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Editor's Note: ESPN Insider has teamed with Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook to provide a comprehensive look at all 334 Division I teams. To order the complete 2009-10 edition of Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, visit www.blueribbonyearbookonline.com or call 1-877-807-4857.
(Information in this team report is as of Oct. 1.)
Last year, George Washington coach Karl Hobbs' main concern was finding enough Division I athletes to be competitive. He found them, although their presence didn't stop the Colonials from finishing second-to-last in the Atlantic 10, ahead of only Fordham.


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Dobbs Helps Cover Up Romney's Support For Health Insurance Mandate
Research ››› ››› REMINGTON SHEPARD
Fox Business host Lou Dobbs covered up the fact that GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney previously supported the same kind of financial penalties on individuals who refuse to purchase health insurance that are in the Affordable Care Act, penalties Romney now criticizes. In fact, even the architect of Romney's health care law says the law Romney championed as governor of Massachusetts is very similar.
Dobbs Denies Similarities Between MA Health Care Reform And National Health Care Reform
Dobbs: Claim That The Mandate In Romney's Healthcare Bill Is Similar To The ACA's Is "Not The Truth." During the June 28 edition of Fox Business's Lou Dobbs Tonight, host Lou Dobbs dismissed the assertion that Romney's health care bill is comparable to national health care reform, and that the minimum coverage requirements include "the exact same penalties." From the show:
CHRISTOPHER HAHN: (Fox News contributor): What is bizarre is that Republicans think that Republican conservatives --
DOBBS: Alright.
HAHN: -- are going to rally around a guy who passed this exact same bill, with these exact same penalties when he was governor of Massachusetts.
RON CHRISTIE (govote.com national Republican editor): No --
HAHN: He is the father of Obamacare.
CHRISTIE: That's absolutely false.
MONICA CROWLEY (Fox News contributor): You're missing the point Chris.
DOBBS: I mean, Is that really the new talking points?
HAHN: It's true. It's the truth, Lou.
DOBBS: Well no it's not the truth, Chris. I mean it's a lot of things, but it's not the truth.
HAHN: You know I think the Republicans should listen to the Bible: "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." Mitt Romney is the father of Obamacare. They are going to have a hard time rallying around it. [Fox Business, Lou Dobbs Tonight, 6/28/12]
In Fact, The Coverage Requirements, And Bills Themselves, Are Very Similar
Massachusetts Health Care Law Architect: "Individual Mandate 'Very Similar' In Obama, Romney Bills." In a June 29 Huffington Post article, Sam Stein quoted Massachusetts health care law key architect and MIT professor Jonathan Gruber, who noted that the mandate provisions in the Affordable Care Act and the health care law signed by Romney "are very similar" and "have the same basic structure." From the Huffington Post:
One of the few individuals who worked on health care reform under both Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama said on Friday that the controversial individual mandate provision was virtually identical in the bills signed into law by each of them.
"They are very similar," said Jonathan Gruber, a Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in an interview with The Huffington Post. "They aren't the same exact mandate, but they have the same basic structure." [Huffington Post, 6/29/12]
PolitiFact: Massachusetts' Health Care Plan, Including Penalties, Is Similar To National Health Care Reform. In a post titled, "RomneyCare & ObamaCare: Can you tell the Difference?" PolitiFact noted, "there are an awful lot of similarities" between the two laws. The post cited two 2010 articles, in which they found claims that the plans were identical to be "mostly true." From the article:
Mitt Romney has gone to great lengths to distance his Massachusetts health plan from the federal law, even giving a PowerPoint presentation to emphasize the differences. But the truth is that there are an awful lot of similarities between the plan he signed in Massachusetts in 2006, often called "RomneyCare," and the one that President Barack Obama signed in 2010, dubbed "ObamaCare."
Both leave in place the major insurance systems: employer-provided insurance, Medicare for seniors and Medicaid for the poor. They seek to reduce the number of uninsured by expanding Medicaid and by offering tax breaks to help moderate income people buy insurance. People are required to buy insurance or pay a penalty, a mechanism called the "individual mandate." And companies that don't offer insurance have to pay fines, with exceptions for small business and a few other cases. [PolitiFact, 3/20/12, emphasis added]
PolitiFact: Pawlenty's Claim That National Health Care Reform Is Patterned After Massachusetts' Plan Is "True." In an August 11, 2011, post, PolitiFact found that former GOP presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty's assertion that "Obamacare was patterned after" Romney's plan in Massachusetts was "true." From the post:
We'll review the two plans' similarities again here.
• Individual mandate to buy health insurance. Everyone in Massachusetts must purchase health insurance or else pay a penalty; the same goes for the federal plan, though the penalty structures vary between the two.
He's correct that the plans, thought [sic] not completely identical, are very similar in structure. They both require everyone to have health insurance or pay a penalty; they both leave the current insurance system in place; they both expand coverage for the uninsured through subsidies or Medicaid. [PolitiFact, 8/12/11]
Daily Beast: "Romneycare and Obamacare Differ Only In Inconsequential Ways" A March 6 Daily Beast article claimed that in order to find a difference between the two healthcare plans, "you must look to the margins." The article further noted that "[t]he only difference between Romney's mandate and Obama's is that Romney's plan levies a harsher penalty." From The Daily Beast:
The Individual Mandate
This is the part of the Affordable Care Act that really enrages Republicans, whose challenge to it is awaiting judgment by the Supreme Court. It's an essential part of both plans. The only difference between Romney's mandate and Obama's is that Romney's plan levies a harsher penalty on people who don't buy insurance: $1,200 versus Obama's $695.
It's not something Romney can easily distance himself from. Last week Buzzfeed uncovered a 2009 op-ed by Romney in which he urges Obama to follow Massachusett's lead and adopt the mandate. "Using tax penalties, as we did, or tax credits, as others have proposed, encourages 'free riders' to take responsibility for themselves rather than pass their medical costs on to others," he wrote. [The Daily Beast, 3/6/12]
And White House Officials Worked With Crafters Of MA's Health Care Plan On National Health Care Plan
MSNBC: "White House Used Mitt Romney Health-Care Law As Blueprint For Federal Law." In an October 11, 2011, MSNBC article, NBC national investigative correspondent Michael Isikoff discussed how "senior Obama administration officials used Mitt Romney's landmark health-care law in Massachusetts as a model for the new federal law." From the article:
Newly obtained White House records provide fresh details on how senior Obama administration officials used Mitt Romney's landmark health-care law in Massachusetts as a model for the new federal law, including recruiting some of Romney's own health care advisers and experts to help craft the act now derided by Republicans as "Obamacare."
The records, gleaned from White House visitor logs reviewed by NBC News, show that senior White House officials had a dozen meetings in 2009 with three health-care advisers and experts who helped shape the health care reform law signed by Romney in 2006, when the Republican presidential candidate was governor of Massachusetts. One of those meetings, on July 20, 2009, was in the Oval Office and presided over by President Barack Obama, the records show. [MSNBC.com, 10/11/11]
Romney Advised Obama To Model Health Care Reform After His Own Bill
BuzzFeed: "Mitt Romney Was Once Touting His Plan To Obama As A Model For Health Care Reform." A March 2 BuzzFeed post found a July 2009 op-ed authored by Mitt Romney in which Romney asserted that "the lessons we learned in Massachusetts could help Washington" craft national health care reform legislation that included "tax penalties" to compel people to buy health insurance. From BuzzFeed's archived version of Romney's op-ed:
Our experience also demonstrates that getting every citizen insured doesn't have to break the bank. First, we established incentives for those who were uninsured to buy insurance. Using tax penalties, as we did, or tax credits, as others have proposed, encourages "free riders" to take responsibility for themselves rather than pass their medical costs on to others. This doesn't cost the government a single dollar. Second, we helped pay for our new program by ending an old one -- something government should do more often. The federal government sends an estimated $42 billion to hospitals that care for the poor: Use those funds instead to help the poor buy private insurance, as we did. [BuzzFeed Politics, 3/2/12, emphasis in original]
- Posted In
- Health Care, Health Care Reform
- Network/Outlet
- Fox Business
- Person
- Lou Dobbs
- Show/Publication
- Lou Dobbs Tonight
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subset: commoncrawl


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F25 oil change
Today I did a break in oil change for my parents 2012 2.8 X3 (build date 1/2012). Car is just sitting in garage collecting dust while they are on vacation after-all..
As a high miler 09 x3 super commuter was curious the big differences between the two models. Bottom line very little difference. Still almost 7 qts of BMW 5w30, same BMW oil filter and same size sockets (18mm deep sockets for drain plug and my oil filter removal tool from ecstuning).
About the only difference is the drain plug is hidden under a door secured with two 8mm bolts on the modesty cover. The e83 is a quick release cover. In addition oil level is buried in an iDrive menu.
Happy motoring all and don't fall for high dealer charges on your mid maintenance warranty mile oil change. This is an easy job done in 20 minutes. If you are like me you change every roughly 8k except for first 2,500 miles (I change then and half CBS thereafter).
Too bad you didn't snap a few pictures and include them with the DIY posting.
I just ordered a Fumoto drain valve for my motorcycle... I would be good for the car too.
Had a similar device on a Chev truck years ago. Always worried about accidently tripping the dump valve while going through some tall weeds, or running over branches on the highway. Irrational fear? I guess, but it was always there -- and I even used to stop after running through some rough stuff to see if it was still closed. I finally took it off:angel:.
I won't be riding the motorcycle or driving the car through the weeds... not on purpose anyway. ;)
I've always used one of these on my European cars:
Works great and I don't have to get under the car or deal with the bolts. Makes oil changes so easy!
F25 oil change PICS......http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...519&highlight=
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Would you like to save as your currency permanently or for this visit only?
W Hollywood
6250 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, CA
0.1 mi from
The room was great and the hotel was beautiful, the place made me feel special. Also the gym was well equipped and specious. The staff were great too. The room wasn't cheap which is fine it was a top quality hotel, but on top of that were so many extras e.g. internet, parking and not even one complementary bottle of mineral water ($9).
Having to wait in line to get into drai's
Blinds on the window didn't shut, didn't sleep at all
The Hotel itself is very nice, and the staff were absolutely fantastic.....except for the door guys at Drai's and The Station who I don't believe are actually hotel staff. The arrangement with Drai's itself would make question going back. I paid almost $400 per night and had to (a) wait in line 20 minutes on Sunday just to find out I had to pay $20 pp to go up to the pool and eat lunch.....which itself would have been over $100. We were also told and Friday and Saturday by the doorman at "The Station" (their outdoor lounge) that there was a Private Party and we couldn't come in. We asked Management who told us that our room key should get us in...they straightened it out but the door guy sure didn't like it. The Private party ended up being 20-30 people at one table....the lounge itself wasn't half full. I also emailed Drai's a week in advance of our trip to book dinner and never heard back.
Room service was fast and delicious. May have just been our room (2nd floor overlooking an outdoor area for dogs), but I was awoken throughout the night by loud noises coming from outside and the hallway.
After my first stay, I was hooked and have stayed at the Redbury 2x per year for the past several years...rooms are spacious and the interior design is phenomenal. Kitchen area is perfect for breakfast and light snacking. Redbury is studio style home away from home, love it! Nothing!
We really liked the restaurant at the hotel, so nice not to have to search for a restaurant to eat at. Great food.
Room and bed was very comfortable Shower is big but curtain is very small so it is cold when using the shower and the floor outside gets all wet
Stayed overnight, we had to do somethng in the area and needed a place to stay close to our event. Everything went smooth,: booking, confirmation, check-in & check-out Nice place to stay in Hollywood, very Historical-Retro vibe.
I booked a stay in early February, more than 3 and a half months before my actual stay the the Best Western Hollywood Hills. Upon arrival, I was asked for a "voucher" and supplied my email confirmation. After looking over the email for 15+ minutes, the receptionist finally told me that they had overbooked the hotel and would have to send me to a partner hotel for the night. For my troubles, I was given 2 breakfast vouchers and my cab was paid for. The partner hotel was over 20 minutes away, putting me further from my location for the next day. The partner hotel was the "Beverly Laurel Motor Hotel" an extremely dated and generally unkempt motel. I was thoroughly displeased with this room, as well as with the adjacent greasy spoon diner. Had I known I was going to end up in this roach motel, I never would have booked through Best Western. I highly suggest booking through a different hotel, not worth the risk of being overbooked. In all fairness to the BW Hollywood Hills, it did appear to be fairly nice. Unfortunately, I didn't have the luxury of staying here.
Loved the location and being close to everything in Hollywood. The restaurant downstairs was also pretty good. Unfortunately, the Internet/wifi was down all morning until we left at our checkout time. Other than that, things were good.
I liked the spacious shower, and that they had fridge, micro and coffee in the room. We never had a chance to try the coffee shop, but enjoyed the stay overall. Didn't bring my bathing suit or I would have tried the pool. Our room was clean, comfortable bed. We would stay here again.
The hotel has a great location. The room was very bice and clean and we even had the view of the hollywood sign. Overall, very friendly staff and great place
I didn't expect the rooms to be as spacious as it was. The room was great, the staff was very helpful and the location to the boulevard was unbeatable. Also, it's located next to the best doughnut shop in LA Kettle Glazed Doughnuts.
place was very clean and good size room. The biggest restroom in any hotel in hollywood so far, comes in handy when sharing a room. Everything was close by and in a nice neighborhood. Would stay here again. You could hear everything in the hallway. But everyone staying on our floor that night was not that loud when walking through the hallways. I know that supply and demand is the way the hotel rooms sell but $180.00 + $20.00 for one night on a week day was a bit much for me.
Loved the diner on the property. Food was fabulous!
The staff and service personnel were outstanding and friendly. All facilities and the room were clean and well appointed, like-new furnishings everywhere. Management handled all my needs with courtesy and respect. I highly recommend this establishment to others looking for a home away from home, and a happy atmosphere. I have stayed in may places in West Hollywood and near the strip, this is the best value for the money. Breakfast took a little too long to prepare. People on the move would not be able to wait for the service, although the food was excellent.
Design Paper thin walls
Comfortable bed, good wifi, fridge and microwave in room, large shower, coin laundry in basement, close to hollywood boulevard and Kodak Theatre. Staff unhelpful and lazy, room was serviced only once in 4 days, toilet got blocked and staff brought plunger and asked if we wanted to unblock it ourselves. Room not soundproofed, woken up early 2 out of 4 mornings by garbage collection. Breakfast very basic and included only bagels, coffee, juice & fruit. Hollywood in general is not a nice part of LA, we felt unsafe walking outside at night - we were even woken up by someone being arrested nearby.
the situation. Really close to the Hollywood bd and universal studios Not really clean but ok
Price. You pay for what you get, thin walls and the guy next door busting out to Halo and talking on the phone during all hours of the night.
I enjoyed the simplicity of it all. Great location. Quiet, clean room in the middle of Hollywood. Limited number of rooms. No frills. Quiet, effective airconditioning. Great reception.
Location, staff, cleanliness No Elevator
The best thing about hotel Hollywood was the excellent service and friendly, professional staff. General wear and tear of the room.
The location is great: 8 min walking distance to the metro red line station and 12 min walking distance to Chinese theater. And its convenient to go to Universal studios. The rate is great: the space of the room is reasonable, including microwave, friger, TV and internet. The staff is really helpful and considerate. It's a wonderful experience for staying in The Hotel Hollywood. None.
The staff was helpful,while the location was near to the hollywood street where you can go to walk of fame in few mins , it was not also far from METRO / Subway so u can use it to go to Universal City/Studios i can hear ppl on my next room speaking , the breakfast wasnt good at all ,you need to keep your eyes wide open
Nice small hotel, just nearby of Hollywood Blvd. The price was nice too ($57 taxes included). Free (bad) coffee if you like. The young guy of the reception was very friendly. Noises. The town first. The hotel after. The trash ban of the neighbor building was just near of my windows and that's horrible. If someone take a shower on early morning, or make sex, that will wakes you up, sometimes at 5am.
Dustin, the manager, was the absolute best from beginning when I called on the phone to the end. Room was comfortable, clean and totally affordable. Great location. I would definitely come back. There was a bit of mildew on the shower curtain.
It is close to the main streets and you can find restaurants easily nearby. I would say that this is an excellect motel with its value. But they close the door at night and you have to call the manager to open it when you first arrived (and, in our case, the stuff was just sleeping and we have to wait for other residents to come back and open the door for us).
very private, friendly and well cared for place, felt very much like home from home, highly recommended.
The private patio
The accomodation is quite ok. Simple, but with a lot of nice lovely things made to be a little adventure. Hollywood downtown is not a place you "must see" in details behind the curtains.
Location , kitchen style
We were initially surprised at the accomodation location, ie not at all glamorous. Then again, this is Hollywood, not Bel Air or Beverly Hills. Villa Delle Stelle is one of a few houses/bungalows located amongst other houses on a residential street, ie it is not part of a complex. The street itself is nothing special but the location and accommodation were excellent (between Sunset Blvd and Hollywood) so great for doing the Walk of Fame, Hollywood sign, Chinese Theatre etc. The Villa was unique and beautiful in it's decoration, with all the comforts of a home. It is not a traditional 'impersonal' hotel which is what we liked about it. Would recommend if you're looking for something that little bit different - living amongst the local Off street parking in front of the Villa was very tight for our Ford Edge jeep. Anything other than a small-ish car would have a problem. The owner (Brogan Lane) let us park outside her house though, just down the street.
We stayed in "Le petit suite". You have everything around you to have a nice stay, little kitchen (if you want to cook yourself, what we did!). Nice little sofa witch satellite tv. The location is good, to reach everything loud AC
It was nice to have a little 'home'from home' rather than another hotel. The place was really sweet an dlocation was good for exploring Hollywood, just minutes from Kodak theatre It was a little tricky having to negotiate the double bed which was in an alcove so meant climbing over partner to ge to the loo in the night!
Hotel is located just off Sunset Boulevard so an excellent location to see the sights of Hollywood etc. The suites are beautifully presented and the staff are so welcoming it feels like being at home! I would certainly highly recommend this hotel to anyone wanting to visit LA.
The feeling of being in a luxury home. Not at all like a hotel. The most comfortable bed on the planet.
great place for 2 couples to stay.
This guest did not leave comments about this hotel.
This guest did not leave comments about this hotel.
The location I wasn't told that they didn't accept American Express after I used it to book the room. I had to pay for parking that was down the street at the gas station. And they were rude
Parking was a real problem!
The staff was very helpful. It is so close to Hollywood Blvd. It is a quaint place- close to the subway and right in the center of Hollywood. I only intended to stay for a weekend- stretched out my stay longer. Note: no elevators.
The room was small. It smell nasty. The service was horrible. I definitely won't go again and I won't recommend it.
Staff was nice and good about solving problems There were more than average problems.
Location No.
Very convenient location, easy access to Hollywood and Metro. The building and room were very hot, and the bed was pretty uncomfortable.
Its a great hotel if you're trying to stay only for a day or two/ Most hotels offer free parking and the fact that you have to pay $15 for there is a little two pricey.
The location and price was a plus! The staff laid back and friendly. A very clean room. The Hollywood bowl is in walking distance or a short cab ride away. I'll be staying here again for sure. If you are an uptight person don't stay here. The $15 parking lot was 2 blocks away and the rooms were very small. Pack light.
It was close to an event I was going to and it is close to sight see and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Staff understood me when I informed them that I was going to be late to check in. The room was not cleaned when I got there.
Nothing especially when you end up paying way too much to stay in a crack house There was no parking is there were people screaming up and down the hallways there was smoking in non-smoking rooms and when I woke up in the morning for the little sleep I could get there was throw up in the hallway and none of the employees had any idea I was even there not worth it never stay there again.
Location No parking
the location (walking distance to subway stations), the friendly staff, the rooms hollywood blvd
Beds extremely uncomfortable and staff not very friendly at all. I attempted to call the front desk several times when we first arrived but no answer what's so ever (almost as if the guy at the front desk avoided talking to me)
It was 7 minutes from Universal Studios Hollywood. The room appeared to be really clean. Their very small parking garage was full. There wasn't any street parking available. We had to park down the street and pay $25 to park in that lot. For that $25 more, we could have stayed at a much nicer hotel that had parking for us. We were trying to save money by staying here and it cost us more because of parking.
Nothing Parking was unavailable. Website said there would be parking. I use hotel.com a lot (need a room tonight) however I no longer will use unless I get a refund
Parking was horrible
Price Thin walls, loud, beds as comfortable as the floor. Hallways smelled. Terrible parking.
Clean room, friendly staff, close to Hollywood Blvd Nothing
- The rooms are tiny. - Old noisy washing machines. - the hotel is literally next to biggest construction site. Bulldozers, tractors, construction work from 7am - 6pm daily. - sheets aren't changed, just made up. - no warm water. -broken shades.
The location of the hotel is close to hollywood and vine. The rooms are shoe box,smelly and no parking is included.Also the staff was not honest.Instead of telling me there is overnight public parking across the street they offered me parking elsewhere for $15 plus $25 deposit. ridiculous!Your name is not Richie
Location Small rooms but expected, great location..
We stayed at this hotel to attend an event at The Fonda. The hotel location was walking distance to the theater and allowed us to not rely on public transportation or Uber to get around after the show. The bathroom is located a few feet away from the the bed & has a frosted glass panel & a thin curtain for privacy. If there was a real door, I would have rated this hotel much higher. The walls of the room are not insulated well so we heard our neighbors
No parking for customers.
The beds were horribly uncomfortable and the staff unpleasant. At checkout they took it upon themselves to charge us an extra 40 dollars. I'm just glad I hadn't booked more than one night there. Was relieved to leave.
Staff was extremely rude. Waste of money.
The price was hard to beat. It is very close to attractions. Easy access to the highway.
Proximity to point of interest Limited packing spaces
It was very close to all the places of interest that I wanted to visit and the price was good I had a confirmed reservation that I booked online and when I arrived, I was stunned when the counter person told me that someone had phoned up and cancelled my reservation. When I asked him to show proof of cancellation, he backed out and told me that he would give me a room but would shift me the next day to a single bed room. He was rude to me. But in the coming days he mellowed down and offered me advice on sightseeing.
cheap, good location, free parking, fridge, will use again if in the area..
Location, friendly staff, excellent room, price, wifi
Excellent value, Well managed and nice people. Great location, safe and clean.
good location. staff could be more friendly. rooms are a bit old. continental breakfast includes donuts (at least fresh) and coffee.
Convenient location, about 10 min walk to Metro. Free Wi-Fi internet. Room smell very strong (like some chemical or may be from decorative material used). When come back in the evening, I have to open door for 15 min to make it tolerable everyday.
free parking air condition was near bed
Clean room, great location, extremely low price. No parking anywhere, the room smelled like a cheap air freshner, the bed didn't even have a blanket.


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- 4TB, SATA 6Gb/s, 64MB
- Higher performance with Seagate AcuTrac servo technology
- Best for Desktop or all-in-one PCs, home servers and Entry-level (DAS)
Some manufacturers place restrictions on how details of their products may be communicated.
Initial Review (purchased 4 drives) 08/29/2013
This review is from: Seagate Desktop HDD ST4000DM000 4TB 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive
- big (like really big)
- excellent GB/$ (22 as of posting)
- don't get too hot (35C reported after 7 hour test in room temp. environment with no active cooling)
- One drive was bad. Not DOA, but lots of bad sectors (2500+). RMA replacement in progress.
- packaging showed some evidence of rough handling BEFORE shipping
Other Thoughts:
They arrived in a styrofoam block wrapped in bubble wrap. The anti static bags on each drive had some dents and disfigurations, one of them actually had a half inch puncture. This could not possibly have happened in the styrofoam enclosure during shipping, so I can only suspect rough handling at the factory or distribution center, which is a little alarming.
I haven't done much with these drives other than plug them in and run the extensive self tests on them (which, by the way, takes around 7 hours to complete for these drives. kick it off before bed). Three of the drives were clean, including the one that came in the punctured bag.
The fourth bailed out of the self test early, reporting 440 bad sectors. I ran it through the minimal test after this, and the number of bad sectors increased to over 2500. That one's going back.
The windows volume manager did not like to recognize these drives as 4TB drives, seeing only the first 2048GB on each (before even writing a partition table to the drives). I'm not sure whether this was an issue with the drive firmware, the SATA card they were plugged into (which had other issues as well, so it was probably this) or the windows volume manager.
Linux was able to see and apply a partition table to the entire drive. Furthermore, after rebooting into windows with the partition table written to the drive, windows was able to see (and presumably manipulate) the entire 4TB.
I haven't done any benchmarking yet as I've only had them for 2 days.
Expect a follow up review in a month or so with more detailed performance analysis and benchmarks.
18 people found this review helpful. Did you? Yes / No Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!


text: xavigm, Thinkstock [ I Cannot Blow A Bubble With Bubblegum By Katie Kartak May 2, 2014 I think we all have one of those simple tasks that everyone else seems to be able to do but we can't. Read More Category: St. Cloud News Tags: bubblegum Send to a friend! Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Pin it! Reddit This! Share on Tumblr!


text:
December 19, 2011
Henry Rollins Shops at Walmart...
From the mailbag, an entry on the website People of Walmart. It is impossible for Rollins to (not?) sell out at this point.
I never expected to see "Mr. Badass" Henry Rollins at Walmart, then again I didn't expect to see "Mr. Badass" Henry Rollins wearing his reading glasses around his neck either. Now some of you might know him from his music career, others more recently from his appearance as a white supremacist on Sons of Anarchy, but I'll always remember him from the 1994 movie The Chase.


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Frequently Asked Questions
What size hat do I wear?
Check out our sizing guide here: Sizing Guide
What is your return policy?
Returns are accepted up to 30 days after you receive your items. Just box up your unworn items and send them back to us, including a short note with a copy of your receipt, so we know what we're getting back. Full return policy.
How much is shipping?
Orders shipped in the US (including Alaska & Hawaii) ship free. No minimum order is required. International shipping rates vary depending on location. More on shipping here
Can my hat be cleaned?
We can usually do something to improve the status of your fur felt hat in most circumstances. As long as your hat is not severely soiled, a brush, steam and block will usually do the trick and knock it back into shape. If the brim has lost its snap, a press on the flanges can flatten it and bring it back to life. Sew-on hat bands can be replaced, as can leather sweat bands and linings. For prices and more information check here, or contact the store at 1-800-875-1428.
Do you make the hats you sell?
Although we are technically called Levine Hat Manufacturing Co, Inc., we do not produce hats on the mass scale that we used to manufacture. Instead, our business is primarily involved in retail sales and distribution of fine quality headwear, clothing, and accessories made in all parts of the world.
When hats require additional attention and customization, or you are looking for something difficult to find, we have all the capabilities to make you a specialty hat the old world way. Check here for more info on customization or for hat repair.
Do you sell gift cards?
Levine Hat Co. Gift Cards are available in all denominations. Order Gift Certificates here.
Do you ship internationally?
Yes! We ship to Canada, United Kingdom, France, Australia, China, India, Russia, and Brazil. Don't see your country listed? Contact us and we can see what we can do! Shipping rates vary by country and will shown at checkout.
What is the best way for me to take care of my hat?
Clean your felt hats regularly using a soft bristle brush or a hat sponge. Chemically treated hat sponges are available, and work especially well for fine-grain felts. Brush counter clockwise with the nap, starting at the bow.
The steaming of fur felt hats temporarily loosens the fibers to allow the removal of surface dirt and dust. The steam softens the fibers to allow for blocking, reshaping and even smoothing any wrinkles in the hat band. To steam your hat, simply hold the hat over a steady stream (a steamer or tea kettle will work fine) and gently brush the hat with a clean, soft-bristle brush. Most friendly neighborhood hatters are glad to steam their customer's hats, even if for a nominal fee, with proper storage and care, one good steaming to "knock the dust off" at the end of each season is recommended.
Never apply direct heat to any material hat as this is certain to lead to undesirable results.
Regarding straw hats, they can be lightly brushed in the same manner as felts, but should never be steamed unless by a professional. Too much steam can ruin straw hats.
Use sticky tape to remove lint and dust from fur-felt hats. 2" masking tape wrapped around your palm (with the sticky side out) works well for this.
Leather hats can be cleaned using any commercial leather cleaner. There are several good brands available that work very well. Suede hats need a suede cleaner, not a leather cleaner. Also suede hats will benefit from an application of Scotchguard or a silicone based waterproofing spray to help repel water and dirt.
What accessories do I need to properly maintain my hat?
A proper hatter's brush is good for an occasional dusting. We sell inexpensive chemical sponges that are treated so that dust particles stick to them (these work well on wool caps). Check out our accessories for all your hat care items.
How should I handle my hat?
Always handle your hats by the brim. Picking your hat up by the crown will hurt its shape, and may even damage the felt. As with straw hats, handling your straw hat by the pinch will eventually cause it to crack.
Never rest your hat on its brim. Always turn it upside down and set it on the crown, so that the brim doesn't flatten out. Even better is to store your hat in its proper box.
If you get caught in the rain, turn the leather sweatband inside out and let the hat stand on it so that it dries evenly.
Try not to get your straw hat wet! This will cause the straw to swell and lose it's shape.
Natural oils from your fingers can soil the crown of straw and felt hats, so you should try to handle your hats by the brim (it's hard, we know)
How should I store my hat when not wearing it?
Always store your hat in a hat box to help keep it clean and looking new. Do not rest the hat on its brim to prevent the brim from flattening out.
How long has Levine Hat Company been in business?
Over 100 years. Our current location is downtown at 1416 Washington Avenue a three-story, 30,000 sq/ft showroom and warehouse facility where a small team of workers are responsible for a variety of tasks. Genuine interest in our customers embodies who we are and what we do here, and it even won us an award in the Riverfront Times for Best Retail Experience. We are technically called Levine Hat Manufacturing Co, Inc., although we do not produce hats on the mass scale that we used to manufacture. Instead, our business is primarily involved in retail sales and distribution of fine quality headwear, clothing, and accessories made in all parts of the world. That is not to say that we are not capable of producing some of the finest quality men's felt hats to be found.


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Would you like to save as your currency permanently or for this visit only?
One of the most amazing places we have ever stayed around the world! Pictures don't begin to explain the grandeur of the view. Owners were magnificent. Breakfast great! We will be back. Easy to get to everything from this location on the island.
Clean, confortable and gorgeous views.the owners of this home clearly care a lot about their place and take good care of it. They were extremely kind and helpful on a busy weekend for us traveling with a toddler. Nice breakfast and amenities in room. Will definitely stay again if lucky enough to return to Waiheke. Nothing
Free internet, excellent full breakfast, homely atmosphere, friendly guidance to sightseeing. Small rooms, no cupboards, scant facilities to sit and work.
Breakfast was excellent Accommodation was actually a sleepout located at the backyard of the house
Very comfortable room with super bathroom. Fantastic breakfast with great selection of breads and spreads and delicious baked eggs en cocotte. Helpful advice on things to do with just one day in the city.
The hosts were really nice and the hotel was exceptionally clean. The breakfast was great!
We were very well looked after at Eden Park. The owners were extremely helpful and friendly. The breakfasts were among the best we have ever had. We particularly liked the facility of a beautiful guest lounge. We would certainly recommend it to anyone visiting Auckland.
The owners were very welcoming, breakfast was delicious and both house and annex are very luxurious.
friendly staff, good breakfast.
Perfect service, good rate & most freindly
The staff were so welcoming - nothing was too much trouble. Even welcoming us at 0100 hrs with a smile!!!!!!! Nothing
Very helpfull and courteous staff. Owner was great talk to. Location is near 24 hour szupermarket and many restaurants. Great city location. Nothing


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the event in which your semen gets all over your hand. Since it's so stringy, the only way to get it off is throwing it, thusly propelling a helicopter semen in the air.
While walking into the bathroom, I was slapped in the face with a jizzcopter by someone in the stall beating his joe.
by one and only kp February 08, 2010
The Urban Dictionary Mug
One side has the word, one side has the definition. Microwave and dishwasher safe. Lotsa space for your liquids.Buy the mug


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Hoffenheim star Boris Vukcevic, who was seriously injured when his car was in collision with a lorry in September, woke up on Friday morning after seven weeks in an artificial coma, his club announced.
"We're delighted that Boris's condition is getting better. He's on our mind every day," said manager Andreas Mueller in a statement.
The 22-year-old Vukcevic suffered severe head injuries in the collision on September 28 and was air-lifted to hospital in Heidelberg, where he was operated on and put in an artificial coma.
The Germany under-21 midfielder, who is of Croatian origin, has played at Hoffenheim since 2008 and scored a goal in the club's 5-3 defeat to Freiburg on September 16.
Vukcevic is a diabetic and was hypoglycemic (had low blood sugar levels) at the time of the accident, a medical report has revealed.


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Also On: PS3, PC
Publisher: Amanita Design
Developer: Amanita Design
Medium: Digital
Players: 1
Online: Leaderboards
I'm a staunch believer that there's no wrong way to play a game. There are, however, some ways are significantly less right than others. Take, for example, how I played Machinarium: with a walkthrough for the PC version on hand at all times. Considering it's a point-and-click puzzle game — a genre where half the fun is figuring things out — and, well…you can see why I'd classify my playthrough as "less right".
In my defense, however, it's a pretty difficult game. From the second screen onwards, there are puzzles I couldn't possibly have solved without a hint or two (or ten). While many of the solutions seem kind of obvious in retrospect (and probably are pretty obvious, if you're a more spatially gifted person than I am), there are plenty of places where I couldn't have possibly moved forward unless I had something guiding me through.
Which leads to the bigger reason for why I played Machinarium with a walkthrough: because I constantly wanted more of it. More of its adorable story, more of its gorgeous graphics, more of its atmospheric music. As far as I'm concerned, whatever pleasure could have been had from the self-satisfaction of figuring out a tough puzzle on my own was outweighed by the simple desire to experience as much of the game as possible without delay. There's clearly a lesson to be had here in delayed gratification, but Machinarium is just so lovely that it's lost on me — indeed, it will probably be lost on anyone looking to experience the game more for its visual delights than for its puzzle-solving opportunities.
I suspect, though, that the more patient types (the people who just want to solve puzzles) will get a lot more out of Machinarium. Even if I'm incapable of doing it, I can certainly see the appeal of clicking everywhere on the screen and playing around with every item you come across in the hopes of discovering more of the game's secrets. In fact, the Vita version is probably ideal if you're this kind of person, since it allows you to use the front and rear touchscreens in addition to the sticks and buttons.
However you choose to play Machinarium, puzzling it out on your own or with a walkthrough in hand, the important thing is that you do play it. It's a feast for the senses and a treat for your brain, and there's nothing else on the Vita like it.


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Josh Brolin is an Oscar-nominated actor and has two films coming out soon, and it's possible that the stress of the job is getting to him. The 45-year old star of "Oldboy" was involved in not one, but two fights on Halloween, and they were both caught on camera.
Brolin reportedly exchanged words with a cab driver at the drive-thru of a taco joint in L.A. around midnight after a minor accident, and can be heard yelling at the man on video that two passengers were taking in the backseat.
Not long after, he was spotted at O'Brien's Irish Pub in Santa Monica, fighting with a bouncer in the street. The pair eventually hugged it out, but the whole thing was caught on camera.
The former Goonie has a history of violence; in 2004 he was arrested after an "altercation" with his ex-wife, actress Diane Lane, and in 2008 he was arrested following a bar fight in Louisiana. On New Year's Day last year, he was busted for public intoxication.
"New Year's -- that's what happened," the actor said after the arrest. "I'm the one guy who's out there, and they go, 'Hey, there's Josh. Let's grab him.' You know, it was New Year's. It was a pretty innocent thing. It was a fun thing,"
Image: YouTube


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That New York Times doozie-of-a-correction notwithstanding, many American journalists understand exactly what Easter means for Christians. That fact was evident in some of the exceptional enterprise stories that graced leading front pages on Sunday. Eight of my favorites (in random order): 1. Tim Townsend of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote about a parish's ministry to [Read More…]
All hope is not lost: Easter in America's newspapers
April 2, 2013 by


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** Troubleshooting ** Error "Could not attach to JVM" when using Controller
Technote (troubleshooting)
User tries to use a Java-related function (for example 'Maintain - Jobs - Define'). An error appears.
The exact error message will vary depending on what task the end user is running. However, it will contain the following text:
Could not attach to JVM
There are several possible causes for this error:
- Scenario #1 - Limitation of Controller 10.1.1691 (or earlier), triggered when the CCR_INTEGRATION_SERVER_DEPLOY_HOME system variable not set or is pointing to the incorrect location.
- For full details, see separate IBM Technote #1611097.
- Scenario #2 - The Java class path is not set up correctly on the server side. This causes the service "IBM Cognos Controller Java Proxy" to not be able to find a suitable Java Virtual Machine.
More Information on Scenario #2
There are several triggers for this, for example:
(a) Controller 10.1.1 (or older) - The required Windows system variable "CCR_JAVA_HOME" does not exist.
- See separate IBM Technote #1414684 for full details.
(b) Controller 10.2 and later - the system variables exist and are pointing to the wrong location
Controller 10.2. onwards does not need any System Variables to exist. However, if any (for example 'CCR_JAVA_HOME' or 'JAVA_HOME') do exist, then they must be configured to point to the correct location (for example a compatible 64-bit JAVA JRE).
- Scenario #3 - Customer has a physically separate (dedicated) consolidation-only server, and the functionality ONLY fails when running consolidations.
- This is caused by the JAVA environment not being correctly configured on the consolidation server.
- See separate IBM Technote #1571738.
- Scenario #4 - (rare) Controller database has been copied/moved to new server environment (e.g. new SQL server) and the database tables are being incorrectly accessed by the wrong SQL user.
- Scenario #5 - The value of 'CCRProxy.options' has been configured with invalid values.
- For example, the maximum memory may be too large for the capability of the JAVA subsystem.
Resolving the problem
Scenario #1
If using Controller 10.1.1691 or earlier, check existing/create-new "CCR_INTEGRATION_SERVER_DEPLOY_HOME" system variable.
- See separate IBM Technote #1611097.
Scenario #2a
If using some older versions of Controller, ensure that the IBM Java 1.6 is installed on your system. Afterwards, set the system variable "CCR_JAVA_HOME" appropriately, on the application server.
- See separate IBM Technote #1414684.
Scenario #2b
If using a modern version of Controller (e.g. 10.2 or later) ensure that you do *not* have any JAVA-related system variables enabled.
- For example, ensure that there is no system variable "CCR_JAVA_HOME" or "JAVA_HOME" configured on the application server.
- IMPORTANT: In some environments, the system variables cannot be fully seen from the Windows GUI. Instead, the only way to see *all* system variables is to run a Command Prompts and run the command: SET
- See separate IBM Technote #1678643.
Scenario #3
Reconfigure the consolidation server's JAVA environment.
- See separate IBM Technote #1571738
Scenario #4 (rare)
Ensure that you are connecting to the SQL database using the correct SQL user (e.g. "fastnet" or "sa" as appropriate).
- If using a non-sa account (e.g. "fastnet") ensure that you have removed orphaned users by running a script similar to the following:
Scenario #5
Check that the values of 'CCRProxy.options' (if configured) is not using invalid settings.
- See separate IBM Technote #1693253
Related information
1611097 - Could not attach to JVM
1414684 - Error 'Could not attach to JVM' when launchin
1571738 - "Could not attach to JVM" and "Execution of A
1678643 - "Could not attach to JVM" when using Controll
1693253 - "Could not attach to JVM" error caused by inv
Document information
More support for:
Cognos Controller
Software version: 10.1, 10.1.1, 10.2.0, 10.2.1
Operating system(s): Windows
Reference #: 1619105
Modified date: 16 September 2015
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Dear Carolyn • A couple of years ago, when my two nieces married, I organized my two sons and flew cross-country to attend their weddings. This year, my son is getting married and my sister is blowing it off. She said she's too busy with her job as a teacher, but I note they've taken midyear golf vacations. I am considering phoning her to say it's a family duty, but my son's fiancee said if they aren't enthusiastic, then she doesn't want them at the wedding anyway. Should I guilt my sister into coming, or realize that our family isn't as tight as I once thought?
Dear R. • When you offer up "guilt (someone) into (something)" as one of only two choices, then you make mine the easiest job ever. This is not an either-or question, though. Families are too complicated for that. So are people, finances, travel, careers and a few other relevant things. Just for starters, while it's wonderful and important that you and your boys rallied for these weddings and while I completely get your hurt feelings it's not fair to unilaterally set "travel cross-country for weddings" as the bar your sister must clear to prove her family devotion. You give your way, she gives hers, and over time you both adjust your ends of the give-and-take as you deem fit. Then there's the fact that you can't fully know what her circumstances are, nor can you extrapolate from those golf vacations. Maybe they're broke now. Maybe cutbacks have her in fear for her job. Maybe she never expected you to rally for her girls' weddings appreciated it, but never expected it. Then there's the fact that guilt drives people apart faster than just about any emotional choice you can make. If it's so important to have your sister there, or if you found her "no" dismissive, then call her to talk with, not lecture, her. Isn't it your "family duty" not to draw hasty conclusions, but instead to share your feelings and open your mind to hers? If her answer is still "no" after further discussion, then decide which befits a "tight" family to judge or punish her for it, or to choose not to. My advice? Keep the door propped open.
Carolyn Hax's column runs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.


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Holy Granola?
Posted by Elesha
4 comments
What do kundalini yoga, Cranberry Acai Granola, the Department of Homeland Security, Henry VIII, and the First Amendment have in common? All of these elements factored into a recent Oregon court case addressing the finances and leadership of Sikh Dharma International (SDI). I don't typically write on any of these subjects, but an old friend of mine happened to be involved in the litigation, and he passed along copies of some briefs and findings. They proved to be fascinating reading, raising a host of questions about religious freedom, the boundaries of secular and sacred, and the status of minority religions in the U.S.
a 2004 New York Times article $1 billion in federal contracts to "protect vital and sensitive government sites." Compounding this complicated picture, Yogi Bhajan (again quoting the judge) "maintained personal attendants, a group of women upon whom he became dependent for day-to-day and hour-to-hour support and companionship in his home as his health declined toward death from complications of diabetes and kidney failure." When the yogi died in fall 2004, power struggles ensued involving his widow, persons running the various nonprofit and for-profit entities, and the personal attendants, who had been paid modestly during the yogi's lifetime but promised life-long compensation afterward.
At one turn in this labyrinthine story, assets were transferred among some of the nested entities in ways that allowed a few players to profit while keeping other players out of the loop and out of the money. Aggrieved parties then looked to the legal system for relief--including a request to strip the dirty dealers of their leadership positions and appoint others to take their places. Here the references to Henry VIII and the First Amendment came to bear. Among the questions raised by the court, by my lawyer friend, and in my own mind:
Should the U.S. court system be involved in deciding who runs Sikh Dharma organizations? No. Even if we were talking about regular businesses with no connection to a religious group, it would be highly unusual for a court to replace trustees. Because we're talking about entities affiliated with SDI, which states as part of its primary mission "to preserve, organize and continue to share the teachings of the Sikh Gurus," the court has no place to depose or install leaders. Congress shall make no law establishing religion or preventing its free exercise, after all.
But what if the wrongdoers were, say, in charge of the granola business. What's religious about that? Possibly not much, or possibly a whole lot. SDI would hardly be the first group to consider food a central part of its religious mission or practice. Much more on this in the forthcoming The Way of Food: Religion and Eating in North America.
Legally, it doesn't seem to matter. Henry VIII (named in the legal briefs!) used financial mismanagement by monks as a rationale for seizing control of monasteries, but his ulterior motives were clear, and in any event, we don't live in Tudor England. More to the point, according to the important Hosanna-Tabor case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2012, religious organizations must be given leeway to hire and fire their own leaders. To quote a brief in the SDI case, "Religious leaders are human, subject to the same frailties and temptations as the rest of the race, and there will be times when they misuse the positions with which they have been entrusted. Where such improprieties occur, it may well be that the guilty leaders must go. Under our constitutional scheme, however, that decision is for the community, not a secular court."
How would this discussion be different if the religious group were more mainstream? The outcome of the case probably wouldn't be different at all. Business concerns, rather than religious ones, dominated most of the legal documents. Also, the related Hosanna-Tabor case involved a Lutheran (ELCA) church and school, which is definitely mainstream. Nonetheless, as I read through the documents, the names of the various organizations involved--Unto Infinity, LLC; KIT-BV (a tea business); Golden Temple, Inc.; the Siri Singh Sahib Corporation; and others--struck me very differently than the more familiar names of churches, hospitals, or rescue missions would have. I'm back to the question of how religious a granola company might truly be.
Matthew Hedstrom states in his introduction to The Rise of Liberal Religion, "In material ways that go beyond adherence to broad cultural norms, participation in religious and spiritual life happens through commodities bought and sold." I'm not convinced of this as a universal principle, or, at least, I can think of many ways that the liberal Protestants of whom Hedstrom writes participated in religious life aside from buying or selling anything. The statement seems more true, however, when applied to SDI. Does this mean that SDI is somehow "less religious" than liberal Protestantism? Or does it just mean that commercial--and, potentially, legal--entanglements are easier to see in religious traditions outside the mainstream? Probably the latter. I think I'll try mentally placing "Inc" or "LLC" after the names of the religious entities I study and see if I notice things I missed before.
4 comments:
- Mark T. Edwards at: April 19, 2013 at 8:25 AM said...
Great reflections and questions here, Elesha, thanks.
- Christopher Cantwell at: April 19, 2013 at 9:00 PM said...
This is fascinating; thanks for sharing. But a question. The crucial issue in Hosanna-Tabor was that the ECLA school in question had in some fashion deaconized or ordained its teachers through training and certification. This was why the court refused to intervene--and why even Kagan and Alito surprisingly weant to great lengths to argue in their concurring opinion that the single defining factor were the church's designation of H-T teachers as ministers. Does SDI present its business owners the same way? Or are they religious members who pragmatically/logistically appointed to their position. If the latter the case could get really interesting cause you could argue H-T doesn't apply........
- Elesha at: April 20, 2013 at 9:26 AM said...
I don't know to what extent Hosanna-Tabor was decisive in this case. SDI lawyers did lean on it, but they made other arguments as well, for example:
"Of course, the difficulty of plaintiff's proposed process [of replacing leaders] would be greatly magnified by the fact that this Court would be required to make a series of difficult, discretionary decisions within the hardly hospitable context of a bitter intra-religious schism. As the State acknowledges, with no existing mechanism in place to reconstitute the YB-inspired community and its leadership, at each step along the way this Court would have to fashion its own procedures. Those procedural decisions will inevitably be intertwined--or at the very least would be perceived to be intertwined--with the community's religious, moral and philosophical principles. The constant entanglement that would result weighs strongly in favor of this Court's exercising its discretion to deny the requested governance-related relief, even without reaching the constitutional issues discussed below."
The case is over now. What actually happened (as best I understand) was that the SDI leaders won--the court did not intervene to oust them--but were then replaced anyway as part of a subsequent settlement. I haven't seen the text of any final ruling, so I don't know if a judge applied Hosanna-Tabor reasoning or something else. The question of whether SDI "ordained" its leaders, or whether they qualified as "ministers" (or equivalents to either of those categories), may never have come up.
- Christopher Cantwell at: April 22, 2013 at 10:34 AM said...
Thanks, Elesha. The SDI's lawyers statement does convey that this is a much messier case than the issues H-T case. Again, thanks for sharing. This is fascinating.


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Welcome from Mrs. Cutler
On behalf of Amity Regional Middle School Orange, it is my
pleasure to extend a heartfelt and warm welcome to you.
The middle school years are most important to a student's
academic, social and emotional growth and need to be filled with the
adventure of learning, the fun of meeting new friends, of taking chances
and delighting in new opportunities while realizing new abilities. At
Amity, there are abundant opportunities for students to learn, to be
creative and to be involved in their school and it is a privilege to be a
member of this wonderful learning community.
Please see below for important information about our school and do not hesitate to contact us with any questions.
Most Sincerely,
Kathleen Fuller-Cutler
Principal, Amity Middle School Orange


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Resume Formats—Which to Use?
It's time to put together your resume. You've reviewed your work history, assessed your skills, abilities, and strengths, and compiled examples of your quantified accomplishments. The next question is, "what format do I use?" While each person is unique and should have a resume tailored to their needs, there are three general formats that are... » Read Full Article


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Syracuse changes nickname, logo
For years, Syracuse teams have been identified as the Orangemen and Orangewomen, one of the more distinctive nicknames in all of college sports.
The monikers will be even more unique next season.
All Syracuse teams will change their nicknames to the Orange next year, Director of Athletics Jake Crouthamel announced Tuesday at a press conference. Syracuse will also introduce a new, official school logo, teaming with Nike to redesign its major athletic uniforms.
The new logo consists of an interlocking SU that a Syracuse press release calls 'aggressive' and depicts 'speed and a competitive edge.' All SU uniforms will share this logo, as well as similar number styles and trim. Next year, Syracuse begins using the same shades of orange and blue in all its uniforms and apparel, ending years of color variation from sport to sport.
'We've never had an official athletics logo,' Crouthamel said. 'We now will have an official logo, representing all of our sports.
'Orange is going to be our new brand. We are the only school in the country that has orange as its primary color. We are trying to emphasize that.'
Unity and color seem the two biggest aspects of Syracuse's move, as the university wants to stress uniformity throughout its athletics department.
Crouthamel felt his program has lacked consistency in his time as athletics director.
'It standardizes what we do,' Crouthamel said. 'We've had somewhere in the neighborhood of 19 or 20 different logos. Where is the consistency? Also our colors, quite frankly, are all over the place. We are going to try and standardize that as much as we possibly can.'
Crouthamel said SU and apparel partner Nike have conducted two years' worth of research before deciding on the new logo and color shades.
'What it really came down to was doing some research on the school itself,' said Christopher McClure, creative director for Nike Team Sports. 'We looked at some cultural aspects, the history of the school and the culture around the school. In Syracuse's case, we looked at their tradition and just tweaked what's there now and tried to connect that to its history.'
The sweeping changes have received mixed reactions from those in the athletics program.
Syracuse tennis head coach Mac Gifford believes the time is now to display the school color.
'When I heard the news I thought, 'Wow, more orange,' ' Gifford said. 'But my players all love the orange thing. The interesting thing is that color kind of goes in cycles. Five or six years ago, people wouldn't have worn orange on a dare, and now it seems to be the thing.'
Banding behind the color orange seems to be the most welcome aspect of SU's changes.
With Syracuse as the only NCAA Division I school to have orange as its primary color, many officials felt that unifying each sport under the same hue by name was the right decision.
Assistant men's basketball coach Mike Hopkins remembered the days when Syracuse attempted to change its nickname to the Wolves. This time, he feels the university made the right choice.
'I never wanted to be a Wolf,' Hopkins said. 'But I have no problem being an Orange. It's just simple, not confusing. It's kind of like Michigan, how they chant 'Go big blue.' Now maybe we can have something like that, but orange.'
While Crouthamel feels the gender-based suffixes should be dropped, not everyone agrees.
Syracuse tennis player Katie Bramante said she enjoyed the nickname distinctions.
'I don't think (being the Orange) is a bad thing, but I don't think it's a good thing either,' Bramante said. 'As a female athlete, I liked being recognized as an Orangewoman. I think we will always be known as the Orangemen and Orangewomen to the fans. It's just what we are.'
Matt Tarullo, a senior offensive lineman for the Syracuse football team, has been an Orangeman for three years and acknowledges the big adjustment.
'I thought maybe it'll be bad,' Tarullo said. 'But the more I think about it, the more I'm OK with it. It's pretty weird, but I like the Orange. Change is good.'
Crouthamel insistently repeated that the changes were not based on financial matters. He pointed out that the athletics department receives no money from merchandising and licensing trademarks, saying instead that the changes were made solely to promote consistency and unity within the department.
Incoming chancellor Nancy Cantor thinks Crouthamel's decision marks the beginning of a new era.
'It's nice to have a strong, energetic symbol and a single word that people can get behind,' Cantor said. 'I see my coming in as a continuation of tradition and this logo as a bridge between past and future.'
The new SU logo will appear on most merchandise and apparel and will be phased into team uniforms gradually, in addition to the new shades of orange and blue. The new Syracuse orange will be brighter than the current shade, while the new blue will be darker.
Syracuse will not change the design of its football helmets or pants, though, citing tradition as an overruling factor.
Crouthamel said he consulted with select university coaches about the decision but did not confer with players because of the relatively short time they spend at the school.
Nike has also worked with Oregon, Washington, Miami and Kentucky in similar redesigning projects.
McClure believes the Syracuse community will more than welcome the changes his team has helped implement.
'The goal is to make this last 10, 20 years down the road,' McClure said. 'We want to create a long-lasting image of what Syracuse is all about. We're trying to create something that is rooted in history but that can last into the future, something that everyone can rally behind for years to come.'
Published on June 3, 2004 at 12:00 pm


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Top 10 John Lennon Solo Political Songs
Following the Beatles' disintegration, John Lennon entered a remarkable phase of soul-bearing, making some of rock's most emotional admissions. He also took a more determined turn toward political issues. That transformation began when the Beatles were still together, when Lennon and Yoko Ono declared 1970 as "Year One A.P. (After Peace)." From there, it was as common for him to reveal his deepest feelings as it was to carry a protest sign — at least through his retirement in 1975. Lennon would return with more family-focused songs on 1980's 'Double Fantasy,' right before he was killed. It's impossible to know how he would have approached modern-day issues, but Lennon's early-'70s recordings might give us a clue. They still make you think, especially the ones on our list of the Top 10 John Lennon Solo Political Songs.
'Attica State'
Sparked by the recent prison riot at the Attica Correctional Facility, Lennon makes an impassioned call for more humane treatment of prisoners everywhere while issuing a series of scorching condemnations aimed at the U.S. judicial system. He sings "free the prisoners, jail the judges," before urging that everyone "come together, join the movement, take a stand for human rights."
Lennon outlines a series of crushing childhood disappointments on 'Remember' before making a bitter reference to the British holiday called Gunpowder Treason Day. Bonfires are lit on this evening, also known as Guy Fawkes Night, to celebrate the failure of plot to overthrow King James I of England. Former Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr helps with the angry, staccato musical backing.
'Woman is the N—– of the World'
Yoko Ono originally used the phrase "woman is the n—– of the world" in an interview with Nova in 1969, and it eventually became the basis for one of Lennon's most controversial songs. The single was promptly banned from radio for the use of the racial slur, despite Lennon's repeated explanations that he was arguing against sexism.
'Bring on the Lucie (Freeda People)'
Powered by a slide guitar right out of the George Harrison playbook (though David Spinozza is actually playing it here), "Bring on the Lucie" eviscerates lying politicians while making an impassioned call (stop the killing!) for the end of the ongoing Vietnam conflict.
'Power to the People'
Though the title was lifted from a Black Panthers slogan, 'Power to the People' — thanks to a production assist from Phil Spector — emerged as its very own thing, and one of Lennon's funkiest and hardest-hitting musical achievements. Spector brought in a group of grooving backup singers, fronted by the Orlons' Rosetta Hightower, then had them stomp their feet to provide a political rally-like cadence.
'Happy Xmas (War Is Over)'
Considering the way he dismantled religion on 1970's 'God,' Lennon might be the last person you'd expect to release what's become a perennial holiday favorite. Ever the provocateur, Lennon took the opportunity to encourage Yuletide revelers toward a broader sense of pacifism.
'Working Class Hero'
Lennon may have been the most affluent Beatle growing up, but his disjointed family life gave him plenty of youthful venom. He returns to his feelings of childhood isolation on this stark, confidential narrative, using them as a platform to explain wider societal ills. The result is one of Lennon's most brutally frank and emotionally gripping moments.
'Gimme Some Truth'
The origins of this song go all the way back to the sessions that produced the Beatles 'Let It Be.' But by the time Lennon finally finished 'Gimme Some Truth,' it had been transformed into a much darker and confrontational track. Still, it's no screed, as Lennon employs all of the brilliant wordplay associated with his best songs, notably the mention of a certain "Tricky Dicky" then sitting in the White House.
'Give Peace a Chance'
Recorded during Lennon and Yoko Oko's "bed-in," the antiwar stunt where the couple hung out with the press in a Montreal hotel room, 'Give Peace a Chance' features an all-star cast that had gathered around the oddball scene. But it's also the greatest slogan ever constructed by an artist famous for them. Soon, the song was being sung in tandem with traditional rallying calls like 'We Shall Overcome.'
If earlier protest songs like 'Revolution' or 'Working Class Hero' could be faulted for criticizing the sociopolitical climate without providing any concrete answers, 'Imagine' certainly couldn't be. It's become the default image of Lennon as a big-thinking peacenik. His doctrine for the end of wars begins with imagining it — a radical ideal that still resonates.


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The Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees were able to get in five innings of action before the rain came with the score tied 1-1 after five innings.
The Yankees are scheduled to play the Devil Rays in Tampa on Friday night, but the team could have difficulty getting a flight out of Baltimore due to the rain and high winds.
The individual statistics will count, and the commissioner's office will determine whether the game will be made up — the teams play in New York on the final weekend of the season. Umpires called the game after a 44-minute wait.
Yankees owner George Steinbrenner issued a statement that said the commissioner's office showed "terrible judgment and overall stupidity" in proceeding with the game.
"Schools, businesses, athletic events — virtually everything — was called off," Steinbrenner said. "And for them to proceed was stupidity at its worst."
Gene Orza, the No. 2 official of players' association, said when he discussed with Mussina on Tuesday whether to hold a day-night doubleheader Wednesday, Mussina was against it. Orza said he then asked the commissioner's office on Wednesday to postpone Thursday's game and make it up on the final weekend at Yankee Stadium.
"The U.S. government, the state government and the city government had concluded that it was not business as usual, they basically closed down Baltimore. If they can close down, that's pretty good indication major league baseball should close down.
"They took a calculated gamble, and the gamble didn't pay off," he said. "They should have canceled the game last night, as I suggested to them, and had some monetary compensation worked out with the Orioles."
Orioles officials said they didn't call off the game on Wednesday because they wanted to maintain the "integrity" of an 81-game home schedule. It is also worth nothing the Orioles would not keep the gate receipts if the game was played in New York.
Following the Orioles' lead, the Philadelphia Phillies moved the start of their game against Florida up six hours and the Pittsburgh Pirates switched their night game to a 12:35 start.
"There is no other opportunity this late in the season to make up this very important game at home, if rained out," Phillies vice president Mike Stiles said. "We also are concerned that the possibility of significant rainfall and high winds Thursday evening might pose a danger for fans attending or going home after an evening game."
Fans holding tickets for Thursday's Phillies game can exchange them for another game except the final game of the regular season on Sept. 28. That game, the final one at Veterans Stadium, is sold out.
Meanwhile, the NFL Baltimore Ravens decided to leave the city, flying to San Diego two days early for their game against the Chargers. The team has no indoor practice facility and would be unable to prepare for the game because of the storm.
Amid predictions that Hurricane Isabel could hit the state with soaking rains and heavy winds, the Pittsburgh Penguins postponed Thursday night's NHL preseason game with the Washington Capitals.
The game, to be played in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., has been pushed back to Sunday. The Penguins are still scheduled to play the New York Islanders on Friday night in Wheeling, W.Va.
This week's PGA Tour event, the 84 Lumber Classic of Pennsylvania, got under way Thursday even though the threat of rain could prevent the opening round from being completed.
If the hurricane travels a projected path from North Carolina's Outer Banks through western Pennsylvania late Thursday night and into Friday morning, play at the Pittsburgh area's first annual PGA Tour stop could be disrupted.
Rains are projected to be at their heaviest Friday morning, right before the second round is scheduled to start.
"We're watching the storm carefully," PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said. "We're looking at all options, just like we would during a normal week."
Other hurricane-related moves:
• The NBA champion San Antonio Spurs postponed Thursday's visit to the White House.
• Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner declared a state of emergency, prompting NASCAR to cancel on-track activities at Dover International Speedway on Thursday and Friday.
• Virginia Tech expects to play Thursday's night game against Texas A&M unless Hurricane Isabel veers farther west than expected. Forecasts for Blacksburg, Va., call for scattered showers with winds remaining well east of the campus.
• Women's World Cup organizers were looking for indoor practice sites for Friday for all teams in the Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. areas. The United States team is considering canceling practice Friday if it can't work indoors.
• The SAS Championship's pro-am event in Cary, N.C. was cut from 18 holes to nine and moved up to Thursday morning.
• Football coaches at Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State in the Research Triangle Park area, a 2 1/2-hour drive from Wilmington, N.C., plan to move practice time to Thursday morning in anticipation of poor weather later in the day.
• High school athletic officials in eastern North Carolina were considering postponing or canceling prep football games scheduled for Friday. A number of schools canceled nonconference games and others moved games to Wednesday night.


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Release Date: 1987 |
Album Rating: 3.5This album is a tad boring imo.
Not the best Teutonic Thrash Metal album, but still good.
Dude nice first exciter now this! Not the best thrash album but still good
Digging: Skull Kid - Protection Charm
I like the name
Album Rating: 4.0Ferocious
Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


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Casa Nueva Vida
Posted on October 23, 2015 by admin
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Thank you to the trumpeter of the Boston College band for playing some songs for us! The kids loved learning about and listening to music.
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Casa Nueva Vida opened its doors approximately 28 years ago with the mission of helping our resident families gain the education and skills they need to permanently lift themselves out of poverty.
Casa Nueva Vida has had a 96% success rate in stabilizing over 1000 families and preventing further homelessness.
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Three houses in Lawrence allows us to serve more of the homeless community than possible before. We currently serve 47 families.
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CCB special seminar presentation by Dr. Alicia Kowaltowski, Universidade de São Paulo.
See below for further details.
Mitochondrial Respiration, Reactive Oxygen Species and Aging
Alicia J. Kowaltowski
Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo
Mitochondria, in addition to providing most of the ATP necessary to maintain cells alive, also generate significant quantities of free radicals and other reactive oxygen species. Over the years, the accumulation of these species and the modifications they promote to our molecules leads to some of the alterations associated with aging.
Our group studies how mitochondria generate oxidants and their impact on cell and animal survival. We also study interventions, such as calorie restriction and mild mitochondrial uncoupling, that can control the generation of reactive oxygen species by mitochondria and increase lifespan.
Key references (experimental):
Tahara EB, Barros MH, Oliveira GA, Netto LE, Kowaltowski AJ. Dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase as a source of reactive oxygen species inhibited by caloric restriction and involved in Saccharomyces cerevisiae aging. FASEB J 2007; 21:274-83.
Caldeira da Silva CC, Cerqueira FM, Barbosa LF, Medeiros MH, Kowaltowski AJ. Mild mitochondrial uncoupling in mice affects energy metabolism, redox balance and longevity. Aging Cell 2008; 7:552-60.
A recent review:
Kowaltowski AJ, de Souza-Pinto NC, Castilho RF, Vercesi AE. Mitochondria and reactive oxygen species. Free Radic Biol Med 2009; 47:333-43.
tle/abstract to be provided in the near future.


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The Sheridan College Veteran's Club will host the Combat Color Fun Run this Sunday (Oct.6) at Sheridan College. Sheridan Media's Ron Richter has the details.
The event is a 3 mile fun run or a 1.25 mile walk designed to combine a game of color tag with fitness. Sheridan College Veteran's Services Director Brett Burtis says the run is untimed, as it's about having fun and raising money for the Wounded Warrior Project.
Registration for the walk and run is $30 for adults and $10 for children 10 and under. You can register online in advance or the day of the event. Burtis said the run will start and finish at Veteran's Plaza in front of the college. He added that they raised over $7,000 at the first Combat Color run in May, and that participants should wear a plain white t-shirt and some element of camouflage. The fun run will begin at 1 pm this upcoming Sunday. Click here to pre-register.


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this has pretty much been my theme song lately. i have listened to it every single day… sometimes on repeat. man! what i would give to be in that crowd, funking it up to bowie. please take notice of the dancers on the stages, they have the best moves! bowie is beautiful too. D A M N.
Bowie on Soul Train!? I DIE! Thanks for posting this!


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Charvel USA Select San Dimas HSS Hardtail Rosewood Fingerboard Electric Guitar
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Old-school specs for rock players.
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The alder San Dimas Style 1 body is complemented by a one-piece quartersawn maple neck with one-way vintage-style bullet truss rod and a 22 jumbo fret rosewood (white dot inlay) compound radius fingerboard with rolled edges and a bone nut. Pure tone pours from a DiMarzio® DP100 Super Distortion bridge pickup and DiMarzio® DP-116 HS2™ neck and middle pickups, with five-way "super" blade pickup switching that delivers the bridge pickup only (position 1), bridge pickup inner coil and middle pickup (position 2), bridge pickup inner coil and neck pickup (position 3), neck and middle pickups (position 4) and neck pickup only (position 5).
Other premium features include a single control knob (master volume), side-mounted "football" output jack, black hardware, string-through-body bridge, and more. Available in Torred, Pitch Black, Satin Plum and Snow Blind Satin finishes. Select from the drop-down menu.
- Body shape:Double cutaway
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- Neck shape:Speed neck
- Neck wood:QuartersawnMaple
- Joint:Set-in
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- Material:Maple
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- Fret size:Jumbo
- Number of frets:22
- Inlays:Dot
- Nut width:1.687 in. (42.8 mm)
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- Configuration:HSS
- Neck:DP-116 HS2
- Middle:DP-116 HS2
- Bridge:DP-110 SD
- Brand:DiMarzio
- Active or passive pickups:Passive
- Series or parallel:Series
- Piezo:No
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- Control layout:Master volume, tone
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- Coil tap or split:Coil split
- Kill switch:No
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- Bridge type:Tremolo/Vibrato
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- Tuning machines:Die-cast
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- Number of strings:6-string
- Special features:None
- Case:Hardshell case
Remember when? Charvel does too. Order today.


text:
February 18, 2013
Beyoncé Doc Brings Up Pregnancy Debate Again...
(Via Gawker)
Life Is But a Dream covers a…period of time before the supposed birth of Beyoncé and Jay-Z's daughter, Blue Ivy. It's hard to say exactly how long because particulars like where and when are barely telegraphed – there's not a single explanatory chyron in the entire film. Cynically, I wonder if this is a sign of co-director Beyoncé's egocentrism; she assumes that we've been following her closely enough to know what she's talking about without bothering to explain certain key facts. Or maybe she thinks we can read her mind. Or maybe she's just not that great of a memoirist.


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Results 21 to 29 of 29
Thread: TVA Squads/Platoons
- Join Date
- Jan 2013
- Posts
- 890
Judging from last night, comms are indeed still an issue. This was a scheduled op that had a continental objective, and on top of that we were working closely together with TVA. If that isn't a time for squad comms, i don't know what is, to be honest. What confuses me is how no one seemed to even be bothered by the 40 man + clusterfuck that was general comms when i joined, and then everyone being happy with ab + cd instead of proper comms. Maybe i', just grumpy, but we used to operate much better (and that's not just about comms, but also following orders).
- Join Date
- Nov 2012
- Posts
- 690
For the comms, I never noticed any grumbling or people not wanting split comms? When people said lets split comms it was done right away. AB + CD. Sure it is not optimal but I never felt that Alpha/Bravo had any problems splitting up while being in the same channel. The only problems where me trying to hear what the other ROs where doing while my squad was chatting away.
As for orders, well I tend to not really give very strict orders when I PL because honestly I do not really care that much as long as people find someone to shoot in the face. Because really that is the fun part of Planetside 2 innit? All in all I think we had a pretty good night, the only think lacking imho was more communication between the different platoons we had up and general info on TVA. I think cooper did the best he could but having him both run a public platoon and run the TVA liason might be putting a bit too much on one person.
Still the only thing that matters to me when I play or lead is basically are people having fun? Yeah? Well then we are doing good. Also, I think we did really well with the TVA cooperation on Indar supporting/getting support etc.
But next time we have a TVA Wednesday or other organized evening maybe make sure we have a PL that is on board with the plan? Because I just happened to be PL because I logged in when the last PL quit, I had no idea what the plan was or if there were supposed to be any specific comms etc. I have been moving all week so I were not up to speed on anything.
Edit: And no I am not bothered by 40 man channels most of the time, and I am definitely not bothered by AB+CD. You know what bothers me? Silent comms. So no I will not lobby to change comms, but if someone else wants to split, well speak up.
Last edited by Wardancer; 13-06-2013 at 01:59 PM.
The public platoon was meant to be only a public platoon. Public platoons should never be anything but pubbies I've learned in the past.
However when I invited Eso to be second squad lead so I could open up a second squad in the public platoon it coincided with the main RPS platoon getting full. So people joined Eso's squad as they logged in.
This wasn't optimal at all so I tried to have it such that Eso's squad ran entirely seperately, not taking orders from me. I probably should have just kicked the squad from the platoon entirely and have them be the start of a second RPS platoon.
Regarding comms. It's Wednesday, so things being noisy was expected. The problem was that there was never a comfortable break in the action in order to arrange split comms. I think the A+B and C+D worked, I don't think we needed anything less, except that Eso's overflow squad ended up with A+B and we still had a channel of over 30.
As for details of what TVA was doing, that depends when you were playing. On Esamir we were kinda alone until about 9pm when TVA coalesced. At which point I was trying to relay what TVA were doing, but by the time we had split comms the best I could do was provide updates over the RO channel.
Next week:
1. Let's set up "dual squad" comms as early on as possible. They will fill up so if the C+D channel starts as three people, that's not need to worry.
2. I'll run a public platoon but I'll do so as a completely seperate entity. It being a half-overflow platoon should never have happened.
3. If I run as liaison again I'll do so from a quiet channel where all I can hear are ROs (the PL channel) where I'll get info from ROs and relay info back to ROs. It'll be the ROs' job to let squads know how we are working with TVA (because we were).
With regards to working with TVA we had few closely-managed moments of cooperation. An armour push on Esamir stood out. Mostly, however, the coordination was at a strategic level. We were best placing our forces, responding to reinforcements requests, deciding where to push etc. Which is what TVA is best used for when there are a large number of active outfits (which there were).
If people want more tightly knit cooperation (and this is both welcomed and encouraged) then we should think about SLs coordinating directly with TVA SLs using in-game text or TVA TS."KING GEORGE IS A FROG
le BANG~__-MICHEAL FUCK OFF~~__-INTERPOL KNOW YOU WELLBIENG~
- Join Date
- Apr 2013
- Posts
- 405
Seems to be, from my point of view, that the disagreement that has been running away beneath the surface (and 'disagreement' is probably too harsh a word, because you're all pretty nice people on here, but I've seen this come up since the day I joined the outfit several months ago) is mostly between two sides claiming the other is 'having fun wrong'.
As someone who plays and runs board, card and roleplaying games as part of my job (god I love it), I've become familiar with the concept of a 'social contract'. There's a bunch of material on the web for it, easily searchable, and the outfit rules-as-written pretty much mirror the idea quite well ('Be awesome to each other' etc.).
The key idea is that you have to know what kind of game that the people you are playing with actually want to play. So in this case, do the people online and in mumble want to play in a very focussed tactical style, or do they want the banter and to still follow objectives, and so on. It's all about communication (ironically, but of a different sort).
Other key things that social contracts enforce include not getting angry when something is going contrary to what was envisioned, and sitting down/talking about it, and that nail seems to be getting quite squarely struck on the head here.I am on the Steemz
Splitting into dual or single squad comms does not necessarily mean a change in playstyle, it just means there's more room for people to hear orders, to hear each other, and for people to get the space to speak (perhaps people who don't usually speak up when the normal crowd are chatting away).
A tacgir squad will use squad comms and aim for a change in playstyle (more tactical, focused, co-ordinated, do maneuvers etc), but there is still room for banter and chat and having a laugh.
I thought it was important to reiterate this again as I heard split comms being referred to as 'tacgir comms' last night and wouldn't be surprised that the false belief that splitting comms means changing playstyle (or mood) may be at least partially behind the reluctance some people have about it?
Personally, I'm equally happy in the all-in-one channel (provided it's not too messy) or in single squad comms, but as Wardancers mentioned it's no fun when there's no chat at all, and we need to work on that. It's really on the SLs and the regular chatty folk to keep the atmosphere up when we do split, and to (gently) encourage the quieter folk to brave the mic a bit more.
Basically: we have room for all comm setups and playstyles, but we need to make sure everyone knows what they are, that they are welcome to ask for them, and ultimately that every style we have should still be chatty and fun because: RPS.
As one of the noisy ones I don't normally mind which type of comms we have - I'll talk in either, but it gets boring if the comms are silent, and we suck in game if they are too noisy. But clearly the Squad isn't functioning if their are no orders and call outs, never mind the banter, which actually helps keep people on mission most of the time!
Way-back-when this all started (like November!) I was a bit against split comms as every time we split it became apparent that the noise in the main channel had all been created by about 10% of the people all trying to give orders - not in fact by the banter, which often promptly died. This situation has abated.
I genuinely think now that we are more effective as an outfit in game, and the jokes are funnier on comms, in separate squads. Think of it as stand-up (group) vs sketch (split comms). Also it gives you ready made straight guy (mocking other squads efforts is fun!) I also heard voices from some relatively new guys the other night which in a mass group channel just wouldn't happen. (Which btw is clearly Dewi's fault. )
If we split into channels people need to understand it's not about being "serious face" even true TacGir isn't mega levels of serious. Just cos you're going to go into a room by twos, use smoke and clear the windows doesn't mean you can't mock someone for running into a scat-max and falling off the balcony (afterwards!).
I think we are in reality in danger of losing sight of the TacGir (Set moves, Special skills, New weapons) in favour of Squad Play (Follow my lead, Stick together, Watch the flank!). Not that Milsimming is going to over whelm the outfit suddenly.
TrooperWally lead a really good TacGir squad tonight, being actually really focused. So that was good.
And Coffeetable did a good job a while before that, moving about two squads worth of giraffes on a merry chase around Indar. I took over for a bit, which went okay in the beginning, and then I lost the momentum (damn cold!), at which point Laldy took over, bless him, and did well too.
Cheers Esoteric! I'm glad it seemed focused, at least for a while. I definitely faded (a consequence of a busy week of work I think) over the evening but Frozen Rain stepped up to take on the TacGir mantle and did very well. Particularly enjoyed getting into a lovely sniping position and calling out spots to the rest of the platoon - great work for a first time at TacGir, well done Frozen Rain!WallyTrooper = TrooperWally
Wally is now on Steam!
I enjoyed the TACGIR, too. We were really effective, especially with that many Medics. Thank you for your great leading!


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Posted by Josh Ferry Woodard on October 22nd, 2012. Connect with us on Google+.
The Pound to Euro exchange rate hit a series of 4-month lows last week as UK inflation pressures eased, paving the way for more quantitative easing measures from the Bank of England. Euro sentiment was also improved as Spain looked set to request financial aid and, although this hasn't happened yet, this notion contributed to GBP/EUR's 1.5 cent weekly decline.
Sterling held above the 1.2400 mark for most of the day on Monday as markets appeared to be mildly put-out by the news that the Troika – of inspectons from the EU, IMF, and EC – have delayed making a decision on Greece's finances until mid November.
However the Pound did not stand up so well on Tuesday morning when it was announced that inflation in the UK fell to its lowest level in almost 3 years during September. The UK Consumer Price Index slid to 2.2%, marking a 0,3% decline, which was interpreted as negative for the UK currency as it increased the likelihood of the Bank of England returning to their quantitative easing cycle in November.
Sterling's woes were exasperated later on in the day as leaders from Spain commented that a potential Spanish bailout programme could save the Iberian nation around €9 billion a year, which is equivalent to 1% of GDP. The optimistic report also suggested that Spain's borrowing costs could drop by over 1.5% in the first 24 hours of European Central Bank intervention and this contributed to GBP/EUR 1 cent daily decline.
Wednesday saw some good news for the UK economy, as the ILO Unemployment Rate fell to a 15-month low of 7.9% and the Claimant Count decreased by -4,000, but this did not translate into a positive performance for the Pound against the Euro. With markets rallying wildly around the world and Spanish 10-year debt yields declining by -28.2 basis points, Sterling was unable to compete with the single currency despite the minutes from the latest BoE meeting showing that there are disagreements over the effectiveness of further asset purchases.
On Thursday more UK economic good news was overshadowed by developments in the Eurozone. UK Retail Sales printed stronger-than-expected at 2.9%, reflecting positively on the British economy and reducing the chances of more QE, but the Pound was punished in the evening as British Prime Minister David Cameron struck an alienating tone with reference to the UK's EU membership. Subsequently GBP/EUR decreased by 0.5 cents.
The single currency was unable to appreciate further against the Pound on Friday as UK Public Borrowing figures showed that the budget deficit is shrinking, and markets interpreted the conclusion to the EU summit in Brussels as disappointing. Investors were looking for decisive action regarding the proposed plan to recapitalise struggling Eurozone banks, but Germany's tough stance on structural reforms ensured that no concrete developments were made.
Looking ahead at this week's schedule and the economic docket is fairly sparse. German and Eurozone Manufacturing and Services PMI figures are due to be released on Wednesday morning and should show the mildest of mild improvements in output. The only other standout event is the release of the UK's third quarter earnings print. GDP is predicted to have grown by 0.6% during the last quarter, bringing Britain out of recession for the first time in 6 months.
In terms of the Pound to Euro exchange rate, significant resistance has formed between 1.2310 and 1.2330 and for this to be broken we will either have to see a poor set of Eurozone PMI prints, an exceedingly good UK GDP report, or a shift in market sentiment away from a Spanish bailout request.
The Euro is deriving a lot of its current strength from the agreement among market-players that Spain is about to trigger ECB intervention in the sovereign debt market by requesting financial aid. However if Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy continues to stall, then a combination of UK economic growth and Eurozone jitters could cause GBP/EUR to grow.
Summary of major upcoming data releases that we think may move the market.
|Issuing country/region
|Data Item
|Market Expectation
|Market Sensitivity
|October 24th
|EUR German Purchasing Manager Index Services (OCT A)
|October 24th
|EUR German Purchasing Manager Index Manufacturing (OCT A)
|October 24th
|EUR Euro-Zone Purchasing Manager Index Composite (OCT A)
|October 24th
|EUR Euro-Zone Purchasing Manager Index Services (OCT A)
|October 24th
|EUR Euro-Zone Purchasing Manager Index Manufacturing (OCT A)
|October 25th
|GBP Gross Domestic Product (QoQ) (3Q A)
© TorFX. Unauthorised copying or re-wording of this blog content is prohibited. The copyright of this content is owned by Tor Currency Exchange Ltd. Any unauthorised copying or re-wording will constitute an infringement of copyright.


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by Richard Evans, The Telegraph:
The Bank of England's policy of quantitative easing has done "irreparable damage" to Britain's final salary pension schemes, a leading economist has said.
While the Bank made no extension to its QE programme yesterday, its policy of forcing down long-term interest rates has caused huge problems for the pension schemes of many firms, according to Ros Altmann of Saga, the over-50s' group.
Pension deficits at FTSE 100 firms have more than doubled in the last year alone, despite companies pumping millions into their schemes to repair their pension shortfalls, Ms Altmann said.
"This is turning into a 'death spiral'," she added. "The lower gilt yields fall, the worse pension deficits become. The worse pension deficits become, the more trustees will feel they need to 'de-risk'. This often means buying more gilts which itself means worse deficits because trustees are competing with the Bank of England, which is also trying to buy gilts due to QE."
She said many employers would want to get rid of their pension risks altogether, but that that approach also risked becoming unaffordable because the cost of covering future liabilities also rises as gilt rates fall.
"Firms are left trying to find more money to plug pension deficits, causing funds to be diverted from creating jobs and expanding operations. Worryingly too, companies trying to borrow money to expand, or to meet a pension recovery plan, are finding the banks increasingly unwilling to lend because of the pension deficit.
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