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|Patriots Look Poised For Another Super Bowl Run
|Bruins Trade For Drew Stafford
|Black and Gold Bruins Turn Yellow On Parade Day
|Inconsistency Will Continue For Bruins Unless A Change Is Made
What's that old saying? "If it seems too good to be true, it usually is?" Oh yeah.
With the loss of defenseman Andrew Ference, many Bruins fans may find themselves repeating that phrase with frequency in the next few weeks.
Ference suffered a fractured tibia in Thursday night's 6-1 thrasing of the Montreal Canadiens. Stationed in front of the net on a Bruins penalty kill, Ference was the unfortunate recipient of an Andrei Markov slapshot off the back of his leg. As a result, the Habs found themselves on a de facto 5-3 power play, with the Bruins defender crumpled in a heap behind the net. Ference managed to get to his feet, and after about 30 seconds was able to clear the puck the length of the ice and get to the bench for a line change. He did not return to the game, and on Saturday news broke of the injury, and the resulting 6-8 weeks that he will miss.
The injury comes on the heels of an otherwise tremendous week from the Bruins. Faced with a daunting triumverate of Original Six teams, Boston managed to take 5 of a possible 6 points from the Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens, and New York Rangers, and if not for a two-goal collapse at Madison Square Garden in the third period, Boston would have come home with a perfect 3-0 week.
Ference in particular was a force in the first two wins of the week. The defenseman has been a stalwart all season long, logging big minutes and playing tremendously in all three zones. His play coupled with the emergence of Dennis Wideman has lightened the load on B's captain Zdeno Chara. Remove Ference from the Bruins backend and suddenly, the outlook begins to become a bit gloomy.
Take for instance the Rangers game on Saturday. Boston was without the services of Ference for the first time this season, and although the defense held up it's end of the bargain for most of the game, they collapsed in the third, allowing the Rags to score two goals late in the frame, eventually leading to a Bruins shootout loss. Would Ference have helped? He certainly wouldn't have hurt, as both goals were scored when Chara and Wideman were on the bench. Chances are Ference would have found himself on the ice with those two off, and I'd wager to bet he'd have been able to stop at least one scoring chance, if not both.
What's more worrisome however is the outlook regarding the Bruins for the next 6-8 weeks. Boston has relied as much on an explosive offense and stellar goaltending in their quick start as they have on their defense, but let's not forget coach Claude Julien preaches a defense-first mentality, which the players have practiced with aplomb since Julien's arrival in the Hub last year. The idea that the Bruins will play a tight checking, defensive style of hockey has almost become secondary, but the fact remains Boston is one of the league's top clubs due in large part to their defense. It's not known how the loss of Ference will affect things, but chances are good they might struggle a bit, if only due to personnel issues.
Perhaps the biggest personnel issue Boston faces is a lack of depth on the backend, both in the NHL and throughout the organization. Unlike the forward corps, where Boston has at least 12 players capable of playing a top 9 role, the defense is much thinner, and players will be looked upon to step up in the absence of Ference.
No other player will be relied upon more heavily to step up his play than Bruins defenseman Mark Stuart. Stuart, drafted 21st overall in the 2003 NHL draft, has been on the radars of many for years now. For starters, the 2003 draft is perhaps the strongest class in recent history, with no less than 15 potential All-Stars going in that first round alone. Eric Staal, Marc-Andre Fleury, Thomas Vanek, Dion Phaneuf, Mike Richards, and Ryan Getzlaf among a number of others found themselves drafted in that class, and Stuart has a long way to go to be included in that list. Despite Stuart's amateur credentials, including a strong four years at Colorado College and captaining the United States to the gold at the 2004 World Junior Championships are impressive, his play thus far in the professional ranks has been less than stellar. A victim perhaps of unrealistic expectations (one scout referred to him as the next Scott Stevens), Stuart has struggled in the NHL, finding himself a regular in Julien's dog house since the coach's arrival in 2007.
That's not to say it's been all bad for the defenseman, though. Stuart has shown glimpes of the potential that made Boston pick him ahead of Getzlaf and New Jersey's Zach Parise, and his toughness and leadership has never been questioned. It's the consistency that has been lacking from his game, and if Boston hopes to play at the level they've grown accustomed to so far this season, Stuart wil lbe a key contributor to that. His ice-time will increase with the loss of Ference, and hopefully so will his confidence. If Stuart continues to struggle with his game-to-game consistency however, Boston may have a tough time playing at the level we've seen from them, especially in the last two weeks.
Stuart isn't the only player the Bruins will look toward to bolster things on the backend, however. Rookie Matt Hunwick, a healthy scratch for much of this young season, has been thrust into the fold as of late, first for Shane Hnidy and on Saturday for Ference. The speedy young defenseman from Michigan has an impressive skillset, and is perhaps Boston's best skater from the blueline. He's also more natural with the puck on his stick than Hnidy or Stuart, and has looked good in his short stint thus far, managing a +1 against the Rags on Saturday night. If Hunwick can limit his mistakes and contribute some offense, the loss of Ference will minimize itself considerably.
Regardless, Boston has no answer for the loss of Ference in the organization, and short of a trade for a #2 defenseman, the Bruins will be tested. How teams respond in situations like this often dicate the remainder of the season, so here's to hoping the B's don't miss a beat.
Milan Lucic has become nothing short of a star in his short time in Boston, but Lucic's biggest moment may have occured on Saturday night against Montreal, when the bruising winger finally tangled with Montreal defenseman Mike Komisarek.
The fued between the Boston forward and Montreal blueliner has been developing since last season. Montreal ran the table in the regular season against Boston, beating the B's eight straight times on their way to capturing the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Boston, meanwhile, finished 8th, and took the Habs to seven games before bowing out. Throughout those 15 games between the Original Six rivals, no two players went at it more than Lucic and Komisarek. Questionable hits, hip checks, slashes, cross checks, and shoves were the norm whenever these two got near each other, and the yapping back and forth was an indication of things to come.
Despite the numerous transgressions on both sides, things never escalated to the point of fisticuffs, with Habs proponents alleging Komisarek was too valuable to lose for 5 minutes and B's fans countering that Komisarek had to answer the bell eventually for his questionable antics. Komisarek finally did on Thursday night, and the results weren't pretty.
With his team down 6-1 midway through the 3rd period, the Canadiens defenseman found himself on the ice with Lucic, who had scored a goal just minutes earlier to add insult to injury. Komisarek challenged Lucic, and the Boston winger happily obliged. Squaring off at center ice, the two exchanged blows, with Lucic eventually gaining the upper hand, landing three strikes to the face of Komisarek which sent the Hab sprawling to the ice. Understandably amped, Lucic raised his arms in triumph, shouting to the delirious Boston crowd on his way to the penalty box.
At the young age of 20, Lucic is already well on his way to cementing his status in Boston lore, with events like Thursday night adding to his ever-growing legend. He may never score like Neely (not many have), but the overall effect he brings to the ice game in and game out will never be questioned. It's players like Lucic who help teams win championships, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Milan sport a 'C' on his sweater within the next 10 years.
Surely, it wasn't supposed to happen like this? One of the hottest teams in the NHL, in 1st place in the Northeast division, wasn't supposed to be led by two 34-year-olds, one an undrafted journeyman and the other an oft-injured malcontent. Well, that's what they'd have you believe, at least. They being the hockey prognosticators, who picked Boston to miss the playoffs in 2008-2009, mostly due to suspect goaltending.
Apparently, Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez never read the season previews.
The two-headed tandem has led Boston to the top of the Northeast division, and thus far, it appears Boston is a top contender for Lord Stanley's grand prize, thanks in large part to the two backstops.
Thomas in particular has been outstanding, and this week simply bolstered his resume, going 1-0-1, stopping 60-63 shots for a .953 save percentage. On the season, Thomas leads all NHL goaltenders in both save percentage (.945) and Goals Against Average (1.76). Take away the third period collapse against New York on Saturday, and those numbers would be even more impressive.
Of course, Thomas' counterpart hasn't exactly been a slouch, either. Fernandez was superb against Montreal on Thursday, turning away 27-28 shots for a .964 save percentage. All together, Fernandez has posted an impressive 4-1-1 mark to go with a .919 save percentage and 2.31 GAA.
The two Boston netminders have played integral roles in the emergence of the Bruins this season, and perhaps eventually the naysayers will finally admit their mistakes and give credit where it's due. Then again, I wouldn't hold my breath.
Dennis Wideman, after Boston's shootout loss on Saturday night: "If you would have told me at the start of this week, we were going to get five out of six against Chicago, New York and Montreal, I think we probably would have taken that."
I can't put it any better than that. Taking five out of a possible six points against those three teams is remarkable, especially considering how well Chicago, Montreal and New York have played thus far. Chicago currently sits second in the Central division, trailing only Detroit. Backed by a youth movement similar to the one in Boston, the Blackhawks have been on a roll as of late, and beating Chicago is an impressive win for Boston. Further, the Bruins handled the Hawks rather easily, although the shootout ending would contradict that. Nevertheless, the high-flying Blackhawks had a difficult time generating much offense, and Boston carried play throughout.
Much has been written about the Montreal game as well, and I can't add much else to the conversation. The B's humiliated Montreal both on the scoreboard and with their fists, and in snapping their 12-game regular season losing streak, they exorcised their demons as well. The developing Lucic-Georges Laraque feud could prove to be quite interesting, as well. Laraque, speaking to a Montreal radio station, called Lucic's actions after his fight "childish," and says he "embarassed" the Bruins forward by following him around and asking him to fight, to no avail. Something tells me there will be more to come regarding those two.
The Rangers game was certainly the least fulfilling game of the week, which is understandable, but it's also debatable that the loss was perhaps the least fulfilling game of the season. Leading by two with just six minutes to play, the Bruins defensive zone coverage broke down as Nigel Dawes and Markus Naslund scored to tie the game at 2-2, a game Boston would eventually lose in the shootout. Losing a lead in the 3rd period is never acceptable, and the Bruins shootout woes continue, as they fall to 1-4 in the skills competition game decider. The shootout itself is a questionable way to decide games, but it's here to stay, and until Claude Julien figures out the shootout, the Bruins will continue to surrender points, which could end up costing them come April. Plus, if I see Patrice Bergeron try that five-hole move one more time, I might lose it. Mix it up Bergy!
Busy week for the Bruins, with four games on the slate.
Last week: 3-0
Record to date: 3-0
Is there any other way to end this column than with the Milan Lucic – Mike Komisarek fight? Methinks not.
Around the Rink is a weekly hockey column, published on Mondays. If you have any comments or questions for Reid, he invites you to e-mail him at reidATsportsofbostonDOTcom. Maybe you'll make it into the next column.
Tags: Andrew Ference, Around the Rink, Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Mike Komisarek, Milan Lucic, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers
Lucic is the man! Komisarek got it handed to him haha.


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Boko Haram has an agenda, or at least the world thinks it has one, and according to their goals the more people killed the easier will be attaining a Muslim nation in the northern half of Nigeria. During the past few years over a thousand people have been killed by Boko Haram due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Their death totals include Christians, Muslims, non believers because the name of the game is death and destruction.
The latest episode occurred at a college in Nigeria. Students and faculty were gathered for religious services when cars and motorcycles arrived with armed men. They charged the group with deadly intention. "They first attacked the open-air services outside the faculty of medicine. They threw explosives and fired shots, causing a stampede among those present. They pursued them shooting guns."
Somehow, it is difficult to believe that any figure in any religion would regard this type of murder as being in accord with his ideas for humanity. But, then again, Boko Haram is not a religious group. It consists of thugs and murderers.

subset: commoncrawl


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Bushfires are part of the Australian landscape. The first report of building loss from bushfire was recorded in 1791 when the European settlements were only three years old. In recent times, we have seen a number of large losses - more than 2000 homes in the Black Saturday fires in 2009, about 200 homes in Springwood/Winmalee last October, and last week 52 houses in the Perth Hills.
Bushfires and the associated house loss do not occur randomly. Losses most commonly happen in places vulnerable to high-intensity fires, such as ridge tops or western-facing slopes, next to dense bushland. Severe weather conditions heighten the vulnerability of such property.
Fire management agencies will never be able to stop all fires from reaching houses. With the frequency of dangerous fire weather predicted to increase and development into fire-prone bushland likely to expand, the number of houses lost to bushfires is expected to rise.
This raises the question - are we living in the wrong areas?
There is little doubt that mistakes have been made allowing expansion into areas of high fire risk throughout Sydney.
Many fringe suburbs - such as in the Blue Mountains, the Sutherland Shire and the Hawkesbury regions - contain developments spread along ridgelines within flammable bushland. Such suburbs are picturesque and many residents choose to live there to be close to nature. However, many of the environmental features that residents value also create a high risk of fire.
It is unrealistic to consider abandoning or reclaiming developments in these high-risk areas. Compulsory relocations often have significant psychological and physical health impacts and may reduce the resilience of the remaining communities to future fires. Many high fire risk suburbs are also strong, well-networked communities, united in their desire to tackle the fire risk.
Removing parts of these communities may reduce the ability and desire of the remaining community members to cope with bushfires.
Given that an increasing number of properties may be at high risk from bushfires, how can we best manage this risk?
Restricting or preventing the number of new houses is one part of the solution. Post-Black Saturday, the Victorian government identified areas considered to have unacceptable fire risk and will not allow development there. In NSW, we should prevent the development of properties at the top of steep, vegetated west-facing slopes.
If we are to build in these areas, the application of existing standards may better reduce the vulnerability of buildings. New houses (or renovations) in designated fire-prone lands must comply with the Australian Standards which specifies a minimum level of construction to improve the chances of the house withstanding fire. There has been no rigorous testing of the standard and a number of areas require further development.
During the Victorian Royal Commission, the CSIRO raised concerns about several of the basic building elements, as well as the ability of architects to combine these appropriately.
Furthermore, residents are not required to maintain their properties to the levels under the standard or prepare their property adequately for bushfire.
These limitations require attention if we are to reduce risk for properties.
However, it is important to remember that the intention of the standard is to decrease the potential for loss from fire, but not to remove that potential entirely.
We need to accept that living in a bushfire-prone area inevitably involves exposure to potentially destructive fires.
Dr Trent Penman is a senior research fellow from the Centre for the Environmental Risk Management of Bushfires at the University of Wollongong. He is visiting the Herald as part of a scientist-in-residence program organised by the Australian Science Media Centre.


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|Thread Tools
I believe your on to something there Shine. This isn't the first thread where someone wasn't happy with their finish. Often enough it's the painter not the product.
I'm a strong believer in laying it on wet and let flow. I often scare the hell out of anyone watching because they think it's going to run.
I've been doing this for almost 40 yrs. started in 1971. Painted alot of cars in my day.Most back when the paint had lead in it. The olds I painted was just a driver so the owner was happy with it I just wasn't. I started a retirement shop out behind my house.My work has to come from word of mouth and if I'am not happy with it I don't feel the customer should be.My name is going on it so it has to be right. The reason we went with nasson was cost and I was told it was as good as Dupont clear.The brand name paints are just way out of line on cost. And its not because they have to charge that much they just know they have us by the short hairs so they do.I asked the paint rep. at work one day how come every time oil goes up paint goes up. But when the price of oil comes down paint does'nt come down. Answer,only goes up not down.I may try spi. clear on the next job I'am doing and see if I get the results I want.
Last edited by swvalcon; 07-12-2009 at 02:09 PM.
cost of materials are high no doubt about it. but the difference in the cost of first line and second line products is minimal compared to a failure. if doing a low cost scuff and shoot it's fine to use them. but know what you are getting and the risk you take . you will not get any warranty relief when using them. warranty is not free . spi is a proven product with a good track record among many high end shops . the few on this board that have a problem with it either have not used it or know very little about paint chemistry or performance. their problem is personal with mr knives who owns and makes it. i have yet to talk to a professional who has used it and does not like it. cost of materials is not considered when doing top shelf work . performance is . if your doing collision work it really does not matter what you use. 2 coats and out the door is all that matters. it is after all a repair . choose your products wisely. to spend months getting a car ready and then use a low end paint is just not worth it. take a few weeks longer and use the good stuff . if a 100 bucks is going to break you then you are in the wrong hobby . many come here with no knowledge and just want sound advise . not some google expert or magazine reader who has little to no experience in the real world of refinishing. i will not call nason junk, it is just a low end product with many problems to overcome . problems a first timers will not know about or what to do. just like cheap equipment. give yourself every advantage you can.
I remember the old formulas myself. Some times we experienced painters are more critical of our own work than we need to be. I recently buffed a 57 ford that someone else had painted and knew there were going to be problems before I even started. Orange peel the texture of cottage cheese with blends on top of it. Fortunately, I had warned the customer of the difficulty I faced with it. I wasnt impressed with the shine on this car myself although he was. He has scheduled this with me to redo to correct the body work done previously.
If you state WHY the product is inferior, then you shared what you know..THAT is the sole purpose of this forum.
If someone, anyone tells me a product is no good, I want to know why. Your 40 years of experience should make it easy for you to communicate that to us.
That's why folks come here.
Later, mikey
my signature lines...not really directed at anyone in particular..
BE different....ACT normal.
No one is completely useless..They can always be used as a bad example
sometimes I feel like I'm trying to sell a few kinds of products that I've found To be the best bang for the buck,because I say it over and over.I've also been at this a while and its seldom that pros agree on the BEST product or BEST way....or anything for that matter............BUT....when they dooooooooo...............listen.
Who makes SPI? We have sherwin williams, dupont, PPG here.
some loud mouth SOB that dont know sheet about ospho....LOL.just kidding,he does now...SPI is a smaller company located here in Ga. Barry Kives owns it.Its my understanding that he worked for one of those big boys you just mentioned,years ago ...his products are shipped all over the country,now hes shipping to other countries too,this clear is on some of the highest dollar cars at Barret Jacksons,It's hard to believe but its true....100.00 a gal clear on a million dollar car.Call this number ,see who answears the phone 404-307-9740 this is the hotline number all other questions they can answear PS, "da34" nason and omini both have a high solid clear now thats pretty darn good,..."really"...but still...they dont hold a candle to our stuff
Last edited by deadbodyman; 07-13-2009 at 10:32 AM.
The best looking clear I have ever used was the Nasson clear.
I did a hood full of graphics for my son years ago, and to this day it
has better clarity and gloss than any other clear I've used.
And I've used the other ones mentioned.
The downfall of Nasson clear is that it gets rock hard rather
quickly and makes buffing more difficult, but once done right,
it holds it better than the others.
If yours isn't clear or shiney enough, I bet you have a lot of
super small scratches that still need to be buffed out.
It's not the clear it's the buffing
like buffing concrete huh jc . the euro clear from matrix is the same. i did the 56 big window and the 62 vette with it. hard as hell to buff and chipped really bad . the 62 had to be buffed 3 times and the last was a nightmare . while running my van shop they would bring me cases of clears to try . after a while i just passed on it. dupont was the only one who would back up their product .
Yes, like concrete
I just got two free gal of SPI clear because the last quart of a gal dried so fast I couldnt get around the car...the clear was old but the hardner wasn't ...barry sent me a gal of clear and four qts of hardner even though I told him its no problem... I only called to find out about the hardners...I should have used slow not normal... hows that for backing up your product????It wasnt even his fault that may be why us SPI users are so dedicated it is for me anyway
I always liked the SPI clear, it's what I have on my own car.
It's almost 3 yrs old now and still looks as good as day 1.
Barry is the reason SPI is doing so well, he takes care of you.
I wish him the best.
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Large 17" Silicone Grip Baking Sheet by Cuisinart
Cuisinart Silicone Grip Baking Sheet - 17" Non-Stick
This Cuisinart Baking Sheet has silicone grips for easy removal from the oven. Even though the silicone grips are cool touch, we still recommend that you use an oven mitt when removing the baking sheet from the oven for added safety. Use this large baking sheet as a cookie pan, or for biscuits, rolls and for many other baking uses. Cuisinart offers high quality bakeware.
Baking Sheet Features:
- Large 17" x 12" Size
- Dishwasher Safe
- Non-Stick
- Heavy Gauge Aluminized Steel for Even Heat Transfer
- Limited Lifetime Warranty
- Thick Rolled Edges Help Prevent Warping
Questions on Cuisianrt Large Silicone Grip Baking Sheet - SMB-17BS
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Name Cuisinart Bakeware Silicone Grip Baking Sheet 17" Non-Stick GTIIN / UPC Code 00086279010049 Brands Cuisinart Type Baking/Cookie Sheets Home or Commercial Home Material Non Stick Color Silver Manufacturer's Warranty Lifetime Limited Manufacturer Warranty Weight (in Lbs) 3


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Find schools and get information on the program that's right for you.
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"I am not one whose lot it has been to grow old in literary
retirement, devoted to classical studies with an exclusiveness
which might lead to an overweening estimate of these two noble
languages. Few, I will not say evil, were the days allowed to me
for such pursuits; and I was constrained, still young and an unripe
scholar to forego them for the duties of an active and laborious
profession. They are now amusements only, however delightful and
improving. For I am far from assuming to understand all their
riches, all their beauty, or all their power; yet I can profoundly
feel their immeasurable superiority in many important respects to
all we call modern; and I would fain think that there are many even
among my younger readers who can now, or will hereafter, sympathise
with the expression of my ardent admiration.
"Greek—the shrine of the genius of the old world; as
universal as our race, as individual as ourselves; of infinite
flexibility, or indefatigable strength, with the complication and
the distinctness of Nature herself; to which nothing was vulgar,
from which nothing was excluded; speaking to the ear like Italian,
speaking to the mind like English; with words like pictures, with
words like the gossamer films of the summer; at once the variety
and picturesqueness of Homer; the gloom and the intensity of
Æschylus; not compressed to the closest by Thucydides, nor
fathomed to the bottom by Plato; not sounding with all its
thunders, nor lit up with all its ardours even under the Promethean
touch of Demosthenes!
"And Latin—the voice of empire and of war, of law and of
the state, inferior to its half-parent and rival in the embodying
of passion and in the distinguishing of thought, but equal to it in
sustaining the measured march of history; and superior to it in the
indignant declamation of moral satire; stamped with the mark of an
imperial and despotising republic; rigid in its construction,
parsimonious in its synonyms; reluctantly yielding to the flowery
yoke of Horace, although opening glimpses of Greek-like splendour
in the occasional inspirations of Lucretius; proved indeed, to the
uttermost, by Cicero, and by him found wanting; yet majestic in its
bareness, impressive in its conciseness; the true language of
history, instinct with the spirit of nations and not with the
passions of individuals; breathing the maxims of the world, and not
the tenets of the schools; one and uniform in its air and spirit,
whether touched by the stern and haughty Sallust, by the open and
discursive Livy, by the reserved and thoughtful Tacitus.
"These inestimable advantages, which no modern skill can wholly
counterpoise, are known and felt by the scholar alone. He has not
failed, in the sweet and silent studies of his youth, to drink deep
at those sacred fountains of all that is just and beautiful in
human language.
"The thoughts and the words of the master-spirits of Greece and
of Rome, are inseparably blended in his memory; a sense of their
marvellous harmonies, their exquisite fitness, their consummate
polish, has sunk for ever in his heart, and thence throws out light
and fragrancy upon the gloom and the annoyance of his maturer
years. No avocations of professional labour will make him abandon
their wholesome study; in the midst of a thousand cares he will
find an hour to recur to his boyish lessons—to reperuse them
in the pleasurable consciousness of old associations, and in the
clearness of manly judgment, and to apply them to himself and to
the world with superior profit.
"The more extended his sphere of learning in the literature of
modern Europe, the more deeply, though the more wisely, will he
reverence that of classical antiquity; and in declining age, when
the appetite for magazines and reviews, and the ten-times repeated
trash of the day, has failed, he will retire, as it were, within a
circle of school-fellow friends, and end his secular studies as he
began them, with his Homer, his Horace, and his Shakespeare."


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FIFA MANAGER: Blog
The transfer market II
Hello everyone,
After providing you with an insight into the working sequences of all aspects of the transfer market in my last blog I would now like to present the changes that we have made for FIFA MANAGER 13. I would like to begin with the transfer logic of AI, following this I will present the new transfer market features.
One area of criticism was the excessive ages of the CI teams after about five game years. We have addressed this problem this year and made the following changes:
- In the case of transfers CI now takes account of the probable development of the players in the coming season. If you are for instance searching for a central defender with a level of 75 or more, that can also now be a young player with a level 72 who will probably develop to level 75 whereas an old player of level 77 will possibly no longer be signed.
- Older players now develop less well and end their careers earlier.
- CI now rotates the team much more in less important matches as a result of which young talents put in more appearances.
- The switching logic between the 1st team and the reserve was completely revised. Players who currently don't have a chance of playing for the 1st team are switched to the reserves to gain match practice. The more marked the fit for one position and the smaller the 1st team squad is, the more likely it is that players will be moved into the 1st team. You should play with reserve leagues, at least in the major countries, to guarantee the best possible development of the CI teams.
- Young players who are in their last year as youth players will now be given contracts much more frequently. In this way the CI team will no longer lose any young talents. If a youth players would already previously have been a regular player in the reserves or even the first team he will now even make the step up much earlier.
- The CI only loans out your players to clubs where they will also feature in games.
An additional issue was to make the CI aware of economic management. Cheaper players are now preferred to a far greater extent for players of similar quality. This means that there is fierce competition for players on a free transfer, players who are to be released by their club or players from the lower leagues. For you as players this means that you can influence the amount of the transfer fee demanded, the chance of selling to a much greater extent than has been possible up to now. Money also plays a part in terms of the amount of the transfer fee offered. Clubs with a high transfer budget offer higher sums and thus have better chances of signing players.
Two additional improvements concern the editor. On the one hand two games can be laid down for each team, which form the basis for the formation and the transfer plans. This ensures that CI can pursue a long-term strategy and does not have to permanently change its system. On the other hand transfer windows can now be entered in the editor. An example of this is Neymar, who was linked with a move to Barcelona and Real. The editor setting has the effect that this transfer becomes much more probable in the game but will not definitely occur. If the player moves to another club in the meantime or if he stays with his old club through several transfer periods then the rumour will end. At the moment 17 rumours are preset in the entire database.
We have invested a lot of time in the evaluation of the clubs by the players. Each player evaluates on the basis of up to 70 criteria whether a transfer to another club is worth considering for him. There are plus or minus points of differing levels for each criterion. If a positive value emerges at the end the player will agree to a transfer, if the value is slightly negative he can be convinced by a higher salary otherwise he rejects the offer. Important criteria are for instance prestige, team strength, competition for the position, role in the team, salary, club loyalty or whether it concerns a rival. Less important, but sometimes the factors that tip the balance, are for example the media pressure, the distance away of the new club (removal), the mood in the team, the language or the age of the team. The majority of criteria are calculated for both clubs in this process and compared. A player who is mainly watching from the bench of a large club can now also be signed by a smaller club if he would assume a very different role at the club there. In the case of loans the importance of the criteria is distributed rather differently so that the player's role in the team and the competition for the position are the main decisive factors.
The feature is rounded off by the fact that clubs of one league no longer use the same salary multiplier. Richer clubs pay more than poorer clubs which means they have better opportunities of signing players. Wolfsburg or Bayern for instance pay the same player a much higher salary than Freiburg or Fürth. This salary multiplier is dynamic and is adapted to the financial states of the clubs. The new dynamic league development feature also ensures that the leagues further develop among themselves.
But that's enough about background calculations and now we move on to the obvious new features. To begin with we would like to mention the two winners of the YOUR FEATURE promotion:
1. Buy back option
You can create a loophole for a repurchase for players you have sold by agreeing upon a buy-back option for a fixed amount. You will receive a lower transfer fee as a result but if the player develops well at his new club you can buy him back for a fee previously agreed upon. When you purchase players you can keep the transfer fee low by granting CI a buy-back option. But beware: as a result of the fact that CI now acts economically it will notice if the player is worth more than the buyback option figure and will possibly make the purchase. Buyback options that really exist can be set with the value and validity in the editor. In the player information field you can view the buyback options in the contract tab and search in the player search field for players for which you have a buyback option.
2. Direct loaning back
It is now possible to buy players and directly loan them on to their previous club. In this way you secure the transfer rights early, but do not transplant the player from his familiar surroundings, and you provide him with time to further develop. In addition you can slightly push down the transfer fee in this way.
To finish off I would like to draw your attention to the squad planner. With this planning tool you can put together your desired team for the next season like on a drawing board. In this process your youth, reserve and loan players are also available to the same degree as certain new signings, players who are out of the field of vision or players from the scout list. I think a lot of FIFA MANAGER players previously did this with pen and paper. But then you did not have the option of having all the changes immediately evaluated. The squad planner can do this. The size of the team, the team level, average player level, average talent, average age, average experience, value of the squad and the average value of individual abilities that can be freely selected will be determined and compared with the current levels.
I hope you enjoyed this read and can't wait to play the new FIFA MANAGER 13.
Best regards


text: Getting trenched doesn't have to be a boring affair. Au contraire. With the exciting array of trench coats available right now, there's no excuse for not owning a Fab one. Short, long, colored, neutral, solid, patterned, there's a trench with your name written all over it. Right now, I hear this white Kenneth Cole New York Wispy Cotton Trench ($198) calling my name . . . .


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Kobe Bryant scored 32 points and Lamar Odom added 24 as the Los Angeles Lakers kept the Washington Wizards winless on the road with a 115-108 victory Tuesday night.
The Lakers (15-6) won their eighth consecutive game in the series and dropped the Wizards (6-14) to 0-11 away from home.
Bryant helped the Lakers build a comfortable lead early. Odom was 8-of-12 from the field, made 8-of-9 free throws and had seven rebounds. Pau Gasol had 21 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. Nick Young led the Wizards with season-high 30 points on 10-of-18 shooting and rookie John Wall had 22 points and 14 assists.
Washington's Gilbert Arenas, in his first game against the Lakers in Los Angeles since scoring a franchise-record 60 in December 2006, had 23 points.
Young scored 10 points in the third quarter, when the Wizards took advantage of starters Bryant, Gasol and Derek Fisher on the bench and trimmed a 19-point deficit to 87-84. The Lakers did just enough to stave off the upset as Young, Arenas and Wall kept the Wizards close down the stretch.
The Wizards will try to snap their road losing streak Wednesday night at the NBA-worst Sacramento Kings (4-15).


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In the May/June issue of "Cato Policy Report," MSNBC's Joe Scarborough lamented conservative foreign policy as overly dogmatic and ideological and questioned whether winning the war in Afghanistan is in America's national security interest.
"Dogma and rigid ideologies are the enemies of conservative foreign policy," lectured Scarborough. "Those who are still arguing in 2010 that we can somehow export democracy across the globe and rebuild other countries on the other side of the world in our image–these are the people that we have to call out today, tomorrow, and everyday, as the dangerous radicals that they are."
With a broad stroke, Scarborough--who was the keynote speaker at the libertarian Cato Institute's "Escalate or Withdraw? Conservatives and the War in Afghanistan" event in March--labeled all conservatives who support the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as radical. But in the same address, the MSNBC anchor made the radical pronouncement that the war in Afghanistan is not a vital national security interest.
"And I would like Barack Obama, I would like Harry Reid, I would like Nancy Pelosi, I'd like John Boehner, I'd like Mitch McConnell," rambled Scarborough. "I'd like Republicans and Democrats alike to tell me at this point in 2010 what is 'vital to US national interests' in Afghanistan?"
For Scarborough, the desire to root out al-Qaeda, which is using Afghanistan as a safe haven and breeding ground for planning and executing terrorist attacks against the United States, is not only not a vital national security interest, but is also a "dangerous" and "radical" policy position.
Adding to the inanity, Scarborough claimed that "there's not much difference between the Republicans' view of foreign policy and the Democrats' view of foreign policy." Apparently Scarborough was asleep when throngs of anti-war Democrats were calling for Republican President George W. Bush's impeachment over the Iraq War.
Rather than speculate as to why Scarborough would hold such radical views, it is best to let the man himself explain: "And so there are some very very difficult decisions that we have to make, but my feeling, and I've got to say, my feeling has I've grown, as they say, when somebody becomes more liberal."
A transcript of the relevant portions of Joe Scarborough's keynote address at the Cato Institute's March 18, 2010 event, "Escalate or Withdraw? Conservatives and the War in Afghanistan," can be found below:
JOE SCARBOROUGH: There's a new NBC News / Wall Street Journal poll that came out two days ago. Barack Obama is upside down is his approval ratings when it comes to the economy, when it comes to health care, when it comes to just about every single issue–deficits, debt–but when it comes to his handling of Afghanistan, he's plus eighteen percentage points. His handling of Iraq, he's plus fifteen percentage points. When it comes to his handling–well, not actually his handling of Iran–but whether we should invade Iran. Actually, plus fourteen. Americans believe that if we think that Iran is moving toward having nuclear weapons, we should invade the third Muslim country in a decade.
So with this backdrop, I would suggest that one of the reasons why those numbers are as skewed as much as they are is in 2010 there's not much difference between the Republicans' view of foreign policy and the Democrats' view of foreign policy. And I've got to echo what Ed said. I don't really understand why the president's approval rating is so high when it comes to Afghanistan because he's doubled the troops–this anti-war president has doubled the number of troops in Afghanistan to nearly 100,000. We've spent 33 billion dollars more, he's asking for more. And he's continued, I think most critically, he's continued the transformation of the Afghanistan effort from a counter-terrorism mission to a nation-building mission. There's no end game; there's no exit strategy; there's no definition of success for Afghanistan. We've got no idea what the ultimate price is going to be.
And, you know, we always would lecture Clinton officials on what we considered to be the Magna Carta of conservative foreign policy. And that was the Weinberger doctrine. And I think it bears repeating. Cap Weinberger, after Beirut, got together with people in the Defense Department and he said, "you know, we really need to narrow the focus of when we send US troops abroad so we don't repeat the mistakes of Vietnam, we don't repeat the mistakes of Beirut" And he had a young army man working with him, Colin Powell. And this is what they came up with: US troops should only be deployed when, one, it is vital to US national interests and our troop commitment is full and overwhelming. Two, the objectives for our troops are clearly defined. And three, leaders will be willing to constantly reassess troop levels. Four, Americans support the war before the engagement. And five, US combat troops are sent in only as a last resort.
You can apply those looking back obviously to some wars that we got involved with, and to George W. Bush's policy pronouncements, especially during his second inaugural address. But I think more importantly, for this conversation, we need to apply it to where we go in the future with Afghanistan. And I would like Barack Obama, I would like Harry Reid, I would like Nancy Pelosi, I'd like John Boehner, I'd like Mitch McConnell–I'd like Republicans and Democrats alike–to tell me at this point in 2010 what is "vital to US national interests" in Afghanistan? And after answering that question, I would like them to tell me "what are the objectives for our troops?" Our clearly defined objectives. And then, of course, what you brought up as well, most troubling–we've been in Afghanistan for nine years, we still have not had a leader, Republican or Democrat alike, to tell us what's the end game. What's our exit strategy?
One of the arguments that we're hearing is we've got to stay in Afghanistan because of what will happen to the women of Afghanistan if we leave. It is a compelling moral argument. And I think it's made more compelling by the fact that we kept telling Afghanistan women, "go to school, your eyes won't get gouged out. Get an education, get a job. You won't have acid thrown on you." So I understand the concerns there.
I've got to say though America did not go into Afghanistan because the Taliban was violating women's rights. If that was the case we would have been in there five, six, seven years earlier. We went in there because that's where al-Qaeda was, and because al-Qaeda used Afghanistan as a shelter to attack America on September 11th. We didn't go in there to wipe out the Taliban, we went in there to wipe out al-Qaeda. And so there are some very very difficult decisions that we have to make, but my feeling, and I've got to say, my feeling has I've grown, as they say, when somebody becomes more liberal. Ed, you're going to like this. Back in 1995 I proudly as an act of defiance put a bill on the floor to get America out of the United Nations and to start a new international organization that actually only allowed Democratic countries in. I've changed my mind on that front.
--Alex Fitzsimmons is a News Analysis intern at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.


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|Networking Software
|Network Management Software
Publisher's Description+
From LogicVein: Net LineDancer (netLD) is designed to help network engineers manage and change the configurations of the network devices(routers, switches, firewalls). netLD provides hardware inventory reports, configuration change history, line-by-line comparisons, automated changes, realtime change detection, reports and more It also provides a beautifully intuitive but powerful GUI.
What's new in this version:
â?¢RADIUS Server integration â?¢Redundancy feature that is available to Linux only. (option) â?¢Search by IPaddress in the static credential
read more +


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Home » Gifts » Luggage and Bags - up to 85% Off! » Small Zebra Backpack With Colored Trim <>
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If you haven't noticed yet, the Foodie International Website is currently undergoing an extreme makeover.
I'm currently on an olive farm in rural Tuscany, working to transform my food and travel blog into a top-notch culinary resource for hungry globetrotters. I'll still post personal experiences, but will also dig deep into each destination I've visited, featuring the best markets, unmissable food tours, local delicacies and out-of-the-box adventures everyone can experience.
While I'm updating the site's content, destination by destination, I thought I'd distract you (hello!) with a totally raw (read: unedited) account (rant) of my daily life on a rural Tuscan farm. Enjoy my Tuscany Diaries, and I will keep you posted as destinations are updated!
Experience a home-cooked meal abroad
The best way to get a taste of a new place


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2.5GHz Bandwidth Upgrade Options For The Infiniium 9000 Series Oscilloscopes
Manufacturer's part number :
Description :
If you find that you need additional bandwidth after your purchase of an Infiniium 9000 Series oscilloscope, you can upgrade your scope to a higher-bandwidth model, protecting your valuable Infiniium oscilloscope and probing system investment over the long term. This upgrade applies to both Infiniium DSO and MSO 9000 models. The upgrade is performed at an Keysight Technologies service center.
Technical Data :
Quote and availability
- Option 006 to upgrade 600 MHz bandwidth 9000 Series MSO or DSO models to 2.5 GHz
- Option 010 to upgrade 1 GHz bandwidth 9000 Series DSO or MSO models to 2.5 GHz


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Thomas Livingston's inner monologues are poetic, existential, almost Shakespearean; full of flower petals. But then his day-to-day dialogues with his wife, and with his friends, are just so cold and gray.
Tag Archives: dance
Diego's Umbrella At The Big Room June 4th
Eclectic Dance Band Returns To The Big Room
Reverend Horton Heat
It's like meditation, but if meditation didn't suck.
Joy & Madness also featuring Ideateam
It's the perfect music for people who don't normally dance: the bass pretty much does all the work for you.
Dance Night at Duffy's
Sometimes a scene that goes on week after week can fly under the radar, and if you're not already a regular, it's easy to continue not being one. Duffy's Dance Night was like that for me. For one thing it happens on Wednesdays, starting around 10pm (officially 9pm, but you know how it goes), and […]