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What's The Plan?
This story appears in the March 2000 issue of . Subscribe »
If you think writing a business plan sounds about as appealing as spending a Saturday in traffic court or letting Great-Aunt Gertrude set you up on a blind date, you're not alone. When you've got a great business idea, why sit on the sidelines dealing with piles of paperwork? You'd rather just jump into the game. But even Mark McGwire prepares before he steps up to the plate. And rushing into business without a business plan is about as smart as heading into the Major Leagues without spring training. If you believe the myths about business plans, you could strike out big-time.
Debunking the Myths
�Myth #1: Business plans are boring. Not so, says Vicki L. Helmick, a CPA and business consultant in Orlando, Florida. "If you're excited about your business, you should be excited about doing the planning that will make it a success," Helmick points out. "Your business plan is where you articulate your vision of what you want your company to be, and then outline a strategy to make it happen."
�Myth #2: Business plans are complicated. A good business plan doesn't have to be formal or complicated, Helmick says, but it must be thorough and in writing. "For a simple business, you may only need a page or two," she says. "Or you may take 20 or 30 pages and include charts and graphs. The key is to make it as detailed as necessary to give yourself a road map."
�Myth #3: I don't need to write my plan down. Many solo operators don't bother putting their plans in writing, but it's not enough to just have the information in your head. Besides making it easier to remember, committing the plan to paper forces you to think through each step of the process, consider all the consequences and deal with issues you might prefer to avoid. It also increases your sense of accountability, even if it's just to yourself. After all, once you've written the plan down, you have an obligation to either follow it or come up with a good reason for doing something different. Plus, if you have partners, a written business plan reduces the risks of misunderstandings or conflict.
�Myth #4: I only have to do it once. Writing a business plan is not a one-time exercise. "Don't write your plan, pat yourself on the back and then stick it on the shelf," Helmick says. "This should be a tool you use to run your company every day. If you want to obtain loans or attract outside investors, either in the start-up stage or down the road, you'll need to show them a strong plan that you've kept current to demonstrate the viability of your company."
Your plan should project at least five years into the future. "Under the umbrella of the term 'business plan,' you need a one-year plan, a two-year plan and a five-year goal," Helmick says. "Each year, update your plans and goals so you always have a focused, long-term strategy and short-term plans."
Parts of a Business Plan
Executive Summary
This brief overview of the business is a synopsis of your entire business plan. State the business concept, basic financial points (such as sales projections and capital requirements) and current status of the company. Identify the owners, key personnel and what each brings to the table. For example, you may have previous industry experience, or maybe you've hired someone with a notable track record or connections. Finally, state what your company has achieved so far. Even a start-up can list things like patents, prototypes, contracts and test-marketing results.
Business Description
First, look at the entire industry and the markets it serves. Then describe your company, including operating structure (retail, wholesale, manufacturing or service provider, for example), legal form (sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation or limited liability company), customer base, products or services, and distribution methods. Emphasize what sets you apart from competitors and others in the industry.
Market Strategies
Define the total market in terms of size, structure, growth prospects, trends and sales potential. Then estimate what you realistically expect your market share to be and how you will capture it. Outline how you'll position your company and product in the market, how you'll set prices, how you'll promote your product, how you'll distribute it, and the roles these things will play in your marketing efforts. You could use this section to develop your marketing strategy, or you could develop a separate marketing plan and just refer to it here. Either way, you need a comprehensive marketing plan that includes such elements as sales, advertising, public relations, special promotions and community activities. The plan should outline what you intend to do, assign a budget and a schedule to the various activities, and include a review process so you can evaluate your efforts and make adjustments.
Competitive Analysis
Identify current and potential competitors and analyze their strengths and weaknesses. Understand the reasons behind their successes and failures so you can fine-tune your own marketing approach. Be specific, detailed and brutally honest; don't let unrealistic optimism, personal bias or wishful thinking affect your view of the competition.
Design and Development Plans
Describe the design of your product and how it will be developed within the context of production and marketing. If your company is built on a new product you've invented, include a plan for testing, incremental reviews and a thorough final evaluation. Be sure your budget includes materials, labor, overhead, equipment, professional services and administrative costs.
Operations and Management Plans
Demonstrate how your business will function day to day. Who is responsible for what, how will their duties be carried out, and what are your capital and expense needs? Show that you have enough resources (facilities, equipment, materials and labor) to operate as planned.
Financial Components
This is the backbone of your plan and should include an income statement, a cash-flow statement and a balance sheet. These reports show a historical perspective, a forecast for the future and your current financial situation.
Practical Tips and Strategies
Writing a business plan isn't necessarily sequential; for example, when you develop market strategies, you'll need to consider both the competition and your finances, so you may move from one section to another and back before you finish.
Each section of your plan should include goals and strategies. Helmick recommends setting a large, long-term goal, then breaking it into manageable chunks. "You may decide that in five years you want to be generating $2 million in revenue," she says. "Now start backing up. What's a realistic annual growth rate for your business? If it's 20 percent, then to be at $2 million in year five, you need to be at $1.6 million in year four, at $1.3 million in year three, at $1 million in year two and at $800,000 in year one. What do you have to do to reach those numbers? How many units do you have to sell and what do you have to do to sell them? Break that down into quarterly, monthly, weekly and even daily targets and task lists, and incorporate that type of planning into your business plan."
Business plans aren't written in stone, and even the best plan needs to change as circumstances do. Just be sure to think your changes through and see how a change in one area will affect the rest of the company. For example, if you change your product, will that affect packaging? If you shift your marketing strategy, do you need to adjust production to meet greater demand? How will either of these changes affect your financial situation?
Finally, Helmick advises, use your business plan to build value in your company. "Approach this process as though you're building a company you intend to sell, whether you are or not," she says. "Look for ways to increase the company's value, whether it's in hard assets, inventory, customer goodwill or intellectual property, then periodically assess what you've accomplished. You may never sell the business, but this technique helps you create a solid, viable company."
Cool Tools
(http://www.bplans.com/): Writing a plan for a start-up is different from creating one for an established business, and this site knows it--it's a key resource for start-ups who want to know more about financing.
·CCH Business Owner's Toolkit (http://www.toolkit.cch.com): This Web site features free sample business plans tailored for retail, service and manufacturing businesses, all in downloadable files.
·Lansing, Michigan, Community College Small Business Development Center--Business Plan (http://www.lansing.cc.mi.us/sbdc): A free business plan template.
·Ohio State University Fact Sheet: Organizing a Business Plan (http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~ohioline
/cd-fact/1101.html): Want a no-nonsense overview of business plans? Head to this site for a terse look at planning for a small business.
·Sample Business Plan/Canada (http://www.sb.gov.bc.ca:80/smallbus/workshop
/sample.html): Developed by the British Columbia Business Service Centre, this model plan works for most types of businesses. There are some differences between how Canadians and Americans do these things, but this document is useful for any North American.
·SBA-Business Plan Outline (http://www.sba.gov/starting_business/planning/basic.html): See a detailed business plan outline, compliments of the SBA. For free, personalized input from SBA staff, find your local office in the White Pages under the "Federal Government" listings, or call (800) 8-ASK-SBA.
·BizPlanIt.com (http://www.bizplanit.com): You've drafted your plan but want pro input before showing it around? Check out consulting firm BizPlanIt.com's "business plan review" service. For $750, you get a section-by-section critique. The same firm will draft your plan from scratch for a jaw-dropping $8,500. The Web site, however, is rich with freebies-advice, links and a newsletter.
·Business Plans Made Easy (Entrepreneur Media Inc., $19.95) walks you through every aspect of creating a business plan. Real-life examples, sections on tailoring your plan to different audiences and a list of resources are especially helpful. Sold at https://www.entrepreneur.com and at major and online bookstores.
·The One Page Business Plan (One Page Business Plan Co., $19.95) takes 97 pages to tell you how to put your plan on one sheet of paper, but author Jim Horan's received rave reviews from entrepreneurial luminaries such as Paul and Sarah Edwards.
·The Successful Business Plan: Secrets & Strategies (Psi Research/Oasis Press, $27.95) Written by Rhonda M. Abrams, this book is a thorough look at how to create your own business plan.
·BizPlanBuilder (Jian Software, $89.95) Flexible and easy to use, this program has a document creator that leads you through writing your plan. Both Windows and Mac versions are available. Call (800) 346-5426 or visit http://www.jian.com
·Business Plan Pro 4.0 (Palo Alto Software, $89.95) Use this program to write a plan complete with tables and charts. Split-screen interface lets you see what you're working on in half of the screen while viewing instructions in the other. Both Windows and Mac versions are available. Download a free demo from http://www.pasware.comor call (800) 229-7526.
Freelance writer Jacquelyn Lynn writes about business, management and marketing issues. Although half her business plan is still written on Post-it notes, she refers to it at least once a month and updates it twice a year.


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Fighting games came back. Adventure games came back. Can brawlers come back?
Sega's early-2012 game Anarchy Reigns is a modern-day rarity, a game built for one or more players to punch and kick their way through. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 title from Platinum Games is a brawler, which makes it a throwback to the Final Fights and Streets of Rages that used to be among the most popular video games around.
The beat-em-up was a welcome violent variation at this month's E3, where it stood apart from all the shooters but relying on players' ability to make the game's colorful characters use crazy wrestling moves, studded bats, and.... well, there are guns in the game, too. But it's definitely a brawler. And thus it is a throwback.
"If people in the industry start to make this kind of game [again], I'll be more than happy," Atsushi Inaba of Platinum Games recently told Kotaku during a brief interview. "There must be reasons why this kind of game was very popular at one point. But when it comes to making this kind of brawling work online, there are a lot of technical problems. You need to have a lot of patience and technical excellence, which is why most studios have probably stayed away from this."
The E3 Anarchy Reigns demo on the show floor focused on online multiplayer combat, which is a twist for the genre. Most of the details of the game's action are lost to the fact that I kept playing and not scribbling in my notebook, I'm sorry to say. But the basic experience was that of an enjoyable button-mash brawl that reminded me of the absurd combat of Capcom's God Hand, though re-cast as a competitive multiplayer brawl. There were charge attacks, rage attacks, large sniper rifles to shoot someone with at point-blank range and lots of nutty wrestling moves. The game would be perfect for Platinum's Bayonetta, though Inaba declined to say whether she will or won't be in the game.
Behind closed doors, Sega also showed a single-mode that allows players to experience the game's storyline as either
Max Jack (the hero from Platinum's Madworld) or a guy named Leo. In a level called "The Wily Crocodile," Leo had to beat up guys on the deck of an aircraft carrier that was covered in crashed planes. In the Jack level, Jack had to beat up a ninja. Inaba stressed that the single-player part of the game will have a deep and serious story, but, frankly, it all looked wonderfully over-the-top to me. Consider that you're being scored in these levels on things like: "execution kills" and "killer weapon kills."
If you've seen a trailer for Anarchy Reigns you can safely predict what's coming. This is a colorful beat-em-up for an era made drab by a lack of such games. I didn't touch single-player, but I was delighted by multi. If you want a brawler revival, follow this one.

subset: commoncrawl


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100 Worst Cars of All Time
Terrible, for this list's purposes, is loosely defined as a car that shaped current American automotive culture around its bad example. That doesn't mean that all the cars here were big sellers, only that their undeniable stink made everyone notice.
The diabolical nature of these machines, however, is that there's a good idea at the heart of all of them. But it's a good idea betrayed by half-effort engineering, haphazard quality and cynical compromises.
100. 2006 Pontiac Solstice: Star-crossed idea executed with parts bin technology, a ridiculous top, goofy cockpit and a trunk taxed by a single T-shirt. It was supposed to save Pontiac. Instead this overweight, underpowered, crudely engineered P.O.S. helped kill it.
99. 1967 Fiat 124 Sport Coupe: Neat little two-door ruined by the lousy Russian-made steel Fiat used. Rust was standard equipment on every 124 Sport Coupe.
98. 1988 Eagle Premier: AMC's last gasp was this boring box built around the Renault 25 chassis. Also sold as the Dodge Monaco for no apparent reason.
97. 1999 Daewoo Nubira: For a brief, not-so-shining moment, Korea's Daewoo sold cars in the United States. No one noticed and the Nubira is why.
96. 1992 Acura Vigor: A clumsy, redressed Accord with a longitudinally mounted five-cylinder engine. It was the first of too many Acuras that have been easy to dislike.
95. 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix GXP: Shoving a 303-horsepower, 5.3-liter LS4 V8 into the front-drive Grand Prix was silly. Having front tires wider than the rears was just plain stupid.
94. 1996 Ariel Atom: Its nickname is the "woman repellent." Perfect for the track, utter misery on any road. A helmet isn't just for safety; it's the driver's roof, windshield and HVAC system. Helmet also keeps anyone you know from seeing you drive it.
93. 1989 Vector W8: Gerald Wiegert's 625-hp, $400,000-plus folly was obsolete by the time it finally hit production. Only 17 reached customers — and they needed to be shadowed by a flatbed.
92. 1997 General Motors EV1: Advanced technology produces an all-electric that rides poorly, can't haul anything and has the range of a Tyco R/C car. Set electric cars back at least a decade.
91. 1978 Dodge Challenger: A Mitsubishi Galant coupe wears the name of a muscle car legend. The top engine? A 2.6-liter four making — GACK! — 105 hp. The base 2.0-liter puked out only 77 ponies.
90. 2000 Saleen S7: With 550 hp onboard, theoretically it was awesome. But actually it was fragile and just smelled like a kit car. Twin-turbo version came in 2005 at 750 hp with a $585,296 sticker.
89. 2004 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti: A big, blundering, bulbous four-seat Ferrari. The 5.7-liter V12 made 532 hp, but that wasn't enough to pull off the ugly. More Buick than Ferrari.
88. 1993 Ford Aspire: Built by Kia, sold by Ford and ignored by everyone. Basically a 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine and four wheels bolted to a prison cell.
87. 1989 Geo Metro: Suzuki-made, three-cylinder icon of economic marginalization. Tonight's pizza will be delivered in one. It was even worse as a soggy-chassis convertible.
86. 1990 Chevrolet Lumina APV: Plastic-bodied van with an aardvark nose and dashboard top big enough to host a track meet. The Chevy along with its Pontiac or Oldsmobile equivalent were so stupid-looking they were nicknamed the dustbuster vans.
85. 1987 Volkswagen Fox: VW brings a version of the "Gol" up from Brazil for U.S. consumption. The 1.8-liter four makes 80 hp and feeds a four-speed manual transmission.
84. 2001 Jaguar X-Type: Spitting on its own heritage, Jag takes the Ford Mondeo and forces it to wear shrunken XJ sheet metal. It was an insult to loyal Jaguar owners and a joke to everyone else.
83. 1978 Volvo 262C: Italy's Bertone turns Volvo's boxy 260 Series into a two-door coupe only Stockholm's dumbest pimp could love.
82. 1990 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Convertible: It's the front-drive Cutlass no one liked without all that pesky structural integrity. Like driving a cracked egg.
81. 1973 Austin Allegro: Thankfully never exported to America. Underpowered and featuring a problematic "Hydragas" pneumatic suspension, it's the car Top Gear loves to hate.
80. 1980 Rover 3500: Powered by a 133-hp 3.5-liter V8 set adrift by Buick. The body would rot when driven near any body of water, including wading pools and coffee cups.
79. 1985 Hyundai Excel: It cost $4,995, but wasn't worth it. Built from Mitsubishi leftovers, this is the car whose haphazard heritage Hyundai has been striving to overcome ever since.
78. 1974 Mazda Rotary Pickup: The high-revving Wankel engine was ill-suited to any truck. And this is the truck that proved it. Had the hauling capacity of a shopping cart.
77. 1999 Toyota Echo: Awkward successor to the mediocre Tercel. Austere in the most plastic of ways, it's such a bucket it should come with a mop. Roxy Edition was just a joke.
76. 1982 Chevrolet Cavalier: Chevy's first front-drive small car is underpowered, sloppily constructed and apparently dissolvable in ordinary rainwater.
75. 1974 Datsun F10: The first front-drive Nissan in America is legendarily ugly in both appearance and rough-hewn operation. Known as the Cherry in Japan.
74. 1979 Datsun 280ZX: The fatter, clumsier, overwrought successor to the original Z-car. It sold well through the disco era, but sucked and is universally unloved today.
73. 1984 Ford Bronco II: Tipsy, short-wheelbase SUV based on the Ranger pickup. Rode like there were rocks in its tires. Replaced by the massively popular, four-door Explorer.
72. 1974 Bricklin SV-1: Malcolm Bricklin promised a safe sports car. He delivered a plastic, gullwing-doored weirdo with the suspension and powertrain of an AMC Hornet. Makes the DeLorean look like an engineering magnum opus.
71. 1980 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Turbo: Replacing the T/A's beloved 400-cubic-inch V8 with a turbocharged and carbureted 301-cube version wasn't a good idea. It was a slow grenade.
70. 1953 Chevrolet Corvette: A fiberglass body atop an archaic chassis powered by a lame 155-hp six. And the transmission was a two-speed automatic. The first Corvette was crap.
69. 1989 Ford Thunderbird: It was too big, much too heavy and too expensive to produce. Initially available only with V6 engines, it was slow, too. It's the car that killed the T-Bird.
68. 1987 Sterling 825: Rebadged Rover 800-Series was based on the V6-powered Acura Legend, but was unreliable and rust-prone anyhow. Paint hardly even stuck to it and the electrics lasted a few weeks if you were lucky.
67. 1957 Renault Dauphine: The rear-engine, 32-hp Dauphine made VW's Beetle seem quick. According to Road & Track it took 22.3 seconds for a 1962 Dauphine to reach 60 mph.
66. 2008 Smart Fortwo: Not bad-looking, but unpleasant to drive in every conceivable way. May have the most annoying transmission ever made.
65. 1985 Subaru XT: Subaru at its weirdest. Styled with a cleaver, inside the XT featured a wacky steering wheel with one horizontal and one vertical spoke and controls in pods behind it. Then it got weirder.
64. 1983 Plymouth Caravelle: A stretched K-Car that no one noticed when it was in production and no one misses today. Plain in every way, it's the most boring car ever made.
63. 1983 Chrysler Executive Limousine: ASC takes a LeBaron K-Car coupe, stretches it out, adds LeBaron sedan front doors, and the result is this not-prestigious, fully dopey limo. About 1,500 were sold before production ended in 1986.
62. 1960 Chevrolet Corvair: Nader had a point; the rear swing-axle-equipped, rear-engine Corvair did have diabolical handling at the limit. But the second-gen '65 Corvair was sweet.
61. 1982 Chevrolet Camaro Sport Coupe: The base third-generation Camaro was powered by the 2.5-liter "Iron Duke" four rated at 90 hp. That's 90, thrashing, noisy, crude horses — total — in a Camaro.
60. 2003 Chevrolet SSR: Spoiled by its ridiculously heavy retractable hardtop and underwhelming TrailBlazer chassis. It could have been great; instead it was grating.
59. 1975 Chevrolet Monza: Variation on the flimsy Vega that could be ordered with a 262-cubic-inch small-block V8 that only made 110 hp and needed to be tilted with a hoist to change its rearmost spark plugs.
58. 1984 Pontiac Fiero: GM destroys its own good idea by cheapening it out with a Chevette front suspension and the heinous 2.5-liter "Iron Duke" four. And on occasion, it would spontaneously combust.
57. 1973 Ferrari Dino 308 GT4: Ferrari's first V8 was its crummiest. Angular Bertone bodywork covered a cramped 2+2 cockpit and the yet-to-be-sorted 230-hp 3.0-liter V8.
56. 1974 Ford Gran Torino Elite: Desperate to grab some of the personal luxury market, Ford swipes Mercury's Cougar coupe sheet metal, gives it an uglier nose and then misnames it. This was cynical rebadging at its worst.
55. 1981 Maserati Biturbo: Kind of like a BMW 3 Series, only hideously unreliable and powered by a twin-turbocharged 2.5-liter V6 that only made 185 hp. Interior leather on these ages faster than dogs.
54. 1987 Subaru Justy: That it was powered by a three-cylinder engine and available with a continuously variable transmission is enough to put it on this list.
53. 1976 Chevrolet Chevette: Instead of trying to build a world-class small car of its own, Chevy opts for a cheesy, primitive Opel design that's a decade out of date. Yet it stays in production through 1987.
52. 1980 Chevrolet Citation: Chevrolet's first front-drive machine proves to be legendarily unreliable and one of the most recalled cars of all time. Yes, the Pontiac, Buick and Oldsmobile X-Cars were just as awful.
51. 1958 Ford Thunderbird: The delicate, elegant and sweet two-seat original T-Bird is replaced by this clumsy, massive, overwrought four-seater. Unfortunately it's hugely popular.
50. 1955 Dodge La Femme: The Custom Royal Lancer all girly with pink trim and a special calfskin pink purse. Few were sold because, apparently, transvestism isn't good marketing. Discontinued after the '56 model year.
49. 2006 Saab 9-7X: The only Saab ever built in Moraine, Ohio, was a gussied-up Chevy TrailBlazer. It's definitive proof that GM's ownership of Saab was completely misbegotten.
48. 1975 Clenet Series I: An MG Midget body on a Mercury Cougar chassis with massive fiberglass fenders. The Clenet was a disgrace to the term "classic" and the shame of Santa Barbara, California, where it was built.
47. 1975 Triumph TR7: British Leyland's lame attempt to reinvent the British sports car for the 1970s. An underpowered, four-cylinder, wedge-shaped hardtop that seemed to disintegrate around its owners.
46. 1968 Volkswagen 411/412: The large, awkward Type 4 was the last gasp for rear-mounted air-cooled engines at VW. But it was so lousy that the company replaced it with the sweet-natured Passat.
45. 1969 Porsche 914: Originally designed as a VW, this midengine, four-cylinder breadbox was never a "real Porsche" to the hard-core. OK, even the medium-core didn't think it was a real Porsche.
44. 1975 Rolls-Royce Camargue: Pininfarina designed the body for this two-seat version of the Silver Shadow. Boring and weirdly proportioned, it looked like an oversize Volvo.
43. 1979 Mercedes-Benz 300SD: As the first turbocharged diesel sedan, it's important. But the five-cylinder engine only made 110 hp and it had a big S-Class to haul around. That's misery.
42. 2006 Dodge Caliber SRT-4: Lesson in how to build a bad performance car, start with a bad car. Replaced the wonderful Neon SRT-4, but it was too big and too ugly. Completely undesirable despite its turbocharged 285 hp.
41. 1975 Bristol 412: Britain's most hideous bespoke gentleman's express. The Zagato-built body rode on an ancient Bristol chassis, with a Chrysler 383-cubic-inch V8 tasked with outrunning the nasty looks.
40. 1989 Lotus Elan: Corporate synergy results in a front-drive Lotus two-seat sports roadster powered by an Isuzu engine. Who to blame? GM. It owned Lotus at the time and controlled Isuzu.
39. 1978 Chevrolet C/K Diesel: The dread Oldsmobile diesel makes it into Chevy's half-ton pickup, making 125 hp. The same black smoke magic that ruined GM's cars does the same to the pickups.
38. 1923 Chevrolet Series M: Chevy's experiment with air-cooled engines used individual cylinders fitted with copper fins. About 500 were built and virtually all were recalled and scuttled.
37. 1973 Datsun B210: Awful and primitive Nissan that benefitted from debuting atop the 1973 OPEC oil embargo. Nasty handling and built so lightly the sheet metal was nearly diaphanous.
36. 2002 GEM: Built to NHTSA "Low Speed Vehicle" regulations rigged for it to succeed, this electric vehicle is nonetheless allowed to operate on roads alongside real cars. Not much more than a golf cart.
35. 1970 Triumph Stag: Seemingly infinite problems with its 3.0-liter SOHC V8 engine and dim Lucas electric parts made this Michelotti-designed four-seat roadster a poster child for British Leyland ineptitude.
34. 1950 Crosley Hotshot: Best name ever put on a terrible car. The 750cc engine's block wasn't cast, but welded together from various pieces. Amazing so much ugly could rest on a car this small.
33. 1986 Suzuki Samurai: A real 4x4 with off-road ability, but it was too small and too unstable for actual highway use. Had the build quality of a high school shop class project.
32. 1971 Plymouth Cricket: Plymouth's response to the Pinto and Vega is a rebadged Hillman Avenger. It was a flimsy British disaster with too little power and suicidal tendencies.
31. 1975 Chevrolet Corvette: Base power for '75 was the ZQ3 350-cubic-inch V8 rated at — ACK! — 165 hp. The optional L82 version of the 350 only wheezed out 205 horses. An abomination.
30. 1954 Nash Metropolitan: Combining the worst of 1950s American design with British half-baked engineering and haphazard assembly. Tipsy around corners, so it was good that its 1.2-liter Austin engine kept it slow.
29. 1977 Lincoln Versailles: Responding to the challenge of the Cadillac Seville, Lincoln takes the Mercury Monarch, adds a continental bump on the trunk and a Mark IV grille up front, and tries to pass it off as sophisticated.
28. 1976 Dodge Aspen/Plymouth Volare: At Chrysler's nadir, it built these strictly conventional compact cars that are nonetheless terribly built and rust-prone. Subject to a long series of recalls.
27. 2007 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx SS: Kind of a station wagon, but with less utility and style. The worst car ever built to wear Chevy's "SS" name.
26. 1990 Infiniti M30 Convertible: Spongy suspension, lackluster drivetrain and a soggy structure was enough to doom the M30. Infiniti almost didn't survive this car.
25. 1980 Cadillac Seville: A front-drive atrocity with a weird bustle on its behind. Ruined the goodwill established by the first, rear-drive Seville. The super-lousy V8-6-4 engine was added for '81.
24. 1996 Ford Taurus: The bulbous blob redesign of Ford's best-selling sedan that effectively killed it in the retail market. Weird when it didn't need to be.
23. 1987 Cadillac Allante: Pointless, front-drive roadster that was ludicrously expensive thanks to Pininfarina building its bodies in Italy and then air-shipping them in 747s to Detroit for completion. Embarrassing attempt to take on the Mercedes SL.
22. 1997 Cadillac Catera: An oafish 3,900-pound German Opel with a 200-hp English V6 slowly lugging it through a French four-speed automatic. It took three countries to build this crap — and GM to call it a Cadillac.
21. 1978 Fiat Strada/Ritmo: Disposable front-drive subcompact that was so poorly built that Fiat fled North America in shame in 1983. It wouldn't return for 28 years.
20. 1975 AMC Pacer: Desperate AMC bets on weird and wide small car with a fishbowl greenhouse and archaic six-cylinder drivetrain. It's been an icon of disenfranchised losers ever since.
19. 1970 AMC Gremlin: AMC buys into the subcompact market by slicing off the tail of the compact Hornet. Powered by AMC's ancient six or V8, it runs second only to its brother the Pacer in Loserland.
18. 2011 Aston Martin Cygnet: A $47,000 restyled Toyota (er, Scion) iQ. Necessary to meet EU fleet emissions standards, it's nonetheless a betrayal of all things Aston.
17. 1982 Renault Fuego: Fragile, front-drive French coupe that rusted quickly into dust or burst into flames amid random electrical fires. Recalled for steering wheels that came off in drivers' hands.
16. 1971 Ford Pinto: Built to a $2,000 base price, the subcompact Pinto lacks protection for its rear-mounted fuel tank. It earns a reputation as a fire-prone death trap and Ford pays out millions in judgments.
15. 1989 Chrysler TC by Maserati: Stupid combination of front-drive K-Car bits, indifferent Maserati assembly in Italy and a two-seat roadster body that was indistinguishable from a LeBaron. It's both the worst Maserati and worst Chrysler ever.
14. 1968 Lamborghini Espada: Bizarre sci-fi styling over an ill-sorted, hideously complex chassis with a thirsty 4.0-liter, 325-hp V12 under the hood. The first Lambo offered with an automatic transmission.
13. 1974 Reliant Robin: Ludicrously unstable three-wheeler that turns turtle on its plastic body at the slightest provocation. Fortunately, with a 750cc engine, it was underpowered, too.
12. 1983 Renault Alliance: AMC-built, Americanized version of the front-drive, 60-hp Renault 9 subcompact — monochrome paint and whitewalls. Worse, in '85 came a convertible so droopy, the doors often couldn't close.
11. 1917 Chevrolet Series D: Chevy's first V8 could only manage 36 hp — less than the brand's four. Killed after 1918, the next Chevy V8 came a full 37 years later.
10. 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Diesel: As bad as the 5.7-liter Olds diesel V8 was, the 4.3-liter version was worse. Sold only in the '79 Cutlass, the 4.3 diesel made 90 hp before shattering into shrapnel.
9. 1957 Trabant: East Germany's two-cylinder, two-stroke disaster that stayed in production even after the Berlin Wall fell. One more reason why Communism is evil.
8. 1982 Cadillac Cimarron: Shameful, cynical attempt to compete against BMW with a redecorated version of the front-drive, four-cylinder Chevrolet Cavalier. A self-inflicted wound that nearly killed Cadillac.
7. 1958 Edsel Corsair: Ford goes hunting for a market niche that wasn't there with a redecorated Mercury that had been beaten with an ugly stick. The legendary flop of all automotive flops.
6. 2003 Saturn Ion: Shockingly incompetent to drive and with a stupid interior to match. Kick it and your foot could get stuck in the gaps between the plastic body panels. Easily the second worst car of the 21st century.
5. 1971 Chevrolet Vega: An engine that couldn't hold oil, in a car built with contempt for its buyers. It's the car that invited Americans to buy Toyotas and Hondas. However, it did make a good Pro Stock racer.
4. 1987 Yugo: A Serbian-made version of the Fiat 127 that couldn't possibly be as awful as its low price suggested. But it was! Currently celebrating its 25th anniversary as shorthand for automotive crap.
3. 1955 BMW Isetta: Originally designed by Italy's Iso, BMW built the atrocious, single-cylinder 12-hp, one-door Isetta for 7 years. Parked nose-in to a wall, the door wouldn't open. The whole car was a crumple zone.
2. 1974 Ford Mustang II: Built upon the spindly bones of the Pinto, this shrunken, malformed pony is instantly appalling to Mustang lovers. And, unfortunately, hugely popular with buyers stuck with serial fuel crises.
1. 2001 Pontiac Aztek: Drive one and you quickly realize that the Aztek's exterior design is its best feature. It's the very worst car of all time because it's the only car on the list to kill an 84-year-old car company. It's undeniable that the Aztek's utter hideousness drove the biggest and last nails into Pontiac's heavily side-clad, plastic coffin.
By John Pearley Huffman, Former Fiat 124 Owner


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Melky homers in fourth straight game to lift Buehrle
After health problems last season, Cabrera looking like his old self
TORONTO -- Melky Cabrera is starting to transition from one of the Blue Jays' biggest disappointments to one of their biggest surprises.
The veteran outfielder has started the season with a bang. He's displayed a surprising amount of power at the plate and also appears to be moving a lot better in the field. This is the player the Blue Jays thought they were getting a year ago in free agency.
Cabrera was back at it again Tuesday night as he homered for a fourth consecutive game while left-hander Mark Buehrle battled through 5 1/3 innings in Toronto's 5-2 victory over the Astros at Rogers Centre.
"We're in a good park to hit home runs, that's for sure," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "You know what, I thought when we signed him last year he had a chance to hit some home runs here. He's hit them before, he's not known as a home run hitter, but it's a perfect place for it."
The Blue Jays originally signed Cabrera to a two-year contract because they viewed him as a perfect complement to Jose Reyes at the top of their order. The ability for both players to post a high average and reach base at an above-average rate could have only meant good things for the likes of Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Adam Lind.
The problem is that plan never worked out. Reyes was lost just two weeks into the season with an ankle injury while Cabrera appeared as though he was rapidly aging before everyone's eyes. He struggled to get down the line, had extremely limited range in left field and lost all power from the lower half of his body.
It wasn't until late in the season that the Blue Jays found a benign tumor on Cabrera's spine that seemed to be the main cause. In fact, the issue went well beyond baseball and could have turned into a life-threatening situation, but was rectified with a surgical procedure late September.
Cabrera's now healthy and doing his best to prove the skeptics wrong. In addition to all of the home runs, he's hitting .314 (11-for-35) with five RBIs. Even though Toronto has once again lost Reyes to an injury at the start of the season, Cabrera is doing what he can to help ease that blow.
"Last year, the tumor in my back didn't allow me to play as good as I could," Cabrera said through interpreter Luis Rivera. "I feel 100 percent now and I'm ready to go. I'm good, I don't have any pain now.
"I feel like my swing has always been the same. It just happened that the tumor last year didn't allow me to really swing the bat well. But I feel like my swing feels the same."
The most surprising aspect of Cabrera's hot start has been the rate of his home runs. His four homers already surpass what he did in all of 2013. It's unrealistic to expect his current rate to continue, but the Blue Jays will be more than happy to ride the streak for however long it lasts.
The timing of Cabrera's latest heroics also could not have come at a better time. The Blue Jays were clinging to a 3-2 lead -- thanks to a Bautista homer and a pair of RBI doubles by Dioner Navarro -- when Cabrera went back to work. After falling behind in the count, 0-2, he sent a hanging slider from Kevin Chapman over the wall in left field. That gave the Blue Jays all the breathing room they would need as they got back to .500.
Jose Cruz Jr. holds the Blue Jays record for most consecutive games with a home run at six. Cabrera is just the latest in a relatively long list of Toronto players who have done it for four games, but not a lot of people would have expected it out of the former All-Star who has never hit more than 18 in a season.
"Even playing the outfield, it seems like he's a lot quicker running around," Buehrle said. "I can't speak much to [the home runs] because he's crushed me over my career. He's owned me. But just seeing him last year, it didn't seem like the same guy, playing against him for all of those years."
Buehrle wasn't particularly sharp vs. Houston, but managed to get through his outing without much damage. He allowed a lot of hard-hit balls and frequently found himself pitching with men on base, but still only gave up one run.
The 35-year-old allowed a total of eight hits, walked one and struck out three. There was at least one Astros baserunner in every inning, but Buehrle managed to escape almost every jam by keeping Houston hitless in nine at-bats with runners in scoring position.
Buehrle admitted afterwards that he didn't feel very good warming up before the game and had trouble finishing a lot of his pitches.
"I think that was probably the reason I got taken out," said Buehrle, who allowed a sacrifice fly to Matt Dominguez in the second. "Everybody was kind of asking, wow 80 pitches, and I think it relayed from [pitching coach] Pete Walker down to Gibby that I didn't feel good in the bullpen and was just kind of battling out there.
"I was up in the zone and everything, wasn't getting ahead in the count like I was last start. I'm fortunate to get away with one run in 5 1/3 innings. That could have been a game where I gave out eight to 10 runs."
Steve Delabar, Aaron Loup, Brett Cecil and Sergio Santos combined to allow just one run over 3 2/3 innings to close things out for the Blue Jays.


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Tagged: April Fool's Day
The Tricks They Play!
What does a World Champion do to his World Champion pal on April Fool's Day?
Berkman plays truck prank on Wainwright
By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com
JUPITER, Fla. — Lance Berkman and several Cardinals teammates helped pull off a terrific April Fools' joke on Adam Wainwright during Sunday's game.
The pranksters had the public address announcer give away a car to a fan, who, playing along with the gag, ran onto the field to collect his gift. Berkman drove the vehicle — Wainwright's white Chevy Silverado — onto the field and past an unsuspecting Wainwright, who did a double-take at the license plate while sitting in the dugout.
The winning fan, who was David Freese's cousin, jumped into the back of the truck and Berkman drove out of the stadium.
I love being witness to the shenanigans baseballers indulge in. And I ain't talkin' about chicken, beer and video game shenanigans.
I'm talkin' about bubble gum caps, the infamous "hot foot", and my personal favorite, the post home run silent treatment. In my opinion, Alex Rodriguez is the best at dishing this one out to unsuspecting rookies. Every time I see it happen I literally L-O-L.
Another hilarious prank that takes place almost every single day of the season is what happens (or doesn't happen) at Wrigley Field from April to September, though that's another post for another day.
Hate me. It's all good. Just don't hate me 'cuz I'm right.


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HPO & Susanna Mälkki & Nelson Freire
The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra invites members of the public to its general rehearsals, where we put the finishing touches on our performance for the evening's concert.
These rehearsals begin at 10:00am in the main concert hall with a 20-minute break no later than 11:30am and end by 1:30pm.
Tickets for final rehearsals cost €5 and can be purchased in advance from Ticketmaster (service fee €1/ ticket) and the ticket sales office at the Helsinki Music Centre from 13 August 2019 and 12 December 2019 (no advanced or group reservations).
There is no charge for school, student and special groups on a first come, first served basis. Concert is full.


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Mission, Vision, Values
Purchase College, SUNY, offers a unique education that combines programs in the liberal arts with conservatory programs in the arts in ways that emphasize inquiry, mastery of skills, and creativity. Our graduates contribute to the arts, humanities, sciences, and society.
Purchase College will be recognized nationally and internationally as the leading public institution to pair conservatory programs in the arts with liberal arts programs. We will continue to create opportunities for transformative learning and training in a community where disciplines connect, intersect, and enhance one another.
Purchase College celebrates individuality, diversity, and creativity in a community of educational excellence.


text:
Posted on August 12, 2015
by Ron Taylor
Comments are closed.
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"I'm new here"
I normally don't buy dried flowers but these look so great dried & they'll last all year round.
I'm starting a new little weekly series called "I'm new here" to introduce you to new finds & little additions to the house.
Let me know what you think!
Other Stories
27 comments:
wow i really love these!ReplyDelete
Can i ask where you ordered them from?
Those are so cute. I always wondered how those little yellow balls lasted so long...now I know!ReplyDelete
I love these (especially because they're yellow!) They look great in the beaker! I'm looking forward to your "I'm new here" posts too.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 08, 2010
cute! And i love the beaker idea!ReplyDelete
They look really pretty. Great colour. Perfect to brighten the house up now the Christmas decorations are down.ReplyDelete
Ooh I love these! Where did you order from? I like your idea for 'i'm new here'. Looking forward to your posts!ReplyDelete
Love it + yellow! Also love the family photo in your about page!!!ReplyDelete
Great idea! I post "Fresh Find Fridays" on my blog. I love the yellow. New to your blog and looking forward to reading more. Following you now! Have a lovely weekend!ReplyDelete
love the idea! I'm always excited to see your home! xoReplyDelete
lovely! looking forward to more new here posts.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 10, 2010
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.ReplyDelete
very cute! great addition :)ReplyDelete
- KellyJanuary 11, 2010
Love the idea of the "I'm new here" series and look forward to reading them!ReplyDelete
love these -- pretty much the only dry flowers i buy too! cute, cute.ReplyDelete
I've been seeing these everywhere and want to buy them SO badly! Where did you buy them from? They're so cute and modern - just perfect!ReplyDelete
So pretty in their round yellowness! And I love the idea of using a beeker as a vase too.ReplyDelete
i've never heard of these. so pretty & practical!ReplyDelete
i love my dried billy buttons (they have a few fun names, i've learned). my wedding bouquet had some that were painted reddish orange; i loved it. so FYI you can spraypaint them and they look awesome. even though yellow is a perfect color.ReplyDelete
I'm not good with real flowers so these would be a great alternative. ut I'm more in love with those "lab vases" you chose!ReplyDelete
I bookmarked that, because I think this is an awesome idea.
Greetings from Hamburg, Germany
i adore the i'm new here idea! please keep sharing!ReplyDelete
also i'm smitten with your use of beekers as vases - so creative and fun
Saw them in London and carried them all the way back to Denmark. Love them.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 20, 2010
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 20, 2010
"im new here" ... cute idea!! xo.ReplyDelete
these are my favorite! Zupans seels them fresh!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 12, 2010
These Craspedia are just so yellow, they look edible I loved the contemporary glass, too. A perfect contrast.ReplyDelete
Ri makes bisaya short films and likes the flowers canada offers.
That's what those are called!ReplyDelete
They're really beautiful, I linked your post on my blog-
Thanks for solving the Case of the Mysterious Flower!
I am sooo glad you posted this, I was wondering what they were and now I know. Thank you!ReplyDelete
I linked your post here: http://designbees.blogspot.com/2010/05/friday-flowers-so-thats-what-those-are.html
Thank you for your comments, I love hearing from you!
Questions, comments or sponsorship inquires, please contact me via the 'contact' link.


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You Gotta Do What You Gotta Do
Many people have been asking me what I'm going to do if a MLB team doesn't pick me up. I wanted to write a short entry that will hopefully let you guys in on the decision making that a free agent has to make. There are many factors that go in to a team being hesitant to sign a pitcher. Stats, history, character, surgeries, etc. In my case, teams have been hesitant to pick me up because of my 2009 shoulder surgery. I missed most of 2009 and more than half of 2010 because of it, and my comeback wasn't exactly strong. Granted, I had some great outings. However, towards the end of the season, when my innings started adding up, arm fatigue set in and I got hit around a little bit. All of that is to be expected with shoulder surgery. Ups, downs, highs, lows. So, with very little consistency and not much time to prove my health, you can imagine why teams would be hesitant to sign me. There is a way for me to prove to teams that I am healthy. That I can throw a lot of innings. That I can be consistent. That's independent league baseball.
Happy New Year!
I wanted to write a quick blog entry to wish all of my readers a very happy, healthy, and blessed new year. I sincerely hope that it's the best year yet for all of you! The new year is a time when a baseball player's internal clock gets ticking a little faster. We can sense that spring training is fast approaching, and the need to be ready becomes critical. The work ethic that we display these next few months will definitely have a direct impact on our start to 2011.
In Memory of my Grandma
It's always tough for me to find the words on days like this. That's probably why this will be one of the shorter blog entries that I write. Days like this one remind a person of what's truly important in life. Days like this remind you to always give loved ones hugs before you leave them. Days like this remind you to live each day as if it's your last. Today, November 14, 2010, is "one of those days."
And So It Begins
Welcome back to another edition of The Schlact Stories. As always, thanks for joining me. Today's topic deals with a transition, uncertainty, trust, faith, and hard work. These are all things that I am currently dealing with, or must deal with in the very near future. As of a few days after the World Series, I'll be a free agent. I fully intend on playing next year. I love the game of baseball too much to not play. It's the greatest game ever invented, and I'm so glad that I can be a part of something so special. And so it begins.
The Change
For as long as I can remember, I've been the pitcher that you've seen warming up before the game, walking out to the mound, standing there for the national anthem, taking my warm up pitches, and it's game-on. In my professional career from 2004-last week, I was a starter. I got used to that lifestyle. Every 5 days, I show up, drink lots of water, slowly put on my uniform, and head out around 6:30 pm to start my warm ups. I knew that in the early innings I needed to pace my effort level in order to make it deep into games. I knew when I was going to pitch, my pitch count, and what to expect. As of a few days ago, that has all changed.
Trading Season
Everyone in the world of baseball hears about the blockbuster trades toward the end of July. It's plastered on every TV screen and sports ticker. It's talked about on every sports talk show and morning radio show. You see the interviewed players during huge press conferences. People watch the superstars first appearances with new teams while wearing new uniforms in anticipation. There is a behind the scenes to these trades, however. In most cases, minor league players are the tiny blip on the ticker. They are the player to be named later, or the Cliff Lee for Justin Smoak and "some minor leaguers." From the day I showed up here in Frisco, TX about a month ago, trading season took its toll on my team. I wanted to share with you a quick behind the scenes view on what it's like when these trades go down.
Let's Catch Up
First and foremost, I'd like to apologize to all my readers on
the delay of this most recent entry. The last entry spoke about waiting to be
activated. I haven't updated you since, so here we go. June 3rd, I got a phone
call saying that I was going to be activated in the California League for the
Bakersfield Blaze. I hadn't been back to Bakersfield, CA since July 2007, so
heading back there definitely brought back many memories. Upon arrival in
Bakersfield, I was told by the coaching staff that I was moving into the
starting rotation, and that my first start would be in Stockton, CA.
There are a lot of emotions that ran through my body each and
every milestone during shoulder rehab. The first time I threw a baseball I was
nervous. The first time I threw a bullpen, I was anxious. The first time I took
the mound during a real game in Arizona I had butterflies. However, walking out
of that clubhouse in Stockton and on to the field to stretch and throw before
my first REAL start was something completely different. I've always gotten a
kick out of hearing my name announced over the stadium speakers that I'm the
starting pitcher in a professional game. That's really cool to me. I enjoy
seeing fans roll in through the stadium gates to find their seats. I love the smell
of the grills firing all over the stadium as I warm up. I even love it when the
opposing fans yell mean things at me as I warm up. It's all part of what I
missed the last year. It's part of my job.
time in Bakersfield went very well. I was able to start getting back into the
groove of pitching, throwing in front of crowds again and competing in real
baseball situations was something I longed for during my down time. The definite highlight of my time in the California League
was throwing a 90 pitch complete game. In my opinion, that game represented
everything I had worked for the last year. Every pitcher dreams of finishing what he started. There is no better feeling in the world than getting the first and last outs of a ballgame with you on the mound. I wouldn't have been able to do that
without the help of the Texas Rangers Medical Staff, pitching coaches, strength
coaches, and trainers. To go from shoulder surgery to throwing a complete game
in less than a year was something that really let me know everything was going
to be ok. A few weeks after my complete game win in Modesto, CA, I found out I
was going to be promoted to AA Frisco, TX of the Texas League.
Frisco RoughRiders is the team I was playing for when I was injured last April.
AA is the level I was pitching at when I was injured, so naturally it's the
level I wanted to be competing at again when I returned from shoulder rehab.
Getting that call that I was going to be promoted back to AA was really
exciting for me. Flying into Springfield, MO and meeting the team was great.
The jump from high-A to AA was the toughest jump in competition I made in my
career. I knew coming in a month ago that the competition would definitely
increase. My first two outings went really well, and my last two have been a
understand that post-surgery pitching will have its inconsistencies. I know
that my arm is re-learning how to pitch with this workload, and that each and
every time out will not be perfect. I also understand that there's a chance
that my shoulder will never feel like it did before having surgery. But, I am
going to work as hard as I can each and every day to ensure that I get the most
out of my arm. As I've said before, I don't want to look myself in the mirror
down the road and know that my career is over because I didn't give it
everything I had. I want to look myself in the mirror and know that I gave all
I had every day on that mound and in the training room/weight room.
the season winds down, I'll definitely update my blog more often. I sincerely
appreciate my wife, family, friends, all my readers, Facebook friends, and
Twitter friends being there for me. Each and every milestone, outing (good or
bad), and every new day you all are there to lift me up, keep me entertained,
and offer positive and encouraging words. I'm glad that I can share this
journey with you guys. The Texas Rangers coaches, players, medical staff, and
training staff have been key in keeping me healthy and on that mound. I owe
many of them a debt of gratitude. Thanks for taking the time to read this
entry. Have a great day!
The Waiting Game
Well, folks, as you may or may not have heard, I've been deemed healthy by the Texas Rangers medical staff. The last year of blood, sweat, tears, and surgery is now "in the books." The game that I love is now within reach. It's now become a waiting game. Once I'm healthy, I can't just….leave. I can't just be deemed healthy and expect to be put right out into the system. It's understandable that the Rangers want to see me throw a few times in Arizona. Throwing multiple games will ensure health. The last thing anyone wants is a pitcher who thinks he's healthy because all he really wants is to leave Arizona. That mindset benefits no one. Allowing myself and the Rangers to know that I'm healthy benefits everyone.
The Day I've Been Waiting For
I woke up yesterday morning anxiously awaiting that 20 minute bus ride to the Peoria Sports Complex. During the last year, that trip down Bell Road is one that either involved In-N-Out, the mall, or some kind of trip to waste time. Yesterday however, that trip meant something to me. Not that In-N-Out doesn't. I was rolling down Bell Road on my way to throw the first game in about a year.
Personal Milestones
There are days in shoulder surgery rehabilitation that made me feel as if I was in a deep, dark hole that I couldn't escape from. I would drive to the baseball field each day, yet never be able to step on it. I could hold a baseball, yet only for shoulder exercises. I could watch other guys run out there and toss the ball around, take ground balls, throw bullpens, and pitch in games. However, I couldn't. The game that I love so much was taken from me. Slowly but surely I dug myself out of that hole. I scratched and clawed my way back. Little daily victories, followed by weekly victories, followed by monthly ones. I slipped and fell a few times on my way back out of that dark hole. I hit the ground hard, but got back up and started scratching and clawing again. There was only one option for me. To overcome. To play baseball again. I wasn't going to let anything stop me.


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Sledding, skiing, skating… We do it all. But this no gear, low effort, high reward winter activity wins extra points. Making snow angels is so simple and so right on. Bundle up from head to toe. Jump in the white drifts. Move those legs and arms back and forth. Catch snowflakes in your mouth. Perfection.
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- 0
- Tags
- Snow, Winter Activities


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Gloomy Valentine
Gloomy Valentine: A stop-motion animation tells the story of a woman gone mad by lost of her love. Directed by Austraria-based Isabel Peppard who was influenced by the suicide song "Gloomy Sunday (Szomorú vasárnap, Sombre Dimanche)" written in 1933 by Hungarian composer Rezső Seress.
[ via: Digitaldj.jp ]
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Made with Fresh Avocado, Jack Cheese, Mayonnaise, Honey Mustard, Lettuce, Sprouts, Tomato, Cucumber, Pickle, Red Onion & Jalapenos
> PLEASE CHOOSE ONE <No, Thanks Swiss ($0.50)Monterey Jack ($0.50)Cheddar ($0.50)Provolone ($0.50)Pepper Jack ($0.50)American ($0.50)
> PLEASE CHOOSE ONE <Fresh Baked Roll Wheat Roll Dutch Crunch Sliced Wheat Sour Dough Slice Nine-Grain Slice Marble Rye Slice
The location and menu you have chosen is currently closed and unavailable for immediate orders.
You may continue to place your order, but the earliest time the order will be ready is:
Pickup : Sunday, September 27 @ 7:00AM
I understand. Continue my order...


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The iOS jailbreak developers have finally got a break through and have released an untethered jailbreak for non-A5 iOS devices running iOS 5.0.1.
@pod2g – the developer who found the Jailbreak exploit – gave the exploit to both the iPhone Dev team and the Chronic Dev Team a few days ago. Both the Dev. team have updated their respective apps – PwnageTool, redsn0w and the Cydia package. The untethered iOS 5.0.1 Jailbreak is meant only for non-A5 devices from Apple which includes the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad 1, and the iPod Touch 3G/4G. Interested readers can find the required download link, and the necessary instructions over at this link.
The developer is also working hard on trying to port this exploit to the current generation A5 devices from Apple.
I would also encourage our readers to support the developer by donating a small amount to him via Paypal. The whole exploit was single handedly found and developed by @pod2g, and he has been working hard on it for quite a few months now. The donate link can be found at the above mentioned download link.


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This is just a short blast about the Las Vegas User Group called SSSOLV (Web | Twitter). I am not certain why it took so long for us to do this, but we have finally got the UG on a twitter account. We plan to use this medium to help blast UG news.
SSSOLV is now @S3OLV


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Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM lens now available
Sigma Corporation has announced the release of its new 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM lens. The lens is designed for digital cameras with an APS-C sensor. It incorporates Sigma's Optical Stabilization (OS) functionality and new FLD glass. The lens is small, with an overall length of 3.6 inches, and has a large, fast maximum aperture. Its minimum focusing distance is 11 inches throughout the entire zoom range and its maximum magnification ratio is 1:5.
Sigma claims that the OS function permits the use of shutter speeds approximately four aperture stops slower than what would otherwise be possible. Users of Pentax and Sony cameras, which have image stabilization systems built into the camera body, have the option of using their cameras' image stabilization system or the system offered by the new Sigma lens.
Sigma's FLD glass, which is used in the new lens, has high light transmission and anomalous dispersion. It offers correction for residual chromatic aberration, which cannot be corrected by ordinary optical glass, and Sigma claims that it ensures high definition and high contrast images.
Sigma's new lens is a hybrid aspherical lens made with two glass mold elements for correction of distortion and astigmatism. It has a multi-layer coating to reduce flare and ghosting and Sigma's Hyper Sonic motor to provide quiet and high-speed auto focus. The lens' rounded, seven-blade diaphragm creates an attractive blur to out-of-focus areas and its inner focusing system eliminates front lens rotation, making the lens particularly suitable for use with the supplied petal-type lens hood and circular polarizing filters.
The lens is currently available for Canon cameras at a list price of $980, and will be available for Nikon, Sigma, Sony and Pentax cameras in the coming weeks. For additional information about this new lens, see Sigma's website.


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1 Dozen Callaway Tour (IZ)
$ 14.99
The Tour I(Z) is the most technologically advanced golf ball on tour. Through 2nd Generation Dual Core Construction, Callaway engineers have designed a tour ball that delivers faster ball speeds. The refined HEX Aerodynamics pattern has been improved to add even more distance. This patented design breakthrough reduces drag and adds flight stability through every kind of wind condition, minimizing the wind's effect on ball trajectory. The new urethane cover uses a proprietary blend to provide Tour-level feel and control around the green with significantly improved durability. It's also available in higher player numbers.


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Leading brands in our range of floor-cleaning, vacuuming and carpet maintenance products include globally trusted names such as Karcher, Bosch, DeWalt, Henry, Makita, Numatic and RS PRO.
In addition to vacuum cleaners and carpet cleaners, our rage includes many handy accessories and replaceable parts, such as:
- Vacuum bags
- Vacuum filters
- Vacuum nozzles
- Vacuum accessory kits
Considerations when choosing a vacuum cleanerBuying the best vacuum cleaner for the sort of work rate required - and the range of floors, carpets and other areas you need to keep clean - involves consideration of a few key factors. The most important of these will be deciding what basic type of vacuum cleaner is most suitable for your needs:
- Upright vacuum cleaners tend to be the most powerful, but are often heavier and less easily transported from area to area than other model types. Theyre less versatile for use in a range of small, tight spaces, and better suited to deep-cleaning in especially busy open areas.
- Cannister or cylinder vacuum cleaners are smaller and easier to move around/store away than uprights but can be slightly less powerful. Theyre highly versatile and often come with a range of handy accessories and add-ons specifically designed to make it easier to clean hard floors, staircases, upholstery, curtains, or under furniture.
- Handheld vacuum cleaners are usually powered by a rechargeable battery and contain a small collection bag or dust box that needs emptying regularly. Theyre especially well-suited to use in small areas for quick clean-ups, but are less suitable for large expanses of carpet or flooring.
- Wet and dry vacuums are considered multi-floor cleaning appliances, and have the ability to suck up both solid and liquid dirt. This makes them ideal for use in industrial environments, workshops and production facilities, where they can handle both dust/dirt and spilt liquids with equal efficiency.
... Read more


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Positive Change for LBK and The Islandside Property Owners Coalition clashed Wednesday, Jan. 20 over whether the Longboat Key Club and Resort's Islandside renovation-and-expansion project was right for the community and whether it can be approved as proposed.
Robert Gault, a Country Club Shores resident and the former chief executive officer of Universal Studios-Orlando, testified for Positive Change for LBK Wednesday morning, at Temple Beth Israel, explaining that Longboat Key "is in a major competitive battle for high-end tourism visitation."
"Please make a smart, common sense, market-driven decision to support our club, which will improve property for all of Longboat Key," Gault said.
Virginia Haley, president of the Sarasota Convention and Visitor's Bureau, said even just the approval of the project "will generate excitement for Longboat Key's tourism community that's been lacking for years."
"If we can tell a new story of Longboat, we can get these people back in the pipeline," Haley said.
IPOC Chairman Bob White, however, said he doesn't believe the residents of the Key ever said they wanted the island to be a major tourist destination.
"The club has not provided sufficient evidence that this development is beneficial or adverse to the neighborhood and contributes to the public interest," White said. "This project is not right for the site, the neighborhood or the Key."
The Town Commission and both parties agreed to cross-examine Planning, Zoning and Building Director Monica Simpson's testimony on the 5% limitation on non-residential development at 9 a.m. Friday, Jan. 22, at the temple.
Simpson testified Wednesday that the applicant (Key Club) is requesting a departure of the 5% limitation. Simpson said the applicant wants 15.1% non-residential to build its project, or 10% more than currently allowed for non-residential development.
IPOC attorney Michael Furen said Wednesday the club cannot ask for a departure for the 5% limitation in a planned unit development.
Said Furen: "If you can grant departures from the regulations that govern planned unit developments, what's the point of the regulation in the first place?"
The public is scheduled to begin making their testimony to the Town Commission this afternoon.
For more information on the fifth and sixth days of hearings, check www.yourobserver.com for updates and pick up a copy of Thursday's Jan. 28 Longboat Observer.
Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].
Positive Change for LBK and The Islandside Property Owners Coalition clashed Wednesday, Jan. 20 over whether the Longboat Key Club and Resort's Islandside renovation-and-expansion project was right for the community and whether it can be approved as proposed.


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George Junius Stinney, Jr.,
[b. 1929 - d. 1944]
In a South Carolina prison sixty-six years ago, guards walked a 14-year-old boy, bible tucked under his arm, to the electric chair. At 5' 1" and 95 pounds, the straps didn't fit, and an electrode was too big for his leg.
The switch was pulled and the adult sized death mask fell from George Stinney's face. Tears streamed from his eyes. Witnesses recoiled in horror as they watched the youngest person executed in the United States in the past century die.
Now, a community activist is fighting to clear Stinney's name, saying the young boy couldn't have killed two girls. George Frierson, a school board member and textile inspector, believes Stinney's confession was coerced, and that his execution was just another injustice blacks suffered in Southern courtrooms in the first half of the 1900s
Educate yourselves....
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Hello guys,
I'm 28 years old male and I've started to be concerned about the following symptoms, that are probably present since my time of elementary school:
- sometimes I am able to hear a click/pop sound coming from somewhere in the centre of my head, when I strain a lot (hard laugh, lifting heavy stuff, having the need on toilette and being constipated ...)
- I can hear this clicking in the rhythm of heartbeat, if heartbeat is very intensive and is accompanied with some stress or shock
- Once I strained so much that I was able to hear some very ugly sound in my head, like a movement of soft tissues or like you'd put a finger in the guts
- I was also able to hear this ticking my head when jumping. As soon as I stopped jumping, I was able to hear the decay, as it was some liquid swaying around.
The thing is that I ignored these symptoms, because I thought that sound is related to neck or ears, but that may not be the case.
Recently, I have been battling with my life problems, which I was somewhat ignorant of during all these years, hoping that I'm in some transition phase or that "it's only my personality" and there is nothing wrong with me. These problems would be difficult to understanding what people are saying (it's like somebody is pressing a mute button when a person is talking to me), difficulty with expressing myself, searching words to form a sentence, mood swings, bad memory, losing things, disorganisation, depressions, impulsiveness, changing activities from one to other, not knowing what to do in life, not finishing a single task - very bad productivity, tiredness, no will, losing interest in about anything in the words...etc. I sent an essay of these problems to some psychiatrist and she told me that my problems indicate on ADD adult case, but this has to be confirmed with tests. In any case, sth is very suspicious. And it becomes even more so, if these ADD symptoms may be somehow related to the clicking problem mentioned before.
To make things even more bizarre - few months ago I partly lost sensation at my 4th and 5th finger, including outer part of hand. Doctor said that the ulnar nerve is damaged, but don't know how this could happens as I don't do sports, neither I don't know that I was hit by something.
3 years ago I've had a standard and high contrast MRI scan of my head. Few months before undertaking it, I had a periodic blood check done and I was accidentally discovered that level of some hormone was way above threshold. Was sent to endocrino who decided to do a full panel test, and I have also asked for a pituitary gland check, just to have all the major stuff ticked. While hormonal imaging was all normal, the MRI scan that I have undertaken later, showed enlarged great celebral vain. Main neuroradiologist concluded that somewhat enlarged GCV is not a big deal. But the whole MRI imaging was bit scary, because I was able to hear two neuroradilogists arguing in control room with "Yes, it is!" and "No, it is not!" knowing that sth is not fine. Finally they gave me a shot of that contrast agent and retake the imaging with conclusion that while I have slightly enlarged GCV, I'm OK. Scary experience.
However, what if those guys may have detected sth that finally went under-diagnosed? Keep in mind that I never told them about my clicking in head.I visited them purely due to pituitary gland check and it's always easy to find a thing that you're searching for.


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|Biographical information
|Blood status
|Physical information
|Hair colour
Brown with red streak
|Eye colour
|Skin colour
|Magical characteristics
Scabior (d. 1 May, 1998[5]) was a wizard and a Snatcher in the gang led by Fenrir Greyback during the height of the Second Wizarding War.
Early life
- Scabior: "Funny 'ow they all thinks we wants to 'ear that [they were in Slytherin]. But none of 'em can tell us where the common room is."
- Harry Potter: "It's in the dungeons. You enter through the wall. It's full of skulls and stuff and its under the lake, so the light's all green."
- Scabior: "Well, well, looks like we really 'ave caught a little Slytherin."
- — An exchange between Harry Potter and Scabior.[src]
Little is known of Scabior's early life. However, given his intimate knowledge of the interior of the Slytherin common room and its location, it is likely he attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in his youth, and was a member of that house.[3]
Imprisonment in Azkaban
At some point in his life Scabior was imprisoned in Azkaban for undisclosed crimes, but was released sometime before or after Lord Voldemort's infiltration of the Ministry of Magic on August 1, 1997.[4]
Second Wizarding War
- Fenrir Greyback: "We've caught Harry Potter!"
- Scabior: "I know 'es swollen, ma'am, but it's 'im! If you look a bit closer, you'll see 'is scar. And this 'ere, see the girl? The Mudblood who's been travelling around with 'im, ma'am. There's no doubt it's 'im, and we've got 'is wand as well! 'Ere, ma'am —"
- Narcissa Malfoy: "Bring them in."
- — Scabior's gang of Snatchers arrives at Malfoy Manor with Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger.[src]
Following his release from Azkaban, Scabior became a Snatcher during the height of the Second Wizarding War, catching Muggle-born wizards and anyone who opposed Lord Voldemort, in return for gold.[3]
He was among the group that captured Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley in the spring of 1998. On Greyback's orders, Scabior checked the list of truants, searched the prisoners' tent for Harry's glasses, read a cutting from the Daily Prophet, and expressed terrified awe at the thought of summoning Lord Voldemort. He was also the only member of the group not to jeer when Greyback expressed a desire to bite Hermione, instead encouraging his leader to restrain himself.[3]
Having taken the truants to Malfoy Manor, where Lord Voldemort had set up base, Scabior assured Narcissa Malfoy the prisoner they had caught was Harry Potter. Later, when Bellatrix Lestrange took Godric Gryffindor's Sword from one of the Snatchers, Scabior drew his wand on her but was quickly Stunned. Draco Malfoy then moved Scabior's unconscious form to the courtyard with those of the other Snatchers.[3]
Battle of Hogwarts and death
On 2 May, 1998, Scabior participated in the Battle of Hogwarts, leading an army of Snatchers. Scabior nearly ran into the protective enchantments cast by the Hogwarts staff; which killed a number of Snatchers. After Lord Voldemort managed to destroy the magical protection around the Castle, Scabior led the Snatchers into the Covered Bridge, where he briefly dueled Neville Longbottom before the latter cast a spell making the bridge collapse and sending Scabior into the chasm below and his death.[6]
Physical appearance
Scabior was a tall man with long, tangled brown hair with a red streak on one side. His skin was fair and his eyes blue/grey. Scabior wore dark plaid trousers, black boots, a black studded belt and was later seen wearing Hermione's pink scarf. [7]
Scabior's possessions
- Pink scarf (stolen) - Hermione Granger owned a pink scarf that she put on a tree. This scarf was later stolen by Scabior and he was seen wearing it.
- Ring - Scabior owned a ring in the form of a horned animal.
- Wand - Scabior owned a wand of unknown length, wood and material.
Personality and traits
It has not been determined whether he worked as a Snatcher for personal gain or whether he possessed a prejudice against Muggle-borns; Snatchers were generally motivated by the promise of a monetary reward from the Ministry.
Magical abilities and skills
- Martial magic: Scabior was a moderately skilled duelist, as he was able to capture several rebellious Muggle-borns and other runaways, even killing some in battle. He was not fast enough to draw his wand on Bellatrix Lestrange when she attacked him. Alongside many other Snatchers, he was able to hold his own against Neville Longbottom during the Battle of Hogwarts and might have been able to defeat him if the bridge he was on had not collapsed.
Behind the scenes
- Scabior is portrayed by Nick Moran in the two-part film adaptations of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.[8]
- In the films, Scabior's role was expanded as he, instead of Greyback, was depicted as the leader of the Snatchers. He also teases Hermione, again instead of Greyback. In fact, the first of the two-part film, Greyback seemed to be a subordinate of Scabior's group, while the second part Scabior led a very large army of Snatchers to invade Hogwarts.
- Scenes that were cut from the film involved Scabior being violent and perverse. Nick Moran said: "It's all very reminiscent of Germany in the 1930s. I give Ron Weasley a proper kicking and call him Ginger. Then I sniff Hermione and say: "You're going to be my favourite". If you take the wands out, it's something out of an Eli Roth movie."[9]
- Scabior is a boss in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game).
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game)
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
Notes and references
- ↑ Scabior died right before the Battle of Hogwarts, that began on the night of 1 May and ended on the morning of 2 May.
- ↑ He obviously was not a Muggle-born, as if he was he would not be a Snatcher.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Chapter 23 (Malfoy Manor)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Videos: Previews of Tom Felton on Lopez Tonight; EW Deathly Hallows villains feature" on SnitchSeeker.
- ↑ Scabior died right before the Battle of Hogwarts, that began on the night of 1 May and ended on the morning of 2 May.
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
- ↑ "Deathly Hallows Casting News: Ciaran Hinds to Play Aberforth Dumbledore, More on Nick Moran" on The Leaky Cauldron
- ↑ http://www.snitchseeker.com/harry-potter-news/videos-previews-of-tom-felton-on-lopez-tonight-ew-deathly-hallows-villains-feature-77687/
Lord Voldemort
|Death Eaters:
Alecto Carrow | Amycus Carrow | Antonin Dolohov | Augustus Rookwood | Avery (I) | Avery (II) |
Barty Crouch Jr. | Bellatrix Lestrange | Crabbe | Evan Rosier | Gibbon | Goyle |
Jugson | Lestrange | Mulciber (I) | Mulciber (II) | Nott | Rabastan Lestrange | Rodolphus Lestrange | Rosier | Selwyn | Thorfinn Rowle | Travers | Walden Macnair | Wilkes | Yaxley
|Death Eaters who Defected:
Draco Malfoy | Igor Karkaroff | Lucius Malfoy | Peter Pettigrew | Regulus Black | Severus Snape
|Category:Death Eater allies:
Vincent Crabbe | Golgomath | Gregory Goyle | Fenrir Greyback | Narcissa Malfoy (defected) |
Quirinus Quirrell | Scabior | Dolores Umbridge
|Other affiliations:
Dementors | Giants (Golgomath's control) | Muggle-Born Registration Commission | Snatchers | Werewolves


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By Kay S. Pedrotti
Lamar County farmer Bill Walker describes his farm as "a zoo," but a wonderful example of "what a family farm should be" is more like it.
Lula is the newest member of a growing family of farm animals on the Bill and Linda Walker place. She is shown with her mother, Jeanine.
"I reckon these animals know...."
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Near Tokyo lived a great Samurai warrior, now old, who decided to teach Zen Buddhism to young people. In spite of his age, the legend was that he could defeat any adversary.
One afternoon, a warrior – known for his complete lack of scruples – arrived there. He was famous for using techniques of provocation: he waited until his adversary made the first move and, being gifted with an enviable intelligence in order to repair any mistakes made, he counterattacked with fulminating speed.
The young and impatient warrior had never lost a fight. Hearing of the Samurai's reputation, he had come to defeat him, and increase his fame.
All the students were against the idea, but the old man accepted the challenge.
All gathered on the town square, and the young man started insulting the old master. He threw a few rocks in his direction, spat in his face, shouted every insult under the sun – he even insulted his ancestors. For hours, he did everything to provoke him, but the old man remained impassive. At the end of the afternoon, by now feeling exhausted and humiliated, the impetuous warrior left.
Disappointed by the fact that the master had received so many insults and provocations, the students asked:
– How could you bear such indignity? Why didn't you use your sword, even knowing you might lose the fight, instead of displaying your cowardice in front of us all?
– If someone comes to you with a gift, and you do not accept it, who does the gift belong to? – asked the Samurai.
– He who tried to deliver it – replied one of his disciples.
– The same goes for envy, anger and insults – said the master. – When they are not accepted, they continue to belong to the one who carried them.


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9.5mm 50′ Standard Series Rolled Rubber
Each roll is 4′ wide X 50′ long (200 sq ft)
Please call (800) 864-1272 for custom roll lengths. (Minimum order quantity may apply to custom orders)
Available colors are
More Information
Fitness and Multi-purpose rubber surfacing offers superior durability suitable for both interior and exterior applications. It is ideal for surfaces that require resilience, shock and sound absorbtion and traction. The premium solid black rolls are also available with colored accent Flecs in a range of colors. Because of the high level of reused materials in each roll, this flooring meets and exceeds the requirements set forth in U.S. Executive Order 13101, and can be a contributing factor towards LEED Green Building Council certification. The available vibrant colors are perfect for dramatic interior solutions and exterior accents. Custom colors and color percentages are available with minimum order quantity.
Applications: Commercial & Residential
Cardio Rooms – Locker Rooms – Spinning Rooms – Lounge Areas – Weight Rooms – Ski lodges – Refreshment Areas – Exercise Rooms – Boat Docks – Patios & Decks – Retail & Commercial Areas – Pro Shops


text:
The choice of top pros for sprints, attacks and breakaways. Exhilarating speed, your ultimate aero advantage.
It's the frame of choice for Team Giant-Alpecin sprinters and breakaway artists. They know the Propel Advanced SL 0 gives them an edge because it's been proven through third-party aerodynamic testing. Engineered and developed with AeroSystem shaping technology, which means every tube shape and angle is optimized for minimal drag, the Advanced SL-grade composite frame is stiff and efficient yet still superlight. Best of all, it saves you 12-36 seconds over a distance of 40km at a speed of 40 kph compared to key competitors. And with proven technologies including the SpeedControl SL brake system, an integrated Vector seatpost and internal cable routing, it's the bike you choose when every second counts.
- Professional-grade Advanced SL composite frame with integrated Vector composite seatpost
- Advanced SL-grade composite fork with full-composite OverDrive 2 steerer
- Giant SLR 0 Aero Composite WheelSystem with Giant Gavia SLR tubeless tires
- Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 11-speed electronic componentry
- Giant SpeedControl SL brakes w/ Ti hardware
Electronic drivetrain systems deliver excellent shifting, easy set up, and solid battery life. Here are some benefits of electronic shifting that you don't want to miss.
Shifting Performance
Electronic shifting systems use powerful servo motors to rapidly shift the chain. Because microprocessors and sensors constantly monitor every aspect of the system, they shift with surgical precision and without chain rub.
Many major systems have customizable shifting. Some have the ability to add remote shifters for common riding positions, and some even allow you to change the functions of the shifting buttons.
Electronic groupsets are responsive and consistent. There are no cables to stretch and wear out, so you get a flawless shift every time. The added bonus is you'll never have to replace a derailleur cable ever again.
Pedals sold separately
|Advanced SL-grade composite, Integrated Seatpost
|Advanced SL-grade composite, Full-composite OverDrive 2 steerer
|Giant SLR 0 Aero DBL WheelSystem; 55mm deep, 23mm wide, Tubeless compatible, Full composite
|Giant SLR 0 Aero DBL WheelSystem; Star Ratchet driver, [F] 16h [R] 21h
|Giant SLR 0 Aero DBL WheelSystem; Dynamic Balanced Lacing, Aerolite bladed stainless
|Giant Gavia SLR Tubeless, 700x25, Folding
|Shimano Dura-Ace
|Bottom Bracket
|Shimano, Press fit
|Shimano HG 900
|Front Derailleur
|Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
|Rear Derailleur
|Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
|Rear Cogs
|Shimano Dura-Ace 11x28, 11-speed
|Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 with sprinter shifters
|Giant Contact SLR Aero, Composite, Integrated
|Giant Contact SLR Aero, OverDrive 2, Composite, Integrated
|Brake Levers
|Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
|Giant SpeedControl SL w/ Ti hardware
|Giant Contact SLR Forward, Composite rails
|Seat Post
|Advanced SL-grade Composite, Integrated design
|Accessories & Extras
|Ride Sense ANT+/Bluetooth, Tubeless rim strips and valves, Tubeless tire sealant
* Subject to change without notice.


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Should you wish to do so, you can drop me a line on Twitter @monilogue, or use the comment box below. :)
Jeremy permalinkMay 20, 2014 10:55 pm
The calendar could use some additions! Such as when free agency contacting can begin, when they can sign contracts, when the deadline is for extensions to Kanter or Burks, etc. (You don't have to, just noticed Lowe's trial disappeared.) :)
Bob permalinkOctober 6, 2015 6:00 am
Can you add a feature to the bottom of every Trey Burke quote? I would like to have a count of every time he says, "You know." I'm sure I'm not the only one interested in making this statistic more conveniently accessible. It would be great to know his all time record and then we could root for him to break it.
How Trey Burke would have phrased the previous comment:
Can you add a feature you know to the bottom of all my quotes you know? I would like you know to have a count of every time I, you know, say, "You know." You know, I'm sure I'm not the only one you know interested in making this statistic more conveniently accessible you know. It would be great to know my all time record you know and then we could root for me to break it you know.
Brian permalinkDecember 1, 2016 6:27 am
I love this blog. I've started looking forward to checking for updates. Thanks for the time putting it all together.


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The Scout Programs of Adventure Scouts USA encourage our Scouts to have a spiritual approach to life. We provide the leadership to support the growth and character development of our co-ed membership and the greater community. We accomplish this by providing contemporary skill-oriented activities that enrich individuals on a non-discriminatory basis. We put principles of mutual respect into practice through FUN social activities, enhancing character as instilled by parents, personal achievement, learning by doing, and related educational programs promoting good character in our members and the greater community.We enable our Scouts to understand and live their life by the six pillars of CHARACTER COUNTS!, and we expect our Scouts to be as good as their word.
Our teams may be sponsored by Methodist churches and organizations. Our Team Sponsors are those who work for the benefit of youth. Through a yearly renewable agreement, Team Sponsors use our Scout Programs as part of their effort to benefit the youth in their congregation and other youth in the community. Team Sponsors may control program content, membership in their team, and religious responsibilities.
Together, the Scout Programs of Adventure Scouts USA along with Methodist Churches and organizations can increase participation by Methodist families, and strengthen Methodist values through character education, and a sense of belonging.
We welcome Methodist Scouts and members and enable fulfillment of their religious responsibilities.
We assist our Methodist Scouts and members to integrate their faith into everyday life and help families to share their faith on their child's journey of faith. An important concept in Methodist ministries is free choice. Our Team Leaders ensure that every Scout is involved at every level and make sure everyone is heard. Our Scouts choose, organize, and lead their own meetings, programs, and activities.
Methodists believe in having proper respect and granting dignity to all. Similarly, our Scout Programs value everyone on an equal and individual basis, and respect for all is a guide post of our Scout Programs.
Education is very important to Methodists as is teaching the freedom to think for oneself. Similarly, we encourage use of creative and critical thinking in our Scouts.
Seeking the causes of and curing the problems they see in the world, our Scouts seek to eliminate homelessness and eradicate hunger and poverty. Methodists are concerned with common sense, social action, and freedom. Our Scouts develop resourcefulness, our teams operate democratically, and our Scouts take part in voluntary service to their greater community.
Our Scouts also take part in service to the greater community. Our Scouts regularly adopt comprehensive projects of service which they choose, organize, and lead. Our highest award, the Challenger Award, is a comprehensive undertaking which results in a substantial change for their communities, and must be sustainable without them. See what our Scout Programs can offer!


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There are no Upcoming Shows listed for this artist.
Rudyard's British Pub
2010 Waugh Dr
Houston, TX 77006
Food, Beer, Music, Comedy, Darts. We have it all.
Ty Barnett
With his ability to put a funny and unique spin on topics such as race: " We should switch stereotypes…every 30 days", religion: "my grandma is the only person I know with a tattoo of the Last Supper" and politics: " I'm glad gas prices are high… drive-by shootings have decreased!!" Ty demonstrates that comedy can be funny and yet thought provoking. He has been performing since his high school days on Chicago's south side. His ability to make people of all cultures laugh was necessary in a school full of diversity. He began touring California, Oregon, and Canada, gaining respect and a reputation as "someone to watch"; "a tremendous performer"; "refreshing". He was voted Up-and-Coming Comedian of the Year in 2002 at the Las Vegas Comedy Festival and named "outstanding performer" at Montreal's "Just for Laughs" festival, where he first got the attention of the Hollywood Industry. Today, after numerous appearances on TV commercials and live shows such as ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live, he is a regular on CBS Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Ty has been performing with some of the best talents in the entertainment industry such as Al Green, Chris Rock, Robert Schimmel. The media particularly acclaimed his performance at the Universal Amphitheater where Ty opened up the show for Donna Summer in front an audience of 6000 people. Ty's comedy has been very well received also by college audiences and he is now one of the most requested comedians in colleges across the country. Phil Iaezetta defines him "Fucking hilarious" and he is now one of the most requested comedians on Sirius Radio. He has been featured in the Hollywood Reporter as well as Maxim Magazine to name a few. Ty's comedy is hysterically funny, smart, and edgy. With his unique charm and hypnotic presence Ty delivers in every show laughs with a message. And this is what makes him a rarity among today's comedians: he makes audiences think. Beside his undeniable likeability audiences love Ty because he has something to say.