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Pissed off at Morristown BMW - Misleading and arrogant
I took my X5 in for a $165.00 oil change over the weekend. I waited for almost 2 hours to get my truck back. The dealer told me they found 2 oil leaks, vacuum pump and vanos seals that they could fix for an additional $1200. I told them I didnt't have time and needed my truck back because I had to be somewhere. I also told them how intereresting it is that they found this leak just as I am out of warranty (49,000 miles and 4 1/2 years)
The next day I noticed that they installed license plate holders with their dealership name on it. WTF??? I am not a rolling billboard for their dealership and who the hell do they think they are installing **** on my truck with out my permission while I sit in their lobby waiting. F'ing Arrogant bastards!
Today I took a closer look at the bill and noticed that the part number for the oil is
99-00-0-000-007 VL 5w30 Synth. WTF? That is not BMW oil!!! They did a $165 oil change and used what I believe is Valvoline!!
I highly recommend avoiding this dealership!
Vince - 2007 X5 4.8 Sport
Damn stealership.
2012 335iA Blk. Sapphire- Sport-Blk. Dakota Leather/Red-Brushed Alum.Trim-DAP-PP-CWP Rear View Camera-BMW Asst w/Enhanced BT&USB-High Gloss Blk.Trim Hghight-PSP-Speed Limit Info-Tech. Pkg-PDC-Rear Manual Sun Shades-SAT-Variable Sport Steering-Wheel Locks- Rubber Mats-Euro Del 5/14/12-Redelivery 7/16/12 2006 X3 3.0iA 4/6 Silver Gray Metallic-Black Leather-Nav-PP-SP-Xenon Headlights-PDC-Heated Front Seats-Privacy Glass-Servotronic Steering-Premium Sound System-R R R- Wheel Locks- Rubber Mats
Why would you go to the Dealer for an out of warranty oil change, find yourself a good BMW Indy shop and then you won't need to put up with their nonsense. Once my car is out of warranty the Dealer won't see my face again ever!
2015, M4 Coupe, Alpine White, Black Nappa leather,
BMWCCA Member since 07/2008
This isn't the only NJ dealer to avoid. Potential buyers should check and double check any quotes for purchases or leases. Too many times "honest" mistakes can be made that were actually deliberate mistakes that were hoped to be missed. I am amazed at how many times I caught quotes that became "honest" mistakes when I confronted the salesperson.
I called and asked to speak to the General Manager today to voice my concerns. I was put into his voice mail. I told him if he wanted me to advertise for his dealership he got it. I told him I will be telling anyone that will listen to avoid their dealership and I would let everyone know how they don't use recommended BMW oil and they keep you waiting in the lobby while they install license plate ads on your vehicle.
Vince - 2007 X5 4.8 Sport
This post just. Makes me angry. I feel bad for you. Op
Oil leaks can happen at any given point and probably did happen very recently. It doesn't really matter to the dealer if you get the car repaired under warranty or out of pocket because they get paid the same either way. Unless you get under your car and check it for leaks, you have no ground to be upset with them.
The license plate issue is something I don't agree with and you were right to voice your opinion to the manager.
It sounds like the dealer did what they were supposed to and you're just being paranoid.
Vince - 2007 X5 4.8 Sport
Your whole complaint is based on an assumption. You have no proof that the dealer did what you "think" they did and you are bashing them on several forums, which is ignorant.
I don't have any affiliation with Morristown BMW and I'm not saying they are right or wrong. I'm just throwing out another perspective here and saying that they "could" be right. Don't get offended when someone doesn't 100% agree with you.
I know there are some shady dealers but this seems too far fetched. No BMW dealer would try to make your life miserable and wait until out of warranty to bring up a noticable leak. No dealer would use valvoline.
Have you called and actually talked to someone at the dealer? Other than leaving a voicemail, did you ask any questions about your concerns?
Why haven't you gone back to get the oil changed? If I "thought" the car had Valvoline in it, I sure would want to change the oil out right away.
Last edited by timsev; 05-03-2012 at 07:19 AM.
My point is that if you are looking at these posts through the eyes of a dealer and choose to offer a different point of view, you should disclose that you work for a dealer. I am sure if you speak to a wall street banker, their opinion on the money that the government spent to bail them out is going to be very different from the taxpayers who paid for it. Different view of the world depending on which side of the desk you sit.
To be clear I am upset that I spent 2 hours and $165 for an oil change only to find out that they installed license plate holders (front and back) on my truck and they did not use BMW oil. As I said earlier, I could have gone to a Jiffy Lube for about 1/2 the cost and been done in 15 min and not have to go home and remove license plate holders.
As for the oil you might think that "No dealer would use Valvoline" but it is listed as an "accepteble" oil. If I was to rely on my onboard computer to alert me to when I need another oil change it would be 18,000 miles. I am assuming that the computer was calibrated using BMW's recommended Long Life oil and not the cheaper accepteble oil which can be used to top off BMW's oil.
Someone on this forum posted that the reason that BMW's develop oil leaks is because BMW pushes the recommended oil change to 18,000 miles. The older oil gets cooked and makes the rubber gaskets brittle. What is interesting about that theory is that the gaskets usually don't fail until after 50,000 miles. It does make for a nice business model. Design minor failures to ensure that dealers continue to have service calls coming back in to the dealership once the warranty is expired. "And while you are waiting, why not go look at the new cars on the showroom floor with complete warranty coverage? "
This is on BMW's website:
BMW High Performance Synthetic Oil is recommended for scheduled engine oil changes.
BMW High Performance SAE 5W-30 Synthetic Oil* (BMW part number 07 51 0 017 866)
* Does not apply to M vehicles - see below
BMW recommends that you check your engine oil level whenever you add fuel to your vehicle.
If you need to add oil between oil changes and BMW High Performance Synthetic Oil is unavailable, you may top up the oil level with one of the following approved synthetic oils. For information on checking your engine oil level refer to your vehicle's Owner's Manual.
The oils listed below meet BMW's Long-life rating and are acceptable for use in BMW Passenger vehicles and SAVs in the US market with gasoline engines.
BMW Long-life rating LL-01 Approved Synthetic Oils for the US Market:
Castrol Syntec European Formula SAE 0W-30
Mobil 1 SAE 0W-40
Pennzoil Platinum European Formula Ultra SAE 5W-30
Valvoline SynPower SAE 5W-30
Why don't you just ask the dealer what oil they used??????
Your idea about the gaskets going bad after 50,000 miles is pure speculation and paranoia. Do you know how many cars I see everyday with 100,000 miles that have no leaks and they follow the standard oil change interval?
You believe some random guy on an internet forum about his conspriacy theory. Do you think that BMW can engineer their gaskets to fail at a certain point based on mileage and oil life? Come on man. Stop.
Oil leaks can happen at anytime. I've had cars that leak oil with 1,000 miles. I've had cars that were bone dry after 150,000 miles. It's just chance.
Don't jump to conclusions. Go ask the dealer about the oil. I'm sure if you are reasonable, they will be too. If in fact the dealer used Valvoline, ask them to replace it with BMW Castrol.
I work for a multi-franchise dealership (not BMW) and the oil we use in our shop for oil changes is not the "bottled" OEM brand oil, but bulk oil (250 gal tanks) that meets the OEM specs. This is because the OEM's are not in the oil business and don't offer "bulk" oil to the dealers, they sell "their" oil by the quart (maybe gallons sometimes). So, unless your dealership is cracking open each quart, you are getting an equivalent oil, but not the OEM packaged oil. Imagine a flat rate tech having to open and pour 7 individual quarts of oil! Its far easier and quicker to just pump it in from a bulk tank. And on the subject of oil, the OEM's just buy the oil and have it put in their labeled containers, so a refinery can be filling many different brands from the same stock. The important thing about the oil is the spec rating, not whose oil it is.
I can't beleive that they would put license plate frames on a vehicle that was in for just an oil change, and would be pissed myself! But it is New Jersey, and there is plenty of arrogance there ( I used to be a citizen there, so I can bust on 'em). lol
It took me a few seconds to realize McKenna had removed my Crevier BMW frames and installed their own. I thought that kind of amusing, that they would be so presumptious, since the SA knew Crevier was my regular dealer. I had already decided to continue going to McKenna for service, as their interim oil service was $99 for the same oil service Crevier was charging $199 for. But they never asked if they could change the frames.
Anyway, I've since taken off the McKenna frames and just put on plain ones. It will be very annoying if I forget to mention to them next time I go in for service to please not touch my license plate frames (or give me one of their free whack car washes) and they go ahead and put some more dealer frames on.
similar issues with me
I am working with the following
2 trips to dealer to fill urea tank unsuccessful, was out of time and went to dealer in springfield mass on a emergent basis
Filled the oil one quart low after oli change.(not a biggie I check it)
Had an auto-dimming mirror that did not work. They just changed it out and charged the manufacturer. Did not solve my problem. I had to purchase a manual mirror. They did put it on free of labor charge. The actual problem that I discovered was that the car did not have the correct harness from the factory
Just recently I brought the car in for A/C. The "refilled" it but now it has a bit too much charge and cuts out when you bring the engine RPM up a a bit like your on the highway and getting on from a ramp. If you shut down the motor and let it sit for a bit it kicks right back on...Don't gun it though
going back tomorrow to get it adjusted I hope...
The ONLY part number a BMW dealer should use is 07 51 0 017 866.
If the work order states otherwise, THEY MUST REDO THE OIL CHANGE.
no amount of 'talking' and 'asking for clarification' will address the fact that they documented an incorrect oil change.
Will the reopen the work order and 'correct' it? Dunno.
But as the OP correctly points out, only ONE oil is approved for full fills.
(And WHY would you have a dealer change oil? )
Keep it as simple as possible...but no simpler.
Well I have to say my last experieince at Morristown was pretty good, at least a "A" for effort. My A/c was shutting off at higher temps/RPMS and not coming back on. The dealership let me talk after and hour or so for the first time to the guy actually working on the issue. I wish they always lets you talk the techs. Anyway he I guess emptied and refilled and checked everything again and could not get the condition to happen again. The good news is on my last trip the a/C worked the whole time. So all in all I will say it was a good trip to the dealer. At least they really tried and the A/C is working . I hope it stay that way as the outside temps rise for the summer
My name is Lenny DeFinis and I am the Parts Manager at BMW of Morristown. Mike Wendroff, who normally posts on Bimmerfest for our dealership brought this post to my attention today. I have to say, Vince, I can completely understand your frustration. I'd like to clarify what I can. I don't like to see any of my customers unhappy and I wish I had been able to speak to you sooner.
To begin with, you are correct; the part number for BMW High Performance SAE 5W-30 Synthetic Oil is indeed 07-51-0-017-866. This oil is a Full Synthetic produced for BMW by Castrol and is used for our non-M gasoline engines. It comes in individual quart size bottles that we are able to sell over the parts counter as well as use for service. However the same oil is also available to BMW dealers in a 220 gallon drum. We have this oil delivered weekly and it is pumped into our bulk oil tank. The bulk oil feeds an individual oil gun at each of our technician's service bay. This is far more efficient and also better for the environment. For inventory and ordering purposes, the part number for the drum oil is 07-51-0-017-954. This is primarily the oil we bill to repair orders in our facility and it is the exact same oil in the 866 quart bottle.
In regards to the oil on your invoice, first a little background. Over a year ago now, BMW came out with a parts line to cater to older out of warranty vehicles. They called them Value Line Parts. Basically they bundled various maintenance and replacement parts together at a cheaper price to allow us to compete with independent repair shops. It was mainly for E36, E46, E39 and E53 BMW's. The effort was unfortunately pretty weak and customers simply didn't know anything about it. So BMW went back to the drawing board and are now out with a second effort called BMW Value Service. It is now advertising pretty heavily on TV, radio, billboards, and other media. It consists of a $79.95 oil change with a multipoint inspection. BMW is rolling it out slowly model by model, right now focusing on the E46 3 Series. In response to the new campaign, and for internal tracking and pricing purposes, we fabricated a part number for the oil we sell on Value Services. That part number is 99-00-0-000-007 VL 5W30 Synthetic as you pointed out. This oil is actually the same BMW/Castrol oil used in our bulk tanks, part number 07-51-0-017-954. The VL actually stands for Value Line and I can see how you may think it was short for Valvoline. We used this number specifically for Value Services to meet the low oil change price. We also decided to use it for our out of warranty customers to extend the lower oil price to cars that don't fall under Value Service just yet. Price on the 007 part number is $5.99 per quart as compared to $7.45 per quart of the 954 part number. The reason for the different part number is as I said for internal use. We can easily track Value Services by generating reports searching for this part number specifically. It also allows us to quickly find customer pay repair orders. From these reports we analyze what customers are also coming in for and we can provide feedback to BMW. Again, I see where you made the connection and I'm sincerely apologize for the confusion. If you still feel uncomfortable, please do give me a call at the dealership. I'll make arrangements for your oil to be changed with your supervision if you prefer. If you would like, we can even tour the facility and I can show you the parts department and our repair shop.
As far as the oil leaks found right after you were out of warranty all I can say is I 100% believe it is coincidental. Some more background for you, the differences between a customer pay repair versus a warranty repair isn't what you may think. Generally speaking, because each dealer is actually different, what we get out of it is pretty close under both circumstances. If the leak was present prior to your warranty expiring I can absolutely say it would have been brought to your attention. Our techs look every vehicle over as closely as possible whether it has 10 miles on it or 100000 miles. We really don't have a benefit in waiting nor do we conspire to conveniently wait until you are out. We are just not that crafty but we thank you for thinking we are. All kidding aside, the truth is we want to maintain your X5 and keep you in good spirits about Morristown and about BMW the brand. That's a true challenge because when you come in for service, chances are you may already be upset about something going on with the vehicle. That goes for any carline. When you come to us and you are under warranty, that's fantastic. No money out of pocket and hopefully all parties are happy. If you happen to be out of warranty, it is our job to show you what is happening with the vehicle. We would not be doing the right thing if we did not. On a personal level, I love when a customer doesn't have to pay for a repair. Times are tough and it is not in my interest to make them harder, but sometimes this is unavoidable.
Finally the plate frames. I can see how this has upset you and that you mistake as arrogance. Unfortunately, the size of our dealership sometimes coveys the same wrong message. Simple and honest answer: We want to advertise that you come to us for sales and service. I believe this to be a common practice at many dealers as an easy way to advertise. I do know that most customers don't mind it but it certainly is something we should have asked to do. Seeing your reaction to it in print, I realize much more now that this can rub our customers the wrong way. It is something I will absolutely bring up at my next business meeting so the dealership can re-evaluate how we go about this.
I hope that I was at least able to ease your mind about some of the issues that upset you. If you would like to contact me at the dealership I'd be happy to discuss things further.
Thank you for considering us in the past and hopefully in the future.
Lenny De Finis
-- Mike Wendroff, Client Advisor
-- BMW of Morristown
-- 111 Ridgedale Ave. Morristown NJ 07960
-- 973 796 3056
-- email@example.com
-- www.bmwofmorristown.com
Last edited by BMWofMorristown; 06-08-2012 at 07:57 AM.
Common practice to plate covers on someone else's car?!
2012 335iA Blk. Sapphire- Sport-Blk. Dakota Leather/Red-Brushed Alum.Trim-DAP-PP-CWP Rear View Camera-BMW Asst w/Enhanced BT&USB-High Gloss Blk.Trim Hghight-PSP-Speed Limit Info-Tech. Pkg-PDC-Rear Manual Sun Shades-SAT-Variable Sport Steering-Wheel Locks- Rubber Mats-Euro Del 5/14/12-Redelivery 7/16/12 2006 X3 3.0iA 4/6 Silver Gray Metallic-Black Leather-Nav-PP-SP-Xenon Headlights-PDC-Heated Front Seats-Privacy Glass-Servotronic Steering-Premium Sound System-R R R- Wheel Locks- Rubber Mats
Genuinely I am disappointed that you feel this way n3rd. Our reputation is something that I value and take pride in. I do not believe that plate frames define our dealership but I respect your opinion and as always welcome your comments as I do any customer or BMW owner. Common practice was a bad choice of words on my part. What I should have said is some dealerships adopt the practice of changing the dealer plate frames to their own dealerships but certainly not all of them. It is not my direct decision but I guarantee I will discuss it with upper management so we can seek permission to change the frames moving forward.
I do want to say that there is a misconception that the dealership is evil and out to get you. Dealership prices are higher than Independents, thats definitely a fact. There are guidelines we do have to follow to an extent, but we dont rule with and iron fist, and our price matrix is not carved in stone. There are great independents out there, I do business with quite a few and actually have family with Independent shops. They do excellent work. One of the best things they have going is that they can be ultra competitive with pricing. I do admit chances are we will not be able to match independent pricing. Talk to us, we will listen and do the best we can. There are pros and cons to coming to the dealer and going to the independent that we can discuss for hours. As for us, this is indeed a business and we certainly have expectations from our superiors and BMW, however our first goal is to keep our customers happy. Without that we cannot be successful. Occasionally we will make a mistake and a customer is unhappy like in the situation above. My colleagues and I are reasonable people that want to discuss these issues with our customers and come to an acceptable resolution. It seems in this case that the customer failed to get a response from us, the reason for that I do not know and unfortunately cannot comment on.
Lenny DeFinis
-- Mike Wendroff, Client Advisor
-- BMW of Morristown
-- 111 Ridgedale Ave. Morristown NJ 07960
-- 973 796 3056
-- firstname.lastname@example.com
-- www.bmwofmorristown.com
Well, I thought it was a reasonable explanation and nice of them to take the trouble to explain it so fully. Makes perfect sense to me anyway. I am sure that every dealer uses the bulk oil system as it just makes way more sense. Sorry you are not happy but from the explanation it doesn't seem like anything was improper, except perhaps the license plate frames I guess.
Lenny- thanks for taking the time to respond.
Some interesting info. And certainly this is your personal perspective....the issue, I think, is that many times the 'systems; break down in small and indivdual ways, resulting in significant problems for consumers.
Take an "oil leak"...that gasket may have been WEEPING for quite some time. Had this been reported by an owner, the SA would have written it up, and the tech replaced it and billed bmwna. But perhaps the tech saw it, said "eh, seems ok" and it was never documented. Finally it spread and boom, $1000 for a fix. Had the tech mentioned 'slight weep' and put it on the record, the owner would have been protected. NEVER happens.
Small decisions along the way that MAY have led to this issue....
I bring this up as an example of how things happen that an owner could think 'they are evil'.
Another is the all too common "estimate"... someone has limited coverage, cpo, what have you...and they bring the car in. SA writes it up, and verbally says 'we'll have to see if it is covered, should be, but i'll put down $500 to be safe".... then the phone call comes: "not covered, took us 3 hours to diagnose, and will be $2700 for a new navigation drive". Their choice? Pay $500 and keep a broken car, or $3200 and grossly overpay.
I have ONE tech that works on my car, AND a relationship with him. (Previously one SA too, but she moved on...breaking in the new SA is a bit painful). This trumps EVERYTHING else. I cannot overemphasize the importance (or difficulty) in reaching this point. I also CONTROL the entire process of working on my car- from how a complaint is written up, to what I want on the repair notes prior to signing off on the work and taking the car back, to what is listed in the estimate line, to "Only Written and Signed authorizations permitted", to "do not wash, so not detail".... works for me.
PS I would go ballistic if someone changed parts on my car without authorization. ie a plate frame....
Keep it as simple as possible...but no simpler.
I wrote a long letter to the dealership's management and surprisingly, received a very apologetic phone call shortly thereafter. They went a step further and paid for the next month's car payment since I was out of a car for 2+ weeks with all the back and forth - I also chastized them for giving me a non BMW loaner that had bald tires. I'm not that pretentious that I care about what loaner I had but to give me a loaner with bald tires and all sorts of check engine lights on was absurd. It was like a three ring circus with my experience that day. I thought they went above and beyond and promised to give them a shot at next ride. Unfortunately, they couldn't meet what I was looking for but Steve Hodessy was a man of his word and I applaude him.
Current Ride: 2017 X5 3.5 M Sport
Retired: 2015 X5 3.5 M Sport
Retired: 2014 X3 3.5 M Sport
Retired: 2011 X5 Sport
Retired: 2008 X5 3.0si
Retired: 2006 330 Xi
Retired: 2003 325 'Vert
Retired: 2000 323 Ci
I think you would hard pressed to find ANYONE here who wouldn't mind if a dealership swapped out his license plate holder with their own advertising.
June 18, 2008 ED/ 335i/ E90/ sport/premium /splits/ Sapphire Black-Terra Cotta/ 6MT/ PPK/PE/ blackline tail lights/ ZHP shifter/ clutch stop mod/ CDV delete/goflat tires&donut spare/ DeMisa 3.5" Exhaust Tips
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subset: commoncrawl


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Jack White saves iconic Detroit theater from foreclosure
Listen to Jack White on iHeartRadio
Jack White may be headquartered in Nashville these days, but he hasn't forgotten about his hometown. The Detroit-born rocker was recently unveiled as the anonymous donor who saved the Motor City's Masonic Temple by paying the venue's $142,000 balance in back taxes.
According to the "Detroit Free Press," the Masonic Temple would have gone into foreclosure if the sum hadn't been paid before June 3rd. Detroit Masonic Temple Association President Roger Sobran says they're eternally grateful to White. And as a means of showing that gratitude, Sobran says they plan to rename one of the Masonic's two theaters the Jack White Theater.
According to Billboard.com, White has played the Masonic Temple nine times throughout his career, and his mother once worked at the historic venue as an usher.
Photo Credit Getty Images


text:
Just wanting to know how many Scottish Blackbelts there are???
Just wanting to know how many Scottish Blackbelts there are???
4 now I think. Rick Young, Doug McMaster, Garry Christie and Paul McVeigh.
An unintuitive consequence of conditional probability.
6 i think
Garry Christie
Paul McVeigh (kindov)
Doug McMaster
Rick Young
Scott McVeigh
Marcos Nardini (based here)
There's Peter Richardson at AMAG too
Maybe the worst 2-0 MMA fighter in history. @jimbojitsusbg granitecitygrappling.com
John Kennedy from Rick youngs academy
From an older post on here from Meat:
Rick Young (awarded by Mauricio Motta Gomes)
Marcos Nardini (awarded by Amal Easton)
Helen Currie (awarded by Chris Haueter)
Doug McMaster (awarded by Ricardo De La Riva)
Keith McKenzie (awarded by Eduardo Ferreira/ Thiago "Monstro" Borges)
Scott McVeigh (awarded by Royce Gracie)
Peter Richardson (awarded by Rey Diogo)
John Kennedy (awarded by Rick Young)
Paul McVeigh (awarded by Roberto Atalla)
Garry Christie (awarded by Roberto Atalla)
There's also a Chicago based Scotsman awarded by Damian Maia but his name escapes me.


text:
Hickory, N.C. - The Brevard College women's soccer team was on the road Wednesday night. The Tornados traveled to Hickory to take on the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears and were downed 2-0 in the SAC contest. Brevard falls to 3-7-1 on the season and 1-3-0 in South Atlantic Conference play this season.
Brevard was unable to get the offense flowing as they fell behind after 15 minutes into the game. Laura Linehan took a pass from Kaelia Frazier to beat Crissy Moran (Franklin County, Va.) for the first goal of the game, making it 1-0 in favor of the Bears.
Frazier was able to setup the second and final goal of the game as well. Catherine Hauck blasted a shot into the top left corner of the goal giving the Bears the final 2-0 edge in the game.
The second half was dominated by the L-R offense as well. The Bears outshot the Tornados 18-3 in the second half and 38-5 overall in the game.
Moran spent the entire game in net for Brevard. She made 14 saves after being faced with 38 shots.
The Tornados take to the turf again on Saturday when they play host to SAC competitor Wingate University. Brevard and the Bulldogs kick-off at 2 p.m. at the Brevard College Soccer Field.


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PARAMOUNT - A mother and her two children were unharmed Thursday morning after two men wearing ski masks kicked in their front door and robbed them, a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department official said.
The robbery happened about 2:15 a.m. in the 7300 block of Marcelle St., said Lt. Minh Dinh of the Lakewood Sheriff's Station.
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Appetite - increasedHyperphagia; Increased appetite; Hunger; Excessive hunger; Polyphagia
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Home Care
Emotional support, and in some cases counseling, are recommended.
If a medication is causing increased appetite and weight gain, your health care provider may decrease your dosage or recommend a different drug. Never stop taking your medication without first talking to your health care provider.
When to Contact a Medical Professional
Contact your health care provider if:
- You have an unexplained, persistent increase in appetite
- You have other unexplained symptoms
What to Expect at Your Office Visit
Your health care provider will exam you, weigh you,and ask questions about your medical history. exam. You also may have a psychological evaluation.
Questionsmay include:
- Eating habits
- Have you changed your eating habits?
- Have you begun dieting?
- Do you have concerns about your weight?
- What do you eat in a typical day?
- How much do you eat?
- Medication
- What medications are you taking?
- Are you taking any new medications, or have you changed the dose of your medications?
- Do you use any illicit drugs? If so, which ones?
- Time pattern
- Does the hunger occur during the sleep period?
- Does the hunger seem to occur in a pattern related to your menstrual cycle?
- Other
- What other symptoms are you having at the same time?
- Have you noticed an increase in anxiety?
- Do you frequently urinate?
- Do you have an increased heart rate?
- Do you have palpitations?
- Do you feel more thirsty?
- Have you had an unintentional weight gain?
- Do you experience intentional or unintentional vomiting?
Tests that may be done include:
- Blood tests, including a chemistry profile
- Thyroid function tests
Jensen MD. Obesity. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Cecil Medicine. 24th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 227.
Clemmons DR. Approach to the patient with endocrine disease. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Cecil Medicine. 24th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 228.
Becker AE, Baker CW. Eating disorders. In: Feldman M, Friedman LS, Brandt LJ, eds. Sleisenger & Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier;2010:chap 8.
Review Date: 10/14/2012
Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director and Director of Didactic Curriculum, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington. Also reviewed by A.D.A.M. Health Solutions, Ebix, Inc., Editorial Team: David Zieve, MD, MHA, David R. Eltz, Stephanie Slon, and Nissi Wang.


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Attempt To Move Up Hearing For Bourbon St. Shooting Suspect Denied
A magistrate judge refused Friday to move up a preliminary hearing for the only suspect in a deadly Bourbon Street shooting.
Magistrate Harry Cantrelle's decision came despite arguments by an attorney for 20-year-old Trung Le that Le didn't fire the first shot or the shot that killed a 21-year-old woman. Nine other people were injured in the June 29 shooting.
Cantrell says Le's hearing date remains Aug. 26.
Prosecutors must demonstrate at the preliminary hearing that they have probable cause to keep Le in jail.
Le was captured in Mississippi on July 4 and extradited to Louisiana.
He was booked with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder.
(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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How to Cite this Website/these Papers in a Works Cited Page
Any of
these works may be read, explored, and used as research and quoted
support for your own argument, but be certain that you follow
MLA guidelines for citation of electronic sources. The papers
are intended as additions to the scholarly community, not
as freebies that you can plagiarize at will. Remember, most
Universities have a strict policy on plagiarism-- you could receive
an "F" for any course wherein you are suspected of
plagiarism, and you could face even more severe penalties. Since
these papers are written by professional scholars, your teacher
will probably be able to tell if you "borrow" from
them without giving credit for ideas, even if they are paraphrased
Note: in most guidelines on citation, you might be asked to provide a "sponsoring organization" or "hosting institution." This site has neither. The host is the Editor, Kim Wells. You must customize the bibliographic entry to fit what you do have.
|A sample syllabus for teaching several of the authors featured on our site, created by the site's moderator Dr. Priscilla Leder.
Bringing Up Jo: Little Women, Female Rhetorical Activity,
and the Nineteenth Century American Conduct Book Tradition
essay examining how Jo Alcott's behavior in Little
Women fits into the 19th century genre of the Etiquette conduct
A Guide to Research: Willa Cather a research/bibliographic guide to works by and about Willa Cather. An excellent place to start any research project on Cather, this lists major critical works, biographies, bibliographies, plus sources for texts online.
My Ántonia: A Survey of Critical Attitudes. This is a short, general, and somewhat informal
overview of the critical reaction to Cather's most domesticated
of novels, from its first reviews to modern discussions.
Influence and Children in Kate Chopin's Short Fiction.
"A theme to which Chopin returned throughout her career
is the dilemma of desire versus duty, self-realization versus
socially sanctioned self-sacrifice. Motherhood and children often
serve to emphasize a woman's self-deprivation, but there are
also cases where a woman can achieve self-actualization realization
through motherhood and caring for children. Some of Chopin's
most famous works illustrate the writer's preoccupation with
this paradoxical phenomenon." This thesis is applied to
such short stories as "A Pair of Silk Stockings," "Désirée's
Baby," "Athénaise," "Regret,"
"Polydore, and even looks at The Awakening.
Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper": A Poetics
of the Inside. A combination of a psychological
reading and an analysis of setting; this excellent paper explores
how the interior space of Gilman's short story interrogates the
story's explorations of control and intimacy.
Revisitation of Transcendentalism within Sarah Orne Jewett's
The Country of the Pointed Firs. Argues that Sarah Orne
Jewett writes out of the tradition of Emersonian transcendentalism
that so radically changed the face of nineteenth century philosophy
and politics, and that Jewett's infusion of womanhood and community
throughout The Country of the Pointed Firs offers a
subtle twist to this tradition.
Note: check out the Jewett essay at this link, by Jessica Amanda Salmonson-- not a part of my domestic goddess collection here, but well worth looking at.
and Out of the Kitchen: Women's Work and Networks in Nineteenth-Century
American Fiction. This long essay explores "the
cult of domesticity as best illustrated by the kitchen imagery
in Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. It contrasts Stowe's imagery
and philosophy of womanhood with the representation of slave,
working class, and upper class women in other works of domestic
fiction of that period". Works that this essay explores
besides Stowe's are: The House of the Seven Gables by
Nathaniel Hawthorne (1851), Work: A Story of Experience
by Louisa May Alcott (1873), The House of Mirth by Edith
Wharton (1908), The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
(first published in 1881, revised 1908), "The Tartarus of
Maids" by Herman Melville (1855), "Life in the Iron
Mills" by Rebecca Harding Davis (1861), Ruth Hall
by Fanny Fern (Sara Willis Parton), (1855), Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott (1868), and A Country Doctor by Sarah
Orne Jewett. An excellent description of domesticity, with wide-ranging
examples. This is a great essay for someone who wants to know
what connects the authors on this site to each other, and to
the larger body of American Victorian Literature.
Susan Warner's Wide Wide World: The Despair Way to Heaven This paper defines the 19th century tradition of "Sentimentalism" and sentimental literature and examines both how Warner's text fits within that tradition and what the impact of Sentimentalism had upon American culture.
of Stasis, Moments of Movement: Seasonal Imagery in Wharton,
Le Guin, and Johnson.
An interesting paper which critiques Wharton
in comparison to two modern women writers. Its thesis is that
as women's lives have traditionally been more in tune with seasonal
change, "each novelist, while depicting the movement necessary
to build a story arc, sets this movement within a larger context
of circularity and sameness, represented for each by the recurring
Virtue, Housekeeping,
and Domestic Space in Pauline Hopkins' Contending Forces
"Heavily influenced by Claudia Tate's work on
black women writers of the late nineteenth-century, this essay
uses conduct books and articles on colored people's advancement
from the Colored American Magazine to contextualize the
kind of discourses about domesticity within which Pauline Hopkins,
an African-American domestic writer, works. The paper also addresses
more generally what virtue, womanhood, "woman's sphere,"
and domesticity meant to women (white and black) and the reasons
for their importance within the black community
"Whispering Opposition": Jovita González' Caballero and (Anti)assimilation. A paper that examines a modern women writer from Texas whose novel about the Spanish hacienda system just as Texas became part of the US, because of its multiple domestic references and setting in the mid-nineteenth century, could be qualified as domestic.
"Written by Herself:" Harriet Jacobs And The Failure of Ideologies. This paper explores how, among others, the ideaology of the cult of true womanhood and domesticity often failed women who did not fit into its narrow definition of middle-class social standing. Harriet Jacobs, as a slave and then former slave, is aware of how "ideology" has failed her, and this paper examines this phenomenon in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.


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Milk-alkali syndrome
Milk-alkali syndrome is an acquired condition in which there are high levels of calcium (hypercalcemia) and a shift in the body's acid/base balance towards alkaline (metabolic alkalosis).
Milk-alkali syndrome is caused by drinking too muchmilk (which is high in calcium) and taking certain antacids, especially calcium carbonate or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), over a long period of time.
Calcium deposits in the kidneys and in other tissues can occur in milk-alkali syndrome. High levels of vitamin D can worsen this condition.
In the past, milk-alkali syndrome was often a side effect of treating peptic ulcer disease with antacids containing calcium. It is rarely seen today, because newer, better medications that do not contain calcium are available for treating ulcers. A more common scenario today is when someone takes too much calcium carbonate in an attempt to prevent osteoporosis. This has been reported in persons who take as little as 2 grams of calcium per day.
The condition usually has no symptoms (asymptomatic). When symptoms do occur, they are often related to complications, such as kidney problems.
Symptoms include:
- Back, middle of the body, and loin pain (related to kidney stones)
- Excessive urination
- Fatigue
- Nausea
- Other problems that can result from kidney failure
Exams and Tests
Calcium deposits within the tissue of the kidney (nephrocalcinosis) may be seen on:
- X-rays
- Computed tomography (CT scans)
- Ultrasound
Other tests used to make a diagnosis:
- Electrolyte levels
- Kidney function blood tests
- Blood gas
- Blood calcium level
Treatment involves reducing or eliminating milk and other forms of calcium such as in antacids. If severe kidney failure has occurred, the damage may be permanent.
Outlook (Prognosis)
This condition is often reversible if kidney function remains normal. Severe prolonged cases may lead to permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis.
Possible Complications
The most common complications include:
- Calcium deposits in tissues (calcinosis)
- Kidney failure
- Kidney stones
When to Contact a Medical Professional
Contact your health care provider if:
- You drink large amounts of milk and you often use antacids.
- You have any symptoms that might suggest kidney problems.
If you use antacids often, don't drink large amounts of milk, and tell your doctor about any digestive problems. If you are trying to prevent osteoporosis, do not take more than 1.5 grams of calcium per day.
Wysolmerski JJ, Insogna KL. The parathyroid glands, hypercalcemia, and hypocalcemia. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds.Cecil Medicine. 24th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 253.
Review Date: 12/19/2011
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Herbert Y. Lin, MD, PHD, Nephrologist, Massachusetts General Hospital; Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.


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Perhaps I have a more recent AR9825. Mine is only a couple months old in an Eeepc 1005HA. But, you may want to try a few things....it could be your router for example. Try substitution. Try another wifi card.....and try another router. Good luck!
30dm is one watt. by the way, some french 036H enthusiasts have tested the Alfa and found diminishing actual power and potential Alfa damage by going much over 15dbm.
My Linksys WUSB54GC (ver1 rt73) is not working as well as it did on BT3. It's not injecting anywhere near as well as it did.
A couple of tweaks that I used to execute to improve performence are no longer wokring on BT4 due to the mac80211 instead of ieee drivers switch. Does anyone know how to get them running again?
these tweaks were:
iwpriv rausb0 forceprism 1
iwpriv rausb0 rfmontx 1
In addition, both these commands reported here do NOT work on my Linksys with the mac80211 drivers:
iwpriv wlan0 highpower 1
iwconfig wlan0 txpower 27
all iwpriv commands report back "wlan0 no private ioctls." and iwconfig txpower replies with an error:
Error for wireless request "Set Tx Power" (8B26) :
SET failed on device wlan0 ; Invalid argument.
I've tried to increase power using "iw reg set XX" (B0, US...etc), it has no effect what so ever on my reported power in iwconfig. I've also tried reverting back to the old ieee drivers using the switching method mentioned here, but that didn't work either.
I'm out of ideas here, I think BT4 is awesome but If I can't get it running atleast as good as BT3 then what's the point. Anyone have any clue what am I doing wrong here?
I add my post here too, maybe it's useful to have all wireless cards in one thread:
Great minds have purposes, others have wishes
I have tested managed and monitor mode on both of my WiFi nics
Firstly an old card I bought for bt2.
Xi-626, prism2.5
Netgear wg111 v3, hostap
ZyXEL G-202 USB wireless adapter
I acquired one of these recently as it was bundled with an ADSL router that a client had ordered, and they had no use for it. I tested it with BT4final and it seems to work perfectly with full feature set. It goes into monitor mode easily and injection works fine.
No idea what price they sell for standalone, but this is the model:
G-202 - Works with IEEE 802.11g WLAN Standard Device - ZyXEL Product & Solution
Do you recall what version WUSB54GC you have?
I have ver3 (Black one), i thought i ordered ver1 (silver rt73) but they sent me ver3 (black) instead. Not sure if that one is supported yet. Havn't had much luck with it either, and i've tried ndiswrapper but still no dice. I'm going to give serial monkey a try when i get home today.
For those who want to know about the WUSB54GC v2
The stick worked fine in BT3, only I remember that I installed new drivers for it.
See this page: rt73 [Aircrack-ng]
I can confirm that the stick is working, with the arpreplay injection. Others like interactive attacks are failing here.
To get this device to inject over a greater distance then a couple of meters i had to use these commands to bump it up from a txpower of 5dbi (3mw) to 27dbi (501mw)
[/QUOTE]Code:iwpriv wlan0 highpower 1 iwconfig wlan0 txpower 27
Thanks for this tip, man. Went from detecting 5 AP's from a stationary position, to 15 AP's. Not bad.


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A high-speed chase that began Monday afternoon in Lehi, ended at about 5:10 p.m. on Interstate 15 north of Farmington.
The freeway is closed from Farmington north, and will likely remain that way until least 6:30 p.m., according to the Utah Department of Transportation.
UHP spokesman Cpl. Todd Johnson said the chase began in Lehi and moved onto Interstate 15, crossing into Salt Lake County just after 4:30 p.m.
Troopers were assisting the Lehi Police Department in attempting to lay spikes down on the highway to try and stop the unidentified driver.
By about 5 p.m., the chase had entered Davis County and was proceeding north of Farmington.
At 5:10 p.m., UHP tweeted that the pursuit had ended near the Layton Parkway exit near mile post 329, which is about five miles north of Farmington.
The Utah Department of Transportation said northbound I-15 was closed from Park Lane Road, just north of Farmington, and Hill Field Road.
It wasn't immediately clear whom police were chasing and why.
More information will be posted about the chase when it becomes available.
Jennifer Dobner


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Pictou County woman fights for rights of terminally ill to continued EI benefits
Kathy MacNaughton's door sticks a little when she opens it.
PICTOU – A New Glasgow woman who stole money from two local charities has a year to prove she can keep her life on the right path.
Jamie Marguerite Dahl, 36, was sentenced to 12 months' probation as part of a conditional discharge Thursday in Pictou Provincial Court after pleading guilty to two counts of thefts from the United Way of Pictou County and New Glasgow Junior High School. If she follows through with the conditions of her probation, she won't have a criminal record at the end of 12 months.
Crown attorney Jody McNeill said the United Way reported the theft in November of more than $2,500 that was raised during a fundraiser in July 2012.
United Way's executive director Jessica Smith told police she counted the money after the July fundraiser with a summer student and then handed it off to the agency's administrative worker, Dahl, for deposit.
"The funds were never deposited," said McNeill.
Dahl's position at the United Way was terminated in November for unrelated reasons and Smith found out shortly afterwards that the money never made its way into the bank account.
Dahl told police she took the money to help pay some bills during a difficult financial time in her life.
On the same November day that Dahl was let go from the United Way, she attended a silent auction fundraiser at New Glasgow Junior High School. She was treasurer of the home and school association at the time and was asked to deposit $6,700 from the fundraiser, but she kept it for her own use.
"She left the school with the money in her possession," McNeill said, adding that when police contacted her, she had spent $656.89 of the $6,700 to pay her rent, gas for her car and some food.
Defence lawyer Jennifer Cox said Dahl's behaviour could be attributed to untreated medical problems at the time that include being bipolar and having diabetes and hypothyroidism.
"None of these being treated at the time affected her ability to make good choices," she said.
Cox added that Dahl is now getting treatment and did seek employment in the past, but is currently living on social assistance trying to support her family as single mother.
When asked if she wanted to address the court, Dahl told Pictou Provincial Court Judge Del Atwood that she has grown from this experience and is getting the help she needs.
"I've learned that I have support systems out there to make myself better," she said, adding that she is willing to do whatever she can to show her community she is sorry for her actions.
Atwood acknowledged that Dahl's admission to the thefts and co-operation with police during their investigation were positive factors in addition to the fact that she didn't have prior criminal record.
He said the thefts were spontaneous crimes of opportunity, but ones that have chilling effects on charities struggling to make money from community donations.
"Members of the public can become reluctant to contribute to a charity if they are concerned the money they donate will end up in the wrong hands," he said.
Although the Crown asked the judge to considering a conditional sentence order of three to six months, Atwood agreed with Cox that a conditional discharge would be better suited for Dahl and her rehabilitation.
In addition to the probation, Dahl was also ordered to pay $2907.14 in restitution to the United Way of Pictou County as well as $656.89 to the local school board.


text:
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The Oxford History of the American West
Edited by Clyde A. Milner, II, Carol A. O'Connor, and Martha A. Sandweiss
When we think of the American West, we tend to conjure up images that are known the world over: bearded forty-niners leading pack mules up a mountain trail, the Oklahoma land stampede, Custer's Last Stand, and especially the range-riding, quick-shooting cowboy. But these familiar images are only a small part of western history. From the arrival of the Navajos in the Southwest more than seven hundred years ago, to the first Spanish settlements in New Mexico in the late sixteenth century, to the large Mormon migration to the Great Salt Lake, to the tourists flocking to the neon landscape of modern Las Vegas, the complex story of the West stretches across centuries, embracing many voices and contrasting cultures. The West is in fact as varied as America itself. Indeed, to enlarge on Wallace Stegner's singular phrase, the West is America, only more so.
Lavishly illustrated and based on the finest scholarship, The Oxford History of the American West is the first comprehensive study to do full justice to the rich complexity of this region. It brings together the work of twenty-eight leading western historians who explore this area from a dazzling number of perspectives. They provide insightful portraits of the West as a distinctive place of varied peoples--native and non-native, European and Asian, African and Latino--and of varied terrain--from the timbered Pacific Northwest to the Dakota Badlands, and from the fires of Kilauea to the ice cliffs of Glacier Bay, Alaska. They describe the great wealth generated by a series of spectacular bonanzas, such as gold at Sutter's Mill, copper in Butte, Montana, and oil on Alaska's north shore; illuminate the role of the West in the national and global economy; and consider the environmental challenges created by replacing buffalo with cattle or by designating national parks and military test sites. The book also examines the social forces behind the violence of the West, the great political movements that affected the region (most notably, the Populist Party), and the importance of families in settling the West (for instance, tracing one family's westward migration over 150 years). The authors provide important insights about many longstanding controversies, and they offer not only the fruits of the latest thinking about the West, but also a vivid sense of how people actually lived. Finally, each chapter concludes with an extensive annotated bibliography, offering a full review of related material, and there is a comprehensive index to guide readers to topics of special interest.
Ranging from a thoughtful analysis of John Ford's classic My Darling Clementine, and a survey of Western art and literature (including figures as diverse as Francis Parkman, Frederic Remington, Willa Cather, Georgia O'Keeffe, and N. Scott Momaday) to a careful consideration of recent events, such as the Los Angeles riots of 1992 and a revisionist look at cattle grandee Granville Stuart (once Montana's most revered pioneer), this lively, authoritative volume continually challenges the familiar as it broadens the reader's understanding of a vast and varied region.


text:
Link to: Zoom-in: precipitation subregion maps
Current daily precipitation data used in these plots is courtesy of the Climate Prediction Center (W. Higgins and W. Shi). These data are updated everyday at about noon (MST), with data through 12 UTC the previous day. Note: the climatology for this dataset is only a 5 year average, 1996-2000. Caution should be used in interpretting these plots in mountainous regions.[an error occurred while processing this directive]


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I'm exploring the web to find sites I like
Uvero Alto, Dominican Republic
"Not too bad"
Posted by: vivian on Nov 30, 2014
see all reviews
The Sirenis Tropical Suites Casino & Spa is a five star hotel complex, situated on the eastern side of the Dominican Republic, on the Uvero Alto-Macao beach in the Higüey region.
Share your experiences with others. Don't forget to send your review to Debbie by using an easy form.
"A very relaxed holiday full of sunshine, good food & new acquaintances."
Posted by:
mra on Feb 1, 2009 >
4 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Feb, 2009
1246 people found this review helpful
We diverted from our norm this year & chose the Dominican Republics east coast as our destination
the Sirenis Tropical Suites Resort on Uvero Alto Beach being the exact location.
Flight: Our vacation this year was booked with TMR/ Tours Mont Royal thru Sell off Vacations & we were going to have some challenges a French flight, flying out of Montreal & we are anglo-speaking! What made us choose TMR you ask? an excellent price of $1468+ taxes per person for 2 weeks, plus an extra $50 pp credit for being 55years & over. Departure time was set for 10:15am Tuesday January 13th, flying Air Transat. Arriving at the airport at 6:50am, check in is very swift & due to the fact that we pre-selected our seats both for departure & return, we had no worries. We are sitting in row 9BC, which is the first emergency row weve got excellent legroom, but find the seats to be very uncomfortable and narrow. Take-off is on time at 10:15 and during our 4-hour flight we have exemplary service from our flight attendants. It is during the flight that we do our Immigration paperwork & receive our Tourist Card.
PUJ Airport: This was our 8th trip to the Dominican Republic, but only our 2nd trip to Punta Cana .a few things had changed, but in the most part, I remembered the steps from a previous trip. We touch down at 3:40pm & after de-planing onto the tarmac, we were escorted into the Airport where we were greeted by two senoritas, had our pictures taken & then ushered into line where we handed in our Tourist Card & then proceeded thru Immigration. The luggage carousel was an elbow affair, where 289 other passengers jostled you around, all looking for their suitcases too! Finding our Destination Rep, we got our hotel packet & our bus number and the next leg of the journey began.
Resort Arrival: As pre-warned in reviews that we read prior to our departure, the road from the airport to Sirenis is long & not all a smooth ride. Once past El Cortecito it was a matter of shake, rattle & roll & if I had had an open bottle of Presidente in my hand, I swear that it would have been all over me instead of in the bottle! We arrive at Sirenis Tropical 60minutes after leaving PUJ airport at 4:45pm, stopping first at the Grand Paradise & Dreams Punta Cana to drop off guests. I must say that we were really disappointed upon our arrival at Sirenis: No one greets us as we get off the transfer van; we take our own luggage into the Reception area, no welcoming drink or hot towel. Although check in is very smooth with no waiting time, another of the things that turned us off was the upgrade spiel. The upgrades were Silver ($25), Bronze ($45), Gold ($75) & Platinum ($95) levels that is starting at $25 per person per day. For the upgrade you would get a coffee maker, iron & ironing board in your room; the safe would be free; 10% discounts off Spa services etc. Now if you do the math, $25pp x 14 days = $700.
An all suites resort which is what the Sirenis is being billed as, would already have a coffee maker, iron & free safe in the room
why should we have to spend extra to have these amenities available to us?? We decline the upgrade package & pay for our safe
.$50 deposit up front + $3 per day x 14 days = $42. A porter arrives to take our luggage & escorts us to our room
Tropical Suite: We are located on 1st Ave in Building E006. This is a ground floor Jr. Suite, with a separate living room & bedroom. The bedroom has 2 double beds with bedside tables, a dressing table & T.V. with remote, but no clock/clock radio. There are 2 full closets with a bank of shelves between them...the keyed safe is located inside one of the closets. Waiting to greet us once you entered the bathroom was a towel swan, with beautiful red hibiscus flowers, sitting on the most striking marble counter top. The swan is keeping watch over a basket of shampoos & lotions. The toilet is in a small separate area & the shower has a glass curtain & a high tec full body shower system. The living room holds a comfortable couch, a rattan chair, coffee table, writing desk, T.V. and mini fridge. The fridge is restocked daily with 5 or 6 bottles of water, soft drinks & beer (if you wish). The patio was one of our favourite places to sit & could be accessed from the living room or from the bedroom. Both the bedroom & the living room have their own a/c controls, along with a ceiling fan in the bedroom. We had no problems with lack of water pressure, lack of hot water or electricity outages.
Our maid Josefina did an excellent job of keeping our room clean & the fridge restocked and always surprised us with flowers & comforter designs on the bed. We tipped her daily, leaving the tip on the bed pillow.
Food: The food at the Sirenis was very enjoyable some days better than others. But we were never without something to eat. My husband is much more adventuresome when it comes to eating away from home, as I have to be a bit more careful. I thoroughly enjoyed the home made soups & fresh breads some days I could have made a full meal just from those. Breakfast is not my first thing in the morning must do, so I can not really comment, but Dave enjoyed the fresh fruit & smoothies that went with his fresh donuts, croissants & fried egg sandwiches. We were disappointed with the continental breakfast items that were available at the El Bohio pool side restaurant .a smattering of fresh fruit, stale bread, buns & coffee were what was available. Continental breakfast was supposed to be available from 10:30 to 12noon, but most days there was nothing available after 11:00am. During survey day, we made it known to management that this service needed an update.
Macao Dining Room: Due to the resort being at 75% capacity, it was the main buffet restaurant on the Cocotal side that was open nightly. At times we found the dining room to be quite crowded. Staff coped nicely keeping everything clean and well stocked. It was the guests that seemed to leave their manners at home. People should chill out and remember they are on vacation. There will still be lots of food left if you wait your turn. The Staff was attentive but we found them to be always in a hurry clearing the table just as we finished or removing plates/utensils if we were just taking a break. We had no specific waiter/waitress that we could call our own while there for the two weeks, so could not really develop a definite rapport with any of them.
A la Carte restaurants: was open 6:30 to 10:00pm
Nuevo Mexico: Our meal was better than I expected, due to the fact that I cannot tolerate spicy foods. Taco chips & dips for the appetizers, along with a choice of soup, salad or quesidillas. The entrée was a choice of chicken, beef steak or tacos. Compared to other Mexican a la Cartes that weve eaten at, the décor was very basic & didnt really set a Mexican vibe.
Cinnecita (Italian): The décor of the Italian a la Carte was breath-taking bright white walls, tables & chairs, with accents of black. Even the plates on the table were in white with black accents. The menu was varied from pizza to pasta. I had the spinach & cheese stuffed ravioli in a béchamel sauce .tasteless! Not enough spinach or cheese & too much of the béchamel sauce.
Jade (Oriental): Another restaurant where the décor tickled your senses! Done in black & red with a splash of gold, this restaurant was very appealing. Sitting in a square U shape of 14 people to a unit, we were treated to a cooking presentation that Ive never experienced before. Mixed vegetables, rice, chicken & beef were all cooked on the grill, followed by shrimp & calamari. I found the food to be over cooked, with too much soya sauce but enjoyed the presentation.
EL Rancho (Steakhouse): After all the hurry/scurry of our meals in the main buffet, this meal was actually slow---we thought that the staff had to go & kill the cow! Daves order of BBQ ribs & baked potato & mine of BBQ chicken & baked potato was extremely good one of the better of all the a la Cartes that we ate at.
Beach: A very beautiful stretch of beach to walk on. To the left is Excellence & to the right is Dreams PC. At this time, there were ample loungers & palapas to choose from and if you couldnt find a palapa then the palm groves gave off plenty of shade. Lots of activities such as beach volleyball, chess, kayaking, sailing, and snorkeling to keep you busy, but if you are like me a good book will suffice. The water was red flagged for most of the time, but we were able to watch a few kite surfers & a banana boat excursion. Vendors wandered the beach, but they were just there to entice you to their market at El Navegante plaza to the left of the resort property. Liquid refreshment could be obtained from the Coralino Bar (also a swim up bar) at the El Batey restaurant (Tropical side), the Uvero Beach Bar (in front of the Animacion Centre or the El Bohio bar at the El Bohio poolside restaurant.
Pool: The pool is a meandering hub of activity, with 4 definite sections and accessible to 2 pool bars and 2 pool side restaurants. At time of our holiday, only the El Bohio restaurant on the Cocotal side was functional. Liquid refreshment could be obtained from the same locations as from the beach, with the addition of the La Yola swim up bar. There was plenty of loungers & palapas available and of course like most resorts, the towel game took place. The quieter section of the pool seemed to be on the Tropical side so if you dont want to be bothered by loud music, that should be your destination.
Staff: The staff of the joint resorts was exceptional very friendly and willing to help make your stay the best. Everyone seemed to enjoy his or her job, greeting you with Hola & a smile. Our favourite staff member is Jenny, who worked in the bar/lounge area.
Reception/Lobby/ Lounge/Bar area: This is a very busy area and another gravitational spot to meet friends & discuss the days activities. The upper Reception area held comfortable wicker/rattan chairs & couches along with the La Piramide Bar (5pm-11pm), while on the lower end was La Pergola Bar (9am-1am). This bar ran parallel to the Reception area & was the anchor to the 2 lounge areas of the Cocotal & the Tropical Resorts. The two Lounge areas had comfortable seating & bar service is available to each table. Also in this parallel area of the Pergola Bar are washrooms (both sides), Internet Services, & the desks for the various Tour Operators
flight information & tour books are available to peruse. Internet access starts at $7.00 per ½ hour & an access code is available from Reception. The Guest Services Desk is in the upper Reception area
use this service to book your a la carte reservations. At the end of the Lounge areas, just prior to stepping out onto Seaview Ave. are a Harrisons Jewelry & the photo kiosk.
Evening Entertainment: Entertainment was held in the El Merengue Theatre, which held another 2 bars and plenty of seating for guests. It was in a separate area on the Cocotal side, so unless you stayed in building F, E, D, you could not hear the music on the rest of the resort. A varied listing was posted each day & ranged from Dominican Folklore to Dirty Dancing. Most nights an in-house band played & sang in the upper Reception area, and for me I found this much more to my style than the noise of the Theatre.
Gardens: The flowers and bushes were in blossom with a full range of colour . beautiful hues of red, pink, purple and greens. The Taino sculptures placed at the front of the Resort added a degree of expectancy as they drew you in thru Reception and then out along Seaview Ave to view the fountains & sculptures that led down to the beach. The gardeners are to be commended for their excellent job in keeping everything so neat and tidy.
Commercial Centre- Ibiza Ave: This was a great disappointment of the 14 shops on the street, only 4 or 5 were in operation and only sporadically. There is a 24 hours Medical office/clinic & Los Haitises Sports Bar complete with big screen tv & pool tables.
Tours & Tour Rep: We did not involve ourselves in any of the excursions this time, but there is quite an array to choose from: Bavaro Runners Safari AdventureBavaro Runners Safari Adventures, Tropical Storm sailing & snorkeling, Zipline Adventure , & Manati Park to name a few. Our Destination Rep at the airport was Alberto & he was at our Resort the day after arrival to do the Orientation session kudos to Alberto, as he did an extra session in English, just for us! TMRs Tour Rep at Sirenis Tropical is Fanny & she is at the Rep desk 9:00am to 10:30am every day except Wednesday. Double kudos go out to Fanny who assisted us in getting an upgrade to Club Class for our return flight .the most helpful lady you could ever ask for !
All in all, this was a very relaxed holiday full of sunshine, good food & new acquaintances. Would we return to Sirenis Tropical? Honest answer I dont know. There are still many other resorts to visit so only time will tell.
Posted by: MALCOLM
on Dec 26, 2010 >
1 contribution(s) United Kingdom
Visited on: Dec, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
1175 people found this review helpful
This was the worst holiday we have had in the Dom Rep, And we have been 14 times. the hotel had building work going on night and day in several blocks, our block had jack hammers breaking floor tiles at 11pm, YES IT WAS REALLY THAT BAD. Th hotel does not have a manager that i could find and did try on several occaisions, only to be lied to by the reception staff every time. i wasted a lot of hours going to appointments with the manager that the staff made for me only to find that i had no appointment.!!! I can only conclude that either there is no manager or he is afraid to face all the complaints that were made by almost everyone i met there.
It is also being chhange over to TIMESHARE and everything is geared up for the hard sell. So be prepaid to be hassled constantly by the "timeshare twats" as i call them. The Hotel is in desperate need of renovation, the rooms and buildings and the pool are in a very bad state of repair.
I advise everyone to steer well clear of this hotel its nothing like it was 5 years ago when we last stayed there, it has gone in my opinion from a 5 star tto a 3star hotel.
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Arrival was ok, check in was 11pm so we were tired and just wanted to sleep as we had been traveling for 2 days to get there.(delays at Gatwick) luckily the reception was very quiet as it was so late so check in was quick.
Our room was in need of a lot of repairs. the balcony rail was fixed with very rusty screws and was not very safe. the aircon had 3 settings,Setting 1 was not very cool at all which made it perfect for the ants to thrive and they bite.Setting 2 did not work at all. And setting 3 was very cold, it made the ants dormant so we didnt get so many bites but we had to sit with blankets around us. Not really what you would expect in the Caribbean is it?
Restaurants and Bars:
The bars were ok, and the main buffet resturant was ok when it wasnt busy but at the weekends when the locals checked in it got very busy and it was chaos in the dining room. pushing and shoving and handling the food with thier bare hands then putting it back in the trays for others to pick up and eat, It was not very nice.
The themed resturants that we went to were not good, the Italian looked very nice inside (nothing like Italy) but very nice, The food how ever was not very nice.
The steakhouse was the same, we ordered a steak each and we said we wanted them well done as we dont like them rare, they came scorched black on the outside and when we cut them the blood ran out so we got up and left, so we dont know if the desserts were any good.
The pool needs a lot of work as the tiles are all broken or missing which makes the place look very run down. The grounds are ok but we have seen much better gardens in all the other hotels we have stayed in.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
I cannot comment on the Activities as we went for a relaxing laze on the beach, so we did not get involved in any activities.
Other Comments:
I can only repeat my first statement.........
"We loved this place"
Posted by: Greg
on Apr 13, 2011 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Apr, 2011 | Leisure | With Group
1101 people found this review helpful
I would recommend this place to anyone who wants to visit , Dominican and have fun or relax the option is yours . 4 of us from nova scotia just got back on the 28th of march and have the best memories . Beach went on for miles . Nice pool with two swim up bars . Steak resterant good . El Pres. beer on tap and cold. Brugal rum , White Rusians and very good bahama's mamma's at the lobby bar . Chicken and pork at the beach barbaque was great everyday at lunch time ( bar right there also ) Buffet was very good , busy times there are 2 to choose from but both had the same menu . Night shows were entertaining and the entertainment crew were very friendly . Lots of peacocks and lizards ( pretty cool ) Every morning there was a male outside our room with his tail standing up stutting around for the females . The guys who climb the cocunut trees and prun the limbs , cut the coconuts off and make mugs , ash trays or just cut it open and offer it to you to drink (tip) . Staff was just out of this world nice . Ours friends who went with have e-mail address's and offer's of a place to stay when ever ( very nice girl at the photo shop )a lot talked to us by name with a true smile on their faces . One very nice waittress at the lobby bar would write spanish with english on a coaster and give to our friends would were with for the very first vacation anywhere so they could learn a little spanish and then test them the next day ( it was fun and nice ) In the buffet you were never without a drink of some kind because before you are done with your drink they are there to refill , coffee , water , (wine el a cart). Staff kept the tables clear with a smile ( never tipped...dam )Horseback riding on the beach was great but the horses will run on the way back so hang on . Two hrs for 32.50 each ( the guys who come around the pool and beach will come down on the price )and only about 10-15 mins from the resort . Shops set up 2 nights a week where you could buy a lot of differant hand made items . so muchmore . Had a very nice time
"Great vacation!"
Posted by: Linda
on Mar 28, 2012 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Mar, 2012 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
924 people found this review helpful
I would definitely recommend the Sirenis resort. We found the facility and grounds immaculate, staff always willing to help in any way, pools excellent and everything was spacious. I have read other reviews where guests have scurried down at 7 a.m. to reserve lounge chairs but this was never the case; there seemed plenty available in shade or in sun, or on the beach if that was your preference. We loved the beach area and walked for a long way. About a half-mile away we saw the Dreams Resort and their beach paled in comparison with the size of ours, and the abundance of coconut palms which made our beach less windy and much more attractive. There are two buffets which are always so well laid out and much variety each day and the staff are at your beck and call. The fresh juices in the morning are to die for! There are at least 6 a-la-cartes to choose from - the Japanese was spectacular. Entertainment was good. Frig stocked everyday with fresh bottles of water, pop, and beer. We were very fortunate to have a view of the ocean from our balcony but only a few of the buildings are in this location, but the grounds are so well kept and attractive, the "garden view" isn't bad! The weather was gorgeous and the excursions are great- enough choice for all ages. We booked with Transat and the airline was exceptional.
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We were a bit disappointed to not have the welcome promised with cocktail and a rep to provide information upon arrival. Perhaps because we arrived in late afternoon, we did not have the meeting with our rep until 10 a.m. the following morning. As a result we were felt lost being as this was our first visit to the D. R. and our first all-inclusive vacation - didn't know what we were able to take advantage of, etc. The buffets don't open for evening dinner until 7 p.m. so we were famished having to wait - we had been up since 3:30 a.m. and had a long day travelling, and the drive from the airport was a harrowing hour-long experience, so a bit of a welcome when we arrived would have been oh, so appreciated. We saw many other arrivals throughout the week receive the complementary cocktail, and felt saddened that we missed the anticipated hoopla we've read about.
We requested a room that was not first-level, and we were assigned to a ground level floor. It was more than adequate; however I didn't feel comfortable opening either a window or the patio doors for the night, and have problems breathing without the advantage of fresh air. When we mentioned this to our rep, Sarah, the following morning at our introduction meeting, she immediately arranged for us to be moved to another block where we had a second-floor suite, and were able to leave the patio doors open all night with the ocean breezes flowing in. I will always be grateful for everyone that made this move possible - it totally made our trip!
Restaurants and Bars:
The food in the buffets was plentiful and adequate - some things we just avoided, like the breads and waffles that were sitting out and obviously wouldn't be fresh as a waffle-bar where they are made in front of you. There was an omelette chef every morning, however, who made your eggs or omelettes to perfection just as you ordered. The fresh juices were unbelievably delicious. Coffee is a delight.
We tried 4 a-la-cartes: Mexican - just so-so. Food nothing spectacular - the best was the make-it-yourself fajitas. Mediterranean - a total disappointment. The waiters made mistakes on our appetizers - had to be exchanged twice so we got 4 different appetizers come and go. Husband's entree was stuffed chicken and he received some dish with cut-up chicken, so that had to be replaced with what he ordered. My entree was skewered shrimp and seafood, and if I had closed my eyes I could not have guessed it was shrimp - tasteless. Desserts were forgettable.
Steakhouse - we ordered filet mignon and received 2 small-sized steaks instead. We decided to keep our meals and the steaks were delicious. The appetizer bar was very good. Dessert was same as buffet served so not spectacular but fresh fruit was all we needed anyway.
Japanese - a culinary and entertaining delight! The chefs go above and beyond to provide a humorous and enjoyable experience and the food was absolutely delicious and abundant. We ordered tempura (deep-fried ice-cream) for dessert and it was awesome. Our best evening was here.
Very well kept - no complaints whatever.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We took two excursions; the zip-line and the Bararo Runners. We would highly recommend both; however if we had to choose just one we would say do the Bavaro Runners - its an experience every tourist should have to really get a taste of the country outside a pampered resort. We were picked up at 9 a.m. and taken through the countryside up to the mountain where the zip-line excursion is situated. We visited a school and "typical" Dominican home, sugarcane plantation, learned about coffee & cocoa making, with taste tests of all these and more - we had a fabulous lunch served to us with beer and/or pop, we went horseback riding, saw orchids, pineapples, almond trees, avocado trees, mango trees, cacoa trees, many sugarcanes, much more. The day ends with a visit to beautiful Macao beach for some swimming or boogie boarding in the ocean, or just relaxing on the beach. We returned at 5:00 with the feeling we had learned much more about the country we were visiting. A must-do! The zip-line excursion was fabulous and easy for anyone to do but is a bit more physical.
Other Comments:
One thing we learned after we were at our resort was that we were not, in fact, at the Caribbean. The ocean we were in was the Atlantic, yet many of the resorts state you are on a Caribbean vacation. While this was a disappointment, the water was not. It was a beautiful jade color and warm as one could wish for. But if we return to the Dominican I will definitely look at booking somewhere on the Caribbean side where the sand is reportedly "dazzling white". It is NOT white at the Serenis. but no complaints about the fine and clean sand we were on.
"great hotel, wonderful place"
Posted by:
phoebe on Jun 12, 2014 >
1 contribution(s) United Kingdom
Visited on: Apr, 2014 | Leisure | Solo
535 people found this review helpful
Sirenis Tropical suites is one of the best hotels in Punta Cana that I have visited as I and my family had a wonderful stay here. These are reasons why I will go back for another nice experience here. The staff was very nice but because of the language barrier, it was difficult to communicate but that didnt matter as their smiles and friendliness made up for their communication problem. The room maid was very nice and cheerful, and the hotel grounds are very beautiful. The hotel is well kept, gorgeous and very clean facilities. The animation team was very great, the entertainment was 5 stars throughout out stay and we never missed any of it. The two pools here were clean and safe for both adults and kids and the bar here was great as well. They have an awesome beach which I and my family look forward to everyday throughout our stay, it is clean and at the end, we just walk back to our rooms. The restaurants are great; we especially loved the Japanese restaurant, great food. The buffet at this resort was great as there are varieties and the rooms were also great. Although, I think the rooms need some upgrading as the beds were just a tad bit hard and as much as the rooms were very clean, it had this musty feeling which I think should be improved. Thank you to the staff for making me and my family have a wonderful holiday here, we will be back again.
"Fantastic Resort!!!"
Posted by:
Christa on Oct 6, 2014 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Sep, 2014 | Leisure | With friend
193 people found this review helpful
After reading many varied reviews, decided to check it out for ourselves. The resort was fantastic but very, very large. For those with walking issues, heed our advice.
Our room was Q105 and it was by the beach and pools. It was spotless, up-to-date and air-conditioned, with a sitting room, balcony and stocked fridge! Two TV's with satellite, so channels were not an issue.
The grounds were immaculate - we had an oceanview room which we loved, but the gardenview rooms overlooked lovely grounds, and were situated about halfway between main lobby/dining room and the beach/pools.
The weather was very, very hot, but sitting on the windy beach was lovely. The ocean was warm and clean, and loungers and shade were plentiful. No need to drop a towel off at dawn
The bar-b-que on the beach served lovely pork chops, chicken, burgers and fries. This was right next to one of the many bars with self-serve pop machines and lovely bartenders who remembered your drinks from one day to the next - impressive. There was also a covered restaurant poolside with a varied buffet. Lovely to sit in cool comfort while eating in your bathing suit!
The pools were gorgeous - plenty of safe swimming space for the little ones and also for the adults. Two swim up bars! Again no issues with loungers or shade. Poolside activities were plentiful. During our stay there were constant volleyball games/tournaments on the beach and in the pool
The main dining room was open from 7:00 pm until about 2:00 am, then open from 5:00 am to 10:00 for breakfast, then 1:00 - 4:00 for lunch. The food was quite good and had themed menus daily. I particularly enjoyed having fresh pasta or omelettes made for me every day. The fresh juices were to die for.
All staff were exceptionally friendly and although English wasn't always the best, with their few words of english and our few words of Spanish, we managed just fine.
The nightly entertainment was fabulous, with disco afterward for those interested.
All in all, had a fantastic time and thoroughly recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind the walk from ocean-view rooms to the main lobby and back. A pair of comfortable shoes and you're good to go.
Room Number:
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"Not too bad"
Posted by:
vivian on Nov 30, 2014 >
1 contribution(s) United States of America
Visited on: Nov, 2014 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
193 people found this review helpful
The resort was located in a beautiful part of the Dominican Republic however it was very disappointing not been able to get to this location easier from the main highway that was build to better the road to this resort. The staff members of the restaurants and bars were very polite and charming however the information staff along with housekeeping were not very accommodating or informative. The front desk-information staff did not fully explain the facility and i had to place several calls with questions. The first day in the resort was very good with the nice clean pools and a very nice beach however the people from the front desk did not explain how to activate the power for the room therefore we had to call for an electrician who later explained to us that the room key need it to be store in a device by the door. The second day was great having a lot of free drinks and a safe place to leave your personal belongings without fear of loosing them however the menu did not varied much and did not represent the Islands gastronomy. The last day of our stay we call the front desk to reassure the check out time and we were told that it was at 12 pm however there was a staff from housekeeping that kept harassing us since 10:00 am about the towels than at 11:00 am to check if we were gone and told us that the supervisor send her to check if we were out of the room since the next guess had arrived and she need it to clean the room. It was a very rude farewell since we had to wait until 3:00 pm to get our rooms when we arrived two days before and we follow the instructions given by the front staff. Over all the bar tenders and waitresses/dinning room helpers were amazing however the administrative staff and housekeeping make it unacceptable. As a Dominican American is a shame that a resort with so many visitors from all over the world can have such a bad experience coming to stay relax for a few days because of the members of the staff and the inability to practice their own policies
Room Number:
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Spacious and clean.
Restaurants and Bars:
Amazing bars. Did not visited any restaurants besides the buffet which was not very good to my taste
very good
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Did not participate in group activities.


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Fragile Heart Necklace -- Break To Wear
By Studio kahn
When you first get the Fragile Heart Necklace it is a small sculpture that looks like tiny wings. Only by snapping it in the middle and pulling out the hidden chain, will you turn it into a wearable piece of jewelry. The action of breaking creates your own, unique piece. Snapping is easy, but so exciting, and it leaves you with an exquisite creation! The Fragile Heart Necklace is handmade by Studio Kahn in their small studio in Jerusalem. Much emphasis is put on the details to ensure the highest quality.
White glazed ceramic and 100% natural Italian felt in red.
Measurements of pendant (after breaking): 1.8" x 1.6" x 0.8"
Length of chain: 17.7"


text:
Beavers Again Rally To Win!
The Oregon State baseball team is the only remaining undefeated team in the NCAA Corvallis regional. The Beavers defeated UC-Santa Barbara 3-2 Saturday night to improve to 2-0 in the double-elimination tournament.
Despite serving as the tournament host, Oregon State was the visiting team in the game against the Gauchos. Beavers' designated hitter Ryan Barnes opened the scoring with a home run in the top of the second. However, UC-Santa Barbara came right back with single runs in the second and third to go in front 2-1.
Barnes tied the score 2-2 when he singled home Dylan Davis in the sixth. Neither team scored again until the top of the ninth when OSU first baseman Danny Hayes drew a bases-loaded walk. That put OSU on top 3-2, and Max Engelbrekt set the Gauchos down in order in the bottom of the ninth to earn his fifth save of the season.
Freshman Andrew Moore raised his record to 13-1 with eight solid innings of work. He allowed only five hits and one earned run. Moore walked two, hit two batters, and threw a wild pitch but he struck out six and again came up big for the Beavers in a critical situation.
UC-Santa Barbara (1-1) will play Texas A&M (1-1) Sunday at noon in a loser-out game with the winner advancing to face OSU in a 5 p.m. game on Sunday. If Oregon State were to lose Sunday night, the same two teams would play again Monday at 5 p.m. for the regional championship.
Remember, all Oregon State baseball games are aired on Fox Sports Radio 620 in Portland.


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These are a few of my favorite things.
Peanut butter and chocolate. Pretzels and sea salt.
Put em all together and you have some rich and addictive tricked-out peanut butter cups.
I used all-natural creamy peanut butter, dark chocolate and salted mini pretzels. Then topped it all off with crunchy flakes of Maldon sea salt.
There's something about melting chocolate in a double boiler that's oddly soothing. I loved layering the ingredients and impatiently waiting for the chocolate to harden. It was a nice little way to spend a chilly winter Sunday.
The motivation behind these simple two-bite treats was the Sweet Swap to raise money for ChildFund Australia.
The idea was to share sweets and recipes with fellow Australian food bloggers. I loved wrapping the peanut butter cups and sending them out in the post like some kind of chocolate fairy – crossing my fingers that they arrived still looking at least a little cute.
I hope my sweet swapping pen pals enjoyed them!
Peanut Butter Pretzel Chocolate Bites
Makes about about 24
- 2 cups dark [or milk chocolate] chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1 cup peanut butter – or nut butter of choice
- 1 tablespoon powdered/confectioner 's sugar
- mini pretzels
- sea salt
Line a mini muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, saucepan or microwave. Once it's melted down, add coconut oil to thin out. Add more, if needed.
Add about one teaspoon of melted chocolate to the bottom of each paper cup. Tilt the liners so the chocolate evenly coats the bottom and slightly up the sides.
Place the cupcake pan in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to let set.
Meanwhile, mix together peanut butter and powdered sugar. Place peanut butter mixture in the fridge for 10 minutes.
Once both timers have gone off, scoop 1 teaspoon of the peanut butter mixture and place in the center of each chocolate cup. Place pan back in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Remove pan from the freezer and add a mini pretzel on top of the peanut butter.
With the remaining chocolate, cover each cup until covered. Top with sea salt (optional.)
Place baking tin back into the freezer for about 20 minutes.
Store in the fridge.