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Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) proposed on Thursday that banks make provisions to cover 5% of their restructured loans starting 1 April instead of the current 2.75%, which could have a significant impact on their earnings if implemented.
Not only that, the draft norms also suggested that the provisions on the stock of total restructured loans should be hiked to 5% in a phased manner—to 3.75% with effect from 31 March 2014, and 5% with effect from 31 March 2015.
The central bank has sought comments on the suggestions by 28 February. The guidelines, if accepted, could make it more difficult for indebted companies trying to persuade banks to restructure loans. The panel is headed by B. Mahapatra, executive director, RBI.
In November last year, RBI raised the provisioning for restructured loans to 2.75% from 2%. This increase dragged down profits of all bank in the third quarter ended December. For example, Central Bank of India, which has the highest share of bad loans as a percentage of total loans in the industry, took a hit of Rs.150 crore in its third-quarter profit.
Total loans restructured by Indian banks under the so-called corporate debt restructuring (CDR) route crossed Rs.2 trillion in December. In the past quarter alone, banks restructured Rs.24,584 crore of loans, up from the Rs.19,544 crore they recast in the previous quarter, to reach Rs.2.12 trillion of restructured loans.
The actual figure for restructured loans may be around Rs.4 trillion as this estimate does not include bilateral restructuring cases that banks undertake individually with firms.
This increased provision will effectively put restructured loans almost on par with bad loans, according to A.S.V. Krishnan, an analyst at Ambit Capital Pvt. Ltd, a brokerage.
"About 5.9% of the loan book in the banking system has been restructured as of September 2012, which is about Rs.3 trillion. Right now, at 2.75% provision, banks have to set aside just below Rs.9,000 crore; but if these norms kick in from the next fiscal, they will have to set aside another Rs.3,000 crore, going up to Rs.6,750 crore in two years," said Krishnan.
"These new guidelines, if applied, will disincentivize banks from inordinate restructuring because they will have to pay a higher cost on restructured loans," he said. "Increasing the provision to 5% will bring the cost of restructuring almost on par with bad loans because when a loan goes into CDR, banks typically take a loan-to-value hit of 10% to 15%. A 5% provision on these loans will mean the cost will be almost equal to a bad loan."
Bankers have already protested against some of the recommendations of the RBI panel earlier.
"The recommendations of the committee are not easy to implement. Banks have already spoken against this committee's recommendations with the regulator," said a banker who requested anonymity. "Profitability will be hampered and it will not allow us to restructure loans of firms that are genuinely in need."
If the suggestions are accepted by RBI, India's highly leveraged realty sector is likely to be the worst affected. Already, RBI has denied banks permission to restructure loans of companies belonging to the segment. However, they can still restructure the loans of real estate companies as with any other account, on a case-by-case basis.
Any increase in provisioning will have a significant effect, especially since banks will have recast more loans in the approaching months given the slow pace of recovery in India's economic growth, analysts said.
Under CDR, commercial banks typically stretch the repayment period to stressed companies, offer a moratorium and reduce lending rates, among other measures. Under current norms, banks are required to make 2.75% provisioning on standard restructured loans as against 0.4% for loans that are standard.
In the event of a restructured loan turning bad, the provisioning liability shoots up to 15%.
The current situation could turn worse as most analysts suspect that 25-30% of the restructured loans may turn bad, unless there is a significant revival in the economy.
Bad loan levels in the banking system have spiked in the past few years because of a slowing economy.
Gross non-performing assets (NPAs) of 40 listed Indian banks rose to Rs.1.66 trillion in September, up 46.8% from a year-ago period.
In the December quarter, gross NPAs of 28 listed banks, which have so far reported results, have together accounted for Rs.93,748.07 crore. Some big banks, including State Bank of India (SBI) and Bank of Baroda, are yet to announce results.
Among the large banks that have the maximum amount of NPAs are the nation's largest lender SBI (5.15%) and Central Bank of India (5.64%).


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HOUSTON - A woman and her dog died Tuesday after her home caught fire in southeast Houston.
The fire was started at the house on Sherwood and Porter at around 11:30 p.m. on Monday.
Fire crews said massive amounts of clutter blocked the entrances and exits to the home, making it extremely difficult to get to the woman. After several attempts, firefighters had to use special equipment to pull the woman out of her bathroom.
"Those firefighters cut the bottom part of the window out, allowing the firefighters on the inside to lift the lady out," said Jay Evans with the Houston Fire Department.
The woman was rushed to the hospital, where she died.
"I know she lives there alone," neighbor Gail McAdams said. "I was praying she got out."
Houston Police said her power was shut off.
Arson investigators said the fire was suspicious and that foul play may be involved.
Neighbors said the woman has lived in the neighborhood for more than 30 years. They said she is known as "Ms. Cotton."
Copyright 2012 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

subset: commoncrawl


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Canterbury over Adams Central - Kreiger has Cavaliers off to strong start.
Heritage over Bellmont - Patriots are on verge of breakthrough.
New Haven over Leo - Good rivalry game between good teams.
Woodlan over Blackhawk Christian - May be best game in area.
Carroll over Huntington North - Chargers may be best 0-4 team anywhere.
Columbia City over Marion - Giants lost to Wapahani. Where am I?
North Side over Snider - Redskins are not who you want to open the season against.
Northrop over Wayne - Bruins playing really well of late.
Bluffton over Northfield - This'll be closer than Tiger fans want.
Concordia Lutheran over Bishop Dwenger - This isn't football season anymore.Last week - 9-1
Overall - 9-1
Canterbury over Adams Central - The Cavs' trademark tenacity remains in place.
Heritage over Bellmont - Both teams struggling, but Pats' offense prevails.
New Haven over Leo - Could be an uptempo, bombs-away showdown.
Woodlan over Blackhawk Christian - Warriors establishing some consistent play early.
Carroll over Huntington North - Chargers are better than their 0-4 record.
Columbia City over Marion - The Eagles are up and running, maybe flying.
North Side over Snider - Redskins benefit from four games worth of experience.
Northrop over Wayne - Expect this game to hinge on a late "and-one."
Bluffton over Northfield - Let's see if the Tigers can bounce back from a bad game.
Concordia Lutheran over Bishop Dwenger - Cadets' experience prevails over emerging young Saints.Last week - 7-3
Overall - 7-3
Canterbury over Adams Central - This will be a close one but Cavs prevail.
Heritage over Bellmont – Patriots get their first win after four losses.
New Haven over Leo – Bulldogs will slow down Lions.
Woodlan over Blackhawk Christian – Warriors have won four straight after an opening-game loss.
Carroll over Huntington North – Brutal schedule has left Chargers winless - not anymore.
Columbia City over Marion – Eagles will improve record to 5-0.
North Side over Snider – Panthers haven't played because of deep run in football playoffs.
Northrop over Wayne – A lot of offensive weapons in this game.
Bluffton over Northfield – Tough game to call but Tigers come out on top on the road.
Concordia over Bishop Dwenger – Cadets still stinging from last seasons sectional-loss to Saints.Last week - 9-1
Overall - 9-1
Adams Central over Canterbury - Flying Jets will make it two straight over the Cavaliers.
Heritage over Bellmont - Patriots have had tough schedule, will get first win.
New Haven over Leo - Bulldogs not just V.J. Beachem.
Blackhawk Christian over Woodlan - Coach Randall doing good things with Warriors, but Braves win.
Carroll over Huntington North - Chargers' four losses to teams a combined 10-1.
Columbia City over Marion - Giants a long way from past glory.
North Side over Snider - Panthers guard Leander Williams takes on his former team.
Northrop over Wayne - Generals get a dose of reality against the Bruins.
Bluffton over Northfield - Last Tigers loss to Northfield came in 1998.
Concordia Lutheran over Bishop Dwenger - Cadets better be careful, Saints put a scare into Norwell.Last week - 7-3
Overall - 7-3
Canterbury: 95.83 percent over Adams Central: 4.17 percent
Heritage: 76.0 percent over Bellmont 24.0 percent
New Haven: 80.0 percent over Leo: 20.0 percent
Woodlan: 65.38 percent over Blackhawk Christian: 34.62 percent
Carroll: 84.0 percent over Huntington North: 16.0 percent
Columbia City: 62.96 percent over Marion: 37.04 percent
North Side: 68.0 percent over Snider: 32.0 percent
Northrop: 96.15 percent over Wayne: 3.85 percent
Bluffton: 79.17 percent over Northfield: 20.83 percent
Concordia Lutheran: 96.15 percent over Bishop Dwenger: 3.85 percent


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SANTA CRUZ -- On Tuesday, the City Council will consider plans for the Lower Ocean Neighborhood Park, a half-acre sliver of recreational and open space between Riverside Avenue and San Lorenzo Boulevard.
Made possible by a nearly $1.8 million state grant, the park will feature community gardens, benches, a barbecue grill, fountain, swing set and other playground equipment. The city is required to construct the park by June 2017 in order to receive the funding, which stems from Proposition 84 passed in 2006.
Laura Joy Lamkin, a 14-year resident of Bixby Street, said neighbors are excited. She said the area, which has suffered from crime and blight, needs a community gathering spot considering the closest green space is about a half-mile away at Ocean View Park.
"I think it will have a really good impact," she said, adding that the city took great care in lighting the park well for safety. "It really will be a neighborhood park."
Lamkin said she remembers there was concern about what impact the Ken Wormhoudt Skate Park would have on the neighborhood when it went in several years ago at San Lorenzo Boulevard and Riverside Avenue. But she said it has become a positive community space.
The Lower Ocean park will be the first new neighborhood park in the city since Poets Park was placed in the Beach Flats in 2007 and Depot Park opened in 2005. The Lower Ocean park will be built on three parcels acquired by the city, which has about $500,000 of grant funds left for design and construction.
"In these tough economic times, it's tough to create anything new, and the fact that we were able to gather this money is great," said Councilman Ryan Coonerty, who lives nearby. "A lot of kids in the neighborhood play soccer and catch in the street. So to have a safe place they can gather and play is huge."
The park is on the council's consent agenda, meaning city staff expects the item not to be controversial.
The Parks and Recreation Commission passed the plan unanimously in July and there was no attendance by community members at that meeting. However, the city did receive input from residents during a meeting last March, according to the Parks and Recreation Department.
The city intends to hire landscape architect Janet Pollock and architect Mark Primack, a former council member, to design the project.
Follow Sentinel reporter J.M. Brown on Twitter at Twitter.com/jmbrownreports
WHEN: 3 p.m. Tuesday
WHERE: Council Chamber, 809 Center St.


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|Different Takes on Familiar Wakes
| Part
2: Cruising at a leisurely 7 knots
By Jeanine Detz — October 2001
Following breakfast the next morning, we headed north on the River Schelde toward our first lock. The canal system surrounding Ghent, our destination, is one of the most complex in Western Europe. There is a bypass canal, or ringvaart, that circles two-thirds of the city and connects the upper and lower parts of the River Schelde, the River Leie, the Leie Canal, the Brugge Canal, and the Terneuzen Canal. During the days that followed, we would travel many of these waterways as we headed north to Ghent, west to Brugge, and southeast to Deinze.
Powered by a single 140-hp diesel, Vaargetijden cruises at a leisurely 7 knots. Combine that pace with the tranquil landscape–rich, green hues of the trees lining the river, interrupted only occasionally by a bicyclist or two–and it's nearly impossible not to relax. Within minutes Holland, three guests of the Karremans, and I were all silent–either reading or snoozing or just enjoying a cup of coffee and the view.
About four hours later, we passed through the ringvaart and entered the River Leie, where local limits forced us to cut our speed to a crawl–2 knots. The landscape also changed. No longer lone travelers on the river, we shared the brackish waterway with many pleasureboats tied up along the banks. As we made our way to the Ghent Centrum Yacht Club, buildings seemed to pop up out of nowhere. We were suddenly in a city, and I was anxious to explore.
I crossed St. Michael's Bridge to enter the town, and my senses were bombarded by the strong earthy smell of the fairly stagnant river, sights of the centuries-old architecture, and the temptation of chocolate (available at nearly every crossroad). I walked the city's central streets, window shopping along the way, until I arrived at the impressive St. Bov's Cathedral.
Home of Jan van Eyck's masterpiece Adoration of the Lamb, the cathedral also houses a museum of church artifacts in a crypt-like space below. After I left the serenity of the space, I continued on my self-guided tour of the area's 14th-century architecture. My outing included a stop at the 300-foot-tall clock tower, a stroll past the castle's Graventeen, and a chat with a chocolatier in one of the city's many homemade confection shops.
Walking back to the boat, I could not resist the temptation of the many outdoor cafes along the river. I slipped into a chair, ordered a beer–a Leife blond–and passed an hour watching cyclists speed by. When I arrived back onboard, Olga was getting ready to serve dinner.
Meals onboard Vaargetijden are a filling and entertaining affair. Olga spends each afternoon preparing a three-course meal, which on our trip includied many Belgian specialties such as cauliflower soup and an endive entree. The Karremans dine with their guests, a practice which often results in chats lasting well into the evening. After we watched the sunset (at 10 p.m.!) on the deck, I headed below. Brugge was on the next day's itinerary, and it would be a 30-mile (about six-hour) trip.
A friend who recently visited Belgium had told me to skip Brussels in favor of a visit to this, the capital of West Flanders, instead. And after setting foot on my first cobblestone street, I could see why. The facades of 13th- and 14th-century buildings, combined with the click-clock of horses and buggies carrying passengers around the city's center, made me feel like I had been transported into a Vermeer painting. Holland and I explored the city's late medieval and early Renaissance treasures for several hours. Stops in the center square as well the courtyard of a convent founded in 1245 highlighted an afternoon topped off by several chocolate truffles and a couple of pints.
On our last day onboard Vaargetijden, we spent a few hours in the city of Deinze, where the Museum van Deinze en Leistreek houses the work of many renowned artists of the Flanders area. I had the paintings of Emiel Claus, Devant La Glace, and Gustav Van de Woestyne almost to myself. (A group of schoolchildren were the small museum's only other visitors.) After the brief stopover, we cruised the River Leie for about 2 1š2 hours, until we arrived at the small town of St. Martens Latem.
St. Martens is a quaint, upscale place where art galleries and brasseries dominate the main streets. I can think of no other place where you can pass by a windmill, farm, and four-star restaurant all during a 10-minute bike ride. The town was a fitting last stop for a trip that had been characterized by a slow pace, pastoral scenery, and French-inspired Belgian cuisine.
I took a stronger appreciation for European architecture (and Belgian beer) back with me to New York, and about two weeks after I had arrived home–just when the memories of the cities I had visited started to fade–a coworker told me of the Vermeer exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A Saturday perusing the Dutch master's paintings transported me back to northern Belgium and the streets I had strolled in. For a few hours, I was in 17th-century Belgium instead of 21st-century New York City. How's that for looking at your hometown differently?
De 4 Vaargetijden charters yearlong. A midweek trip is approximately $300; full week is approximately $497. Prices are per person based on eight-person occupancy and include food, fuel, and dockage.
De 4 Vaargetijden Phone: (32) 477 69 63 62. Fax: (32) 477 69 64 62. www.de4vaargetijden.com.
U.S. Office: Forever Young Travel Phone: (954) 989-0156. Fax: (954) 989-0163.
Next page > Belgium Photo Gallery > Page 1, 2, 3
This article originally appeared in the January 2003 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.


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This game was classified by the community with the following category scores - Violence=0/3, Sex=0/3, Mature Content=0/3. DangerRally is a simple racing game.Drive doesn't spin and drift,so you can easily manipulate a car.The course is automatically generated by computer every time.(There are other premade courses.)The course is solid,so the car drops down when it went off the road.But the car can glide with wings.You can continue to race if your car land on the down road.And good use of glide make a shortcut.
Buy Xbox content on Xbox.com. Your Xbox 360 console will automatically download the content next time you turn it on and connect to Xbox Live.Learn More


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Pyrenees To The Med CPM
Visiting: Spain
Trip Duration 8 Days
- Tour Style: Classic
- Tour Type: Small Groups
- Accommodation Grade: Standard
- Cycling Grade: Easy to Moderate
Cycling Holiday in Catalonia
Ride with us on scenic dedicated cycle paths from the foothills of the Pyrenees to the Mediterranean coast. We pedal through northern Spain's volcanic countryside and ancient walled villages to the port town of Sant Feliu de Guixols. We also stroll through the Ramblas in Barcelona, explore the medieval back streets in Girona and enjoy some delicious Catalan cuisine.
Tour Highlights
- Barcelona - Orientation tour of Catalonia's capital city
- Girona - Exploring medieval backstreets
- Foothills of the Pyrenees - Beautiful cycling along tranquil 'greenways'
- Volcano Natural Park - Calderas, forests and rivers
- St Feliu De Guixols - Relaxing on the Mediterranean Coast
Itineraries on some departure dates may differ, please select.
1Join tour Barcelona; city tour
2Train to Ripoll and cycling to Olot
3Cycling between volcanoes
4Cycling to Girona; explore on foot
5Cycling to Sant Feliu de Guixos
6Free day on coast; optional cycle to Tossa del Mar
7Transfer to Barcelona; free afternoon
8Tour ends Barcelona
Trip notes
Each departure date has its own dedicated trip note, detailing all you need to know about that trip. Whether you've already booked, or weighing up your options, please choose carefully the relevant itinerary for you.
We have the following different versions of the Pyrenees To The Med trip available at present.
Please select a date:
Why Book this trip
Unlike many other operators, we include the hire of your bike in the overall cost of the holiday: you don't need to bring your own or pay extra to hire one locally. We also provide a support vehicle, spare parts and take care of day to day bike maintenance. All you need bring is your own helmet.
|Included meals
TransportBus, Train, Bicycle
Accommodation7 nights Standard Hotel
Trip StaffExplore Tour Leader / Driver
Cycling Information
On this tour we cycle 164 km over four days (an average of 41 km a day) with a further optional 23 km available. We follow quiet dedicated cycle paths or dirt roads (85%) and some quiet country roads (15%). There is one day with a 390 metre ascent (support vehicle available) and two days with a little ascent (140-250m). Maps are provided to cycle individually or in groups while the tour leader drives the support vehicle, except on circular routes when the tour leader will cycle with the group. We have graded the route as easy to moderate.
Included Bike
27 gear Stevens Galant SX or similar hybrid bikes.


text: Scotsman Ice Systems earns award for protecting the environment through manufacturing energy-efficient products. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named Scotsman Ice Systems as a 2012 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year–Product Manufacturer for its contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by manufacturing energy-efficient products and helping to educate consumers about those products. Scotsman's


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May is one of my favorite times of the year at Bob's Red Mill. Not only do the flowers let lose all over the country (at least we hope they are blooming where you are), but May is National Celiac Disease Awareness Month. That might not seem like a reason to celebrate, but May is as good a time as any to spread the word about celiac disease and gluten intolerance.
Celiac disease is a genetic condition in which the consumption of foods containing gluten (a form of protein found in some grains e.g. wheat, barley, and rye) triggers an autoimmune response that damages the small intestine. The damage to the intestine makes it hard for the body to absorb nutrients from food, especially fat, calcium, iron, and folic acid, leading to malnutrition and a variety of other problems such as diarrhea, weight loss, and weakness.
In the United States, the exact number of people who have Celiac Disease is not known. Recent screening tests have shown that 1 in every 133 people may have the condition. Many of those people are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with other conditions that have similar symptoms. The only cure is to follow a gluten free diet.
To make life a little easier for those with Celiac Disease, Bob's Red Mill has dedicated a special section of our company solely to the production of gluten-free flours, cereals and baking mixes. They are all produced in a facility separated from where our products that contain gluten are manufactured, and they are tested in our laboratory using the R-5 ELISA Gluten Assay Test to ensure that they are gluten-free. Watch our video tour of our gluten free facility here.
Here are some fun ideas for spreading awareness of celiac disease:
- Bring gluten free treats to your work or your child's classroom and prove to others just how delicious gluten free can be. Make sure to bring your A-game and practice first if you're not sure about a recipe.
- Host a gluten free party and serve only gluten free foods and beverages. This is a great way to talk about the less-known sources of gluten (think beer and soy sauce). A simple Google search turned up pages of great ideas for a gluten free party.
- Take a newly diagnosed friend or family member grocery shopping or help them clean out their kitchen to prepare for the new diet.
- Organize a meet-up for other families on the gluten free diet.
- Challenge yourself to try a new restaurant where you've heard they are responsive to special diet needs.
Got others? Share them with us on Facebook or in the comments here.
To celebrate Celiac Disease Awareness Month, we have some great giveaways planned. I have cookbooks, cookies, baking utensils and more! Keep checking back to here for your chance to win.


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I don't putt with my Neutron Anode unless I need a shot to go up and drop fast. It's a better driver than my other Anodes though...has more HSS and is faster. It can be thrown on more of a low line drive than my other Anodes and is owning the gap between my soft Anodes and my mids. One thing I did notice is that my 175 N Anode flies kind of like a brick...When really powered it flies awesome, but anything under about 280' and it's a brick. The one I've been using the most is a 172.5g and is domier than my heavy one as well. I also have a 170 that drives great as well, glides so much it's almost hard to range (which is why I've bagged the slightly heavier one).
I decided the other day that I need a broken in soft Anode so I took one of my flat 173s (which were already less stable to begin with) and threw some hockey puck shots on my road and then did some 360s with it right in front of a stone wall. After the treatment I rubbed it down with a microfiber to smooth it back out. It didn't make it understable exactly, but it is much less stable than it was and has some nice and slow high speed turn when powered and it incredibly straight on approach shots.


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" Address: Alton Towers, Staffordshire ST10 4DB / Tel:08705 001100. "
WOW! As a family of 6 we've been to Alton Towers a few times, but had not stayed in the hotel, until now. The drive from Newcastle is about 3hours, and over the years we've stayed in a log cabin, travel lodge, local pub and caravan park, but the benefits of staying in the hotel overshine all of these.
As soon as you arrive the parking is free, the reception staff cannot help you enough, and even though you shouldn't have your room till after 3, they will store your bags so you can head straight to the park, or soak up the fun in the Splash Landing hotel which is next door. If the room is ready the staff are happy to let you have it earlier.
The bedrooms are pretty standard, but you have tv with sky and option to buy movies. It is possible to upgrade to a theme room eg chocolate room, which we seen which would be great for a special occasion, and has little freebie chocolate bars. There is tea and coffee as well as biscuits provided free and shower gels and soaps.
You can either use the monorail to get to the park, or you can walk through a woodland walk which takes about 20mins, it isn't suitable for pushchair or wheelchair users.
The park is also available an hour sooner for hotel guests and breakfast is included. It is self service and you can eat as much as you want, it caters from full english, to cereals and crossants. In other words theres something for everyone again the staff are very helpful and nothings to much trouble.
Look in the newspapers for special offers and also ask if they'll price match if you get price on net cheaper.
You can also charge things to your room, so saves carrying cash around. In addition the restaurants within the hotel do special deals eg carvery 9.99, they also have less formal dining where you can get a sandwich from the bar,or a pizza from snack bar.
The gardens around the hotel are lovely with a walkway, pond and ducks, you can even buy some food to feed them. All in all a lovely treat that both the adults and kids will love! Let dad take them to the park and ladies treat yourself to the spa, its fab and I highly recommend. Enjoy!
I have stayed at The Alton Towers Hotel a few times, twice with a group of friends and once with my family. I last booked into the hotel in October 2009, during a Halloween tour of UK theme parks and attractions.
Alton Towers Hotel is Alton Tower's original theme hotel. You can get rooms suitable for families, groups of friends and even 'sleep-over' rooms for large groups of kids. The venue has great wheelchair access and generally seems suitable for most people, whatever their circumstances or needs. Aside from the standard rooms, there are theme rooms, which cost a lot extra, but offer a fairly unique experience.
Each time I have stayed, I have opted for a standard room and shared with one other person. The rooms have always been a very satisfactory. They are clean and light, with televisions, tea and coffee making facilities and a bathroom which includes a nice, large bath and power shower. The beds are a little uncomfortable, but bearable.
The hotel has some great touches and facilities. The hotel building looks impressive from the outside. There is an impressive water feature near the entrance, as well as a well-presented car park, which allows for easy arrival. The check-in service is quick and efficient.
The hotel has one bar that stays open until around 12. If you are a night owl and want to stay up later, you can make the short walk over to Splash Landings (without going outside) and use their 24 hour bar. The biggest disappointment with The Alton Towers Hotel was the quality of the food at the hotel's restaurant, as well as a very poor standard of service from the waiting and booking staff. The food is edible, but it is a long way from gastronomy.
Clearly a lot of thought has been put into the general appearance of the premises and this shows. The hotel has a fun feeling and some impressive features, such a the haunted lift and a large 'hot air balloon' statue standing in the middle of a magnificent stairwell. The gardens are large and well kept, with a large terrace for a nightcap or early coffee. There are fun things to keep the kids occupied, including a video games arcade and a number of games in the gardens. The hotel often plays host to entertainers, ranging from cabaret singers to magicians.
One of the greatest pleasures of staying at this hotel is the exclusive woodland walk entrance to the theme park. As well as getting tickets as part of your booking package, you are entitled to use the secret woodland entrance, which will put you at the heart of the theme park within 20 minutes. This also makes returning to the hotel during the day very convenient. As well as this, there are other benefits, such as the convenient proximity of the Alton Towers crazy golf course.
As I mentioned, I last stayed at Halloween and when I arrived, the hotel was fully dressed for the occasion, complete with dozens of pumpkins, a boiling cauldron, cobwebs and staff dressed at vampires and zombies. The guests at the hotel also received exclusive access to a halloween 'walk through' attraction, staged in the grounds. This was an impressive and enjoyable experience, that was well worth the very long queue.
The quality of my last visit to the Alton Towers Hotel was significantly damaged by the hotel's decision to put me and my friend in a room that was next to one of the hotel's themed Karaoke party rooms. This room was filled with young teenaged girls (may be ten 13 year olds). The room had an adjoining door to our room, so clearly our room was intended for the parents or guardians of the children. This door was actually unlocked when we arrived and one of the next door girls walked straight through into our room. It is questionable as to how appropriate it was for the hotel's management to put a group of young girls in a room like this, when the room connected was occupied by strangers. It is also questionable as to how they could choose to host unconnected parties in the room, who would be expecting a good night's rest, but end up listening to Karaoke into the small hours of the morning in a poorly soundproofed room.
When we complained to the hotel management, we were offered a 10% discount. We declined this and asked to be moved to a different room instead. At this point the manager became quite abusive and told us he was withdrawing his offer of the 10% discount. He was generally rude and seemed very unconcerned that we had spent nearly £300 on a room that we couldn't use properly. He explained that the hotel did not give a guarantee that customers would be able to sleep in the rooms they book, which seems a very odd reply. The following morning we were informed that we could move rooms, which we did.
On the whole, I would continue to recommend the Alton Towers Hotel to anyone. The experience of staying at the hotel is amazing and uplifting. I would recommend you request a quiet room in advance though and don't get too excited about your evening meal if you are eating at their restaurant.
I first stayed in the Alton Towers Hotel last year with a works conference, all of the delagtes were split between the two hotels but I stayed in the main Alton Towers hotel. I enjoyed my time here so much I returned with my family for one is their Christmas weekends - what can I say - magical.
Undoubtedly expensive (£210 for one night) but if your never going to make it to Lapland consider going here instead. The check-in time is late afternoon but you can arrive earlier in the morning and get going on the attractions. Dinner was included in the price but you need to book a time slot on arrival so the earlier you do this the better as you don't want to be tool late with little ones.
The hotel foyer entrance is absolutely fantastic with the centre piece being Sir Algenons pirate ship with hot air balloon - spreading from the foyer floor down to the bar / restaurant floor. There is a Santa postbox in the foyer and if your child writes a letter and puts their name and room number and posts before 10pm they will get a letter from santa back the next morning posted under your room door.
The facilities for the Christmas event - they have reindeer which you can stoke and take your pic with, Santa is there of course and you have to book a time slot for him, at the hotel, then you queue and one of his elves will lead you down to Santas temporary UK base, this is a very genuine looking Santa, my daughter at this point was completely awe struck and in traditional Alton Towers style and format your child / children and even the parents can have their picture taken - you then have the option to buy this or further copies. There was also a hot pork bap stall outside, staying for the night means you have full use of the Splash Landings park and can also play 9 holes of Extraordinary golf (its an 18 hole course) for free - this crazy golf course is based on the Alton Towers rides and was great fun. There was also the elves playground (basically funfair rides) for little ones which is free with their wristbands given - these however were never checked.
In the evening there was a family disco in the conference facility area that connects this hotel to the Splash Landings hotel. There was also a pirate show by Sir Algenons ship (this show is on all year round as I also saw this whilst there with work).
The rooms are spacious, our room had a double bed and bunkbeds in along with TV, hairdryer and all the usual facilities you would expect from a hotel of this standing. I prefer the Alton Towers hotel to the Splash Landings one, the whole experience and finish is more magical.
The environment here is magical - as though you have stepped into another world - take the time to take your children - you won't regret it.
A week ago today I set off on a mini adventure with my fiancé!
The mini adventure was a two day, 1 night trip to the Alton Towers Resort.
We were staying in the original Alton Towers Hotel (the Splash Landings hotel was around the same price but more child-orientated) and included in our package were tickets for the Alton Towers theme park and Splash Landings water park for the duration of our stay.
The Hotel room itself for bed and breakfast was £128 for the two of us for 1 night; we then used a promotional code from The Sun newspaper which cut 50% off this amount.
The theme park entry is usually £36 pp per day but if you book in advance this is reduced to £29 pp per day, the water park entry is £14 pp on top of this. The deal then is that if you are booking the hotel stay at the same time you get 2 days for the price of one for both the theme park and the water park.
(Child prices are obviously less)
I'll try not to waffle on but there are a lot of factors to consider in a hotel review so bear with me!
Arriving at the hotel
We had been to Alton Towers before but never stayed at the hotel so were hoping finding it was easy enough, once you get to the Alton Towers gates you imply follow the road round all the way, don't turn off!
It was sign-posted so we got there quickly and easily.
First impressions count.... our first impression was on a rather windy and wet morning but still the magic was there!
The hotel is a gorgeous big building with a massive fountain in front of it, for those that don't know the hotel is based around the travels of adventurer and explorer Sir Algenon (whoever he is!)
Inside was just as impressive, a hot air balloon rises up from the floor below in-between the wooden spiral staircases winding around the reception.
We were met by a porter, dressed in the old fashioned gear and checking if we knew what we were doing and were ok.
Check in is any time as long as your room is ready, check out is 10am so when we arrived at 8.50am we knew our room wouldn't be ready and just went to the booth in reception which above it said 'ticket collection' presuming this would be where we picked up our tickets for the theme park and waterpark.
Now the next member of staff was 1 of only 2 who didn't go out of his way to help us, he said we couldn't collect them there despite the fact I had printed the e-mail confirmation exactly as it was sent he said t was missing the number he needed and we'd need to go queue at the park entrance and wait for admin!!
We took a chance and went across to reception and they said we could collect our tickets there and that was that, we were relieved we wouldn't have to queue and wait!
The staff at reception gave us an envelope containing the theme park tickets for both days and the water park wristbands. We were told we could leave our bags with concierge and they would put them in our room as son as it was ready, we thought this was a nice touch and were looking forward to returning to the room to find the cases waiting, sounded posh!
To get into the theme park you just follow the signs for the monorail which runs every five minutes or so to the park entrance. If you are feeling less lazy you can walk the pretty woodland walk which takes around 15 minutes from hotel to park.
Fast forward a few hours in the theme park and we headed back to the hotel and went to reception to collect our keys, the staff there were very helpful and told us everything we could need to know; all about the restaurants we could eat in, opening times, check out etc and also about the early ride times on certain big rides for hotel guests- the park usually opens at 10 but hotel guests can go in from 9 and ride on the following rides before any big queues build up; Oblivion, Enterprise, Mutiny Bay, Duel, Runaway Mine Train, Haunted Hollow, Rita and Sharkbait Reef.
We were then given our key card in a little Alton Towers wallet and headed up in the lift to the room.
I had read other reviews before we went and so expected what was ahead of us in the lift, I hadn't told my fiancé and he was little shocked...I don't want to spoil the surprise but believe me the fun doesn't stop in the lift!
The room
The key card worked first time which is a miracle in itself!
Our cases were as promised waiting inside the room for us, the room itself was spotless and styled in the adventurer style with little compasses on the headboards and mirrors and a very cool carpet.
We had chosen a standard room but you can also go for themed rooms at a higher price but our room was themed enough for us.
The bathroom was gleaming clean, I have a thing about bathrooms and as we checked in I heard someone complaining about theirs so I was a bit worried but was relieved it looked as clean as my own.
As well as being clean there were added goodies; a full size Original Source shampoo and conditioner, Imperial Leather Foamburst shower gel, Imperial Leather soap and a little Nivea bubble bath. V. impressed!
Next important part of the room, comfy bed? Tick, we had a quick lie down to check it out and it felt gorgeous, we were informed by the sign on the door that it was a Silent Night bed.
The room was warm enough but there was a thermostat so we could have warmed it up or cooled it down as required.
There were a couple of drawers and a clothes rail, not a proper wardrobe but we weren't bothered as we only needed to hang up Nicks shirt for the night and a dress I'd taken, we laid the rest of our clothes on the spare single bed.
The restaurants
There is a restaurant in each hotel, as a guest at either you have access to all the facilities within each. The two hotels are joined together by corridors so you never have to step outside to go between the two, it is a bit of a maze though so beware you don't get lost as we did on more than one occasion!
In the Alton Towers Hotel we had the Secret Garden restaurant, we had a quick look at this menu but had been recommended by a friend that we visit Flambos in the Splash Landings Hotel.
There is also a snack bar called Ma Garritas in Splash Landings which sells pizzas and toasties but we fancied a proper meal.
The Secret Garden is a brasserie type restaurant; it overlooks the beautiful gardens of the hotel. You have to ring up from your room phone to make a booking to eat here.
An example of the menu:
Starters were around £4-£5 each and included Soups, Pate and Garlic mushrooms. Main courses were around £10-£12 and included Steak, chicken and the vegetarian option of tomato pasta (something I am getting bored of as all restaurants seem to only offer this!)
As I said we decided to eat in Flambos Exotic feast this was just off the reception area of Splash Landings. At this restaurant you just turned up and were seated, it was a lot bigger than The Secret Garden.
In Flambos you help yourself to a 3 course buffet.
For the starter there was a choice of 2 soups; mushroom or tomato and freshly baked bread rolls.
For the main course there are tonnes of choices; a Chinese section including noodle dishes, rice, sweet and sour chicken and stir fried veg, an Indian section which included Samosas( meat and vegetable options) tonnes of curries, poppodoms and naans, a childrens bit with pizza, chips, chickens nuggets, garlic bread etc, a huge salad bar and finally a massive carvery with a choice of 3 meats, roast or new potatoes and about 6 vegetables.
For dessert you had the choice of pastries, cheesecake, chocolate fudge cake or my choice a chocolate fountain complete with Turkish delight, fruit and mini donuts to dip in!
The food was absolutely gorgeous but we both ate far too much!
It was an all you can eat for £16.95 per adult, you just paid for drinks on top.
The drinks were a reasonable price, around £1.60 for a decent sized glass of Coke.
Our waiter (who just cleared the plates away and brought drinks) was a lovely Polish man who couldn't have been more helpful! All dirty dishes were cleared away promptly as we helped ourselves to the next course.
As I mentioned earlier there were 2 members of staff that weren't great, we encountered the other one in the restaurant; a waitress took our full drinks away as wree getting our food even thought the table had a 'occupied' sign on it and then when she helped our waiter to clear the table she put all the other dirty dishes on our table as she stacked ours up which I didn't like!
In our hotel there were both childrens and adults entertainment, in Splash Landings it was all for children so we stuck to our hotel for the evening.
The childrens entertainment was a clown at 7pm but we wree eating at this time so I can't say if it was any god, the adult entertainment started at 9pm and was a singer in the bar area down a floor from the reception.
He was only on an hour but was decent enough singing classics everyone could toe-tap to!
The bar was slightly overpriced for 'normal' drinks, a pint of beer costing around £3.50 and a vodka and coke the same. Cocktails thought were better value, coming in a huge glass and costing around the £5 mark, I sampled one (can't remember its name lol) and was nicely merry half way through!! I am a bit of a lightweight but they definitely weren't skimpy with their measures, the bar service was very slow though.
We stayed in the bar about an hour after the singer had finished and then went into the gardens for a bit of an explore.
The gardens themselves are gorgeous, landscaped with fountains and steppingstones everywhere.
We then went up the room and got a lovely nights sleep dreaming of breakfast!
As I mentioned a full breakfast was included in the package price.
You had the choice of either restaurant for breakfast, they were both serving the same menu and as the Secret Garden was a bit posher we decided to eat there!
The restaurant was really lovely and the food was to die for!
It was self service again, the waiters just brought tea or coffee to your table for you. There were tonnes of different sections; a juice bar with a choice of around 6 juices, a pastry bit with croissants, Danish pastries, pain au chocolat, baby muffins....Mmm, Tonnes of cereals all in the mini boxes, a place to toast your bread and of course the Full Eglish Breakfast including everything you could imagine minus fried bread sadly as its my favourite bit!
We again stuffed our faces and then when Nick decided he was going to get on Oblivion in the early ride time, I was worried his breakfast would make a re-appearance but thankfully it didn't.
The breakfast was so huge we didn't want anything else to eat till about 3pm (which is odd for us believe me) lol.
Checking out
Before we headed into the park for the second day we had to check out, this included handing our key in to one of the many porters around the reception area. Simple and quick.
There was a questionnaire to fill in too if you had the time.
All in all the break cost us £150 plus around £50 for food and drinks so it wasn't a cheap night but it was highly enjoyable.
It's lovely as a treat but with a family it could get very expensive!
Thanks for reading :)
Stayed at the Splash Landings Hotel in September with my daughter (3 yrs) and my husband. Checked in quickly but room wasn't ready so had to wander around the grounds until it was. The grounds were very well kept I have to say and my daughter enjoyed looking at the ducks and fish in the lake. The room (family) was of a good size with a double and a single bed, it over the looked the gardens at the back which was nice. The room was clean but pretty basic.
The food in the restaurants was good, as was the evening entertainment. It was a bit tacky but if you took it all with a pinch of salt then it was very enjoyable!! The breakfast was a particular highlight, with an array of hot and cold foods. Great to get stocked up with calories for day in the pool or in the park.
All in all it was a great stay, the hotel is a great base for the park and the swimming pool and I would highly recommend a stay.
Recently I stayed at 'Splash Landings Hotel' at Alton Towers theme park with several of my closest friends. I have to say that the whole package was unbelievable, a very enjoyable weekend away.
<--First Impressions-->
I suppose the logical place to start would be my first impressions as I wandered in through the Hotels entrance, arriving in a beautifully themed reception area with a fantastic birds-eye view staring down over splash landings very own indoor adventure swimming pool! - Incredible, I was truely amazed at how much work had been put in to make this area really magical. Children and parents a-like gasped as they walked in through the entrance for the first time, and I was one of them.
Generally, the people working within the Hotel were very professional, well-dressed and helpful. However, we did come across a minor upset when trying to sign in at the reception desk. Included in our hotel package (ordered online through the Alton Towers website - www.altontowers.com) we were promised free access to the indoor swimming pool, but this service wasn't given (despite a minor argument with the receptionist) - we ended up having to pay a price of around £7 per person for one evenings swim.
I have to say though, after a reletavely bad start, everything from that moment on was perfect.
I believe this to be one of the hotels major highlights. The themeing consisted of a creative sea-side style, with wooden flooring and imaginative, colourful carpeting - A sandy beach look, with crashing waves and the odd crab appearing down each hall way. But it didn't stop at floors; all doors, walls, window-frames, tables, chairs, desks and ceilings were of the same wonderful theme. And if you didn't know... Splash Landings is also connected to the origional Alton Towers Hotel by hallways and passages, so as you walk from one building to another the carpet will gradually change from beach to usual hotel carpet in 20 paces!
Our room consisted of one bunk bed and one double be (basically a family sized room - What you will expect to find if arriving in a party of between 2-4 people). We were equiped with the usual freebies: Shampoo (origional source shower gel), biscuits, tea, coffee, milk, a kettle, television (with extra channels, on-screen games and an alarm), A keyboard for controlling the television, a desk, clothing storage, pegs and finally a large mirror. The bathroom came equiped with a decent sized bath, sink, mirror and toilet, so there was litterally no need to leave your room. I was very happy with this great collection of goods, the beds were comfortable and spacous and all the objects mentioned above worked and tasted very nice indeed!
Evening Meal - After a fun filled day at the theme park we arrived back at the hotel, collected our bags from the lobby and made our way into the restaurant where an 'all you can eat' meal deal was offered for just £10.00! There was a great range of food and drink arranged in a buffet type setting. it was nicely prepared in clean silver trays (some being heated for the meats, vegetables and other hot foods). The table we found seated 8, and though the restaurant was pritty packed the area was spacous and tidy. After tucking into our meals, drinks were ordered and we sat for a comfortable hour or so, talking away the time. Because of the wide choice in food, everyone was content, my dish being particularly nice.
Morning Meal - Our breakfast was rushed, but it needn't have been. We were so eager to flounder back onto the theme park that we decided it best to spend just 10-15minutes on our morning meal, then catch up at lunch. Breakfast was of a similar setting to the previous evenings meal: Buffet style (though there were considerably less people there to serve you - And equally less people eating) , this time our meal was free (included in the package) and it was once more an 'all you can eat' deal.
The food was great. English breakfasts, serials, breads and pasterys could be chosen at your liking. endless supplies of apple juice, orange juice and water were also included.
Access to the park from the hotel entrance could have been made easier. There are several options here: wait for the next bus to transport you safely into the park, catch the monorail (and wait in usually large queues), or simply walk your way up to the parks entrance area.
After waiting for a bus for too long we decided to take the walk. It was snowing. A cold breeze blew down the path we walked and I have to say it wasnt the most practical way to travel.
If you can stand to wait for better transport, then do, unless the weather is considerably better than it was when I was there.
Take a look at this website link for information on Splash Landings great prices and deals...
<--Extra information-->
Take a look at this website link to find out more about Splash Landings Hotel...
Splash Landings HotelVisited August 08, with my family, arrived and checked in quickly. Our room was a family room good sized, quiet surroundings, decoration was colourful and cheery, went well with Carribean theme. Very noisy at night children running down the corridor and tvs on loudly, not well soundproofed. Restaurant Flambo's very overpried adult to eat was £16.95, teenager £10.50, but nowhere else to eat. Waterpark is not included in the price unless booked a pakage, its £13.00 each but after 5 its £6 which is worth waiting for as park is opened until 8.00 master blaster slide is good fun and outdoor jacussi is very nice. Overall I would not stay here again as it is very overpriced.
It was my pleasure to visit the Splash Landings Hotel in May - what a great concept unique in britain in my opinion. The Splash Landings Hotel opened only a few years ago next to the Alton Towers Hotel and is located inside the Alton Towers theme park - the uks biggest and in my opinion best theme park. Incorporated into the hotel is Cariba Creek the uks first hotel waterpark. I stayed for two nights with park access for three days. The hotel itself is well laid out with reception, restaurant, access to Cariba Creek, bar, shop and games room all centrally loacted with rooms on two seperate wings of the building. The hotel throughout is Caribbean themed and the the sounds played through the PA system gives you a real feeling of being there. The rooms do not lack detail either whether its the wall decking, rope banastades or coconut lampshades this is as close to the Caribbean without steppig off the British Isles. All rooms either sleep a family of 4 or 6 with a combination of double beds and bunk beds. In addition rooms have bathroom with bath and power shower, toiletries (we got Imperial Leather stuff), TV with some Sky channels and access to Alton Towers info channel, hospitality tray and desk with chair. Although pleasent for 2 people the rooms are not huge and are not helped by the large bunk beds. Our room overlooked the outside pools of cariba creek waterpark but some did overlook the expanse of the carparks (not very Caribbean if you ask me). Food is served in the restaurant which is built around and overlooking Cariba Creek waterpark. For both breakfast and dinner the restaurant serves a buffet selection and what a buffet at that!! Basically eat as much as you want, take as many plates as you want type scenari
o - and you are encouraged to do so!! Breakfast is included in the price although dinner is extra at £25 per person which is not particulary cheap for buffet style, althougth the food was excellent. Try the pork and Apple Sausages (yum yum)!! Cariba Creek not as good as some indoor waterparks possibly because the outdoor section was closed either due to the weather or due to a lack of lifeguards (not sure on that one)! In saying that the theming was excellent and for kids and big kids alike many different things to do and play with (water cannons, water buckets, flumes etc). Being in the Alton Towers park meant that all the entertainment was only a mono-rail ride away. You get park passes for the duration of your stay and can come in and out as many times as you want. You also get free access to Cariba Creek throughout your stay, but is restricted on arrival and departure days. You also get early access to the park via the woodland walk and a number of other offers included with your welcome pack. Overall it is expensive but is in comparison to similar graded hotels in the Staffordshire area. Not for every taste but I will certainly return!!! Top Tips: 1. Arrive early to make the most of you park passes. 2. Cariba Creek is quieter during the day. 3. Book breakfast and dinner times at the restaurant reception. 4. Ask for a pool side room if available. 5. Utilise the park early access offer. 6. Visit off peak if at all possible.
Visited Splash Landings hotel for an overnight stay last October. Arrived at lunchtime, checked in and then went straight to the Alton Towers theme park. The monorail is located at the hotel and we were in the park within minutes. Alternatively you can walk there on a designated woodland walk available to hotel guests only. After an early dinner, went straight to the water park which was open until 10pm. The water park is wonderful with enough activities to entertain all ages. You could easily spend an entire day in there and adults and children alike will really enjoy it. There are little play pens that you can put infants in and a special area for very young children. The hotel is connected to the Alton Towers hotel through a walkway and you can dine in either hotel. The food prices were as you'd expect for a captive market. I think we paid £14 for a curry and about £18 for a steak meal. Portion sizes were reasonable and there was a set 3 course dinner and separate meals for children available. Breakfast was a set price and was eat all you could. You need to book your table in advance as the place gets booked quickly for the early settings. The atmosphere in the hotel was very Caribbean and the bedrooms were decorated in the same theme. The room size was not particularly large. A double bed and bunk beds is the norm and we had just enough space to put a travel cot between the beds so it felt quite squashed. You get certain benefits for the theme park from being a hotel guest as such as fast track access but note this access was only available on 4 set rides. You could also get into the park about half an hour earlier than non guests and most people chose to enter the park earlier by going on the woodland walk with the hotel staff. You meet in the foyer and it is a very easy stroll. We had a pram and is was easy enough to push through the woods. The hotel is not a cheap place to stay but there
is often special offers available on midweek breaks available. If we go again, we'll stay for 2 nights as we thoroughly enjoyed our stay there.
Amazing, Stunning an experience well worth the money. Beautiful, Fun, Exhilarating, enchanting. Well you ask what am I talking about, it's the Alton Towers Hotel. In the last 21 years Alton Towers has grown from little more than a funfair set in 50 acres of gardens, into world renouned theme parks with some of the most innovative rides. Currently the theme park has numerous features, hundreds of rides, including the oblivion, Nemesis, Water Rides, Kiddies Rides, Garden Parks, and much much more, including a hotel. Anyone who has been to Alton towers will know that, especially in the summer holidays, you can expect to wait 1-2hrs for the most popular rides, if not longer. In which case, if you arrive at opening times, (8.30am, Rides 9.00am) you will be able to fit in around 5-6 rides, not including lunch, exploring the fabulous gardens, going on the cable cars, and looking around the shops, before the rides stop at approximately 6.00pm. So to make the best of your time at Alton Towers I would recommend making it a 2day trip. There is a variety of ways to do this, including local bed and breakfasts, hotels and holiday homes, all of which are advertised on the Alton towers web site, www.alton-towers.co.uk. But these are the only ways you can also stay at the Alton Towers Hotel itself, which is situated the opposite side of the Alton towers gardens, and what a hotel it is!! The prices range from £100 for a room for four, to over £200 for a spectacular room for 2. The price includes breakfast and offers excellent restaurant facilities for evening meals at a reasonable price. (These are off peak prices, they can double in peak seasons) All the rooms are themed, from Betrix Potter and pirates, to Coca Cola and Oblivion. Most rooms has adjoining doors, meaning large groups of you can go and still have the fun of sharing rooms, with the ability to have them private as well. All bedrooms have there own funky decorated
bathrooms,(with bath, shower, towels, toiletries, toilets and sink,) television, room service, hairdryers, cuddly toys, tea and coffee making facilities, and in addition to all that the more exclusive the room the more facilities available. As the park is closed at night you are probably wondering what facilities are available for the evening. Well, you have the option of using the large indoor swimming pool, with Jacuzzi, spa and sauna, at no extra cost, or you can sit in the central bar filled with live entertainment. Although the prices were a little higher than average pub prices, there over a full range of drinks with a large cocktail list, with some of the nicest cocktails I have ever had. If you do not want to sit amongst the hustle and bustle of live entertainment, there is a large seating area outside next to the bar, with beautiful ponds, lighting and scenery. In the morning after breakfast you can catch the monorail, or take a scenic walk through the gardens to the park for early morning opening, exclusive to the hotel guests, of the most popular rides. That's if you haven't had too much to drink the night before! My experience at the Alton Towers Hotel was fantastic and you really are caught up in the magic. Two friends and I took my boyfriend for his 18th birthday and the moment I walked into the hotel loved it, with everyone in costumes, the magical music, the lifts, the stairs. I wont go into details or there will be nothing left for you to explore, or discover. All I can say is it was a trip worth going on and I'm definitely going to do it again. One thing I recommend is go in early may, when schools are in full flow the rooms are at off peak prices, and queues were very short for all rides. An experience you shouldn't miss.
This was the sign that greeted us on one of the lifts on a recent trip to the Alton Towers Hotel. Lifts breaking down are not a problem, it can happen to anyone, but normally you get a big Out of Order sign stuck up. Not the Alton towers hotel!! "We're sorry. This lift has temporarily run out of magic" it said. And magic is what you get. These are no ordinary lifts. Get in them, and they go dark, lights flash, loud music plays (it can be the nemesis or oblivion music too). Great, although our baby got a tad scared, but was fine after a second or two. The lifts fit in nicely with what is a great hotel. We stayed in an Explorer room, and the people with us stayed in one of the Garden rooms. These two styles of rooms are the standard ones and were the cheapest at £109 a night. The themed rooms such as the Chocolate room or Coca-Cola room were about £250 a night, but also hold 2 adults & up to four kids, where the standard rooms hold 2 adults & 2 kids. The rooms were functional. We had a cot in ours as well (supplied by the hotel, just like we asked for), so space did become a bit limited, with a double bed, and bunk beds too. The explorer room is decorated as you would expect with pictures of flying cars and various other things (these pictures follow the theme around the whole hotel of Sir Algernon's, I think, travels around the world). it also had a pirate boot lamp which my boy loved. The Garden room had a watering can lamp. If you have kids with you, you get a quite simple treasure hunt when you check in, and the kids can do that (it is within your room) while you unpack. My 4 year old solved it quite easily and was rewarded with quite good treasure. Adults can have treasure in the room as well, because when you book, you get a brochure of things to have in the room on arrival like a teddy for a loved one, a single rose, champagne etc. They cost and are not particularly cheap, but they are a nice tou
ch. You can also pre-select the message on the TV screen on arrival, which was a message from Barney for our kids, exactly as we had put on our booking form. The rooms were clean, the bathroom was well-stocked (you can even buy the range of bathroom products they supply from the Hotel shop), and the view was excellent. We had a waterfall under our window, looking out to the pond and fountain, and the giant chess set on the patio. Breakfast (continental, extra £4.95 for a cooked one. Incidentally, the token you get if you pay the extra £4.95 is great, and different. i wont spoil it for you though) (and lunch i think, we were never there for lunch) was included in the price, but we had to pay for dinner. The restaurant is nice as you are welcomed by a giant talking/laughing tree, and on our first night the service was first class. The second night wasn't because the girl was obviously new, so we had to cut a bit of slack, since we all have to learn somewhere. The menus follow the travel theme, as they unroll like treasure maps, and the kids menu is a pirates hat. The food was good, but considering we had no idea where to go for food anywhere outside the hotel as it seems to be in the middle of nowhere, it was quite expensive. Our meal on the first night was £115 for 4 adults and 1 child with 2 carafes of house wine, so about £20 to £30 a head is what you should expect. the quality of food was good, and was served pretty quickly. You need to make sure that you book Dinner, and Breakfast as soon as you can though, as they get busy. You can enjoy your stay cashless if you require. You are given a Charge Card on arrival, which you can even use in the Hotel shop, and then settle your bill at the end. Alternatively, just have it so you pay cash. it is up to you. Extras. There was enterainment at night,, consisting of a comedic character (man in a dress) and some singers who were OK. The alcohol
flowed freely, but again wasn't cheap. The soft drink machine was set at £1.10 for a bottle of coke as well, which was a bit dear. Tere is a kids club, a games room with arcade machines, and a pool. We didn't use the pool as they restrict the numbers, and you have to book. As part of being at the hotel, you can get slightly cheaper Park tickets ( about £1 cheaper) but more importantly you get XRT. This allows you entry to the park at 9am instead of 9.30, and allows you to ride either Oblivion or Nemesis before other people come in the park, which is great. Word of warning though. If you choose Nemesis, the woodland walk (you go by monorail to Oblivion) is a lot longer than you first think, but as a plus, it takes you past the building site for SW5 (the new rollercoaster for 2002) so you can try and grab a wee view. Remember and book an early breakfast though if you are taking advantage of XRT. Hopefully, this will give you an insight into a fun packed place, where a bit of thought has gone into making somewhere different, and making it worthy of being the official hotel for what is arguable the best theme park in the UK.
If you're looking for a special treat for your children(birthday or whatever)or just fancy something special for you and your partner, then I strongly recommend a night at the Alton Towers Hotel.Although the cost of a nights stay appears to be a little pricey, at over £100, I feel it is well justified.The hotel is spotlessly clean throughout, and the staff, in their old-fashioned, porter and chambermaid outfits, seem determined to make your stay a pleasant one.They did make a slight error with our payment, but gave us 2 extra free tickets to the park as compensation- we were given 2 free tickets as part of the booking offer at the time.There were various themed rooms available,at various prices,such as the 'nemesis' and'chocolate' rooms to name but a few.We opted for the 'explorer' room, the cost for which was £109 for 2 adults and 2 children.The cost of these room depends on peak and off peak times. This included a continental breakfast which amazed us, so much choice. The children loved the fact that a huge teddy bear in pyjamas came into the breakfast restaurant and gave them a big hug. The room had en-suite bathroom and tea/coffee facilities, and there were hidden explorer packs for the kids to find via a set of clues. There was a tv in the room also, and for a small charge, the kids can play nintendo games.The hotel itself has a swimming pool which we did not use because we did not know about it. There is also a licenced bar, gift shop, games room, restaurant, and live entertainment. Entry to the hotel is from 3pm but you really need to be here as soon after that time as possible to enjoy all of the facilities.The room need to be vacated by 10am, an ideal time to go straight to the Alton Towers park. Residents to the park can access the park from 9.30 via the woodland walk. It is advisable to wear a good pair of shoes as this walk is rather long and sometimes wet. This avoids the queue for the monorail entrance. Having 1st thought th
at the price was a bit hefty, we cannot wait to go back again soon.
Having just come back from a trip to the marvellous Alton Towers hotel with 4/5ths of my kids I thought I would let other parents out there know just how easy and relaxing it is with kids. My children range in ages from 15 weeks to 11 years during this visit our eldest child was left behind at home as she had just been on a school trip to disney we felt this should be a treat for the rest of the family. Initially we phoned for a brouchure this took a while to get through as the lines were busy. It came the next day and was comprehensive and informitave so we booked that day we paid using a credit card over the phone although I beleive you can use other forms of payment either cash or cheque on arrival at the hotel. The rates are a bit on the steep side, A family room for 4 is between 109pounds per night and 139 per night depending on when you go and contains a double bed and either 2 singles or a bunk bed and can be themed as a garden or explorers. A family room for 5 costs between 136 and 173 per night and contaqins a double, a single and bunk beds.And is available as an explorer room only. There are also several themed rooms which sleep between 2 and 6 people. The princess and Arabian night suites sleep 2 and cost between 235 and 260 per night.And contain a king sized bed. The Coca Cola fizzy room costs between 260 and 285 per night and sleeps 5/6 it contains a double bed ,bunk beds,and a sofa bed.Also there is an unlimited supply of Coca Cola via a pump in the room. The Chocolate Room contains 1 double bed bunk beds and a sofa bed and also sleeps 5/6 and costs the same as the fizzy drink room but this one contains a supply of chocolate. There are 2 other big themed rooms called Nemisis and Oblivion which both cost between 260 and 285 per night also and sleep 5/6. The last 2 themed rooms are based on a beartrix potter theme either Peter Rabbit or Benjamin Bunnya
nd they sleep 4 people they cost 170 to 195 again depending on what time of year you go. Phew!!! On arrival at the hotel you can pull right up to the front door where you will be met by a suitable attired bell boy who will load your luggage on to a trolley to be taken to your room after check in. Your car can be parked for you or you can do it yourself it is woth looking at the fountain flowers and stone statues before you go into the hotel they are spectacular and the foyer has ever such a lot to look at from the check in desk to the lage elephant and nook with lots of different clocks. After check in use the lift it is fabby.. We stayed in an explorer 5 and there was more than enough room to fit our travel cot in as well as all the beds. The hotel will provide a cot at no charge but we prefer our own. In every room there is a secret drawer for the kids and they are given a clue as to where it is at the checkin desk .In it there is a tresure (which is not edible we have a child with allergies) a large resident teddy and enough things to look at to keep the kids happy while you unpack we hid the controller that allows you access to the computer games on the tv(there is a charge for this). The bathrooms are fine and well fitted out there were plenty of towels and there was also a small gift in here for the children. The facilities at the hotel are marvellous there is a pool with spa and jaccuzzi as well as a sauna you have to book times for swimming they are available every 3/4 hour the pool is clean and well supervised there are towels supplied poolside. There is a kids club thing that will keep the kids occupied from 2:00pm untill 10:00p.m and then they can join you in the bar to listen to the excellent singers untill 11:00p.m. the bar remains open untill midnight.The hotel offers a baby listening service wich is free and easy to use the only draw back is the phone is upstairs from the bar and resteraunt. The ga
rdens are amazing and there is a large out door chess set. There is a continental brekkis which have to be booked this includes fresh fruit bar,with youghurts,croissants,danish pastries,mini muffins(3 varieties), and fresh bread rolls,lots and lots of varieties or cereal and unlimited supplies of tea coffee hot chocolate milkshake and fresh orange juice. This all tastes lovely you can also purchase a cooked breakfast for 4.95 for adults and 2.95 for kids this looked enormous but we did not try it. The hotels resident charecters baby bear and pirate bill also make an appearance all through the day and take lots of time to make sure they talk to all the kids.There are also ballon artists who make sure the kids get at least 1 balloon animal each if not more. On the down side we ate in the resteraunt on the first night of our stay and found it to be not very good and expensive it really lets the hotel down and is the only aspect we found unplesant, we chose not to eat there the second night instead filling up at the park before we left. The other negitive point about food is that if you do eat at the park at get a bit peckish later in the evening there is no snack menu or room service we bought snacks to give the kids for supper but much to there delight were chocolate!!! We had a great time it was the perfect place to stay with kids so much so that we have booked again next year to stay in the Coca Cola room taking all of them and we are really looking forward to it.. I would recommend any one to stay there with any age of kids it is really good fun and there is plenty to do but we felt 2 nights and 3 days was long enough and more would have been to much any less far to little.
A lovely hotel, especially exciting for the children, and our stay there really added to the "special" feeling of the trip. The first thing we noticed on arrival was the beautiful fountain at the front of the hotel, a bit like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in brass - you'll have to see it to appreciate it. The Jules Verne type boat at the centre of the hotel is spectacular (yes, inside the hotel), and from the "deck" the evenings entertainment takes place, usually caberet style acts but aimed at the children. The rooms (which are beautifully themed), lifts (again themed), characters (butler, scientist) etc all add to the "fun" feeling - but one of the best attributes was the fact that the hotel has a linking pathway to the theme park, which means no queues, just a nice walk into the action. The park itself is amazing - but that's another story.
The Alton Towers Hotel offers a unique glimpse into the wonderful eccentric inventions of Sir Algernon Aloysius Alton. The hotel is situated within Alton Towers and with unlimited Theme Park entrance and access to the Park's brand new Waterpark included in the price of the stay, it is the only way to experience a short break at Alton Towers.


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Two Games in a RowProbability puzzles require you to weigh all the possibilities and pick the most likely outcome.
A certain mathematician, his wife, and their teenage son all play a fair game of chess. One day when the son asked his father for 10 dollars for a Saturday night date, his father puffed his pipe for a moment and replied, "Let's do it this way. Today is Wednesday. You will play a game of chess tonight, tomorrow, and a third on Friday. If you win two games in a row, you get the money."
"Whom do I play first, you or mom?"
"You may have your choice," said the mathematician, his eyes twinkling.
The son knew that his father played a stronger game than his mother. To maximize his chance of winning two games in succession, should he play father-mother-father or mother-father-mother?
HintWho does he need to beat to win?
To beat two games in a row, it is necessary to win the second game. This means that it would be to his advantage to play the second game against the weaker player. Though he plays his father twice, he has a higher chance of winning by playing his mother second.
What Next?
See another brain teaser just like this one...
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text:
Assassin's Creed II hero next in series...
For a great selection of video game action figures and collectibles, check out BigBadToyStore.com, ToyWiz.com, PastGenerationToys.com, Urban-Collector.com, HobbyLinkJapan.com, and Sekaido.com.
For a great selection of video game t-shirts and apparel, check out TShirtGurus.com and 80sTees.com.
As announced last month, Hot Toys had received the license to produce 1:6th scale action figures from Assassin's Creed II. Pictured is a look at EZIO, the hero of the game.
The 1/6th scale Ezio Collectible Figure specially features:
- TrueType body with over 30 points of articulation
- Real-like hair sculpture with detachable ponytail tied up with ribbon
- Three (3) pieces of interchangeable posing palms including:
+ One (1) pair of open palms (right palm with glove)
+ One (1) pair of relaxed palms
+ One (1) pair for holding swords (right palm with glove)
- Each piece of head sculpt is specially hand-painted
- One (1) creamy white colored shirt
- One (1) brown-color cape with leather-like upper part
- Two (2) grey-color jackets with red-color stripe (hat included in a jacket)
- Two (2) brown-color belts with metal-like buckle; sword and dagger sheaths
- One (1) red-color scarf put under belts
- One (1) pair of brown-color pants
- One (1) pair of brown-color forearm gauntlets where hidden blades can be put inside
- One (1) pair of brown-color long buckled boots
- One (1) metal-like long sword
- One (1) metal-like short sword
- Two (2) metal-like hidden blades inside forearm gauntlets
- Six (6) metal-like throwing daggers
- One (1) necklace
- Figure stand with Ezio nameplate and video game logo
- Head Sculpted by GOX (EOM JEA SUNG)
- Head Painted by JC. Hong
- Head Art Directed by Kojun
- Costume made by Namgung Mijin
Release Date: End Q3, 2010


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APTOS -- Students from eight area high schools will benefit from the state's newly launched "Linked Learning" pilot program, whose goal is to ensure they are prepared for college and careers where job growth has been identified.
Gov. Jerry Brown signed AB 790, "Career Technical Education: Linked Learning Pilot Program," into law in October 2011, and officials have spent the ensuing months putting the components into place, said Darrell Parsons, a consultant with the state Department of Education. The bill establishes test sites at 20 high schools across California where courses are "linked" to careers through technical instruction, academics taught in the context of specific careers, apprenticeships and student support services.
Officials will spend the rest of this school year planning their proposed programs, with plans for full implementation starting in 2013-14, Parsons said.
But Santa Cruz County high schools have something of a head start. The eight high schools, ranging from Pajaro Valley and San Lorenzo Valley to Santa Cruz and Aptos, are all part of the Santa Cruz County College Commitment, or S4C, launched to not only get more area students into careers and college, but also ensure they succeed once there. The consortium, which also includes area elementary and middle schools and higher education institutions, launched informally in late 2011 and worked on an ad hoc basis until June, when Cabrillo's Ray Kaupp was named its executive director.
Applying to be part of the pilot program, he said, was more a way to position S4C for future funding opportunities from private foundations and the state, once money becomes available. No funding is associated with the "Linked Learning" program, but the state Department of Education will link the high schools with experts in a variety of high-demand fields.
In its application, S4C proposed creating a program under the unifying theme, "Water: Rivers to the Bay."
"No one else proposed a particular theme like they did," Parsons said.
Area superintendents came up with the idea, Kaupp said, because it was a way of unifying the districts under a common banner. By operating under a theme, "it would be easier to have events across districts that were countywide events," he said, adding possibilities include holding a countywide science fair to showcase students' water-related projects.
Cabrillo, which is spearheading the S4C program, just found out last week that it had been selected to participate in the program, and details for the rest of this school year are still being worked out. Meanwhile, Kaupp said, officials will work to obtain funding to support the program.
Follow Sentinel reporter Kimberly White on Twitter at Twitter.com/kwhite95066
At a glance
WHAT: A pilot program that combines challenging academics, technical skills and knowledge, work-based learning and support services to generate high achievement.
WHO: Students from 20 school districts across the state will participate.
CAREER PATHS: Students select a pathway of their choice, with those pathways designed to match the needs of 15 major industries in California, ranging from engineering to health sciences to digital media arts.
INFORMATION: http://irvine.org/grantmaking/our-programs/youth/linked-learning
SOURCE: The James Irvine Foundation


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I posted this at sports.ws at season's end last year and didn't get a response. I want to make sure I got all the trades correct before I post the draft order. Please look this over and make sure it's correct. I don't know if it's cause I'm tired, but I see a conflict with #5 at the bottom of the page w/ gnawbone. Am I wrong? Lemme know.
I wanted to get this stuff done yesterday. My hope is to get this all figured out, put out a draft list, w/ a league wide email and leave trading open till 12/14, when your final protected list would be due, the draft on 12/17 (If everyone agrees upon that as a draft date)
Culmination of trades and draft picks
Feb 10 2011 6:24pm
I think I have all this straight. You guys are some draft pick trading mofos! Dayam! Here's a basic brakdown of the latest trades throughout the season and the final results in terms of who owns whom's draft picks.
Concord - Little Fort Trade
F - Lamar Odom (LAL)
GF - Hedo Turkoglu (PHO)
GF - Stephen Jackson (CHA)
to Concord for:
F - Reggie Williams (GSW)
FC - Andrea Bargnani (TOR)
G - Goran Dragic (PHO)
Concord's First Round Pick next Year
Amsterdam - Gnawbone Trade:
to Gnawbone
John Wall - G, WAS
2010 2nd round pick
to Amsterdam
Blake Griffin F, LAC
2011 1st round pick
(picks determined by record, rather than picks acquired in trades)
Crazy - Nash City Trade
Al Jefferson
Luol Deng
Rudy Gay
Kenyon Martin
2011 1st Round Pick
Venice/Cedar City Trade:
Vince Carter
Yi Jianlian
Cedar City's 2011 second round pick.
Trades R Stuckey
Trades F Garcia & his first round draft pick in 2011
Both Little Fort Bottom Feeders and the Amsterdam Pigeons agreed on a trade involving 4 players and 4 picks.
Amsterdam trades:
- Stephen Curry (G)
- Mo Williams (G)
- Charly Villanueva (F)
- Gnawbones 2010 1st rounder (acquired by Amsterdam in a trade)
- Amsterdams 2010 3rd rounder
to Little Fort Bottom Feeders for:
- Derrick Rose
- Concord Hobgoblins 2010 1st rounder acquired by Little Fort Bottom Feeders in a trade
- Little Fort Bottom Feeders 2010 2nd rounder
DiscoverTasmania.com trades FC Robin Lopez (PHO)and Bangcock's 1st round pick to Bangkok for F Wesley Johnson (MIN).
Little Fort trades FC Andrea Bargnani (TOR), G Stephen Curry (GSW), Gnawbone's 1st pick and Little Fort's 1st pick to Cedar City for C Greg Oden (POR), FC Chris Bosh (MIA), F Carmelo Anthony (DEN), G Ty Lawson (DEN).
As I understand things, Here's where we stand.
1. Amsterdam has Concord's 1st pick 2011 and Little Fort's 2011 second round pick
2. Little Fort has Gnawbone's 1st pick 2011 and Gnawbone has Amsterdam's 2nd pick 2011
3.Crazy has Nash's 1st pick 2011
4. Venice has Cedar's 2nd pick 2011
5. Cedar City has Little Forts #1 pick and Gnawbones #1 for 2011 draft
6. Little Fort has Amsterdam's 3rd round pick 2011.
Make sure I have things right. You have NO IDEA how much of a pain it was keeping up, lol. Good thing I like you guys!


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I wonder if that team was Cleveland?
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I wonder if that team was Cleveland?
Could have been the Redskins for all we know.
Good point.
I know we were calling around about QB's. Though I wonder if they would give up all draft picks (though after I type that I imminently think Daniel M. Snyder)
Luck vs. Manning through first 12 games:
Luck - 3596 yards passing, 17 passing touchdowns, 16 interceptions, 55% completion, 7.1 yards average, 5 rushing touchdowns, 183 yards rushing --- 3779 total yards, 22 total touchdowns.
Manning - 2800 yards passing, 19 passing touchdowns, 23 interceptions, 55% completion, 6.5 yards average, 0 rushing touchdowns, 56 yards rushing --- 2856 total yards, 19 total touchdowns.
I'd say Luck is "stacking up well".
There are two types of quarterbacks in the league: Those whom over time, the league figures out ... and those who figure out the league.
Smothered Chicken!
I think if we make the playoffs Luck would be the lock for ROY.
The TD to Brazil is Luck's best throw of the season. He's scrambling out to his left, which is difficult to begin with. Then he plants and throws with one foot on the ground and it just happens to be the wrong foot. The result? Only a 42 yard bomb to the endzone that Brazil hauls in with a defender all over him. Luck has had some nice throws this year, but none better than that one.
Interesting Note: When Luck threw his 3rd INT, and he chased down DET DB. A LOT of QB's give up that pick 6, and get out of the way so that they don't get blasted. But Luck hustled and showed some serious wheels, chased down the DB and got him down. Without that hustle, we have to score twice AND get two 2pt conversions in order to TIE the game. Didn't seem like much at the time, but probably ended up being one of the biggest plays of the game.
I really wish Luck could find a way to cut down on those ugly, unnecessary INT's that are becoming more and more common (esp on the road). I know these are rookie growing pains, but those complete overthrows straight to the safety look BAD. If this happens against any of the teams on the road in the playoffs, we'll get absolutely dominated. BUT even the biggest Luck detractor has to admit the kid has that special ability to deliver in the clutch. Those final two drives, the game seemed to slow down for the guy and he made smart yet aggressive plays.
The MVP talk is heating up.
I know this award will likely, and arguably, go to Manning, Brady, or AP. Strong cases for all of those.
But the award is supposed to go to the player who is the "most valuable player in the league." Well, how is that defined? To the league in terms of marketing power? To an individual team in terms of impact?
The romantic in me wants to believe it goes to the player who made the biggest impact to their team.
That player, in my mind --- is Andrew Luck.
He's not had a perfect statistical season. He's had a few bad games. But it all comes down to context:
1) The Colts aren't good. There are a number of positions on this team that have been devastated by injuries, and they weren't deep in talent to begin with. The remaining positions have talent --- but they're young. Rookies... Second year players.... a lot of guys Grigson plucked off the wire or off other team's practice squads. This team is a hodgepodge of mediocre players.
2) The offense they run. It's a vertical offense. It's not a safe... stat-boosting... game-management type of offense, like say, the West coast offense. Luck's offense is difficult. The throws you have to make are above and beyond typical throws, not many guys can even make them. It's more quick-strike than power and clock-eating. It also increases your interceptions and incompletions. But that also comes from point #1 --- the guys he's throwing to, who they themselves are making mistakes. Luck usually takes the blame, but it's often that a guy runs an incorrect route, makes an incorrect read. And then they just don't catch the ball, or they bat it up in the air whereas a seasoned veteran wouldn't be making that happen.
3) Horrible offensive line. Doesn't give Luck enough time to actually set and make a throw. Which hurts Luck's passing stats and opportunities. And also leads to...
4) Inconsistent run game. They tend to find their groove at opportunistic times, late in games... but for large stretches of games the run game just isn't producing and Luck is doing everything.
5) All these bad parts of our team are coached by a pretty decent coaching staff, but a coaching staff that's missing the main guy because he's been battling cancer all year. Stripping out the emotional aspect of this, it hurts the team's nuts and bolts "X's and O's". When the guy who architected the entire damn team is not even present to execute the gameplan --- you're going to have setbacks from a pure football perspective.
6) His stats aren't "bad", either. There are a few that are really damn impressive. Yardage... overall touchdowns (23). His numbers on "money downs". His execution in the 2-min, which doesn't show up on most traditional stats. His comeback wins. His total wins.
That's just the non-emotional stuff. Throw in the fact that this time last year, Peyton Manning was still on this roster. The gut-wretching departure... the huge shadow that Luck plays under... the expectations he had to overcome to win over a snake-bitten fan base... the emotional aspect of the coach being diagnosed with cancer...
I mean.................... all that is an absolute *mountain* for a rookie QB to overcome.
And he's won 9 games. 6 comebacks. Broke the single-game record for yardage for a rookie. Is on pace to break the single-season yardage record for a rookie. Might even be on pace for the single-season TD record for a rookie. He's been unbelievable in 3rd down conversions. He's been unbelievable in 2-min drills.
The Colts are well-positioned for a playoff spot. That wasn't supposed to happen. But it did because of 1 guy. Andrew Luck. And he's really not being taken seriously as an MVP candidate. He's been bandied about as a potential, but it's mostly just wild posturing. I tend to think that stats and the fact he's a rookie are the only real thing standing between him and that award, but it shouldn't.
Last edited by Kid Minneapolis; 12-13-2012 at 01:46 PM.
There are two types of quarterbacks in the league: Those whom over time, the league figures out ... and those who figure out the league.
None of the voters have the stones to vote for Luck. He's probably made a bigger impact than any player in the league, but if anyone actually came out and said he deserved it they'd be laughed out of their job. It's sad, but that's just the world we live in.
The MVP is awarded to the player with the best stats. It's Tom Brady's to lose.
No way Luck should win the MVP, it is simple to me, if we didn't get down so bad in games we would not have to have all these comebacks, comebacks are good and all, but they really say your team was in good position to lose due to what they did in the first 3 quarters. If Luck were consistently half as efficient as he is in the 4th then maybe he would be in the conversation for MVP, but he still has a long way to go... way to many off target balls, both short and deep.
Why so SERIOUS
There has been people that said he is one of the top candidates... but yeah they should get laughed out of their seats... for a rookie he is doing a marvelous job, but the MVP does not care if you are a rookie or a seasoned vet...
Why so SERIOUS
Luck fan just like you, but some stats combined with actual game play take away from your argument, just look at the Lions game, I mean down big and trying to come back and he throws a key pick with less than 10 minutes down. He must learn better decision making, like when to leave the pocket, he has put himself in situations way too often to take big hits due to trying to wait for a receiver to get open when he should be taking the free yards by just tucking and running.
I think he will get there eventually and he is having one of the best seasons by a QB this year, but he will need to perform better if he wants the MVP.
Why so SERIOUS
I was curious about Andrew's road vs home production, so I tallied some stuff:
153-284 - 54%
2024 yards
10 PASS TDs
2 RUSH TDs
13 INTs
155-280 - 55%
1954 yards
10 PASS TDs
3 RUSH TDs
5 INTs
So looking at this... he's damn near identical in completions, percentage, yardage, and touchdowns no matter if he's on the road or at home.
The only and biggest difference is interceptions. He's scored 13 TDs at home and thrown 5 ints. He's scored 12 TDs on the road, and thrown 13 INTs.
I actually take this as a good sign. He's consistent in his ability to move the ball and the offense no matter where he plays. Where he slips is the INTs, which suggests that he's being affected by the crowd noise, trying too much to force throws and gambling a little more, or some combination of both.
I think he'll figure it out.
There are two types of quarterbacks in the league: Those whom over time, the league figures out ... and those who figure out the league.
Yeah very similar, and I think he could have had a few more at home, he really throws some bad balls way too often, but like I said in the last post I think he will start to get this together next year.
One thing that I noticed, and this will really hurt his chances at MVP and ROY, is that he has performed worst near the end of the season, you would rather see a guy who is improving throughout. I know that I am not one to go solely by stats but if you look at his last 5 games his completion percentage is floating around 49% and he has thrown 10 TD's and 9 picks, and that was helped a lot by the Houston game where he did not throw any picks on the road or it would have been 8 td's and 9 picks, that is not the way that a ROY or MVP candidate should be finishing out the year.
With all that said, I think if he has 2 decent to strong games to finish out the season then he should definitely get the ROY, here is hoping for a good performance against KC next week to start that out on the right track.
Why so SERIOUS
I'm attributing that to the rookie wall. But, also.. our line seems to be regressing, and the Texans have a good D. That'll make you look like you're hitting a rookie wall.
There are two types of quarterbacks in the league: Those whom over time, the league figures out ... and those who figure out the league.
this line is so bad. I would argue that RG3 has taken some bad hits, Luck has been getting clobbered all season long. I actually want him to run the ball more. Watching him stand in there, though admirable, makes me sick seeing some of the hits he's taking. He's one tough son of a ***** thats for sure.
This line needs upgraded badly and there's going to be some good ones in FA.
I will agree that when Luck stays in the pocket, he gets hit way more than RG3.
The knock on RG3 is most of his bad hits occur when he's out on the run. And I don't know if it's his relatively slight stature... or he just doesn't know how to defend himself... but he gets hit in the most explosive, spectacular ways possible. He's had 3-4 very, very ugly collisions, almost all of which weren't necessary.
There are two types of quarterbacks in the league: Those whom over time, the league figures out ... and those who figure out the league.
I like Luck and I think he's the ROY, but these rookie comparisons, to be meaningful, also rely on Luck improving after his rookie year, working on his weaknesses, to the extent that Peyton Manning did.
As an example, Rick Mirer's rookie year was comparable to Peyton Manning's rookie year too. That didn't foretell anything.
Manning - 2800 yards passing, 19 passing touchdowns, 23 interceptions, 55% completion, 6.5 yards average, 0 rushing touchdowns, 56 yards rushing --- 2856 total yards, 19 total touchdowns.
Mirer- 2833 yards passing, 12 passing touchdowns, 17 interceptions, 56% completion, 5.8 yards average, 3 rushing touchdowns, 343 yards rushing --- 3146 total yards, 15 total touchdowns
The poster "pacertom" since this forum began (and before!). I changed my name here to "Slick Pinkham" in honor of the imaginary player That Bobby "Slick" Leonard picked late in the 1971 ABA draft (true story!).
Slick, I think you have the wrong stats for Manning. Manning had 26 TDs, 28 picks, and 3739 yards in his rookie year.
I agree with your overall point though. Luck having a similar rookie year to Manning doesn't mean that he will be throwing 49 touchdowns in year 6. Manning immediately cut his picks down in year two with a 26/15 TD/INT ratio. Also had a 90.7 passer rating as he led the Colts to a phenomenal 13-3 record. Luck obviously needs to improve some things next year and I think he will. Management needs to help him out too by adding some quality O-Lineman with that cap space we have. Manning was extremely fortunate to have Tarik Glenn protecting his blindside for his first 9 years. He also had Saturday.
That is fine and all, but rookie wall or not it still is part of his play as a rookie, and that is why it is important when considering him as the ROY
Why so SERIOUS
The poster "pacertom" since this forum began (and before!). I changed my name here to "Slick Pinkham" in honor of the imaginary player That Bobby "Slick" Leonard picked late in the 1971 ABA draft (true story!).
I have to say that Luck reminds me of Peyton at year three with his playbook comprehension with more athleticism. He may not have the gun that Peyton has but he is good at getting the ball where it needs to go.
Do you think all he wants this Christmas is more time in the pocket? And a better OL?
I love Luck's arm, but I hate how he throws the deep ball when he tries to put air under it, when he just throws it like a rocket though it always looks a lot better.
Why so SERIOUS