for their creature comforts.
The double-cab example sold in Stuttgart began its life as a German Army aircraft tug, and thus spent much of its downtime in airplane hangars, out of the elements, leading to a rust-free body and frame. Equipped with a front power take-off and a "Schmidt Plate" to attach tools to, such as a snowplow or front loader, the five passenger Unimog's sole concession to comfort appears to be a Webasto cabin heater. Sold with its original 84 horsepower, six-cylinder, diesel engine (showing 3,300 hours of use), the Unimog also featured new wheels and tires and a reupholstered interior. Used by its previous owner as a hunting support vehicle, the high price realized was a testament to both the truck's condition and the desire for one bidder to park this example on his own estate.
The top seller was this 1934 Mercedes-Benz 500 K special roadster, which sold for a fee-inclusive $4,231,183.
While the event was hosted by the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, the lots sold did not come from the museum's collection, but rather from consignors around the world. The top seller proved to be a 1934 Mercedes-Benz 500 K special roadster, upgraded by the factory to 540 K specifications, which sold for €3,105,000 ($4,231,183), followed by a 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540 K cabriolet A, which sold for €2,242,500 ($3,055,854); a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL "Gullwing" coupe, which sold for €1,380,000 ($1,880,526); a 1958 Mercedes-Benz 300SL roadster, which sold for €920,000 ($1,253,684); and a 1935 Mercedes-Benz 500 K cabriolet, which sold for €690,000 ($940,263).
For complete results from Bonhams Mercedes-Benz Museum sale, visit Bonhams.com.
Rebuilt 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Streamliner to debut at Pebble Beach
1938 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Streamliner in the wind tunnel at Unterturkheim. Photos courtesy Mercedes-Benz Classic.
Long forgotten among Mercedes-Benz's pre-war racing efforts was a 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Streamliner, originally built for a high-speed endurance race that never occurred. Now, thanks to the discovery of the car's original blueprints, this one-of-a kind grand touring coupe has been recreated by Mercedes-Benz Classic and will make its public debut at this year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
The years preceding World War II saw an emphasis on the development of high-performance automobiles on both sides of the Atlantic. In Europe, motor racing was a source of great national pride, and when an endurance race between Berlin and Rome was suggested, Mercedes-Benz was entrusted with producing a car that would capture victory for Germany. With less than a year to develop a suitable entry before the race's proposed 1938 running, the engineers at Mercedes-Benz turned to a well-established high-performance platform, the 540 K. Equipped with a supercharger to increase the output of its 5.4-liter, inline eight-cylinder engine, the 540 K's 180 horsepower could produce speeds approaching 145 KPH (90 MPH) when the 540 K chassis was fitted with a more aerodynamic body than the automaker's standard offering.
An aero-bodied Mercedes-Benz 540 K. The Streamliner produced significantly less drag.
To capture victory in the Berlin-to-Rome run, even more speed would be needed, so the engineers at Mercedes's "Special Car Construction" shop turned to aircraft design for inspiration. The body sketched by the group featured a low greenhouse, with a curved windshield and roof that tapered to a teardrop shape as it flowed to the rear of the car. Headlamps were integrated into the front fenders to reduce drag, and the center-mounted "Autobahn light" was recessed into the grill to minimize wind resistance. Door handles were flush with the body, panel gaps were minimized and even the iconic three-pointed star on the car's grill was replaced by a painted image on the Streamliner's hood, all to reduce the effects of the wind flowing across its surfaces. The effort produced the desired effect; while other aerodynamic 540 K bodies produced a drag coefficient of 0.57, the effort put into the design of the Streamliner reduced the coefficient of drag to just 0.36.
Rebuilding the Streamliner's 5.4-liter, inline eight-cylinder engine.
This, however, created problems for the powertrain team, as the standard differential gearing would run the risk of over-revving the engine at the car's top speed. To compensate, the 540 K's gearing was changed from 3.08:1 to 2.90:1, trading acceleration for a higher top speed. In testing, the changes produced the desired effect, delivering a top speed of 185 KPH (115 MPH) and a comfortable cruising speed of 170 KPH (106 MPH).
Building the car's ash wood body frame.
Though the 540 K Streamliner seemed powerful enough to capture a victory in the proposed Berlin-to-Rome race, no one knew if the tires of the day would prove capable of carrying such a heavy load at sustained speeds over long distances. Instead of further developing the Streamliner for competition, Mercedes-Benz opted to focus on a more proven variant of the 540 K for the event, which turned out to be a moot point as the 1938 running was delayed until 1939.
Meanwhile, tire manufacturer Dunlop had contracted with Mercedes-Benz for a high-speed variant of the 540 K to advance its racing tire design. Completed in the spring of 1938, the special construction 540 K Streamliner was delivered to Dunlop in June by a Daimler-Benz dealership in Frankfurt am Main, and for nearly a year the car was used for its intended purpose. The newly-constructed (and sparsely traveled) German Autobahn proved ideal for high-speed tire testing, and the Streamliner reportedly racked up miles at speed in a variety of conditions, proving the car had the potential its engineers had envisioned.
The onset of World War II put an end to the proposed Berlin-to-Rome rally and soon after an end to non-essential travel by automobile. To preserve the 540 K Streamliner's functional life, it was converted to run on LP gas, and it remained in the possession of Dunlop until late in the war. Records show it was later pressed into service by the United States Army, sprayed a standard-issue shade of olive drab in compliance with military regulations. In the postwar years, the car was returned to Dunlop, which later returned it to Mercedes-Benz; then, in April of 1948, the car was de-registered and most of its aluminum body was scrapped. The car's frame and running gear were preserved, however, entering the collection of the Mercedes-Benz Museum in 1950.
The 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Streamliner as it looked in 1938.
It was this frame and unique rear axle that ultimately alerted Mercedes-Benz historians to the overlooked gem in their collection, and when a full-scale drawing of the car's original body was discovered in the archives, interest in recreating the car grew. The project was given a green light in late 2011, but rebuilding such a car from the ground up would prove challenging even for the craftsmen at Mercedes-Benz Classic. Ash wood would need to be precisely formed to shape the frame for the car's aluminum body, which itself would need to be created panel by panel. Mercedes-Benz estimates that the forming and construction of the body alone required more than 4,800 hours of work, making the restoration an expensive proposition even for the German luxury automaker. Original components and period-correct parts from Mercedes-Benz's vast inventory were used wherever possible, but many items had to be fabricated in-house as part of the restoration process. Even the car's original silver bronze color, discovered on a few scraps of the original body, was painstakingly duplicated to be as accurate as possible.
The 540 K Streamliner as it looks today.
Today, the 540 K Streamliner looks much the same as it would have when delivered to Dunlop for tire testing. Its gray leather seating and walnut-trimmed dash belie its utilitarian purpose, and it's likely this particular Mercedes-Benz must have been the most oft-requested car of its day among Dunlop engineers. Out of the public eye since the late 1940s, the restored 1938 540 K will makes its official debut at the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
Hemmings Find of the Day – 1969 Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3
For around $30,000, you could buy a new or nearly new, full-size four-door sedan like the Toyota Avalon that will run for a billion trouble-free miles and ask only for routine maintenance and the occasional trip through the car wash. Or you could have this 1969 Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3, the safest, fastest and most comfortable four-door production sedan of its day (according to Motor Trend back in June 1968). Before the days of AMG-tuned vehicles, M-B took the mechanical port fuel-injected 300-hp, 386.4 cu.in. V-8 out of its 600 limousine and stuffed it into the W109 chassis, then piled on the luxury goods (as standard equipment): leather trimmed seats, burled walnut interior trim, power windows, air conditioning, a four-speed automatic transmission and a Webasto sunroof. This ultimate executive Autobahn burner could hit 60 MPH in 7 seconds flat, with four adults on board, thanks to the 6.3's 434-lb.ft. of torque and the car's relatively low 3,828-pound curb weight. The 300 SEL 6.3's air suspension can be a bank account breaker, but the owner of this one points out the maintenance that's been performed. From the seller's description:
This example is a well-maintained and regularly used car in the rare combination of black with a black leather interior. All of the frequent trouble spots with these complex cars have been addressed, including a freshly rebuilt Bosch mechanical fuel-injection pump and well-sorted, fully functional air suspension. The body is straight and rust-free and the interior, including wood and leather, is driver-quality and not in need of any immediate attention.
Body & Paint: The car was repainted the original Daimler-Benz Schwarz (Black) around 1993. It was a good quality paint job that is now showing some age with the usual touched-up chips in the front from normal driving. The chrome on the car is in good original condition, not perfect but not pitted either. It's certainly in very nice shape. Underneath the car is absolutely no sign of rust. The only corrosion in the entire vehicle is in a very small localized area around the rubber drain nipple under the spare tire. The original trunk mat is present and in great shape.
Interior: Black leather interior was also correctly redone around 1993. It's flawless, with no rips or wear and tear. Still smells fantastic. Seats are comfortable and supportive. Wood is in great shape, I have seen shinier wood in photos, but this is original and completely presentable. Headliner is sag free, all interior lights work as designed. Carpets and floor mats are original and in great shape. The steering wheel is in great shape, with no cracks in the center pad or rim. The dash has a small stress crack at the corner of the radio speaker grille, but it's hardly noticeable. Original Becker works great, and plays through the center speaker in the dash. Power windows go up and down, power locks work, including locking the trunk and gas filler door automatically. All four windows were recently serviced and all are functional. The front passenger side window works, but needs a new motor.
Air Suspension: Works perfectly – up, down, or locked. All airbags have been replaced as needed. Air valves in great shape, as is air tank in nose of car. Tank is regularly bled of air and any condensation, and alcohol is kept topped off in the proper container to keep the system dry. The car will sit for a couple of weeks without any noticeable drop in the suspension, but I try to drive it a couple of times a month to keep things lubricated. The air pump is fine.
Engine & Transmission: This is a powerful motor by any standards, but at 6.3 liters, you are getting something truly exceptional here. Bosch mechanical fuel-injection pump recently rebuilt to the tune of $5,000. New rubber seals between intake runners and thermostat housing. Recently tuned with new ignition points in dual point distributor, new coil, plug wires, and spark plugs. Basically, everything this car has needed, it has received. Transmission shifts smoothly but firmly. (Under anything over half throttle, you will chirp the tires on the upshifts!) This is an early car, with the higher 9:1 compression. No emission controls that robbed the later ones of some power. Limited-slip differential is fine. Engine compartment is tidy and original. Exhaust has the proper crossover between the pipes and still uses the stock Mercedes twin inlet/twin outlet muffler at the rear. Sounds great!
Windows: All automatic windows are operational and motors were fixed in 2012. The passenger side window works, but needs a new motor.
Brakes: No problems with brakes. Front pads are only down about 25 percent from new, rears have negligible wear. New rubber hoses to the calipers. Stock factory vented disc brakes at all four corners. Rear brakes were serviced in November 2011.
Wheels & Tires: Currently on the car is a set of 6 x 14 chrome Bundt alloys and Kumho Solus 215/70R14 tires.
Performance: After two hours or two weeks, the engine will crank, fire, and settle to a perfect idle. Oil pressure goes up immediately to the peg over 45 pounds and stays there. Let it warm up for a minute and then drive off. That's it- it's wonderful. Car will pull smoothly and powerfully all the way to redline if you are so inclined. If you "give it the beans" from a dead stop, the car will downshift immediately into 1st gear (normally starts in 2nd) and leave two black stripes all the way through 2nd. I replaced the battery in November 2011 and the alternator in 2013.
See more Mercedes-Benzes for sale on Hemmings.com.
Hemmings Find of the Day – 1958 Mercedes-Benz 219
The Mercedes-Benz Model 219 was not an easy sell in the U.S., where its $3,889 price tag in 1956 was within a C-note of a Chrysler 300B or a Cadillac Coupe de Ville. But look at what you got for your money: Unit-body construction, an overhead-camshaft straight-six, a four-speed gearbox and Old World craftsmanship. The 1958 models benefited from a bump in compression for the 2,195-cc six, raising horsepower to 100 and pushing the top speed to 92 MPH. The seller of this 1958 Mercedes-Benz 219 on Hemmings.com doesn't make any claims of originality, but that looks a lot like original paint to us, and original vinyl on the door cards. The seats appear to have been redone. If it were ours, we'd chase down a set of properly sized tires (or change to 14-inch rims), detail the engine, limit the paintwork to touchups, and drive the schnitzel out of it. These are durable, usable cars, and to us, the conservative styling looks better with each passing year. From the seller's description:
Inline six-cylinder with 4-speed manual transmission. Green with burgundy interior. Interior is in excellent condition. Needs paint to be complete. I have owned this car for over ten years. It is in good shape and runs and drives great.
See more Mercedes-Benzes for sale on Hemmings.com.
Unrestored Mercedes-Benz 300 SL gullwing coupe sells for $1.9 million
1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL gullwing. Photo by Brian Henniker, courtesy Gooding & Company.
The first of two 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL coupes, both black with red leather interiors, crossed the stage at the Gooding and Company auction in Scottsdale on Friday, and bidders have declared that an unrestored gullwing has a value of $1,897,500, including buyer's fees. That handily exceeded both that auction company's pre-sale estimate and the selling price of a restored gullwing at the same auction.
The selling point of the unrestored 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL was its originality. Though some of its black paint had been touched up over the years, the bulk of the finish was said to be original, and the red leather interior was the same one that the car left the factory with nearly six decades ago. Even the torn and sagging headliner was original to the car, leaving the new owner with difficult choice: refurbish the car as needed for preservation, or restore it to a factory-fresh state. Gooding originally estimated the unrestored gullwing's selling price at between $1.1 million and $1.4 million.
The restored gullwing, which crossed the stage on Saturday, sold for a price of $1,402,500. As described in our earlier writeup of the car, this example left the factory painted red with a green tartan interior, but a subsequent restoration changed the livery to the less common black with red leather.
The restored 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL gullwing. Photo courtesy Gooding & Company.
Other cars cracking the top 10 at Gooding's Scottsdale sale included a 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Series 1 Cabriolet, which sold for $6.16 million; a 1997 McLaren F1 GTR Longtail Coupe, which sold for $5,280,000; a 1956 Ferrari 410 Superamerica Series 1 Coupe, which sold for $3.3 million; a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Coupe Speciale, which sold for $2.365 million; a 1929 Duesenberg Model J LeBaron Dual Cowl Phaeton, once owned by John Duval Dodge, sold for $2,090,000; a 1967 Ferrari 330 GTS Spyder, which sold for $2,062,500; a 1955 Lancia Aurelia B24 Spider America Convertible, which sold for $1,815,000; and a 1952 Ferrari 212 Inter Coupe, which sold for $1,787,500.
For more information on Gooding and Company's Scottsdale sale, visit GoodingCo.com.


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subset: commoncrawl


text:
SFCP Library News
by Alyson Barrett-Ryan, MA, MLIS and Jason Ryan
Table of Contents
The SFCP Library was established to serve the members and candidates of the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis, and to educate other mental health professionals and the public at large on the discipline of psychoanalysis. The library collection holds books, journals and other materials for the study of psychoanalysis in theoretical, applied and clinical applications. Library services include, but are not limited to, acquisition of books.
The Library belongs to national and regional networks:
Community Membership at SFCP
Community Membership is a new category of membership at SFCP established in 2008 that was created to enrich and broaden the Center by inviting psychoanalytic psychotherapists in the Bay Area to join SFCP. We welcome mental health clinicians and students of all disciplines and levels of experience into our Community Membership.
Psychoanalytic Grand Rounds at Stanford: A Contemporary Psychoanalytic Perspective on a Theory of Psychotherapeutic Technique - Erik Gann, MD
Psychoanalytic Education Division Graduation Ceremony and Dinner Celebration 2015 - Speaker: Barbara McSwain, LCSW
Postgraduate Clinical Program with Giuseppe Civitarese, MD, PhD
Scientific Meeting: Poetry of Dream and De-personalization - Presenter: Giuseppe Civitarese, MD, PhD; Discussant: Alice A. Jones, MD
***SFCP Annual Meeting of the Members*** All Members are Invited (voting and non-voting)
Dialogues in Contemporary Psychoanalysis: Transformation in Hallucinosis and the Receptivity of the Analyst - Presenter: Giuseppe Civitarese, MD, PhD; Discussant: Rachael Peltz, PhD; Clinical Presenter: Laurie Goldsmith, PhD
Opera on the Couch: The Marriage of Figaro - Discussants: Steven Goldberg, MD and Victor Bonfilio, PhD
Opera on the Couch: Two Women - Discussants: Reyna Cowan, PsyD, LCSW and Catherine Mallouh, MD
The San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis was organized in 2007, combining the San Francisco Psychoanalytic Institute & Society, founded in 1941, with the San Francisco Foundation for Psychoanalysis, founded in 1991. The SFCP is a not for profit organization with more than 160 practicing analysts and more than 45 candidates (psychoanalysts in training).
The Center provides an extensive training program in psychoanalysis. The Center also sponsors a large, vibrant Extension Division which offers classes and seminars to mental health professionals as well as to the general public. In addition, it maintains Low / Moderate Fee Referral Services for adults, children and adolescents as well as providing other mental health services and programs for the general community.
San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis
444 Natoma Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
E: firstname.lastname@example.com


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In a report, the Institute of Medicine offered five recommendations that could boost the integration of primary care and public health, particularly in maternal and child health, colorectal cancer screening and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. One recommendation suggests working through existing programs, such as having the ONC introduce population measures that would help incorporate public health and clinical data at the community level.
View Full Article in:Modern Physician (free registration)
Published in Brief:


text:
The College of the Canyons Alumni and Friends, COC Foundation and COC athletics are 'calling all Cougars' to take part in the college's 40th Anniversary Homecoming Extravaganza Saturday, October 3, at Cougar Stadium.
The evening features a fun-filled lineup of activities – including a barbeque dinner in the Cougar Den, live entertainment, a special 40th Anniversary program, children's activities, raffle prizes and spectator give-aways from the Cougar mascot.
Homecoming festivities will be held in the Cougar Den, adjacent to Cougar Stadium, leading up to the evening's 7 p.m. football game between the hometown Cougars and the visiting Allan Hancock College Bulldogs.
The evening will begin with a no-host bar alumni reception at 4:30 p.m., with performances by a barbershop quartet, a barbeque dinner served at 5:30 p.m.
After dinner, the college will present its 2009 Outstanding Alumni & Friends awards before guests make their way into Cougar Stadium for a special 40th Anniversary program and musical celebration.
College of the Canyons Athletics will honor members of the college's 2004 National Championship football team during a special on-field ceremony at halftime.
"The College of the Canyons' 40th Anniversary Extravaganza is the perfect time to honor our Alumni and Friends honorees and recognize the fifth anniversary of the college's first National Championship football team," said Chuck Lyon, COC athletic director and head coach of the 2004 team. "We invite the community and all of the college's many friends, alumni and supporters to celebrate with us."
Free admission to the game will be provided to all senior citizens. Local youth wearing a football jersey will also be admitted at no cost. Local high school football teams may contact the COC Foundation prior to game day in order to receive free tickets.
Members of the COC Alumni and Friends can purchase tickets to the barbeque dinner in the Cougar Den at a cost of $15 for adults and $10 for children 10 and under. Non-members may purchase tickets for $20 for adults and $15 for children 10 and under.
To purchase dinner tickets, please contact the College of the Canyons Foundation at (661) 362-3737. All dinner ticket orders must be received by Friday, September 25.


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To comply with paragraph 16.13 of the Listing Rules, we advise that the Plan
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Plan Manager's reinvestment of dividends and, where appropriate, tax credits
and were acquired in respect of the beneficial holdings of Mr Nicoli and his
wife, Mrs Rosalind M. Nicoli, in the EMI Group Corporate Personal Equity Plan,
both receiving 24 Ordinary Shares.
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Daily Update: Moseley's shoulder raises questions; notes, minors
High Single-A Lake Elsinore (52-49, 20-11): The California League had Tuesday off.
Low Single-A Fort Wayne (46-53, 16-14): The Midwest League had Tuesday off.
Short Season Single-A Eugene (25-14, 1-0): EMERALDS 6, Everett 2 – OF Jose Dore hit a three-run homer. CF Donavan Tate was 2-for-5 with a walk and a steal in his second game back from his 25-game suspension for testing positive for a banned substance. RHP Colin Rea, the Padres 12th-round draft pick in June, lowered his ERA to 0.84 by allowing two hits and a walk in three scoreless innings. He struck out four. RHP Mark Pope (2-0, 2.00 ERA), the fifth-round pick in June, also allowed two hits over three scoreless innings. He didn't issue a walk while striking out four.
Arizona Rookie Padres (11-17): Padres 2, INDIANS 1 – Starting RHP Uber Paz (2-0, 5.06 ERA) allowed one unearned run on three hits and no walks over seven innings. He struck out four. RHPs Daniel Cropper and Daniel Jones both worked a hitless inning in relief to complete the three-hitter. CF Alberth Martinez (.355) was 3-for-4 with an RBI.


text:
The Department of Journalism within the School of Media and Communication at Temple University seeks candidates for an open-rank professor position (tenure-track or non-tenure-track, depending on qualifications) to begin in August 2015. The position will focus on journalism business models and entrepreneurship, including an understanding of audience engagement and measurement, and news organization management. The successful candidate should have significant professional experience in revenue generation, whether within start-ups, within larger businesses or both. This person will be expected to build a professional or academic research agenda in these areas. An advanced degree in a relevant field is preferred.
The goal of Temple's journalism program is to prepare students for a multimedia professional future with solid training in urban journalism, with particular emphasis on underserved communities. We seek a colleague with a similar commitment and philosophy.
The Department of Journalism is more than 80 years old with 15 full-time faculty members who teach over 650 undergraduate and graduate students. A Master of Journalism program offers professional training to full- and part-time students. Departmental faculty members holding the Ph.D. also have the opportunity to participate in the School of Media and Communication doctoral program in Media and Communication.
Temple University's School of Media and Communication (SMC) is in Philadelphia, the nation's fourth-largest media market. SMC is a comprehensive school of communication whose other departments include Advertising, Media Studies and Production and Strategic Communication. Nearly 3,000 undergraduates are enrolled in our four departments, and more than 100 graduate students are pursuing our Ph.D., M.A., M.J. and M.S. degrees. The university community at large includes nearly 35,000 students in the region and at several international campuses. Temple is a Carnegie Research University (high research activity). For more information about the department, school, and Temple University, please visit http://www.temple.edu/smc. Temple University is an equal opportunity, equal access affirmative action employer, committed to achieving a diverse community.
Applicants should submit the following: (1) a cover letter indicating interest and relevant professional and academic background, including experience working with diverse populations and/or covering urban issues; (2) curriculum vitae; (3) statement of teaching interests/philosophy; (4) statement of research/professional activity philosophy; and (5) names/contact information of at least three references. Review of applications will begin October 1, 2014.
Apply to:
New Business Models Search Committee
Department of Journalism, Temple University
316 Annenberg Hall
2020 N. 13th St.
Philadelphia, PA 19122-6080
or email email@example.com.


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Uniform basis, huh?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhnLZ3RyccgPatrick Sullivan 05-20-2015 10:07 AM
Brauneyz vs. The NFL Off-Season:
Well, OK then...
So much for that discussion on confirmation bias and all that.
F Robert Kraft! F Fraudger GODdell! F the NFL!
There, that's my contribution for 2015. ...
Looks like the Patriots' penalties will stand. So its only a matter of whether Brady's suspension...hobbes27 05-19-2015 02:04 PM
Really not a lot to say on this topic as A) it involves Goodell which causes a portion of the...Ragar 05-18-2015 06:40 PM
I think this opinion by Blank probably closer resembles the views of the other 31 owners. But...hobbes27 05-18-2015 02:01 PM
What I can't get over is the high percentage of football fans who are willing to accept the NFL's...Patrick Sullivan 05-18-2015 05:58 AM
Very few centers ever get noticed. To his credit, Saturday has managed to rise above the anonymity which is the fate of his brethren.
I seem to remember that at one point with the Colts he threatened to retire. That caused quite a panic, IIRC, and brought his name to prominence. I wonder how much that incident has to do with his current high profile?
Hey, I thought it was great. Why not? The pro bowl is the only venue where something like that can happen, and it was a cool touch.
I also have no problem that he was on the team. While the pro bowl, or any all-star game, should mostly be used to reward players for a good current season, I also think there's room for a lifetime achievement position. Perhaps each of the all-star games could utilize one honorary spot per team (or more for baseball/football due to expanded rosters) to honor some of the game's greats. If they wanted, they could even set up that spot similarly to how baseball now has a vote for the final player to be added.
I think the other sports may have done this in the past, although certainly not on a yearly basis. In baseball, guys like Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripkin Jr. were always voted in, even when they were no longer playing at an all-star level. But those are 2 examples of guys who should be featured in that game, no matter their performance.


text:
Dixon believes the building system that Defender uses will replace the way builders have historically constructed homes. "We are on the cutting edge of building homes that will last for many generations and safety-wise, will surpass anything being built today, and at a similar cost to traditional wood frame construction"
In addition to their superior high-wind resiliency, the homes are waterproof, mold and mildew resistant, termite and carpenter ant resistant, can withstand earthquakes (up to 7.0 on the Richter scale), are sinkhole resistant, and fire resistant, providing additional insurance discount opportunities to homeowners.
Lastly, the homes can provide energy savings of up to 40% compared to stick-built homes, another motivator for new home construction to be built with the Defender Technologies process.
The Company is currently seeking builders to learn and adopt the system with no franchise or license fees. The only requirement is that an interested builder completes a free four-day training program at their Gulf Shores, AL facility.
Dixon said, "We want to make it easy for homebuilders and developers to get involved to save lives and provide the public with safe, affordable housing. With this easy to learn system, and the available insurance and energy savings, we're excited to play a part in helping diminish the heartache and expense that future storms would otherwise bring."
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/10/prweb11191303.htm.
|Source: PRWeb
Copyright©2012 Vocus, Inc.
All rights reserved


text:
Finally found and squashed the bug that was causing the FB options to bug out. Located here.
This post incorporates material from the Cataclysm Alpha. If that bothers you, please stop reading now.
A new alpha build dropped a few days ago, and with it, a good chunk of feral changes. Let's take a look.
Unlike Rogues, who have more diversity in openers (Ambush/Garrote/Cheap Shot, all buffable with Premeditation), our opening move choices are Pounce and Ravage. Pounce has some good PvP utility, and putting up a bleed effect is necessary for all our other abilities, but its damage is pretty weak and doesn't scale well. If the stun's not useful, it's probably better just to Rake.
Ravage, like Ambush, is more of a leveling ability; it does decent burst damage when you get it, but it's unaffected by most talents and is generally useless in max-level PvE content.
…until now. (dum dum dum). Check out these changes:
- Ravage – Ravage the target, causing 550% damage plus 236.93 to the target. Up from 385% and 165.98.
- Shredding Attacks: Now reduces the energy cost of Ravage by the same amount as Shred (5/10).
- Predatory Strikes: Now increases the critical strike chance of your Ravage by 25/50% on targets at or above 90% health, in addition to previous insta-nature spell ability.
- Imp. Feral Charge: Ravage will not require stealth for 3/6 sec after using FC.
Ravage still has the same disadvantages for PvE that it did previously (doesn't get raid debuffs on the target), but with IFC, that problem is reduced (6s is more than enough time to apply a stack of FF, Mangle, and Rake). This will definitely give us more burst if needed…but threat could be a problem. :) Needless to say, proper opening of a fight will be a bit more complicated now; run in and start rotation is out.
Remember that we were promised a non-finisher interrupt? It's here!
- Skull Bash – 1 Rage/25 Energy, 8 yd range, Instant, 10 sec cooldown. You charge and skull bash the target, interrupting spellcasting and preventing any spell in that school from being cast for 5 sec.
It's basically Kick, with a bit of extra range. I'm not sure about the range/charge thing actually; I suppose it could be like FC with a min/max distance, but that seems really unwieldy for an interrupt that we're expected to be able to use on command now. I also dislike the name, but I'll get over it, I suppose. I like Bonk. :)
Fury Swipes
This new talent is interesting (not sure where in the tree it is right now):
- Fury Swipes – When you auto-attack while in Cat form or Bear form, you have a 6/12% chance to gain an extra auto-attack on the same target. This effect cannot occur more than once every 6 sec.
Oh, this'll be fun to model. Basically, this is more on the theme of making the kitty rotation less punishing for less-skilled players; I'd imagine we'll see the amount of white damage we do (as a %) going up.
Bear Changes
- Feral Aggression – Reduces the cooldown of Faerie Fire (Bear) by 1/2/3/4/5 sec, and increases the damage caused by your Ferocious Bite by 3/6/9/12/15%.
- Faerie Fire (Bear) – Rage cost increased to 15. Decreases the armor of the target by 3% for 30 sec. While affected, the target cannot stealth or turn invisible. Stacks up to 3 times. Deals [AP * 0.05 + 1.0] damage and additional threat. (Previously did AP * 0.15)
- Savage Defense – Each time you deal a critical strike while in Bear Form or Dire Bear Form, you have a 50% chance to gain Savage Defense, reducing the damage taken from the next physical attack that strikes you by 75% of your attack power. (Previously 100% chance for 25% of AP)
Some significant changes here to FFF and SD. FFF's damage is cut by two-thirds, but you have the option via talents to make it a spammable attack. Very interesting. This reduces FFF's single-target damage below Swipe, which means either Swipe won't be spammable without several mobs being on you, or it's single-target damage will be reduced somehow. (Or maybe Mangle on CD+Lacerate+Pulverize will form the mainstay of the rotation now.) A spammable ranged attack, though, will help a LOT with keeping threat on casters.
SD's uptime gets cut in half, but its effectiveness triples. Overall, I'd see this as a net buff. For multi-target situations, multiple Swipe crits generally meant you were getting many wasted refreshes anyway. On a boss, you'll definitely see a reduction in uptime, but face it, a 2k absorption wasn't really all that significant with 50K+ HP and bosses hitting for 20K. 6K, however, will be very nice. It'll make damage intake burstier, but that hopefully won't be as much of a problem for Cata.
Resto/Balance Changes (including the new Tree Form's abilities!)
Come back tomorrow. :)
Now that I'm a Kingslayer (aside: it would be great if the title changed to X, Slayer of Kings, after you killed him twice. Or wait, we killed Ymiron in UP, didn't we? Aren't we already Kingslayers? /aside), I'm at a bit of a loss to find my next goal. I've already decided to cut back on the raiding a bit, and I've told my guild as such. Frankly, ICC hard-modes don't look overly interesting…waltz through the first 6 or so, work a bit on the rest, then wipe on H LK for a few months until we abandon it for Cata. Yay. (Not to mention, my ever-patient wife deserves some couple time.) As such, I'm looking into some more solo pursuits.
My Pre-Cataclysm To-Do List (In Pretentious Case):
- No more Alliance alts until Cata. :)
- Level my DK's blacksmithing/enchanting to 450 (currently 200ish/150ish) This gives me 6 max-level profs for Cata (currently have alch/LW on druid and mining/JC on pally). If I end up transferring my lock over from Cael, I'll drop his enchanting and pick up herbalism/inscription to go with his tailoring.
- Get some good badge tank gear for my DK to play around with some instance soloing.
- Finish out World Explorer on my druid (Loremaster's probably too much of a stretch). Maybe some other achievements…my achievement lust tends to come and go.
- Maybe get into Arenas…have a mediocre resto PVP set put together.
- Level my poor unloved Horde toon (belf mage) to check out Horde-side lore.
- Have mats on all toons to prepare for the tidal wave of Cataclysm demand. (Which reminds me…guild bank for bank alt would be good, what with the online AH letting you list stuff out of your bank.)
Blog/Forums/Other Out-Of-Game:
- Keep working on the Ovale code for the feral DPS script. Play around with Simcraft to better set options.
- Keep posting on feral topics; still have a lot to discuss. Got some hot new alpha info, a discussion on optimum FB usage, tanking in cat gear, and some other things.
- Clean up the sidebar some, redo blogroll, etc.
- Get rid of that silly Google Adsense thing. (FWIW, I've supposedly made $8.85, in the three months it's been up, and I need to make $100 before I get a payment. Yay?)
- Spend some time working on the forum. I know NOTHING about phpBB.
Finally. :) 20% really swung it for us…check this out:
Seriously. (Holy crap, I am so stoked right now.)
No deaths leading into P3.
I got to kill the Spirit Warden inside Frostmourne.
I even got to play Hero Bear…we'd lost a few ranged, and at about 15%, three Vile Spirits started heading towards melee, and I went bear, popped everything (SI/Barkskin/Enrage) and took em all out. Unfortunately, there were actually 4, not 3. Oops. (EDIT: Wow…I didn't realize, but our MT had gone down due to a missed Harvest Soul, and I took a LK melee hit as well after the second spirit!)
Successfully soloed Molten Core over the weekend; going to start working on some Northrend 5-mans, as I tried Magtheridon and got smacked down pretty good. Unfortunately, bear isn't even close to Pallies or DK's for solo ability; not enough self-healing. All I have is Imp. LOTP and Survival Instincts-boosted Frenzied Regen every 3 minutes. My strategy's pretty simple- I basically rely on gobs of avoidance and Savage Defense for most bosses, and kitty DPS with Predatory Strikes insta-heals + HoTs boosted by Nurturing Instinct for certain encounters. I'm going to start gearing my DK for solo tanking, I think. Something to do, while we struggle to make numbers to work on LK some more.
(Has anyone had problems with DBM not resetting properly? Occasionally after a LK wipe, I lose all my DBM timers/functionality. Sucks for Defile.)
As I promised in an earlier post, I've rewritten Furion/Leaf's Ovale script to bring it more up-to-date. I've posted it in my forum here. Please provide any feedback either in comments or on the forum post. Info below. I'll be posting it to EJ in a few days, but existing readers get the first shot. :)
# Version History# v1.0:# Full verification of action list against Simcraft.# Corrected TF condition. Loosened Berserk condition (slight deviation from SC).# Prioritized Rip/Mangle. Removed Manglebot option, no point anymore with 60s duration.# Added options for OOC icon and Shred on OOC proc.# Hopefully fixed bug with Rake being recommended even though it's already on target.# Added user-selectable logic for No FB/Few FB's/Many FB's. Default is no FB's which is best for most players.# (FB logic still needs some testing)# Rewrote several lines to track Simcraft closer, to make user-editing easier.# Added a few lines to catch bad situations (energy-cap, energy pooling while Rip is down).
MMO-Champion's got the loot list from Ruby Sanctum up, and there's some good feral pieces there. Let's take a look.
|Penumbra Pendant
|Signet of Twilight
|Sharpened Twilight Scale
|Petrified Twilight Scale
|Gloaming Sark
EDIT: Changed links to wowhead since mmo-champ tooltips aren't working on my site for some reason.
The big prize from RS-25 for feral DPS is the Sharpened Scale trinket. The massive chunk of ArPen makes it superior to any other trinket in the game, save Heroic DBW, and the ability to have two ArPen trinkets will make reaching the ArPen hardcap much easier. The Signet ring is very nice as well, and should be your choice for your 2nd ring slot (after your Exalted ICC repring), unless you have the Frostbrood Sapphire. (Heroic Frostbrood is clearly superior; normal is a tossup.) Finally, the Penumbra Pendant is decent, but it's a strength item, so let your plate DPS have first dibs on it. If you've had bad luck on neck drops for some reason, it's about equal to an ICC-10 neck. (Or you could just buy a Wodin's, if you have the gold to spare.)
For bears, the Petrified Scale tank trinket is very nice as well, but it depends on your personal preference–it's basically an upgraded Glyph of Indominability, with the same issues. Great mitigation trinket, but no extra HP to swallow burst. I'd still prefer 2 of Organ/Fang/Key for progression, I think. Come Cataclysm, though, when healer HPS will be more limited, the ability of armor trinkets to reduce DTPS will be much more important. I could see this trinket lasting you until 85, easily.
Unfortunately, there's not much from RS-10. (Yet another argument for gear equalization.) The loot list may still grow a bit. The Gloaming Sark is pretty terrible for feral DPS, but it's an excellent tanking piece if you don't have the badges for Shadowseeker's or the cash for Ikfirus. There's a strength ring, also, but it's pretty bad. (The 245 EoT ring is better.)
We successfully got to Phase 3 once on LK25 with nobody dead on Tuesday, so high hopes for tonight. We've successfully kicked the Defile bug, happily. :) More to come on Simcraft/Ovale next week.
This post incorporates publicly available leaked material from the Cataclysm Alpha. If that bothers you, please stop reading now.
A new version of the Alpha was pushed on 17 May with an updated feral tree, and information about the changes has already leaked. Allison's latest Shifting Perspectives has covered some of the changes already, but here's my take.
Tier 1:
Sharpened Claws: Increases the damage caused by your Claw, Rake, Mangle (Cat), Mangle (Bear), and Maul abilities by 10%/20%. (Previously Tier 3: increases your critical strike chance by 2%/4%/6%.) Renamed version of Savage Fury, a Tier 2 talent with the same description.
Ferocity: Unchanged.
Feral Aggression: Unchanged.
Tier 2:
Savage Fury: Removed. (Moved to Tier 1, renamed Sharpened Claws.)
Thick Hide: Removed. (Previously increased your Armor contribution from cloth and leather items by 4%/7%/10%.)
Feral Instinct: Unchanged.
Shredding Attacks: Reduces the energy cost of your Shred ability by 5/10 and the cost of your Lacerate by 1/2. (Previously Tier 4: Reduces the energy cost of your Shred ability by 9/18 and the rage cost of your Lacerate ability by 1/2.)
Endless Carnage[NYI]: Increases the duration of your Rake by 3/6 sec and your Savage Roar by 4/8 sec. (New talent.)
Tier 3:
Feral Swiftness: Unchanged.
Predatory Instincts: Moved here from Tier 8, unchanged otherwise.
Feral Charge: Moved here from Tier 5, unchanged otherwise.
Improved Feral Charge[NYI]: Increases the damage done by your next 3 attacks by 5/10% in Bear Form after you use Feral Charge (Bear), and Ravage will temporarily not require stealth for 3/6 sec after you use Feral Charge (Cat). (New talent.)
Tier 4:
Nurturing Instinct: Moved here from Tier 5, unchanged otherwise.
Predatory Strikes: Attack power boost removed. Finishing moves retain their 7%/13%/20% chance per combo point to proc an instant Nature spell. (Previously: Increases your melee attack power in Cat, Bear and Dire Bear Forms by 50%/100%/150% of your level and 7%/13%/20% of any attack power on your equipped weapon.)
Primal Fury: Unchanged.
Primal Precision: Removed. (Previously: Increases your expertise by 5/10, and you are refunded 40%/80% of the energy cost of a finishing move if it fails to land.)
Tier 5:
Brutal Impact: Unchanged.
Heart of the Wild: Moved here from Tier 6, unchanged otherwise.
Survival Instincts: Moved here from Tier 3, unchanged otherwise.
Tier 6:
Survival of the Fittest: Unchanged.
Natural Reaction: Removed.
Tier 7:
King of the Jungle: Moved here from Tier 9, unchanged otherwise.
Leader of the Pack: Unchanged.
Improved Leader of the Pack: Unchanged.
Primal Tenacity: Reduces the duration of fear effects by 10%/20%/30% and reduces all damage taken while stunned by 5%/10%/15% while in Cat Form. (Previously reduced damage taken while stunned by 10%/20%/30%.)
Tier 8:
Protector of the Pack: Unchanged.
Infected Wounds: Your Shred, Maul, and Mangle attacks cause an Infected Wound in the target. The Infected Wound reduces the movement speed of the target by 25%/50% and the attack speed by 10%/20%. Lasts 12 sec. (Previously reduced movement speed by 16%/34%/50% and attack speed by 7%/14%/20%.)
Tier 9:
Primal Madness[NYI]: Tiger's Fury and Beserk also increases your maximum energy by 10/20 during its duration, and your Enrage and Berserk abilities instantly generates 6/12 rage. (New talent.)
Mangle: Unchanged.
Improved Mangle: Unchanged.
Tier 10:
Nom Nom Nom[NYI]: When you Ferocious Bite a target at or below 25%, you have a 50/100% chance to instantly refresh the duration of your Rip on the target. (New talent.)
Rend and Tear: Unchanged.
Pulverize: 15 rage. Instant. Melee Range. Requires Dire Bear Form. Deals 252 bleed damage for each of your Lacerate applications on the target, and increases your total attack power by 2% for each Lacerate stack consumed. Lasts 10 sec.
Tier 11:
Berserk: Unchanged.
Misc info: Shred base energycost is now 50 (talented 40.) Maul base rage cost is 10 (talented 5), consumes an extra 5 rage for each 20 rage you have. (So, 1-20 rage, Maul costs 5, 21-40, Maul costs 10, etc.)
Definitely some interesting new talents here. As Blizzard has previously stated, they like testing new talents via set bonuses, and apparently all our good ones made it in. :) Endless Carnage is a mashup of our Tier 8 4P and our Tier 9 2P, but better. I wouldn't be surprised to see either the talent or Rake nerfed…upping a 9s DoT to 15s is pretty strong for a Tier 2 talent. Imp. Feral Charge is pretty interesting, but I see it as mostly a leveling/burst talent more than anything else. Ravage will hit harder than Shred, certainly, but not by enough to warrant major rotational changes. I'd have to look to figure out its DPE…I haven't used it in ages.
Primal Madness is pretty meh. Good ferals never energy cap to begin with, so having a higher top-end isn't a big deal (though it makes using TF/Berserk easier, sure). Finally, Nom Nom Nom (best name ever) is huge. Rolling Rips and constant FBs! Sweet! (Of course, this means our regular damage will get a nerf to compensate. Bleh.)
Have some Balance/Resto info as well, but I'll leave that for now. One tidbit: Innervate is now based on the caster's max mana pool, not base. Goodbye feral Innervates. :(
I'm working on a post detailing how Simulationcraft is, by far, your best friend when optimizing your rotation/gear for specific encounters. In the meantime, here's a sneak preview of my current optimal priority list, given my current gear. It looks complicated…and it is, sorry, can't sugarcoat it really, but just read from the top down and go line-by-line. (Yay for superfluous advice.) This may not be optimal for everyone; some will want to FB more (high ArPen folks), some less (ICC 10). More FB's = less Rip/Rake uptime. This list assumes you never clip DoTs.
1. Feral Faerie Fire, if FF/FFF down.
2. Tiger's Fury, if available. (Energy below 30.)
3. Berserk, if available. (Energy between 80 and 90.)
4. If SR is down, immediately SR with any CP.
5. Shred on Omen of Clarity proc.
6. Rip if you have 5 CP's.
7. Mangle if Mangle debuff is down.
8. Fun one: If there is less then 9 seconds on SR and Rip will expire 3 seconds or less before SR, refresh SR if you have 3 or more CP's. (Desyncs timers to give you time to rebuild CP's to reapply Rip with little downtime. I'm still playing with the logic on this one to determine an optimal setting. If you relax the SR remaining condition or the sync condition, you'll refresh SR more often, which leads to better Rip uptime but wasted CP's and thus less FB's.)
9. FB with 5 CP's if Rip and SR have at least 12 seconds remaining or target will die in 5 seconds or less. (Another place to mess with timers to balance FB/Rip.)
10. If Rip has less than 4 seconds and you haven't Shredded 3 times yet (Glyph of Shred), Shred, unless SR will expire within 3 seconds.
11. Rake.
12. Shred, if less than 4 CP's or Rip has more than 1 second left, AND if Rake has more than 1 second left, AND if energy is greater then 80, or TF is within 3s of going off cooldown, or you're berserked.13. Shred if target will die within 10 seconds, or you have 0 CP's and SR is about to expire/expired.14. Otherwise wait to regain energy.
I'll be rewriting an Ovale script to incorporate this logic, when I have the chance. I've posted the Simulationcraft actionlist in the forums if people would like to modify it for their own toon.
This post incorporates material from the Cataclysm Alpha. If that bothers you, please stop reading now.
Every sign points to there being a HUGE gear reset for Cata. Check this combat rating table out: (gathered by Whitetooth, author of the Ratingbuster addon, so pretty credible)
|melee hit
|spell hit
Source: http://elitistjerks.com/f15/t29453-combat_ratings_level_80_a/p22/#post1639830
I'll be talking about this more later, but yes, that's 269 crit and 192 melee hit per 1%. Wow. If these ratings remain (and the penalties for attacking higher level mobs remain the same) then we're looking at 1500ish hit for hitcap. My guess is that actually capping a stat will be exceedingly rare (which is in line with previous blue posts) With the ratings going stratospheric from 80-85, I could see DPS actually declining over those levels. I don't think that's Blizzard's plan: they never want you to feel like you're losing power, but they did want to rein in the rate of growth. In order to keep DPS relatively constant from 80-85, we're going to need a lot of secondary stats on our gear.
Need more proof? How about the blue announcement that Dense Embersilk Bandages will heal 34,800 HP over 8s? Either bandages are going to be totally OP, or we're looking at a dramatic increase in HP. (For comparison, Heavy Frostweave was 5,800 HP over 8 seconds.) Even accepting that dense bandages are a third tier of bandage not found in WOTLK, that's still a significant bump. My guess is that they're going to increase the amount of HP from +stam, probably to something like 20HP (instead of 10HP now). No clue as to actual numbers, but I'd say tanks at about 90K HP after the patch, with DPS around 60K, equalized between armor classes. At the end of Cata, tanks will be up to the 150K mark, with DPS at 100K or so.
For ferals, we'll be back to the days of much slower CP generation, which eliminates FB from our rotations (yay) and decreases bleed uptime (boo). With our third mastery bonus being Bleed Damage increases, we may be in a spot where we have to look at other than 5-CP rips to maximize uptime. (Yes, this is handwavy.) Either way, ArPen stacking is dead. Of course, the whole archeology thing could change that up…hoping to see some more on that soon. As I've previously mentioned, I think movement is going to play a large role in Cata ( just like…Defile…oh god…), so we"ll be looking at a lot more focus on getting DoTs up quickly.
By the way, thanks to everyone who commented on my LK frustration post. The day after I posted that, the wow.com topic of the day was about people being stuck on LK…so I know we're not alone. That's the hidden downside of rolling a lockout, I suppose, especially if you get stuck in the same place. This reminds me a bit of Maly in my old guild, where we were consistently stuck on phase 3…it SUCKS to grind out the first few phases every time, to repeatedly die in P3. WoW needs a skip-forward button sometimes…a "hey, we've mastered this section, can we start the fight in P3?"


text:
NORMAN — Blake Bell stood in the Switzer Center hallway two weeks ago and recited many of the usual talking points during an interview with The Oklahoman.
OU football: Blake Bell's defining moment came in Bedlam game
The junior quarterback stressed the importance of always being ready to play and staying even-keeled regardless of circumstances. He reiterated that the team is more important than any individual.
For one brief moment, though, Bell went off script during an answer about the Sooners' Dec. 7 Bedlam victory and his monumental role in it.
"Obviously going in there as the third quarterback, you're never really thinking you're gonna play," Bell said. "I would say no, I wasn't ready."
Catching himself, Bell quickly added, "Well, I was ready to play, but I didn't think I was gonna get a chance."
Ready or not, Bell was forced into action that frigid Saturday in Stillwater after starter Trevor Knight separated a shoulder and sophomore Kendal Thompson was ineffective. Bell's performance on Oklahoma's final drive — particularly the spot-on, game-winning touchdown pass to Jalen Saunders with 19 seconds to go — has, without question, become the junior's defining career moment.
That Bell would shine in the backup role isn't necessarily a surprise. He spent the 2011 and 2012 seasons replacing starter Landry Jones in short-yardage and goal-line situations, taking a shotgun snap and plowing forward for first downs and touchdowns.
He rushed for 24 touchdowns, won a bowl game's Most Valuable Player Award and developing a cultlike following as the "Belldozer."
Most considered him the clear favorite to replace Jones on a full-time basis to start the 2013 season, but Knight bested Bell in the preseason quarterback derby.
When Knight was injured in the second game of the season, Bell took over and shined throughout his first two starts, including a 35-21 win at Notre Dame in late September.
But Bell's performance wasn't consistent, and he struggled mightily in losses to Texas and at Baylor. When he was knocked out of the Sooners' Nov. 16 home win over Iowa State with a concussion and Knight played well off the bench, Bell's fate seemed sealed.
Knight started the Sooners' 41-31 win at Kansas State, seemingly cementing his status — once again — as the Sooners' quarterback moving forward.
Continue reading this story on the...


text: According to the News of the World (please don't turn away!), Lindsay Lohan is set to become Mrs. Samantha Ronson by the end of the year. The bastion of well-sourced journalism is reporting that a "lavish do, including drinks and canapes for Li-Lo's pals and relatives" is being organized by Lindsay's mother Dina to announce the still going-strong relationship to the world.


text:
Welcome to Pebbles Photography where Stephen Clark presents his landscape, wildlife and coastal photography. By selecting one of the featured galleries below you will be able to view his portfolio and learn a little more about his work.
The site also includes a secure on-line shopping facility where you can buy high quality signed and framed photographs, greetings cards and calendars.


text:
Manipulating Photos Before Photoshop Tops The Morning Links
I wonder what the Victorian version of, "This looks shopped," was. Plus, Stan Lee did an AMA on Reddit and cougarettes are the new cougar.
For the first time in history, America finally beat Mexico at soccer on their home turf. - [SportsIllustrated]
The trailer for the third season of Downton Abbey is out so let's deconstruct it scene by scene for plot clues. - [Vulture]
Remember the anti-gay protestor that set fire to cereal on General Mills property in protest? Well, he just died. - [HuffingtonPost]
Amanda Bynes is looking rough. Really, really rough. - [TheSuperficial]
Check out the highlights from the AMA comic book legend Stan Lee did on Reddit the other day! - [GammaSquad]
Maxim's yearly poll asks ladies to tell them what dudes are doing wrong…and right…so they'll stop it…or do it more often. - [Maxim]
We all know what a cougar is, but now it's time to meet the courgarettes. - [TheDailyBeast]
This is way better than Fido going to live on a farm; how one family's dog went on to become a "Cold War Hero". - [Slate]
Maybe Hanna Barbera was on to something. 11 examples of bears being great burglars. - [DeathAndTaxes]
Headline Story: Proving that manipulating pictures is as old as the art form itself, the MET has gathered over 200 vintage images that aren't what they seem. - [DailyMail]
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