text:
Lingering Questions From Cynthia Ward's Lost Lawsuit
Posted by OC Insider on September 5, 2012
Mostly a Loss for Ward
OK, the court rejected Anaheim gadfly Cynthia Ward's lawsuit to prevent council candidate Steve Chavez Lodge from using Chavez as part of his name on the ballot. Chavez is part of his legal name, but it's not like Ward has been primarily concerned about facts or anything in this case as opposed to playing politics.
The outcome of that part of her lawsuit should never have been in doubt. Ward said because, in her opinion, Lodge was not "widely known" as Steve Chavez Lodge, that he should be barred from using it on the ballot. Too bad she wasn't aware of Jim Lacy's lawsuit in 2008 against Dana Point council candidate Lou Penrose, asking the court to bar him from using the name he was widely known by – Lou Penrose – and force him to instead use his legal name, Luigi Rossetti. The judge sort of split the baby and required Penrose to list himself as "Lou Penrose (aka Luigi Rossetti Jr.)."
Ward and her legal team were basically attempting the reverse of that.
She did squeeze out a little bit of victory when the judge ruled Lodge can't use the "retired policeman" part of his "retired policeman/businessman" ballot designation.
Who's Footing The Bill For The Lawsuit?
In comments around the blogosphere today, Ward served notice that she absolutely will not disclose who is paying her legal costs. Up till now, in her blogging and activism, Ms. Ward's has been upfront and candid about her motives, political relationships, etc. This cone of silence shtick is way out of character. Since she still won't even state "Yes, I am paying for my legal fees out of my own pocket," it's safe by now to assume someone else of taking care of Strumwaaser-Woocher's bill.
Also, in her lawsuit, Ward puzzlingly did not include any request to recover attorney fees if she won the case. The judge made no mention of recovering legal costs in his decision. If Ward had won, she would have to sue to recover legal fees.
Anyone as confident as Ward was of winning their case would have included a request…unless you weren't the one paying for the lawsuit and therefore didn't need to worry about recovering legal fees.
Either way, Ms. Ward can still clear this point up very easily.
The John Leos Connection
Here's another interesting connection to Ward's lawsuit against Lodge.
Lodge was served with the lawsuit the evening of Tuesday, August 21. A few hours later that same evening, the campaign of a rival council candidate John Leo (the candidate of the city employees union) sent out this press release:
Lawsuit Challenges Lodge's Use of Chavez Name for Race in Anaheim
ANAHEIM (August 21, 2012) — Anaheim resident Cynthia Ward has challenged City Council candidate Steve Lodge's use of the middle name "Chavez" on the ballot and also the inclusion of "retired" in his ballot designation. Her lawsuit suggests the recent use of the middle name "Chavez" serves a political function.
"While I can respect Lodge's apparent sensitivity to voter concerns about the lack of a Latino voice on the Council, it just seems opportunistic to put on a Latino identity for himself now that votes are at stake," said City Council Candidate John Leos. "My family over the last 90 years experienced segregated Anaheim schools and other injustices, but I learned from them always to be myself — in season and out of season."
So how did Leos find out so quickly not just that Lodge had been served, but obviously had knew the details of the lawsuit?
In a blog comment, Ms. Ward says she didn't release any information, and doesn't think her lawyers would have done so without her approval:
"These suits are filed routinely in elections all over the country, most without the fanfare and negativity that this one has been subjected to. Which leads one to wonder, how did the press even find out about this? I did not do a press release. Voice of OC was tipped off about 24 hours after the suit was filed, and to confirm factual information I posted a short notice to a new, raw, non-revenue generating blog I am working on, one that is not even tied into Google yet, so the media frenzy did not come from me. My attorney would not run a press release without me. Did Lodge or his campaign team generate the press attention? One has to wonder."
Yes, one does have to wonder. The Lodge campaign didn't alert the world (why would they?). But if someone else was paying for the lawsuit, like a certain public employee union that represents Anaheim city employees, and used to have Leos on its Board of Directors, and is backing Leos for Anaheim City Council, is paying for the lawsuit, then that union would have the details of the lawsuit and every motivation to pass them along to the Leos campaign.
That explanation makes a lot more sense than anything Ward or anyone else has come up with. We're not going to hold our breath waiting for the Leos campaign to disclose how they learned of the lawsuit and its details so amazingly quickly. Only the willfully blind aren't going to see the busy hands of the OCEA and the Leos campaign in this entire affair.
11 Responses to "Lingering Questions From Cynthia Ward's Lost Lawsuit"
September 5, 2012 at 12:27 PM
IMO Cynthia was "jobbed."(*) She likely did not know who was behing Woocher. She saw a situation that she thought was wrong (btw – I think that it was wrong too) and accepted legal help without really knowing who was behind that help.
"jobbed" definition per urbandictionary.com – "To be the victim of a conspiracy; to lose a seemingly fair contest because of deceit."
September 5, 2012 at 12:51 PM
Junior, if Cynthia got suckered (which I don't believe), then that is on her.
I disagree there is anything wrong with including part of your legal name on the ballot. By her logic, a candidate wouldn't be able to use his or her middle name unless they were "widely known" by it.
- September 5, 2012 at 12:51 PM
September 5, 2012 at 3:27 PM
"Also, in her lawsuit, Ward puzzlingly did not include any request to recover attorney fees if she won the case."
And you link to the document I uploaded. As I explained in OJ comments, that PDF got truncated when I uploaded it as a "google document." She DID request court fees as part of her "Prayer For Relief" at the end of her petition.
Here, to hell with Google Docs, I'll upload it onto the Orange Juice:
see page 12.
I know that Cynthia IS now worried about how she's going to pay for this, she really was counting on winning the suit, and nearly did, in which case she would have been off the hook.
Meanwhile I think the obsession over "who's paying for this" is part of Lodge and his supporters' (including you) effort to paint him as a threat and foe to unions, which I find utterly laughable, although I'm sure he'll try to use it tonight when trying to get the OC GOP endorsement. As I wrote yesterday:
1. This is a 54-year-old retired cop living large on his 3%-at-50 pension, buying an Anaheim Hills spread with his public spoils. A living, walking reminder of the worst, most unaffordable deal our craven OC politicians ever made with labor.
2. He is the ideological twin of his DINO running mate Jordan Brandman, who, as part of a secret deal between OCEA and Disney, actually HAS labor's endorsement (to the chagrin of many of us Democrats and progressives who generally back labor.)
3. As I've written before, there aren't likely to be any big labor questions coming up in the next few years in Anaheim anyway, thanks to the sweetheart deal OCEA wrung out of the three Council corporatists earlier this year, (who were joined by longtime labor supporter Lorri Galloway, who probably regrets that vote, as it came at the very moment the OCEA was preparing to stab her "Let the People Vote" initiative in the back.)
4. Steve's career as a public employee has been particularly expensive to taxpayers, from his $615,000 settlement for excessive force in 1990 to his worker's compensation claim against the City of Santa Ana earlier this year.
In short, any Anaheim voters who are primarily motivated by hostility to unions – for one thing, this year's Council election doesn't offer you any great choices or opportunities, but in any case Steven Albert Semi-Chavez Lodge is not your man..
September 5, 2012 at 3:52 PM
Thank you for pointing out the missing part of Ward's petition, although my point still stands without it. Ms. Ward's refusal to just answer some very simple questions runs counter to her usual M.O.
You say she "nearly won" her lawsuit. Close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades. Lawsuits are won or lost. No "almosts."
"As I've written before, there aren't likely to be any big labor questions coming up in the next few years in Anaheim anyway, thanks to the sweetheart deal OCEA wrung out of the three Council corporatists earlier this year,.."
Incorrect. That deal expires in early 2014, so big contract negotiations with OCEA/AMEA are in the near future. That's why OCEA wants its formr Board of Directors member Leos on the council.
As for that settlement — it was actually in the high $200K range (a judge reduced after the city appealed). And as a left-winger, you're the last guy to be complaining about "expensive to taxpayers." Your whole ideology is excessively expensive to taxpayers.
September 5, 2012 at 5:22 PM
This – "Close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades. Lawsuits are won or lost. No "almosts."" – is a cute, cute expression, and I'm sure you patted yourself on the back when you wrote it. But it obviously doesn't apply here. You yourself wrote that it was "mostly a loss" and by any account it was a split decision. Which also makes it a logical conclusion that each side is gonna be responsible for their own counsel – Cynthia for Woocher, Chavez for Baric.
I'll take your word on the $200,000 and maintain that it was a waste of taxpayer money due to Chvez' ill temper and lack of discipline. I'll do us both a favor and assume that neither of us like unnecessary waste of taxpayer money. Bigger favor than you're doing me. If you're gonna say I'm wasteful because I'm a liberal, I should hold Bush's trillions of waste against you. But I'd rather talk about the hundreds of millions Lodge's cronies want to give away to big Anaheim corporations and the 15 million that they might waste fighting against districting.
Also, it's weird getting called "Vern" by some guy that's wearing a mask. Everyone else here can know I'm Vern. Hell, I probably know you, and you'll probably grin at me some time this month. As long as you're anonymous I would prefer that you address me as "Zorro," ok?
September 6, 2012 at 9:06 AM
"This – "Close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades. Lawsuits are won or lost. No "almosts."" – is a cute, cute expression, and I'm sure you patted yourself on the back when you wrote it. But it obviously doesn't apply here."
Oooh. Being snarky and insulting. That must have hit home.
And yeah, it does apply. Knocking "Chavez" off the ballot name was Ward's goal. She failed. Not "almost succeeded." Failed. As in, the judge's decision was tghe opposite of what she wanted.
And don't take my word on the ultimate size of the settlement. It was in the OC Register story. And that stemmed from an incident in 1985. That's almost 30 years ago. From what I've read about you Vern, you're the last person who should be judging someone's character based on past mistakes — and according to your former blog buddy, your mistakes are a lot more recent.
- September 6, 2012 at 9:06 AM
- September 5, 2012 at 5:22 PM
- September 5, 2012 at 3:52 PM


text:
Diet Is More Important Than Exercise When It Comes To This Part Of Your Body
If you've ever wondered about whether nutrition or exercise is better for your bones, you're not alone. Fitness enthusiasts, scientists, and those in between are asking the same question—and thanks to science, we may finally have an answer. A new study, published in the journal PLOS One, shows that when it comes to bone strength, diet is paramount.
By comparing results from mice who were given a mineral-supplemented diet (including calcium and phosphorus) and those put on an exercise regimen, researchers from the University of Michigan found that nutrition led to greater bone strength than exercise. To their surprise, even after the mice stopped exercising, they maintained their bone strength as long as they continued a diet rich in these mineral supplements.
David Kohn, professor in the school of dentistry and engineering at The University of Michigan tells Science Daily that these findings could have profound implications on the aging process. Peak bone density occurs in the early 20s and then begins to decline. Kohn suggests that if we can determine how to maximize our bone density before its decline, the rate of decline could slow. We know exercise becomes more difficult with age and the fact that our diet could be a solution is promising.
Although the findings suggest nutrition is more important than exercise for bone strength, the study found that a mineral-supplemented diet combined with regular exercise leads to optimal bone strength—faster than nutrition without exercise.
So, what should you be taking for your bone health?
Dana Cohen, M.D., points out that although taking calcium is important for bone health, it can be even more effective when taken with vitamin D and vitamin K2. Vitamin D helps the body more quickly absorb calcium, and vitamin K2 activates a protein called osteocalcin, which stimulates the merging of calcium ions and bone minerals. Magnesium is also a very important (and often forgotten!) player in bone health.
And don't worry if you're not interested in getting your calcium through dairy; there are other ways. JJ Virgin, celebrity nutrition and fitness expert, offers nondairy (and fun) options for building your bone health. It can be as easy as spending some time in the sunshine (vitamin D), eating more greens (calcium), or incorporating strength training into your routine (increased bone density).
The take-home? Although it seems that diet is more important than exercise—if you're looking for strong bones, a mineral-supplemented diet and exercise is the way to go.
Ready to learn how to fight inflammation and address autoimmune disease through the power of food? Join our 5-Day Inflammation Video Summit with mindbodygreen's top doctors.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Obama's Jobs Bill: Read It and Weep
The dim news about the current economic situation has prompted the Obama administration to put forward its latest, desperate effort to reverse the tide by urging passage of The American Jobs Act (AJA), a turgid 155-page bill. The AJA's only certain effect is to make everything worse than it already is by asking Congress to tighten the stranglehold that government regulation has already placed on the economy.
That sad fact would certainly elude anyone who accepted the president's justification for the AJA when he sent the bill to Congress. This bill, he said, will "put more people back to work and put more money in the pockets of working Americans. And it will do so without adding a dime to the deficit." How? Why, by closing "corporate tax loopholes" and insisting that the wealthiest American's pay their "fair share" of taxes.
What is so striking about Obama's shopworn rhetoric is its juvenile intellectual quality. His explanation for how the AJA will create jobs is a non-starter because he does not explain how we get from here to there. As in so many other cases, the president thinks that waving a wand over a problem will make his most ardent wishes come true, even when similar earlier efforts have proved to be dismal failures. This dreadful hodgepodge of a bill will likely be dead-on-arrival in Congress, but it remains a patriotic duty to explicate some of its worst provisions.


text:
Hosted by the CSA Carolinas Chapter
The full day Cloud Security Alliance Summit Charlotte is a stand alone event in the Greater Charlotte, North Carolina area, on Monday, June 12, 2017.
Adaptive Security Architectures: Moving Beyond the Lines of Traditional – In Cloud Security
Today, cloud represents the central IT system by which organizations will transform themselves over the coming years. As cloud represents the future of an agile enterprise, new technology trends, such as Internet of Things (IOT), quantum computing, and container technologies extend the benefits of cloud – but also creates new attack vectors for ambitious and resourceful adversaries. This year's Cloud Security Alliance Summit welcomes world leading security experts and cloud providers to discuss global governance, the latest trends in technology, the threat landscape, security innovations, best practices and global governance.
CCM Training
On June 13, 2017, an optional CCM training course is available. The CCM training course is designed to provide training for CSA's Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM), which is a part of CSA's GRC Stack toolkit. The course will also provide an introduction to the Consensus Assessments Initiative Questionnaire (CAIQ) and CSA Security, Trust & Assurance Registry (STAR).
Register now – Limited seating available


text:
If you crave it, let me bake it
Posted by Amanda on Feb 7, 2017 in Flavors | 0 comments
Our moist vanilla cupcake with chopped fresh blackberries baked inside, frosted with a fluffy key lime butter cream! Topped with a homemade blackberry compote!
Designed by Elegant WordPress Themes | Powered by WordPress


text:
Tanglewood Wellness Center • Costa RicaWater Fasting • Retreats • Raw food • Permaculture
Interested In Supervised Water Fasting?
We are open for fasting on the following dates:
- December 21st , 2019 – February 29th 2020
- April 25th, 2020 – July 4th, 2020
- August 22nd 2020 – October 31st, 2020
Not sure if water fasting is for you?
Fill out our application form. Loren Lockman will personally read it and let you know if water fasting is right for you.
About Tanglewood Wellness Center
Tanglewood Wellness Center is one of the most experienced water fasting centers , Led by Mr. Loren Lockman who has supervised over 4000 water-only fasts over the past 30 years. Interested in functioning at the highest level possible? Do you have one or more aspects of your health/body that no longer function like they used to…or like you know they could? Every organism on the planet is self-healing and fasting is nature's way of allowing every organism on the planet to cleanse and heal itself. Loren Lockman has been coaching others to amazing levels of health and balance since 1987, and has been supervising fasts since 1993.
Meet Loren Lockman
The founder and director of the Tanglewood Wellness Center in Costa Rica, Loren began studying the relationship between nutrition & health in 1977. Since 1997, Loren has led more than 2000 people through water fasts of 1 to 9 weeks, & has coached more than 2000 others to better health.
In 1984, Loren contracted chronic fatigue, irritable bowel, candidiasis, sinusitis, & 57 allergies. After a 3 year struggle with medicine, Loren got himself well within 6 months. He's been a raw vegan since 1991.
Fasting Via Skype
- Supervised water fasting
- 30 minutes daily support via skype
- Access to Loren for questions and advice


text:
Translucent sealed specimen or sample transport tote is ideal for holding and storing a variety of laboratory equipment and samples, including:
Across the globe we are experiencing a heightened focus on disease control within hospitals, field hospitals, sea ports, airports, clinical and research laboratories, etc. Help these establishments safely handle, store and transport potentially infectious specimens within the facility.
Available in clear, translucent red and yellow, the Transport Box provides needed visibility for content identification and protection during sample transport.
Product Specs:


text:
Adapted from the biographical sketch for Vice Admiral Alfred Eugene Montgomery, Navy Office of Information, Internal Relations Division, (OI-430), 29 January 1965, now part of the Modern Biographies files, Navy Department Library, Naval History & Heritage Command.
The Navy Department Library
Alfred Eugene Montgomery
12 June 1891 -15 December 1961
Alfred Eugene Montgomery was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on 12 June 1891, son of Eugene and Julia Smith Montgomery, both now deceased. He attended public school in Omaha and Brookline (Massachusetts) High School before his appointment to the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, from Nebraska in 1908. Graduated with credit and commissioned Ensign on 8 June 1912, he subsequently advanced to the rank of Rear Admiral to date from 29 May 1942. He served in the temporary rank of Vice Admiral from 10 December 1945 until 30 August 1947. Upon his transfer to the Retired List of the Navy on 3 June 1951 he was advanced to that rank with the approval of the Senate.
After graduation from the Naval Academy in June 1912 he was assigned to the USS Virginia, serving in that battleship, a unit of the Atlantic Fleet, until October 1913. During that time and extending to February 1914, he had additional duty as an Instructor in the frigate Constellation at the Naval Training Station, Newport, Rhode Island. From February 1914 until July 1915 he served successively in the USS Tacoma, USS Chester, and USS Connecticut. He had instruction in submarines on board the USS Tonopah, and joined the USS E-1 in August 1915, serving as Executive Officer of that submarine until November 1916. Ordered to the Navy Yard, Mare Island, California, where the USS F-1 and F-2 were fitting out, he commanded the F-1 from her commissioning, 13 June, until 17 December 1917 when she sank after colliding with the USS F-3 during maneuvering exercises.
After fitting out the submarine R-20 at the Union Iron Works, San Francisco, California, he was Commanding Officer from her commissioning on 26 October 1918, until September 1920. During that period he had elementary training in seaplanes with the Naval Air Detachment at Pearl Harbor, TH. In October 1920 he again reported to the Union Iron Works at San Francisco, for duty in charge of fitting out the USS S-32 as Prospective Commanding Officer. Detached in January 1921 before her commissioning, he was assigned duty as Superintendent of New Works in the Machinery Division, Navy Yard, Mare Island, California.
From January to June 1922 he had flight training at the Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida, and was designated Naval Aviator on 8 June 1922. He reported that month to Air Squadrons, Pacific Fleet (redesignated in December 1922 Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet) and was assigned duty as Executive Officer of Observation Squadron TWO, attached to the USS Aroostock, flagship and tender. From September to November 1923, he commanded Observation Squadron ONE, and for six months thereafter commanded Observation Squadron SIX, operating with Aircraft Squadrons, Scouting Fleet. Following duty as Senior Aide on the Staff of Commander, Aircraft Squadrons, Scouting Fleet on board the USS Wright, flagship, he commanded Torpedo Bombing Squadron ONE, Aircraft Squadrons, Scouting Fleet from October 1924 to June 1925.
In July 1925 he was assigned to the Naval Air Station, San Diego, California, where he served as Assembly and Repair Officer until February 1926, and then as Executive Officer until February 1928. Returning to sea, he headed the Air Department of the USS Langley, aircraft carrier for eighteen months. In July 1929 he assumed command of Torpedo Bombing Squadron TWO-B, Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet, based on the aircraft carrier Saratoga, with additional duty as Wing Commander, Bombing Torpedo Wing, Battle Fleet.
From August 1930 until May 1932 he commanded the Naval Air Station, Seattle, Washington. Following brief duty on the Staff of Commander, Aircraft Battle Force in connection with fitting out squadrons in the USS Langley for Asiatic assignment, he served from July 1932 until May 1933 as Aviation Officer on the Staff of Commander Cruisers, Scouting Force, in the flagship Chicago. The following year he was in charge of the Aviation Section, Ship's Movement Division, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Navy Department, Washington, DC. In July 1934 he assumed command of the Naval Air Station, Anacostia, DC.
Returning to sea in February 1936, reported as Plans and Operations Officer on the Staff of Commander Aircraft, Battle Force, on board the flagship Saratoga. In November of that same year he became Executive Officer of the USS Ranger, and from July 1938 until July 1939 served as Executive Officer of the Naval Air Station, San Diego, California. He then headed the Flight Division, Bureau of Aeronautics, Navy Department, for one year.
Assuming command of the USS Ranger in June 1940, he remained in that duty until June 1941 when he reported as Chief of Staff and Aide to Commander Aircraft, Atlantic Fleet, later redesignated Commander Carriers, Atlantic Fleet. He was serving in that assignment when the United States entered World War II on 8 December 1941. Detached six months later, he next commanded the Naval Air Station, Corpus Christi, Texas, with additional duty from October 1942 as Chief of Air Intermediate Training, Air Intermediate Training Command, at Corpus Christi. In November 1942 he assumed command of the Naval Air Training Center, Corpus Christi. He was awarded the Legion of Merit and cited as follows:
'For exceptionally meritorious conduct...as Commandant of the Naval Air Station and subsequently as Commandant of the Naval Air Training Center, Corpus Christi, Texas from June 13, 1942 to June 14, 1943. Assigned the task of transforming a training station with auxiliary fields to a training center with seven individual commands, (he) achieved distinctive success in executing a program involving vast expansion of facilities and personnel...'
He reported in August 1943 as Commander, Carrier Division TWELVE, and in March 1944 transferred as Commander Carrier Division THREE, both operating with the Pacific Fleet. Forces under his command participated in the operations as one of the hard-hitting carrier groups attached to the famed Task Force FIFTY-EIGHT and Task Force THRITY-EIGHT. For distinguished services in these commands he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the Navy Cross, and two Gold Stars in lieu of a Second and Third Distinguished Service Medal. The citations, in part, follow:
Distinguished Service Medal: '...as Commander of a Carrier Task Group in action against enemy Japanese forces in the Central and South Pacific Areas from November 18 to December 10, 1943...(He) directed the operations of his Task Group in repeated aerial attacks against Tarawa, Gilbert Islands, through the preparatory periods and in support of the subsequent landings, greatly assisting our forces in the successful occupation of this strategic island...carried out numerous vital air raids on Japanese shipping, aircraft and installations on Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands, despite a persistent hostile night attack lasting five hours...and previous operations against Rabaul, New Britain, and Wake Island, contributed in large measure to our ultimate victories in the Pacific Areas...'
Navy Cross: 'For extraordinary heroism as Officer in Tactical Command of a Carrier Task Group, in action... in the vicinity of Saipan, February 12, 1944. With his task group subjected to repeated attacks by enemy torpedo and bomber planes, (he)...skillfully and successfully directed their gunfire and combat air patrols in destroying seventeen hostile planes...delivered damaging attacks against enemy shipping, aircraft and shore installations and...also obtained valuable photographs. By his outstanding leadership and excellent tactical ability, (he) brought his task group undamaged through this engagement...'
Gold Star in lieu of Second Distinguished Service Medal: '...as commander of a Task Group of Carriers and screening vessels in operations against the Japanese forces from March through June 1944. In attacks on Palau...Marcus and Wake...the aircraft under his command inflicted great damage on enemy shipping and shore installations. At Hollandia... his task group contributed invaluable assistance to the Amphibious forces engaged in establishing a beachhead and continued to support advances on land after the beachhead was firmly in our hands. At Truk...finally in the battle for the Marianas and in the attacks on the Japanese fleet in June, 1944 his forces participated in the decisive destruction of Japanese air resistance and inflicted damaging blows on the important fleet units.
Gold Star in lieu of Third Distinguished Service Medal: '...as Commander of Task Group THIRTY-EIGHT POINT ONE, operating against enemy Japanese forces in the Philippine Islands Area from October 30, 1944 to December 29, 1944. After effectively organizing and expeditiously developing the forces of his command (he) ably directed his group in highly successful concentrated operations against the enemy, inflicting severe and costly damage on the aircraft, shipping and shore installations at Leyte, Manila and Luzon. By his superb professional skill in all the phases of aerial warfare and his capable leadership, he inspired the men of his command to maximum effort throughout this critical period and contributed to the sustained prosecution of the war in this vital theater...'
In January 1945 he was ordered to duty as Commander Fleet Air, West Coast, with headquarters at the Naval Air Station, San Diego, California. He was awarded the Gold Star in lieu of a Second Legion of Merit for '...outstanding services to the Government of the United States as Commander Fleet Air, West Coast, from February 12, to July 14, 1945...(He) successfully preformed the functions of his command in supplying personnel, equipment and material to support combat units. By his keen insight into the needs of the forward areas and skillful coordination of the activities of Fleet Air, West Coast, (he) contributed materially to the success of the Naval Air Force in the Pacific...'
On 20 July 1945 he assumed command of the Air Force, Pacific Fleet and in August 1946 reported, in the rank of Vice Admiral, as Commander FIFTH FLEET, Pacific. Upon the reorganization of the operating forces on 1 January 1947, leaving one fleet in each of the two oceans, he became Commander FIRST Task Fleet in the Pacific, USS Iowa, flagship. In August 1947 he reported, in his permanent rank of Rear Admiral, for duty as Commandant, Seventeenth Naval District, with additional duty as Commander Alaskan Sea Frontier and Commander Northern Pacific Area, with headquarters in Kodiak, Alaska.
In June 1949 he assumed command of the US Naval Operating Base, Bermuda, and Bermuda Group, Atlantic Fleet, and in February 1950 became Commander Fleet Air, Jacksonville, Florida. He was transferred to the Retired List in July 1951.
Vice Admiral Montgomery died at the Naval Hospital, Bremerton, Washington on 13 December 1961. He was married to the former Alice Claire Smith of Oakland, California, and had a daughter and a son, Lieutenant Brooke Montgomery, USN, Deceased, who was killed in a plane crash on 1 February 1956.
In addition to the Navy Cross; the Distinguished Service Medal with two Gold Stars; and the Legion of Merit with Gold Star, Vice Admiral Montgomery has the Mexican Service Medal (USS Tacoma); Navy Expeditionary Medal; the Victory Medal (World War I); American Defense Service Medal, Fleet Clasp; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; World War II Victory Medal; and the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with one star. He also has the Ribbon for with stars and facsimiles of the Presidential Unit Citations awarded to the Carriers Essex, Hornet, Bunker Hill, and Yorktown.
Vice Admiral Montgomery was a member of the Army-Navy Country Club of Washington, DC.


text:
Chevrolet Volt Review and Test Drive – Milford Proving Grounds
Chevrolet Volt Review and Test Drive (From a Volt Enthusiast)
We arrived at Milford Proving grounds on just after noon on Wednesday July 14th. The first thing to greet us at the entrance was no less than a pre-production Volt and a transformers yellow Camaro.
I thought to myself, if you were going to visit Detroit, Milford is about the coolest place to be. The weather that day was clear, hot and a little balmy – I would estimate about 92 degrees F at 50-60% humidity. Despite the heat, I was happy with how the weather broke, considering that the day before there was a driving rainstorm and generally cloudy conditions. While I would have preferred a San Francisco summer, I couldn't complain. It would also be a good excuse to find out how good the air conditioning was in the Volt.
We checked in to security, and unfortunately I found out that we would not be able to take our cameras into Milford Proving Grounds for the Volt test drive. Primarily this was in case we happened to see a 2014 Camaro or Corvette (I did end up seeing some camouflaged cars and some very new looking Corvettes driving around). Nonetheless, they would be bringing the Volts outside of the secured area so that we can touch it, feel it, and take photos and videos.
It was a short wait before we saw two crystal-red Volts roll into the parking lot at security. Keep in mind that no photos of the red Volt had yet been released at the time, so seeing the red rendition of the Volt very striking and novel.
Walking up to the Volt, I had noticed some minor changes since I drove the Volt in San Francisco – a testament to the ongoing development of the Volt and how much engineering, testing and refinement still being put into the car. Notably, the leather seats had changed – instead of being a solid black, they are now two tone beige and black. Also as others have noted before the shifting lever was changed from the full palm shifter that we've seen before to a more conventional one, but sharing the same glossy trim. I would find out later that the reason for this change was from feedback that people were jamming their fingers between the shifter and the shifter recess when moving the car into "park". Check out the video below to get a walk around of the Volt.
There are some interesting details that you can see in the video that I'd like to point out. First was that the Volt's faux grill is made of a glossy plastic – probably injection molded. Next, the wheels are 17 in polished rims, equipped with 205/55 R17 Goodyear Assurance FuelMax Tires. Although many of us were attached to the 20 in rims on the concept, I found that the 17's very comfortable looking, and notable. As you approach the trunk section of the car, you can peer inside to see the rear seats that fold flat with the rear center console, creating a very useful cargo area.
In the Volt's Trunk
It was at this point where I starting talking to the Volt engineering, Trent and Valerie about what was under the floor mat of the trunk compartment.
In the photo, you'll notice several interesting things. From the left, the 120 Volt 20-foot Charging Cord equipped with the Volt (More on this and the plug in process later). Next, you'll notice in lieu of a spare tire, there is a 12 volt compressor with a tire repair kit attached to it – an alternative to trying to fit in that spare. Finally in the center you'll notice a 12 volt standard automotive battery. The intention of the battery is to run the car's computer to do pre-start up diagnostics and also to power the electronics that will switch on the high voltage battery. You can also still give a jump to anyone who needs it as the terminals are readily accessible through removable plastic tab panel.
Back Seat Comfort
I moved back forward in the car to check out rear seating comfort – as many have asked.
The photo you see is with the driver's seat in the full – rear position. To give you an idea, I am 6'2" tall, and while in the driver's seat in the full rear position, I could easily reach all the pedals, but my most comfortable position would probably be one notch ahead of that. The Volt has all manual seat adjustments to reduce on weight and cost. Given that the front seat was in the full rear position, I had a hard time swinging my legs into position behind the front driver's seat (it was nearly a contortion act). So if you had a tall 6'4" person driving in the front with the seat all the way back, you could probably comfortably fit a person who is perhaps 5'6" at the tallest. A good rule I thumb for that maximum tandem seating height I think would be 12' total height. Meaning two people who are 6 foot tall sitting tandem (6+6=12) would be comfortable. Keep in mind comfortable in a compact car does not mean the back of your BMW 7 series where you can stretch your legs out, but that you can comfortably sit without any appendage being constrained by anything.
Legroom was the primary factor of comfort concern, the driver's side headroom is very good and the rear headroom was not of concern to me. I never bumped my head when we actually drove the car later in the day.
The Charge Port
Moving farther forward, we can now look at the charge port door and the way in which that is actuated.
You will notice that the charge port door has a shroud that interfaces with the plug to protect it even when the door panel is closed. The door itself is actuated by a button located on the driver's side door, ahead of where the window rocker switches are. The door is spring loaded, so a pressing the charge door button releases a latch, and the door springs to the full opened position. The door swings out quickly, but towards the end of its travel, its motion in dampened so that the door does not slam into stop on the other end.
Now that the door is opened, I asked to be able to "plug" in the Volt in. The SAE J1772 plug was light in the hand, as the entire housing was plastic. Sliding the plug in was quick and easy, in the plug the tolerances were a little looser so you didn't need to line everything up perfectly, but pushing the plug down resulting in a confident snap into place. Releasing the plug was as simple as pulling a trigger release on the bottom of the plug and pulling it out.
Inside – The Center Console
After viewing the charge door, I sat down in the Driver's seat to get a feeling of ergonomics and placement. It was simple to get in, and the leather seat was firm and supportive. Looking across the dash and center console, there are some interesting things to note.
On the center console, this version was the black version (white is the other option). You'll note that while the main aesthetics of the car have not changed materially over time – there are same refinements and variations to what the specific buttons do. The buttons on the center console are capacitive touch, which means it detects the presence of your finger when you touch it instead of being triggered when you depress it. There are small finger indentations for you to help find the location of each button. Of course, the beauty of having a capacitive touch panel like this is that you can easily reconfigure the actions of each button, and simple re-etch its icon onto the center console.
Most of the functions are self-explanatory, like a normal car. What's different of course starts with the Power button. No longer an ignition, the car powers on if when press the power button while depressing the brake pedal. Power up consists of a short audio cue followed by both lcd screens showing a Volt logo animation.
Moving up from the power button you'll see the Drive Move and Leaf Symbol. The Leaf Symbol Controls what climate mode the car is in (Comfort or Economy) while the Drive mode button toggles between the different driving modes (Normal, Sport and Mountain). Moving to the right, you'll notice also the lock/unlock buttons on the center console, and tune / volume controls, which are rotary switches with rubber finger grips. I don't remember clearly but I believe the "tune" rotary switch had detents while the volume switch had no detents in the rotation.
Lastly you'll notice the said shifter that is now much more traditional. This is a case where ergonomics and user experience trumps aesthetics. While it's no longer a full palm shifter, I'd have to say the shifting experience was much more familiar and comfortable as you can now easily grip the shifter with your palm and several fingers. The shifting detents and tactile feedback was tight and pretty much like a conventional car with the stops and detents where you expect them.
Inside – The Instrument Panel
Moving onto the main instrument panel, you'll see the LCD Instrument Panel in the "Off" Position.
The Panel itself is very bright, and easy to see even on the bright summer day it was. The resolution on screen was good. My estimation was that for the 7 inch screen it probably had 800×600 pixels – about the resolution of a good laptop screen, but not for watching HD movies on. Both screens were of similar resolution, and the animations that played were at good frame rates. Much better than the Gen 2 Prius screen, but not quite to the level of a 120hz HD Screen. Think traditional movie of 24 frames / second. It was smooth but not silk.
Under the Hood
Stepping out of the car, I stepped forward to finally see what was under the hood of the Volt. You can see a good view of this in the video below, as well as a higher res photo.
The first thing to notice is the presence of three separate tanks for coolant. One on the far left for the internal combustion engine, and two in the front near the grille for the Power Electronics and the battery. Each component, engine, battery, and power electronics has its own separate cooling loop. (You'll notice that the tubing to the engine coolant is much heavier duty than the electronics coolant). The engine air filter sits on the left between the coolant tank and the engine block. The engine block itself without surprise sits right in the middle. That assembly looks conventional, with easy access dipstick and oil fill cap. You will note that the cap says 5W-30 Oil, which is very typical for smaller engines.
While I did not get a very clear view in this very tightly packaged engine compartment, I did not notice any separate belts for the engine. No surprise as the whole car needs to operate without the engine being on. Trent also mentioned that the Gasoline Engine and Generator were part of the same assembly.
Moving right you'll notice the DOT3 brake fluid reservoir and in front of it, the power electronics / traction motor unit. You can't see too much from here other than the many orange power cables going to the power electronics assembly.
I managed to get a couple videos where Trent was describing some of the features under the hood. You can view those below.
After this we paused for a quick photo op, with Elena and I, and then we packed up, ready to drive out to the secured part of Milford proving grounds.
At this point, we had to stow our camera equipment, so you'll have to imagine without visual aids the rest of the driving experience.
I jumped into the shotgun seat of one of the two Volts, and Valerie proceeded to drive us inside Milford proving grounds to the Ride and Handling Loop where we would be driving the Volt. Remember the "Hot" Day that I mentioned? Well this quickly became evident as we pulled away as the Volt had 30 minutes or so to bake the Michigan heat. Sitting in the front, I was able to play with all of the center console controls.
Cabin Air Conditioning
First, the air conditioning – there are two capacitive touch buttons under the actually display to control fan speed and temperature. I toggled it down to 68 degrees and maxed out the fan speed. Cool air came pouring into the cabin, but something seemed wrong, it wasn't really enough volume of cold air to cool the cabin. It helped, but wasn't adequate for the Michigan summer. Valerie then pointed out and corrected this – as I noticed that we were in "Economy" Mode, which basically limited the power available to the cabin cooling system by capping out the blower speed and consequently the cooling power available to the cabin. With one press of the "Leaf" Button, we were into Comfort Mode, and instantly the blower fans went up to full power – blasting me with a torrent of chilled air – Much Better! Quickly the cabin became comfortable despite the 92 degree summer day, and I eventually turned down the fan speed as it was no longer needed.
Comfort taken care of, I proceeded to play with the on board sound system and radio. The radio interface was simple and straightforward, clean but not pretentious. I found the "90's Channel" On XM radio and turned out the volume. I believe, but didn't confirm whether the speaker system in the car was Bose. The sound that came out of the speakers was clean and generally decently equalized. To give you some perspective, think Bose "Wave Radio". It was better than average, but not audiophile or Bass Thumping quality – above par for factory equipment.
Infotainment and Energy Usage
Next, I experimented with the center console "infotainment" display. I was able to bring up the "Power usage monitoring and watched it as we drove around" The home screen for power usage showed a diagram of the Voltec Drive train, and where power was flowing, much like the Prius screen does. Notably, the animation quality was much better, and the screens were crisp. The buttons on the screen were comfortably sized, though very simple in its implementation. Most on screen buttons were a rounded outline on high contract black with text in it. Not like the mobile phone icons you might be familiar with, but I suspect this has to do with a tradeoff between easy readability and aesthetics. Likewise, when you pressed the button, there was a slight noticeable delay before the button would highlight and actually trigger the action with an audio cue for response. That delay was probably about a quarter to half second. I later found that the reason for this was not a technology constraint, but rather adding in that latency helps prevent inadvertent presses and that was a usability decision. Personally, I prefer crisper button actions, but I'm sure the guy wearing his glove in an area where winter actually gets cold would appreciate this.
One thing I noticed right away on the energy usage screen was that when we had placed the car into "comfort" mod with air conditioning at full blast, the estimated electrical range dropped from 40 miles to 32 miles. This may give you an idea of what to expect depending on your accessory load. After watching the true mileage for a while, the estimator tool seemed to be fairly accurate.
I paused quickly to look up as we drove past the Hybrid Vehicle lab, where about 20-30 Volts in varying states of build (from the Cruze-Volts to the Early Iv'ers) were parked under an awning receiving electrical charge. Very cool and interesting to see the work GM is still doing using the engineering builds.
The Test Drive
After 10 or so minutes, we arrived at the start of the Ride and Handling Track at Milford Proving Grounds, which is a 4 mile loop with all sorts of road conditions built into it, from chatterboxes, permanently slick roads, simulated railroad tracks, very deep bumps and potholes etc. Knowing that the Volt still had substantial electrical charge, I opted to drive last, so as to get a chance to drive with the charge depleted. (Fortunately for me the hot day and the air conditioning on full blast helped eat up that charge faster)
For the first several laps, I sat in the backseat of the Volt, behind the driver. As I mentioned before, rear seat comfort is primarily a function of the combined height of driver and passenger riding behind. As the drivers sitting in front of me were generally under 5 '9" I did fine in the back. Headroom was fine and I had a place for my legs that was not in the back of the driver's seat. As the other drivers took their first laps around I made note of the things I would do when I got behind the wheel. About 40 minutes later, we switched and I got behind the driver's seat of the Volt.
Stepping in was a more familiar feeling this time – as you might already know, I got a chance to drive it in San Francisco, so this time it was not altogether new. First I adjusted the seat to my comfort position, one notch from the farthest travel back. Next, I adjusted the review view center mirror, and found to my pleasant surprise that rear visibility was very good because of the extra glass in the hatchback assembly. Side window visibility was also good and front visibility unimpeded.
I set the car into reverse and saw the backup camera view appear on the center console display. The implementation was very backup camera standard, with a decent view and colored distance hash marks showing how close you were to anything behind you. Additionally if you got close to anything, a warning icon would appear on the screen and an audible beep would alert you to your proximity to another object. The beep become faster as you approached something – in this case another car parked at the start of the handling track.
Shifting it into drive, I pulled away from the lot, stopped the stop sign right before the entry to the ride and handling loop. I swung the Volt slowly around the corner, gingerly pressed on the brake to bring it to a near stop, and then pushed the pedal to the floor. Without hesitation, the Volt pushed us into the back of our seats with a constant G Force. 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 56, 60, 65, 70 – During the middle of the acceleration Valerie help me toggle the Volt into Sport mode, and sure enough about another 20% power was unlocked, giving you a little extra spirit all the way along. I didn't time it, but compared to other cars I've driven, the 0-60 felt like it was around 8-9 seconds as advertised. It was quicker than a 4 cylinder compact car (Unless you have a turbo), and probably just a hair less than a new model V-6 sedan that makes over 220 Hp. This was with a 3800 lb car + a full passenger load of 4 normal sized adults.
The acceleration profile of the Volt of course was very different than a typical gas powered car. With all the torque at the beginning and no gear shifts, you were basically pushed into your seat for the first 3-5 seconds of the acceleration without relent -unlike a traditional gas car that gets more torque at high rpms. There was a noticeable power fade around 45-50 MPH even with your foot all the way down, where the feeling that you were getting pushed into the back of your seat eased. (This corroborates with the information that the peak power was engineered to be around 48 mph). The acceleration loss was noticeable, but not huge. It seemed like perhaps 20-25% less than in the 0-40 mph range.
Once up to full speed, I did some "passing speed" behavior to the extent that the course and the test engineer would let me. When I accelerating from 50 to 65 mph and 55 to 70 mph, the passing acceleration performance overall now felt more like a normal car, but without the downshift and sudden speed boost. Definitely adequate for highway driving and you'd be able to overtake a slower driving car with ease, but in this regard, not as exciting as to 0-45 where you were actually pushed into your seat. Short summary on acceleration, fantastic for freeway onramps, adequate for passing speeds, where adequate is performance similar to a typical 4 cylinder compact car at highway speeds.
Ride Quality
Coming out of the first stretch, we now entered the stretch of road meant to simulate different road conditions, like sudden bumps, big dips in the road etc. Here is where I could get the best evaluation of the ride of the car. Having driven many different compact and mid-size sedans of varying brands, the closest I would pin the overall ride quality of the Volt would be a shorter wheel-based Ford Fusion. It definitely rode more like a mid-sized car than a compact car, undoubtedly due to the increased weight of the vehicle. It did not really seem to "bounce" over the bumps and dips and compact Corolla and Civics often feel like, but rather rode through them with the suspension taking the brunt of the hit. Compared to other midsized cars, like the Hyundai Sonata, Toyota Camry, Chevy Malibu and Ford Fusion, it was closest to a new Fusion. Whereas the ride on the Camry and Malibu was a little softer and the Sonata just a little less refined, the Fusion has a firmer ride to it, but overall is still tuned for comfort. It absorbed small bumps very well, but the larger bumps you would feel a little bit more of it. Never did I really feel in the handling loop that I would bottom out the suspension though. Because of the shorter wheelbase, the pitching of the car felt more compact than mid-sized, as you'd notice pitching a little bit more going over, and recovering from a bump more so than a mid-size vehicle.
I now entered into the handling portion of the loop, where curves of varying radiuses appeared before me. You might have noted in my previous review how the steering feel was, but as a reminder, the steering was power assisted to a level typical for most cars. Not loose feeling, but not race car like either where you can really feel the road. This element as well seemed primarily designed for comfort over performance.
Turning into the corners, you felt very little initial body lean – but as I took progressively aggressive corners at 50 mph, you eventually fell the suspension give way to some body lean. To get this feeling, I was taking corners at above normal driving speeds, but not racing fast. (I was doing 50 mph in a 40 mph suggested corner). This gave me much better perspective than the parking lot ride I did since I could not feel the car handle at highway speeds. The body lean at higher speed and tighter corners was a little dose of reality. I guess there isn't much you can do you compensate for the loads you are putting into the suspension of an already fairly heavy, and loaded down Volt. Compared to other cars in the category I thought that this part – again was average. A well tuned mid size like the fusion felt a little better (lighter) in the corners. It's the price you pay for the weight of all the electronics/battery on board.
I'll echo from the previous review that one positive aspect of the low CG of the Volt was that the body lean never went so far as to feel like you were going to lose traction. So the Volt stayed confidently planted on the ground, even while you did notice that bit of body lean. So this aspect of the car helped compensate a good deal for the increased weight.
Braking Performance
Braking performance on the Volt was excellent. Not only could you not tell whether the car was regenerative braking or disc braking (except for the feedback on the instrument panel telling you that you are braking inefficiently) but the stopping performance was great. If you slammed on the brakes, it was responsive and fast, especially given the weight of the car. 4 wheel disc brakes no doubt help out here, along with very careful calibration and performance merging between regenerative and friction braking.
In the last segment of the ride and handling loop we drove across a chatterbox / permanently slick surface as well as some simulated railroad tracks. This is where the weight of the vehicle actually helped pick up the terrain of the road. For small road disturbances like small bumps and railroad tracks, the suspension absorbed the road very well, and you didn't get the feeling of getting bounced around. At higher speeds you can feel the car fishtailing a little on the super slick chatterbox surface, but nothing alarming.
Mountain Mode and Charge Sustaining Mode
I came around for my second lap, with the intention of seeing how the Volt drove in charge sustaining and mountain mode. Starting the lap, I noticed that there was about 6 miles left of electric range, so I figured this would be in the territory where mountain mode would force the generator on. With three presses of the "Drive Mode" button, I was into mountain mode. The first press always sets the default to normal mode, the second to sport, and the third sequential puts it in mountain mode. With the mode change the engine roared to life, the range indicator switched to gas, and I was driving in Mountain Mode. This transition was more aggressive than others have described in normal mode as the engine is quickly spooling up to start recovering charge, instead of transitioning over very gently to an idle 800-1000 rpm.
I estimated that while cruising, the engine ran at about 3000 rpm as it was trying to recover to the higher charge point during normal driving. If you pressed hard on the accelerator, the engine would increase its speed up to 4000 or so rpm, giving you some familiarity with the fact that you've mashed the pedal. In that sense the engine reacted very much like a typical car would. It was clear that the engineers were trying to do some simulation between pedal input and engine rpm, as well as the fact of course that you are demanding more power.
As soon as you eased off the pedal, the engine would gradually spool back down to 3000 rpm, giving you some feedback that yes, indeed you've pulled off the gas pedal. This affirmation in my mind was quite useful as it gave you some feedback that your car wasn't about to "run away". Imagine if you removed your foot from the pedal and the engine did not give some feedback. That would likely be a jarring and confusing situation. Though the engine of course didn't spool back to lower rpm, the fact that it reduced rpms and noise gave you some confidence that your input was being acknowledged.
All the time, there was no difference at all in driving performance. I found out earlier that day why that was the case from Andrew Farah, who described the control logic loop. Basically what happens is that the computer detects your pedal position, that logic loop then send a signal to the power electronics on controlling the traction motor, the power electronics on the traction motor then sends a signal to the engine controller, which determines based on the current draw and current drive mode what engine rpm to put out. The engine and battery are on a common DC bus. So basically your foot controls what the traction motors demands, and it doesn't care whether it's getting juice from the battery or the gas engine directly. It's then up to the gas engine to best estimate how much power to put out to either deliver the needed power to the drive motor or to charge the battery.
Satisfied with the mountain mode experience, I toggled modes back to normal, and the engine spooled down eventually shutting off, leaving me back in normal drive mode with 6 miles of charge still remaining. Eventually I got to experience the normal transition from electric to gas, which as people have described before was totally seamless. You could not sense any vibration as the gas engine game online and with the tire noise at 30-40 mph, you can hardly hear the gas engine if you are just cruising around. I noticed that the gas engine typically stayed around 1200-1600 rpm if you were just cruising around at 40-60 mph on flat terrain, with the AC on pretty hard. For normal, non aggressive, non hill climbing driving, the gas engine for the most part was out of the way. You could hear it, but it was a dull drone with no perceptible vibration in the cabin. Once again, there was no difference at all in driving under those conditions.
As I finished the last lap and pulled into the parking lot, I had to do my favorite thing, pull the pedestrian alert lever. (I think I'll be doing that a lot when I buy a Volt)
MPGs in Charge Sustaining Mode
Since you've read this far, I'll give you what I saw as the MPGs in charge sustaining mode. Basically, I watched the energy display over a period of time. In total, during our drive we used 0.40 gallons of gasoline. In that period of time, the estimated miles on gas resulted in an MPG measure varying between 30 and 40 mpg. Keep in mind; this is with the AC on full blast, us driving inefficiently and also an unknown amount of extra charge that was put into the battery from using mountain mode for part of the drive. Of course, given the sample size of actual gasoline used – you'll have to take this with a grain of salt. However, I suspect that you can get 50 mpg if you are not using air conditioning, and driving conservatively.
To Close
I hope you've enjoyed reading the full review of a Chevrolet Volt from a Chevy Volt Enthusiast! Please let me know if you liked it by leaving a comment – or if there is a specific topic I missed also leave a note and I'll answer to the best of my ability. Also if you're ever in Detroit, make sure to stop by the Volt Bar
31 Responses to "Chevrolet Volt Review and Test Drive – Milford Proving Grounds"
Very nice review, I appreciated all of the detail. I'm enjoying the blog, keep up the good work and hopefully I'll see you on the road in December when we're both driving our Volts.
Hey Patrick-
Great writeup & pics, thanks! One thing I'm unclear on is the roof… it looks like glass, but can you see through it? What's it look like from the inside? Is it sunroof-esq or totally opaque?
Nice review. I'm already enthusiastic. I just wish the Volt had come out last year when I was car shopping.
Terrific, especially your Mountain Mode experiment.
Did you ask the engineers how the "transmission" works? (How is the engine connected to the generator? Is the generator ever connected to the drive train to regenerate? Are there any gears between the traction motor and the wheels? What clutches exist and why? etc.)
Also, the video got cut off at a crucial moment. Did the engineer actually verify that there are only 2 motors, one for generation and one for traction? There has been some discussion in other forums about the possibility that there are 2 traction motors built somehow into the same housing.
Great review! Very thorough. You mentioned "you'll notice in lieu of a spare tire, there is a 12 volt compressor with a tire repair kit". Is this compressor meant to be used only for fixing flats or is it a convenient way to put add'l air in the tires when they are running low?
Hi Patrick,
Another question.
You can see 6 wires in the front for AC to/from the generator and traction motor. But you can also make out 4 wires in the back close to the firewall. No doubt these are to/from the battery. But I would have expected 2 wires for DC. Any idea why there are 4?
you did a great job.considering buying a volt
could you describe the red color? it is very difficult to perceive color characteristics from photos and videos because the lens exposure can throw it off from what it would actually look like to a viewer who was actually present. for example, did it seem like a bright/loud red or darker shade of red? the brightness of the color seemed to vary widely so i would be interested in your perceptions as having actually seen it. i'm just looking for general impressions of what your visceral reaction to the color was. thanks.
Patrick–I really enjoyed your very thorough review of the Volt. I'm a Bay Area aerospace engineer and a Kar Krazy, and I've been fascinated by the Volt since it was first announced. Although the Prius is (in my mind) a really outstanding piece of engineering and Toyota gets an A+ for sticking with the car and developing it into a great product, I think the basic concept is flawed. The Volt, on the other hand, (again in my opinion) is exactly the way the hybrid architecture should be implemented—decent range on batteries plus extended range on the ICE for longer trips and no worries about running out of charge, plus plug-in recharge capability with reasonable recharge times on 120VAC. The Nissan LEAF, for example, can't compete on either of these parameters—range worries and reasonable recharge time.
I had a couple of questions that you didn't address in this writeup that perhaps you know the answer to.
1) What's the estimated (or guaranteed) life of the LiPo battery and what is the replacement cost?
2) The Volt actually connects the ICE to the wheels directly under either a) heavy load conditions or b) at higher highway speeds in order to increase overall efficiency. Did the GM engineering team go into any details of how the E-CVT accomplishes this? The ability to have the ICE drive either the generator and/or the car's wheels is very interesting.
Lastly Patrick—are you a Cal guy? After this year's Big Game I can't believe you'd admit to it.
Patrick—-really disappointed to hear that the Volt is completely sold out for 2011 and into 2012. I had thought once the car was in dealer showrooms and that if I really liked the car in person, I might put one on order—I guess that's not going to happen. On the other hand, it's really great news for GM and the whole concept of alternative types of automotive propulsion—plus, the Prius needs some viable competition.
I would absolutely love to have a "geek session" with you when your car arrives. I'm sure you'll be looking for excuses to drive it, so heading on down the Peninsula where I live should be a nice gas-saving outing. Please do let me know—if you contact me at my work e-mail I'll be happy to give you the rest of my contact information.
I've heard and seen the acronym FIRST before and I actually think some of my colleagues participate in it, but I'm not familiar with exactly what the program is.
Best regards
Considering a Volt for the desert area of southern Utah. Wondering your thoughts of the black roof on all Volts coupled with the substantial glass at the front and rear and how the AC might deal with the heat load from high sun angle and very high (above 105 degrees F) temperature. Not too worried about the electrical draw and cost of charging as I will have 3kW of photo voltaic panels on our home. Just wondering if the cars AC can actually keep up under the climatic conditions in St. George, UT summer. Seems like GM would make a roof that at least matches the car body color rather than black.


text:
Thank You Citizen Scientists and Partners for Making Wintering Shorebirds Count!
Citizen scientists and partner biologists conduct shorebird surveys throughout the Pacific Flyway each year between November 15th and December 15th.
Interested in Counting Shorebirds?
Citizen science is at the heart of the Pacific Flyway Shorebird Survey. Our hope is to recruit volunteers who are excited about taking ownership of a route and survey each year in order to contribute to the conservation of shorebirds and their habitats in the Pacific Flyway over the long term.
Time Commitment: ~2 days each year:
The best candidates for the project will:
There are Citizen Science opportunities in the following areas. Please contact the project leader for more information.
For general questions about volunteering or to inquire about a site not listed please contact: Matt Reiter firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Burundi's Crisis Could Escalate Into Civil War
Pierre Nkurunziza won't give up power
Uncategorized July 16, 2015 Peter Dörrie 0
Burundi's government says that it has apprehended more than 100 people and killed at least 30 armed men during two days of fighting. The rebels confirmed the clashes in principle, although they painted a different picture of their outcome.
The conflict is escalating in the wake of contentious parliamentary elections and only days before the population is set to go to the polls again. What's happening is seriously bad — as the central African country looks set on continuing a 50-year streak of political and ethnic conflict.
Worse, it's a throwback to the beginning of Burundi's civil war, which raged from 1993 to 2005 and claimed about 300,000 deaths. The roots of the current violence reach back decades, but the latest trigger has a name — Pierre Nkurunziza.
Nkurunziza is the sitting president of Burundi, and his insistence on running for a third term is at the heart of the current crisis. His opponents claim that his bid is unconstitutional and flies in the face of the 2003 Arusha Peace Agreement that Nkurunziza, a former rebel leader himself, signed.
Both the constitution and the agreement are clear that candidates can serve a maximum of two terms.
Nkurunziza tried to amend the constitution in 2014, but failed. He still insisted on running again, claiming that his first term from 2005 to 2010 doesn't count, because the country's legislature elected him instead the public, as the constitution stipulates.
But the president sparked strong resistance from the opposition and within his own political party. In 2015, there have been several massive protests in the capital city of Bujumbura. Nkurunziza's security forces have brutally repressed these protests, killing at least 70 demonstrators and bystanders.
Violent clashes between Nkurunziza and his opponents have only escalated since. Several grenade attacks claimed by elements of the opposition ripped through Bujumbura in the run-up to the June 29 elections.
A dissident faction within the the army tried to stage a coup in May. It failed, but some of plot's leaders and soldiers escaped. The ruling party has armed its youth wing, the Imbonerakure. At least 127,000 Burundians have already fled the country because out of fear or because of direct acts of violence.
Nkurunziza is unlikely to back down before the July 21, 2015, presidential elections, and renegade generals are threatening all-out civil war. The situation in Burundi looks like it could go south — and fast.
It wouldn't be the first time. Political violence, coup d'etats and civil war are par for the course in Burundi's since it gained independence.
Burundi, like neighboring Rwanda, was originally ruled by a feudal monarchy and managed to keep its pre-colonial borders largely intact. German — and later Belgian — colonial authorities found it useful to rule through these established structures.
In an attempt to fit Burundi's complex society into their racist worldviews, European empires defined the "Tutsi" aristocracy and "Hutu" peasants as different races, instead of social classes that they originally were.
Tutsi privilege bred resentment among the majority Hutu population. After independence in 1962, Hutus carried out targeted killings of Tutsis. The Tutsi-dominated military and government retaliated, igniting the first Burundian genocide in 1972. Between 80,000 to 210,000 people were killed, depending on the estimate.
Rebellions and coup d'etats continued. Ethnic violence proliferated with both Hutu and Tutsi groups targeting civilians of either side.
Another episode of mass killings, this time against Tutsi, reached genocidal proportions only a year before the devastating Rwandan genocide.
This resulted in the Burundian civil war was linked to the Rwandan civil war — that ended the genocide in that country — and the two Congo Wars. All of these interlinked wars together amounted to the bloodiest global conflict since World War II.
But unlike the Rwandan civil war, Burundi's internal conflict never had a clear victor. Nkurunziza, who led the Hutu-dominated CNDD-FDD, got himself elected to the presidency as a candidate of compromise.
The situation started to improve. The international community generally applauded the peace process and the 2005 Arusha Agreement. But an early warning sign was the 2010 elections, which the opposition boycotted.
Today, Burundi is on the brink of falling back into its violent past, and there is plenty of blame to go around. For one, the international community could have acted earlier and should not have been afraid to question Burundi's reputation as a democratization success story.
The African Union — the guarantor of the Arusha Agreement — has failed at reigning in Nkurunziza's antics. It should have taken a principled stand against any attempt on Nkurunziza's part to run for a third term.
Instead, the A.U. sat on its hands, paralyzed by aging heads of state who are themselves eyeing an extension of their stay in power. The A.U.'s current chairman, Zimbabwean Pres. Robert Mugabe, has held the office since 1987.
Meanwhile, there is a real risk that large-scale violence in Burundi may suck in other countries in the region. In Rwanda, a Tutsi-dominated government has firsthand experience of being at the receiving end of a genocide, and commands a capable military that it has no hesitation to use.
If Burundi's violence becomes more explicitly ethnic in nature, it's unlikely Rwanda will keep to the sidelines. An intervention could spark a wider war.
There's some signs this is already happening. Nkurunziza's administration told reporters that armed men involved in last week's clashes came from refugee camps located in Rwanda. If true, it's unlikely that this could have happened without at least the tacit approval of Rwandan Pres. Paul Kagame, who runs a highly effective intelligence and military apparatus.
The Rwandan government has denied these allegations.
Finally, there's the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi's western neighbor. While more stable than some years ago, the DRC is still awash with armed groups, freelance military commanders and lawless, ungoverned territories. An escalation in violence Burundi could help destabilize Congo.
There's no obvious solution to Burundi's current crisis — except for an immediate intervention by the international community. But there's little appetite for this. There is a debate whether the world should impose sanctions on Nkurunziza and his cronies, but that would be a long-term contribution to a solution, not a short-term fix.
The most constructive way forward would be for Burundi's neighbors, the African Union and the international community to quickly agree on a common position and push hard for it. And the cessation of violence should be on the very top of the list.


text:
Beer mail!!! Thank you to Santa Fe Brewing in New Mexico for sending this line up to review! We can't wait to try them and look forward to more great beers coming from you guys! 😎
In the picture:
Happy Camper IPA
Black IPA
Java Stout
Santa Fe Gold
Adobe Igloo
Look out for the review of these beers.
Cheers! 🍻


text:
Elton John airs his thoughts on the today's music biz
LONDON - "Rocket Man" Elton John rued on Wednesday the thrust forinstant success among undistinguished and indistinguishable modernpre-fabricated pop bands.
"It is like packets of cereal. There are too many of them, and toomany of them are just average and mediocre," he told BBC television inan interview filmed during his current tour in the United States.
"It is just fodder. It doesn't sound. It has no distinguishingmarks. A lot of it you can't tell one from the other. There is too muchof it, just too much of it," the high-spending flamboyant rock legendlamented.
The 54-year-old singer and composer, born Reginald Kenneth Dwightwho was knighted in 1998, harked back to the old days when he burstonto the music scene in league with songwriter Bernie Taupin more than30 years ago.
"I would ban every single video being made -- by a new band anyway.I would just get them on the road...playing second on the bill topeople. That is how I started out," he said.
John, who petulantly announced he was quitting the music scene lastyear but is still going strong, regretted the emphasis put on immediateprofits by the record companies.
"Nowadays, they think more about their quarterly earnings and thereis no longevity. There is no thinking 'we want this artist to be aroundin seven to 12 years time'," he said.
"It is kind of heartbreaking because you see most of the emphasisplaced on instant success.
"It is kind of disgusting really. It is about time some of theseyoung acts were nurtured and given the time. There certainly is thetalent out there. There is as much talent out there now as there waswhen I was getting going," he added.
The tubby soccer fanatic said he had enjoyed his three decades atthe top and remained young at heart, but that realistically his careerwas now in its sunset phase.
"In a way it is a relief. It is like 'it is over Elton. You have had31 years where you had a record in the America top 40 every year'. Thatcan't realistically happen any more," he added.


text:
We complete our report from 1/7/08, of the cob construction of a new chicken coop in the gardens last summer.
Will and Betta build a roost ladder for the future occupants of the new coop.
Morning light shines through the recycled bottle design on the northeast wall and through the air vents below the nesting boxes.
[Photos: Melissa Soluski & text: Maggie Lamb, sa]
Happy chickens dig for grubs in the yard of their new home. The chicken coop can house up to 100 birds to supply eggs for Arcosanti residents and the Café.
[Photo: Scott Riley & text: Maggie Lamb]
The new chicken coop is inaugurated with a scrumptious Arcosanti garden grown feast! [see report from 10/15/07].
[Photo: Melissa Soluski & text: Maggie Lamb]


text:
Key features: ergonomic / compact / ease of use / fast & effective
The scanBox is a fully automated, open 3D dental scanner from smart optics. The scanBox is supplied without CAD software and can be used with every open CAD software. Alternatively, the scanBox is available in a package with the exocad CAD software – ideal for a start in CAD.


text:
Difference between revisions of "Natsuki Utsuho"
(→Game Info)
|Line 16:
|Line 16:
* '''Soul Gem:''' Winged blue heart on a belt around her waist
* '''Soul Gem:''' Winged blue heart on a belt around her waist
* '''Weapon:'''
* '''Weapon:''' Baton
* '''Wish:''' Curing her brother's illness so he could play a championship baseball game.
* '''Wish:''' Curing her brother's illness so he could play a championship baseball game.
* '''Witch form:'''
* '''Witch form:'''
Revision as of 11:15, 29 August 2019
|Natsuki Utsuho
|Japanese Name
|空穂 夏希 (Utsuho Natsuki)
|Voiced by
|Japanese: Mako Morino
Natsuki Utsuho is one of the original characters of the 2017 mobile game Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story: Magia Record
General Info
Physical features
- Age (estimated): 15-17 Years
- Eye colour: Blue
- Hair colour: Light Blue
- Soul Gem: Winged blue heart on a belt around her waist
- Weapon: Cheerleader Baton
- Wish: Curing her brother's illness so he could play a championship baseball game.
- Witch form:
- Japanese pronoun: watashi (私)
- School: Sankyoin Educational Academy
Game Info
An enthusiastic supporter of everyone around her, there isn't a Magical Girl livelier than Natsuki. She is a huge fan of baseball, and as a cheerleader and the baseball team's manager, she's there for the team year-round.
Side Story
Natsuki, Akira Shinobu, and Kaede Akino fight a witch. Natsuki is about to finish it off, but Akira says her magic is running out. Akira prepares to fight instead, but Natsuki points out Akira is also running out of magic. Natsuki asks Kaede to finish off the witch. Kaede is scared, which almost drives Akira to fight the witch in her place. However, Natsuki encourages Kaede, telling her she's not alone, and that if she fails they'll help her. Kaede is still nervous but Natsuki looks her in the eyes and says she will win. Kaede goes and fights the wish, Natsuki and later Akira cheering her. To her surprise, Kaede succeeds.
The girls realize they don't know each other's names and introduce themselves. Kaede thanks Natsuki for encouraging her, but Natsuki insists Kaede did it all by herself. Akira says Natsuki cheers were amazing, and Natsuki reveals she's a cheerleader. She shows them a picture of herself on the phone, which Akira thinks is cute. It's then explained Akira thinks Natsuki's cheerleading outfit is cute. Natsuki teases Akira for liking cute things, and invites her and Kaede over to her house.
As the group starts walking, Akira asks Kaede what she usually does when she fights. Kaede explains she's part of a team of magical girls, but her teammates left to see something called "Kagurasaka36". Akira recognizes them as an idol group, and deduces Kaede's friends went to see a live concert. Natsuki teases Akira again just as they arrive at her house. Once there, Natsuki's older brother serves them tea. Akira tells him that Natsuki gave them an amazing cheer. Natsuki's brother says her cheer can even cure illnesses, to the surprise of Kaede. After her brother leaves, Natsuki explains it's tied to her wish.
Natsuki's brother was the ace of a baseball team. The day before a championship game, he suddenly collapsed from a fever. The team, unwilling to find a substitute, was in danger of disqualification. Then Kyubey offered Natsuki a contract. She wished to cure his illness so he could play. Despite this, Natsuki's brother's team lost by one point. Natsuki still doesn't regret her wish.
Natsuki shows the girls a photo album of herself as a child, where she was a baseball-playing tomboy. Each day she would go with her brother to baseball practice and play catch with her dad on the way home. Akira asks why she became a cheerleader. Natsuki explains it's because her middle school's baseball club didn't allow girl players. Akira asks Natsuki if she tried playing sandlot baseball, since shopping districts and other places like making teams. Natsuki says she entered one, but said it wasn't very fun so she quit. Natsuki didn't understand why it wasn't fun until one day, when her brother took her to watch her old little league teammates play baseball. While it was painful at first, she found herself cheering for them - and it became more fun than the sandlot baseball team.
On that day Natsuki realized she didn't want to play baseball, she wanted to be with and fight alongside her friends and family. Natsuki initially wondered if cheering counted as fighting with them, but her brother and former teammates told her that her cheering helped them win. Kaede says she understands Natsuki's feelings. Kaede thinks she isn't capable of doing something like saving the world or destroying all witches, but whenever she fights with her teammates (or at least Rena Minami) Kaede always feels glad she did her best. Akira says she jealous that Kaede's teammates has someone like her. Natsuki agrees and says that because of her friends, she can do her best at baseball and being a magical girl.
Natsuki says that when she first became a magical girl, something similar to the current day's events happened. She came across Kako Natsume fighting a witch. Natsuki tells Kako to leave the fight to her, but Kako insists on continuing. Kako claims if she runs now she'll never stop. Natsuki understands and cheers Kako, who defeats the witch. This caused Natsuki to believe that just like in baseball, her cheers can give power to magical girls. Kaede thinks the girl Natsuki helped is amazing. Natsuki says Kaede was amazing herself, and when she protests, tells Kaede that doing her best is amazing enough.
Akira says that Natsuki supports everyone. Natsuki agrees, and reveals she's also the manager of both the cheerleading and baseball clubs. Akira points out the baseball club's third years are going to graduate soon, and wonders if things will get lonely. Before Natsuki can really answer, Kaede realizes it's late in the evening. As Akira and Kaede prepare to leave, Natsuki asks Akira if she wants to borrow her cheerleading uniform. Akira gets embarassed and denies it. Natsuki narrates that when the word "graduate" came up, she nearly had a heart attack.
Akira and Natsuki meet again and take out a witch. Afterward, Akira notices Natsuki isn't as cheerful as she usually is. Natsuki says she's scared things will change. Already the third-years at the baseball club - her former little league teammates - are more focused on exams and cram schools than baseball. Natsuki can't imagine the future without them, and worries she's being left behind. While she wants them to succeeded, she's feeling lonely and wishes things can stay the same forever.
Akira asks Natsuki an odd question: What kind of mother would she become? She points out that Natsuki is from a two-child family, and asks if Natsuki would have a boy and girl herself. Natsuki guesses she would, and notes she is happy to have an older brother. Akira then asks Natsuki what kind of fathers her teammates would become. Natsuki can't even imagine. Akira points out that everyone becomes an adult, and feels conflicted the way Natsuki is now. But she believes that one day, everyone will get married, start families, and when they meet up again after awhile, they can talk about how they've grown older.
As Natsuki starts laughing, Akira asks if she wants to see the future when everyone becomes adults.[1] Natsuki realizes she does want to meet everyone in the future. Akira says she wants to know what Natsuki is like as a mom, and says that while change is scary, not changing means never knowing what the happiness of the future will be like. She suggests Natsuki should cheer for her friends, but in life as well. On a later day, Natsuki and Akira meet each other again while fighting a witch. Akira notices that Natsuki looks happier.
After the witch is defeated, Natsuki gives Akira an omamori with the words "Barrier" and "Safety". Natsuki reveals she made it herself, and that the words are perfect for a magical girl. She also made omamori for her friends too, although those say "pass for sure". Natsuki says the charms reflect her determination to note fear change and cheer for everyone's future. She thanks Akira for helping her, and gives her one more omamori with the word "Marriage". When Akira wonders what it means, Natsuki says she thought Akira would like the girly stuff. Akira once again denies it.
Elsewhere, Kaede has also got a "Barrier Safety" omamori from Natsuki, which she shows to Rena and Momoko Togame. Momoko realizes that "Barrier Safety" is the magical girl version of the charms that say "Traffic Safety". She tells Kaede she should introduce them to Natsuki sometime. Rena notices the charm also has the words "Hill" and "Thank you" embroidered on it. Kaede thinks it's supposed to be the idol group that Momoko and Rena went to see. Rena says that Natsuki got the name completely wrong. Momoko says that Rena is just jealous Kaede made friends while she was gone. Rena gets flustered by this.
Back at her house, Natsuki asks her brother if she's ever heard of the idol group "Sakamichi-sankyuu" (Sakamichi means "hill", while "sankyuu" means "three-nine" and is pronounced the same as the english word "Thank you"). Natsuki's brother asks if she's talking about the idol group Kagurasaka36. Natsuki is horrified to find she got both the name and number wrong. Natsuki narrates she wants to cheer for a bright future for everyone.
- ↑ Ironically, or perhaps appropriately, "happy ending" from Rebellion starts playing.
Event Appearances
Other Appearances
Natsuko plays a major role in Homura's side story.
- The characters of her last name mean "sky" (空) and "ear"(穂), respectively.
- The characters of her first name mean "summer" (夏) and "rare"(希), respectively.
- Her illustrator is Nan Yaegashi
Memoria Cards
|Eng Text
|Jap Text
Magia UP [V] (Self / 1 T)
Max Limit Break:
Magia UP [VI] (Self / 1 T)
6 turns
Max Limit Break:
5 turns
|"We can do it! Don't give up 'til it's over!
I'm cheering for you at every turn!
Draw Owner's Disks
Max Limit Break:
Draw Owner's Disks
15 turns
Max Limit Break:
13 turns
|**Unique to Natsuki Utsuho**
To her, happiness is playing baseball with everyone.
Even when breaking a sweat during summer with the boys,
or bleeding profusely from both her hands in the winter,
she was happy because everyone was there with her.


text:
Asbestos Removal
Asbestos Removal Services New England
The discovery of asbestos on your property can be overwhelming. What should you do? How can you protect yourself and others? What does it take to remove asbestos safely?
ARS does not perform asbestos removal or abatement; however, we can refer you to certified asbestos removal contractors for apartments, condos, homes and commercial properties in CT, MA, NH, and RI. We work with numerous certified contractors that can help you with asbestos removal whether it's on the floors or walls of your property. No matter how small or big the problem is, don't hesitate to get help!
The prolonged inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause serious illnesses, including malignant lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis, a type of pneumoconiosis. Long exposure to high concentrations of asbestos fibers will cause health problems.
What can you expect from ARS on asbestos removal projects?
While ARS does not perform asbestos removal, we will refer you qualified contractors in NH, RI, CT, and MA who specialize in asbestos removal.


text:
'Arrow' Review: "Legacies"
'Arrow' lets loose another episode with its sixth outing of the series "Legacies," as Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) confronts a family of bank robbers (The Royal Flush Gang!), while Tommy (Colin Donnell) throws a fundraiser hoping to save Laurel (Katie Cassidy)'s law firm from going under..
Last week's 'Arrow' episode "Damaged" saw Oliver calling Laurel as his lawyer to prove his innocence of being the vigilante, while Walter confronted Moira about her secrets, and famous DC villain Deathstroke made an appearance in flashback. So, what does the sixth episode of 'Arrow' bring? Does it hit the same bulls-eye as the first five episodes?
Read on for your in-depth recap of everything you need to know about 'Arrow's sixth episode, "Legacies!"
A number of men wearing hockey masks adorned with playing card symbols burst into a bank, looking to rob it. One woman trips the silent alarm, while an undercover cop reaches for his gun, against the advice of one of the hostages. Noticing the man readying to strike, one of the bank robbers, Ace, shoots the man in the back, seemingly killing him. The police arrive to the scene, as the Royal Flush Gang counter by dressing all the hostages in hockey masks, and sending them out the front door. The police enter to find the real criminals having tunneled their way out, as on the run the leader of the gang, King, chides Ace for shooting the undercover cop.
Diggle and Oliver continue their training in his hide-out, though Oliver still refuses to reveal all the details of his time on the island. Oliver worries about his next target Scott Morgan, though Diggle presses him to investigate the bank robberies, in spite of his indifference to street crime. Oliver assures the man that he isn't some hero solely trying to fight crime, as he flashes back to his time on the island, roused in the cave by an apparent vision of his dead father!
Laurel worries about the future of her legal firm after one of their largest donors pulls out, brushing off Tommy Merlyn's attempts to whisk her away on a romantic vacation, while over at the Queen mansion Moira asks that Oliver and Thea come to her brunch with Oliver's successful classmate Carter Bowen. Oliver gets a call to meet Diggle at the hospital, just as Tommy arrives looking for a bit of advice about Laurel. Misunderstanding him, Thea offers up a bit of advice on how to get the girl, thinking Tommy was actually referring to her.
Arriving at the hospital, Oliver learns that Diggle lied about his target in order to put Oliver face to face with the downed police officer's wife, which ultimately sways him to stop the bank robbers. Via surveillance footage, they see that Ace wore a class ring during the heist, one which Oliver breaks into the police station to get a closer look at. Elsewhere, Tommy offers to throw Laurel's company a fundraiser, which she reluctantly accepts.
After his investigation reveals that the class ring belonged to high schooler Kyle Reston, whose family fits the profile of the other robbers, Oliver attends the brunch with his snobby former classmate Carter Bowen. As the man drones on about his humanitarian works, Diggle informs Oliver about the gang's latest heist in progress, and Oliver rudely excuses himself from the gathering.
The police swarm the bank as the gang escapes through another tunnel, before Arrow confronts them underground. In the firefight, Oliver manages to separate the gang from their loot, and escape from the pursuing police without being seen. Later, the gang (the Reston family) realize that their heists have gotten too dangerous, though young Kyle (Ace) insists they go through with their plan of staging one last robbery.
Felicity's investigations into the group reveal that they lost everything after Oliver's father shut down the factory where Derek Reston worked, causing Oliver to lapse into the island flashback of seeing his own father. Robert Queen admonishes his son for giving up, and making his sacrifice meaningless rather than right the wrongs of Starling City, but Oliver doesn't believe himself to have the strength, and puts a gun to his head. Back in the present, Oliver resolves to give the family one more chance if he can talk to Derek Reston himself, in spite of Diggle's reservations about the idea.
While Tommy continues trying to win over Laurel, Oliver confronts Derek Reston at the local bar and apologizes for his father's past misdeeds. He offers Derek a chance to work for him, dropping a bug in Reston's jacket, though Reston's pride and anger with the Queen family leads him to decline the offer to go legitimate. Later, Oliver and Diggle listen over the radio as the Restons agree to continue with their next heist.
At Tommy's benefit, his attempts at courting Laurel go south when Carter Bowen shows up to charm her away, and Thea realizes that Tommy had been looking for advice on Laurel, not her. Arthur apologizes to his mother for departing so suddenly earlier, but right on cue Diggle interrupts them with news of the next heist in progress. Seriously, does no one overhear Diggle talking about this?
At the bank, Kyle and Derek take down the solitary guard, but when Arrow appears Kyle defends himself with a riot shield and attacks the hero head on. The guard awakens, and goes to shoot Kyle, but Derek leaps into the path of the bullet. Oliver sits over a dying Derek, whose words about turning his son into a killer launch Oliver into another flashback of his father, unsure of how to right the man's wrongs. Derek dies, and Oliver flees leaving Kyle unconscious.
Back at the fundraiser, Thea drunkenly throws herself on Tommy, making a scene at his polite rejection and disappearing outside. Thea pukes it up as Tommy insists on driving her home, while Laurel admits not to have been interested in anything but Carter's money. Owing him a dance, Laurel watches as Tommy and Thea drive off toward home.
Diggle assures Oliver that Derek's death wasn't his fault, and that his father would have been proud of what he did for the city, as Oliver remembers first discovering that the pages of his father's book were heat-sensitive, revealing their list of names close to the fire. Back in the present, Oliver makes nice with his mother, who admits to being lonely without Walter, and the two travel to Big Belly Burger to bond like the old days.
See? Not everything needs to be about the names on the list. "Legacies" offers up an important new piece of the puzzle, turning Oliver's efforts toward more common criminals in the form of a wisely-scalled down Royal Flush Gang. The gang themselves aren't given much time to develop, but we imagine they'll return as the comic versions always did. And while Tommy's plight with Laurel doesn't seem to hold much weight, Willa Holland's characterization of Thea, for all her emotional turbulence very much redeems the sub-plot. We're continually impressed with 'Arrow,' and "Legacies" took an important step in a new direction.
What say you? Did you feel that 'Arrow' hit the mark with its sixth episode? What did you like about "Legacies?" Join us next time for another all-new 'Arrow' episode recap of "Muse of Fire" on The CW!


text:
In the light of the government announcement of March 20th, all pubs are now closed until further notice.
However, a number of pubs are providing takeaway food and/or drinks during the lockdown. Some offer deliveries, while others are selling from the premises. This page lists details of those we know about.
If you can give any of our pubs some support through these terrible times by buying some takeaway food or drink, please do so. Our pubs need as much support of possible if they're going to still be there for us when the crisis is over.
Sudbury Dyer's Arms?
Sudbury Dyer's Arms?
Thought to have been a pub but there is a degree of doubt.
It isn't entirely clear where reference to this pub came from, as we have found no definitive mentions of it.
It may be an older name for another pub in the town or an error. If you know anything, please get in touch.
(Most pub, location & historic details collated by Nigel, Tony or Keith - original sources are credited)