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ATLANTA, GEORGIA -- On 12/5/2016 I called AT&T to cancel DirecTV. They had oversold me on free TV U-VERSE or INFINITY, I don't recall the name now, in up to 4 rooms...So I bought 2 more cheap TVs for my extra bedrooms. (I am a very senior citizen and live alone. I seldom watch TV and do not subscribe to any movie channels...occasionally I have a guest that may use the extra room and may enjoy the FREE TV). The bill increased excessively. I was aware of and prepared to pay the $200 early exit fee. The associate offered me a Trek 1G 8" Tablet for 99 cents and $10 a month.
He also reduced my DirecTV to very basic program at an affordable price. In addition, attached was a mobile phone (which I already have). The deal was I would pay 99cents and a 43.50 setup (?) and $10 a month for 24 months at which time I would own the tablet. He assured me there would be no extra charges if I never used the mobile phone. For being a good AT&T customer I would receive a $200 prepaid VISA card in the mail. It never arrived. They refuse to paper bill me. Suspension threats w/ late charges arrive every 90 days. Deny they ever had a $200 Visa card promotion.
MOUNT VERNON, WASHINGTON -- We subscribed to AT&T's Gold Passport plan in May and June 2016. They continued to bill us for the plan, month after month, despite the fact that we called every month and they reversed the charges. My wife called the first few months. This month was my turn. I spent an hour on the phone talking to four -- count 'em 4 -- people, including a supervisor. Finally got the charges reversed, but they refused to make a courtesy adjustment for our time and aggravation. I will change carriers at the earliest opportunity. I suggest that you NOT do business with AT&T Mobility, as they are INCOMPETENT and INCONSIDERATE and NO VALUE ON CUSTOMER SERVICE.
ATLANTA,, GEORGIA -- Here is the letter that I sent certified mail to AT&T Mobility, cc. California Public Utilities Commission. On December 23, 2008 Rehabilitation Therapy Inc. DBA Robertson ADHC, entered into a 2 year contract with AT&T Mobility for cell phone service with push to talk service. We received six (6) LGECU515 Blk Units. The LG 515 phones have been a problem from day one. The sound is such bad quality and low volume that you can not hear what the other party is saying about half the time. We have complained about the quality of the LG 515 phones starting on January 14, 2009 to **, Business Account Executive, Northern California.
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK -- I have - correction: DID have - a Go plan which meant I prepaid amount the 1st of each month. The amount I chose was $49.99. I noticed I had a balance of around $49.00 and have had it for a while. This month, I called them wondering if I could just use the balance - THAT THEY HAD ALREADY CHARGED TO MY CREDIT CARD - to make calls since this is what I normally paid.
First phone call - I was hung up on. Second phone call - I got someone that didn't know. Third phone call - I connected with someone that said sure!!! All he had to do was cancel the prepayment for the month!!! This way I could use up the balance on phone calls this month!!! Then towards the end of the month, I would call back and enroll back in the prepayments!!! I was like whoopppeee!!! This was on May 5th.
I kept getting text messages from AT&T, so I figured my phone was working, but this morning, I got an email that my phone wasn't working. I was like what? Tried the number and it's been cut-off. I called up AT&T to find out what happened, and was informed, not ONLY did they cut off my service, but they KEPT THE MONEY!!! I was like, huh??? How can you legally do that? If you pay for services and those services are not rendered, you either have to render the service or return the money??? The android on the phone - ** - said that that's not how it worked.
It seems AT&T does have the right - in their own mind - to keep money that they have no right to since they are not providing a service! I said that number 1, it's illegal and number 2, I relied on THEIR representative - an employee that THEY chose to represent their company - to supply me with the correct information, and she said, "Well, I don't know that!" I said "well, aren't there records of my calls?" She said yes.
I asked her whether she thought it was just a coincidence or serendipity that I called at the precise time that there was supposed to be a payment? She said - I quote - "Our customers are always doing strange things - I really have no idea why they do things." It's nice to know that this employee thinks that customers that call up about their money being ripped off are "strange" for doing so. The end result was that she couldn't handle the simple problem I outlined to her - nor did she make any attempt to correct it. I didn't even want to particularly switch services at this time! I just wanted things rectified.
Now this leaves me getting a new wireless provider, suing them in small claims court and putting a block on the money charged on my credit card. I figure somebody hauling their butt down and making an appearance in court is going to cost AT&T more than $50 bucks, and maybe I'll win by default if they don't appear. All this hassle for $50??? Plus I missed a job because the phone was not working. I'll tack that on the small claims charge.
It's funny that when I asked her to correct the situation especially given the economy and told her I couldn't afford to lose the money - or the job - that she said she couldn't because she was an employee of AT&T and needed to do what they told her. I asked her if she wasn't a human being first and she said no, she was an employee. There's your answer as to why things have gone to hell in a hand basket.
DALLAS, TEXAS -- I had AT&T service for some time. In the last 2 years of my time with them, I started receiving promotions from AT&T via SMS. I didn't really care to receive them, so I started the customer service song and dance to have them stopped. However, nothing seemed to stop them, no matter what CS did with my account. Eventually, I discovered that these messages were not free AT&T messages despite promoting AT&T contests and services. Other family members on AT&T were actually being charged for the messages. I was not, because I had a messaging plan.
When confronting AT&T CS about this, they mentioned I might have signed up for something. I had only ever used an old service with Cingular years prior to the merger and since disabled it. CS confirmed it was disabled. When CS and management was unable to figure out what was going on, and refused to investigate, I decided the best course of action was to force escalation through a BBB report. A woman in the local Office of the President contacted me regarding the case. Her conclusion was that I signed up for something and need to figure out what it was to end it. Basically, she accused me of causing it.
Due to her refusal to actually investigate the issue after stating she did investigate, I did my own investigation. I found a third party that was sending the messages on behalf of AT&T. I contacted this third party and they confirmed they created and sent the messages, but the contact list was controlled by AT&T, not them. I read the terms of service over again and found the terms allowed for this, but I still had the right to refuse it.
I contacted the lady with this information and she denied knowledge of this company, or its relationship with AT&T. She blew me off by stating she would look into it and contact me when she had information. She never called me back. I attempted to reach her, but never could. The BBB case sat dormant, other than my periodic updates as I noted I was still receiving the messages and AT&T has been ignoring the case. Eventually, I got a notice from the BBB that they would like the case closed. They offered to enter into arbitration, and that if I did not respond, the case would close. I followed their directions for arbitration.
During this time, I had canceled my service with AT&T and moved to another provider. AT&T then sent me a bill stating I was late in paying a bunch of fees including 2 cancellation fees. I spoke with CS and they were only willing to waive one of the fees, not both. I explained that I would rather wait for arbitration to complete. Shortly thereafter the BBB case closed without my knowledge or consent. No notice was sent to me about the closure. AT&T never really respected the BBB case and seemed not to care because I guess they can make them go away.
I now sit on threats of credit damage if I don't pay their extensive list of fees, probably punishment for reporting them to the BBB.
OCEAN, NEW JERSEY -- Incident: I am a Cingular AT&T customer for the last 5 years with 2 family accounts including 7 mobile phone numbers for my wife and 5 kids. I switched my mobile phone from Blackberry to AT&T iPhone first week of December last year just before leaving for a 2 weeks business trip to Israel. The iPhone was so slow in downloading my emails and in most of the cases failed to do so.
Upon my return to the US, I have reported these miserable performances to AT&T store where I got my iPhone and the sales representative has told me that Apple iPhone are aware of the slow performances and going to come out with a new software revision to fix the slow download process. I called AT&T customer service to tell them about it and asked for the details of my bill in Israel; they didn't have the details and said they will notify me as soon as they get it from Apple. 10 days later, January 16th. I left for a 3 weeks business trip to the Far East with my iPhone, hoping for a better performance. Guess what? It was the same never-ending downloads.
A week later my wife called my hotel and told me we got a bill of $7,757.29 for my roaming charges in Israel. I switched immediately the roaming button on my iPhone to "off" and asked my wife to wait for my return to discuss it with AT&T customer service. My wife spoke with AT&T and they promised to check the roaming charges and even reduced it by $938. The next day my wife went to the AT&T store to complain and been told that the notes on the account says it is in a "Review status" and we should wait a couple of days. On January 29th AT&T disconnected all 7 phones including my iPhone without any prior notice by phone, email or letter.
I was caught and trapped in Mainland China snow storm without any way to communicate by emails or mobile phone. I have returned back to the US on Feb 6th and called the AT&T customer service. They told me that Israel is not on the list of roaming countries and I should not have used it there, I asked her to log on AT&T web and see for herself, it clearly says Israel is included and support the iPhone. Click to view the link: **. In any way, they refused to answer my question, why they have decided to close my 7 mobile lines even before my bill was due, and never warned us before doing so.
I asked to talk to their legal department which they refused to refer me to, and said only my lawyer could do so. My advice to all businessmen traveling in the US and overseas, forget about the iPhone gimmick, and stay away from AT&T. It doesn't work for us, switch back to BlackBerry; there is nothing like it! Damage Resulting: I was using my iPhone for my business and was trapped in the snow storm in China without my emails and mobile phone; missed 2 important meeting, tons of emails and phone calls. My wife and my 5 kids were left without any phones to communicate between ourselves.
BASTROP, TEXAS -- As if my week has not been disappointing and upsetting enough. Today I open my AT&T cell phone bill to find a $187.76 bill. In the 2 years I have had this phone, I have never paid over my usual $47.00 monthly fee. I must preface this conversation with the fact that I signed on with Cingular as a choice. I did not want to have any business dealings with AT&T because of their questionable business practices in the past. I was so disappointed when they took over Cingular.
So, I called customer service to discuss the charges and ask some questions regarding the bill because I truly did not understand the billing charges. I spoke to ** and she was unable to afford me any clear and consistent responses, but graciously offered to remove half the charges. My concern was how the charges were acquired so I continued to attempt to find answers so as not to continue to receive unexpected charges. She was unable to answer my questions regarding call waiting charges when I do not use call waiting. I have never asked a person to hold and taken a second call that is coming in. I couldn't tell you how to use the feature on my Nokia phone.
I asked to speak to her supervisor hoping I may get answers to my questions. I need to prevent the charges from recurring or determine if it is an equipment problem. This is the phone that several times since AT&T took over has allowed incoming callers access to my mailbox setup. People have notified me several times that when they went to voice mail it actually was giving them access to changing my mailbox etc. I called AT&T twice to report it and it was fixed. Today they told me I have never reported any equipment problems??????
When I asked to speak to the supervisor, ** warned me that if I spoke to a supervisor they may take the offer away to drop half the charges. I was flabbergasted at what sounded like a threat, but decided it was worth the risk to get my questions answered and determine what the problem is. Supervisor "**" came on the line. First, I'd like to note how convenient it is that they know who we are, but they can refuse to give us their full names, or real names for that matter. I do not know if ** is real. ** immediately approached me with the tact of a credit collector. I was taken aback at her outright hostility and aggression.
My bill has always been automatically deducted from my bank account so I have never so much as had a late payment since 2005 on this account. ** refused to discuss the matter with me and curtly and rudely informed me that the offer to remove half the charges was removed. I still did not receive any answers and was treated to the poorest example of customer service I have ever experienced. I requested to speak to another supervisor hoping I would find a human being at some point. ** loudly informed me it could be "up to 72 hours" before anyone could get back with me and hung up.
I do not use profanity nor raise my voice when speaking to people. I have never been treated so horribly by a company. Wonder if I am holding my breath for that supervisor to call me in 72 hours? And also wondering if I can afford the call. If it comes in as a call waiting call during daytime hours it may cost me a fortune. Perhaps what bothered me the most was the nature of the threats and penalizing me for having the audacity to request to talk to someone else. The heavy-handedness of the entire interaction was bullying and disturbing.
It may be time for AT&T to revisit the old slogan, "We may be the only phone company in town, but we don't act like it." They may not be the only phone company but they certainly are acting like it. And their current slogan, "The New AT&T" must be the warning of things to come such as I experienced today.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA -- Watch our if you are attempting to stop your services with AT&T. We had both AT&T and Cingular which is not AT&T Mobile. We thought in September (it's January of the next year now) that we had stopped our services by calling AT&T and letting them know that we wanted to stop our services as of the 1st of October. We made sure to say that we wanted both our land line and our mobile number to be cancelled. We even asked if there was anything else we needed to do. We were told we were all done. Of course we also had them trying like crazy to get us to stay with them but that's another story.
After doing this (they don't give confirmation numbers so watch out!) a couple of months went by and we got another bill from them. We called back and had to go through all of this again. Mind you at this time we already had another service. We were sent to multiple different people. It was not until this next month that we were told that AT&T did not inform them (AT&T mobility) that we had cancelled our service with them. Then it was a back and forth with each passing the buck to the other. We have finally had to get with the FTC and BBB. My husband even got a call at work and went ahead and (unfortunately) paid it because he was worried about our credit rating.
Tonight (mid January now) he got another call at work. I called the people back and were told that we owed AT&T Mobility again. They had our last payment at the end of September when we wanted to end the service. And still they are sending this back and forth. We're told again that we "should" have known we had to cancel our mobile phone and our regular phone separately. We don't want this to hurt our credit any more (we're going through identity theft as it is now). BEWARE of this and make sure you get a name because they won't give you a confirmation number and make sure you cancel both.
The AT&T people are the rudest, sorriest, worthless, disrespectful, dishonest, non caring, bunch of liars that anyone could be. On the wireless phone we bought was about $200.00 and was told it was a brand new phone. We had found out it was not a new phones it was refurbished, an AT&T tech told us it was a refurbish phones. We got total of 3 Motorola razors and all them were refurbish. AT&T could not fix these phones and then was giving a Samsung propel and it was refurbish. All AT&T did was just replaced the sim cards.
After talking with the AT&T senior tech, he said it was not the sim cards that was messed up it was all their wireless phones that is messed up but they didn't want to let the customers know that all the phone are having REAL BIG PROBLEMS with all the wireless phones because then they will lose money. So we called the office of the president of AT&T wireless, talked to the manager ** and more less told he can care less about customers, called us a liar then we asked to talk to his boss and he said that the call will not go any higher than him. He deactivate our service and whipped out all our info's and the pictures we had in our phone..
We use the cell phone to stay in contacts with our doctors and for emergency. ** said he don't care.. and we found out that there is people above him and they are ** and these people don't care either. And if you go try to go any higher they will call the police on you and make up lies... ANYONE THAT WANTS THE NUMBER TO THE AT&T BOARD # IS 1-800-403-3302 AND THIS IS ** # 1-806-758-6700. I advise anyone DO NOT GET AT&T WIRELESS SERVICE UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE TALK TO LIKE A WORTHLESS DOG.
CORONADO, CALIFORNIA -- So far this company is ridiculous. Their customer service has seriously degraded since being Cingular. Never had any problems with Cingular (or at least bad problems). Small problems were resolved, but lately, it's just one after another with AT&T. During my military suspension which took over a month to get suspended they continued to charge me $20 a month for unlimited text msgs. They continue to charge me taxes from VA. I haven't lived in VA for 3 years. I was told to call and have it changed, but when I did I received a message saying that I could not be helped (no reason), and I should call back later.
Well, just recently I was charged $550+ for data usage when I had a plan for it. I recently changed my phone, and brought it to the AT&T store twice, and I'm sure that's where the mix up was made. Finally, after being harassed by AT&T on my phone 2 to 3 phone calls a day, I found the error. I contacted AT&T by phone only to find out they are closed on Sundays and then I wrote them by email which a few days for them to get back to me. They finally responded saying they fixed most of it except for my past due account which supposedly there is a trouble ticket in which will text msg me as soon as the problem is fixed.
The only problem now is my phone doesn't not work at all. Maybe I should call them, nope that doesn't work. I can't even call 611 to them. They are idiots and screwed up and are now shutting off my service because they are idiots. I always pay my bills, but there is no way I'm paying $550+ for their mistake. Terrible customer service from this company. Everything is too automated to cut down on costs. Is it too much to hire someone on Sundays or how about 24/7 support? AT&T is a gigantic corporation charging way too much for their services.


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" Brand: Walls / Type: Ice Cream "
Magnum ice cream is made by Walls and this particular version of Magnum can be purchased as either a single, three pack or is also found in the mini pack. I purchased a three pack and it cost me £1.14 on offer from Sainsburys but it normally retails at £2.29.
I have just sat down on the sofa and eaten the first in a pack of three Almond Magnums and it was delectable. The Almond Magnum is wrapped in a rather attractive bronze foil wrapper and has a decent sized wooden stick with which to hold the ice-cream. One of the things I like about Magnum other than the taste is the fact that you can eat it without requiring a kitchen towel as the chocolate holds well even when cracked and the ice-cream doesn't turn to mush on immediate contact with the room temperature.
The chocolate coating the ice-cream is thick and quite creamy reminding me of Swiss chocolate that I have had in the past and the almonds that impregnate the chocolate are lightly caramelised and have a wonderful texture in the mouth where after 2 chews they melt...yum. The ice-cream itself is vanilla but actually has vanilla bean in it which makes a nice change as many Vanilla ice-creams never make contact with actual vanilla only vanilla flavouring. The ice-cream is soft and silky and after consuming many of these ice-creams I can actually say hand on heart I have never suffered from brain-freeze where the only cure is either biting down on the stick your ice-cream came with or finding a hot drink to sip.
The only negative I could possibly think of is the calories/sugar/fat in one of these ice-creams which comes in at 280kcal, 25g (sugar), 18g (fat) which to some might seem excessive but personally I couldn't care less as if you're going to have an ice-cream and enjoy it you would expect it not to be the healthiest item in the world. As my ol gran used to say a little of what you fancy won't do ye nay harm lass.
Conclusion: Recommend for those of us who like almonds, chocolate and vanilla and aren't obsessed with calorie counting. NOT SUITABLE FOR NUT ALLERGY FOLK - pretty obvious but thought I should write it down just in case someone with a nut allergy thought "today I'm going to give almonds a go"
One of the best ice creams ever!!!! ? I think so.
You usually buy Magnum ice creams in a flat pack of three ice creams, the price is usually around £2 although there have been quite a few offers in the supermarkets recently. The best offer I saw was this week in Iceland (frozen food supermarket.) You could buy 8 Magnum Almonds in a box for only £4 - that's 50p per Magnum. I thought that was a bargain! Shame I don't have a larger freezer!
The price varies massively depending on where you buy and the number you buy, and it is not unusual to spend £2 on one Magnum at an ice cream van/kiosk.
For me, Magnum almond tastes better at home as a dessert. On a hot day the ice cream and chocolate covering melts too fast to be able to enjoy it!!!! Although that does not stop me!
The ice cream itself is Walls. Its a very rich creamy vanilla ice cream. The oval shaped ice cream on a stick is thickly coated in milk chocolate and studded with small pieces of almond.
Magnum Almond is an indulgent ice cream, I think it is too good for the kids! At 280 calories it is a nice treat (not for every day.)
I have always loved Almond Chocolate Ice Lollies, and have been buying the Morrison's own brand, until I tried Magnum Almond on offer...
Magnum Almond is packaged in a square cardboard box with rounded edges, which does make it stand out and look better. The design is simple and a coat of luscious chocolate brown with Magnum printed on and a really attractive image of the almond ice cream. Each box contains three individually wrapped Almond Ice Creams.
Unwrapping the again lusciously coloured plastic foil wrapper, the almond ice cream is totally exposed... not totally, it has a delicious coat of milk chocolate decorated with chopped chunks of almonds.
Taking a bite out of this indulgent ice cream, the crunch you hear reflects the quality of the product. The crunchiness of the milk chocolate and almond texture compliments the soft vanilla ice cream, where thin strands of vanilla can actually be seen! The ice cream is a luscious creamy texture, thick and rich and is just right when it comes to sweetness.
I love eating this on a coldish evening- somehow it just tastes better when the weathers cold compared to when it is hot. It is a great treat and a dessert- one I wouldn't have TOO often, but one I would look forward to and dream about.
I got this on offer at Morrisons 2 for £3, which is slightly more expensive than the Morrison's brand of 2 for £2, but the quality speaks for itself.
I love the Magnum brand for their classy range of products, and they are really attractively branded and packaged. It isn't just the packaging that appeals when it comes to this almond ice cream variety, as the tastes and textures of chocolate, vanilla and almonds collide, they all compliment each other phenomenally well, and Magnum has refined this greatly to a really high quality product at an affordable price which will definitely make me want more. I highly recommend this product- it is sheer quality.
At the minute they are selling boxes of 3 Magnums for 90p, that's a proper bargain because the shop by me charges £1.49 for a single one so I couldn't resist putting a few boxes in the trolley.
I've not tried the almond one before and had one after my lunch today and it was yummy.
It's vanilla ice cream that has been coated with thick milk chocolate but inside the chocolate there are loads of large almond pieces. Everything about this ice cream screams quality but that's the same as all the other Magnum ice creams.
The ice cream is mega creamy, it melts quite slowly compared to a lot of other ice creams and that's brill because it means it's not going to drip all over the place even if you're like me and nibble all the chocolate off first. It's got a very strong vanilla taste and it's a very fresh flavour, the ice cream is smooth and soft and had me lucking my lips after each bite because it's so yummy.
The chocolate is delish, it's creamy and very good quality. The almonds make it lovely and crunchy each time you bite through the chocolate and when it melts in your mouth you'll be left with all those yummy crunchy almond pieces. I love almonds so was happy to find you could actually taste them through the chocolate, but on the other hand if you're not a mad fan of these nuts then you might find them a bit too overpowering.
I'm mega happy with my 30p Magnum and am going back to Morrisons later to buy more boxes, I'm not mad keen on ice cream so the fact that I loved this one so much just shows how wicked it was.
I bought these yesterday as I fancied a little treat and something a little different from my usual Magnum whites. I remembered having liked these in the past, so I picked up a box of 3 in somerfield for £2.20. If you were to buy a single Magnum from an ice-cream van or kiosk though, it could cost you anywhere up to about £1.50!
The ice-cream comes in a foil wrapper which keeps it fresh and also stops it from melting too quickly, giving you a chance to do anything else you may need to do between getting it out of the freezer and eating it. The ice-cream is a lolly on a wooden stick, just like the traditional ice-lollies.
The stick is quite short and stubby and it doesn't run far through the ice-cream, which is much better in my opinion as it makes the ice-cream easier to eat as you're not always having to eat around the stick. Because the stick is shorter you may expect it would fall of the stick more easily, but I have not found this to be the case at all.
The ice-cream is coated in quite a thick layer of milk chocolate, which is extremely smooth and creamy, and tastes delicious. It tastes very high quality and not the sweet, candyish chocolate that you get with cheaper lollies. In this layer of chocolate are lots of almond pieces, which complement the chocolate really well and give it a lovely crunch when you bite into it. I'm not really a fan of almonds, but these do taste really nice with the chocolate.
The ice-cream is a really rich, creamy vanilla ice-cream, which is a nice soft texture. Despite the soft texture the ice-cream stays together really well and doesn't melt too easily, meaning you can eat it quite slowly and savour the flavour without ending up with it dripping all over you. The combination of the smooth, rich vanilla ice-cream, the creamy chocolate and the crunchy almonds is just heavenly.
We all know something this nice is going to be bad for us, and one of these ice-creams gives you 280 calories, 25g of sugar, and 18g of fat (11g of which is saturates). By no means a healthy snack, but this is one tasty indulgent treat that I actually believe is worth the damage.

subset: commoncrawl


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Hanzze wrote:Dan74 wrote:The skillful way, as I see it, does not deal in absolutes, but in the right approach to every situation, to every individual, including ourselves.
If someone does expect something of cause, very needed. Maybe the problem is "skillful in regard of what?" I guess that is why the precepts have been given very simple and just to keep, one after the other, step by step.
We do not understand skillful, wholesome, "good" as long as we are not aware of the base, the roots of unskinfull acts. We are not easy aware of our attentions at all having not eager worked on being mindful in observing just what was taught to be skillful..
You have posted a lot on this subject which suggests to me that this issue resonates with you very strongly. Perhaps we can step back and examine our involvement and our assumptions here rather than projecting or guessing what others are or are not aware of?


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(UPDATED COVERAGE, 4:50 p.m.) The 2013 farm bill stalled June 20 when the House of Representatives voted it down, with 195 for, 234 against.
While some lawmakers had predicted narrow approval earlier in the day, the outcome of the afternoon vote may have been altered by a late dairy program amendment opposed by some House Agriculture Committee members, according to Robert Guenther, senior vice president of public policy for the United Fresh Produce Association, Washington, D.C.
"We're deeply disappointed that the House didn't pass the bill today and at this point we see no other viable path forward at this point in time," Guenther said.
He said lawmakers who support the bill need to see if they can find a way forward.
"Right now it is dead," he said.
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., promised to continue work on the farm bill in wake of the decisive defeat.
"We are assessing all of our options, but I have no doubt that we will finish our work in the near future and provide the certainty that our farmers, ranchers, and rural constituents need," Lucas said in a statement.
Calling the vote a "tremendous disappointment for all Americans," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement that House Republican leadership failed for the second year in a row to deliver consensus on a farm bill because of its intent to cut food stamps. "Unfortunately, the House version of this bill would have unfairly denied food assistance for millions of struggling families and their children, while failing to achieve needed reforms or critical investments to continue economic growth in rural America," he said.
The 2008 farm bill was extended to Sept. 31 this year, and Guenther predicted lawmakers may try to extend it again by one year by late summer.
The Senate approved its version of the farm bill June 10 by a 66-27 margin, but House debate faltered on cuts to the food stamp program, dissent about dairy programs and opposition to federal premiums to crop insurance.


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The Turtles Get High-Tech...
Playmates Toys announces new Stealth Tech Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Hitting store shelves this July (2013), this all-new assortment includes the four Turtles equppied with high-tech gear, along with two new villains: Cockroach Terminator and Rat King.
Playmats has also uploaded a new stop motion animation that brings the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures to life. It's a ninja style showdown the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles vs. Shredder and the Foot Clan! Check it out below.
To insure your action figure collection, get in touch with Collectibles Insurance, the official insurance company of the Figures.com network. Say "Figures.com" to get 5% off your first term premiums.
To buy action figures, take a look at BigBadToyStore.com, AlterEgoComics.com, PlasmaInfusion.com, Toynk.com, BriansToys.com, ToyWiz.com, and MonkeyDepot.com.


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BP Comment Quick Links
|Strength of Schedule Report
November 1, 2011
Future Shock
Astros Top 11 Prospects
Previous Rankings: 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008
System in 20 Words or Less: Trades and the draft improve things dramatically, but there's still much work to be done.
Four-Star Prospects
Nine More:
1. Jarred Cosart, RHP
Year in Review: While he had the best stuff of any right-hander at the Futures Game and was the key to the Hunter Pence deal, Cosart spent much of the year frustrating scouts as to why he wasn't better.
2. George Springer, OF
Year in Review: Seen as a potential top-five pick heading into the year, Springer's spring fell a bit under expectations. Houston took him 11th overall, and he signed at the deadline for $2.525 million.
3. Jonathan Singleton, 1B
Year in Review: Like Cosart, scouts love Singleton but wonder why he isn't better. Singleton was another piece of the Hunter Pence deal, and hit .333/.405/.512 in a brief California League stint.
4. Brett Oberholtzer, LHP
Year in Review: Entering the year a bit under the radar, this thickly-built lefty pitched well at Double-A and was the best player to go to Houston in the Michael Bourn deal.
5. Jonathan Villar, SS
Year in Review: Villar, a tools player who was sent to Houston in the Roy Oswalt deal, split time between two teams, doing little at both levels.
6. Domingo Santana, OF
Year in Review: This teenager was having an uneven year in Low-A, but he hit .382 with five home runs in 17 games after going to Houston in the Pence deal.
7. Telvin Nash, 1B
Year in Review: While he missed roughly two months due to surgery to remove a hamate bone, Nash's 73 games at Low-A Lexington left plenty to be optimistic about.
8. Delino DeShields, 2B
Year in Review: This eighth overall pick from 2010 simply never got going in his full-season debut.
9. Jack Armstrong, RHP
Year in Review: Seen as a potential elite pick two years ago, Armstrong battled with injuries and inconsistencies throughout his college career, but his promise still earned him a $750,000 bonus in the third round.
10. Michael Foltynewicz, RHP
Year in Review: This 2010 first-rounder had more scuffles than success in his full-season debut.
11. Paul Clemens, RHP
Year in Review: This long-armed lefty generated some buzz in the Southern League before going to Houston in the Bourn deal.
The Sleeper: A sixth-round pick in 2011, Brandon Meredith is a toolsy outfielder with a good approach, but it comes with questions about his raw hitting ability.
Top 10 Talents 25 And Under (born 4/1/86 or later)
Lyles deserves credit for holding his own in the big leagues at 20, but scouts generally don't see much, if any, projection in him, leaving his ceiling as a third starter. It's time to just admit that J.D. Martinez can hit, but as a corner outfielder, he doesn't have a special bat. As much fun as he is, Jose Altuve's lack of plate discipline was exposed in the big leagues, but his ability to barrel up baseballs is legit. Castro missed all of 2011 with a knee injury, and even before that, we had no evidence that he'd be more than a second-division starter. If you can't mash, you're not much of a first-base prospect, and there is little evidence that Wallace can mash. Paredes doesn't have enough of a hit tool for third base, and his future is likely as a utility player. Jordan Schafer, who missed the list, still has tools and defensive skills, but a lack of production and off-field issues have become problematic.
Summary: While trades give the Astros an enviable top three, the depth of the Houston system remains firmly in kiddie-pool territory. There's help on the way, but nowhere near enough to return the club to contention.
Kevin Goldstein is an author of Baseball Prospectus.
40 comments have been left for this article.
BP Comment Quick Links
dREaDS Fan
It's not quite Xmas, but close. Look forward to a winter full of prospect reads.
Nov 01, 2011 03:37 AM
This article is like Christmas, with all the joy of anticipation, but then somebody gifted me a pack of underpants. I'm sad that I see nobody here to be excited about yet.
Nov 01, 2011 06:21 AM
The Astros' cupboard is really quite bare compared to most other teams. Most of their Top 11 Prospects appear to be either one dimensional corner types or pitchers with fairly low ceilings. Houston we have a problem.
Nov 01, 2011 06:58 AM
I don't really agree. It's not a great system by any means, but there is plenty of upside (among the top 3 in particular). Oberholtzer/Clemens are indeed low ceilinged, but Armstrong/Folty/Houser can be more than that if things break right.
Nov 01, 2011 07:46 AM
Considering they've dumped Berkman, Oswalt, Pence, Bourn and several lower-tier players the past two seasons, this is still a depressing list. Much better than the epic horribleness of recent seasons, but sad nonetheless.
Nov 02, 2011 06:25 AM
So whose fault is this? The team isn't exactly in win-now mode and hasn't been trading off prospects to patch holes. That must mean the prospects aren't there. Springer was their top 2011 choice, right? Who did they pass on for purposes of acquiring a mere 4-star guy with a rather early draft slot?
Nov 01, 2011 07:10 AM
Easy answer? Drayton McLane for being the only owner to follow the slotting system, and Tim Purpura for signing Lee, Berkman, and Oswalt to team-crippling contracts.
Nov 01, 2011 07:34 AM
George Springer was not an overdraft. Few could match his upside, and the elites of that class were already off of the board. Houston should be commended for taking the gamble on him.
Nov 01, 2011 07:51 AM
I also liked the pick. And Houston is not the only team still following slots, they're just in the minority.
Nov 01, 2011 09:23 AM
Eh, nobody? There aren't 11 guys who merit five stars before playing in pro ball every year. Who do you think that was left would have been a better choice?
Nov 02, 2011 03:45 AM
The blame rests firmly on ownership. The Astros were one of the first organizations (if not the very first) to build an academy in Venezuela, yet it had been decades since they'd signed anyone of any significance from Latin America...until they spent big on Ovando.
Nov 02, 2011 15:07 PM
Isn't this an improvement over last year's bottom of the barrel report for the Astros? It seems like the trades they made at least gave them something to develop in their farm system.
Nov 01, 2011 07:20 AM
This series is always a highlight of the offseason. Keep up the good work, KG.
Nov 01, 2011 09:32 AM
Will the Astros be the only team outside the White Sox with four two star players?
Nov 01, 2011 09:39 AM
In a previous article you stated that Cosart was outpitched in the Futures Game, based on stuff, only by Matt Moore. If things break right (asking a lot), do you see Cosart having the potential for that kind of impact?
Nov 01, 2011 09:48 AM
Lloyd Cole
TOP 11s ARE HERE! One of the most wonderful things each year. Thank you.
Nov 01, 2011 10:50 AM
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You got to be careful when you use this newfound definition of the word "scuffles". For Mike Foltynewicz you could interpret that, using the traditional definition, that he got into fights.
Nov 01, 2011 11:05 AM
Glad the this series is back! Why was Cosart a 38th round pick?
Nov 01, 2011 11:10 AM
Good stuff. In particular, I always enjoy reading about guys named T. Nash.
Nov 01, 2011 13:21 PM
I know Jose Altuve got exposed a little in the majors but he's young, has done nothing but hit and is SO CUTE!!! Would it SHOCK you if he was a .300 avg, .350ish OBP 2nd basemen in his prime with 10-20 HR's?
Nov 01, 2011 19:00 PM
Yes, unless he learns not to swing at every pitch in a ten-mile radius.
Nov 02, 2011 06:27 AM
Minused for that? All you have to do is look at Altuve's Pitch F/X data. He displayed no recognition of the strike zone in the majors last year, and his excellent hand eye coordination led to an increased number of groundball outs and bloop singles. He'll never show power in the majors unless he learns plate discipline.
Nov 03, 2011 07:46 AM
Post Reply not working for me. So...
Nov 01, 2011 19:07 PM
Josh Shepardson
Thanks for the work KG. Being that you are big on ceiling and tools, and DeShields gets just two stars, is it fair to assume you've got major concerns about them translating to the field? All I remember reading leading up to the draft was that he was incredibly raw, and anyone selecting him would have to be patient. It seems like his struggles were to be expected, at least to a certain extent. What has changed since the draft?
Nov 01, 2011 20:39 PM
How much is Springer's pre-season draft-projection-to-actual-slot drop due to:
Nov 01, 2011 21:55 PM
I don't think too much changed over the course of the college season with Springer. The top 5 talk may have just been over jubilation about his raw tools, ignoring the questions about his hit tool at that time. Springer had a slow start to the season (which isn't very surprising as a player from a northern school), and there seemed to be a mass exodus. That's when so many started to question his hit tool. He actually made significant progress taming his swing and K rate during his Junior year (albeit with an accompanied drop in BB rate).
Nov 02, 2011 07:38 AM
Jio Meier was #1 in the system last year. Is the extraordinary drop in the ratings circumstantial, or did he really perform that poorly?
Nov 02, 2011 11:55 AM
Meier was really terrible this season. I try to keep up with the Stros farm, and you'd be hard pressed to find anything positive written about him this past season. His numbers were horrible, as his slash line of: .239/.345/.344 tells you. That's even factoring in his "bump" for playing in Lancaster...where all of his offensive numbers actually went down. He's still really young...
Nov 02, 2011 15:14 PM
Kris Ericson
Any chance that for the 2011 picks of future teams that you could include their collegiate/high school stats instead of a DNP or the stats from what few games they did manage to play professionally?
Nov 02, 2011 17:42 PM
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Stories, photos and videos honoring veterans: The Vietnam War | The Korean War | The Gulf War | The War on Terror | Peacetime service | Photos: SoCal Veterans
Veterans carry a unique strength and dignity.
Anyone who knows one, who is related to one, who works with one, or who is one knows this intuitively. They often are the silent glue that binds our communities. They often serve long after their service, lead after they've led, give after they gave.
They also are often forgotten.
There are 24 million veterans in America. They live among us, everywhere, and they share a profound bond only they fully understand.
Today we present to you stories of veterans from throughout the Southland whom we had the privilege of meeting at local VA health care centers.
Theirs are stories we believe need to be told.
And remembered. — Michael A. Anastasi, executive editor
World War II veterans share their stories
Age: 88
Residence: Pacific Palisades
Branch: Marine Corps
Conflict: World War II
Emil Wroblicky was an 18-year-old high school senior when the military drafted him, just more than a year after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He and a few friends chose to join the U.S. Marine Corps.
"We were young and we wanted to see a little excitement," Wroblicky said with a chuckle.
"And we got more excitement than we bargained for."
While making their way across the Pacific to Japan, Wroblicky's unit saw combat in Roi-Namur and Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands, where thousands were killed.
"We had Japanese Zero planes shooting at us," he said. "I could see the bullets going over my head as I hit the ground by the rice paddies."
At the Caroline Islands, Wroblicky witnessed kamikazes – Japanese pilots on suicide missions to crash planes into American warships. He was in Okinawa when the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
For Wroblicky, one of his worst memories of the war is looking at the graves of his fellow Devil Dogs.
"We couldn't take them with us," he said. "We had to bury them right there."
"There must have been 400 or 500 crosses for the buried Marines. You just hate to see friends never get to go home."
– Christina Villacorte
Click here or on image to play video of Emil Wroblicky.
Millie Saks
Desert Hot Springs
Coast Guard
World War II
As a young woman working in Seattle, Millie Saks felt she had to do her part to aid America's war effort. So in 1943, the 21-year-old joined the Coast Guard.
"You get the fever," Saks said of enlisting during World War II.
"Everyone was gung-ho."
She never saw conflict, nor left American soil. A year after enlisting, Saks met her future husband Albert Saks, an Air Force man, and she later became pregnant and left active duty.
Still, Saks is proud of helping her country.
"It's something I treasure," she said. "It was just too short."
Loma Linda
Marine Corps
World War II
With a razor-short haircut, Dryer looks every bit the Marine he was during World War II. When he landed in Guam, he brought the radar, so he didn't shoot much.
"Little scary. Well, I was with the bigger guns so they didn't shoot at me going in."
Click here on on image to play video of Gene Dryer.
Bob Kriesten
Loma Linda
Merchant Marines and Army
World War II and Korean War
Bob Kriesten has a $1 tattoo of New York from his military days on his right forearm.
"The only time I was scared was when the war ended and guys on shore were shooting their guns off and we were loaded with ammunition," he said. "We finally signaled them with ammo."
Military service made him a man, he said.
"I was 16 years old when I joined the Merchant Marines. I found out one thing. You go up the gangplank, put one foot on the deck and you become a man."
More stories, photos and videos honoring veterans: The Vietnam War | The Korean War | The Gulf War | The War on Terror | Peacetime service | Photos: SoCal Veterans


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Russia's president on Friday signed a new law that will break the hearts of some Bay Area families and others nationwide awaiting the arrival of orphaned Russian children they have met and chosen to adopt.
In a brusque move aimed at rebuking American foreign policy, President Vladimir Putin approved an immediate U.S. adoption ban. The Russian parliament had approved the measure Wednesday."Everybody's devastated," said Janet Shirley of Bay Area Adoption Services in Mountain View on Thursday when Putin's likely action was in the news.
Among those petitioning to stop the ban is 18-year-old Anastasia Helberg, whose life brightened when she moved to California from a crowded Russian orphanage seven years ago.
Putin "is not thinking about these kids," she said. "It's really sad that these kids are stuck there and have no chance to come over here and live a normal life with a family."
American families have welcomed more than 60,000 Russian children into their homes since 1992, including nearly 1,000 last year, but an escalating diplomatic dispute threatened a sudden end to the exchange.
The ban could halt the adoption of 46 children already matched with American families and also affect up to 1,500 families in some stage of adopting, said Lauren Koch of the National Council For Adoption.
About 740,000 Russian children live without their parents, most of them in state-run institutions, according to the United Nations Children's Fund, which on Thursday urged the Russian government to "let the best interests of children" determine its policies.
One California family working with a Pleasant Hill adoption service is in Russia now with a newly adopted child, hoping to fly out before the ban takes effect. Two other families have bonded with their children and are waiting for a hearing in Russian adoption courts, so the children are not yet legally theirs.
Several other Bay Area families are in some stage of adopting but declined to speak publicly, fearing that the exposure could damage their chances.
The Russian bill calls for the ban to take effect Tuesday, though adoption agencies had hoped Putin abides by a November agreement between the United States and Russia that requires a year's notice.
"At a very minimum," Koch said, he should "at least let those 46 children come home with their families."
Russian lawmakers are using the ban to retaliate against new American travel and financial sanctions targeting Russians accused of human rights violations. The controversy also reflects deeper Russian concerns about losing children to foreigners, especially amid several well publicized cases of American abuse and neglect.
Russia was the third most popular country for U.S. adoptions in 2011 after China and Ethiopia, despite an increasingly laborious and costly process that requires prospective American parents to visit the country three times to bond with the child, attend a court hearing and undergo a battery of background checks.
"Russian adoptions are probably -- on a scale of zero to 10 -- they're 9.5 in difficulty," Shirley said. "Parents who adopt from Russia are very dedicated."
Some white couples or Russian-Americans look to the country for children who share their fair complexion or cultural ties; single mothers choose to adopt there because Russia, unlike many countries, doesn't require married parents; and parents desiring to adopt children as young as 12 months also find more options in Russia, adoption coordinators said.
Amid domestic protests over the proposed ban, Russian leaders promised this week to improve the lives of abandoned Russian children and those with medical conditions so that they don't have to leave. Legislators have pledged to clean up the nation's shabby patchwork of more than 2,000 orphanages and encourage more domestic adoptions and foster care. Those who have found homes with loving American families remain skeptical.
Now a high school senior living with her adoptive parents in Lafayette, Helberg grew up bunking with other orphaned girls in the rust-belt Russian city of Yoshkar-Ola some 500 miles east of Moscow.
Many abandoned children who aged out of her orphanage fell into street crime or prostitution, she said.
"I know that I would have not been in a good place if I were still in Russia," she said. "I would not have the things I have today. No family, and no money."
The Russian consulate in San Francisco declined to discuss the proposed ban before Putin signed it Friday "because it hasn't been passed yet," said consular spokesman Yevgeny Avdoshian. "We don't comment on the work of the legislative branch."
U.S. diplomats, however, voiced "deep concerns" over the Russian government's maneuvers.


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I agreed to the challenge of running the Barbecue Festival Hawg Run, and first and foremost my doctor approved, but there were certain aspects I missed most about a race.
I agreed to the challenge of running the Barbecue Festival Hawg Run, and first and foremost my doctor approved, but there were certain aspects I missed most about a race.
There are the physical perks like a unique adrenaline rush of race day anticipation and the exhilarating moment of completing a goal at the finish line. Then, there are a few life lessons I consider to be the greater rewards.
My very first big race took place around the sixth grade at Lexington Middle School. As a pre-teen I teetered between playing with dolls and Sunday football games with the boys. We often played in my grandmother's front yard. I was highly competitive until the dreaded day (the one my older female cousin warned me about). Puberty struck and suddenly things such as tackles and catching the football hurt in odd places.
One male cousin accused me of "starting to play like a girl." He was right. I quit playing rough with the boys, but I held on to the notion I could still beat most of them running.
So after talking smack in gym class, I was challenged by the fastest boy to a race that would take place on the road behind our middle school. It was all the chatter in the hallways, and after school people gathered to watch the match-up, boys against girls. He and I stepped up to our respective starting spots, and a mutual friend shouted "on your mark, get set, go!"
I took off running, threw my head and shoulders back and looked up at the sky. I was flying and we were so close, until I felt my foot slide under something bulky.
A student who wasn't paying attention had slung out his book bag, and I flew over it with my palms extended like Superwoman. It felt like I slid for a mile. Next thing I knew, I was being rushed to the hospital, but despite the pain, all I wanted was to be reassured that I was winning the race. My best friend finally worked up the nerve to tell me I wasn't winning.
Today, I still have a scar on my right palm. It reminds me of the day I accepted womanhood. I quit challenging boys to races, and since I couldn't beat them, I made the fastest boy in the class become my "boyfriend."
"Stop running with your head back," Macon England insisted almost every track practice in high school, but no matter how many times he chastised me, I couldn't help it. Or so I told him. I liked looking skyward. He'd say something like, "That's fine if you're praying, but not if you're running." Macon was hilarious as our girls' track coach, often giving us football analogies that made us scratch our heads, but there were some real track stars on our team. Unfortunately, I was not one of them.
My main event was the 400-meter dash and the 1,600-meter relay. I enjoyed track but was warned several times that my troubled breathing might prevent me from continuing. Both Macon and my mom agreed that my strategy of run, fall out and hyperventilate would permanently end my track season if it happened again. I convinced them to let me compete in a home meet, when the best 400 runner on our team was gone. She had consistently won the event with a time of 1:03, and I had worked up to a 1:05.
This was my only chance to win, so after begging and pleading they let me enter the race. I sprinted so hard on the first 200 meters that I was well ahead of the pack. I could hear Macon yelling, "Kerr, pace yourself" just before things started becoming blurry, and I heard nothing outside of my own gasping for air.
I dropped onto the football field just before the finish line. On the way to the hospital again all I wanted to know was if I was winning the race. The answer was no. That was the end of my track career, and I learned that the real test to any race is not how well you start but how well you finish.
So after years of sitting on the sidelines, my friend, Kivi, challenged me, knowing about my new and improved lung capacity, to run the Hawg Run 5K. We spent mornings and evenings training. She and I made a pact. No matter how slow I had to run, I would finish the race.
That pact came into my mind as my muscles started to burn when I circled around the halfway marker in front of Christo's. Runners were passing by as my phone playlist bellowed my favorite CeCe Winans' song, "He's a Wonder." I pressed my headphones in extra hard and looked skyward. This time I was praying. My ears were filled with the muffled sound of my own breath and a hummed a song of praise: "Thy truth reaches the clouds, Your mercy never runs out. We give you honor."
I credit the hard lessons learned in races throughout the years with helping me to understand that it is mercy that allowed me to be there with a sound mind and relatively sound body. So I finished the Hawg Run strong, shoulders back, head raised, and regardless of how fast I ran, I finally felt like I won the race.
Antionette Kerr is a freelance writer. You may email her at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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You, Never? Did the Kenosha Kid?
Do we really want the Pats to win. I mean if we are going to lose I'd rather lose at San Diego then to lose at home to the Patriots - that would be the worst thing ever.
disclaimer: yes I realize what I just posted is pretty stupid, but that thought crossed my mind
I'm extremely happy about the win. It was a hard-fought defensive battle, and although Peyton threw a few questionable passes, I think he played at least average. That Ravens defense is absolutely phenomenal. Give Manning some credit--I think he would have lost this game two years ago by trying to do too much. Peyton didn't win the game all by himself, but he didn't lose it all by himself either. It was a great team victory.
And good God, this game thread sucked. Could it have been any more negative? The Colts led the entire game. Please throw some love out there once and a while.
Take me out to the black, tell 'em I ain't coming back. Burn the land and boil the sea, you can't take the sky from me.
What a splendid performance. Manning, while he threw 2 picks, was very efficient as usual. Keep in mind this is a great defense.
And man, our defense was terrific! I love watching them play with the "swarming" mentality. They can't stop though. They need to continue to play like this every game.
I love this! GO COLTS!!!
Don't ask Marvin Harrison what he did during the bye week. "Batman never told where the Bat Cave is," he explained.


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Cabin Plans
Cabin plans make the perfect weekend or vacation retreat. Designed with recreation and relaxation in mind, cabin plans are laid out to take advantage of the view of any waterfront or mountain retreat. Whether you're looking for a quaint, small cabin house plan or a larger, lodge style retreat you'll find that and a lot in between.
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text: J. Michael Straczynski. In the hit series, Rising Stars, it is mentioned that at one time, Matthew Bright ran away from Pederson and, under an assumed name, became a member of normal society and a police officer. Join us as Matthew tells this story in his memoirs and learn how a Special can shine brightest when theyre just being human. Complete set of all 3 issues.


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Should we go light on Detroit to go hard on the Bulls tomorrow?
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Should we go light on Detroit to go hard on the Bulls tomorrow?
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Or throw in a first-round pick and flip it for a max-level point guard...
In all seriousness, though, I am not as concerned about the Bulls on Wednesday following the Pistons. If it were the other way around I would be very concerned about a letdown - and I am concerned about one for Friday against Toronto - but, assuming we have at least an audible proportion of Pacer fans in the house on Wednesday night, I think the energy of playing a team we have something to prove against after the pre-season will trump any tiredness.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Or throw in a first-round pick and flip it for a max-level point guard...
If we need to go "light" in Game 4 of the season against a feisty Pistons team after having two full days off, then we're in trouble.
It's petal to metal all season.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Or throw in a first-round pick and flip it for a max-level point guard...
Yes, you play every game to win. After you have wrapped up home court throughout the playoffs, then you can think about changing your plan.
But let me also say though that you do not and really cannot play these games like playoff games. You simply cannot prepare for regular season games like you can for playoff games - no time. Plus I don't want West, Hibbert and George Hill playing 40 minutes like they would in the playoffs.
Also the regular season should be used to prepare for the playoffs, that means developing your bench, developing player roles, allowing the team to sometimes figure things out on their own. So in the regular season you are trying to win every game, but also trying to build your team to be ready for the playoffs. In the playoffs you only care about winning. There is a difference
I don't ever want the Pacers to "go light" on anyone this entire season. They've already stated (I think it was Lance) that their goal is to the start the season 10-0. They really want to be the top team in the east so that they can have HCA throughout the East playoffs. The Pacers are a better team than Detroit and Chicago so they should beat the both of them.
The back-to-back is no big deal because Detroit is a very short flight from Indy.
"Nobody wants to play against Tyler Hansbrough NO BODY!" ~ Frank Vogel
"And David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone and slung it. And it struck the Philistine on the head and he fell to the ground. Amen. "
For a serious answer, I think Detroit is going to want to get us bad, and obviously Chicago will want to as well. I think tonight's game really comes down to Paul, he's got to control Josh Smith on the post. Lance should have an advantage so he needs to continue his strong play and I think G. Hill should as well so he needs to be aggressive.
Tomorrow, I think it's all about trying to step on Chicago early. Don't let them get any confidence. Drop the hammer in the first quarter and remind them that the two games in October were simply tune ups for us.
Step 1, cut a hole that box
2, put your junk in the box
3, make D-Rose open that box
and that's the way you do it.
Now that's something Rose will never forget!!
I think this is one of the toughest weeks of the season for the team though. 4 games in 5 nights is always tough. Even the worst team of the week, the Raptors have looked pretty good so far this season. A 3-1 record would be great. 2-2 wouldn't be horrible
4-0 is what I'm looking for though. :P
I'd say pour it on for both of these games and don't worry about the minutes. I want to see Roy playing close to 40 minutes against the Bulls. I don't think our first back to back should be that big of a deal this early in the season. If the team is going to wear down later in the week I'd still rather put our best effort against the central division teams.
Never would I ever think about taking it light for a game for anyone, let alone a division opponent.
If we light them up and are up by 20 with 6 or so minutes then of course it's a good decision to pull the starters, but otherwise I go balls to the wall for both games.
If we're 7-0 come roughly 10PM Saturday I am going to have a hard time resisting the urge to start sewing banners.
but we play the Grizzlies Monday night. Maybe you should wait until 8-0
I'm thinking we get these next 3, but Brooklyn might take it from us. Their vets will be up for that game. They wanna make a statement.
You can't get champagne from a garden hose.
I'm reminded of something David West said last season (and I think Vogel has said something similar). Paraphrasing here, but it's something like "As long as we go out and do the things we do, we'll be ok".
And what are the things that the Pacers do? Defend, rebound, get to the line. Rinse and repeat. Sometimes it doesn't get more complicated than that.
The regular season is a marathon, and I think a workman-like attitude like what West expressed is what the Pacers need to get through it successfully. We as fans tend to get up more for certain games, but for the players it's really about refining and perfecting the system they play. They can worry about specific matchups when the playoffs come around.
This answer comes courtesy of Carlos during the saga that was his epic careericide.
We aren't the Spurs, we don't just take a night off and leave our stars at home. I think we already kind of took it easy Saturday with Hill sitting out. If that would have been the playoffs Hill would have played.
We should be able to play all out 2 days in a row. If not we can kiss our championship hopes goodbye.
I think we need to make a big statement and definitively WIN against Detroit and Chicago. Back to back, schmack to schmack, it's the second week of the season! Going undefeated long into week 2 and potentially beyond will really show everyone we're not screwing around, even missing multiple starters.
My 'out of state fan' game reports over the years
Pacers.com Guest Blog Post: Area 55 Conquers Staples Center -- (Honorary) Area 55 Family Invades Target Center 2014! -- Target Center Invasion 2015
Both games count as potential wins, no days off.
Are you kidding me? As far as team strategy goes, this early in the season you worry about only one thing. The next game and winning it.
Now, if we were talking about the strategies of returning a player from injury and how and when to get the most from them in a 4-games-in-5-nights stretch, that's a different story. But as far as teams go, you are always doing what is necessary to win the NEXT game, especially this early in the season.
One gear: go.
This space for rent.


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SHOP NOWSunglasses by Balmain
SHOP NOWSunglasses by Raf Simons
SHOP NOWSunglasses by Persol
SHOP NOWSunglasses by Yves Saint-Laurent
SHOP NOWSunglasses by Ray-Ban
SHOP NOWSunglasses by Balmain
Words by Mr Tom M Ford
If we lower our Wayfarers and look back to the conception of protective eyewear, we've come a long way in the style stakes. Prehistoric Inuits made do with slitted ivory eye panels, while 12th century Chinese judges donned panes of smoky quartz. Mr James Ayscough, an English optician, experimented with tinted lenses in glasses in the mid-18th century, but this was with a view for correcting our eyesight rather than protecting it.
Not until the early 20th century, however, did the true allure of sunglasses take off, helped along the way by images of silent movie stars shielding their eyes from bright stage lights between scenes, and from paparazzi flashbulbs between parties. Mr Sam Foster, the founder of Foster Grant, picked up on this and saw a market for eye-shielding on a wider scale when, in 1929, he flooded the beaches of Atlantic City, New Jersey, with cheap, mass-produced sunglasses from a Woolworth shop on the Boardwalk. A true man with vision. That, and the fact that a US company called Bausch & Lomb created the Ray-Ban in 1937, which soon became standard issue for US military pilots during WWII, sealing the sunglass as both accessory and sunblocker. Once again, that happy combination of form and function has collided to give us a valid excuse to channel a little bit of Mr Jack Nicholson each summer.


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National Wildlife Federation is working with governors, legislators and state agency directors to develop state action plans to help connect children with the outdoors. The action plans identify resources and opportunities in multiple agencies—education, health, parks & wildlife, agriculture, and others—to strengthen and increase state programs to connect children with nature. State action plans have been developed in Maryland, and are underway in Texas, Kansas, and Missouri. A number of governors or legislatures have enacted children's outdoor bills of rights or other resolutions to call attention to the issue.
If you want to develop a "Children and the Outdoors" State Action Plan or Resolution for your state, download our Children and the Outdoors State Policy Solutions Guide.
See what other states have done:
Pennsylvania Governor's Outdoor Task Force Report
Maryland's Partnership for Children in Nature
Kansas Coalition for Children in Nature
Colorado's Kids Outdoors Report
Missouri Children in Nature Challenge
Every Child Outdoors Tennessee
Michigan House Resolution
Download the results of the "Ten Million Outdoor Kids" Campaign!
Download our Educational Resource Guide for the "Every Kid in a Park" Program!


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Week of Kitchen Renovations: Before and After Pics
To wrap up my week of kitchen renovations, I wanted to highlight some overall before and after pics of our kitchen and dining room. It's still hard to imagine that we lived with our old kitchen for two full years before the renovation started. I sometimes can't even remember what it used to look like. To me, that means our renovation was a success. We definitely had sleepless nights debating what to do, what we could afford, and various other discussions about the renovation. But at the end of the day, it was worth every penny and every ounce of stress before and during the renovation process.
So without further ado, here are the before and after pics…
This is the view coming in the back entry of our condo. We use this entry 95% of the time, so this is what Hubby and I come home to every day. Before (on demo-day) and After:
Most people who don't live in the condo would enter the kitchen through the hallway towards to front of the condo. You can see the fridge over in the dining area in these pics. Here are those before (one from move-in day and one from demo-day) and afters:
Here are the before and afters from the sink area:
Looking towards the stove area from the dining room (again the first before is from move-in day and the second before is from demo-day):
And last but not least the dining room:
We still have a couple unfinished projects that we'd like to get done for the kitchen to really feel completely done, but it feels good to be at the point we are. I'll be sure to post any of these projects as we finish them.
Check out my Week of Kitchen Renovations here.
12 Responses to "Week of Kitchen Renovations: Before and After Pics"
What, what an amazing transformation. Everything looks fantastic. I've been looking at those metal-type backsplashes for when we re-do ours and I was a bit hesitant because while I like them I was afraid it would be too much. I like how you did it though so I'll definitely have to keep some of this in my inspiration folder!
This looks absolutely fabulous!! Congrats on a job well done 🙂
WOW! What an awesome transformation! I love it.
i totally adore you new kitchen, its fantastic!!
the metal backsplash is great and i love the shelf with the spices, well i love it all, totally great
It's gorgeous! You can barely tell it was the same rooms! You have a beautiful kitchen!
It looks really great!
Wow – that's amazing you worked with those appliances for that long! Totally jealous, but happy for you guys at the same time.
Wow, you and Carlos did a fantastic renovation. Love the before and after pics.
Looks wonderful. I am in love with those beautiful, tall upper cabinets! Great idea!
Great job! Looks wonderful.
I have loved these posts. Your kitchen looks amazing! Love all of the little touches (the spice rack, the cupboard doors that cover the radiator, etc.). Fantastic job!
GREAT posts! I'm on the tail end of a remodel, so I especially appreciate them right now 🙂


text: Memphis is 1-7 but still tough to figure out By Doug Smock November 1, 2012 Story Share AP Photo Memphis sophomore Martin Ifede (97) has seven sacks and has forced two fumbles, including this one by SMU's Garrett Gilbert. HUNTINGTON - In describing Memphis under its new coaching staff, Marshall coach Doc Holliday summed it up this way: The Tigers' offense and defense are alike.As he and his two coordinators describe it, those units are alike in this manner: They like to create chaos, leaving opponents hopelessly guessing what's coming next. Holliday summed it up thusly: "They run triple-option, they run mid-option and a lot of things to create problems for our offense. They're a three-down look [on defense] and they're bringing people from all over the place."Offensive coordinator Bill Legg can attest to the changes in the Memphis defense. Last year, the Herd's biggest problem was trying to neutralize big nose tackle Dontari Poe, and to quit tripping over itself (Marshall had six turnovers before rallying to win 23-22).The 350-pound Poe anchored a four-man front, but he has gone to the NFL and the new Tiger staff is going with a 3-4 look. Legg confirms what his boss says, and then some: The Tigers (1-7 overall, 1-3 Conference USA) are going in every direction, and coming from every direction.Martin Ifedi, a 6-foot-3, 260-pound sophomore, has blossomed into a major force from one of the ends, leading the team with seven sacks, 91/2 tackles for loss and two fumbles forced. Legg believes the new scheme has made the most of his ability."They don't ever stand still," Legg said of the defensive linemen. "There's three of them, a nose and two ends, tackles, whatever you want to call them, and they're in constant movement. Last year, you knew where Poe was going to be. If he lined up on your right shoulder, he was still going to be on your right shoulder when you made first contact. He might lift you up and throw you in the backfield. ... This year, it's the movement."The Tiger defense has suffered one season-ending injury, to senior lineman Zach Gholson. Still, the until has improved from 117th to 85th nationally in total defense, 97th to 75th in rushing defense and 109th to 95th in pass efficiency defense."But you look at them statistically, and considering [the circumstances], they haven't done that bad," Legg said. "They've got a lot of [tackles for loss], a lot of sacks because of the confusion. And even though they're running a whole new defense, they have some experience, because a lot of those kids played a year ago."nn Defensive coordinator Chris Rippon describes the Memphis offense as a "Texas/TCU offense," complete with triple-option and other wrinkles."They're doing with the run game what our offense does with the pass game," Rippon said. "And they're trying to, with their motions and formations, to develop their offensive line. They have some junior-college kids and some new backs and new terminology. They're trying to put less stress on that."What you have a difficult time doing is replicating the read plays and the triple-option timing, and who gets put in the 'island.' That's where their offense puts you, and it's such a perimeter game that now they can hit you up the middle because you're running sideline to sideline."While this is a ground-heavy offense - 302 rushes vs. 191 passing attempts - there is a little Texas Tech thrown in. That comes at quarterback, where Jacob Karam transferred in from Lubbock and won the starting job.He had limited game experience at Texas Tech, playing six games and going 9 of 17 for 104 yards and two touchdowns. That was going to stay limited - as West Virginia fans can testify, Karam wasn't going to unseat 4,000-yard passer Seth Doege for the starting job. But after Karam earned his degree, he was able to transfer to Memphis without sitting for a year. Yes, Karam is a junior, meaning he graduated in three years. He did so magna cum laude in university studies/pre-law. "He's a pretty sharp guy," said Memphis coach Justin Fuente. "The thing we keep telling him is he's just got to continue to make the average play, every time. We're not looking for the spectacular."The Tigers have had trouble moving the ball, only gaining 202 total yards last week in a 44-13 loss at Southern Methodist. Their season high is 399, just 35 yards more than Marshall's season low.But they have Rippon's full attention. Then again, after watching Central Florida rack up 568 yards last week, Rippon is not eager to have his defense known for jump-starting the Memphis offense.nnOnce again, Marshall is crossing paths with one of two assistant coaches who worked all 10 years of "The Decade, The Dynasty" of the 1990s - Tim Billings.Billings coaches the Tigers' defensive line after six seasons at Wake Forest. Those years were mostly productive, beginning with the Demon Deacons' Atlantic Coast Conference championship team of 2006. He tutored wide receivers in 2006-07 and defensive backs from 2008-11. He served as co-defensive coordinator in 2011. He came to Wake Forest after a rough six-year stint as head coach at Southeast Missouri State. The Redhawks went 8-4 in 2002, but he finished his time at Cape Girardeau 25-43.Those wins match Marshall's losses for the entire decade of the 1990s, against 114 victories. Billings' final act in Huntington was to lead the defense in the program's most accomplished season, the 13-0 record and No. 10 final national ranking in 1999.The last time Billings coached against Marshall was his first game as a head coach, and it was ugly - with Byron Leftwich running the offense for the first time, the Herd hammered SEMO 63-7 in the 2000 opener.The other assistant to work at Marshall every year in the 1990s is Mark Gale, still around as assistant athletic director for football operations.Reach Doug Smock at 304-348-5130 or email@example.com or follow him at twitter.com/dougsmock. Story Share Story Share Trending Now 1 Police seek car driven by woman found dead in Kanawha River 2 Teen pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter in Oakes Field shooting 3 Facebook founder visits Cabin Creek Health Systems 4 Man allegedly cuts father in Rand over argument about sandwich 5 Esa Ahmad ineligible for first half of WVU men's basketball season Hurricane boys have come together in pursuit of soccer title Previous Story Riverside holds off Nitro 28-27 on missed field goal attempt Next Story


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be social
We've built a society where commentary is volunteered and not asked for.
Facebook enables us to show our reactions to posts using only six emojis. Instagram allows us to comment on anyone's pages regardless of if we know them or not. Even Tinder has contributed to our generation's tireless need to share our opinions with its "swipe left, swipe right" interface.
Needless to say I, much like most of you reading this, have faced quite a bit of criticism from people, free of charge.
In September of 2016, I decided to take the plunge and go natural. I'm not going to lie, when I got out of my hair stylist's chair and saw that I had an afro, I was shocked. For 21 years, I had struggled with flat irons, chemical straighteners, and humidity to tame my hair into something it wasn't. Now my hair was free and I realized how beautiful it was to finally feel like myself.
(Photo via @stylefromalexis)
What I didn't predict was that making the decision to cut my own hair was going to affect other people. From strangers on the street to coworkers, everyone seemed to have the need to tell me their opinion about my hair. Most of the comments were nice, if not stereotypical. If I was given a dollar for every time someone called me "Foxy Brown" or "Angela Davis," I wouldn't even have to worry about my college debt. But all in all, I know those people meant well.
Then there were the not-so-nice comments.
I can remember shortly after my hair really started to grow, a coworker pulled me aside and asked, "So why do you have a bush on your head?" I was caught so off-guard. Now I understand that back in the day, people used to refer to their afros as a "bush." But last time I checked it's 2017 and we can be a little bit more progressive. As I attempted to explain to her that this was my natural hair, she continued to let me know that she was not a fan of my new look. She asked me if it was a trend the kids were doing now and what my mother thought about it, as if I were a rebellious child. She then wrapped all of her pretty little negative comments with a big red bow, letting me know that she thinks that I look prettier with straight hair.
In more ways than one, I was offended. But it was the last comment that affected me the most. Growing up seeing an emphasis on European beauty standards, I knew the feelings of "not being pretty enough" all too well. With a head full of kinky curls and a skin tone darker than soft beige, I was nowhere near the "standard" the media promoted. But I had finally learned to love myself, only to have someone of my own race make me feel less than who I am.
(Photo via @styleintheway)
I had let someone else control my perception of myself. It's not like I really thought I was ugly. But the fact that the words were said out loud gave them more weight than I should have allowed. The truth is, her negative comments say more about the person she is than they do about me. And this is the lesson I had to learn when dealing with negative comments and opinions. The comments aren't about me, they are about their own internal conflicts.
So the next time someone shares an unwanted opinion of you, think of it like this: Other people's opinions are like a hand full of sand, let them slip through your fingers. What's left behind in your palm are the seashells that you know to be true.
You are beautiful, intelligent, strong, and capable. No negative opinion should ever take that away from you.
Have you ever had an opinion shared with you that you didn't ask for? Share your stories with us in the comments.......


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WE'VE been able to ground out three 1-0 wins in a row now by digging in and having a goalkeeper in very good form.
The latest victory came at Leyton Orient in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy on Tuesday night and it was an awesome achievement to go there and get a win.
However, it's important to remember that we still have another leg to play in the tie and Orient have done well away from home this season so it will be another difficult game against them.
It's obviously good to be going in to the second leg with a narrow advantage and goals seem to be like London buses for Ryan Leonard right now.
He went 17 months without scoring and has now got two in two games which has been brilliant to see because he's a great lad.
Lenny's had a frustrating season after picking up a few injuries.
But we're all chuffed to see him doing well again now and it just goes to show the importance of having a strong squad.
He also hit the back of the net against Oxford in our previous game, but Paul Smith also deserves credit for how he played.
I would think he's probably enjoying the best run of form in his career at the moment.
However, we can't keep on digging out 1-0 wins and will need to start improving our performances.
The first chance to do that will be at Accrington Stanley this weekend and that will definitely be another very hard game.
It's always a real battle against them and they beat us on the opening day of the league season so hopefully we can get one over them on Saturday.
WE'RE all devastated that Michael Timlin broke his leg during the win at Leyton Orient and will miss the rest of the season.
Tims will be a massive loss for us because, although he may not be a cultured type of midfielder, the energy, enthusiasm and leadership he brings to the team and the dressing room is huge.
But now it's time for other players in the squad to step up during his absence.
I'D like to congratulate Marc Laird on becoming a father for the first time this week.
He's now the proud father of a little boy called Harrison and both mother and baby are doing well which is great news.
Rumour has it Marc is particularly pleased because he now has someone in his family on who is on the same wavelength as him.


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Sore hamstring keeps Dickerson on the bench
CLEVELAND -- Chris Dickerson was a late scratch from Saturday's lineup after he complained of left hamstring soreness following Friday night's game. Indians manager Terry Francona, however, does not consider the injury anything serious and even hinted that the outfielder could be available in a pinch.
"He was a little bit sore last night," Francona said. "That was one of those things where we could have held the lineup.
"He may even get in the game today."
Utility man Mike Aviles replaced Dickerson in left field and batted ninth. Aviles has played sparingly lately -- making just seven appearances since June 20 -- so the team was far from hesitant to give the 33-year-old a few at-bats before the All-Star break.
"I want Mikey to play [on Sunday], too," Francona said. "I think when Mikey plays a couple games in a row, it's really good for him. And [Ryan] Raburn this way can be available if they bring in a lefty. And he'll play tomorrow, too. So we'll cover our guys going into the break."
Dickerson has gotten off to a fast start at the plate since being acquired in a trade with the Pirates on Monday -- a move sparked by Michael Bourn suffering another hamstring injury. Dickerson has gone 8-for-17 through five games and has at least one hit in each game.
"He's done a really good job. He's been on base a ton," Francona said. "When a guy goes down and somebody fills in and gets hot, it really helps. I think it's two-fold. It's not just Dickerson, [Jason Kipnis] leading off has been just as important."
Alec Shirkey is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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RayStorm review (iPad/iOS)
Out of all of Taito's classic shooters, aside from the Space Invaders offerings, I really have an admiration for RayStorm. First released on the PS One long ago (through Working Designs), the game's grown on me with its Zuntana-produced soundtrack, strong 3D graphics (running at 60 frames-per-second — no small feat for such a detailed shooter) and plenty of action on two levels of play.
Since that time, RayStorm has seen a pair of re-releases. It made its way to Xbox Live Arcade months ago in high-definition format with good results, and now it's available on the Apple App Store for iPad and iPhone models, the latest in Taito's retro releases. While the cost is questionable, the fun you'll have with this shooter certainly isn't.
In the game, you're a lone spaceship (out of select models available) fighting against the nasty Secilia Federation, who have plans for Earth. Your attacks are divided between blasting enemies in the skies and locking on to targets below. It's a variation of the Xevious process, but the lock-on lasers for both models work more effectively than Namco's game did. Furthermore, you also have a special attack that you can charge up, obliterating all targets on-screen with very little effort. (We recommend saving it for bosses, as they can be tough hombres.)
Taito has modified RayStorm to work with touch-screen gameplay, and it's very responsive, though you have to hold your device in wide-screen format to play it. That's for the better, as you've got more room to maneuver your ship that way. In addition, the company has thrown in a slew of options, including separate Arcade and iPhone Modes. These not only have their own settings and stage select screens, but completely different Zuntana soundtracks, including a sweet remixed one. (The original is good, too.)
The game also supports GameCenter, so you can post your best scores to compare with others and unlock Achievements for certain areas of the game. Sadly, that's about it on extras, and for a game that sells for around nine bucks, that may be a bit much to ask for.
Still, RayStorm retains every bit of its retro-flavored splendor, especially in the graphics. What they lack in the high-definition polish that most Cave shooters have these days, they make up for with well-restored graphics from the original game, as well as good-looking explosions and an array of backgrounds to fly through. Deep space is particularly my favorite, as you can obliterate ships from a distance with lock-on lasers while still contending with forces right in front of you.
If you're a shooter fan who has collected every shmup in the Cave collection among other available titles, RayStorm will fit right in your collection — right alongside its prequel, RayForce. The high price and lack of extras or HD support might have some of you thinking it's a bit too ancient, but better to restore something that was fine the way it was rather than tinker with it and screw it up. Now we just hope that RayCrisis gets equal treatment somewhere down the line…


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All incoming business students are assigned to an Academic Advisor. Students will work with the same advisor throughout their time in the business school, unless they transfer to the iMPA Accounting Program or the Business Honors Program. Students will receive periodic emails from their academic advisor with important advising information. Peer Advisors are available at the BBA Program Office (CBA 2.400) for walk-in questions.
Blake Willms
Blake joined the BBA Program Office in 2013. He is a native Austinite and earned a BA in Psychology from UT Austin in 1999. Prior to joining the BBA Program Office, Blake held various positions in UT's Office of Admissions.
Cindy Bippert
Cindy joined the UPO in 1999 as an Academic Advisor, and now serves as the Director of Advising. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in Early Childhood Education from The University of Texas at San Antonio, and a master of education degree in Higher Education Administration from The University of Texas at Austin. Cindy has also worked in the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Natural Sciences at UT Austin.
Cruiz Alvarado
Cruiz has been a member of the BBA Program Office since 1990. She received her bachelor of business administration degree in Accounting from Texas State University. Before serving as an Academic Advisor, Cruiz worked as an office assistant, Degree Plan Evaluator, and Student Development Specialist.
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Eric joined the BBA Program Office as an Academic Advisor in 2012. He served as an Orientation Advisor and Orientation Coordinator in New Student Services while earning his bachelor of science degree in Communication Studies from the UT College of Communication. He is currently working on his master's degree in Higher Education Administration from the UT College of Education.
Jay Guevara
Jay joined the BBA Program Office in 2013 as an Academic Advisor after serving as an Academic Advisor in the Longhorn/Discovery Scholars Program within the School of Undergraduate Studies. Jay earned a B.A. in History from UT Austin.
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Kayla joined the BBA Program Office in 2011 as an Academic Advisor. She served as the Coordinator of Leadership Development with the UT Leadership and Ethics Institute (LEI) in the Office of the Dean of Students. Before she started at UT, she was a Technical Recruiter for an Austin-based, high-tech staffing company. Kayla graduated from UT Austin with a M.Ed. degree in Higher Education Administration and with a B.B.A. in Marketing.
Lovelys Powell
Lovelys joined the BBA Program Office in 2004 as an Academic Advisor, and now serves as Assistant Director of Advising. He graduated from UT Austin with degrees in Sociology and Government. He also earned a master of arts degree in Sociology from Texas State University. He previously worked in the UT Office of Admissions, Undergraduate Advising Center, Office of the Dean of Students, and in the College of Education.
Sara Sanchez
Sara joined the BBA Program in January 2012 as an Academic Advisor after serving as a Recruitment Coordinator in the Cockrell School of Engineering at UT Austin. Sara earned a B.A. in Psychology and an M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from UT Austin. Prior to working at UT, Sara worked as a Volunteer Coordinator at Breakthrough Austin.
Yesenia Sanchez
Yesenia has worked for the BBA Program Office since 1998. In 2003, she became an Academic Advisor for the McCombs Students and currently serves as Assistant Director of Advising and supervisor of the Peer Advisor Program. Yesenia graduated from McCombs with a B.B.A. degree in Management.
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