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Mustang MonthlyParts
Ford Mustang Six-Cylinder Performance Guide
Making The Most Of Your Mustang's Inline-Six Begins With Jack Clifford's Performance Products
Six-cylinder performance. Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it? But don't underestimate the humble Mustang six because there's a lot of performance potential. Pound for pound, the 170, 200, and 250ci sixes make more torque than a small-block 302 or a 351 V-8 because they have six cylinders in a row on a common crankshaft for smooth application of firepower. Inline engines-be they four-, six-, or even eight-cylinder-apply power more smoothly and effectively on a long, common crankshaft than V-type engines. The one big exception to this theory is four-cylinder engines, which struggle with vibration and harmonics issues, depending on the design
Inline-sixes were heavily drag-raced back in the '60s. In many parts of the world, such as Australia, they still are. Ford and Chrysler took inline-sixes to Daytona in the early '60s-Ford with the Falcon and Chrysler with the Valiant. Racers successfully spun these sixes to 7,000 rpm, making lots of power. Forty years later, that great potential for power still exists in these hearty powerplants.
The Mustang's 170/200/250ci six has its roots in the 144ci six introduced in the '60 Falcon. The 144 is a lightweight, gray-wall iron powerplant with six 3.5-inch cylinder bores and a 2.50-inch stroke along a four-main-bearing crankshaft. Ford took the 144's modest stroke and increased it to 2.94 inches to arrive at 170 ci for 1961. This made the little Ford six more crisp right off the idle circuit, getting Falcons and Comets off to a good start. When Ford introduced the Mustang in April 1964, the 170ci six was standard equipment, with 105 hp at 4,400 rpm. But journalists of the period weren't impressed with the Mustang's anemic standard offering. The 170ci six, coupled with a 2.77 unsynchronized three-speed manual transmission, was disappointing at best. The package simply didn't perform very well.
In 1964, Ford pumped up the bore and stroke to arrive at 200 ci. The 200's bore was 3.68 inches, with a 3.126-inch stroke. Externally, the 200 didn't look much different from the 144 and 170ci sixes it surpassed. That first year, the 200 had a four-main-bearing crankshaft and was available only in the Fairlane. A year later, the 200 would have seven main bearings and hydraulic lifters in a more rigid block. In August 1964, Ford began offering the 200 as standard equipment in the Mustang. The 200 was more peppy with 120 hp at 4,400 rpm. Torque improved dramatically to 190 lb-ft. In 1966, the 170/200's standard 2.77 crash-box was phased out in favor of the fully synchronized 3.03 three-speed "Top Loader" manual transmission.
In 1969, Ford raised the 200's deck some 1.66 inches, using the same 3.68-inch bore, and stroked the taller block to 3.91 inches to achieve 250 ci. What this meant for the little six was big-six torque, with 240 lb-ft of twist at 1,600 rpm. The 250ci six was a nice Mustang option in 1969-'70 for those who didn't want a V-8. From 1971-'73, it became the standard Mustang power offering. From 1974-'79, the venerable inline Ford six was dropped from the Mustang, returning for 1980-'82 as the 3.3L inline-six due to a critical shortage of 2.8L Vulcan V-6s.
At first glance, the 170/200/250ci sixes all look the same. Closer inspection reveals the differences. The 170ci six has three freeze plugs in the block. The 200ci six has five freeze plugs. The 250ci six is 1.66 inches taller than the 200ci six and is easily identified by its taller design and a four-bolt water pump. The 200ci has a three-bolt water pump. The 250 is 31/44 inch wider than the 170 and 200.
Ford Six Performance BasicsWhen you're building a Mustang six, it can get quite confusing when it comes to cylinder heads because they can all look the same. But there are clear differences you should be aware of. Here's how they stack up.
|Model Year
|Intake Valve Size
|Exhaust Valve Size
|Combustion Chamber Size
|144 ci
|1.467 in
|1.266 in
|44-51 cc
|170 ci
|1.522 in
|1.266 in
|48-53 cc
|170 ci
|1.649 in
|1.380 in
|48-53 cc
|200 ci
|1.649 in
|1.380 in
|51-53 cc
|200 ci
|1.750 in
|1.380 in
|62 cc
|250 ci
|1.649 in
|1.380 in
|62 cc
|250 ci
|1.750 in
|1.380 in
|62 cc
The greatest shortcoming of the 144/170/200ci six-cylinder is the integral intake manifold cast into the cylinder head. Although this certainly saved Ford a lot of money in manufacturing costs, it cursed these engines in terms of performance. Even box-stock, the lightweight Ford six suffers from fuel/air distribution issues that make them difficult to tune and operate. The Falcon/Mustang six suffers from idle-quality issues that are rooted in the integral intake-manifold design. Fuel doesn't always atomize consistently, which not only troubles idle quality, but causes these engines to stumble coming off idle.
When choosing a cylinder head, you have to have specific performance goals in mind. You want the ideal combination of port and valve sizing, coupled with the right chamber size. Piston deck height and cylinder-head-gasket thickness must also be considered. When we read The Ford Falcon Six Cylinder Performance Handbook, we learned the most recommended cylinder head is the '77-up 200/250ci head, with 1.760-inch intake and 1.380-inch exhaust valves. It also has a larger intake-manifold passageway, which means greater air volume. Yes, this is a '70s smog head, with the Thermactor ports and passages. But, if you're serious about performance, you'll find a sharp cylinder-head-porting professional to port your Thermactor head. Good cylinder-head porting technique not only opens up the intake and exhaust ports, it improves airflow in and out of the chambers. Larger 62cc chambers help lower compression to reduce the chance of spark knock. You can reduce chamber size by milling the head. Be careful about how much iron you remove from the cylinder head. Deck thickness is important. When we mill away iron, we lose structural integrity.
When a '77-up head becomes hard to find, there remain viable choices out there. Earlier 200 heads can be fitted with larger 1.760-inch intake valves, like we find in the later 200/250 head. Because these heads have smaller chambers, there is the advantage of high compression, which nets more power. We just need to be sure we're not running too much compression, which can lead to detonation and engine damage.
If you feel you must use the 170 head on a 200 six, remember the 170's smaller chambers and even greater compression ratios courting 11.0:1. The Ford Falcon Six Cylinder Performance Handbook tells us to use larger valves, while unshrouding the valves to give up some compression. By grinding out the valve shrouding in the 48-53cc chamber, we improve airflow and reduce compression at the same time. We suggest checking chamber volume before building the cylinder head, which helps determine where to go next.
When you're working the cylinder head, remember to install hardened exhaust-valve seats for use with today's unleaded fuels. The installation of hardened valve seats depends on how you will drive the car. If you're going to drive it daily as regular transportation, hardened valve seats are a must. And if you're going racing, hardened valve seats are necessary there too. Weekend drivers and trailered show cars don't need hardened exhaust-valve seats.
The valvetrain should include valvesprings that are compatible with the camshaft profile. This means you should order your camshaft, pushrods, valvesprings, and retainers as a kit. Because roller-tappet camshafts aren't available for the 170/200ci sixes, we have to make the most of our flat-tappet system. This means choosing a camshaft with a civilized profile for street use. You want a smooth idle, with peak torque coming on strong around 2,000 rpm. The higher we push the powerband, the rougher the idle will be. Low-end torque will also suffer with a high-rpm camshaft.
Teasers From Australia and CliffordFor years, Australians have known about the great potential of the Ford six. Aussies are familiar with an aluminum crossflow head for 144, 170, 200, and 250ci sixes. What's more, it's happy with port fuel injection. Go to firstname.lastname@example.com for more details.
Coming in the spring of 2004 is a crossflow aluminum cylinder head from Jack Clifford's Performance Products for 144, 170, 200, and 250ci Ford sixes. We'll have more information on this cylinder head when it arrives. Expect to see a buildup employing this cylinder head in Mustang Monthly.


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Millennial Media today announced that Paul Palmieri has resigned from his post as CEO.
The company has appointed Michael Barrett as the new CEO. Barrett comes from Yahoo! where he most recently served as the Web portal's Chief Revenue Officer.
Palmieri will join New Enterprise Associates (NEA) as Venture Advisor focused on technology out of its Chevy Chase, Maryland office.
Palmieri said he had previously expressed his desire to the board to transition out of the company, and return to working with early stage entrepreneurs.
"The board and I worked collaboratively as it sought to identify a strong CEO for the next phase of the company's growth," Palmieri said. "I'm excited about the company's future, and confident of the team's ability to continue executing on our vision to transform advertising through mobile."
Barrett has had a long career in advertising and media, having served as Chief Revenue Officer at AOL and Fox Interactive Media among other executive leadership roles. He called the position and "irresistible career opportunity."
Shares of Millenial Media, which have slumped since its IPO in March of 2012 at a price of $13 per share, were up over 10 percent on the news to $7.41 in afternoon trading.
Millennial released guidance that said it expects non-GAAP revenue for the fourth quarter to be between $106 million and $109 million, up from the company's previous expectation of $95 million to $100 million. GAAP revenues are expected to be in the range of $93 million to $96 million for the fourth quarter of 2013. For GAAP purposes, the Company began to combine revenue from Jumptap as of November 6, 2013. Pro forma combined adjusted EBITDA is expected to be in the range of $5 million to $6 million for the fourth quarter of 2013, as compared to the Companys previously expected range of breakeven to $2 million.
Millennial is set to announce its fourth-quarter 2013 earnings on Feburary 19 at 5:00 p.m. ET.

subset: commoncrawl


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Office Space to Rent in Challymead
We have a variety of serviced offices available to rent in Challymead. Each office space is offered at the best rates and suited to your individual needs and requirements.
We have a variety of serviced offices available to rent in Challymead. Each office space is offered at the best rates and suited to your individual needs and requirements.
A beautiful converted church with state of the art serviced offices from 1-10 people. The centre offers an ideal base for start-up businesses with 1 person pod offices which can be rented by the day, week or month. Its features include: telephone answering service, mail handling. air conditioning, furniture, VoIP telephone system, fast fibre broadband, CCTV, fob entrance system – 24/7 access, they even provide the refreshments. The centre boasts large windows which provide plenty of natural light with anti-glare windows.
This recently refurbished period building is in the heart of Melksham Town Centre. Available offices for 2 person, 3 person, 4-8 person on the first floor. Ground Floor let. Its features include: fibre broadband, brand new furniture and lockable storage, VoIP telephone system, telephone answering service and mail handling. air conditioning, fully inclusive of rates, insurance, utilities, CCTV, fob entrance system, 24/7 access, shower room, new shared kitchen – they even provide the refreshments.
Recently renovated, the offices are decorated and maintained to a high standard with quality furniture and fittings. Each office has a desk/chair and lockable storage. There is a break out area in the ground floor kitchen and regular networking events/coffee mornings are held. Each office is alarmed and entrance to the building is by security fob. CCTV, air conditioning and climate control in each office. Luxurious toilets/shower/kitchens on both floors with disabled access to ground floor. VoIP telephone system and Broadband/WiFi included in monthly rental price. 24 hour access.
This is a modern business centre providing a range of furnished offices, workshops and studios that are available on flexible terms. The centre is fully telecoms & IT enabled and provides ample free car parking, shower facilities and CCTV security. The offices range from 182 to 1,185 ft2 (17 to 110 m2) and each has its own services with lighting, heating and carpets. The workshops range from 930 to 3,411 ft2 (86 to 317 m2) and benefit from powered roller shutter doors, 3-phase electricity, lighting and WC facilities.
This business centre is located in Corsham which is a small historic market town and civil parish. The business centre has many great benefits to offer its customers which include: telephone answering, a manned reception to welcome visitors, video conferencing, 24 hour access, disabled access, administrative support and many more. This is the perfect place to be if you're a start-up or newly established company looking for a calm professional working environment to prosper.
This ex Royal Mail sorting office has recently been renovated to a very high standard, now providing excellent, secure and affordable office space. There is approximately 1,960 sq ft of open plan office space suitable for partitioning, with a large kitchen/canteen and a dedicated server room. 10 off-road parking spaces are provided within a lockable enclosure. The site is located within a quiet residential area and is a short walk from the local amenities and bus route. Ideally situated locally are the centres of Bath (8 miles) and Chippenham \ M4 (4 miles).
This business centre is a fully serviced office with a managed reception and contemporary fit out to accommodate 1 – 200 people. Located on Whitehouse Business Park with excellent access to Chippenham and Bath and provides an ideal working environment for you and your team. Private offices, co working spaces and hot desks are also available in addition to meeting rooms and boardrooms. A canteen, kitchen area and breakout spaces are also provided. The offices are air conditioned and furnished. State of the art broadband and telecom facilities are onsite. Parking facilities on site and bike racks. Virtual Office facilities also available. Good transport links to Chippenham and Bath via the M4 and M3. Regular train service to London Paddington and the West Country is provided from Westbury train Station
This business park is an impressive 18th century Georgian Mansion House estate set in 50 acres of beautiful grounds with onsite quality Restaurant, Conference facilities and Business Centre. This historic yet contemporary environment hosts one of the UK's premier workspace and hospitality venues and in a sustainable environment within the rural economy. Whichever way you look at it, the centre offers a great place to work which includes a prestigious address, flexible terms and a whole host of inclusive and additional business services. The centre provides fully serviced offices, virtual offices and workspace from 12m2 to 140m2, which have been sympathetically converted to the highest standards. The offices are located in various properties over the estate and range from traditionally featured rooms within the Mansion House to the contemporary styled rooms of the Courtyard and Estate Office.
The centre comprises of 2 floors of open plan offices which have been refurbished with Level 2 lighting, suspended ceilings, CAT5 cabling and modern internal partitioning, to create a range of individual offices within a modern business centre.
This business centre is a modern office building with a glass front atrium, containing reception and meeting space. Fully serviced offices complete with high speed fibre broadband, a business phone line with free calls to 01/02/03 numbers. Each office has been freshly painted and carpeted. Cleaning, heat and light inclusive are all inclusive with no service charges.
Below you can see the nearest areas to Challymead where you can find serviced offices:
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BO2 Mega Issues
Heres my little story. I got this game tonight went to play multiplayer first. I was really all happy and excited. I searched for a game then got connected. Everythin was fine and all, UNTIL an unexpected happened. The Error!!!! Dun dun dunnn. Seriously how can this happen? It was my bday and im like sad. Activision has lost my respect and patience. How can ifix this or should i have to wait till nwxt patch or update?


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I didn't put it on the wedding invitations, when asked I said "Pantyhose very optional." Everyone seemed to know precisely what that meant. I don't know if I'd have put it on the invitation though.
Quote from: Sophia on January 12, 2013, 02:39:09 PMI didn't put it on the wedding invitations, when asked I said "Pantyhose very optional." Everyone seemed to know precisely what that meant. I don't know if I'd have put it on the invitation though. Now I'm curious, what does that mean? I wouldn't have a clue!
I do feel sorry for both hosts and guests when it comes to dress codes. In the past it was possible for people at a given level of society to know what the acceptable dress for an invitation was based on the time of day and the type of event, plus a small number of basic descriptions. Over the past generation or so, there have been several major shifts. One is in the variety of clothing that is acceptable to wear to different venues - mainly an overall relaxation. The other is a blurring in entertainment and social levels, so things like tuxedos and evening gowns occasionally pop up in the social lives of people who don't normally own tuxedos and evening gowns, or attend events that require them. A third is an increase in the value of individuality when it comes to organizing events - the hosts/organizers can overthrow established protocol for events in favour of their unique vision and self expression. And finally, you have a mixing of culture and religions, so guests may not have the cultural background to automatically know what is appropriate to wear to, say, a Bar Mitzvah or a Chinese wedding. So from the hosts' point of view, there is no longer a tidy set of cues they can give to their guests, because the guests aren't necessarily going to recognize or understand the cues. Coming up with your own terms is not very effective, and being explicit is frequently seen as overly blunt, and insulting to the invitees (see thread above). And from the guests point of view, it can be a serious headache trying to figure out what they are supposed to actually wear, particularly when the hosts throw in creative descriptions that they've made up. Does the host really know what "black tie optional" actually means? Am I going to have to rent an outfit? What does "festive attire", "black and white", "tropical cocktail", "casual formal" mean? What should I wear to an early evening wedding held on a beach with a video game theme? And of course, the times when the hosts are operating under the assumption that the guests are props in the production of their unique vision, and demand that they come dressed as extras for the performance, and the guests is left wondering "Do I really have to rent 17th century French formal wear and buy a corset just to see my sister married?"In this particular case, the hosts have at least managed a clear, succinct description of the formality required for the men. As a woman, I'd still have a fair amount of uncertainty, though.
Oh, dear, I really didn't expect to go on this long, especially about such a minor thing! But to respond -- Hmmmmm, you asked, "GellChom, if the dress code had been business casual, what would your opinion have been on jeans?" I would not wear jeans to a business casual event. Even nice jeans are not business wear; they are for social occasions (and yard work!).Peaches, I think you put your finger right on it. It's the negativity that's really the worst part. It's a less gracious way to try to get what they want.The over-specificity still bothers me, though. It's just a little too controlling, a little too absorbed with making sure everyone makes Our Special Day just exactly the way we want it. The same as if the invitation said, "Don't be late" -- of course the guests are rude if they come late, but you just have to trust them to know that, not treat them like naughty children who will get it wrong if you don't spell it out. If someone wears a tie, what is the problem? As Iris points out, there are plenty of resources that people check if they don't understand what "casual" means. (And it does not mean "no ties" -- that may be what the hosts prefer, but a tie isn't incorrect at a casual event.)"Dandy Andy's Daddy's Love," I think your post was a bit harsh. In fact, we have hosted several large events ourselves, some formal, and I understand perfectly both what goes into all that planning and expense and also that the hosts have a vision, and there's nothing wrong with that. That's why when there is any doubt at all, and if I happen to see the hostess (could be the host, but usually the hostess cares more), I try to ask to see if I can tell what she's hoping -- usually, it's the dressier end of whatever range there is on the invitation -- and I dress accordingly. I know how much that means to hosts. I also think that it shows that you consider their event a very big deal if you dress up for it at the dressier end of the range. Nor was I "pouting" because I can't wear "designer jeans" (which I don't own anyway) to a party that as it happens we can't even attend and to which I would not have worn jeans of any kind, even as part of a rather dressy outfit.
We just received an invitation to a b'nei mitzvah party that will be dinner and dancing at a nice downtown hotel. The invitation says, "No ties, no jeans."I don't like that. I believe that the correct way to do it is to write "casual attire." I get it; they want it to be casual but not sloppy. But wording it this way implies that their guests don't understand how to dress appropriately and will look like slobs if not given itemized instructions. "Casual attire" plus the type of event and its setting -- a dinner dance at a downtown hotel ballroom, not a backyard BBQ or beach party -- makes it clear that cutoffs and T shirts aren't appropriate, and that neckties aren't required. There really is no need to specifically forbid jeans and ties. Many of today's jeans are sufficiently dressy and nice enough to wear as part of an outfit for a nice restaurant; that's appropriate for a casual party. And some people feel more comfortable in ties, and some ties are pretty casual anyway.Hosts need to give their guests credit for a little intelligence, common sense, and class. If a few of their guests lack these and don't dress exactly right, then so be it (there are always a few people who simply insist on ignoring dress codes no matter what you write anyway). It's not going to ruin your party. You're entertaining your guests, not costuming them for a show. Setting a dress code is fine; micromanaging it is bossy and insulting.
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1. Tell me about yourself.
Beware, about 80% of all interviews begin with this "innocent" question. Many candidates, unprepared for the question, skewer themselves by rambling, recapping their life story, delving into ancient work history or personal matters.
Start with the present and tell why you are well qualified for the position. Remember that the key to all successful interviewing is to match your qualifications to what the interviewer is looking for. In other words you must sell what the buyer is buying. This is the single most important strategy in job hunting.
So, before you answer this or any question it's imperative that you try to uncover your interviewer's greatest need, want, problem or goal.
To do so, make you take these two steps:
* Do all the homework you can before the interview to uncover this person's wants and needs (not the generalized needs of the industry or company)
* As early as you can in the interview, ask for a more complete description of what the position entails. You might say: "I have a number of accomplishments I'd like to tell you about, but I want to make the best use of our time together and talk directly to your needs. To help me do, that, could you tell me more about the most important priorities of this position? All I know is what I (heard from the recruiter, read in the classified ad, etc.)"
Then, ALWAYS follow-up with a second and possibly, third question, to draw out his needs even more. Surprisingly, it's usually this second or third question that unearths what the interviewer is most looking for.
You might ask simply, "And in addition to that?…" or, "Is there anything else you see as essential to success in this position?:
This process will not feel easy or natural at first, because it is easier simply to answer questions, but only if you uncover the employer's wants and needs will your answers make the most sense. Practice asking these key questions before giving your answers, the process will feel more natural and you will be light years ahead of the other job candidates you're competing with.
After uncovering what the employer is looking for, describe why the needs of this job bear striking parallels to tasks you've succeeded at before. Be sure to illustrate with specific examples of your responsibilities and especially your achievements, all of which are geared to present yourself as a perfect match for the needs he has just described.
2. What are your greatest strengths?
This question seems like a softball lob, but be prepared. You don't want to come across as egotistical or arrogant. Neither is this a time to be humble.
You know that your key strategy is to first uncover your interviewer's greatest wants and needs before you answer questions. And from Question 1, you know how to do this.
Prior to any interview, you should have a list mentally prepared of your greatest strengths. You should also have, a specific example or two, which illustrates each strength, an example chosen from your most recent and most impressive achievements.
You should, have this list of your greatest strengths and corresponding examples from your achievements so well committed to memory that you can recite them cold after being shaken awake at 2:30AM.
Then, once you uncover your interviewer's greatest wants and needs, you can choose those achievements from your list that best match up.
As a general guideline, the 10 most desirable traits that all employers love to see in their employees are:
1. A proven track record as an achiever…especially if your achievements match up with the employer's greatest wants and needs.
2. Intelligence…management "savvy".
3. Honesty…integrity…a decent human being.
4. Good fit with corporate culture…someone to feel comfortable with…a team player who meshes well with interviewer's team.
5. Likeability…positive attitude…sense of humor.
6. Good communication skills.
7. Dedication…willingness to walk the extra mile to achieve excellence.
8. Definiteness of purpose…clear goals.
9. Enthusiasm…high level of motivation.
10. Confident…healthy…a leader.
3. What are your greatest weaknesses?
Beware – this is an eliminator question, designed to shorten the candidate list. Any admission of a weakness or fault will earn you an "A" for honesty, but an "F" for the interview.
Disguise a strength as a weakness.
Example: "I sometimes push my people too hard. I like to work with a sense of urgency and everyone is not always on the same wavelength."
Drawback: This strategy is better than admitting a flaw, but it's so widely used, it is transparent to any experienced interviewer.
(and another reason it's so important to get a thorough description of your interviewer's needs before you answer questions): Assure the interviewer that you can think of nothing that would stand in the way of your performing in this position with excellence. Then, quickly review you strongest qualifications.
Example: "Nobody's perfect, but based on what you've told me about this position, I believe I' d make an outstanding match. I know that when I hire people, I look for two things most of all. Do they have the qualifications to do the job well, and the motivation to do it well? Everything in my background shows I have both the qualifications and a strong desire to achieve excellence in whatever I take on. So I can say in all honesty that I see nothing that would cause you even a small concern about my ability or my strong desire to perform this job with excellence."
Alternate strategy (if you don't yet know enough about the position to talk about such a perfect fit):
Instead of confessing a weakness, describe what you like most and like least, making sure that what you like most matches up with the most important qualification for success in the position, and what you like least is not essential.
Example: Let's say you're applying for a teaching position. "If given a choice, I like to spend as much time as possible in front of my prospects selling, as opposed to shuffling paperwork back at the office. Of course, I long ago learned the importance of filing paperwork properly, and I do it conscientiously. But what I really love to do is sell (if your interviewer were a sales manager, this should be music to his ears.)


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Thursday, January 01, 2009
OLDSMAR, Fla. (December 31, 2008) Daniel Centeno has enjoyed tremendous success at the Oldsmar oval, and has begun Tampa Bay Downs's 83rd racing season with a bang, scoring 13 wins, 6 second place finishes and 7 thirds from 43 attempts for $175,368 in purses earned in just 9 days of racing. Among these wins is a victory in December 27's Sandpiper Stakes, a $65,000 event for two-year-old fillies; additionally, Centeno piloted three horses to the Winner's Circle on December 30. Centeno is ranked as the 17th leading jockey in the nation by wins for 2008, ahead of such nationally recognizable names as Edgar Prado and John Velazquez.
Centeno started his career with horses at a very early age: his father was a jockey's agent in Venezuela, and Centeno grew up in the racing world, spending time at the barn and building a deep relationship with horses. Centeno began race riding in Venezuela in 1990, assembling a successful career that eventually took him to the United States in 2003. Once stateside, Centeno began riding at Calder Race Course. Arriving at Tampa Bay Downs in 2004, Centeno established himself by finishing tenth overall in the final jockey standings for that meet; the next year, Centeno was second leading rider at Tampa Bay Downs. Centeno cites Cool Spell as the most notable horse he has ridden so far; and indeed, he rode the filly to a stakes-record-setting time in the Gasparilla Stakes. The Gasparilla was the first American stakes win for Centeno, whose major influences in the racing world are Eibar Coa and Ramon Dominguez, with whom he grew up in Venezuela. Both have gone on to become highly successful jockeys, and Centeno is quickly following in their hoof prints.
Finish Lines… Andrew Ramgeet took three trips to the Winner's Circle today, beginning with a victory on Roaring River in the day's opener. Roaring River is a two-year-old Florida-bred son of Montbrook owned by Move Horses, Inc. and trained by Mark Passley. Ramgeet got his second win of the day aboard Juicy Point, a Dale Bennett trainee owned by Montesano Racing. Bennett and Ramgeet scored again in the ninth race with Dee's Rose; the three-year-old daughter of Straight Man was bred in Florida by Jean White and carries the colors of Dyedra E. Kademoglou.
Racing resumes Friday, January 2 with a ten race card; the Pick 6 carryover is $1096.91. The Silks Poker room is open daily from 12:30 PM through 12:30 AM, and The Downs Golf Practice Facility is open on Mondays from 10:00 AM through 10:00 PM and on Tuesdays through Sundays from 8:30 AM through 10:00 PM.
Read more articles in the Tampa Bay Downs category.


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The "Jamboree," an annual event, compresses about a year's worth of track, signal and bridge maintenance and upgrades into roughly one week, reducing the impact on customers and communities.
"This critical work helps fulfill our commitment to investing in our customers and in the communities in which we operate," said Oscar Munoz, executive vice president and chief operating officer. "Our engineering forces are the best in the business, working safely to ensure that these lines are safe for our employees, in good repair to keep our customers' freight moving and allow American businesses to compete in the global economy."
This year, the company completed nearly $34 million of work during the "Jamboree," including maintenance and repair of tracks, signals and bridges in Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina. These projects promote train safety, reliability and service. They also help communities by getting all the necessary work done to maintain smooth crossings where roads and highways pass over the tracks.
CSX crews replaced or installed nearly 176,000 crossties, 2,500 railcars of ballast and 233,000 feet of mainline rail. The crews also installed an additional 59,000 feet of relay rail in the company's Erwin, Tenn., yard, repaired or refurbished 10 bridges and 255 road crossings and completed nearly 650 track welds.


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ELYRIA — An investigation into a drug transaction led Elyria police to discover a small methamphetamine lab near train tracks in the 500 block of North Street.
Police received a complaint of drug activity occurring Tuesday at Ely Square, according to Elyria police Capt. Chris Costantino. When police arrived about 6:30 p.m., they saw what looked like a drug sale occurring, he said.
"They went up to a black Jaguar that was parked near the square," Costantino said. "There were three people in the car and two people outside of it."
Police identified the three males in the car as Frederick Allgood, 22, of Elyria, and Steven Starling, 43, and his 15-year-old son, both of North Ridgeville. The two outside of the car were identified as Matthew J. Novak, 21, of Elyria, and Shyomill Smith, 36, of Lorain.
"They searched the car and found a number of drug related items that led to the charges," Costantino said.
Inside of the vehicle, police found meth and a pipe which belonged to Starling, the captain said.
Starling was charged with fifth-degree felonies of possession of methamphetamine and possession of criminal tools, along with second-degree misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia and first-degree misdemeanor endangering children.
Searches revealed Allgood had marijuana on him, leading to a minor misdemeanor charge of possession of marijuana, Constantino said. Novak was carrying a large hunting knife and a homemade pipe, resulting in charges of carrying a concealed weapon and possession of drug paraphernalia, first degree and minor misdemeanors, respectively.
Smith had theft warrants for his arrest dating back to 1996.
The teen is not facing any charges.
Through interviews, police learned that Novak and a second man were producing meth close to Norfolk-Southern railroad tracks near the 500 block of North Street, Costantino said.
"When we got out there, we found a tent that had supplies for making methamphetamines," Costantino said. "A second site was found not too far away where they were actually making the meth."
Police called the Lorain County Drug Task Force to help in taking control of the site, he said.
The discovery of the lab resulted in an additional charge of illegal manufacturing of methamphetamines, a second-degree felony, against Novak.
"I'm glad that the guys were able to act fast," Costantino said. "They were able to find and take control of the area before these guys were able to produce more meth that would make it into the area."
The investigation is ongoing and police are still searching for a second man they believe was involved in the meth production.


text:
Hugh Jackman: X-Men will be 'action-packed'
Hugh Jackman has hinted 'X-Men: Days Of Future Past' will be ''action-packed''.
The 44-year-old actor - who plays Wolverine in the mutant superhero franchise - admits he can't wait to return to his role alongside stars such as Sir Ian McKellen (Magneto) and Sir Patrick Stewart (Professor Charles Xavier) as well as newcomers to the cast, to form an exciting blockbuster.
He told the MailOnline: ''You wouldn't have enough room on the page after you've listed all [the stars]. Every other actor who's ever put on a superhero uniform will be in it. There's an element of time travel and, naturally, it will be action-packed.''
The story will switch between two moments of time throughout the film, with some of the scenes set in the same timeline as 'X-Men: First Class' and featuring younger Magneto and Xavier Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy, while the rest will show the mutants trapped in future concentration camps.
Ian previously expressed how ''wonderful'' it is for himself and Patrick to reprise their original roles after the last film focused on their younger selves.
He said: ''What a gas! We can't believe it. I thought these were Fassbender and McAvoy's parts, but - no, no - we're back.
''We'll give them a run for their money. I mean, I haven't read the script, so I don't know how much we've got to do.
''But, to be back in that world, and for Bryan [Singer] to be doing it - with all the success he's had in the meantime - it's wonderful. Wonderful.''
'X-Men: Days Of Future Past', directed by Bryan Singer, is scheduled for a July 18 2014 release.


text:
Burglary at Twin Falls Vapaholic in Centennial Square Shopping Center
Twin Falls, Idaho ( KMVT-TV / KSVT-TV ) The Twin Falls Police Department is investigating a burglary at Vapeaholic in the Centennial Square Shopping Center.
According to city spokesperson Josh Palmer, Gem State Security noticed broken glass near the front of the building around 3:30 am Tuesday morning.
When police arrived there was nobody in the building.
The store owner told us they are looking at over $300 in damage, and over $3,000 worth of merchandise taken from the store.
If you have any information regarding the burglary contact the twin falls police department at 735-4357.


text:
"But halfway through, I noticed she was paying attention," he says. "I realized she was going to let me go on, and I went for broke."...
But this battle is likely to be his last. He says that despite his success, his experience has left him disillusioned.
"The thrill is gone," he says. "It's such a big game, [individuals] just can't compete. I'm picking up freelance Web work again."
June 10, 2011
"Nate Thoma stood up in a Delaware bankruptcy court last December in a sharkskin suit and delivered a 24-minute argument that changed the course of one of the largest bankruptcies in U.S. history."
14 comments:
- edutcher said...
Well good for him, and her.
Too bad there aren't more people like that watching over the nation's finances and a lot fewer of the likes of the Friend of Angelo and Slobbering Barney.
- AJ Lynch said...
Jeez I hate clicking on links to WSJ, Wash Post, Philly Inquirer, Fox News.
Can anyone explain why news sites like these take forever to load and tend to freeze your browser. "Freeze up your browser"? heh- maybe Anthony Weiner should have gone to these sites to cool off his browser.
- EDH said...
"But this battle is likely to be his last. He says that despite his success, his experience has left him disillusioned."
Tell me, again, what "success" did this guy achieve?
A judge listened to him and ordered a probe?
- The Drill SGT said...
EDH said...
Tell me, again, what "success" did this guy achieve?
The net result was a settlement between small investors and the hedge funds, which included Appaloosa Management and Centerbridge Partners. That deal has paved the way for the bank to exit from bankruptcy and gives the little guys a chance of recovering some of their losses.
- edutcher said...
AJ Lynch said...
Jeez I hate clicking on links to WSJ, Wash Post, Philly Inquirer, Fox News.
Can anyone explain why news sites like these take forever to load and tend to freeze your browser. "Freeze up your browser"? heh- maybe Anthony Weiner should have gone to these sites to cool off his browser.
Also, some sites embed so many videos, loading each player adds to the delay.
- LarsPorsena said...
"Mr. Thoma, who didn't finish college, says he taught himself to trade, much like he taught himself computer programming..."
Not a lawyer; not a graduate. He just gets stuff done. As the education system produces the credentialed but uneducated expect to see more of this type of person.
- Scott said...
I've worked in the securities industry since 1998, documenting systems for managing portfolios and executing trades. I also traded options for awhile. And let me tell you: There are many people in the investment industry who consider small investors to be a large herd of sheep that need to be sheared periodically.
"[Thoma] bought trust preferred securities, a hybrid of debt and equity, which rank above common and preferred shares. That enabled him to essentially jump ahead in line for any money distributed from the bank's estate."
What the fuck is a "trust preferred security"? It was apparently one created by WaMu to raise capital from sophisticated investors who, unlike the small investor, could actually see how risky it was to invest in the bank. By placing this class of security ahead of the preferred shareholders, you could presumably offer a more attractive risk premium than preferred stock while at the same time mitigating some of the risk. Sweet, huh.
The problem is, the existence of this thinly-traded, hard-to-find security absolutely fucked the WaMu preferred stock shareholders, who thought they were buying the risk mitigation that the "trust preferred security" siphoned off. The effect of this was to cause the shares of preferred stock (which are much easier to trade) to be consistently overpriced on the market.
Who is the guiltiest party? WaMu. They created the "trust preferred security" to do precisely what it did: Arbitrage the risk mitigation of the preferred stock in a way that obscured the fact from the small investors.
What made this possible? Three things:
First, the United States of America. Unlike other countries, in the USA, anyone can create and market any weird-ass security, option, or debt instrument they want without prior approval from the government. (This is actually a beautiful thing for creating jobs and wealth when it's not abused. The trick for an investor is to identify abuse when you see it. Lack of transparency is the enemy.)
Second, the investment banker who created the idea for this particular weird-ass security and pitched it to WaMu; a bank that wanted the cash it would raise. The investment banker made an obscene amount of money for his bank from "advising" WaMu and creating a market for the security.
Third, lawyers and accountants on both sides of the revolving door between the SEC and the investment banks. In concert, they create a regulatory framework that pays lip service to protecting small investors, while muddying the waters with impenetrable words and balance sheets to obscure risk from those same small investors.
What's the answer?
Less regulation. Make the markets more dangerous, not less. Enrons and WaMus and Bernie Madoffs and investment bankers are aided and abetted when regulators pretend they are making the markets safer. In fact, they're not -- they're just increasing the minimum stake you need to get in the game. Ultimately you end up with crony capitalism; an economic system favored by many small Asian governments as well as the Obama administration. By making markets more dangerous, you push the risk premium downscale, which actually favors small investors. (But that's another rant.)
How to invest now? This is what I'm doing--and not doing:
I'm not trading anymore, because (unlike Mr. Thoma) I don't have the time to do it properly. If I buy a position, it's with the intent of holding it for a long time.
I limit my stake in any individual stock to 5% of my portfolio; or any individual mutual fund to 15%.
Generally (but not always), if I buy a position that subsequently loses 10% of its value, I sell it, and invest the funds elsewhere.
I never stay fully invested. Ideally I usually keep a chunk of cash on the sidelines, ready for the next good deal.
Enough rant. I'm off for blueberry pancakes and the gym. Cheers.
- The Drill SGT said...
Scott said...The trick for an investor is to identify abuse when you see it. Lack of transparency is the enemy.)
But the initial point of the scam is that the risk didn't exist when the investor bought preferred stock early.
Later the hydrid shares were created that literally stole value from the preferred shares. Subsequently, what is to stop a firm from repeating the process indefinitely? Obviously, they will be able to steal less and less as the process becomes apparent.
In Mr homa's case, the instruments already existed and it's not clear what the precise mechanism of the swindle was. Clearly the hyrids held value. Was the bank issuing more, thus continuing the theft from shareholders/ or was there insider trading in the secondary market that did not disclose to the seller of these hyrids, that the market wasnt transparent and that his buyer was his own investment firm that was skimming off these undervalued hyrids by not making their sale fully public?
- Scott said...
Good Morning Mr. Drill Sgt,
In the world of investing, small investors (like myself) don't do very deep analysis of an individual company's securities and debt instruments before investing. Rather, we expect certain classes of standardized investments to behave certain ways. Something called a "bond" acts like a bond, "common stock" acts like common stock, etc. And there is a triage of who gets paid first when bankruptcy assets are distributed -- generally, creditors, bondholders, preferred stockholders, and common stockholders are paid in that order.
What WaMu did was create something called a "trust preferred security" which was inserted in the triage ahead of the preferred stockholders. This is perfectly legal, and I think it should continue to be, because the cost of regulating this activity will cause more economic problems than leaving it alone. But they took advantage of the lack of transparency inherent in the regulatory framework to obscure the risk shifting from subordinate classes of investors. This is not ethical even if it is legal and widely practiced.
But how to improve transparency? Perhaps corporations should be required to determine and declare annually on their 10-K the classes of securities and debt instruments that lay claim on their assets; and the order in which each class would be paid in the event of a liquidation. It would increase transparency to investors, and would make bankruptcies immensely simpler. It would also contribute to fairer (lower) pricing of subordinate asset classes, such as the preferred stock.
Did WaMu do everything it could reasonably do to communicate to the preferred stock shareholders that they were siphoning off their asset protection with this new hybrid security?
Our purpose in life is not to make it easy for the rich to get richer. The rich and powerful use the lack of transparency to protect themselves. Lack of transparency is the enemy.
- The Drill SGT said...
Scott said...Did WaMu do everything it could reasonably do to communicate to the preferred stock shareholders that they were siphoning off their asset protection with this new hybrid security?
to be clear, wasn't it value, not just risk protection being siphoned off?
with the hyrids inserted, the preferred stock lost value (real money that day) and of course much less value if there was a default.
- Scott said...
Risk and price have an inverse relationship. Higher risk, lower price.
Preferred stock is generally considered a lower risk investment than common stock in part because if the company is liquidated, preferred shares are paid before common. That diminished risk is factored in when the market evaluates its price. In theory it makes preferred shares more valuable; although in reality it's harder to tell.
- chuckR said...
To those grumbling about slow loading websites. I just did a clean install of XP Pro and getting rid of three years of digital barnacles made loading everything much faster. Assuming Windows is used, another option is editing the hosts file to dummy load the offending content. This is often done by spyware and anti-spyware programs too, so its good to know how to check the file. I don't mind ads - its how sites like Althouse can exist, but when some damn script or video locks my browser and/or computer, I try to send the offenders to the null site - 127.1.1.1
- chuckR said...
A couple of books I think provide an introduction to some of the recent arcana and amorality of Wall Street - Quants, by WSJ reporter Scott Patterson, and Nobody Would Listen, by Harry Markopolos, who has become a financial fraud bounty hunter after trying to alert someone/anyone/SEC to Madoff's fraud.
Anything that NSFW's a hedge fund or investment bank is probably beneficial to the rest of us.
wv - snolego - its tinkertoys instead
- ampersand said...
@AJ Lynch
Do you have some sort of safe search add on enabled?
I had one from AVG that slowed my browsing and I had to disable it.


text:
"Shaolin," with its feuding warlords and fighting monks in '20s era China, is a sprawling popcorn blast of action kept spinning with crazy cool kung fu, tons of fake spurting blood (I think everyone had a packet clinched in their teeth) and slacker improvised, or inspired, U.S. subtitles.
How else to explain the warlord who growls at his No. 2, "You just don't get the drift…" while he's choking him. Maybe to death.
This is, however, exactly the drift you can expect when Hong Kong action impresario Benny Chan, with 20-plus very energetic fighting flicks under his black belt, is in charge. The director has never met a battle sequence he didn't want to extend — the better to slice and dice a few more bodies. Sharp-edged blades come in all shapes and sizes in "Shaolin," but machine guns, mortars and the rest are making their brutal, cultural debut.
There are bodies galore littering a battlefield to open the film, as the monks of Shaolin Temple pick through the carnage, sending the dead off to their next life and looking for the living. The devastation has been wrought by Gen. Hou Jie, with Andy Lau ("House of Flying Daggers," "Warlords") wonderful to watch per usual. Hou has more than a little help from his eager-to-please No. 2, Cao Man, a dark brooding grudge holder well played by Nicholas Tse ("The Promise").
To set up the conflict to come, Hou's rival has survived that first battle and is seeking shelter with the Buddhist monks of the legendary Shaolin temple, which gives the film its name and its inspiration. Chan chose a different page from history, setting his film more than 1,000 years after 1982's "The Shaolin Temple," which starred Jet Li and unfolded during the Tang Dynasty, and a few decades before Quentin Tarantino started visiting in "Kill Bill: Vol. 2."
The monks are an eclectic group that range from the ancient and wise to the young and reckless with martial arts movie master Jackie Chan as a very amusing baking buffoon in the middle. Theirs is a religion of peace but also preparedness — hours each day spent training in Shaolin Kung Fu, a super-fast brand that the monks teach at their World's School of Martial Arts.
The standoff between Hou and his rival on the temple grounds proves to be only the first of the film's fateful turning points. The general teaches his cruel acolyte Cao a lesson. But then the worm turns, and there are a series of betrayals and comeuppance that send Hou on a journey of enlightenment. Lau is responsible for most of the film's emotional depth, to which he brings a captivating introspective intensity. There's a secondary story line designed to lighten things up, when a few of the monks undertake a steal-from-the-rich plan to aide hungry peasants. But it doesn't really pay off, instead becoming a distraction from the main event.
Beyond the art of warfare, there is plenty of ancient wisdom dispensed by the monks. Chan is especially entertaining as the self-deprecating cook whose noodle kneading turns out to be as instructive as the hours the monks spend in martial arts training sessions. The kung fu itself is great fun to watch, from the discipline of balancing on one foot on a wooden pillar, the other in the air, for hours at a time to the confrontations that send fist and feet flying.
MPAA rating: R for violence
Running time: 2 hours, 11 minutes, in Cantonese and Mandarin with English subtitles
Playing: Laemmle Sunset 5, West Hollywood


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By MIKE ASHMORE
For The Trentonian
TRENTON — The feeling was back.
It was a feeling of importance, a feeling that it all mattered again.
The 3,409 fans who showed up to the Sun National Bank Center took in the most well-played game of the season — a game that felt like it was played in April, May or June instead of a dreary late December night. And that uncharacteristically lively capital city crowd saw Marcel Noebels bury a power-play goal 26 seconds into overtime to complete an improbable, come-from-behind 2-1 Titans win over their hated division-rival Reading on Thursday night.
"That was a playoff atmosphere-style type of game," said Titans head coach Vince Williams.
"There was a little bit of everything, it was an exciting game. A lot of guys were playing hard, and you could see it. It was a good hockey game, and those games are fun to coach. They're stressful, but they're fun to coach."
The on-ice action surely didn't seem too fun at the time for many involved, as both sides played a chippy, gritty and at times downright nasty affair. The Royals and Titans combined for 55 penalty minutes, including five fighting majors. After losing the last five games they played against the Royals, the Titans made it clear they weren't going to be pushed around.
Kory Nagy and Jacob Cepis both dropped the gloves in an intense first period, and Reading's Bryant Molle was issued a game misconduct after attacking Cepis after a hard early second-period hit.
"I'm not a cheap player, I played hard and played hard to the whistle. All that other stuff came, but what are you going to do," Cepis said.
"A few guys tried to jump me. I'm not saying it's right or wrong. But I was just trying to finish a check, and whatever happened, happened."
But for a while, it seemed the Titans would win the battle but lose the war. The Royals entered the contest 14-0-0-1 when scoring first, but the Titans managed to hold them off the scoreboard through the first 20 minutes of play. But the game wouldn't stay scoreless for long in the middle frame, and Reading defenseman Adam Comrie's strong play on the puck made sure of that.
The 6-foot-4, 222 pounder skated up the left side with speed not common for someone his size, easily fending off the stick-checking attempts of Trenton blueliner Tyler Hostetter. Comrie made a tight turn behind the net and seemed to catch Titans goaltender Scott Wedgewood having overcommitted to the far side. Comrie simply finished the wraparound into the open side, burying the puck past Wedgewood with authority to give the Royals a 1-0 lead.
Reading's Phillip Grubauer, regarded as one of the top goalies in the league, was unbeatable through the first two and a half periods. But finally, Ryan Grimshaw showed that Grubauer is, in fact, human. At the 13:05 mark of the third period, the Harvard-educated defenseman fluttered a seemingly harmless wrist shot through traffic from the left point that somehow eluded the Capitals prospect and found the twine to the game at one goal a piece.
"I'm looking just to get that puck to the net," Grimshaw said. "Basically, just looking for something; a rebound, a tip, just something to get it down there...luckily, it just went in."
Both teams traded late third period penalties, and Joel Champagne's tripping penalty carried over into overtime. Noebels made sure it wouldn't last long. The highlytouted Flyers prospect fired a hard shot from the point, cleaning beating Grubauer and sending the home crowd into a frenzy while continuing the momentum that comes with having posted at least a point in nine of their last ten games.
"We've got a little bit of swag right now," Cepis said. "Everything's clicking right now...it's amazing how quickly a locker room starts changing when you start winning. We feel like no one can take us off our game...we feel like we can beat any team in this league, and it's working out right now."
The Royals host the Titans in Reading tonight at 7 p.m., then the series shifts back to the capital city on Saturday at 7:05.


text:
Martinez and Moyer Combine To Beat The D-Backs
To all the critics who said my 5 ½ man rotation idea with Jamie Moyer and Pedro Martinez sharing the 5th starters spot would not work, it is my pleasure to report that in fact, it did work. The Phillies did not enter into the situation purposely as Mother Nature intervened with a long rain delay, but maybe that was a sign from a higher power? Even former pitcher Ricky Botallico said after the game, "These two guys maybe should be our 5th starter together."
Pedro Martinez pitched 3 very good innings allowing only a lead-off home run; after that, the rain came. Enter Jamie Moyer: True to his word to be ready when the team needed him, Moyer pitched the final 6 innings brilliantly. Without allowing a run, Moyer gave up only 2 hits and at one point, he retired 11 batter in a row. The bullpen was given a much needed rest and the Phillies won the game against the D-Backs 5-1. Anyone care to tell me how that is a bad thing?
After the game, Martinez commented on the situation by saying, "You never know what you'll get when you put two old goats out there… See what you get? Two for the price of one." If these two "old goats" can combine for a 1 run, 4-hit game every time, why would you not do that? Even if it means having to use an extra pinch hitter, it is worth it. Will it happen again? That remains to be seen, but Martinez and Moyer are now on the exact same schedule – coincidence or fate? You be the judge.
As for the offense, despite leaving the bases loaded twice, once with no outs and a second time with 1 out, they still got the job done. Jayson Werth hit his career high 25th home run of the year and also had a double that scored another run. Carlos Ruiz was on fire as well, going 3 for 3 with 2 RBI and a solo homer. And the other offensive star? Jamie Moyer. Putting many other Phillies to shame, Moyer went 2 for 3 in the game. Maybe Moyer should have batted with the bases loaded instead of Ryan Howard, who struck out twice in the situation? Ok, maybe not ;O)
Tonight should also be an epic day for pitching as Cliff Lee will face the D-Backs ace, Dan Haren. I will be at the game and report back with photos as usual. Go Phillies!
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin' Phils Phorum in the My Team Rivals network*


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text: Hello the newbie back again. I figured out the flow meter problem thanks to you guys. but when I adjusted the flow for tigging to around 20 cfm the tungston kept flaring up real bright.Does this have to do with the set flow or do I have another issue going on? Is 20 the proper setting? I really need to get a miller tig book. I have a miller book for GMAW thats great.Thanks


text:
|2012-07-17, 16:42
|Link #541
Enjoying Snack Time!
Yours truly is back with another Persona 4 Arena update.
Here's a list of achievements/trophies that are available in the game - http://www.xbox360achievements.org/g.../achievements/
Here's an article explaining the game mechanics and modes etc. I'm sure many already have an idea what they are, but it doesn't hurt to go back and review everything. Looks like this game will be beginner and technical friendly - http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...back-to-school
Trials are making a return! Yes!
|2012-07-17, 21:31
|Link #543
癸亥 (guǐhài)
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ
Age: 34
almost the same modes like Blazblue afterall: Score attack, arcade, story, trials...
are there more? i didnt see them saying anything in the article.
i might have to go the beginning mode for some characters if they are too annoying
to use, but i try avoid using that if possible.
also, the english voice seems kind of kiddy, but whatever. there's always Japanese.
i like Labrys english just a little bit more than the japanese one. i cant really tell
right now. we'll see when the game comes out.
|2012-07-18, 00:11
|Link #544
Now or Never
Fuuka makes an appearance in the game.
|2012-07-18, 00:50
|Link #547
Enjoying Snack Time!
|2012-07-18, 00:54
|Link #548
Okuyasu the Bird
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Alberta, Canada
Age: 26
Only the chances of any P1 or P2 characters appearing in this game is pretty slim for a number of reasons. Though it would be cool regardless.
All I'm wondering is if Fuuka's going to be re-cast for the dub of this game considering her voice actress in P3 was considered by most folk to be less-than-stellar a lot of the time. I can understand why but ultimately whatever choice they make is fine by me since I wasn't really bothered by it before.
|2012-07-18, 01:01
|Link #549
Many RPGs, Little Time
Lisa? Enjoy your lv.1 Persona lol
You'll all see them, don't worry. Specially considering the group of Persona-users Mitsuru formed.
Their purpose? Who knows.
The thing about Arena is that the events won't probably leave much for a sequel, since Golden ending is the Epilogue.
|2012-07-18, 01:02
|Link #550
Senior Member
I mean, recently it was found out that Susan Dalian was never the voice of Naoto and still isn't, so it's possible people are just latching on to guesses as if they were truth. Like in BlazBlue where Hazama is voiced in the dub by Erik Davies, but lots of people thought he was Doug Erholtz. Then comes Extend where Davies was unavailable so they actually bring in Erholtz to do the voice for once like people were thinking.
|2012-07-18, 01:15
|Link #551
Okuyasu the Bird
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Alberta, Canada
Age: 26
She hasn't done very many roles and from the looks of it she remains uncredited in games quite often, but some other roles she's done that are familiar to me are Sylvia Christel from the No More Heroes games and Laughing Octopus from MGS4.
Last edited by SilverSyko; 2012-07-18 at 01:29.
|2012-07-18, 21:33
|Link #555
Osana-Najimi Shipper
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Mt. Ordeals
Famitsu has a reputation of getting 'bribed' to give better scores to games. And the more popular the game, the more incentive to bribe the judges.
Or something to that effect. I personally have tastes coinciding with much of Famitsu's scores, so it doesn't bother me one bit.
|2012-07-18, 22:52
|Link #556
癸亥 (guǐhài)
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ
Age: 34
7/10 from Gamespot & 7.5/10 from IGNorant are the score i'm thinking
they'll give for the NA/EU ver. if Atlus some how bride them with money, then
8.5/10 from Gamespot & 8.8/10 from IGNorant.
|2012-07-19, 09:21
|Link #557
He Without a Title
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: The land of tempura
Famitsu is known for giving out perfect scores for popular franchises even if they game ends up being subpar and Gamespot has fired one of it's editors for giving a lower score to a title that was being heavily promoted on their home page. Luckly I'm not familiar with any similar happenings with IGN but even so their reviews tend to be clearly biased to avoid damaging their relations with publishers ending up rather tame.
For reviews I've been falling back to Eurogamer a lot: they tend to be over-critical of games if anything so if they don't end up complaining too much the game is probably awesome.
|2012-07-19, 10:51
|Link #558
Many RPGs, Little Time
All Personas got good grades on Gamespot. Except for 1, but it's not a very good game anyway.
PSP Innocent Sin got a lower grade because it's the same thing as PS1 IS, even though it's supposed to be a port+fixes for people who didn't play since it didn't come overseas.
"Persona 2: Innocent Sin no longer
has the magic it once did." All of my middle finger to this, the game's still magic.
Oddly, PS1 IS got the highest grade among all SMT games. Take that.
BB and GG got an average of 8.0 on GameSpot.
So, no reason for P4U getting a score lower than 7.5
|2012-07-19, 11:27
|Link #559
癸亥 (guǐhài)
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ
Age: 34
IGN are quite biased toward any games that are anime-ist, hopefully not to Persona as well.
i'm just guessing the rating coming from them, so that if they do give it a high score of around 8.5 or higher, i'll go "nice!" but then if they go and give the game
around 7.0, i'll go "told you so!" i'm not going to expect anything great from those two reviewers, that's all; is the only reason why i dont have high expectation coming
from them.
if i were to review though, i'll probably give the game a 9/10 easily, but that's just me.
|2012-07-19, 16:16
|Link #560
Scores mean nothing, good or bad. I'm more partial to actually reading the review and reading what issues people had with the game.
If IGN didn't like anime games (which is a silly generalization because I do know that a couple of their editors actually enjoy watching anime),
and it comes through in their review, then the review did its job. It let you know that if you do like anime stuffs, then you'll like the game.
It's not meant to be an end all assessment. And for what it's worth, they gave Persona 4 a 9.
|fighting game, ps3
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I, Henry S. Dixon, have been an active attorney for 47 years. I am 78 years old and in excellent health. I have tried some 267 jury trials and have appeared before the State Appellate and Supreme Courts in more than 75 cases.
My opponent has never handled an appeal and has tried, at best, 25 jury trials, many as "second chair." When you compare our respective experience, consider that while Anna Sacco-Miller has tried approximately 25 jury trials, Henry S. Dixon has tried 17 homicide trials as part of his 267 total jury trials.
My background and experience are important and relevant to this state's attorney's campaign. In private practice, my extensive civil practice included civil lawsuits, criminal and traffic defense, business and corporate law. I handled contracts, trusts and other matters, collectively called transactional law.
As the state's attorney, I handle many diverse matters for the county that requires a background in the above areas. I have that background; my opponent does not.
The first thing that people say about Anna is that she is so nice and friendly. That is, no doubt, true. The question is whether those are the qualities that make for an effective state's attorney.
I submit that being nice, friendly and engaging are not the qualities needed for this position. Being intelligent, tough but enlightened, energetic, experienced, and keenly alert are the qualities needed. Of the two candidates in this race, I am the only one with all of those qualities. When Anna and I debate later this month, I think you will understand what I mean.
Anna has an area of law in which she excels, juvenile court and divorce, generally described as "family law." I readily acknowledge that she does a good job in family law.
When Anna was asked to comment on the fact that I have an "A" rating in the only recognized rating system for attorneys in the U.S., while to date she has been unable to get rated at even the lowest level, she stated, "So what, this is Dixon, Illinois."
Likewise, she has the same attitude about the fact that I have been elected by the state's attorneys to the board of directors of both the State's Attorneys Association and the Appellate Prosecutor's Office. It is obvious that those honors reflect my recognized capabilities of legal ability and leadership among my fellow state's attorneys. Since my opponent has no such capacity, her response is, "So what."
Well, I submit that these accomplishments reflect a significant difference between the candidates, a difference that voters should consider. No trial or appellate court has ever criticized me for ineffective representation of a client. Anna Sacco-Miller cannot say the same.
Here's the bottom line. Far more than political affiliation, the quality and qualifications for the office of state's attorney are paramount. Of the two candidates, one, Henry S. Dixon, has all of those qualities. The other does not.
Thank you for your consideration and, hopefully, for your vote.


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The USSA is offering free web presentations for parents of USSA skiers and snowboarders. These webinars will cover long-term athlete development, athlete advancement and training and competition opportunities, and sport parenting tips for each sport. These will be co-hosted by Jon Nolting, Director of Sport Education, and each sport's competition manager at USSA. There will be individual presentations offered for each sport. Parents that attend the live webinar will be able to ask questions during and after the presentation. If you cannot make the presentation, a recording will be made available and posted here.
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