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Forza 5 & Xbox One Party Details:
- 60 fps rate and 1080p quality from the new Xbox One
- Over 200 cars and no more AI in game
- New physics engine and redeveloped car tuning section
- Deadmau5 on the ones and twos at Milk Studios, CA
Just as the best movies are released during the summer, the best video games are strategically released during the holiday season when many people are confined in their homes. Many of us then seek refuge from boredom in the virtual world. One of the most highly anticipated video games of the year is Forza Motorsports 5 for the brand new Microsoft Xbox One. Both console and the racing simulator just hit the market. We had the chance to get the video game skinny during the exclusive Xbox One release party in Los Angeles, CA.
Back in June at this year's E3, Dan Greenwalt, Forza's creative director gave us the lowdown on the new Drivatar technology that ditches AI race drones for more human-inspired opponents. Basically, the technology logs each players' driving habits and skills, and recreates those styles for others to play against in both career mode and online. The Drivatar algorithm is fluid and always learning so your unmanned "web" persona improves as you do. More on that in the interview below.
Even if you haven't played the game yet, the trailers will show you how insane and detailed the graphics are. Forza developers went to great lengths to show the fine points of performance driving like scratches on a rotor or the stitching of an interior. The new graphics engine takes advantage of 60 frames per second rate and 1080p quality produced from the new console.
We again linked up with Dan Greenwalt, a proper gearhead, the night of the Forza Motorsports 5 launch to gain deep insight on what went into creating the final build of this instantly entertaining race title. From the longstanding partnership with BBC's Top Gear to utilizing new console features such as gas/brake trigger vibration felt before losing traction, we talked about it all before enjoying an intimate set from Deadmau5 while playing the game. As a perfect backdrop to the interview, parked next to us was a beautiful Audi R8 and the amazing McLaren MP4-12C. Here's what Forza's Creative Director had to tell us.
Explain the cars found in this game.
Dan Greenwalt: There are over 200 cars in the game. They're all built for this generation. So everything was built new. It makes it the largest racing game ever at a launch of a console. Actually by a long shot. Forza Motorsports 2 was a pretty big game, but it shifted a year and a half after the launch of the Xbox 360 and that had 270 cars and 12 environments. 70 of those cars were actually alternate versions of other cars in the game. Now we have over 200 cars that are all unique and 14 tracks.
Now we have over 200 cars that are all unique and 14 tracks.
What did the BBC's Top Gear partnership mean for the game?
DG: The show hosts provide context around the cars with little stories. Richard Hammond picked the American muscle cars to talk about and the hyper cars are hit by Clarkson. They all picked cars that they are passionate about and gave an editorial feeling about them. The game also includes the Top Gear test track and the old Reasonably Priced Car.
Do you have James May talking about the Fiat Panda by chance?
DG: We don't have the Panda in the game, but we do have a ton of diversity. You saw the E21 when you sat down. We have hyper cars like the Huayra. We got the old 1960s Bug Beetle, and a classic Mini. So we have a huge diversity in the car list. In fact it's the most diverse car list we've done so far. But we don't have a Morris Minor or Reliant Robin.
From a visual standpoint, how is this game improved from the past generations?
DG: We're using the Xbox One's power for the improved physics engine, improved AI and new Drivatar technology, and better audio - it's across the board. Graphically it runs at 1080p and at 60 frames per second; it shows off your TV's capability and shows off the Xbox One. But to me, the thing that's more important are the things that make a car look like it was touched by human hands such as the orange peel on the paint, the scratches on the rotors, the millings on the wheels and the stitching. The things that make it look human.
But to me, the thing that's more important are the things that make a car look like it was touched by human hands
How much time did it take to fully recreate each car in the game?
DG: There's no car that can be created in less than six months. And that's if we have CAD data. If we don't it takes even longer.
How many people or teams created all of these cars?
DG: There are over 400 people working on the game. Many of those are artists and yes, they work in teams that are specialists. So there are multiple people who work on wheels for instance. So it's kind of like a car assembly line. We can do multiple cars at once and we have people who specialize in building engines, building wheels, building taillights, building headlights, things like that.
In terms of what falls off or breaks, has the crash damage changed?
DG: In those terms not so much. Our goal is to do real racing, the type of racing you really want to watch. And what most frequently occurs in real racing is rubbing in differential velocity of say 40-60mph - those are the big shunts. If one car hits another car at a 60mph closing speed that's a fucking big hit. You'll see bumpers fall off on some cars, the taillights/headlights break off, lots of scraping, lots of rubbing, and tin can damage all around the car.
Our goal is to do real racing, the type of racing you really want to watch.
We noticed the controller triggers vibrate when you start losing traction or brake too hard. Is that new to the game?
DG: Haptics is the study of feedback to a body. You got the five senses. One of the senses is touch; haptic is the audio version of touch. In fact, the best way to think of it is like audio waves. So we had controller chassis rumble, and we were able to use that to give you a pretty good feeling of when the car is vibrating through a corner because it's under steering. It's subtle so that people don't think about it, but it just gives them feedback like audio. The more you have to think about it the less effective it is.
Now we have the ability to do rumble in each individual trigger. There is one for acceleration and one for braking. When you start over accelerating the tires it starts rumbling, giving you that feedback to back off the throttle. And when you start over braking and the tires start locking up, the ABS engages and you feel it on the braking trigger.
What was the process of getting everything to sound right?
DG: We put over 1,000 cars on the dyno. That's for a couple of reasons. We can't get all of the cars on the dyno or get our hands on all of them to take apart, especially the classics. We can photograph and videotape cars fairly easy though. You can always find a collector that will allow you to photograph even their 22 million dollar Ferrari.
Usually even the classic cars are the collection of similar parts from other cars, even if it's not from the same manufacturer. People in the collector community know that a driveline in said car is the same one used in sometimes a Ford, for example. We can recomposite audio for a car we didn't dyno using a plenum from this car, the intake from that car, the exhaust from there, etc.
We can recomposite audio for a car we didn't dyno using a plenum from this car, the intake from that car, the exhaust from there, etc.
Whenever we dyno a car for audio we put mics all over the car. The sound is isolated. We can put the exhaust from this racecar, the intake from that one, the sound of a V8 with a certain degree of angle and recreate it. Most of the time we get the real car though.
How much work did you guys put in the physics compared to Horizons or Forza 4?
DG: There are really three things worth mentioning. First, we have more power and used across the entire game to make entire experience next gen. Several systems in the physics run at a faster update rate. The big uses of power were the suspension and the tires. We worked with engineers from Mclaren.
The biggest changes are in standard rigid body car physic systems. You got a swingarm and an approximated camber ratio that do a good job of showing how the tire should move against the swingarm. You can make the swingarm different lengths to approximate a double lay arm suspension or something like that. It's a good system. It's been used for a long time. A lot of great simulators use that system.
We decided to go back to the basics and measure the pieces and physically model the suspension. So if the car has a Mcpherson and this is where the strut is mounted and it has this much angle, and it's got an arm on the bottom, and it's got two linkages and they're offset by this mount - we can recreate it.
We decided to go back to the basics and measure the pieces and physically model the suspension.
How did you approach tire physics?
DG: Our approach to tires in Forza 4 was something nobody ever did before. We measured tires, we got tire measurements from Pirelli, we input that directly into the game and drove the test data. There are other games that are following suit, which is great because it's a really good approach. There's one issue though. That test data is subjected to the test methodology and if the test methodology can't isolate each variable, the variables become munched together. For instance, heat is baked into the tire and with the heat variable you have a tire compound baked into it. You want heat isolated from the compound variable along with wear, camber, gases, and everything else.
We worked with unbiased Calspan to develop a new style of testing that has never been done before to fully isolate these variables. So what that means is on a car, especially an old car, where the suspension is inferior and it doesn't keep the tire in contact with the road very well you're going to have a lot more variables going to a much wider range than they have ever been on a racing game. If we were only building an Indy game you would just measure it all and simulate.
How did you decide what car gets what tires?
DG: We do the research. Let's say a car comes with a Continental ContiSport. We may have not tested that tire, but we correlated it with a tire we did. So by testing the amount of tires we did, we can usually get really close to the pin. It's just too many variables, especially when you go back 55 years.
As far as upgrading cars, what's possible in this game?
DG: There are some small changes that people who know Forza will appreciate, but we didn't revamp the entire system. We had to redevelop it for the Xbox One. The tuning system carries over as you would expect. You've got the same suspension bump, and rebound damping; you've got sway bars, aero, differentials, all of that. I will say that tuning changes affect the car a lot more now because the new suspension and the new tires.
But upgrade wise, the biggest change is doing away with brand specific engines. So we still have engine swaps, but instead of actually saying BMWs can only get BMW swaps, we built all the engines ourselves. We built them to be iconic. There's a three-liter straight six and it's got a certain sound you might recognize, but it's not branded as this car's engine. There are some differences with the drivetrain as well. In the past you couldn't put an all-wheel drive drivetrain in a car unless that manufacturer made an AWD drivetrain. Now we just built a race AWD system and you can swap that into any car. You don't have to put a Toyota drivetrain into a Toyota car.
Who was this game designed for: hardcore drivers, gamers or both?
DG: Elegant design fits you for who you are and I don't try to change you. We have professional race drivers that play our game, we have kids who play our game, we have women, we have men, we have people from across the board, and I don't want to alienate any of them. So that's why we have an assist system: Rewind, green line, auto brake, auto steer, etc. But we also have simulation steering versus normal steering. We have a small number who play without assists and a small number who play with auto brake and auto steer. Everybody else falls somewhere in the middle. It's a bell curve.
With Drivatar, how do you filter out the bad drivers?
DG: Imagine plotting everybody's lap time on Silverstone versus the number of population with lap times from one minute to twenty. You're going to have a bell curve where there is a small number of five year old kids. Then we've got professional drivers, the race teams that use our game for practice. Most of us fall in the bell curve. So we have eight difficulty settings and if you think about the bell curve, divide that into eight equal sections of lap times. You'll have a smaller population on the high end, a smaller population on the low end and from there it ramps up and ramps back down.
As you turn the difficulty setting higher and higher you get cleaner guys, because you must be cleaner to drive faster. There are other behaviors we just don't allow the Drivatar to learn like parking on a corner, doing doughnuts, driving backwards and the pit maneuver. It doesn't learn general ass hat behavior, but it will learn to sideswipe and aggressive tendencies.
The key is we don't allow non-friends to do full aggression. Basically everybody you race against is real people's profiles. But when it's a stranger there's a small amount of shackles. However, if they're your friend it's full Monte. They're going to be just like your friend. If your friend drives like an ass hat, they're going to drive like an ass hat. But that leads to the water cooler discussion that makes racing and games fun. When I was pushing for this Drivatar it was partially because I was done with what we all settled for as gamers. That's not good enough.
Basically everybody you race against is real people's profiles.
What is the best way to experience Forza 5?
DG: So when people come up to me and say, 'The ultimate way to experience Forza is through the wheel.' I say, 'No, no, no.' Do you play Halo? Do you drive a car on the track? If you say yes Halo and no on the track. You 100 percent should play with a controller because I guarantee you understand controller and dexterity with two fingers and a thumb better than you understand a car at ten tenths.
My job is to take everybody seriously even those that have no driving confidence. So I want the game to feel spot on for a pro driver as good as we can do it. And with the controller, I want some Halo guy to be like, 'I never really liked cars, but I got this BRZ in-game and it was cool and now instead of getting rid of my old Civic, I'm going to get a BRZ!' And that's real shit that's happening in our community where we've turned people into car guys. That's the vision of the game.
And that's real shit that's happening in our community where we've turned people into car guys. That's the vision of the game.


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September 9, 2013
U.S. News has again singled out Wabash College as one of the best private liberal arts colleges in the nation.
The annual U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges of 2014 features just two Indiana private liberal arts schools. Wabash was 57th on the list. Four North Coast Athletic Conference schools, Oberlin, Kenyon, Denison and DePauw, also made the list. The recent news complements with The Princeton Review and Fiske Guide to College singling out Wabash College for excellence and value.
"The rankings allow you to compare at a glance the relative quality of institutions based on such widely accepted indicators of excellence as freshman retention, graduation rates, and the strength of the faculty," the publication reported today on how it compiles the rankings. "And as you check out the data for colleges already on your short list, you may discover unfamiliar schools with similar metrics, and thus broaden your options."
Wabash College President Gregory Hess said such guides can be a useful tool. "College guides, like the one produced each year by U.S. News & World Report, are helpful to college-bound students and their families, so it's good that Wabash is ranked in the top tier of all national liberal arts colleges," the President said. "What we value most, however, is fit, and no guide book can measure that. Students and families who visit Wabash come to learn that Wabash does a superior job educating young men because we take them seriously and we push them hard, in and out of the classroom. By measures such as critical thinking and the development of leadership skills, Wabash is doing very important work with the young men who enroll here."
Wabash has historically done well on the prestigious U.S. News list. This year Wabash was singled out as one of the country's best liberal arts schools on a list called "A+ Schools for B Students."
"If you're a good student with less than stellar test scores or a so-so GPA, these are the schools for you," was the list description posted on the publication's website. "These colleges, which have strong ratings in the 2013 U.S. News Best Colleges rankings, accept a significant number of students with nonstratospheric transcripts
"The U.S. News Liberal Arts list was topped by Williams, Amherst, Swathmore, Middlebury, and Pomona,
Prior to the start of the school year, The Princeton Review published its 2013 findings based on a survey of 126,000 students nationwide. The Review placed Wabash among the nation's very best for Career Services, best classroom experience, athletic facilities, science labs, and for professors getting high marks.
The Fiske Guide to Colleges named Wabash a "Best Buy." Only 20 liberal arts colleges are named to the Fiske list. No other Indiana college made the Fiske rankings.

subset: commoncrawl


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My 3D Race
Age : 3+
Detail :
These 3D race puzzles are ready to move! This set includes all the pieces needed to build nine 3D trucks, cars and planes. Puzzles are a great way to teach young children hand eye coordination and problem solving skills. With these easy to hold pieces, they'll be able to fit together the pieces to make pieces that stand on their own and are ready for play. Take them apart and use them another day! Item Dimensions: 11.00L x 3.00W x 9.25H in


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LSS Extra Points: Goodbye 2010
After ending the 2010 season a disappointing 6-10, the Cowboys will pick 9th in the 2011 NFL draft. While some would have rather the Cowboys lost the finale and received pick #6, I like what DeMarcus Ware had to say about the situation:
"It's all about pride. When a fan sees you're still fighting in the last game of the season and you don't have anything to play for, you talk about the winning tradition of the Dallas Cowboys."
2011 Opponents are as follows:
Home: New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins
Away: New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots, New York Jets.
Sam Hurd, who was sidelined at the season finale game due to a head injury, was chosen as the recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award. The Ed Block Courage Award is an annual award presented to selected players in the National Football League, who are voted by their teammates as role models of inspiration, sportsmanship, and courage (Wikipedia).
Wide receiver Roy Williams make some interesting comments in the past week.
"I was the go-to guy in Detroit. Coordinators can make who they want to make the star."
"This is my dream [to stay] here and it started out good. Started out real good, but it fell apart I guess you could say. I love to be here."
Many believe Williams' is on his way out of Dallas, and I'm sure he has very few supporters campaigning to keep him a Cowboy. 37 catches for 530 yards and five touchdowns hardly warrants the high priced contract Jerry Jones generously issued back in 2008 (6 years, $54 million).
DeMarcus Ware won the NFL sack title with 15.5 sacks on the season. With his three sacks in Sunday's game, Ware beat out Kansas City's Tamba Hali by one sack. This is Ware's second sack title in his 6-year career.
Jason Witten and Miles Austin both finished the season with over 1,000 yards. Witten passed the 1,000 yard mark in the final play of the game, ending the year with 85 receptions for 1002 yards and nine touchdowns. Austin finished with 69 receptions for 1041 yards (down from 1320 in 2009) and seven touchdowns.
And last but not least…
After the media mania on Sunday morning declaring Jason Garrett the official head coach, Jerry Jones himself denied the rumors. Jones reiterated that he will honor the Rooney Rule, which states a minority must be interviewed.
"I am really interested in following the spirit of our NFL rules and that's what this is all about."
Reports Sunday and Monday say the Cowboys will interview wide receivers coach Ray Sherman to honor that rule. ESPNDallas reports that interview will take place Tuesday. ESPN also believes Jones wants to hire the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys by Friday. Which only leads one to believe that Jason Garrett is Jerry's man.


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The Bengals rarely are the trendy pick to do anything other than not be very good. Heading in to the 2013 season, the Bengals are better than very good. The Bengals are becoming one of the elite teams in the NFL.
Even at No. 6, there's a long way to go to get to the top of the mountain. For starters, the Bengals need to end a postseason losing streak that dates back to the game in which they ended Bo Jackson's football career by destroying his hip on a routine tackle. And they need to get past the other elite teams in the AFC, like the Ravens, Broncos, and Patriots.
Regardless of whether it happens, the Bengals have become something they haven't been for more than a generation: Relevant. And to the teams they'll play this year: Dangerous.
Receiver A.J. Green quickly has become one of the very best receivers in the league, after only two NFL seasons. He's Randy Moss without the play-when-I-wanna-play-goalpost-butt-rubbing-I-wouldn't-feed-this-to-my-dog attitude. If Green played for a big-market team, he'd already be one of the faces of the league.
The tight end position became much stronger, too, with the selection of first-rounder Tyler Eifert to go with former first-rounder Jermaine Gresham. Look for the Bengals to get both of them on the field often, taking advantage of the extra attention paid to Green.
On defense, tackle Geno Atkins anchors an underrated line that includes franchise-tagged end Michael Johnson and end Carlos Dunlap, whose 20 sacks despite two career starts helped him earn last week a five-year, $40 million extension. Coordinator Mike Zimmer, whose inability to get a head-coaching job has worked to Cincy's benefit, knows how to get the most from all his players, making the Bengals as balanced as any team in the league.
Quarterback Andy Dalton isn't a weakness per se, but he's not a strength, yet. More importantly, in a league that has two types of teams (those with franchise quarterbacks and those looking for franchise quarterbacks), Dalton needs to become a franchise quarterback or he'll eventually be replaced. Like Christian Ponder in Minnesota, the influx of weapons makes it harder for the quarterback to blame anyone but himself if he doesn't step up in year three.
The offensive line is more strength than weakness, but there's a chance the recent surge from right tackle Andre Smith may have been a mirage. He re-signed for something other than the big-money deal he wanted, and yet by all appearances he's acting like he got paid. Chances are he never will.
Beyond A.J. Green, the depth chart at the receiver position remains muddled. Mohamed Sanu emerged last year as a rookie, but a foot injury ended his season prematurely. If he's healthy, he should be the starter across from Green. The rest of the wideouts need to find ways to contribute, or the Bengals could decide to use plenty of Green-Gresham-Eifert looks.
Former Steelers 3-4 linebacker James Harrison provides depth and flexibility for the Bengals' 4-3 defense, where he can play outside linebacker in non-passing situations and slide to defensive end (or blitz effectively while stacked on a defensive end) on passing downs.
Rookie running back Giovani Bernard diversifies the rushing attack and short passing game, and Bernard possibly could knock BenJarvus Green-Ellis to the bench. Rookie tight end Tyler Eifert helps make the offense even more dynamics.
Beyond that, there weren't many major changes, which is a good thing for a team that has been to the postseason for two straight years for the first time in franchise history when one of those years wasn't shortened by a strike. Coach Marvin Lewis enters his 11th season with the franchise, and his third with offensive (Jay Gruden) and defensive (Mike Zimmer) coordinators. For plenty of the team's free agents, Cincinnati's patience was rewarded — and the end result is even more continuity.
Position battles.
Running backs Giovani Bernard and BenJarvus Green-Ellis will battle each other for playing time, and the rest of the skill-position players for touches. Ditto for tight ends Jermaine Gresham and Tyler Eifert, who may also take reps and touches away from the team's receivers if the team's receivers can't get it done.
Quarterback Andy Dalton has been durable, but if he gets injured it'll be Josh Johnson or John Skelton replacing him. Johnson could earn some opportunities in a Wildcat-style package.
On defense, a deep and talented defensive line (along with James Harrison, who could play some defensive end) provides a great rotation. How the opportunities ultimately shake out will hinge in some respects on how well the various players perform during training camp and the preseason.
In the secondary, it's Leon Hall at one corner and Dre Kirkpatrick, Pacman Jones, and Terence Newman vying for the other starting job.
But for the Broncos, who enter the second year of the Peyton Manning experiment, it would be tempting to predict that the Bengals will make it to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1988 season. It's more likely that the Bengals will get back to the playoffs for a third straight year — and perhaps finally win a postseason game.
If the break the curse of Bo Jackson's broken hip, coach Marvin Lewis could be destined to lose one or both of his coordinators. Also, any free agents will be more attractive to other teams, forcing the Bengals to do something other than wait for them to not get offered more money elsewhere.
So this may be the year to go all in, which means the Bengals should be willing to take chances every week in order not just to get to the playoffs but to position themselves for success when they get there. Which could lead them all the way to New York, for an open-air Super Bowl with conditions that could resemble the 1981 AFC title game against the Chargers.


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Eli is so much better than Ben
What a performance tonight. Those two games with rats are gonna be huge.
Wow. Stunned. Didn't think there was a chance in hell they'd pull this out. The refs gave the Giants lots of points in the first half.
they tried to take this game away from us. karma is a b****!! the defence and the offence played their hearts out. i am so proud of this team. other teams shoud no by now that this team plays thru adversity. they don't give up ever. good night STEELER NATION!!
Great job by the defense.......I mean its still not like the Steelers D I'm use to since there isn't a ton of sacks or any turn overs......But the D was flat out awesome today........Holding a very good Giants offense to only 13 points and that was with a gift TD by the refs......
Sweet Victory! Somewhere Art is lighting up and smiling down. Sweet Victory!
Dear NFL, You tried you're best to ruin this one but it backfired in your face!! Ah,yes....
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LONDON and SEOUL (Bloomberg) -- Brent crude fell from a two-week high as the market weighed forecasts for a surge in U.S. production against OPEC's success in accelerating the pace of draining a global glut.
Futures fell 1.1% in London. The outlook for U.S. oil production in both 2018 and 2019 is "phenomenal," Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette said in an interview. The latest discussions between OPEC and its allies concluded that the oversupply is dissipating at a faster pace than previously anticipated, people familiar with the matter said.
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In the last week, global crude oil price benchmarks have leapt up by some US$5/b. Brent is now in the US$66/b range, while WTI maintains its preferred US$10/b discount at US$56/b. On the surface, it would seem that the new OPEC+ supply deal – scheduled to last until April – is working. But the drivers pushing on the current rally are a bit more complicated.
Pledges by OPEC members are the main force behind the rise. After displaying some reticence over the timeline of cuts, Russia has now promised to 'speed up cuts' to its oil production in line with other key members of OPEC. Saudi Arabia, along with main allies the UAE and Kuwait, have been at the forefront of this – having made deeper-than-promised cuts in January with plans to go a bit further in February. After looking a bit shaky – a joint Saudi Arabia-Russia meeting was called off at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos in January – the bromance of world's two oil superpowers looks to have resumed. And with it, confidence in the OPEC+ club's abilities.
Russia and Saudi Arabia both making new pledges on supply cuts comes despite supply issues elsewhere in OPEC, which could have provided some cushion for smaller cuts. Iranian production remains constrained by new American sanctions; targeted waivers have provided some relief – and indeed Iranian crude exports have grown slightly over January and February – but the waivers expire in May and there is uncertainty over their extension. Meanwhile, the implosion in Venezuela continues, with the USA slapping new sanctions on the Venezuelan crude complex in hopes of spurring regime change. The situation in Libya – with the Sharara field swinging between closure and operation due to ongoing militant action – is dicey. And in Saudi Arabia, a damaged power repair cable has curbed output at the giant 1.2 mmb/d Safaniuyah field.
So the supply situation is supportive of a rally, from both planned and unplanned actions. But crude prices are also reacting to developments in the wider geopolitical world. The USA and China are still locked in an impasse over trade, with a March 1 deadline looming, after which doubled US tariffs on US$200 billion worth of Chinese imports would kick in. Continued escalation in the trade war could lead to a global recession, or at least a severe slowdown. But the market is taking relief that an agreement could be made. First, US President Donald Trump alluded to the possibility of pushing the deadline by 2 months to allow for more talks. And now, chatter suggests that despite reservations, American and Chinese negotiators are now 'approaching a consensus'. The threat of the R-word – recession – could be avoided and this is pumping some confidence back in the market. But there are more risks on the horizon. The UK is set to exit the European Union at the end of March, and there is still no deal in sight. A measured Brexit would be messy, but a no-deal Brexit would be chaotic – and that chaos would have a knock-on effect on global economies and markets.
But for now, the market assumes that there must be progress in US-China trade talks and the UK must fall in line with an orderly Brexit. If that holds – and if OPEC's supply commitments stand – the rally in crude prices will continue. And it must. Because the alternative is frightening for all.
Factors driving the current crude rally:
Already, lubricant players have established their footholds here in Bangladesh, with international brands.
However, the situation is being tough as too many brands entered in this market. So, it is clear, the lubricants brands are struggling to sustain their market shares.
For this reason, we recommend an impression of "Lubricants shelf" to evaluate your brand visibility, which can a key indicator of the market shares of the existing brands.
Every retailer shop has different display shelves and the sellers place different product cans for the end-users. By nature, the sellers have the sole control of those shelves for the preferred product cans.The idea of "Lubricants shelf" may give the marketer an impression, how to penetrate in this competitive market.
The well-known lubricants brands automatically seized the product shelves because of the user demand. But for the struggling brands, this idea can be a key identifier of the business strategy to take over other brands.
The key objective of this impression of "Lubricants shelf" is to create an overview of your brand positioning in this competitive market.
A discussion on Lubricants Shelves; from the evaluation perspective, a discussion ground has been created to solely represent this trade, as well as its other stakeholders.Why "Lubricants shelf" is key to monitor engine oil market?
The lubricants shelves of the overall market have already placed more than 100 brands altogether and the number of brands is increasing day by day.
And the situation is being worsened while so many by name products are taking the different shelves of different clusters. This market has become more overstated in terms of brand names and local products.
You may argue with us; lubricants shelves have no more space to place your new brands. You might get surprised by hearing such a statement. For your information, it's not a surprising one.
Regularly, lubricants retailers have to welcome the representatives of newly entered brands.
And, business Insiders has depicted this lubricants market as a silent trade with a lot of floating traders.
On an assumption, the annual domestic demand for lubricants oils is around 100 million litres, whereas base oil demand around 140 million litres.
However, the lack of market monitoring and the least reporting makes the lubricants trade unnoticeable to the public.
Market Watch
Headline crude prices for the week beginning 11 February 2019 – Brent: US$61/b; WTI: US$52/b
Headlines of the week
Midstream & Downstream
Natural Gas/LNG


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About Service-Learning
Service-learning at St. John Fisher College integrates service projects in academic courses to enhance student learning, teach civic responsibility, address community needs through meaningful service, and strengthen communities.
This service moves beyond the traditional understanding of community service, charity, or volunteerism through its integration in academic courses and incorporation of the principles of meaningful service and student learning.
Principles of Service-Learning
Meaningful Service
The service is collaboratively developed, mutually beneficial, and acknowledges the wisdom and skills of the community partner. The service addresses a stated need through capacity-building projects and client support. Community partnerships are reciprocal and sustaining in order to build on assets and promote problem-solving.
Student Learning
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On March 12 2007, 1:54 PM, Romanwild wrote:On March 12 2007, katiek0417 wrote:On March 10 2007, 9:33 PM, Romanwild wrote:Do you have your dogs off leash in public or are they always leashed?
Actually, they HAVE been off-leash often in public. We tell them to "fulligan" (heel) and they do. And they "attention heel," so they look at us while they're doing so. This past weekend is the perfect example. Even Jue was off-leash, running around at times...when we would call him, he'd come running back to us....there were people standing around talking at the time....right where he was....
So there has never been a time when they don't heel or come when called?
On March 12 2007, 1:53 PM, Romanwild wrote:On March 12 2007, brooksybrooks1 wrote:romanwild, i think that your opinions are due to a lack of experience and an unwillingness to learn. I think that if you were more open minded and also willing to see another side of it you would be able to learn a lot more. You are looking for people to say something that you can construe as bad about protection work, and although you claim you have nothing against it, i don't really believe you at all. your unwillingness to see anything other than your predetermined idea really keeps you from seeing a lot of the good things about it or even the basic tenents of protection training, and it's really unfortunate.
i think you bring up valid points, but then when people try to educate you about them you don't learn, but instead just try tofind some small inconsistency in their argument that is irrelevant or obviously just a wording error. i really think that if you knew what you were talking about you would know that protection training actually makes a SAFER dog. any dog canmake a mistake and bite someone, protection training reduces this risk, imo, by teaching the dog WHEN to bite, they aren't going to be as surprised by a situation, and instead be much more calculated than a dog with no pp training or bitework.
you need to read and speak to a lot more trainers and watch dogs that are very experienced. i think it would silence a lot of your thoughts.
Only one opinion I have put forth in this thread is that I do not like a bite work dog to make their own decisions and that bitework should come after OB. Especially if it's a Pit Bull. That's all.
You're trying to imply that I don't know what I'm talking about, is lame. If you don't agree then argue your point. Bottom line is that it's a difference of opinion. I have mine and I have them for my reasons. If people want to teach their dogs, especially Pit Bulls, to bite when they think they should then go ahead. I'm not proposing a ban on that kind of training. IMO a lot of bitework people are cavalier about having a dog that can decide when it's appropriate to bite. They are overly confident of their dogs level of obedience and should be a more careful.
A dog is a tool to be used by the handler. Forgive the use of a gun analogy but when you have a dog that is bitework trained and independent it's like having a gun that can pull it's own trigger.
On 03/12/2007 12:35 PM, brooksybrooks1 wrote:i feel like i'm taking crazy pills!!!
On 03/12/2007 12:42 PM, brooksybrooks1 wrote:the points that i feel like i've been clear on but maybe i haven't, are that protection does not equal aggression, a protection dog is a very safe dog, safer than perhaps a normal dog, and that a dog can be very obedient but that protection obedience has to be trained in conjunction with protection.
and them are saying, and the difference between my psa thread where i may have sounded like charles at the beginning and the way charles sounds in this thread is that i was told otherwise and i accepted and embraced it
i don't have an issue anymore-charles refuses to learn but instead just bashes everyone who is active in this field.
On March 12 2007, 9:01 PM, brooksybrooks1 wrote:on a lighter note-i'm about to post some wonderful, uncontroversial pics in the photo section that people might want to check out!
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|North Stonington, CT
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Collegiate Personal Bests:
800 Meter Run: 2:21.69
1,500 Meter Run: 4:53.83
One Mile Run: 5:21.25
3,000 Meter Run: 10:37.61
5,000 Meter Run: 18:25.69
3,000 Meter Steeplechase: 12:52.42
2013 Outdoor Track: Recorded a time of 18:45.61 in the 5,000m at the Northeast Conference Championships in May...Helped the 4x800m relay team take fifth at the NEC Championships, the team crossed the finish line in 9:33.32...Clocked in a career-best time of 2:21.69 in the 800m at the UMASS Pre-Conference meet...Placed ninth in the 5,000m at the Holy Cross Invitational with a career-best time of 18:25.69...Had a career-best performance in the 1,500m at the UMASS Invitational with a mark of 4:53.83.
2013 Indoor Track: Took ninth in the one mile run at the Army Crowell Invitational, clocking in a time of 5:41.02...Had a career-best performance in the one mile at the Northeast Conference Championships with a mark of 5:21.25 for 15th in the prelims...Placed 16th at the Great Dane Classic in the one mile with a time of 5:23.97...Registered a time of 5:22.80 on her way to an 18th-place finish at the URI Coaches Tribute Invitational in the one mile...Helped CCSU place seventh in the 400 DMR at the NEC Championships, the team crossed the finish line in 12:35.23.
2012 Cross Country: Competed in seven of eight meets for the Blue Devils...Finished third for Central at the Northeast Conference Championships with her time of 18:58.63 for 28th place...Best finish was 13th at the Quinnipiac Invitational on Sept. 15 where she crossed the finish line with a time of 20:05.60...Placed 45th of 144 at the CCSU Mini Meet on Oct. 19...Finished 130th of 252 at the New England Championships on Oct. 7 with her time of 19:17.85...Was the third Blue Devil to cross the line at the IC4A/ECAC Championships on Nov. 17, finished 49th of 177...Also competed in the NCAA Regionals on Nov. 9.
2012 Outdoor Track: Placed 25th in the 1,500 meter run with a time of 5:03.92 at the University of Connecticut Invitational...Completed the 3,000 meter steeplechase in 12:52.42 at the Holy Cross Invitational...Finished 32nd in the 5,000 meter run with a time of 20:06.64 at the Northeast Conference Outdoor Championships...Placed 38th overall in the 800 meter run at the University of Massachusetts Spring Meet with a time of 2:28.74.
2012 Indoor Track: Placed 14th in the 3,000 meter run at the Northeast Conference Indoor Championships with a time of 10:47.00...Finished 17th in the 5,000 meter run with a time of 19:06.71 at the NEC Indoor Championships...Placed 23rd in the 3,000 meter run at the New England Indoor Championships with a time of 10:37.61...Finished 26th in the one mile run at the Great Dane Classic with a time of 5:28.06.
2011 Cross Country: Competed in seven of eight of the Blue Devils' meets as a freshman…Her best finish came at the Blue Devil Invitational on Sept. 2 where she earned 20th place with a time of 19:44…Turned in a solid performance at the Monmouth Invitational with a time of 20:06.80 for 41st place out of 157 participants…Earned 31 points for the Blue Devils at the Ted Owen Invitational on Sept. 24…Finished 183rd out of 269 participants at the 2011 New England Cross Country Championships with a time of 20:38…Placed 32nd out of 102 at the Northeast Conference Championships with a time of 20:09.50...Finished with a time of 24:30 at the 2011 NCAA Division I Northeast Regional Cross Country Championships for 190th place…Completed the season at the IC4A/ECAC Cross Country Championships earning 69th place with a time of 19:38.
Before Central: Ran cross country at Wheeler High School...ECC Small Division Champion as a junior and a senior...Earned the Coach's Award as a junior and senior.


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Hi Pete-
My favorite theology textbook is "Christian Theology" by Millard Erickson. Do you consider him a fundamentalist? I doubt it. I most closely associated with all his opinions, over and against Thiessen and Ryrie, the other textbooks from my seminary classes.
Pete said:
"As for Ehrman, he goes to great lengths to recount his own pre-Preinceton fundamentalism."
That is probably to counter his fundamentalist opposers who say that he doesn't understand their viewpoint. His counter-point is that he LIVED it at one point. I'm sure it is no "baggage" for him as he has since earned a M.Div. and Ph.D. at Princeton, a non-fundy seminary. Bart is a former Christian as I am. I know many former Christians. It is very common for evangelicals to say "he never was a Christian." They think "once saved always saved" so if someone walks away, they must never have been saved. So Bart's recounting is a demonstration of his faith he once had. Atheist debater Dan Barker also has to recount his lost faith in order to demonstrate he was once a true believer. You relayed the comment to Bart "get over your fundamentalism." What was Bart's response to that? I bet it was just as witty and tasty.
-----Original Message-----
From: Pete Enns [mailto:firstname.lastname@example.com]
Sent: Friday, November 27, 2009 2:53 PM
To: Dehler, Bernie
Subject: Re: [asa] Gospel in the Stars WAS Star of Bethlehem presentation?
I am not being facetious. Have you considered investing in some decent commentaries?
As for Ehrman, he goes to great lengths to recount his own pre-Preinceton fundamentalism.
On Nov 27, 2009, at 1:30 PM, Dehler, Bernie wrote:
> Pete said:
> " Although I am comfortable with contradiction as a function of varied historical settings, I do not think that differences between the Gospels should be equated with contradiction since they are often driven by theological and and other issues."
> So then, if no contradiction, did Joseph and Mary travel to Egypt after Bethlehem, or did they instead go back to Nazareth? I've seen how others play this, but wondering what you answer is Pete.
> ...Bernie
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Pete Enns [mailto:email@example.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, November 25, 2009 3:02 PM
> To: Dehler, Bernie
> Cc: AmericanScientificAffiliation
> Subject: Re: [asa] Gospel in the Stars WAS Star of Bethlehem presentation?
> From what I have heard from everyone who knows him (Ii.e., works with him, was a student), Ehrman is a genuinely nice guy. I've only heard him speak and it is clear that his fundamentalist background is still a burden he carries.
> I am aware of a debate between BE and Richard Hays of Duke. Throughout his presentations and Q&A, Ehrman would preface many of his comments by recounting his time at Moody, etc. FInally, Hays got tired of it and walked over to Ehrman, looked him in the eye and said, "Bart, you need to get over that."
> That is my advice to you, Bernie.
> Although I am comfortable with contradiction as a function of varied historical settings, I do not think that differences between the Gospels should be equated with contradiction since they are often driven by theological and and other issues. So, the differences between the four re: the cleansing of the temple reflects the desire on the part of John to write, very intentionally, a different Gospel.
> Pete
> On Nov 24, 2009, at 6:31 PM, Dehler, Bernie wrote:
>> Hi Pete- I say this to bring awareness. I'm sure you are aware, as a scholar, but I'm sure most aren't, even on this list. They don't teach this in either seminary (the one I attended) or in church (any of the ones I attended). I only find out these things from self-study.
>> And when you say "differences between the Gospels" is that your gentle way of saying "contradictions," which proves that they both can't literally be correct?
>> "I am asking because you seem to raise the Matt/Luke issue as if it were some heretofore undiscovered datum."
>> I'm sure that for most it is. I am rather new to it myself. A watershed event was attending a lecture by Bart Ehrman recently. Do you like and respect Bart? He seemed like a nice and honest man.
>> Pete- I think Christians like you are a good witness because they don't put their head in the sand, or twist Scripture out of shape to try to save it, instead recognizing it for what it is.
>> ...Bernie
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Pete Enns [mailto:email@example.com]
>> Sent: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 3:01 PM
>> To: Dehler, Bernie
>> Cc: AmericanScientificAffiliation
>> Subject: Re: [asa] Gospel in the Stars WAS Star of Bethlehem presentation?
>> Bernie,
>> Just for clarification (and a yes or no answer would help): are you aware that the differences between the Gospels are pervasive and that the church has been aware of this since at least the 2nd century?
>> I am asking because you seem to raise the Matt/Luke issue as if it were some heretofore undiscovered datum.
>> Pete
>> On Nov 24, 2009, at 5:15 PM, Dehler, Bernie wrote:
>>> "Note, too, that the slaughter of the innocents drove Joseph to Egypt."
>>> Matthew says they fled to Egypt after the birth, but Luke says they went to Nazareth. People can invent another version where they do both, but it is an addition to both stories.
>>> ...Bernie
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Pete Enns [mailto:email@example.com]
>>> Sent: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 2:10 PM
>>> To: David Campbell
>>> Cc: AmericanScientificAffiliation; Dehler, Bernie
>>> Subject: Re: [asa] Gospel in the Stars WAS Star of Bethlehem presentation?
>>> I think this is a both/and, folks.
>>> 1. Historically speaking, Herod was a mess, and a mass killing was not out of character.
>>> 2. Matthew's Gospel is prone to some midrashic embellishments, geared as it was to a Jewish audience. Note, too, that the slaughter of the innocents drove Joseph to Egypt. They returned when all those who sought to kill him were dead (Matt 2:19-20), which certainly reflects the same command given to Moses in Exod 4:19. Matthew's Jesus is the new Moses (complete with his own Mt. Sinai experience, i.e., Sermon on the Mount, as we have discussed in this list several weeks ago, etc., etc).
>>> Pete Enns
>>> On Nov 24, 2009, at 4:49 PM, David Campbell wrote:
>>>>> I don't agree that Matthew made up the story of the slaughter of the
>>>>> innocents. Herod was a very nasty boy; I wouldn't put something like that
>>>>> past him, not at all.
>>>> A popular joke (with better alliteration in the original) was that it
>>>> was better to be Herod 's swine than his son as the former were less
>>>> likely to be killed. Several family members were executed by him on
>>>> suspicion of political plotting, sometimes on good evidence, sometimes
>>>> on rumors fomented by a rival heir, etc. It would be out of character
>>>> if Herod didn't try to wipe out a possible rival. If I recall
>>>> correctly, he proposed having some mass killing when he died to ensure
>>>> that the populace would be in mourning, though in a rare display of
>>>> sense his heirs did not carry this out. [This is Herod the Great-not
>>>> to be confused with all his Herod and Herodias descendants who inbred
>>>> to make things more confusing.]
>>>> On the other hand, it is true that the popular concept of the
>>>> slaughter of the innocents is rather exaggerated relative to what
>>>> Matthew records. Bethlehem was a small town, and the number of young
>>>> children at any one time would not be large.
>>>> "I think there's something wrong with the supposed conservative view
>>>> that God spoke to astrologers (a false religion), with them
>>>> functioning as prophets (either directly learning from God or getting
>>>> info from God as a seer) to give them a sign for the Christ-child."
>>>> Not sure what's wrong with that. There is a theological problem with
>>>> claiming that going out and doing astrology will lead you to Christ.
>>>> However, given that Christianity holds that we're all by nature
>>>> looking for God in the wrong places, He has to reach us where we are
>>>> in some fashion.
>>>> A different question is how a star could guide someone to a house.
>>>> Given the vast distance from the Earth to things in space, pretty much
>>>> any astronomical object will appear to be overhead from anywhere in
>>>> entire village at the same time. One possible solution is an
>>>> alignment of the rising or setting of the star. From the Magi's
>>>> position, it could appear to indicate a specific building.
>>>> "It does seem suspicious, I think, that such a traumatic experience
>>>> (Herod's killing the children) wasn't recorded in Luke, and Luke gives
>>>> details about the birth of Christ. Likewise, Matthew mentions nothing
>>>> of the census as Luke records. They each have their own answer to "If
>>>> Jesus is the Messiah, how come he's not from Bethlehem, as
>>>> prophesied?" His parents traveled to Bethlehem for the birth, that's
>>>> why. Why did his parents have to go there? Luke and Matthew give
>>>> different reasons."
>>>> It does seem suspicious when any failure to mention something in every
>>>> account is regarded as evidence against veracity, especially if
>>>> agreement between accounts gets invoked as proof of copying rather
>>>> than of accuracy. Matthew and Luke have somewhat different audiences
>>>> in view-Matthew is aimed more at a Jewish audience, who would be very
>>>> interested in OT fulfillment; Luke writes to an educated Gentile
>>>> audience, probably acquainted with the LXX but lacking the personal
>>>> interest in how Jesus fulfills the calling of Israel. There's no need
>>>> to record everything, and, as John points out, no space to do so,
>>>> either. One might as well infer that Jesus wasn't born because Mark
>>>> and John don't record it.
>>>> --
>>>> Dr. David Campbell
>>>> 425 Scientific Collections
>>>> University of Alabama
>>>> "I think of my happy condition, surrounded by acres of clams"
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Israel News - Stay Informed, Pray Informed
A test question given to applicants for entry-level jobs at the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has provided black-and-white evidence that the UN does, in fact, prefer pro-Palestinian employees.
The test requires the applicant to write an essay providing his or her proposed method for dealing with a particular diplomatic incident regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The problem is that the question starts out by presuming all Palestinian charges of criminality against Israel are true. The wording does not appear to give the option for the applicant to view the Palestinian claims as false or erroneous.
Watchdog group UN Watch unveiled the test question. UN Watch Hillel Neuer said in response: "Because the exam obviously reflects the real-life working methods of the OHCHR, it also reveals a level of professional complicity in the bias of the UN's political bodies that was not hitherto documented."
A UN spokesman replied, insisting that various different countries are used in the wording of these questions, and that the Israel-Palestinian question probably hadn't been presented to applicants more often than questions involving other nations.
However, given that the Human Rights Council, which the OHCHR oversees, annually passes an enormously exaggerated number of resolutions against Israel compared to the rest of the world, it was rather difficult to take the spokesman's remarks at face value.
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This last Sunday I received a comment in 3 parts with a name to the comment. The commenter introduced himself as a professor in psychology (sic) in New York. He alleged that an enemy of Chaim Halpern has engaged in a tactic known as 'pre-fiction-opinion' and that 'in excess of $20,000' has been paid to a psychology professional to 'design and conclude the tactic against the present victim.' He claimed to 'know' this from Velvel's comments.
I thought the claim was utterly preposterous but nevertheless published it to allow the readers to decide. I then went on to read Parts II and III of the comment where the writer makes allegations that a specific psychologist in Cincinnati, Ohio 'has published a named opinion against RCH' and a lot more besides.
After reading these further parts I could see they were written by a loon at best and so removed Part I. Shortly after, the same named commenter wrote to complain that I had removed his post. I forwarded the posts to some friends just for a laugh.
On Tuesday someone forwarded me an email signed with the initials of the same commenter. In it he complained of my removal of Part I of the post and as further 'proof' of his theory that 1 hour later Velvel and I stopped 'their campaign.' (For the record, Velvel had sent me his valedictory lament on Sunday morning and I put it up briefly when some people saw it. I was writing my post of that day 'Cast Adrift' and decided to reserve the comment for the new post where it remains.)
In the meantime others carried out investigations with the purported accuser and the purported accused, both of whom are real people in NY and Cincinnati respectively. They both immediately denied any involvement.
It may all have ended there had not the UOHC Rosh Hakohol, Dovid Frand, stepped in. He had also received some or all of the above comments and emails. He forwarded them by email to a visible list of 8 people consisting of all the tuvei ho'ir, or Honorary Officers, of the UOHC (for the list, see the heading on the UOHC wall calendar,) plus a couple of others.
This too would not have been worthy of comment except that Frand saw fit to add to the forwarded email the following:
The e-mail below was received from a professional in NY.And now read on…]
It looks serious
Please read it and forward it to as many relevant parties as you can
Maybe even to whoever can get it into the JC
By A Reader
(spiced up by yours truly)
A strange email hit my inbox early yesterday afternoon from an acquaintance who seemed to be spamming his entire address book. The email had already been sent to half of London in descending order of chashivus and originated from none other than our esteemed Rosh Hakohol. It contained the following instruction that was clearly adhered to with the usual zeal:
"Please read it and forward it to as many relevant parties as you can"Our choshuver Rosh had emailed his entire kitchen cabinet including no doubt its two sinks, dishwashers and Pesach corner. It had to go through 6 layers before it filtered down to little old me but at least I'm now able to identify where I stand in the communal hierarchy.
The salient point of the email is that a UOHC employee received an email from someone purporting to be a Yeshiva University (YU) Professor of Psychology and Education. The email claimed that the entire Chaim Halpern saga has all the classic hallmarks of a setup and was orchestrated by a person "presumed to be Reb Berel". He went on to claim that some hapless professor in Cincinnati, Ohio (some tomene city with its own eiruv r"l) had charged $20,000 to falsify witness statements in order to dupe the NW rabbonim.
In his tremendous excitement the Rosh suggested to the greatest and goodest (excuse my Kedassia English) of our Kehillo:
"Maybe even [send it] to whoever can get it into the JC".The JC! He must have been jumping in his chair and punching the air to invoke the name of that treifene tzeitung. Did the fact that this email was infested with appalling English not bother him or can he not spot a howler so long that it comes with a hechsher? For goodness sake, he could have checked his own kosher dictionary.
What about the fact that this YU professor was using a gmail account? Or that the rabbi and academic claimed not only to know who had apparently falsified the statements but even the amount of bung in the brown paper bag! And how did he claim know all of this you may ask? Well, he explained, he had followed the whole story on this very blog and was able to deduce all these facts from the comments section.
Any alarm bells ringing? Well, apparently not in our Dear Leader's insect-free head. Of course the most basic fact checking would have proved all this to be a fantasy, though one can be melamed zechus that such checks just aren't available on a filtered internet.
A simple email to the actual address (which surprise, surprise ends in @YU.EDU) elicited the following response:
"Thank you for writing and informing me of the use of my name and with a pseudo email address, one that I have never had or used. I am going to contact gmail to see whether I can force discontinuance of its use.So let's get this straight. An email from a Gmail account is sent to a low level UOHC guy making wild, libellous claims against R' Berel Knopfler and some random person in the USA. But instead of the most basic checks or, heaven forbid, using a tiny amount of common sense, no less a person than the Rosh Hakohol bichvodo uveatzmo wants it to go straight out to the public and into the newspapers.
Again, Thank You,
And he no less is the man at the tiller who apparently bolstered by this sensational scoop hit his eureka moment of which the letter below is the result. Until now we've been appalled at their lack of action in what is fast becoming for them an existential crisis, but after seeing this, doing nothing is probably their safest option.
Moirai vraboisai: I was wrong. We're not cast adrift, we're shipwrecked.


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Six women's cross country athletes will join Bill Taylor's Lady Bison program in the fall, looking to enhance a squad that won Lipscomb's first-ever Atlantic Sun Cross Country Championship in 2011.
"These six add depth to an already very strong team," Taylor said. "Any of them could impact our top group this year. However, if it takes a year or two to develop them correctly, that is perfectly fine as well. We have a very strong returning group, and so we have a lot of flexibility and a lot of options and configurations that work."
Kayla Droessler (Rockford, Ill./Boylan Catholic HS) will bring immediate help to the women's squad. A transfer from St. Xavier University in Chicago, Droessler represented the Cougars at the NAIA Cross Country National Championships.
Two California girls join the Lady Bisons this season. Hannah Munyan (Apple Valley, Calif./Sultana HS) earned All-American honors at the 2011 USATF Trail Half-Marathon Championships and has a half-marathon personal-best of 1:23.34s. She competed in the CIF Southern Section Championships on multiple occasions in cross country and track and field.
Joining her from the Golden State is Alex Tate (Clayton, Calif./Clayton Valley HS). Tate is a three-time CIF State Cross Country Championships qualifier whose high finish was 13th in 2010. She was the Diablo Valley Athletic League Champion in the 1600m run this past season.
Makenna Rickner (Edmond, Okla./Deer Creek HS) brings a ton of big-race experience to Nashville. She was a four-time state championship qualifier in both cross country and track and field, finishing 12th in the 5A State Cross Country Championships.
A two-time qualifier for the Virginia State Cross Country Championships, Alex Justice (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch HS) has finished in the top-five at the Foot Locker South Regional Cross Country Championships each of the last two years. She competed in the 5000m run at the New Balance Indoor Nationals in 2011 and 2012.
Charlotte, N.C. native Madeline Talbert rounds out the incoming class of Lady Bison cross country athletes. She finished fifth for South Mecklenburg High School in the 1600m and 800m runs at the NCHSAA 4A State Championships in 2012 after finishing seventh in the 1600m in 2011. In cross country, she finished ninth in the state in 2011 and was 50th overall at the Foot Locker South Region Championships.
Taylor thinks the small group has a large amount of talent.
"Madeline has proven herself in distance and especially middle distance," Taylor said. 'Hannah is a true long distance runner. Alex Justice has battled some injuries, so her best has not been seen yet – she will surprise people. Likewise, Alex Tate has spent her career split between running and soccer. I think with her focus and energy full on running, in a great program, some big things are going to happen.
"Kayla has the talent and a new environment sometimes makes all the difference. And Makenna is a perfect fit at Lipscomb. I have a feeling she is going to crush all her previous times."
Each of these athletes will also be counted on to contribute during track season at some point. For a full breakdown of women's track and field-only incoming freshmen, check back Friday at LipscombSports.com.
Personal Bests (5K unless otherwise noted)
Madeline Talbert: 18:13s
Alex Tate: 18:22s
Alex Justice: 18:56s
Makenna Rickner: 19:53s
Kayla Droessler: 20:10s
Hannah Munyan: 17:50s (Three-mile run)


text:
Here's the clip:
April 11, 2013
The Frankenstein Special: Blue Skies (1946)
Call it 'Astaire and Crosby Meet Frankenstein' as comic Billy De Wolfe mimics the Monster in Blue Skies, a Paramount musical from 1946.
The Frankenstein cameo comes at 8:40 into the film. Bing Crosby, who runs a high-toned supper club, has to deal with a boisterous drunk. He signals his sidekick, waiter De Wolfe…
Here's the clip:
Here's the clip:
Bulked up in his backwards coat, hair smoothed down, cheeks sucked in, De Wolfe transforms into a convincing Karloffian Frankenstein Monster, sans makeup save for a green light on his face. The stunt is all body language.
Blue Skies is Hollywood fluff rendered in gorgeous Technicolor, it's flimsy romantic triangle plot a vehicle for a generous catalog of Irving Berlin songs and dazzling dance numbers that included Fred Astaire's classic Puttin' On the Ritz — later famously parodied in Young Frankenstein (1974).
Billy De Wolfe (1907-1974) honed his song and dance act in Burlesque, graduating to musical theater, Broadway, and on to a relatively short but showy film career — a dozen film in the Forties — perfecting his signature foppish, fastidious character in pencil mustache. He was much busier in television as a sitcom foil, talk-show raconteur and variety performer, often appearing in drag as "Mrs. Murgatroyd". Through it all, De Wolfe toured extensively on the nightclub circuit. There is no record of his act, but as an impressionist, he may very well have originated the Frankenstein routine for his one-man show.
The extremely inebriated gentleman in the clip is Jack Norton (1889-1958), a ubiquitous bit player whose specialty was the comic drunk. He appeared wild-eyed, weaving perilously across the set, fumbling cigarettes, bumping into furniture and slurring his lines in countless film, with notable tanked turns opposite The Marx Brothers (A Day at the Races, 1937), and W.C.Fields (The Bank Dick, 1940). He also appears perfectly plastered in James Whale's The Great Garrick (1937) and blotto in The Ghost Breakers (1940), with Bob Hope. In real life, Norton never touched the stuff.
• 23:50
3 comments:
- Jeffrey Eernisse said...
Putting this movie into my Blockbuster queue right now! Thanks, sir, for always digging deeper for that extra bit of Frankenstein goodness.
- April 12, 2013 at 7:49 AM
- Rick said...
I saw BLUE SKIES ages ago and had totally forgotten the Frankenstein bit. But as soon as the movie's title popped up on my screen, I thought, "Billy DeWolfe?" So that memory was hidden deep in there somewhere.
Thanks for this cute bit, Pierre.
- April 12, 2013 at 12:05 PM
As great as this moment is, this scene from the movie is set in 1919, making the impression a historical inaccuracy
- October 6, 2016 at 5:25 AM
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Thursday, November 18, 2010
Christie's studio
18 comments:
- Michelle*G said...
Wow! Gorgeous and amazing! I want it. :)
- 11:39 am
- LucianaW said...
OMG....amazing! Congrats! Kisses!
- 11:46 am
- Christie Hund said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- 12:48 pm
- Christie Hund said...
You can see a video tour at my blog. There are also tons of ideas to get yourself organized.
- 12:51 pm
- paddy said...
now that is totally fab.I would love it if mine looks that organized!
- 2:17 pm
- Christine said...
Wow..this is a room to inspire some masterpieces! Enjoy!
- 2:46 pm
- Kalyber said...
what an amazing space. So many fun stuff and so well organized.
- 3:39 pm
- Sandy said...
WOW! This is nicer than ANY room in my house! :):)
- 4:08 pm
- gaylemontayostudio said...
A DREAM craft room!!! NICE! How lucky are you?!!! SIGH...hugs..gayle
- 5:07 pm
- gaylemontayostudio said...
A DREAM craft room!!! NICE! How lucky are you?!!! SIGH...hugs..gayle
- 5:08 pm
- ♪♫♥ Charity Crafter ♪♫♥ said...
To die for! x love it x Leigh x
- 6:19 pm
- Scrappy-ness said...
Wow! That is a dream room!
- 6:23 pm
- Nama Halacy's Comfy Cottage said...
So jealous!
- 8:17 pm
- Sharon said...
Christie is very fortunate and also very generous with the way she shares her talent with all of us through her blog. Oh to have unlimited $$'s and time to spare... until then I'll be happy with my little space and stay inspired by those who are so much more organized!
- 11:00 pm
- Samantha J Designs (Wife2TJ) said...
Fab room! When I stamped I had an ink pad storage like that and LOVED it! Her space is absolutely AMAZING!!! -Sam :-)
- 12:30 am
- Proudmoms said...
Christie is a genius when it comes to storage.
- 7:15 pm
- Minxy said...
I am so like totally jealous, this space is heavenly
- 9:13 pm
- Organizing Tips Tools Ideas Products said...
I am a professional organizer and this amazing woman puts me to shame. I'm not worthy, I"m not worthy!!
- 9:20 pm


text:
For many credit unions, the first 90 days after a new member signs on can be a critical gauge on whether a relationship can be nurtured and sustained for the long term.
That time frame will certainly be a factor as questions from both in and outside the credit union industry wonder what became of the 214,000 members who joined in the month leading up to Bank Transfer Day on Nov. 5, 2011. That's not including the 450,000 new members who joined credit unions in September, October, November and December last year.
Competitors, particularly some banks, may also wonder if that membership surge led to meaningful, revenue-building relationships.
Indeed, the $2 billion Redwood Credit Union questioned whether BTD was a one-off event, said Anne Benjamin, executive vice president and chief operating officer. Between Oct. 1, 2011 and Aug. 31, 2012, the Santa Rosa, Calif.-based financial institution opened 24,019 new accounts. It currently serves more than 220,000 members.
"It's interesting because we've been thoughtful on what has happened to those members who came on last year. Are they growing, are they thriving?" Benjamin asked. "The question was 'Is this a flash in the pan or will they embrace the credit union long term?'"
Redwood conducted an internal survey to find out. The credit union's average monthly new member growth was about 1,500. After Bank Transfer Day, its average is now 1,900. Normally, the checking penetration rate would be 65%. Benjamin said that percentage increased to 85%.
Online banking use also bumped up from 78% to 84.5%, and bill pay and credit cards were at higher levels. Benjamin said single-service households dropped from roughly 14% to 8.6% and products per household, normally an average of 2.02, increased to 2.05 during the Transfer Day quarter.
The question of whether some of those new members that rode in on the Transfer Day wave to Redwood have become unprofitable due to a lack of having multiple product and service relationships is not an issue, Benjamin said, pointing to layers of data that show otherwise.
"These are truly committed members. We do a really good job of listening to our members and helping them find the right products to meet their needs," Benjamin noted. "That has been our focus for a very long time."
Much on that growing loyalty has hinged on Redwood visibility in and involvement around the communities it serves, Benjamin said.
"Because we have been highly visible, it made us a good candidate for people to make their move. We found they completely divorced their financial institution," Benjamin said of new members who joined over the past year.
In the middle of the Transfer Day buzz last year, some sources, including banking groups, said that some of the new members who joined credit unions around that time, may have been former, unprofitable bank customers.
At the time, Brian Turner, director of advisory services at Catalyst Strategic Solutions, an investment subsidiary of Catalyst Corporate Federal Credit Union in Plano, Texas, called the criticism a clear case of sour grapes–an opinion he continues to hold on to nearly a year later.
While profitability is an important element of any financial institution, particularly the safety and protection of equity capital, Turner said, some bankers may believe that there is a natural conflict between the mandate that credit unions have to create member benefits from the services they provide and the fiduciary responsibility they have as a financial institution.
"Providing lower loan rates and higher savings rates while delivering their products and services at a lower cost," Turner said, has helped credit unions to avoid the need to charge across-the-board fees for its services.
"So, this is not an issue of the profitability of these new members. Even with low rates and declining marginal spreads, adding member deposits at this time can be achieved without harming the return profile of the institution or benefits to the membership," Turner said.
Kirk Kordeleski, president/CEO of the $4.9 billion Bethpage Federal Credit Union in Bethpage, N.Y., is convinced that new members that come in with just a checking account are not drains on the bottom line.
"When you come in that way, folks are moving transactions, be it with direct deposits and debit transactions. That creates connections to the institutions," Kordeleski said. "That's why checking and mortgages have been primary financial institution builders for credit unions."
Since Transfer Day, Bethpage's membership added 16,000 new members to its more than 201,000 membership, Kordeleski said. New checking accounts grew 30% on top of what the credit union would normally do going from 1,600 to 2,200 each month.
These new members are also going into the branches to make more connections and at the same time, building a primary financial institution alliance for the long term, he added.
"I just don't buy that argument that they're a drain on the bottom line. BTD was about the checking account," Kordeleski said. "They're just so much substance there."
Some credit unions may not want to say it out loud, but the reality is gaps have to be filled to make up for those members who, for whatever reasons, are not taking advantage of the products and services available.
"We always come to fall in line with the national statistic of 20% of members supporting the other 80%," said Kim Faucher, vice president of marketing for the $91 million Northwest Resource Federal Credit Union in Portland, Ore.
By no means is the cooperative dismissing BTD's impact. The numbers were solid across the board. Cross-sell figures went from 1.87% to 2.37% and new members continued to add additional products over time.
The average increase of accounts per member from open date, which varied since Transfer Day to August 2012 data was 11%, Faucher said. Twenty-five percent of new loans were originated, and there was a 60% increase in new checking accounts as well as jumps in auto loans, credit cards and real estate, Faucher said. The average loan balance from the new members doubled compared to membership as a whole.
"Although we want everyone contributing to the cooperative, but if it's just a savings account, there is a fee," Faucher explained. "It goes against the credit union philosophy, but if they're not participating with additional products, we do know that we have to fee them."
After Bank Transfer Day, which was sparked by a failed attempt by Bank of America to levy a $5 monthly debit card usage fee, CUNA Mutual Group Chief Economist Dave Colby urged credit unions to move rapidly to establish multiple, mutually beneficial product relationships. Not doing so, he warned, could possibly lead to a headline that might read "CUs Rush to Purge Unprofitable Members as Best Members Leave."
Colby said that while he still feels the same today, there are still spaces where credit unions can turn unprofitable members into profitable ones.
"The area where credit unions can show the most positive advantage is lending. It could be a lower rate credit card, a car loan or a mortgage purchase or re finance and of course, debt consolidation," Colby said. "The lower interest rate environment only makes it easier to show a positive impact of replacing existing debt with a new credit union loan."
Credit unions might also consider going beyond the checking account with a debit card and do a financial review and then providing rate or bonus incentives for direct deposit, automatic payments, paperless and online banking, Colby offered.
"One of the strategies I like best is to make it a community challenge where the credit union advertises, 'The recovery begins here in our community, one member at a time,'" Colby said. "Find cash flow with lower rates and better terms on loans. Then, continually remind the community how much you have saved members."
The $141 million San Jose Credit Union in San Jose, Calif., signed on about 660 new members from November 2011 to this past August, said Sara Holtz, marketing manager. The cooperative serves more than 11,000 members. Auto loans, checking accounts and online services increased as a result of Transfer Day, she added.
A better indication of the credit union's results is that prior to the national switch day, it signed an average of 48 new members a month, Holtz said. After November 2011, that average increased to about 65 new members a month, and the growth trend continues to this day.
"Credit unions are sometimes the best kept secret because people don't realize how much membership actually benefits them," Holtz said. "While the effects of the day won't last forever, and we don't consider it a one and done initiative, Bank Transfer Day was an inspiring way for our credit union to be an influential part of a larger financial movement."
In its internal survey of member activity post-Transfer Day, Redwood discovered a wrinkle that confirmed where long-term, profitable relationships can be found: all over the demographic map.. While the new members tended to be older–an average of 44.4 years old compared to 40.8–there was an overall growth rate of 32% in the 18- to 34-year old category during the Transfer Day quarter, a percentage consistent with previous quarters.
"They're more loan oriented," Benjamin said of the younger members. "But we know we need to have a balance of older deposits."
Turner said if credit unions can be the best at five to 10 principal products and services that most of its members need, brand loyalty is certain to follow, helping to reduce margin delivery costs.