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embee posted 10/24/2013 16:52 PM
My husband had a "best friend" that has made me uncomfortable for a long, long time. He assured me many times there was nothing romantic between them, and it seems there wasn't - not in the beginning. Now, I feel like an idiot for not listening to everyone who told me to put a stop to it. For not listening to my gut. I knew what was happening, even before he did, I think.
I really, truly believed it was above board. I trusted him. We were the couple who joked about cheating on each other, because it was so far outside the realm of possibility. Now, everything comes out. He was unhappy, felt unwanted, and sought fulfillment for those needs elsewhere. Granted, unlike her, I don't make long posts on social media talking about how meaningless my life was before I met "my wonderful best friend." I guess he needed that. And instead of telling me, he turned to her.
That was one of the many warning signs I ignored. Her attachment to him that obviously went way, way above and beyond a normal level of friendship. I ignored it. I ignored everything. I kept thinking of that line from the movie That Thing You Do, which always struck me as incredibly corny and badly delivered, but it wouldn't stop running through my head: "shame on me for kissing you with my eyes closed so tight."
I was the cool wife. I never had a problem with any of my husbands female friends, until now. And now, I know why. I was sensing something from the beginning, something he never had with any of his other friends.
Yesterday, the day I found out, Id been fighting off a mounting sense of dread and horror. Hed invited her over for dinner, and I couldnt stop crying. I thought Id come to accept the fact that she was always going to be around, even if she made me horribly uncomfortable. I just didnt see any other way to deal with the situation. I felt jealous, possessive, crazy, overreactive.
When they went to pick up dinner, I got on his computer and opened Facebook.
It was something I could have done at any time. Hes never made an effort to hide his social media or his phone or anything, which was one of the reasons I trusted him so much. After all, if he was cheating on me, Id be able to find out so easily.
And I was right. It was easy.
After a few minutes of scrolling, I was starting to feel bad. There was nothing untoward in their messages to each other. But then, I started seeing it. I love you. Baby. Sweetie. I want to act all couple-y for a while. I want that too. Talking about cuddling on the sofa. Him complimenting her body.
There were pictures.
When they came home, I confronted him. He went white as a sheet, and had no defenses or excuses. He asked her to leave, and I could hear her crying as she went.
His first reaction was that it wasnt going to work between us. He was going to leave. Not to be with her, but to give me a better life. I deserved better than him. He was a bad person. Yes, I yelled and screamed, demanded to know what he was thinking, but I never told him to leave. When I asked him if really wanted to throw away everything we had for some fling, he told me that he didnt think there was anything worth salvaging.
Later, he apologized. He told me he couldnt imagine living without me, but he couldnt imagine living without her, either. He loved both of us. But he had already been pulling back from the romantic/sexual aspect of his relationship from her. (This seems to be confirmed by what I saw on Facebook.) He said he thought it would end eventually.
Hes coming with me to therapy tomorrow. I know the right thing to do is demand that he cut off all contact from her, but at this point I dont know how. He spent a few hours yesterday determined to leave me, and I fear any ultimatums will send him out the door. I love him, Ive given him so much of my life. I know I can live without him, but I dont want to. I still believe hes a good person. He made a bad mistake, but I want to work through it. Just dont know how.
Our anniversary is in a week. I dont even know what to feel.
SerJR posted 10/24/2013 18:54 PM
Welcome here, little sister...
To make a change, action is required. It is the most elementary, scientific fact about the universe as a whole. I can understand how frightened you are (heck, we all were at one point or another), but please understand that there are things worth more than that fear.
Your self respect is one of those things. Right now your WH is perfectly comfortable sitting on the fence and sucking away at the best of both worlds. I highly suspect that you wish to remove infidelity from your life. The question is, are you willing to back this up with action?
You cannot control your husband. You can only control the choices that you make. If he wants to commit to the marriage he will. If he wants to continue in his relationship with the OW he will. However, he will only continue to take advantage of you only if you allow him to do so. If you want infidelity out of your life, you need to be clear with him that YOU will re-evaluate YOUR desire to stay in the marriage if you don't see a change in behaviour. And you must be willing to back this up. As for what side of the fence he lands on... well I'm sorry to tell you but that is his choice.
At the same time though, you can make the marriage attractive by working on yourself. Take care of your health. Seek counseling. Read up on the 180 in the Healing Library to rebuild your self esteem. Let him know that your preference is to work on the marriage, but that you won't do it alone.
From what you've posted, your WH is full of contradictions. Quite honestly, he has no clue what he wants. If he is remorseful though, you will know it. He will take responsibility for his choices without blaming you. He will put a plan in place to ensure this doesn't happen again by going NC with the OW and blocking her. He will look to rebuild trust by giving you access to the affair tools so that you may verify whether or not he is being honest and transparent. He will work to make amends to the marriage and rebuild upon a solid foundation. His actions over the long term will show him for who he truly is.
This is not your fault. Your WH did not cheat beacause of the marriage. A marriage is simply the function of what he puts into it. He cheated because there is something missing within him - and no matter how amazing of a partner you were it wouldn't have made a difference. Do not own the choices that are not yours to own.
It's normal to not know what to feel. And when you do feel, you'll bounce all over the place between emotions. What you need to do is to think about what your needs are, and how to get them met. You need to think about what is important to you, and set up boundaries for yourself to protect that. You don't need to make a decision today - this is your journey and you make it when you are ready.
And finally, understand that you deserve better than to be treated this way. You have worth and you have value and you alone determine that. Respect that, honour that, and stay true to who you are. If you can do that, then I can promise you one thing, no matter which path you walk...
You're gonna be okay.
[This message edited by SerJR at 6:54 PM, October 24th (Thursday)]
momentintime posted 10/24/2013 19:05 PM
If you accept his continued contact with her why should he change? He had to make a choice, if he can't you must risk your M to save it. He can't have both. Call his bluff about leaving for your sake. If he sees or contacts her, he moves out...period. He needs to see what losing you looks like, not have you waiting while he decides what he wants. No honey, you aren't plan B, you should be the priority, if he can't do that let him flounder until he does see that.
Stay strong, remember you can't have three in a M. She needs to go. You can't "nice" him back. Stiffen your backbone, stand up for yourself and let him know NC with her, or NC with you. Then stick with NC if he tests you.
[This message edited by momentintime at 7:08 PM, October 24th (Thursday)]
glaciergal posted 10/25/2013 00:15 AM
I'm so sorry you are here. Your story is pretty much identical to mine, except that my WH kept his phone with him and closely guarded at all times, so it took a long time to confirm my suspicions. You will receive a lot of good advice here. If he doesn't think he did anything wrong, reading "Not Just Friends" might help both of you. My WH honestly thought he did nothing wrong, even though was messaging the OW about what she was wearing and how they would hold hands if they were together. Hugs and stay strong. You can do this.
embee posted 10/25/2013 07:38 AM
Thanks everyone. We went all day yesterday without talking about it, just acting like a normal couple again, which might not be the greatest - but it at least demonstrated to me that he still loves me, and maybe the fog is lifting. It was really comforting to read about that phenomenon and find out how common it is. I really thought he'd lost his mind.
I'm hoping in therapy today, I can find the courage to bring up how I feel blackmailed and controlled because of his desire to leave me, and it makes me think I can't ask for what I need to get better. I'm hoping I can have him at least agree to a temporary NC for now. And then maybe once some more fog clears, he'll understand that it needs to be permanent.
Raven96 posted 10/25/2013 08:05 AM
I am so sorry that you are here, but I am very glad you found us.
You are getting a lot of great advice from people that understand what you are going through.
You get to take all the time you need to make the big decisions. Right now you have to concentrate on you and your health. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water and eating what you can. Definitely read up on the 180 and implement it immediately. Don't let him do this to you a moment longer. He's either in or he's out.
One thing I can tell you that is absolutely true: You have to be willing to let go of your marriage to save it. If you fear your ultimatums will send him out the door, then out the door he goes. This "best friend" is not a friend of your marriage. She needs to go. That HAS to be his ultimatum. If he can't let her go, then you know exactly where you stand and it is time to move on with your life.
I know this hurts right now, but the peace you have in the long term will far outweight the pain and suffering you are enduring in the short term.
Like I said, you don't have to make the big decision now, but all of the little decisions you make now, i.e., getting her the HELL out of your lives, will help you make the big decision later.
I wish you strength and peace.
MJane posted 10/25/2013 10:28 AM
Hi there - SerJR summed it up when he said: "He cheated because there is something missing within him - and no matter how amazing of a partner you were it wouldn't have made a difference. Do not own the choices that are not yours to own." Even if you had any issues with your M the answer is never bringing a third person into a M - that is a cowardly escapist thing to do. My H said he wanted to find someone he could "connect with" and put his efforts into all of that with another person. That is just never right. Your h made a positive choice to cheat and move it beyond friendship. The fault is NOT yours for trusting - it took me weeks to accept that - I was beating myself up about how I should have seen it coming. I was a fully trusting wife and that made me the trusting sane person I was - he chose to use that trust against me just as your husband did to you. That fault is NOT ours. Maybe others will say "I told you so" but that doesn't make it right. He was an adult, he owed you vows and he broke them - you played no part in that.....Take good care of you and he needs to know he can't have any contact with her if he wants you in his life.
embee posted 10/25/2013 13:18 PM
Thanks, again, everyone. We just got back from therapy, and I feel a lot better, but he seems to be in shock again. Afterwards, he started acting more like his old self for a while - remorseful and regretful, the way I would expect the man I married to act in this situation.
He agreed to a week of no contact, at my therapist's suggestion, until we meet with him again. But in the car afterwards, he basically begged me to say that he could firmly tell her it was ONLY a week - that they'd talk again afterwards. I said sure, fine, because I still don't know how to stand up to him, or anyone for that matter. Anyway, it'll be up to what my therapist suggests. But I have to say, our next appt is on my anniversary, and I'll be damned if he's going to have a tearful reunion with HER that weekend.
Anyway, overall it was a positive experience and I feel much more confident that he's in this for the long haul. I spent most of yesterday doubting if he was really committed, thanks to the fog. I'm so glad I have a name for it now. The Fog. Almost makes it sound like a horror movie. Which, let's be honest, it kind of is...
Edited to add: I just wanted to be clear about one thing, because I'm not sure my original post really did. This wasn't just an emotional affair (though that's how it started), it was romantic/sexual as well. He definitely knows he did something wrong. He wants to make it right, but not at the expense of THE FRIENDSHIP. (The almighty friendship!!!) I can't believe he really values someone he's been friends with for, I don't know, maybe six months? more than his marriage.
[This message edited by embee at 1:19 PM, October 25th (Friday)]
momentintime posted 10/25/2013 13:37 PM
He doesn't want to stop contact with OW. Do you want to live your life like this, sharing him with her? He has to stop contact with her FOREVER, not just a week. Do you want to watch him pine for her. He needs a real wake up call.
You are settling for peanuts from him. Don't talk yourself into minimizing what he has and is doing. If you want a strong M, he has to want only you. If he can't manage that, then kick him out. Better to start down the path of your new life, that to stay in limbo land, hoping he will choose you, while he still sees her. Not a life of meaning for you. Don't settle.
embee posted 10/25/2013 14:48 PM
Well, after he talked to her about the NC, it's become very clear that he understands this is realistically not going to be a temporary thing. He didn't want to accept it, even just in his own head, but I can see the fog lifting a little more with every passing minute. Once he gets some distance and sees that neither one of them is going to die if they don't talk, I'm sure it will get easier.
It's hard to see him like this. Even logically knowing that he hurt me and I should be angry or whatever, I'm just worried about him. He's finally starting to feel the full weight of what he did.
I explained to him that as long as he was still talking to her, the affair wasn't over, and I think he accepts that reality. I don't know if this will ever be EASY, but I think it'll get easier with time.
embee posted 10/26/2013 09:26 AM
He just went out to visit his aunt at the nursing home, and of course I am suspicious. How could I not be? I'm going to be suspicious every time he leaves the house now.
I logged into our cell phone account to see his usage, and I really wish I hadn't. He uses iMessage to text with OW, so unfortunately I can't seem to see that usage on the cell provider account since it's not handled through them, but I can see phone calls. He was talking to her on the phone 3-4 times EVERY SINGLE DAY. I had no idea. He must have been calling her every time he took the dog for a walk, or took the garbage over. I wondered why he was always gone for so long.
I'm almost afraid to look after today. But I know I have to.
sinsof thefather posted 10/27/2013 09:37 AM
Oh embee I'm so sorry to read that - what has happened since? Have you confronted him?
embee posted 10/27/2013 10:24 AM
I did confront him about the past phone calls. He didn't attempt to contact her while he was out, as far as I could tell, and he gave me the passcode to his phone and told me I could check up on him whenever I wanted, and that I could come with him every time he left the house if that made me feel more comfortable. He doesn't seem to really get that I don't want to HAVE to do any of that, but at least he's making an effort to demonstrate that he's an open book.
The problem with every confrontation or difficult conversation so far is that he always escalates it to some version of "well, why don't you just leave?" Not in a bitchy way, but like he literally feels like he's fucked up too badly and we can't repair this. But he doesn't want to face up to what he did, or accept that I'm going to continue hurting no matter what happens with our reconciliation.
He is a lot more apologetic now, but very depressed and it's hard to watch him like this. Even though I'm obviously angry, I don't want to see him acting like this. He can barely function. I feel this pressure to be gentle with him, even considering the circumstances, because he seems like he's on the verge of a complete mental breakdown. He's in total shock. And not because of the NC either, it started before then. He told me (and my therapist) that literally the only conversations he'd had with her, until the NC, was just both of them expressing regret that they ever let it go so far. I think they both know the friendship has to end now, and are devastated that they made such a horrible mistake and ruined something that was important to both of them.
It's just in my nature to feel empathy for their situation, even though I know I should be focused on my own feelings and recovery. But I know that he KNOWS it's his/their fault that things have to be this way. However, that doesn't change the fact that he's still apparently having trouble accepting that he has to choose just ONE of us. He can't have us both in his life - he ruined that with what he allowed to happen.
It's hard, very hard, but I can at least recognize the man I married in the way he's behaving now. I'm hopeful that things are going to improve. He's agreed to go into IC as well, even though he doesn't want to (he's done it before, had a major psychiatric crisis as a teenager but seems to think his recovery has nothing to do with being in therapy...whaaa?) I know that the A had a lot to do with his depression, anxiety, and feelings of apathy and despair about his OWN life that had nothing to do with me. And he really needs to work through them if this is going to work. He feels like a failure, and even more so now that he's devastated both his wife and his best friend with his actions. (That is, at least, how he sees it. I think she should take SOME responsibility for it, and probably does, but he doesn't see it that way. He is several years older and more mature, in a lot more of an "adult" place in his life, so realistically more of the blame probably does lie with him.)
I don't know, my thoughts are still all over the place. I just know it's not over - that's the worst part. I'm going to keep remembering/discovering new things and have to deal with them. I guarantee I'm going to look at his phone at some point, and start scrolling through old messages even though I know that's a bad idea. We're still planning on going on our anniversary trip, because I can't get a refund on the hotel...no idea what's going to happen there, but hopefully good things.
[This message edited by embee at 10:26 AM, October 27th (Sunday)]
SerJR posted 10/27/2013 10:41 AM
The other members have mentioned that the NC with the OW is an all-or-nothing agreement, so I won't dwell any further on that.
he always escalates it to some version of "well, why don't you just leave?"
Your WH is looking for an easy out with this type of statement. I would tell him, quite clearly, that your preference is to work on the marriage and that is for you to decide. I'd tell him that you agree this relationship can be improved. I'd tell him that you're not impressed by his self-pity and you want to see changes over the longterm and that it's his choice as to how he follows up. I'd tell him that you believe him to be capable, but that you cannot do his part for him. This will lay out the expectations clearly and put the ball back in his court with a little encouragement and tough love. You hold one hand out reaching to him, but use the other to assert your boundaries.
embee posted 10/27/2013 10:45 AM
Thank you. Yes, I'm frustrated with the "why don't you leave" specifically because I get what it is. It's just another way to try and dodge responsibility. He's said over and over again that he wants me to hate him. It would be easier to handle - or at least, that's what he thinks.
He keeps persisting that even though EVERY OTHER COUPLE ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH has to do an NC to stay together after something like this, maybe we won't have to because "we're different." I'm too exhausted to even have that argument anymore. I think with my therapist on my side, we will eventually be able to wake him up to reality.
embee posted 10/27/2013 11:46 AM
I'm also having a lot of weird thoughts and feelings. Not surprising, I know, but sometimes I feel like a total nutcase. The other night, stepping out of the shower, I cast my eyes over my nice, bright white bathroom...
Okay, this one requires some backstory. OW has loooong, thick black hair that she never ever ever ties back. So in addition to always dragging through her food (GROSSSSS) and just getting in everything, she's always shedding. Everywhere. Doing housework, I was constantly finding her long-ass hairs ALL OVER THE PLACE and it killed me a little every time.
So last night, I looked around my bathroom and there were NONE OF HER HAIRS. ANYWHERE. I felt this amazing sense of triumph, and started laughing like a total lunatic.
It's weird, but with all the negative stuff I'm obviously feeling, I also have a lot of positive thoughts and optimism about the fact that she's at least out of MY life. I never have to deal with her sloppy, immature self tromping around my home again. That's a hard line I've drawn, and one he never fought thank God, even if he's still a waffling sonuvabitch. She is NEVER coming to our home again and they are NEVER seeing each other in person again.
Would you believe she had a toothbrush at our place? That's how often she was staying here. I threw it in the garbage yesterday and cheered. I've hated that stupid orange toothbrush since the day we moved in.
Small victories...
SerJR posted 10/27/2013 11:49 AM
Hey - take the small victories when you can. They do add up after time to something greater than the sum.
He keeps persisting that even though EVERY OTHER COUPLE ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH has to do an NC to stay together after something like this, maybe we won't have to because "we're different."
Tell him that's fine, but you're not interested in that option.
embee posted 10/27/2013 12:02 PM
I know I need to say something along those lines - I just can't bring myself to. I guess I'm not ready to walk away if he says no. I know that I need to be, but I'm just not there yet. Maybe it's a matter of just ACTING like I am, the same way I want him to ACT like he's willing to cut things off from her, even if he doesn't "feel" it. It's just a matter of making a decision and letting your feelings follow. I don't know. It terrifies me.
So can someone tell me what "madhatter" means? I keep seeing it around, but can't derive the meaning from context.
SerJR posted 10/27/2013 12:08 PM
"Madhatter" is an individual who's both a BS and a WS.
I guess I'm not ready to walk away if he says no
So, what will you do if he says "no"?
embee posted 10/27/2013 12:16 PM
Got it, thank you!
As to your question, I have no freaking clue. I really don't. I can't imagine being comfortable living with him if he's still in contact with her, but I also can't imagine living without him. My anger and sense of betrayal does not even come close to outweighing my feelings for him. I can't picture myself walking away. I guess I would end up being the person who helps their spouse cover up a murder, because I have no idea how to separate myself.
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NEWS: Groezrock confirms more bands for 2016, including Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes!
March 16th, 2016
Groezrock, scheduled to take place April 29th-30th in Meerhout, Belgium, has confirmed loads more names for its 2016 event, with the likes of Ranicd, Sum 41 and Hatebreed already announced. Check out the new additions below:

subset: commoncrawl


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A 36-year-old Temperance man was detained after trying to break into a residence in the Raintree Village mobile home park in Washington Township and leading the 40-year-old homeowner on a foot chase today, township police said.
The homeowner was awakened about 2 a.m. by someone yelling and kicking in into a back door at a residence in the 900 block of East Alexis Road, Detective Sgt. John Van Hersett said.
The homeowner then saw that the intruder used parts of a grill to pry open the door, at which time the homeowner took a bat, confronted the suspect, and chased him until police arrived and detained him, Sergeant Van Hersett said. Police happened to be nearby on an unrelated call and interrupted the chase, the sergeant said.
There were no injuries in the incident, police said. Charges were pending.


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CLEVELAND — Police say a 17-year-old boy shot at a party in northeast Ohio has died.
The county coroner's office said Kortez McRae died at a Cleveland hospital after being shot in the head at about 1 a.m. Sunday.
Police Sgt. Sammie Morris says the teen was involved in an argument at the party and several people went outside. Morris says the argument appeared to be subsiding until another person walked up to the teen and shot him in the head.
Police say the suspect also is believed to be a 17-year-old boy.


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Mon Mar 21, 2011 7:13 am
Mon Mar 21, 2011 11:28 pm
Tue Mar 22, 2011 3:01 am
Tue Mar 22, 2011 9:05 am
thefunkyangel wrote:Thank you, Brian! Don't you find it rather interesting that in all the live photo's out there in circulation, there are no photo's of girl's missing from the stage! However, I do thank you for uploading a much clearer image
Tue Mar 22, 2011 11:03 pm
Wed May 04, 2011 4:37 pm
Wed May 04, 2011 5:30 pm
Scott Hayward wrote:This was a curious photo from Norfolk: Elvis is positioned in front of the backup singers, and somehow you can just hear him saying "If you don't like the way I introduce you, get off the pot."
(photo courtesy of Rex Martin)
Thu May 05, 2011 2:08 pm
Thu May 05, 2011 2:10 pm
Tue May 17, 2011 2:04 pm
Tue May 17, 2011 2:46 pm
Thu May 19, 2011 6:08 pm
Thu May 19, 2011 6:35 pm
BananaEspecial wrote:Say what you like about deepsouthfried but the guy sells some great quality photos wherever he get's them from.
Fri May 20, 2011 3:38 am
Francesc wrote:He gets them from here... that;s not great quality at all.
Fri May 20, 2011 10:34 pm
thefunkyangel wrote:Francesc wrote:He gets them from here... that;s not great quality at all.
Are you talking about the photo, or this forum?
Mon Mar 24, 2014 10:55 pm
Mon Mar 24, 2014 11:05 pm
Mon Mar 24, 2014 11:21 pm
Mon Mar 24, 2014 11:26 pm
Scott Hayward wrote:I'm bumping up a 3 year old thread - sorry about that.
But is this the best photo we have of the catfish incident? It certainly appears to show only Myrna after rest of the girls left the stage in Norfolk - at least I can't see Kathy. Talk about a strained situation...
Hosted by ElviCities


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From Mario Cipollini.
FILM BOND from Mcipollini on Vimeo.
A great video concept, and an interesting bike, for sure. I'll even accept that the gratuitious sexism is for the purposes of the Bond genre. But is it really critical to the film's aesthetic to have him descending on a narrow mountain road, at high speeds, without a helmet? My humble opinion: that's just stupid. And lest you say, "closed road, what's the harm," here's the 'making of' video. There's traffic…including a rider who was buzzed at 5:22.
Cipollini Bond – Behind the scene 1 from Mcipollini on Vimeo.
I frankly just don't get it. I guess his hair would have been mussed.


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Who said US doesn't pull stunts like China? I think I've heard so many times on slashdot.
US is just as bad. It's just for different interests (protecting the money and cash flow of huge corporations versus ensuring that the people in the country don't start bloody revolts).
Twist it how you want to, but the fact remains that both countries act like assholes and US is in the same level.
The difference is, we are talking about the incident right now.
What makes you think the Chinese cant? Just because it's not on slashdot? They usually have their own sites because of language differences too. News also got around before the internet too, don't underestimate how much people can talk using normal means - especially in the Asian countries (where I have lived many times), where even little gossip goes around the really quickly. Just because you cant read about it on the usual news sites doesn't mean people don't know.
You will always have people telling you what you can and can't do. It's called 'society.' Rational adults realize that we have to make compromises in order to live together in peace and prosperity, while spoiled children continue to whine that no one is the boss of them. If you don't want people telling you what to do, you don't have to live in society. What you don't get to do is to have all of the benefits of living in a cooperative society, while paying none of the costs. That's called 'stealing.'
There's always somebody who is paid too much, and taxed too little - and it's always somebody else.
We do compromise on the basis of mutual consent. If you like the deal offered to you by your country, you stay. If you don't, you take your business somewhere else. Just as with any business you can not just walk in, demand what you like, and refuse to pay. What, exactly, do you deem 'tyranny?' I'm guessing tyranny means 'anything I don't want to do,' right? Well, that is not how society works, you do not get to dictate terms to the majority who have already agreed how things will work. You get to take the deal we offer you, or leave it and find a better deal. It is not our fault if the deal you want is not available in the world marketplace of governance.
I've never seen a more breathless defense of the lynch mob.
I take it you disagree with the American War of Indepedance then? As they did exactly the opposite of what you recommend when faced with a world that did not offer the governmental option they wanted?
>>>You will always have people telling you what you can and can't do. It's called 'society.' Rational adults realize that we have to make compromises in order to live together in peace and prosperity,
The problem is that most adults are Not reasonable. It is why I can't marry a man. Or smoke marijuana later tonight while watching SyFy Channel. Or have more than one wife. Or show a topless woman on broadcast TV (but Jack Bauer torturing people is a-okay). Or let my daughter drink beer, even if I am German and it's part of our culture. Or let my lawn "go natural" with wildflowers, but instead must have a monoculture grass, or else face fines from the city.
The other adults have placed non-reasonable and illogical restraints upon me. So basically your entire premise of "reasonable adults can tell other adults what to do" is flawed. The adults are not reasonable - they are oftentimes tyrannical.
Therefore I submit it is wiser to follow this simple rule: "No man has a right to physicall harm his neighbor - and that's all the government should restrain him." - Thomas Jefferson. i.e. Marry a guy. Have two wives. Let your kid have beer. Smoke marijuana while watching topless Amanda Tapping stroll around the Stargate. These are victimless acts and should not be outlawed. That's called FREEDOM and liberty. I think that's the best philosophy to follow.
If you don't want people telling you what to do, you don't have to live in society.
Where exactly? There's no place on earth not claimed by a country. There's no property in this country not claimed by somebody, including public property. And even though it's called public property, I can't just take a piece of it and put up a homestead and call it my own. And even if I did own it, I'd still be bound by all laws and building codes and zoning regulations and whatever else regulations. Besides, what claim could I have on any other land? It's on this land that I was born so by birthright this
Well, uh, now that the President has made it clear that he has the right to assassinate any American citizen by whom he feels threatened, there may be functional difference, but there's no longer a theoretical difference. Some might say that it's only a matter of time, now that the rules have been made clear, and apparently accepted by the people.
How true. In the US, if you say the wrong things or talk to the wrong people, you can just be labelled a terrorist, sent to Gitmo, and tortured for a while:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Saleh_Kahlah_al-Marri [wikipedia.org]
In China, if you say the wrong things, you can be arrested and then executed. That simply does not happen in the US. There IS a definite difference.
To play devil's advocate here, you have cases like Ruby Ridge [wikipedia.org] & the Waco Branch Dividians Seige [wikipedia.org] where you can argue that in the US they don't even bother arresting you before they execute you.
There's also been numerous cases of law enforcement breaking into the wrong house on a drug/guns/whatever bust and killing totally innocent people because of it. It's happened often enough that there's really no good way to excuse it. Yes mistakes happen, but when mistakes result in the government basically murde
> Who said US doesn't pull stunts like China?
>> China is *bad*. The U.S. is *bad*. But to say that the U.S. is "just as bad" is ridiculous and obviously false
Hey look, data!
http://report.globalintegrity.org/China/2009 [globalintegrity.org]
http://report.globalintegrity.org/United%20States/2009 [globalintegrity.org]
Or does that ruin it?
Just putting this out there, but helping prop up failing businesses is not, at least in my opinion, as bad as oppressing your population's "right" to have access to otherwise publicly available information.
I see where you are trying to equate the two, but they really are in two different leagues.
Who said US doesn't pull stunts like China? I think I've heard so many times on slashdot.
Idunno. For starters, in China, this guy would stand a good chance of being disappeared or shot.
GITMO, that name ring any bells for you?
Labeling people as enemy combatants and detaining them without trial sucks and is deplorable. I'd be at a total loss for what to do if I, or someone I cared for, was in that situation. But comparing what happens to a relatively small group of people (GITMO detainees) and what happens to the entire population of China (freedom of speech/access to information) are again, in two totally different leagues. I'm not in any way suggesting I support, let alone tolerate GITMO, but we're talking apples and oranges.
The point is we are doing the very things we say we are against when other nations do them.
If terrorists can drive the US government to abandon its principles and find clever ways to justify it, then that's a victory for those terrorists. It's a real shame, for they do not deserve any victory of any sort.
Who is the biggest dick now?
I think you knew the answer [southparkstudios.com] before you said that... (you american have a soo-big penish)
I'll grant that the US does bad things, but when you say things like "just as bad" as China you're basically saying "I am viewing the world in an over-stark black-and-white manner and am thoroughly incapable of understanding nuance, and willfully oblivious to any differing *degrees* of badness".
When it comes to respecting civil rights, there is no such thing as shades of gray.
How about the "nuance" of demanding "full-spectrum dominance" (full control) over the planet?
Maybe some of us are *reacting* to the "over-stark black-and-white" world view espoused by the Pentagon.
Twist it how you want to, but the fact remains that both countries act like assholes and US is in the same level.
Oh my. There differences are many. For starters, the quantity blocked in China [wikipedia.org] versus what could be considered blocked in the United States [wikipedia.org]. In the United States, this sort of thing happens in isolated cases for criminal reasons and the end result is that the website might be vindicated. Point me to one case in China that ended up where the government was wrong. I'm waiting. At least YouTube was vindicated by the government [slashdot.org] against Viacom. There's some semblance of justice in the United States with regards to blocking websites. In China, it's a bizarre "unharmonious" label or anti-PRC speech that gets you blocked (and oftentimes worse than that).
I could not disagree more with your analogy.
I'm guessing users were trading child porn or the owner wasn't handling his taxes correctly. His user name in the forums is a marketing site between the US and Canada [affiliateplex.com]. I'm guessing he could have been pulling down big ad money and not reporting it correctly between the two countries. Hosting websites is a business and businesses always get into trouble. When there's money involved, there's lawyers. And with lawyers come lawsuits and with lawsuits come temporary injunctions.
I'm guessing users were trading child porn or the owner wasn't handling his taxes correctly.
I mostly agree with your post. However, there is one thing I want to add. My inclination is that there is a good reason for these websites to be shut down. However, I am not willing to take the government's word that they had a good reason. I want to know the reason. If I agree that it was a good reason, all's well. If not, well then it depends on how many other people also think it wasn't a good reason.
Basically, my point is that this event is not on its face evidence of the government doing something wro
What you have to understand about China is that their government is an expression of their religious philosophies. They believe that social order is a moral expression, and something worth dying for:
In Confucianism, human beings are teachable, improvable and perfectible through personal and communal endeavour especially including self-cultivation and self-creation. A main idea of Confucianism is the cultivation of virtue and the development of moral perfection. Confucianism holds that one should give up one's life, if necessary, either passively or actively, for the sake of upholding the cardinal moral values of ren and yi.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucianism [wikipedia.org]
In America, we have a culture that values liberty, which has become quite distorted in modern times. We've also retained some very puritan ideas, which is why nipples are somehow more offensive than gun violence. More recently, our only main moral metric has become profit.
This instance illustrates the point perfectly. Mose Chinese, if begrudgingly, accept the government's right to censor their speech so that the social order is maintained. Most Americans accept the government's right to censor free speech in the interest of profit.
So, if you want to stop the march to DRM and the loss of basic rights in the face of corporate rights to profit, you're going to have to convince fellow Americans that profit isn't the only thing that matters. Good luck with that.
I have yet to figure out how to use mod points, or even if I have any...but if I did, I would mod this up. Well-spoken.
What you have to understand about China is that their government is an expression of their religious philosophies.
Whose philosophy do you support in this picture?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d8/Tianasquare.jpg [wikimedia.org]
So, you think America doesn't call in the troops to maintain order. I think you're flatly wrong.
WWI Vets protesting during the Great Depression? Call in the troops! [wikipedia.org] Miners striking for better wages? Call in the national guard! [wikipedia.org] College kids causing a ruckus over the Vietnam War? Keep your finger on the trigger. [wikipedia.org] Got some colored people demanding rights? Send in the secret police to take them out. [wikipedia.org]
Apparently you have also forgotten about the Civil War. Whether the crisis (or the injustice of slavery) could have
Who said US doesn't pull stunts like China? I think I've heard so many times on slashdot.
US is just as bad. It's just for different interests (protecting the money and cash flow of huge corporations versus ensuring that the people in the country don't start bloody revolts).
Twist it how you want to, but the fact remains that both countries act like assholes and US is in the same level.
Funny. A few years ago when something like this happened, you saw the story and comments here say that Bush was the problem. Now we read that the US is the problem.
Imagine if something like this happened a few short years ago. We'd be looking at a whole different story.
People finally figured out we only have one political party?
Some people needed this lesson, I consider it a victory that they got it.
The only reason I can think of for this kind of government censorship is if there is some national security related issue with the blogs on this site. I wonder if it's related to those Russian spies they caught recently? A terrorist plot? I'm sure we'll find out soon enough....
I would tend to think so.
Since those pesky Reds were hosting 'AllofMp3.com'
So I am sure that these "bloggers' were simply mentioning that fact. Ere-go the U.S. had to use Operation "Mop and Glo"to get rid of any mention of the website.
They probably seized some equipment as evidence in an investigation and the numbers are just grossly over-inflated for sensationalist reasons. Seizing a couple of servers that have 10,000 customers each isn't the same thing as "ordering the sites off-line" -- it's seizing the hardware in order to protect chain of evidence and integrity of the data seized. It's still kind of a dick move, but I'm not really going to take the bitching of people who seem to be perfectly willing to watch movies but don't want to pay for them.
The only reason I can think of for this kind of government censorship is if there is some national security related issue with the blogs on this site.
You know what? No. To hell with "National Security". If that card was being pulled appropriately then it might be justified, but these days, the powers that be have decided that they can pull "National Security" out when they do ANYTHING and get a free pass. We can lie, cheat, steal, and piss on the Constitution so long as it's a matter of "National Security"!
Like the boy who cried "wolf!", and I don't care if the wolf really is chewing on National Security's nuts right now. The excuse is falling on de
Mark my words. This is only the beginning of high-profile shutdowns.
The nest has been stirred and the wasps are now out in full force.
There is, however, a light at the end of the tunnel.
You cannot get by with stuff like this without angering a lot of people.
Enough angry constituents and things will start to change.
Lets just hope for the best as that's all we can really do.
"A government source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, suggested that the websites in question may have had links to child porn, utility hacking guides, and terrorist activity. They could not say exactly due to the ongoing investigation."
Anytime you hear stories from anonymous government sources and anonymous agents, it's bullshit. Anybody who really works for the government and who really has something to say, will be able to say it on the record or provide authentic documents to back up what they are saying.
Otherwise it's as simple as someone wearing a suit and tie with a fake badge telling people they work for the government. Anybody can say this, anybody can talk like this, I see it on Alex Jones all the time. Thats when they call it a
Is this really any different than the police closing down a pawn shop for fencing stolen goods? A business owner has the responsibility to ensure that the people he deals with are legit. If not then he gets shut down.
If the pawn shop was allowing the sale of stolen merchandise it doesn't mean every customer was a felon. But if the police shut down the site due to repeated violations, legitimate customers would also not be allowed to go there. Exactly the same with this website service.
bomb a data center in a foreign country
The U.S. government has been doing similar stuff [wikipedia.org] to controversial TV and radio broadcasters for a while now. The internet is just a logical extension.
Or can I post copyrighted material to a political site I disagree with and give some gov't agency an excuse to take it down without a court order? I'm sure they'll admit they were wrong after 11/2 and let the site back up.
This looks like a different scenario with multiple violations by the site owner, but it's a bad precedent if there is not a public court order listing the violations. There are ways to get a court order very quick with little evidence for a "critical mater" that they claim this is.
Yea. The 1st Amendment violations here pale in comparison to the 4th, 5th and 6th Amendment violations. No warrant? Check. Deprived of property without due process? Check. Specifically NOT informed of the accusations levied against them? Check.
Hell, they just need to quarter some troops in this guy's house and they'll have shitcanned half the Bill Of Rights in one case.
"Banned" is a bit of a stretch.
"The Federal Mafia is a book written in prison[18] by Schiff. In the book, Schiff contended that the income tax system and Internal Revenue Service were illegal. On August 9, 2004, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an injunction issued by a U.S. District Court in Nevada under 26 U.S.C. 7408 against Irwin Schiff and associates Cynthia Neun and Lawrence Cohen, against the sale of this book by those persons.[19] This prohibition does not extend to other sellers of the bo
Claims of parent to support "Fascism is coming"...
- Books like The Federal Mafia have been banned: No. [amazon.com]
- NYT reporters have been silenced [...] in jail: "reporters" == Judith Miller [wikipedia.org], who got to do a couple months in the can to ponder the meaning of "contempt of court". She's not the first, and won't be the last.
I doubt it was over copyright or illegal content issues. If it was, the justice dept would have tripped over itself to make an example of this evil hosting service. A very public example.
The whole secrecy thing, together with taking down 73,000 blogs, makes me think that they were targeting a few (perhaps only one) page. But they don't want us to know which one. So take them all down and it will be difficult to tell. Grab a copy of the archives while they're still up. There could be some interesting reading in there someplace.
Here's a time saving summary of about 90% of the posts here today for those who don't feel like doing them one by one:
I haven't the vaguest idea what actually happened here, so I'm going to go ahead and assume that the fascist/conservative/liberal/communist/megacorps/illuminati/mole-people have usurped our freedom once again by taking down a half a billion websites that hosted nothing but honest discourse that they, the aforementioned fascist/conservative/liberal/communist/megacorps/illuminati/mole-people don't want YOU to read. Clearly, the U.S. is as bad as China/Soviet Russia/Somalia/Cuba/The Romulan Empire/The Sith/Microsoft, and any ideas that you live in a free society stem from the idea that you're stupid and just another sheeple being led about by the nose by THE MAN. If, somehow, it turns out that the server in question was hosting Child Pornography/Snuff Films/how-to guides to build Nuclear Weapons/Disney Movies, you can safely assume that those things were just planted in order to steal your freedom, except that you didn't have any, so it's just there to steal your imaginary sense of freedom. Since this sense of freedom was imaginary, it's just Imaginary Property anyway, and couldn't have been stolen from you in the first place, so really, nothing of value was lost. I know all this because years ago I threw out my TV because it only showed mindless pablum like American Idol, and worse yet, they make you watch ads, so now I download American Idol on Bit-torrent instead and watch it on my computer, which is inherently better than watching it on TV, so I'm smarter than you. Something about Old People In Korea, Natalie Portman Naked and Petrified, and Hot Grits. In conclusion, in Soviet Amerikkka, websites view you, and this is probably all Steve Jobs' fault.
Looks like they shut down a host, which just happens to have a lot of sites.. Tons of collateral damage but i don't think the goal was to shut down 73k sites.
I don't recall the Bush administration being so keen on enforcing copyright law, and I don't recall them being so brazen, yet at the same time secretive about it.
"The authorities" shut down an entire site and refuse to tell the owner why?
Prior to the ascension of The One, the leftysphere and MSM (but I repeat myself) would have been all over this, proclaiming the birth of the Bush Police State.
Yet now all I hear is some grumbling from the same fringe kooks who think copyright law is invalid to begin with.
I have to suspect that this action may be a trial balloon. I have to suspect that in the future, websites that host content that the regime finds objectionable will also be subject to arbitrary termination, and for equally mysterious reasons.
Tyranny depends on information control. It isn't easy to control what people think, but it is easy to control what they think ABOUT if you control what information they have access to.
How long before the Drudge Report gets taken down? (I am engaging in hyperbole there, but you get the point).
Wasn't this supposed to be the new era of transparency? Well it is, transparent evil.
Each honest calling, each walk of life, has its own elite, its own aristocracy based on excellence of performance. -- James Bryant Conant


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This is being sent out by the Michigan Alumni Association, intended for all alum, not just associattioni members:
Here is the official Big U Dallas activity
Cornhole is a game that you've certainly seen played at many a Michigan tailgate. It's a fun game.
See the Wikipedia article for more information.
... its the 'toss the beanbag on the wooden structure, preferably through the hole' game.
To be made with that description.
Nope we play that in Ohio too.
Yea, im from cbus and people from cincy insist they innovated corn hole
Corn-hole is the correct name for the now generically produced "bean-bag toss" games played at every tailgate everywhere.
I know there are a few people who live in the Dallas area on this site, does anyone have any good ideas of what to do on Friday from 9am til 3pm? To save on airfare, I got some crazy early arrival time and my hotel doesn't allow check-in until 3pm. Thanks!
about visiting Dealey Plaza, but it's pretty far from DFW and Arlington.
I moved to Dallas in Oct of last year and it was a huge deal here it being the anniversary of the JFK assasination. Dealy plaza and the JFK Museum is definitely a must see when visiting the metroplex.
Couple ideas if you're in downtown Dallas apart from the "grab something to eat/find a coffee shop" option.
1. 6th Floor Museum, which is a surprisingly interesting and well done museum about the JFK assassination.
2. Nasher Sculpture Garden/Museum, which has a wonderful collection of modern sculpture, and is both inside and outside (it's not supposed to be blazing hot on Friday, but you'll probably want something inside).
The Dallas Museum of Art is pretty good as well, but it's a standard big city art museum. The Nasher feels more unique.
I recommend all visitors stop by the old red museum on houston downtown across from the amtrak station and pop in on the visitor center. Any and everything to do in Dallas they will direct yo right to it. Cant wait for all of you to arrive! Counting down hours to history being made by Team 133!!
A 4 hour lunch there will remove any and all jetlag before you head to the hotel.
Dallas has some of the finest in the country.
Too bad Dez can't go to them anymore.
Six Flags


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T O P I C R E V I E WjvertreesI have a copy of "Night Launch" by Jake Garn I'd like to have signed. Does anyone have experience with Senator Garn through the mail? I've got a Slat Lake City address I believe is current.randyI didn't have any problems getting his autograph.
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Scrambled eggs are a pretty decent test of any skillet. I thought it would be interesting to scramble a couple eggs and see how well a brand new Lodge Logic pan did with them.
For comparison I used an old Wagner Ware #8 that is getting to be a pretty nice pan.
You will see the results. I think the Lodge did fairly well for brand new.


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The world's top banking regulatory body on Sunday eased the first global liquidity rules scheduled to start applying to banks in 2015 and aimed at improving their ability to survive financial crises.
The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision said at a press conference in Basel that it had widened the definition of the easy-to-sell assets that banks will have to hold to survive periods of stress.
The Basel III standards had been initially proposed in 2010, but banks and financial institutions have since lobbied intensively to make the rules more flexible and result in lower costs for the sector.
The details of the Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) — which was drafted to avoid a repeat of the 2008 banking crisis and unanimously endorsed on Sunday by the Basel group's top oversight body — gives the banks a reprieve.
Its provisions include a much broader definition of the minimum assets every bank needs to hold, making it less costly for them to maintain the required buffer.
"The changes to the definition of the LCR, developed and agreed by the Basel Committee over the past two years, include an expansion in the range of assets eligible as HQLA [high quality liquid assets]," the committee said.
The full measures will also be fully implemented only in 2019, instead of 2015 as initially proposed.
"Specifically, the LCR will be introduced as planned on Jan.1, 2015, but the minimum requirement will begin at 60 percent, rising in equal annual steps of 10 percentage points to reach 100 percent on Jan. 1, 2019," the Basel group said.
Mervyn King, chairman of the Basel group's top oversight body and governor of the Bank of England, described the agreement announced on Sunday as "a very significant achievement."
"For the first time in regulatory history, we have a truly global minimum standard for bank liquidity," King said.
"It was well worth spending the time to make it right because this is an agreement which is going to affect banks for a number of years," he said, adding that the agreement had been reached unanimously.
The Basel Committee brings together representative regulators from 27 nations.
"Importantly, introducing a phased timetable for the introduction of the LCR, and reaffirming that a bank's stock of liquid assets are usable in times of stress, will ensure that the new liquidity standard will in no way hinder the ability of the global banking system to finance a recovery," King said.
Stefan Ingves, chairman of the Basel Committee and of Sweden's Sveriges Riksbank, said the global regulator could now focus on the Net Stable Funding Ration, another pillar of the Basel III reforms.
"The completion of this work will allow the Basel Committee to turn its attention to refining the other component of the new global liquidity standards, the Net Stable Funding Ratio, which remains subject to an observation period ahead of its implementation in 2018," he said.


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3. No New Apple Products Until The Fall
Apple's last big product launch was the iPad Mini and fourth-generation iPad last November. But Apple fans will have to wait a bit longer for the next innovation from the company, as Cook said new products will be introduced this fall and in 2014. "Our teams are hard at work on some amazing new hardware, software, and services that we can't wait to introduce this fall and throughout 2014," Cook said. "We continue to be very confident in our future product plans."
So that means no new iPhone or iWatch this summer.


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With her highly praised debut novel, The Romance Reader, Pearl Abraham gave readers their first insider's glimpse of the Hasidic world from a female perspective and sensitively depicted the inner life of a young woman entering adulthood. In Giving Up America, Abraham directs her unerring and compassionate understanding of character to the subject of marriage, as she takes us further in exploring the differences in cultures and values of Hasidic and secular American life. When Deena decides to marry Daniel, who is an Orthodox Jew, Deena's father, a Hasidic scholar, opposes the marriage for Kabbalistic reasons: the numbers assigned to the Hebrew letters in their names add up to form the word "pain." Yet their marriage appears to be blessed. Together, they are restoring an old house, their dream house. Then Daniel brings home from work a young Southerner, who is training for the Miss America pageant, and her best friend. Soon cracks in the foundation of their marriage appear, throwing into question the values Deena grew up with and the notion of what "home" means. Elle described The Romance Reader as "that rare work of
fiction, both a coming-of-age story and a brave, beautifully
rendered expos of a hidden, insular world." With her new novel, Pearl Abraham makes good on Kirkus Reviews' promise that she is "a writer to watch": Giving Up America is a novel that puts her on the map as a writer who has arrived.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Pearl Abraham's critically acclaimed first novel, The Romance Reader, follows a Hasidic girl caught between the strictures of tradition and the yearnings of her own heart. In her second book, the author tells a different kind of coming-of-age story: Giving Up America charts with heartbreaking assurance the disintegration of a marriage and the loss of faith that inevitably results. Like Abraham's first young heroine, Deena Binet grew up in a strict but loving Hasidic household. Yet when her family returned to Israel after a few years in the United States, Deena stayed behind, and since then has become nothing if not American. She works in advertising, learns to wear jeans and prides herself on remembering the names of rock bands. Even when she marries an Orthodox Jew, she does so against her father's wishes. A Hasidic scholar, he sees that the sum of the Hebrew letters of the couple's names equals the numerical value of the Hebrew word for pain, "which is what this marriage will bring you."
Although her husband, Daniel, keeps kosher and observes the Sabbath, he does so "mechanically," with none of the joy that marked Deena's childhood religious celebrations: "What did remain were the things she couldn't do." Nonetheless, they have been together for seven years before trouble appears. In this case, trouble takes the form of a leggy blonde temp from Daniel's office, a Southern-accented would-be Miss America named Jill. She is, they agree, "fun," in a way none of their other friends are. Together with Jill and her friend Ann the couple tries skiing, takes up dancing--and then Daniel falls in love. As their relationship falls apart, so too does Daniel's attachments to the forms of his faith. He breaks the Sabbath, stops wearing his yarmulke, and starts eating shellfish: "He'd accept no burdens, not Jewishness, not marriage." Faced with the impending breakup, Deena must decide whether to retreat back into her past or forward into an unknowable future.
Abraham's clear-eyed, unsentimental novel is, more than anything else, about that choice: between the safety of childhood and the uncertainty of independence, between the religious life and the secular world. Flying over the ocean on her way to visit her parents, Deena dreams of a ship with Daniel and all her American friends on it, pulling away and leaving her floating alone in the waves: "She had to save her strength and learn to live in the water. She would become a fish." In Giving Up America, Pearl Abraham draws a subtle and compassionate portrait of marriage, divorce, and a woman at sea. --Mary ParkAbout the Author:
Pearl Abraham grew up speaking Yiddish in a Hasidic home. She is the author of the critically acclaimed international bestseller The Romance Reader and teaches writing at New York University.
* Includes a Readers Guide in the back of the book
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Book Description Riverhead Hardcover, 1998. Condition: New. book. Seller Inventory # M157322121X
Book Description Riverhead Hardcover, 1998. Hardcover. Condition: New. Never used!. Seller Inventory # P11157322121X
Book Description Condition: New. Quality Books. Because We Care - Shipped from Canada. Usually ships within 1-2 business days. If you buy this book from us, we will donate a book to a local school. We donate 10,000+ books to local schools every year. Seller Inventory # R18978S


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Apple CEO Tim Cook On Apple's US Manufacturing Move 266
We mentioned a few days back the "Assembled in America" tag showing up on some models of Apple's iMac. Nerval's Lobster points out that in a new interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, Apple CEO Tim Cook offered some details on what that means: "'Next year we are going to bring some production to the U.S. on the Mac,' Cook told the magazine. 'We've been working on this for a long time, and we were getting closer to it. It will happen in 2013. We're really proud of it. We could have quickly maybe done just assembly, but it's broader because we wanted to do something more substantial.' He also had comments about Android and current litigation against Samsung and others."


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The readers of Corvette Fever and their Vettes in the spotlight.
Crown Jewel
The Virginia Corvette Club in Lynchburg sent us this photo of Dennis and Janice Gripp's Jewel Blue '61. Dennis has owned the car for 32 years, and it still has both tops and the original three-speed transmission.
By The Numbers
This numbers-matching '67 Corvette convertible was in excellent shape when William Opincar purchased it, especially the interior; but it took almost three years to make the entire car correct for NCRS judging. The Marina Blue '67 boasts a 390hp, 427ci engine with a four-speed and side exhaust.
Does your Corvette have the right stuff for Spotlight? Well, proveit. Send your photos and story to Corvette Fever, Your Ride in the Spotlight,9036 Brittany Way, Tampa, FL 33619. Remember when taking photos tofill the frame and try to avoid clutter in the background. And if you'reusing a digital camera, use the maximum resolution.
Stocked Up For Winter
The changing autumn leaves of Torrington, Connecticut, make the perfect backdrop for Jerry and Debbie Smith's bone-stock '92 Corvette. Of course, hibernation can't be far behind. The Smiths' '92 has red leather interior.
Beach Bum
When Mike Riley of Oldsmar, Florida, goes to the beach, he brings his own Stingray. It's a Riverside Gold '69 equipped with an L46/M21/3.70 Posi-traction drivetrain. Mike also has the optional hardtop and an AM/FM stereo.
Sun & Surf
Fred and Carol Gronemeier's '61 Corvette carries a 350ci fuel-injected engine with a four-speed and Posi-traction rear axle. Other options include white coving, auxiliary hardtop, and heater. Fred and Carol drive it on nice days around East Alton, Illinois, and even spent a week driving it up and down Daytona Beach in Florida, where this photo was taken.
I Do
Brian Krause, of Arlington Heights, Illinois, said goodbye to his '73 coupe when he got married. But five years ago, he said hello to this '58 Corvette. The '58 has silver coves and a red interior. "It took me seven or eight years to find a white '58 that I could afford and that ran well," Brian says. "It's lots of fun cruising the streets."
Generation Gap
I have been a subscriber to Corvette Fever for about 20 years and it's the best mag on Corvettes. I read it from front to back as soon as it comes; it's like therapy for the soul. About me: I am a 62-year-old who never grew up, at least when it comes to cars. My first encounter with a Corvette was in 1953 when my parents pulled into a service station.
Next to the lube bay was a white car. I jumped out of our car to ask the attendant what it was. Yes, it was a '53 in all its splendor. From then on, the fever set in. But it wasn't until around 1981 that I finally got my first baby--a '74 yellow roadster. It earned 24 First Place wins over two years. Some 18 years later, I bought this fine '94 LT1 with the 4L60E trans, and I love it. No mods on the engine were performed other than a K&N system and an airfoil in the intake.
About 30 minutes after I picked up the car, the salesman called to tell me his boss had a buyer for the car on eBay. I just smiled and headed home with a great car.
Does your Corvette have the right stuff for Spotlight? Well, proveit. Send your photos and story to Corvette Fever, Your Ride in the Spotlight,9036 Brittany Way, Tampa, FL 33619. Remember when taking photos tofill the frame and try to avoid clutter in the background. And if you'reusing a digital camera, use the maximum resolution.
Coaster Corvette
Anthony Larosa, a member of the C.A.A.R.S. of Scottsdale, Arizona, owns this Mille Miglia Red '70 Corvette. His interest in Corvettes began when he was only 17. Just after he got his driver's license, he convinced his father to look at a '72 Corvette Stingray. The owner of the car wanted to show him how well it handled; so, with Anthony's father looking on, the man took Anthony and the car for a little testdrive. He drove under a highway overpass, locked the brakes and, downshifting from Third into Second, hung a U-turn. Just as the back started to slide he let out the clutch, punched out Second, and came to a stop right in front of Anthony's father. According to Anthony, "This beat the rush I felt sitting in the first car on the Cyclone, a roller coaster in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York." His father didn't share his excitement, to say the least. The two left immediately and Anthony's Corvette dreams were put on hold for some 20 years.
When he was 37, Anthony finally found this beautiful convertible. He spent the next three years removing all of the aftermarket parts and painstakingly searching for the original ones in order to return the car to stock. Ken Carollo of the Vette Shoppe in Tempe did what Anthony couldn't. Ken did all of the work on the engine, transmission, and rearend. After tweaking the motor a bit himself, Anthony ended up with 350 horses net at the rear wheels. The Corvette has a Muncie four-speed and 3.36:1 gears. It also has A/C, power brakes and steering, leather seats, custom interior trim, and a passenger-side mirror.
Anthony made his first Route 66 run in May 1999, from Seligman to Golden Shores, and was at the first ever "Vette Fest West." The Corvette was selected as one of Corvette Fever's top five picks on Saturday, May 14, 1999.
Anthony said he was hoping for his 15 minutes of fame here in CF, and now he has it.
Official Business
Harry Ilaria uses this Light Pewter '99 six-speed convertible as his personal transportation and as the company car for his software company in Montville, New Jersey. So much for not mixing business with pleasure.
Gaby Bouchard of LaSalle, Quebec, is the proud owner of this '64 Saddle Tan Corvette Sting Ray. Gaby's engine is not numbers-matching, but he does squeeze 365 hp out of it. The car finished First in the NCCC judging event at Carlisle three years in a row. "But the kick," Gaby says, "is watching people's expressions when they see the car. A Corvette still makes their heads turn."
High Altitude
Chuck Johnson, of Colorado Springs, is the original owner of this red-on-red '80 Corvette. It has 40,000 original miles and comes with all of the options except the L82. Chuck has the glass tops as well.
Does your Corvette have the right stuff for Spotlight? Well, proveit. Send your photos and story to Corvette Fever, Your Ride in the Spotlight,9036 Brittany Way, Tampa, FL 33619. Remember when taking photos tofill the frame and try to avoid clutter in the background. And if you'reusing a digital camera, use the maximum resolution.
I Do, Two
Mike and Ginny Feraco bought this 7,500-mile Torch Red '96 LT4 convertible in 1998 as a wedding present to each other. Mike and Ginny are members of the Corvettes United Club of Worcester, Massachusetts.
Crossing Over
Rick and Gail Gorham spent over 20 years in the Ford camp before purchasing this '77 T-top in 1999. A trip to the National Corvette Museum and a subscription to CF helped them make the transition. This Orange L48-equipped Corvette includes power steering, brakes, and windows, cruise control, buckskin leather, air conditioning, and an automatic transmission.
A Blue Christmas
This navy blue metallic '98 Corvette resides in Holly, Michigan, with Jack and Sandy Sutliff. "It is one of only seven built in 1998," Jack says. "I got it as a product evaluation car from GM. I am an employee at the Flint Powertrain V6 plant. I had this car delivered to our home on December 23, 1998 as a Christmas present for my wife."
Dreams Do Come True!
by Marsha Goeman Wesley Chapel, FL
For many years, I had a dream--a goal, you might say--of owning a Corvette! For quite some time, the background on my computer at work was a Millennium Yellow coupe, a reminder of what it was all about.
In April 2001, I was finally fortunate enough to find and purchase my dream car: a gorgeous '01 Millennium Yellow coupe. I knew in my heart that after I got behind the wheel of one of these beauties, it would be all over with! After negotiating the deal and signing the paperwork, it was finally time to get into the driver seat and take my new car for a ride. The first time I ever drove a C5 was the day I bought mine. Needless to say, the experience was even better than I had imagined. Now, nearly two years later, the thrill of owning and driving this car is as strong as it was on the day I drove it for the first time.
Corvette is truly America's sports car! It is wonderful to share the joy of driving a Corvette with friends and seeing the expression on their faces when they take the wheel. Although this is my first Corvette, it certainly will not be the last!
Does your Corvette have the right stuff for Spotlight? Well, proveit. Send your photos and story to Corvette Fever, Your Ride in the Spotlight,9036 Brittany Way, Tampa, FL 33619. Remember when taking photos tofill the frame and try to avoid clutter in the background. And if you'reusing a digital camera, use the maximum resolution.
A Burning Desire
by Valecia "Chee-Chee" Parker Landover, Maryland
I went to work just like any other day on September 11, 2001; that was the day I thought Washington, D.C. was having an earthquake. I worked in the newly renovated section of the Pentagon on the second floor. I truly praise God for my two guardian angels: Mr. Gary Jackson, for coming back in the burning, smoked-filled section searching for individuals, and finding and saving me; and LTC Philip Beaver, who assisted in getting me out of the building.
There were so many people that touched my life that day, and I wish I could thank them all. When the airplane hit the Pentagon, there was a great loss--so many friends, church members, and coworkers. There were quite a few injured, including me. I truly miss the coworkers and friends that were close to me. I miss me, too. I have new challenges that come each and every day, and I no longer take anything for granted. I never realized how much you miss your independence until it is taken away. At present I am undergoing visual rehabilitation and vestibular physical therapy on a weekly basis, relearning to do what used to come naturally.
My plan was to be a Corvette owner on my 50th birthday, which was October 20, 2002. On September 11, I had a little over a year to go. But God has blessed me: On June 29, 2002, I became the proud owner of a six-speed, '02 Electron Blue Metallic coupe. I am in the slow lane, but that's OK--I get to drive! I did take it one step further; I got special vanity tags that say "BA B ME," and that's what I am doing. Taking care of her is fun. I have to say that having it, America's number-one sports car, is one of the best therapies I could have, even if I have to sit down at times to clean her. I do plan on personalizing her, so I have been looking through all of the catalogs. I became a member of G-Burg Corvette Club of Gaithersburg, Maryland, in November 2002. God willing, I plan to participate in several of the events.
I believe that you should give life your best, for you will never regret it. I am alive today and only God knows what is destined for me. I want to thank you for all your prayers that you sent this way, not knowing who the recipients were. God, please bless America!
Black Tie Affair
Rick and Charlotte McPherson owned a twin of this Tuxedo Black '65 Corvette in the early '70s, and always regretted selling it. When they found this one in Beaumont, Texas, they had a complete frame-off restoration done by Mike Flash's Corvette Specialists. It has a 327ci engine and a four-speed trans, a teak wheel, and air conditioning.
Corvette 101
Robert Murphy's white '62 was produced early in the model year, the 101st Corvette to roll off the line in August 1961. Hugging the National Corvette Restorers Society judging manual, Robert completed the full restoration in 1998.
Does your Corvette have the right stuff for Spotlight? Well, proveit. Send your photos and story to Corvette Fever, Your Ride in the Spotlight,9036 Brittany Way, Tampa, FL 33619. Remember when taking photos tofill the frame and try to avoid clutter in the background. And if you'reusing a digital camera, use the maximum resolution.
Big Wheel Keep On Turnin'
This '90 convertible was black with a white top and light gray interior when Phil and Ilene Hubinger bought it in 1999. "We won a few trophies and had a lot of fun," Phil says. "But when you see 300 or 400 Corvettes together, they all start to look alike. The wheels started to turn, and this is what I came up with. I haven't done much with the engine, but the wheels are turning again."
Ron and Terri Brinton of Cary, North Carolina, took their Torch Red C5 to the North Carolina Zoological Park and turned a few heads. Ron uses the car as a daily driver. It is the Brintons' first Corvette, but Ron says Terri has her eyes on a shark.
A Grand Idea
Bill Mehrkens, of Rockville Centre, New York, started with an '02 Electron Blue coupe, then did a Grand Sport conversion. He changed the interior from black to red, added Grand Sport badging, and had Corvette Repair in Valley Stream, New York, apply the Arctic White paint and red stripes. Bill detailed the engine compartment and added a Borla Stinger exhaust, a VaraRam, and a Jet chip.
William House's friend, Mike Hayden, owned this '67 Corvette while in the Air Force. It was stolen in 1970, but while Mike was in Vietnam, the body and most of the interior was recovered (the door panels still have police markings on them). While waiting for Mike to return, the car sat in Joe Cruces' custom shop in Vacaville, California. Joe molded a '66 Buick Riviera grille into the front to give it a Mako Shark look. He also added '67 Mustang taillights and a 350ci engine to replace the original 427, which was never recovered. William bought the car from Mike in 1988 and replaced the small-block with an LS6 crate engine.
Strangers In The Night
Nick Kush always figured his dream of owning a Corvette would remainjust that until he spotted this dark green metallic '75 with a "ForSale" sign while cruising through his hometown. It is custom with a350ci engine and four-speed transmission, a single-plane high-riseintake, a small aftermarket camshaft, headers, and a Holley 750-cfmcarburetor.
Bear's Necessities
Eric Lein has been in love with Corvettes all of his life. He wasn't sure when he was bitten by the proverbial Corvette bug until April 27, 2003. He was outside, washing his brand new '03 coupe. The smooth, refined lines of his two-day-old Electron Blue Metallic Corvette sent him back to when he was 6 or 7 years old. He and his family were living just outside The Bronx in New York City. Times were tough for his family back then, and they walked to just about every destination. One day, he was walking down the street with his father and brother when he noticed a sweet C2 cruising past them. But this thing didn't just cruise past them--it was a dark beast that rumbled down the street. Eric was smitten. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen, and he vowed to one day own what he thought was the "coolest car ever," the Corvette.
Fast forward to 2003. Parked in his Long Island, New York, driveway is his '03 coupe. It's a daily driver, but he puts it away when winter comes. Eric believes in driving his Corvette as much as possible--isn't that what they're made for?
The car features a 1SB package, a glass roof, high polished wheels, body side molding, a performance axle, and an automatic transmission. It also has tinted windows, a Z06 grille screen, stainless steel lettering, and a waterfall emblem on the torque tube between the seats. Those who know Eric well have nicknamed him "Mountain Bear," so "MTNBEAR" is on the vanity plate at the front of the car. He's been called Mountain Bear since he lived near the Catskills in upstate New York, and he has the personality of a bear--he won't give you any trouble unless you give him a reason. Originally, this vanity plate was on his '91 Corvette. He's tempted at times to make more changes to the '03, but it's a lease and goes back in a few months. Eric thinks about buying it outright since he's grown quite attached to it. What he really loves is the performance and handling of his C5. "It makes me feel like I'm on top of the world," says Eric.
He's so passionate about the Corvette that his life centers around it. He is the Internet Corvette specialist at RAMP Chevrolet Inc. He dreamed of having this position ever since he saw our Dec. '99 issue that had the RAMPAGE Performance Corvettes on the cover. The RAMP Chevrolet Corvette showroom opened in October 2003.
Eric now dreams of owning a Corvette from each generation, and hopes to realize this dream in the span of five years.
Does your Corvette have the right stuff for Spotlight? Well, proveit. Send your photos and story to Corvette Fever, Your Ride in the Spotlight,9036 Brittany Way, Tampa, FL 33619. Remember when taking photos tofill the frame and try to avoid clutter in the background. And if you'reusing a digital camera, use the maximum resolution.
A Dream Come True
For Walter Kompass, the idea of owning a mid-year Corvette was not a passing fancy. "It is my dream come true," he tells us. "I waited over 30 years, and until my four sons were out of school, to purchase a mid-year. I've owned the coupe for [a few] years now, and still get a rush when I open the garage door. I'm thinking that will never change."
This Corvette is a '65 Nassau Blue coupe with blue and white interior. It has been restored with the original powertrain 327/350 (L79), M20 four-speed, 3.55 Posi rear, factory A/C, side exhaust, repro gold-wall tires, AM/FM radio, and the Comfort and Convenience Group package.
Walter says he is the seventh owner of the car, and he has the names and addresses of all the previous owners. He adds the coupe started out in Long Beach, California, made two stops in Pennsylvania, then traveled to Scotia, New York; Bohemia, Long Island; and Hampton, New Jersey, before landing in Ronkonkoma, Long Island, where Walter lives. Many people have dreamed of taking their Corvettes cross-country. But this mid-year made its way from coast to coast slowly, passed along like a relay baton, until it reached the hands of the man who was waiting for it.
Does Ken Get To Drive?
Ray and Bert Doerr purchased their 40th Anniversary Corvette just two months before their 40th wedding anniversary. Ray then did a "body-off" restoration on a Barbie electric Corvette car to match the fullsize vehicle, and affixed working headlights. He built a trailer for it too and tows it through parades and car shows. Ray writes more about the toy car in his letter than the real thing. Maybe he's more proud of it.
Like Father, Like Son
Rodney Campbell of Burton, Michigan, sent us photos of his father's dream swap. It's a '56 with a late-model front end, a four-link, 9-inch Ford rearend, a four-speed, and the ZZ502 engine. The restoration took about two years, and now he has a '57 of his own for father-son cruise-ins.
Does your Corvette have the right stuff for Spotlight? Well, proveit. Send your photos and story to Corvette Fever, Your Ride in the Spotlight,9036 Brittany Way, Tampa, FL 33619. Remember when taking photos tofill the frame and try to avoid clutter in the background. And if you'reusing a digital camera, use the maximum resolution.
Presidential Sweet
Paul Koons' '56 Corvette is a clone of the SR-2 version made for GM President Harlow Curtis. It features a '58-style louvered hood, an extended front end, Dayton knockoff wheels, a side scoop, a center trunk fin, large turn-signal lights, '58 taillights, backup lights, power windows, hardtop and soft top, and a 283ci fuel-injected engine. The car took seven years to create.
Love Thy Neighbor
Kenneth Squires wanted a Corvette ever since he was 14 years old when his neighbor brought home a brand new '57. In 1996, Kenneth purchased his dream car: a '70 Corvette roadster. The red '70 has a black interior, chrome Rally wheels, soft and hard tops, and an LS5, 454ci engine. It also has the original air conditioning, power brakes and windows, and an AM/FM stereo.
Sizing Up The Competition
John Kohronas' '94 Competition Yellow convertible is fully equipped with all the options and some of his own modifications. John has added SLP headers, Borla mufflers, a 52mm throttle body and 3.54:1 rear gears, a Hypertech power programmer, an adjustable fuel regulator, and a Granatelli mass airflow sensor. He pounds out the tunes with a Competition sound system from L.I. Sounds of New York.
Family Tradition
Kregg Reynolds, of Knoxville, Maryland, acquired his taste for Corvettes from his father, who owned a '58. Kregg started with a '74 and has owned 10 Corvettes in all, including this black '99 hardtop.
Sam Falzarano purchased this numbers-matching '66 Corvette coupe in September 1998 and did an immediate frame-off restoration. A full-optioned big-block rests under the hood, Sam replacing the original intake with an aluminum Edelbrock high-rise.
Noteworthy Mods
Attendees of the March '03 Chevy Vettefest at Chicago's McCormick Place will have no problem remembering Donald Delmar's '70 Corvette. Certainly the maroon hues attracted attention, but perhaps the most significant modification is that the chrome-bumper shark wears 17-inch Cragar SS wheels.
"At the show, people stopped in awe, asking how I could fit the 17-inch wheels on my Corvette," says Donald. The credit, according to Donald, goes to Vette Brakes & Products, who provided Donald offset trailing arms, rear dual-mount leaf springs, and front mono-springs. "I explained to those in attendance that VBP components helped make it possible to fit the tires and wheels in the wheelwells and completely control ride height at all four corners," says Donald. In fact, he is such a satisfied customer that he assisted VBP at the Chevy Vettefest by handing out its catalogs at the spring '03 event.
The Morton Grove, Illinois, Corvette has far more modifications, including a 498 rear-wheel-horsepower 468ci big-block fitted with Dart Pro 1 rectangular port heads and an NOS Nitrous Fogger Pro Shot system. A full MSD ignition system lights off the fuel supplied by an 830-cfm Holley Pro Series HP carburetor sitting atop an Edelbrock RPM Air Gap intake manifold. Ceramic-coated Hooker headers expel spent gases through Flowmaster mufflers. The engine combination is the result of the efforts of Rich Groh of Algonquin, Illinois.
Accompanying the VBP suspension modifications is a Speed Direct Steeroids rack-and-pinion steering assembly. The stars of this Corvette, however, remain the Cragar SS Series 61 wheels. Up front, the 17x8 wheels are fitted with BFGoodrich g-Force 245/45ZR17s, while in the rear 17x9 wheels wear g-Force 275/40ZR17 tires.
Of course, this Corvette has one killer sound system. Simply fitting 14 Infinity and Kicker speakers is one thing for a Corvette, but to do it with the Kenwood in-dash head unit, a 10-disc CD controller, with a pair of 200-watt amps makes for a huge wall of sound.
"Bow Tie Boulevard" judges at Chevy Vettefest were also impressed with the car in whole as it secured 993 of 1,000 points. We're impressed too!
The 468ci big-block made 498 rear wheel horsepower and 540 lb-ft of torque.
The front suspension includes a VBP front composite mono-spring, Speed Direct's Steeroids rack-and-pinion, and Bilstein heavy-duty shocks.
Does your Corvette have the right stuff for Spotlight? Well, proveit. Send your photos and story to Corvette Fever, Your Ride in the Spotlight,9036 Brittany Way, Tampa, FL 33619. Remember when taking photos tofill the frame and try to avoid clutter in the background. And if you'reusing a digital camera, use the maximum resolution.
"I have been a Corvette enthusiast from the time I came home in 1968," says Dennis Mansour of Clark, New Jersey. "I recall when I was in Vietnam, I promised myself I would purchase a Corvette if I made it home alive."
Dennis has done more than keep a promise he made to himself: He's become a Corvette lifer. He has owned six Corvettes and is the proud caretaker of the '81 coupe pictured here.
"I've enjoyed every one I've owned," he says. But at some point, "due to circumstances," each toy had to go.
"My first Corvette was a '68 Mulsanne Blue coupe. I wanted to sleep in the car that first night [I brought it home]. My parents thought I was crazy. My Corvettes have always been weekend cars and, of course, have been driven to shows. I've won many trophies with some of the Corvettes I've owned, including the '68, '70, '72, '75, '86, and now the '81."
Dennis has always kept his cars in great condition, and this red-on-red coupe is no different. It's an automatic with power steering, windows, and door locks, a tilt/tele steering wheel, AM/FM stereo with eight-track, CB, and glass tops. There are around 40,000 miles on the odometer.
Dennis adds, "My wonderful wife, Patricia, has always supported my buying the Corvette of my choice. She says the '81 is a fabulous car and she enjoys taking rides in it on weekends. The ride is so comfortable and there's lots of room inside."
Now, Dennis finds himself in the scariest situation he's seen since his soldiering days.
"I have three sons of driving age and they all want the car," he says. "It goes to show they, too, have excellent taste in cars."


text: DaveThePanther2008 3,209 Report post Posted February 11, 2014 Depending on the draft unfolds there is a large possibility that a first round caliber WR won't be there when we choose. There are some WR in the Free Agent Market that intrigue me. Eric Decker Denver 6'3" 26 ... Big WR .... #1 Free Agent WR (According to NFL.com) A. Boldin SF 6'!' A bit older but tough as nails and would be a steal from NFC Rival. But he is as old as Smitty 33 Kenny Britt Tenn. 6'3" and only 25. I know injuries have hurt is value but still young enough to make a huge different if healthy. Jeremy Maclin Philly 6'0" 25. Was solid as a #2 to D. Jackson. Hakeem Nicks NYG 6'1" 26 injuries has hurt him but probably would get a good discount for his hometown team. Golden Tate Seattle 5'10" 25 what I like about Tate is every season he has improved. Plus we could get the real reason Jimmy Clausen fell to us. Anyone of these guys would be an upgrade over LaFell. I think of the 6. Decker is probably my favorite. Only one that isn't either old or coming off injury minus Tate.. Whether DG would come off the money for him would be the big question. I would love to see him become a Carolina Panther. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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Royal Bank of Scotland suffered a pre-tax loss of £5.17 billion in 2012 but believes it is still on course to start paying a dividend.
The loss was the consequence of a series of penalties including, Libor manipulation and the mis-selling of interest rate swaps and payment protection insurance.
Excluding these charges the picture was much rosier, with the state-owned lender reporting a £3.5 billion profit, this was a considerable improvement on the £1.82 billion in the previous year.
Chairman Sir Philip Hampton said the performance leaves the bank closer to selling part of its 82% stake in the bank and rewarding investors with a payout.
'We are delivering what we said we would do in our strategic plan. We have made RBS safer. It ismuch closer now to being in the good financial health that would allow shareholders to receive adividend and the government to start to sell its stake.'
RBS chief executive Stephen Hester (pictured) added: 'It was a chastening year. Along with the rest of the banking industry we faced significant reputational challenges as we worked with regulators to put right past mistakes.
'We are determined to overcome the cultural and reputational baggage of pre-crisis times with the same focus we have applied to the financial clean-up from that era.'


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New city, new team, same Peyton Manning.
That's how the Denver Broncos quarterback looked in Week 4, at least, carving up the Oakland Raiders by completing 30 of 38 passes for 338 yards with three touchdowns.
"He's getting more comfortable," Coach John Fox said of Manning after the 37-6 victory. "Let's not forget he didn't play all [last] season, probably more than a year. This is a new team, a new coaching staff, a new city, a new field, a new everything for him. The type of guy he is, he's just going to get better and better. He's a championship guy and he's going to get used to his teammates, our players."
Sunday, Manning and the Broncos head to familiar territory, at New England, where both have experienced frustration.
Most recently, the Broncos were ushered out of the 2011 playoffs in Foxborough, with a 45-10 defeat in the divisional round — quite a comedown from their Tim Tebow-led first-round upset of Pittsburgh.


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LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Scott County showed why it is the favorite to win the state tournament.
Tyler Portwood had 10 points as the Cardinals coasted past Oldham County 59-47 in the first round of the Sweet 16 boys' state basketball tournament on Wednesday.
It was 11th Region champion Scott County's eighth straight victory, ending the season for 8th Region winner Oldham County (23-7), which had won six consecutive games.
Bud Mackey and Matt Walls added nine points each for the Cardinals (31-2), who led by as many as 29 in the second half. Scott County will play Adair County (24-9) in a quarterfinal Friday. Adair County beat Lincoln County 51-41 Wednesday.
In other first-round games, South Laurel beat Louisville Fairdale 48-46, and Covington Holmes defeated Paducah Tilghman 57-48. South Laurel and Holmes will meet in the quarterfinals.
With a 28-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, Scott County head coach Billy Hicks played only one starter, Cam Hundley, during the final eight minutes.
Billy Payne had eight of his 15 points in the fourth quarter for Oldham County, which outscored Scott County 24-8 in the final period, and added 12 rebounds.
Mackey scored six of Scott County's first 10 points, helping the Cardinals to a 10-4 lead it would not relinquish.
Turnovers and bad shots marked a bad second quarter for Oldham County, which made just two field goals and two free throws in the period for six points.
The Colonels didn't score in the second quarter until Matt Moore hit a baseline floater trimming Scott County's lead to 29-11 and committed 16 turnovers in the first half. But the Cardinals pulled away again and led 36-15 at the half.
Chris Lewis had 12 points to lead Adair County.
In the Indians' first trip to the Sweet 16 since 1995, Kalen Kimberland had 11 points and Darren Ballou added 10 points for the 5th Region champions.
It was Adair County's first trip to the Sweet 16 since 1995 and Lincoln County's first appearance since 1980.
Ryan Young led 12th Region winner Lincoln County (24-10) with 17 points.
After scoring the first points of the game when Daniel Ralston made a putback off the glass giving Lincoln County a 2-0 lead, the Patriots never led again.
Adair County (24-9) earned its 12th straight victory after a 12-of-16 free-throw performance in the fourth quarter.
Trailing 33-22, Lincoln County began the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run, capped by consecutive layups by Ryan Young, pulling as close as 33-29. But Adair County, which led by as many as 13 in the second half, quickly regained control of the game with its own 6-1 run.
Adair County led by as many as nine in the first half when Joseph Willis made a layup off the glass putting the Indians ahead, 23-14. Lincoln County's Trent Calhoun hit a floating jumper in the lane before the buzzer sounded, cutting Adair County's lead to 23-16 at halftime.
Trey Smith made four free throws in the final minute as South Laurel beat Fairdale.
Smith led the 13th Region champion Cardinals (29-5) with 21 points while Ty Proffitt added 17 points and seven rebounds for South Laurel, which has now won 19 straight games.
Smith made two go-ahead free throws with 13.8 seconds left to seal the win.
On Fairdale's final possession, guard Byron Board bobbled a pass that was picked up by teammate Jaquan Ransom, who missed a jumper with six-tenths of a second left. Off Ransom's jumper, the rebound was deflected out of bounds by South Laurel, giving the Bulldogs another chance to score.
Ransom caught another pass and tried one more 3-pointer in the corner, but it was blocked by South Laurel forward Jordan Hammonds before the buzzer expired.
Reggie Smith led 6th Region champion Fairdale (24-8) with 18 points and nine rebounds while Ransom had 12 points.
South Laurel started the fourth quarter with an 8-2 run that tied the score at 36. From there the teams exchanged the lead and tied the score several times before the final minute.
Trailing 26-25 in the third quarter, Fairdale's Smith ignited a 9-2 run with a rebound and a putback. Smith then scored four more points on a jumper off the glass and a driving layup, and Ransom made three free throws, giving the Bulldogs a 34-28 advantage to close out the period.
Proffitt scored eight points in the second quarter for a 21-19 halftime lead, while Ransom made three consecutive 3-pointers before the break for the Bulldogs.
Austin Hill's 26 points led Holmes' win over Paducah Tilghman.
Hill scored eight of the team's first 12 points and four of its last seven while Arrez Henderson added 12 points and 10 rebounds for Holmes (24-9), the 9th Region champ.
Issac McClure led 1st Region champion Paducah Tilghman (25-8) with 19 points and 14 rebounds.
Holmes expanded its 28-25 halftime lead by holding the Blue Tornado to just four points in the third quarter on 1-of-17 shooting.
Holmes used 5-of-12 field-goal shooting in the third quarter to outscore Paducah Tilghman by seven for a 39-29 advantage entering the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs trailed 11-5 in the first quarter before scoring 11 straight points for a 16-11 lead in the second quarter and never trailed again.
Hill's 3-pointer before the buzzer gave Holmes a 12-11 lead after one quarter.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)