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(Pocket-lint) - Cheap, cheerful and just a little chunky, the Samsung RV720 is an impressive budget 17-inch laptop that's a step up from the usual desktop replacement - but perhaps not the powerhouse you might imagine from a notebook this size.
It costs less than £500, which is pretty impressive for a home-based laptop. But is it powerful enough to meet the day-to-day needs of a potential owner?
For a budget notebook, the RV720 has a certain amount of style. The chassis is a metallic grey plastic but there's no flex on the keyboard and little on the screen. The grooved texture on the lid adds some visual interest as well as making it easier to grip, which does matter with something this large. The drawback is that the grooves also collect dirt. The darker stripe at the base of the lid is echoed by the glossy black plastic background on the keyboard which slopes down to form a shallow well, although this doesn't match the matte keys.
The twin speakers are widely-spaced and the speaker grille pattern continues across the width of the chassis until it reaches the large power button. The screen covers the back of the laptop when it's open, but instead of dropped hinges there are two chunky projecting hinges.
Practicality tends to trump style on the RV720 and there are some very practical design touches, like having the microphone at the base of the keyboard, closer to your mouth, rather than a foot away with the Webcam. The tiny plastic bumpers around the screen interrupt the otherwise clean bezel but protect it from being damaged by the keyboard - something we've seen happen on some machines with isolated keys. The industrial design won't knock your socks off, but you won't be ashamed to be seen with it either.
With a plastic chassis and such a large screen, it's not surprising that the RV720 is a little top heavy; although at 2.6kg it's not the knee-crunching weight of most 17-inch models. It tends to tip backwards when you don't actually have your hands on the keyboard though, which is an annoyance. The size means that all the ports and connections are arranged conveniently down the sides, but it's a budget selection.
Keyboard, trackpad and connectivity
Like almost all new laptops, the RV720 has an isolated keyboard with Samsung's trademark, slightly rounded, keytops. They're well-spaced and have a reasonable amount of travel, although they're on the noisy side when you're typing at speed. The shiny black background is stylish, but a little distracting. There are large gaps at either side of the keyboard but no extra space between the main keys and the numeric keyboard and no dedicated media control keys. Uncluttered is one thing, but this feels more like basic.
The secondary navigation keys get a lot of space because the function keys are small, but we prefer Dell's habit of putting then down the side of the keyboard. The arrow keys are full size and outlined in blue to make them more obvious - they double as the brightness and volume controls. Mute and the control to turn the backlight on or off are kept separate, on the function keys, which also have an odd collection of secondary controls. A control to turn off the trackpad is great if you're a gamer and the fast profile switcher that switches between normal, speed and silent modes is useful. But do you need scroll lock and a pop-up battery indicator that often? The € key is marked on the 4 key so why is it also on the F3 key?
The shallow curve of the keyboard background means the large palm rest is comfortably above the keys. The large trackpad is offset, so it's centred under your thumbs (actually better than the space bar is) and there are two, large, separate physical buttons. All the indicator lights are gathered beneath the touch pad where they won't distract you, equally though, it's hard to see the charging light with the lid shut. The trackpad surface has the same matte silvery grey surface as the chassis, which means you're not sliding around inaccurately on glossy glass. Two-finger-gestures like pinch zoom and scroll are responsive and the three-finger application launch gesture works well if you make it clearly enough, but, as usual, the three-finger flick gesture is both awkward and not that useful.
On the left is the power connection, Gigabit ethernet, two USB ports, both VGA and HDMI, separate audio and microphone jacks and a SDXC slot. On the right is the DVD rewriter and another USB 2 port; there's no Blu-ray and no USB 3 here, but you do get Bluetooth 3 as well as 802.11 N Wi-Fi.
The Sandy Bridge Core i3 is a huge step up from an Atom, but with only two cores and no hyperthreading or TurboBoost, what you're getting is reasonable performance for mainstream computing tasks and multimedia, not a gaming machine or a video workstation.
The 4GB of RAM is welcome and the 750GB hard drive is generous at this price.
The audio quality is good but not outstanding; the volume is a little low and more bass would be welcome. There's no distortion, even at high volumes and detail in music is crisp and clear and both the treble and mid-range are strong. Don't expect the exceptional audio quality of some multimedia notebooks; do expect to enjoy listening to music.
Again, the screen and video quality are good but not outstanding. Text is clear but could be crisper and colours are accurate, but could be more vibrant - even with the automatic enhancements when you play a video. Contrast is reasonable, although not outstanding, in darker areas and very much affected by viewing angles.
The extremely glossy screen means reflections are more of a problem than the poor viewing angles for finding the right screen position. Frame rates in anything but casual games are disappointing. And while the Intel HD video is perfectly capable of streaming 1080p video online and our usual 720p test video over the local network, we didn't see quite as much of the detail at 720p as on some systems. 1600 by 900 is an adequate resolution for a 17-inch screen, but doesn't compare to 1920 by 1080, and that's reflected in the price of the RV720.
To speed up turning the RV720 back on, Samsung has the notebook set to sleep rather than hibernate; in fact with the default Samsung power profile, hibernation is completely disabled. That means the PC is ready to use as soon as you open the lid, but if you leave it unplugged overnight you'll lose half your battery life. With a notebook this large, that's not a problem if you're using it at home and leaving in plugged in, on a desk, but it's irritating if you're planning to move it around. If you want to re-enable hibernate, you'll need to be familiar with some restricted Windows settings.
Battery and bundled software
Impressively, the RV720 kept running for 45 minutes after giving us power warnings and with Wi-Fi on we saw three hours of battery life for a mix of streaming music and video, browsing the Web continuously and editing documents. Turn off Wi-Fi and dim the screen and you can get four and a half hours. A machine this size isn't particularly portable so the battery life isn't an issue if you're just using it around the house.
As well as the usual Office Start, Windows Live, Skype and the ever-intrusive Norton Internet Security and Online Backup, bundles software includes CyberLink MediaSuite for burning DVDs and YouCam for driving the below average quality webcam.
There's a handful of low-quality games and a slew of Samsung utilities with no unifying interface other than a program group in the Start menu. That's a shame because there are some useful tools, especially the Easy Content Share, for streaming content to other DLNA devices around the house. There's an intriguing app called PhoneShare that displays a QR code to simplify pairing with a smartphone to get online, but it only works with a single Samsung handset.
Samsung calls its Essential range "reliable, sturdy and powerful" and we'd tend to agree. The RV720 is proof that budget notebooks don't have to look and feel cheap. There are certainly missing features, but there aren't many 17-inch Core i3 systems that can match the RV720 for build quality with this low a pricetag.


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Hofbrauhaus pays huge lawsuit settlement
Owners apologize for serving one patron too much alcohol before DUI crash
The Hofbrauhaus, a German-themed restaurant and brewery in Pittsburgh's South Side, will pay $15.6 million in a lawsuit settlement. The family of a 7-year-old girl killed in a DUI crash, sued the restaurant for serving a patron too much alcohol, and allowing him to leave and get behind the wheel.
"I think of her morning, noon and night," said Mark Cleland, the father of Lexa Cleland, who was killed in December 2010. Lexa was in the backseat of her mother's car with her baby sister Kathleen. A car driven by 23-year-old Travis Isiminger of Greene County smashed into the Clelands. Lexa died at the hospital. Her mother Nicole suffered a shattered pelvis.
Nearly three years after the tragedy, the Hofbrauhaus and the Clelands came to terms on a settlement. It is one of the largest monetary payouts in lawsuits like this in state history.
Lexa's parents remember how much she loved baseball. "Jason Bay was her favorite Pirate, then he got traded to Boston and he was still her favorite," said Mark Cleland. "We'd watch a Yankee/Boston game and she was like, 'Jason Bay's coming up, you have to let me stay up to watch him.'"
Lexa's mother Nicole Cleland said, "She was amazing, she was one of the kindest people you would ever meet. She loved people, to know her was to know what true unconditional love was."
The Clelands' attorney, Jack Goodrich, said Isiminger was visibly drunk, and servers at the Hofbrauhaus continued to serve him alcohol. Goodrich estimates he was served the equivalent of 24 drinks in four hours, including six liters of beer and up to four shots of liquor.
"The law in Pennsylvania is: you are responsible for that person legally once they are visibly intoxicated. So, if they leave your establishment, they are your responsibility," said Goodrich.
Jarvis Nixon was working as a security guard at the restaurant and saw Isiminger falling down drunk. "We got him up,he started puking on the table, all over himself."
Nixon says he warned his manager that Isiminger should not be served any more alcohol and that he should not be allowed to drive.
Nixon said, "I try and get the keys, even though we're not supposed to do that, get the keys off of him. We'll call you a ride, or we'll have one of the security guards drive your car home. And we're not allowed to do that. And the manager kind of jumped down my throat."
Isiminger left the bar, got in his Ford Mustang and drove more than 60 miles per hour in a 25 mph zone on East Carson St. He crossed the double yellow center line, crashing into the Clelands' car.
The settlement includes more than just a huge cash payout. It mandates that the Hofbrauhaus must adopt 17 policy changes that aim to prevent similar tragedies.
The policies include requiring more training of staff so they can recognize when a guest has had too much to drink. Another required change is that the restaurant offer free food and non-alcoholic drinks to designated drivers.
"For those intoxicated guests that cannot secure safe transportation, the Hofbrauhaus will call and if necessary, pay for a taxi or cab," said Goodrich of one of the key policy changes.
"There's comfort in knowing there's going to be a change at the bar and hopefully we can save lives in the future," said Nicole Cleland. "That's pretty much the only comfort that I get out of it."
Lexa's father says the historically large settlement they will receive will help them. But, it can never bring their daughter back. "Normally the last thing I do every day is I go out to the last place I saw her alive, and I'll have a cigarette and I'll look up at the stars and I'll talk to her and it sucks but, it's how I get to talk to her."
Nicole Cleland has difficulty watching Lexa's friends play. "As they grow up, Lexa's always going to be 7. And when the kids come home from the school bus, they're all walking up the street, I don't see Lexa walking up the street with them."

subset: commoncrawl


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The calendar is now sortable by category and by tag, both at the top of the calendar. You can use the button at the foot of the calendar to add this calendar to your own (Google, Apple, Timely etc). The print button at the top will print the page you're on. Clicking on the main calendar bar (top left) allows you to choose a date to jump to. PLEASE NOTE – where an event is marked as 'ALL DAY' it may be best to check with the organisers in case they have not submitted a start and/or end time to us …
To submit your event to the ECF calendar – click here. This will also enable you to submit your event to the International Rating Office for registration with FIDE if it is FIDE-rated or has a FIDE-rated section(s)* | For a PDF of the ECF Event Calendar (updated every 4-6 weeks) – click here (PDF updated May 8th 2020)
* English events or events covered by the ECF only, obviously …
Official FIDE events … http://www.fide.com/calendar … and the rest – worldwide chess events from the FIDE website – http://www.fide.com/calendar/tournaments.html
To submit your FIDE-rated event to the FIDE Events Calendar, click this link – https://www.fide.com/calendar/tournaments.html?view=calendar&task=uregister
A new badge system has been introduced whenever possible from 26/3/18 onwards. An amber wheelchair (below) means that the venue has at least some disability-friendly aspects, whereas a green wheelchair (also below) means it's particularly so. In all cases, but especially where no badge is evident, PLEASE contact the organisers for more details …
The links to external websites within the calendar are being provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by the ECF of any of the products and services available or opinions expressed on or accuracy of these other websites …
Contact: Jonathan Hawkins Email: firstname.lastname@example.com [MAP]
Chess Camp with Grandmaster Jonathan Hawkins, Tony Niccoli and Angela Eyton. Lessons take place in small groups of similar ability after initial assessment. Tournament preparation, ECF graded tournament games, puzzle and worksheets. Prizes for effort and achievement | Entry form
Contact: Andrew Varney Email: firstname.lastname@example.com [MAP]
Open to any girls under 18 on 31st August 2019, and incorporating the 1st Oxfordshire Girls' Chess Championships – part of the Oxfordshire Girls' Chess Festival 2019.
Championship – Saturday and Sunday, five round Swiss. All moves in 50 minutes plus 10 seconds increment per move – £15.00
Minor – Under 9 and Under 14 sections Saturday, six round Swiss, all moves in 15 minutes plus 10 seconds increment per move – £10.00 per section; Under 11 and Under 18 sections Sunday – six round Swiss, all moves in 15 minutes plus 10 seconds increment per move – £10.00 per section
Special event – Simul with top female chess player planned for Saturday evening | Enter online | Entry form


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PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – Surveillance video obtained by WPLG-TV shows a police officer punch a 14-year-old girl in the face during an arrest at a psychiatric center for adolescents.
The video (posted above) shows the girl walking down the hallway of the Citrus Center for Adolescent Treatment Services among a group of nurses and police officers on April 28.
When one of the officers grabs the girl's arm in an attempt to place it behind her back, she turns around and swings at him. He then punches her in the face.
The punch knocks the girl to the ground, and the angle of the camera only shows several officers on the floor and one throwing another punch. Another sprays her with pepper spray as she is on the ground.
Citrus Center is a 28-bed, locked residential treatment program for youths who suffer from severe emotional, psychological, and behavioral issues, according to the Broward County Public Defender's office. The Department of Children and Families contracts a private company to run the facility.
Letter alleges problems at facility
In a letter to interim DCF Secretary Esther Jacobo and Pembroke Pines Police Chief Dan Giustino, Broward County Chief Assistant Public Defender Howard Weekes wrote that one of his clients was pepper sprayed and punched while she was at the facility.
"While detained at the facility the child was charged with resisting arrest with violence, disorderly conduct, and criminal mischief," wrote Weekes. "The incident was captured on CCTV and requires an immediate and through investigation by the department."
Weekes wrote that girls treated at the facility are routinely placed in isolation for long periods of time and tied face down to beds for minor infractions.
"Even more disturbing than the excessive use of physical restraint, is the use of chemical sedatives," he wrote. "While tied down by their arms and legs, chemical sedatives are administered to further subdue female patients. Young girls at this facility are routinely injected with a substance that often renders them unconscious and unable to recall events that transpired during the period of restraint."
Weekes said patients in the facility call the concoction "booty-juice."
"This mental health facility is simply tying-down and knocking-out little girls who behave in accordance with their mental illness," wrote Weekes.
In his letter, Weekes quoted a section of the Florida Administrative Code describing how mental health patients sometimes respond to trauma.
"The response to trauma can include intense fear and helplessness, a reduced ability to cope, and an increased risk to exacerbate or develop a range of mental health and other medical conditions. The experience of being placed in seclusion or being restrained is potentially traumatizing," states the section of the code that Weekes quoted.
"Yet here, the physical and chemical restraint of minor girls is a common practice within the facility," continued Weekes. "Incident reports documenting the frequency and circumstances giving rise to the use of physical and chemical restraint are not adequately maintained. There exists no compelling medical, psychological or therapeutic reason to warrant the widespread use of such a barbaric practice; yet it is ongoing. Most troubling and abhorrent, is the fact that the repeated use of restraining sedation has exacerbated the occurrence of disruptive behavior because it is believed that several girls intentionally engage in misbehavior in order to receive the chemical sedative 'booty-juice' so they can get high."
Weekes added that girls and boys receiving treatment at Citrus Center are housed together in living facilities and share restrooms. He also wrote that a man working there was described to be dating a girl receiving treatment.
"The Pembroke Pines Police Officer that punched the female patient in the face, the use of chemical sedatives and physical restraints along with the other conditions described at the facility requires that Citrus Center of Adolescent Treatment Service be immediately investigated," he wrote.
No complaint was made over the incident until Weekes' letter was received, according to spokespersons for the the Department of Children and Families and Pembroke Pines Police Department.
"DCF takes all allegations of abuse very seriously and has launched an investigation to determine if abuse has occurred. The investigation is open. The Department will be working with the Broward Sheriff's Office and the Agency for Healthcare Administration to get to the bottom of these allegations," DCF Communications Director Paige Patterson-Hughes said in a statement.
The police department didn't immediately return calls for comment.


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NFL Training camp season is always a time for irrational exuberance. Every team thinks it can win the Super Bowl, even though 31 of those teams will end being horribly wrong. And so, to preview the upcoming NFL season, which could be the most unpredictable ever, we now give you five reasons why your favorite team could win the Super Bowl. Today, it's the New York Giants.
1. Because the whole Osi saga won't affect them that much. Defensive end Osi Umenyiora has been the talk of Giants camp after demanding a raise from his current salary and then undergoing knee surgery just two weeks ago, which was a bit of a shady move. But the good news for Giants fans is that Osi's replacement, Jason Pierre-Paul, is probably better anyway, and that Pierre-Paul and Justin Tuck still give this team the kind of bookend pass rush that can single-handedly win games. New York will need that to happen a lot this season, because the rest of the team has a few issues, most notably...
2. Uh Eli, would you please stop turning the ball over? QB Eli Manning turned the ball over 30 times last season. In fact, the entire Giants team led the league in turnovers last season, which surely made Tom Coughlin's nose turn a deeper shade of scarlet. Eli is a talented fellow, but he's yet to really build on his spectacular playoff run in 2007, a run that seems more and more miraculous as the years go by and Eli continues to be aggressively uneven. Eli has always struggled with accuracy, and that problem may worsen this year because the Giants are starting all over along the offensive line. However, all is not lost.
3. Hakeem Nicks is a BEAST. The Giants top wideout scored 11 touchdowns in just 13 games last season. When Nicks is healthy, he's the kind of wideout who can make life a whole lot easier for the entire Giants offense. Say what you will about Eli's perpetual inconsistency (he's almost an accepted evil of tri-state area living now, like high rents and beach traffic), he's more than capable of doing damage with Nicks and Mario Manningham (taking over fulltime for Steve Smith) running down the field. The Giants will be able to score. If they can do it without amassing their usual turnovers, they have a chance.
4. Brandon Jacobs looks kinda useful. You'd think the Giants and Brandon Jacobs would have parted ways by now, what with the helmet throwing and all that. Instead, Jacobs has come back into the fold and has, in the preseason, looked excellent. He even got ejected from the Jets game, which means he's already in midseason form. A rejuvenated Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, who busted out last year with over 1,200 yards on the ground, gives New York one of the best backfield combinations in football. It's easy to overlook the Giants' offense because the names have become familiar to the point of contempt. But there's enough firepower here, provided, as we already said, that O-line doesn't fall apart.
5. And now a word from a Giants fan. I asked diehard Giants fan and Grantland writer Katie Baker to explain why you, the Giants fan, should be excited for the 2011 season. She writes, "Not since 2007 has there been a more subdued and melancholy fanbase heading into a Giants season. And coaching staff: this press conference with Tom Coughlin is maaaaybe the most depressing I've ever read. ("Q: Do you think Eli has the trust in his receivers that he needs to have? A: I certainly think it depends on who you are talking about.") The team has substantial cap constraints, and yet opposing fans would be hard-pressed to name more than a handful of our players. The ghost of Jason Sehorn haunts the team. The Jets are New York's new darlings. But the night is always darkest before the dawn, and last time the conventional wisdom went so virulently against the Giants at the beginning of a season, the team went out and won a #@()%*@ Super Bowl." True that, lady. True that.
You Could Win The Super Bowl! New York Giants
In-fighting. A beleaguered coach. We've seen this before.
NFL Training camp season is always a time for irrational exuberance. Every team thinks it can win the Super Bowl, even though 31 of those teams will end being horribly wrong. And so, to preview the upcoming NFL season, which could be the most unpredictable ever, we now give you five reasons why your favorite team could win the Super Bowl. Today, it's the New York Giants.


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be run off (one's) feet(redirected from are run off one's feet)
be run off (one's) feet
To be exceptionally busy, especially to an exhausting or exasperating degree; to be made to work very hard and very quickly. We have three parties of 40 scheduled for the dining room this evening, so all of our floor staff are going to be run off their feet. With three young kids, it's hard to remember a time when I wasn't run off my feet.
be run off your feet
If you are run off your feet, you are very busy. The poor girl was run off her feet with five children.


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Okay, you know those uber-realistic Reborn Dolls? The ones that look so much like real live babies, some people even carry them around pretending they ARE real live babies? I have to admit, even though I'm totally impressed by how detailed and accurate they are, for some reason, those things give me the creeps. So you'd think vampire and/or zombie versions of Reborn Dolls would really freak me out, but I had the exact opposite reaction when I saw the amazing creations of artist Bean Shanine at The Twisted Bean Stalk Nursery -- for some reason, I think they're way cuter than the originals! (Maybe because they're not fighting their inherent freakiness?)
Anyway. If you like Twilight, True Blood, The Walking Dead, or anything else having to do with immortal/undead creatures, you'll love these warped wee ones. Even if you haven't played with dolls for decades.
Images via The Twisted Bean Stalk Nursery
Sleepy Little Vampire1
Newborn Fanger2
Lil' Zombie3
Tiny Twilight Babe4
Lullabye for a Vamp5
(Can't Walk) Walker6


text: I have just bought my first pair of authentic tennis shoes. They are being shipped, so I have yet to try them. I'm curious, what are the advantages of tennis shoes over say basketball shoes? On a hard surface, they require similar attributes.. the ability to stop and start on a dime. What else is there to it? And how about running shoes? Do tennis shoes really have an advantage?


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With live multi-axis machining of parts programmed with GibbsCAM
MOORPARK, California, September 9, 2013 — (PRNewswire) —
Cimatron Limited (NASDAQ: CIMT), a leading provider of integrated CAD/CAM software solutions for the toolmaking and manufacturing industries, announced today that the new version of its software, GibbsCAM 2013, will be featured in the Willemin-Macodel Inc. exhibit at EMO, the biennial international trade fair for metalworking technology.
Several machines will be machining in the Willemin-Macodel exhibit, mainly components for watch and medical industry on multi-axis lathes and machining centers, most of them programmed using GibbsCAM. After the parts are modeled in SolidWorks (which is one of the many CAD formats that GibbsCAM reads), the solid models are opened by GibbsCAM, which is then used to program the individual parts for machining. The GibbsCAM post processors then generate the NC programs for specific Willemin-Macodel applications. One of the highlights of the exhibit will be the machining of a watch case to demonstrate the simultaneous 5-axis high-precision machining capabilities of the new 408S2 Willemin-Macodel machining center, which is also offered with a 4,000 RPM turning option.
EMO will be held at the Hannover Exposition Grounds, in Hannover, Germany, from September 16-21. Willemin-Macodel's exhibit, with live machining demonstrations, will be in Booth C66, Hall 27. (GibbsCAM 2013 will also be featured at the Cimatron Booth - G30, Hall 25.)
"We have supported Willemin-Macodel machines and its customers for almost thirty years, and consequently have been enjoying a close technological and marketing relationship with it," said Simon Voelker, Gibbs Distribution Manager for Europe. "We are therefore pleased to be part of an exhibit that shows the multi-axis, high-precision capabilities of Willemin-Macodel machine tools and demonstrates how easily GibbsCAM programs the Willemin-Macodel machines, including the new, full 5-axis, 408S2 machining center."
GibbsCAM is easy to learn and easy to use, and supports a broad range of machine tools, from the simplest 2-axis lathes, to wire EDM, to 3- to 5-axis milling and the most complex, multi-axis, multi-task machines. Of special interest to Willemin-Macodel users is GibbsCAM's flexibility and ease of use in programming precision machines for turning and simultaneous 3- to 5-axis milling and multi-task machining. The software opens CAD models from all the major CAD/CAM systems, in multiple formats, and includes its own modeling functions so that users can model and machine tooling and workholding devices, and generate geometry to edit and modify CAD models for efficient machining.
In addition, GibbsCAM and its users are supported by a current library of nearly 11,000 unique, error-free post processors which are created and maintained by a dedicated group of engineers at Gibbs and Associates. The library also includes some processors for Willemin-Macodel multi-tasking- and other machining centers.
About Gibbs and Associates and GibbsCAM
For thirty years, Gibbs and Associates has been a leader in providing cutting edge CAD/CAM technology, while maintaining its signature ease-of-use and productivity. Powerfully Simple, Simply Powerful is the guiding philosophy at Gibbs. Gibbs believes in empowering the NC programmer, machinist, and manufacturing engineer, not eliminating them. Gibbs' goal is to introduce manufacturers to new technologies and new ways of working that makes their machining easier and their businesses more profitable. To achieve this goal, Gibbs creates tools that are naturally intuitive, graphically interactive, extremely visual, associative, and just plain enjoyable to use. Gibbs provides a total quality solution with the service and support that successful customers require.
The current GibbsCAM product line supports 2- through 5-axis milling, turning, mill/turning, multi-task simultaneous machining and wire-EDM. GibbsCAM also provides fully integrated manufacturing modeling capabilities that include 2D, 2.5D, 3D wireframe, surface, and solid modeling. GibbsCAM is Compatible with Windows 7, Windows 8 and Certified for Windows Vista. GibbsCAM's data exchange capabilities are able to access the broadest range of native and industry standard CAD data formats. GibbsCAM is certified under the Autodesk Inventor Certified Program, is a Siemens Solution Partner Program-PLM for Solid Edge product, and is a SolidWorks Certified CAM Product. GibbsCAM is either offered or endorsed by a number of leading worldwide control and machine tool manufacturers, including GE Fanuc, Infimatic, Siemens, Doosan Infracore, DMG / Mori Seiki, Haas, Index, MAG, Mazak, Mitsubishi, Okuma and Tornos. Gibbs and Associates distributes its products worldwide through a network of international Resellers.
In January 2008, Gibbs and Associates merged with Cimatron Ltd., and is now operating as a wholly owned subsidiary. For more information about Gibbs and Associates and its CAM software packages, visit http://www.GibbsCAM.com or call 1-800-654-9399 (outside of North America, call +1-805-523-0004).
About Cimatron
With over 30 years of experience and more than 40,000 installations worldwide, Cimatron Ltd., or Cimatron, is a leading provider of integrated, CAD/CAM software solutions for mold, tool and die makers as well as manufacturers of discrete parts. Cimatron is committed to providing comprehensive, cost-effective solutions that streamline manufacturing cycles, enable collaboration with outside vendors, and ultimately shorten product delivery time.
The Cimatron product line includes the CimatronE and GibbsCAM brands with solutions for mold design, die design, electrodes design, 2.5 to 5 axes milling, wire EDM, turn, mill-turn, rotary milling, multi-task machining, and tombstone machining. Cimatron's subsidiaries and extensive distribution network serve and support customers in the automotive, aerospace, medical, consumer plastics, electronics, and other industries in over 40 countries worldwide.
Cimatron's shares are traded on the NASDAQ under the symbol CIMT. For more information, visit http://www.cimatron.com.
The Gibbs logo, GibbsCAM, GibbsCAM logo, Virtual Gibbs, and "Powerfully Simple. Simply Powerful." are either trademark(s) or registered trademark(s) of Gibbs and Associates in the United States and/or other countries. Microsoft, Windows and the Windows logo are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. All other brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release includes forward looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to risk and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. Such statements may relate to Cimatron's plans, objectives and expected financial and operating results. The words "may," "could," "would," "will," "believe," "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "plan," and similar expressions or variations thereof are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's ability to control. The risks and uncertainties that may affect forward looking statements include, but are not limited to: currency fluctuations, global economic and political conditions, marketing demand for Gibbs and Associates or Cimatron products and services, long sales cycles, new product development, assimilating future acquisitions, maintaining relationships with customers and partners, and increased competition. For more details about the risks and uncertainties related to Cimatron's business, refer to its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company cannot assess the impact of or the extent to which any single factor or risk, or combination of them, may cause. Gibbs and Associates and Cimatron undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
For more information, contact:
Ilan Erez Yvonne Anderson Investor Relations contact: Chief Financial MarCom Manager Ehud Helft/Kenny Green Cimatron Ltd. Gibbs and Associates CCG Investor Relations Phone: +972-73-237-0114 +1(805)-523-0004 Tel: (US) 1-646-201-9246 Email Contact Email Contact Email Contact


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A unique streak
Tomorrow night, fans have a really rare opportunity to see something at Dodger Stadium that doesn't happen very often. Andre Ethier goes for a 25-game hitting streak, the first time fans have have a chance to see that since Paul Lo Duca in 2003. Before that, it hadn't happened since 1971 with Willie Davis (Steve Sax's streak in 1986 finished on the road).
Three times in 40 years. That's it.
That's one of the really cool things about a streak. Fans can come and know that every Ethier at-bat will be special. It's different than knowing on a given night you might see a perfect game or a guy hit four homers. You know you're going to get a chance to witness some history tomorrow. Sure, he's still seven away from the franchise mark of 31 games and he's still a few games shy of HALFWAY to Joe DiMaggio, but what he's doing right now is pretty impressive. Here's hoping the Friday Night Fireworks start around 7:10 and continue well into the night.
Meanwhile, equally as impressive is what he'll be doing during the day. Back in Spring Training, he committed to visiting City of Hope tomorrow for their annual reunion of bone marrow donors and their recipients, which is always a very special day at that amazing hospital. They're one of our partners in ThinkCure and Andre is, of course, keeping his commitment to taking part in the event.
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This Ethieraholic is very proud of Andre, both on and off the field. It has been an awesome Dre' today reading all these great things about Mr. Ethier. BTW – my class (really a clever mom, who happens to be a huge gnats fan) got me an 18″x20″ canvas photo of Andre. It was awesome! The only problem I have is I have no room on my Dodger wall for it – lol!!!
Great picture luv how Ethier hit that home run..
Andre proves over and over why we, Ethieraholics, love him. Not only is he a mighty fine ball player but, more important, he is a great man! Keep up the good work, Dre. I wish you nothing but the best.
Come on Dodger twit. Willie Davis set the Dodger hitting streak record in 1969. Get the facts right.
It's a streak for the month of APRIL, YOU FOOL!
And, Davis was mentioned, can't you read!
Maybe you should've troll here if you don't know what you talking about?
Like Tru said, Davis was mention so that make you a troll.
I'll be there! Looking forward to the streak.
Both Henry and trublu4ever are wrong. Davis set the record in '69, but he also had a 25-game hit streak in '71, which is what the post is clearly referring to.
I'm sorry, but, it was mentioned several times that Dre broke Joe Torre's record for streak during the month of April…if that is wrong, then the people announcing the games should get their facts straight.
I don't mean to be nasty about this, for I am not a keeper of all stats, I am just relaying the information I heard.
trublue4ever: Yes, Ethier did break the April hit record. But that's never mentioned or referred to in this post that we're commenting on. The 25-game streaks and the 31-game streak that are mentioned in this post are not just for April — how could they be when Ethier already has the April record at 24?
"April hit STREAK record," I meant, not simply "hit record."
Okay…got it. Thanks 🙂
I'm reading this as three times there have been 25 game hitting streaks in the last forty years, which is accurate – 1971 to 2011. Davis' club record 31 was in '69 or 42 years ago.
"I don't know why the commissioner's ducking me" – Frank McCourt
Turnabout is fair play. Frank's been ducking his fans for YEARS.
The shoe's on the other foot now.
Frank McCourt is becoming an embarrassment to a lot more people than disgruntled internet commentors.
I'm so angry, I can't see straight.
FRANK McCOURT DOESN'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE DODGERS
And think about it… he's managed to make Bud Selig THE GOOD GUY.
If Phil Hartman were alive today to play Frank Sinatra, he'd say "I've got chunks of guys like you in my stool".
Really, just be glad you didn't pull this crap while THE REAL FRANKIE was alive.
A big THANK U Big Dodger in the sky for giving us Dre, bless him and his family for I believe he is a very good human being and a very fine ballplayer.
I'm feeling a little bit country tonight. This one goes out to Frank. Conway Twitty, "It's Only Make Believe":
People see me here and there
I think they think I care
For myself, I can deceive
'Cuz its all been make believe
My only hope and prayer, is that Selig won't dare
Seize books that just aren't true, and all my receipts too,
Too many 'ready know, the lies I've told since go –
Someday we'll get a ring, and that green girdle thing…
'Cuz it's all been make believe
Got dopes like Ned for you, locked out my wife the shrew
Hung banners on the walls, Selig's cut off my balls
My mouth I can't control, we're millions in the hole
Please say a prayer for me, thought haircuts were for free
'Cuz it's all been make believe
No bailout loan from Fox, I'll need to change the locks
The wife, the debts to pay, attendance went away
But all I really know – how much fans love me so
My plans, my hopes and my schemes, I am my every dream
'Cuz it's all been make believe
©NedCo Broken Records 2011.
You are the man Enchanted!!!!!! Fabulous song!!!!
Thank you birthday girl!! It's better now that you can play the music and sing along. 🙂
Gets my vote for single of the year. Nice work Beav!
I agree!! It does make it much easier to get the tune back in my head.
Nellyjune was right…you are the man! Keep the hits coming 🙂
Ethier is 1/13 against Richard so hopefully he's extend the streak to 25 games. Richard is 4-0 vs LA wonder which streak would end tonight? lol something tell me that we've got the wrong White Sox former pitcher and settle for Link and Ely.
Good Morning All….
I was going to scale back the happy face graph, to every 10 wins. But since I have been doing it for the last 24 games. I shall continue a while longer.
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Soulshine Time!!!
Enjoy your Friday everyone and Let's Go Dodgers, Let's Go!!
This one is for all the little people
And now Bud Selig's here
They say I face the final curtain
My friend I'll say it clear
I'll state my case of which I'm certain
I've lived a life that's full
I've had my hair cut every which way
Employees learned one thing for sure:
It's my way or the highway
Regrets, well, less than two
And even that one I will not mention
I did what I had to do
And did it all sans apprehension
I planned each horrid move
Each careful step towards evil ruin
And more, much more than this
I loved the doin'
Yes there were times I'm sure you knew
That I was out to kill Dodger Blue
But even though the hate mail grew
The property we still accrued,
I faced it all and though I'm small,
I did it my way
I've filled the team with trash
No matter what, they're still not losing
The fans, their teeth will knash
I find it all just so amusing
To think I did all that
And now it's the courts forever-and-a-day
Oh no, you're not rid of me
You'll do it my way
For what is a man what has he got
If he can't preen and be a big shot
To take a team with high ideals
And drag it through mud and courts of appeals
The record shows I did it under your nose
And did it my way
Yes it was my way
🙂 🙂 !!!!
Well done Frank! (Never thought I'd ever utter those words.)
Didn't realize Frank could write ITD songs…… hmmmm!! 🙂
Uh oh!!!! …thank goodness he is with Atlanta now.
LOL…at least he wasn't drunk while pitching 🙂
Then, again, who knows? lol
…and the trading rumors begin.
Good grief….with our luck we'd get rid of Dre and get Juanpy back! 🙂 Sizemore would be nice but, Ned doesn't think with his brain 🙂 🙂
Frank: You know, Ned, we don't have much time left to really screw the fans, so I want this to go down this weekend.
Ned: Whatcha talkin' bout, Frankie?
Frank: Trade Ethier for Juanpy.
Ned: But what will Schieffer say?
Frank: Screw him too. Besides, Schieffer is relying on Torre for all things baseball, and you know how much Torre loves Juanpy.
Ned: Got it.
Frank: One more thing. Trade Kemp for Coco Crisp.
Ned: Okay, I always liked the Snap, Crackle, Pop!
Don't take anything the Bleacher Report has to say at face value. They couldn't predict the winner of a one horse race.
Alright people, I can talk for myself, I just need boss to think for me. To answer certain questions that were asked of me, the reason I fake injuries to worthless PVLs and give away our prospects is because those PVLs are finished and come extremely cheap, while any young player has an upside and that might cost us and be less money for Bosses manicures and pedicures. Besides what's more important, having a real Major League team or having an owner with nicely manicured appendages? I hope you all come out to the park to spend your money and watch Andre try to continue his streak. Boss and I appreciate your Patronage and any money that we take in will go as an immediate donation to the McCourt defense fund.
Boss, I didn't know that you could write songs also? Now you've inspired me. Rose are red of that you can be certain, with me as GM the Dodgers will always be hurtin.
Roses are red
Violets are blue
You all want me out
But I say fuuuuuck you
Roses are red
Violets are blue, You'r gonna be out
And we will finally be rid of you! 🙂
Haha, I think it's time to rename this blog! Nobody's interested in this team with no future, we just want McCourt gone so we can start looking forward to ending this ridiculous championship drought. "insideFrankMcCourtsColon.mlblogs.com" Is that url available? Maybe I'll use it.
Streak or no streak, don't forget that the way to keep the pressure on McCourt is to stay away from Dodger Stadium. We want empty seats!
Last year's home game 13 attendance was 38,456, on a Thursday against Milwaukee. Cutting that attendance significantly on a Friday night against the Puds will be a challenge, but aren't we always up for the challenge?
Here's my challenge number: attendance should be no more than 29,999 tonight!
To aid in the cause, Don Mattingly has agreed to start Ted Lilly, always a yawner!
Nothing to see here – just another SoJerkOff statement:
"I guarantee you there is no owner or prospective owner in Los Angeles that has a better handle on the community than we do," Soboroff said.
Yeah, just another case of truth being stranger than fiction. You just can't make this stuff up!
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Get outta town,
SoJerkOff too.
Good afternoon everyone!!! Hope you are all having a great day!! Nice songs Frank-N-Beav!!! Got a good laugh from them!! Not sure how Frank is going to be able to keep making alimony payments, legal fees/retainers, and interest on all his debt now that Bud has cut off his access to Dodger revenue (both present and future) for his personal use!! I'm loving it!!! Jamie's gonna be bringing the heat when her money stops coming!! It's looking like bankruptcy may be Franks only way out!!! In my opinion that is probably our best bet for a speedy and less ugly resolution. Anyway, keep those seats empty!! It sends a very clear message to Bud and baseball about how the fans feel about the McCourts!!! Go Dodgers and Go Andre!! Extend that hit streak!!!
I love to see the EMPTY SEATS spirit here on ITD.
Hope the fans decide to watch Andre's streak on TV.
EMPTY SEATS mean empty pockets for you know who.
Come on, bankruptcy; come on IRS; come on Jamie; come on Schieffer – WE WANT NEW OWNERS!.
Jamie, you are a loathsome whore, but, less so than Frank!!
Stick it to the scumbag bastard!!!
LA Dodgers Latest Victim of Financial Crisis
"Where the McCourts fell down was in their approach to the team as an LA institution," said D'Antonio. "I think people feel that. People feel they were too focused on the revenue streams and not enough on what the Dodgers meant to their fans and the city."
He certainly has a different perspective on the situation than does SoJerkOff.
Heh, heh, heh!!!
Stupid LA Times Poll gets it wrong – here's your chance to straighten them out – VOTE!!! I did.
Poll says fans oppose Dodgers takeover; what do you think?
I see that the poll LA Times is conducting is overwhelmingly in favor of the takeover. The poll they were reporting was conducted by Seton Hall University – like what would they know about Dodger fans, unless it was from 50 years ago when they were still in Brooklyn.
Lineup – Check it out – Where's Loney?
Carroll SS
Sands 1B
Ethier RF
Kemp CF
Uribe 3B
Thames LF
Barajas C
Miles 2B
Lilly P
The noose is tightening!!! Heh, heh, heh!!!!
Hang 'em High! 🙂
The Good(Scheiffer), The Bad(Frank), and The Ugly(Ned)!!!!!
Love my Clint Eastwood 🙂
Who's Dirty Harry? 🙂
Yep, me too!!!
I guess Bud is Dirty Harry!! He's got the gun to Franks head!!!! Basically asking, "Do you feel lucky punk?"
Go ahead, make my day!
Everybody has to know their limitations….kaboom!
Frankie's boys tell him he can take the gloves off. I'm looking forward to a fight to the finish, and I'm betting on Jamie!
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Amazing – it just gets uglier and uglier. Knowing Frank's MO, he probably would have used the money from Fox to cover his financial "lapses" and fix the books to make it look like everything was ok. And that's most likely why MLB won't allow him to sign off on the Fox deal until after the audit is done. Just my opinion, of course.
Is it just me, or do you find it odd, that the Giants are celebrating Cinco de Mayo on May 6th?!
I've got it…they may have an off-day on the 5th. Sorry.
Hello everyone, glad to see Loney isn't in the lineup tonight
No Loney actually been hot the past 4 games and should've had a day off couple of weeks ago.
frank is on Dodgers Live…..says he is sorry 🙂 and will fight for his team….even funnier!
Frank still doesn't get it does he? What's the "crowd" look like tonight Tru?
No, he doesn't!! He's throwing a tantrum!! Just keeps screaming the same thing over and over!!! "I've got a deal ready, I've got a deal ready that'll save me, waaaahhhh!!!!
Doesn't look like a full house, Enchanted. Vinny usually gives the attendance around 7th inning. Will let you know as soon as I find out.
Spurs are gone. I can't believe how terrible they played this series against the Grizzlies!
I knew the Grizzles was going to pulled up an upset.
lol I bet Spurs fans are complainting about the overwhelming FT's that the Grizzles had in that game.
WTG Andre!!!
WTG Ethier that was a tough left hand pitcher that rarely owned him at a 1/13 before tonight.
Woo-Hoo Andre!!! #25
Feel great for Andre & bad for Sands. Should have gotten another run there.
Yep!! Kinda sucks!!!
Way to go Andre!
I sure am glad the Puds offense went to the Red Sox. Makes it so much better for Dodger fans. 😉
lol to bad we don't have the Padres pitching and bullpen then we would've been in 1st place.
Way to go Andre Everett Ethier!!!! #25 🙂
Rats!!!© Sure could have used some insurance runs there!!!
Can I use the F word as my Copyright? If it is already taken, I'd like Shit 🙂
LOL!! You can have either one or both Trumom!!!
Our bullpen always makes me nervous especially in a 1 run game
Wow, great catch Matty!!!!!! Highlight reel, for sure! That's if the east coast media is watching us 🙂
Andre too! the Dynamic Duo, on and off the field!!!!!
They should both be Co-MVP's for the month of April!
Damn, it's a good thing Matt & Dre made those two catches!
Whew! We now return to normal breathing again!
Have no fear, Brox says he's almost back to his all-star self…
All right Matt !!!
Woo-Hoo….way to go Matty!
If we could only clone Kemp & Ethier. . .
Yep, we could use a Dolly Ethier and Dolly Kemp!!
Well…"Hello, Dolly" 🙂
There is only one Andre and one Matt!!! There are no substitutes!! 🙂
I'd settle for a reasonable facsimile thereof!!!! LOL!!!
That will have to do because it's hard to duplicate perfection 🙂
Way to go Matthew Ryan Kemp!!! Home Run #6 🙂
Hmmm, Vinny hasn't given the paid attendance yet. maybe it's too few to mention 🙂
Urgh Donny should've double switch with Navarro batting in the 9th hole and the new pitcher in Barajas spot. Oh great I freaking knew it I would've rather used Padilla for 2 innings instead of Broxton for 1. Maybe Broxton need the freaking weak Padres offense to get back on track.
Brilliant base running Puds 🙂
Paid, I suppose so….actually there….NO WAY!
lol must had seen some photo when we had 2 guys thrown out by Green.
lol should had left Padilla to strikeout.
Put your seats and tray tables in the upright position because we are about to hit some turbulence as we go into the 9th inning with Brox pitching!! Let's go Brox!!! You can do this!!!
He IS a wide body…
Don't screw around this time Broxton.
Stealing the Giants theme from last year and it's going to be touture.
Time to see which Brox shows up. . .
hmmmmmmm that's 2 outs but I heard that before.
What's it gonna take for Brox to pitch a 1-2-3 inning??!!
What's it going to take for Mattingly to figure out this guy's no closer anymore?
A miracle?
lol until he blown 3 to 4 in a rows.
Here is go with the single and those freaking fielders indifferance.
Brox just can't hold a one run lead!
That insurance dinger by Kemp is HUGE now!
There goes that run I hate fielder indifference.
As my friend Jhall would say: PATHTICALLY UNACCEPTABLE!!….Broxton sucked…thank-god for Gwynn's catch!!!!!
Should read: PATHETICALLY UNNACCEPTABLE 🙂
The guy's lost 5-10 mph off his FB. He's a head case whenever anyone gets on. What's it going to take to replace him as closer?
Whew!!!!! Thank you Tony!!!!!
Back to your regularly scheduled breathing 🙂
What an amazing catch by Gwynn. Brox really does not deserve the save, but he'll get it anyway.
Richard finally got a lose credit to his name since he was 4-0 vs us and Ethier extend his hitting streak vs Richard who's has been owning him in the past going 1/13.
Let's everybody hold our breath and cross our fingers and our toes…
Brox can't close a screen door
Woo-Hoo, win streak!!! Whew!!!
I think the new question is – What do we say to Johnny?
No problem whatsoever. Brox, you're still my guy. Nice game and thanks for the save.
I'm thinking there's something wrong with Brox's arm.
What the hell happened to his velocity?
If it wasn't for some terrific defensive plays, they loose this!!
I'm inclined to agree VL – FB is now 91-95 where it used to be 95-101. Slider's slower.
And I'm going to start calling him bluegill – all he does is nibble.
I think he needs a punch in his nibblets! 🙂
Bluegill's too small. I'm thinking more like a flounder. . .
Doh!! Flashbacks of 'Animal House!'
Nice Win Boy's!!
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Soulshine Time!!!
Bullpen needs to treat the outfield to a steak dinner at least!
No doubt VL!!!
A nail biter for sure, but, I'll take it!!! Gained a game on the entire NL West tonight!! Good job guys!!!!
Verdict is in, start Gwynn in left and Sands at first. Use Loney as a pinch hitter and late inning defense!!!!
1. Mariano Rivera, NYY 8
2. Brian Fuentes, OAK 7
3. Brandon League, SEA 6
4. Joakim Soria, KC 6
5. Chris Perez, CLE 6
1. Huston Street, COL 9
2. Leo Nunez, FLA 8
3. Joel Hanrahan, PIT 8
4. Brian Wilson, SF 7
5. Jonathan Broxton, LAD 6
Maybe we should've keep Soria and Hanrahan but he knew those 2 was going to turn out great.
In watching all the highlights during the post game show, it's great seeing Andre do relaxed and animated! He is taking his leadership role to heart, and he actually seems to be enjoying all the ins and outs of the game.
Andre's 25th consecutive hit is the Capital One play of the day on "Quick Pitch" on MLB Network. Tony made the list too 🙂
Carlos Santana hit a game winning grand slam tonight. Who did we trade for him? 🙂
That should say, "who did we give him up for?"
That was the trade for Casey Blake on a 3 month rental and then we resigned him!!!
Yep, remember it now!!! :). Thanks Jhall!!!
Your welcome Nelly!! Have a great night and tomorrow!!!!!
Dang Wally I was trying to get that out of my head lol.
Game 13's attendance (2010): 38,456
Today's attendance courtesy of trumom: 36,870
2010 attendance (13 games) – 576,415 (44,340 average)
2011 attendance (13 games) – 488,854 (37,604 average)
Drop of 87,561 total
Average drop of 6735
Extrapolated for 81 games – 545,572
Projected 2011 final attendance – 3,045,936
That'll leave a mark!!! LOL!!!
We traded Jonathon Meloan for Casey Blake. We gave them Santana so that mccourt wouldn't have to pay Blake's $6 million salary for the rest of that season. Saving two months of Blake's salary cost us one of the best catching prospects in baseball. About $2 million. That's what Ned does. He pays worthless vets and releases young talent with nothing in return. mccourt just strips the team profits home. Well, he used to do that. Now he just uses the cash to pay off the interest on his loans.
Thanks for the detailed explanation. I didn't realize you posted this since the "drop dead Frank" comment was much more appealing at the time 🙂
There are some great letters in the Times today(http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-letters-20110430,0,4051678,full.story), and the editor saved the best for last. Reprinted without the consent of Brian Gadinsky:
CITY TO McCOURT:
Brian Gadinsky
🙂 LOL – he just said what most Dodger fans are thinking.
Tru – Andre was clean-shaven so it must not be part of a superstition has. It has always appeared it was more of a road trip thing he does, but then again, it could be a matter of what Maggie and the boys want, Andre does 🙂
I noticed that 🙂 I'll bet it was Maggie!
With boss and I in charge the team will crash, but it won't matter because I have a great moustache. Why did Schieffer call me Flanders? Anyway, boss wants us to hold a McCourt bobble head night, he thinks it will really put more butts in the seats, after all boss is the brand, and the Dodgers come second. Hope everyone comes to the game tonight, my job might depend on it.
Somebody ought to throw Frank off the right field pavillion; make it a double if Soboroff is with him. Ned probably knows better than to show up in such high up places with so many Dodger fans around.
ASSHOLES All.
One of the major reasons I dislike Frank McCourt is he is rife with a two-faced self-serving agenda. His inability to commit to the pipe dreams he comes up with to placate fans have hastened his downfall.
For example, look at the way he's handled the Stadium. Built in 1962, it's now the 3rd oldest stadium in the bigs, and has a chance to be the oldest, due to its concrete construction. Dodger Stadium always had a place close to the fans' hearts due to its emphasis on baseball. Not intrainning rat-races, not bells, whistles and loud music, but BASEBALL. A pristine, pastoral dream for those who wouldn't think of dropping $20 of 1989 money to Ray Kinsella for his dream field. Other stadiums could have their rockpiles, playgrounds and swimming pools, but Dodger Stadium is for BASEBALL…
Now, the Stadium is like a deformed ADD-afflicted behemoth, not knowing what it is. Loud music, enough flickering lights to give seizures to the visually impared, 10,000 distractions to take your attention away from the product that's supposed to make you pay $15 for parking plus tickets in the first place.
It wouldn't surprise me if the new owner decided to raze Dodger Stadium and move downtown rather than give it a chance. Sadly, McCourt might've been the only person who could've brought it into the 21st century, possibly even seeing a decade or two in the 22nd, if he played his cards right. But he decided haircuts and doling out Dodger Money to his family Bundy-style was more prefarable to upkeeping the cathedral of a storied baseball franchise that's his Bronze Medal, a team he wasn't allowed to stay up late enough to watch as a kid, in the home of his least-liked basketball team. "Beat LA" was probably no stranger to McCourt's vocabulary pre-2004.
Will Dodger Stadium pay the ultimate price for McCourt's infintile stupidity? Or will the next owner arise to the challenge of making Dodger Stadium the pride of the league again?
I shudder when I think of the possiblities, North. I have visions of a name other than Dodger Stadium or Chavez Ravine, if you prefer. Just look at the Oakland Colisium…it is now going to be named Overstock 🙂 I'm sure the Raider fans sitting in the black-hole will love it!
Yeah, and equal opportunity Frank almost stymied FOX by giving naming rights to Time Warner. Could you imagine how fast FOX'd call in that loan and take the rug right out from under him?
Another proof of McCourt's two-faced ways is his media blitz.
Not one month ago, McCourt and Media Blitz would've gone together like Lawerence Welk as the fifth member of KISS.
Frank McCourt ignored his fans for YEARS.
Ignoring us when we said security was a problem and too many gangbangers were getting in. Ignoring us when we were curious as to why we were paying more money for a continualy dwindling payroll on the field.
Ignoring us when we wondered why the hell he would announce the divorce on the eve of the biggest night of his fanbase's baseball lives in over 20 years.
And yet, Bud steps on his manhood, and he's crying to any news outlet that'll hire Bidderman and Hobson to primp and pamper him for yet another photo op.
The King of letting Dodger Tradition walk without even a phone call, the King of ignoring everybody is now wondering why the commissioner won't return his phonecalls.
He's under the delusion that not only do the fans love him en masse (because no one wants to be beaten by the LAPD for telling him what they think in the Pavillion), but the fans want 17-20 more years of McCourt Brand (Bankrupt and Broke) Baseball.
Always the darkest before the dawn.
Always the loudest before the calming quiet.
One of the major reasons I dislike Frank McCourt is he is rife with a two-faced self-serving agenda. His inability to commit to the pipe dreams he comes up with to placate fans have hastened his downfall.
The third proof of McCourt's two-faced self-serving agenda is his handling of the team on the field.
The need for the Ravine's 10,000 distractions only becomes apparent when you realize that a Realtor with a Litigation fetish has no clue how to run a baseball team.
Wanting to find ways to spend the least amount possible on the product that made his Dodger Blue ATM Card possible, McCourt shrunk payroll as he raised ticket prices across the board, making parking more expensive than the costliest box-office ticket to the ballgame just 7 years earlier.
His FOX-farmed core of youngsters, an amalgamation of the Jacksonville Five, Andre Ethier and a much heralded youth movement in the early part of last decade, should've been a component to a Championship franchise.
But to McCourt, if we were going to "compete", this would be the boat that would take us there, loaded to capacity with has-beens, never-wases and whos-its with no one in their prime in sight.
We have great players, but Kemp and Ethier should have been holding up the stars in '08 and '09, not held up as stars.
We should have had our hand in every high-profile pitching prospect to compete with the Phillies, let alone the Yankees. We should've looked for someone in their prime to take the field with our core, not someone who no other team would touch (and now we know the reason).
We should've been using the farm to trade for players in their prime, not paying 2 months of salary for players falling off the crest of their prime.
Because a Realitor with a Litigation fetish would never understand that the way to make sure his Dodger Blue ATM Card would NEVER run out is to produce a championship product on the field. (Right, like a pre-'04 Boston baseball fan would know anything about that.).
But this guy couldn't even grasp that the Dodgers would have to compete with the AL East if it wanted to win trophies and rings.
Awesome, factual details of what's going on with the Dodgers and mccourt, North.
And now Frank McCourt is begging us to give him a second chance, that the money-grubbing must have gone out the door with Jamie. But he's not the one who should worry about getting a second chance from Los Angeles baseball fans.
The man who should be begging Los Angeles Baseball Fans for a second chance is "savior" Commisioner Allan H. "Bud" Selig.
Let's leave the PED discussion on the bench for this one, I'm only talking about how he is implicated as the cause of this mess.
The Owner's Commish didn't want the Dodgers becoming a West Coast version of the Yankees, though in order to milk that lucrative LA-NY rivalry, the Dodgers would have to compete on a consistent level similar to that of the Yankees. And the Dodgers' system of stocking the farm with talent to either bring up to the bigs or trade for prime talent had worked through the early 90's, but as that decade wore on, it became apparent to O'Malley that baseball was headed in an expensive direction. To compete, you had to pay, and and unfortunately for private owners, the bill came steep, so O'Malley bowed out.
Under FOX ownership, the Dodgers were never afraid to spend. After trading what some would say was the heart, soul and future of the team for Florida TV rights, we soon had the first $100 Million Man (I thought it was a bust, but you gotta spend money to make money). For all the money they spent, though, FOX found out the reason that the high-spending Yankees didn't win EVERY year. There was a lack of chemistry, but chemistry couldn't be bought, it could only be farmed, the product of which we've been reaping the past 5 years.
FOX had somewhat of an impure motivation in running the team: Rupert Murdoch wanted to find a new way to set a fire under Ted Turner, and since the news wasn't enough, he decided to take their rivalry to the baseball field as well. But FOX soon found out that baseball was trickier than throwing money until the rings stick, so he eventually tired of baseball and, from the looks of it, put all of his development into the news.
BUUUUuuuut, FOX wasn't about to lose the TV Rights to the West Coast Yanks, so they threw an offer out there, sans TV Rights, biding time until they'd get a huge windfall for the tea… what's that? Someone actually wanted to buy the team WITHOUT TV RIGHTS?!!! Quick, draw up a contract!!!! I DON'T CARE IF THE CONTRACT WRITERS' ASLEEP, WAKE HIM UP!!!!
Fourth-wall-and-space-time-continuum-breaking aside, it was thought that no one could buy the team without TV rights, because thats where the money comes from in the 21st century. You can only fit 56,000 in Dodger Stadium, but there's millions of Dodger fans around the world.
Weary of $100 million contracts and rising player salaries, Mr. Selig let this sale go through, thinking that by taking the second largest market out of the spending race, salaries would fall, and letting someone buy the team without naming rights would ensure they wouldn't have enough money to compete at the trade deadline.
Of course, it just meant that he loses out on the lucrative cross-country Dodgers-Yankees rivalry that had butressed Major League Baseball before his reign, and thanks to Boston's even-more-compelling reason to spend big (having to compete with the Yanks just to get to the playoffs), salaries ballooned to heights unseen and unimagined.
And now, under Bud's Reign, and because of his decision, attendance is dropping at Dodger Stadium everyday. Even after his takeover. He's managed to sink the unsinkable.
Some may say he's a savior.
I just say "What took you so long?"
"and letting someone buy the team without
naming TV rights would ensure they wouldn't have enough money to compete at the trade deadline."
That's better.
"I just hand him a broom and say 'What took you so long?'"
There is no proofreading in a Comments section, heh.
North, you said a mouthful and I agree with all of it. How disgusting to see Frank go begging in the right field pavilion seats. How disgusting to hear him say that he got the o.k. from his sons to talk about the divorce. His sons? And to think any of us feel sympathetic to what he and his family have been going through since the divorce became public. I have to believe someone advised Frank and Jamie that a public spat would result in a public relations nightmare and cause some heartache for their sons but these two people are too stubborn and too self centered to care. Does anyone really care that Frank and Jamie want a divorce? In fact, if these two people had been doing the right thing; had been decent and responsible "stewards" of the Dodgers, we might well be sympathetic. These two people actually deserve each other.
One thing that does seem clear. Frank may actually be telling the truth when he says the deal with Fox is essential to getting the financial noose lossened. All the more reason to prevent this deal from happening. Fox is as much a part of this story as any other player. Frank sold his soul when he agreed to a deal with no broadcasting rights. If the Fox deal Frank wants does get approved by MLB, the Dodgers and Dodger fans are doomed. While I still hold Bud Selig responsible for allowing the McCourt's to purchase the Dodgers in the first place, I am glad he finally decided to step in and make things right. Hopefully it is not too late.
I've started a new blog. http://northstateblues.blogspot.com .
I'm gonna be my own moderator.
I'm going to Dizz Knee Land.
(played that song out loud after the Lakers beat the Kings in their last game of the season. Mean? Probably, but I feel the dirty looks I've endured over the past decade justified it. No offense, Nelly.).
What, no Jungle Ride?
Probably saw those hippo ears wiggling, and ran off, heheh.
More likely the bad jokes.
YAY…I was first to post a comment on your new blog 🙂
Thanks Tru! I also just posted a new post (of what I posted here, except in one big, non-consider-for-moderation-able post).
Still gotta deal with the format of it and everything, but things seem to be running smoothly so far
Nice posts North!
Since I doubt the L.A. Times will post this – what with everytime I mention taking responsibility for ones own actions is tends to get "lost", I shall post it here. 🙂
Frank appears to be conniving, narcissistic, and megalomaniacal. He also suffers from the great bane of today's society in that he won't accept responsibility for his own actions, preferring to play the victim instead. Its not my fault – the divorce did it to me. Or Bud. Or any of a number of other sources that have impaired him from getting his way. Why I suspect any day now he'll bring up his mom and dad's poor parental skills, teachers being too hard on him, kids poking fun of him, and the dog not liking him as other excuses for his ills. Woe is me, thy name is Frank.
In reality, Frank is like any other little three year old that doesn't like taking his medicine – yell and scream, cry, pitch a fit… anything to keep from swallowing that bitter taste. In my day though if you wouldn't take your medicine orally, that left only one option – a suppository.
Its time for the suppository now Bud.
He's not sorry for what he did. He's sorry for getting caught spending millions of Dodger money on everything but the Dodgers. That's the game he is playing, and it's just so pathetic.
Yeah, take it up the ass, Frank!
I guess Frank did not run into anyone in the stands last night who shared our opinions.
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
K. Drabek (L, 2-1) 2.1 7 5 5 4 4 0 1.61 4.45
J. Frasor 1.2 0 0 0 1 1 0 1.00 2.08
S. Camp 2.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1.10 2.63
M. Rzepczynski 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.71 2.84
F. Francisco 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.75 1.69
I know this was one game but the Blue Jays bullpen was light out today and I wish we had a light out bullpen but it would never happen.
Northstateblues – thanks for the great reading!!!
Good stuff North, Birky, and Beav!!! Very well said!!!
Wally, Birky and Beav….sounds like we are starting our own cartoon network 🙂
And of course, North, too!
Well as far as I'm concerned Frank is a lying son of a bitch!! I'm sure SoJackOff is behind the contrition and crocidile tears. If he really wants to show the fans how sorry he is he should sell 3 or 4 of the houses he bought with embezzled Dodger money and pay back the 100M!!!
Didn't Frank try and justify the 100M, by saying it was simply a 50m loan, plus his and Jamie's salary for the past 7 years. Although it seems to me, that salary was fronted in advance.
If anybody cares, here is tonights starting lineup: Miles; Jer-ry: Everyday Dre; the Bison; U…ribe; Loney; Barajas; and on the bump…Kuroda….GO DODGERS!!!!!
Thanks Trumom!!! Go Andre and Go Dodgers!!!!
My last post is awaiting moderation here. In case it does not get approved, you can read it on North's blog.
My blog tried to say the comment was spam, but I fixed it, and it's up in all its glory now.
Good Evening All…
Everyday in Dodger Blue is a Good Day!
Let's Go Dodgers, Let's Go!!
Enjoy your evening and enjoy the game tonight everyone 🙂
WTG ANDRE!!! 26 straight!!!
Way to go Andre!!!! #26 WOW!!!! 🙂
I know I'm late WTG Ethier #26.
Wow that suck for the Canucks and was 1 min 7 secs left to go up 2-0 in the series and to win another games 1-0 but the Predators just scored to force OT.
I saw that slow motion goal. Luongo blew that one!
Does anyone else think Stauffer looks like that Freddie Highmore kid, or is it just me?
Well there goes Stauffer. Hopefully they can get to the Pud bullpen. . .
Hello all!
A great article by TJ Simers here:
One might think he was reading ITD!
Woo hoo! Thanks Tony!!!
CRAP!!! This bullpen blows!
It could drive a sober fan to the bottle!!!
BTW It could also drive a moderate drinker to mass quantity consumption!
Thar she blows!!!
I feel like I say this every night but our bullpen is horendous
This bullpen implodes in one way or another night after night after night.
Brings to mind the Yogi-ism. . .
Deja Vu all over again!
Dodgereric – Trumom wants me to report the attendance for you since she is here and not at home 🙂
Tonight's paid attendance is 34,453
I wanted this guy in our bullpen. lol 1 hit in the past 11 games and only allowed 3 hits all season long.
Yeah jhall! Why can't everyone just see that everything that comes out of his mouth is a lie?
32, that happened to me a few nights ago. I went back and cut-and-pasted it into 3 separate posts. They all went through. Just don't do them to quickly, you'll get an error message telling you to slow down. Seriously. I wouldn't wait for your post to be "moderated". With the speed we get new threads, they'll allow your post in about a week. Maybe.
Game 14's attendance (2010): 40,567
Today's attendance courtesy of trumom via Junie: 34,453
2010 attendance (14 games) – 616,982 (44,070 average)
2011 attendance (14 games) – 523,307 (37,379 average)
Drop of 93,675 total
Average drop of 6691
Extrapolated for 81 games – 541,977
Projected 2011 final attendance – 3,027,705
2010's final attendance – 3,562,318 (#3 in MLB)
Accepting this as a mediocre season, there are really only three pressing needs to make 2011 a fantastic year: lock up Kemp, lock up Ethier, and with the help of the IRS, lock up McCourt.
What a revolting development!!!
As you can see, we're slowly creeping towards a projected attendance of less than 3 million.
I know a lot of people are saying that the drop has a lot to do with the economy, and that a lot of teams are experiencing losses in attendance. This much is true. I found a spot in baseball-reference that shows as much:
If you do go there, like most of their stats, you can click the top of a column and it will sort for you. Click the last column, "DiffPerGame". You'll find us next-to-last, just above the Seattle Mariners. Yesterday we were dead last.
You'll also note that 1/3 of MLB is showing a plus in attendance, with the average MLB-wide is a drop of 603 per game. So yes, 2/3rds of the teams have lowered numbers. But we're worse than just about everyone.
I have to think that the mccourt-haters are making a difference. Of course, I'm extremely prejudiced. 🙂
I knew those bandwagon Giants fans were going to go up a lot with that fluke WS win.
So, do you think the actual attendance and the paid attendance will actually be closer to each other as the season progresses. Or is it more the fact these season ticket holders are stuck with tickets they don't want (meaning people aren't buying their tickets on StubHub). There is a very visible difference in what is being reported as paid attendance and all the empty yellow seats.
I surely wanted this guy in our bullpen don't know why he used to suck with the Mets and now he's one of the best closer for the past 3 years.
I would personally love to have Cuban as owner
Although I'm sure that would never happen
Have you seen what the prices are on StubHub for those yellow seats? Holy crap! You'd have to look long and hard for a bigger Dodger fan than I am, but no way in HELL I'd EVER pay that kind of money for a seat to ANYTHING, unless it was a Beatles reunion. Are there actually that many idle rich?
I'm guessing that a large percentage of those yellow seat season ticket holders purchase the seats as mostly a money-making venture. They are probably casual fans who attend the occasional game but sell off the rest. Probably a cool tax dodge too. But when those $1000 seats go un-purchased, those season ticket holders are less likely to purchase them next year. Hence the drop from 27,000 season seats in '07 to 17,000 now.
To answer your question, I think that the attendance (as usual) will be more-or-less tied to team performance. As the season progresses, if the Dodgers are still "competitive" (and they most likely will be in this poor division), I think there's a good chance some of these fans will return. As I've frequently said, I hope the team's poor performance will contribute to the current downturn.
I agree with you (and any objective observer) that the actual attendance is considerably less than the tickets sold. It is almost always true in the best of times, but not to the extent it has been this season.
It kind of makes you wonder how the revenue is doing because with all of those "actual" empty seats, those empty seats aren't buying food, drink and/or merchandise either. And that's the ultimate goal for Frank to run out of money.
I was reading this article earlier this evening:
"An analysis of the Dodgers' finances conducted for The Times last year by Holthouse, Van Carlin and Trigt, the largest accounting firm in Southern California, and based on data through the 2009 season, showed that the McCourts could sell the team for $800 million but walk away with about $80 million each, after debts and deferred taxes were paid."
How in the world can mccourt ask for everyone to forgive and forget when the team he "bought" in '04 has 1) doubled in value, 2) finished 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, 2nd, 1st and 2nd in league attendance and only come out with 10% in a sale? Sorry, clown. You had your chance. Sell the team and see if you purchase another one someday. Maybe you'll have better luck. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! And HA!
Yes, I had to break up another long post. Moderation, ha.
Good Sunday Morning All…
I have enjoyed all the comments, songs, and passion this blog brings…
.500 – Which way are we gonna go?
Let's Go Dodgers,Let's Go!!
Enjoy the 1st day of May everybody, and enjoy the game today!
Hmmmm! So are 32and53fan's posts going to remain at the bottom of this thread until it's changed? This is a new twist on the time warping issue 🙂