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Tuesday, February 22, 2011
B101's Bracket Banter - Tuesday
Tuesday's Games
The focus is on the Big Ten tonight, where there are two big bubble battles on tap. The most important bubble game of the night is the match-up between Michigan State and Minnesota. The Gophers' late season slide (they have lost five of six) needs to come to an end this week or else they won't find themselves in the bracket next week. They have a huge week ahead with the Michigan schools coming in, and they need to win three of their last four just to finish 9-9 in conference. If they can't get to 9-9 in conference, a deep Big Ten run would likely be required to lock down a bid. A win for the Spartans would do wonders for their tourney hopes as it would give them the season sweep over the Gophers and make them a virtual lock for at least a 9-9 conference finish.
The other Big Ten bubble team in action is Illinois, which travels to Ohio State. Obviously a road win over the Buckeyes isn't a requirement for the Illini to make the tournament, and at least a 9-9 conference finish looks like a certainty for them with home games against Iowa and Indiana remaining. A win here could turn the focus back towards how high of a seed the Illini could end up with instead of what they need to do to secure their bid.
The two other games of note tonight are Tennessee at Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech at Wake Forest. The Volunteers gave themselves little wiggle room by losing to Georgia over the weekend, and they now have to pick up at least two wins in their last four games to feel good about their tourney hopes heading into the SEC tournament. The Hokies had an even worse loss over the weekend in losing at Virginia, which knocked them out of our latest bracket. They are once again setting the table to be one of the most debated bubble teams come Selection Sunday, and their game at Wake Forest should just be a tune-up for their make-or-break game against Duke this weekend.
Also keep and eye on: Iowa State at Texas, Louisville at Rutgers, LaSalle at Xavier, Houston at Memphis, UNC-Asheville at Coastal Carolina
32 comments:
Does anyone understand just how poor the SEC is? If you take the weird statistical anomaly that is Tennessee out of the equation... Is the conference any better than a 3-4 team conference? Kentucky, Vandy, Florida... MAYBE Tennessee is they can split 2 of the next 4 (which wont be easy)
Take all the quality wins away for SEC conference games and just go off the assumption that the conference flat out STINKS (LSU, Miss St, Arkansas, South Carolina, Auburn etc..) for a moment... count out the quality wins and then count up the losses to power conference (including the A-10 and MWC) teams...some not even good teams mind you...
UGA wins... St Louis, Ga Tech, Colorado,
UGA losses... ND, Temple
'Bama wins...none
'Bama losses.... Seton Hall, Iowa, Purdue, Providence, Oklahoma St (only 1 even being a tourney bound team??)
Ole Miss wins...Penn St, St Louis
Ole Miss losses...Dayton, Miami, Colorado St
The only other notable wins not mentioned were UGA beating UAB and Ole Miss beating SO Miss... both who are decent but still tourney long shots...
This conference is living off name only right now... Conference "Quality wins" really need to be examined with a fine tooth comb in the SEC....
The past couple of years people have been putting the SEC down, but yet the SEC had 2 of the elite 8 last year. If you actually paid attention to how Alabama is playing right now you would say that they are a tournament team.
See...the above comment is exactly my point... Outside of a horrible game by Kentucky where the Wildcats shot 38% from the field and a 13-22 from the line thus Bama winning at home by 2... is there anything of REAL QUALITY?
Wins in conference... Auburn (will be 2 times after tomorrow night), LSU 2 times, Miss St 2 times, Arkansas 1 time (with 1 loss to them, South Carolina 1 time... Ole Miss 1 time... then the other "marquee win" over a floundering but talented Tennessee...
If you consider Tennessee has loads of potential but is kind of a train wreck at times...What has Bama really done?
The conference bottom 5 are BAD BAD BAD... so the wins should carry NO WEIGHT...
Look at some of the losses by Auburn, LSU, Arkansas, Miss St and South Carolina...
Florida Atlantic, East Tenn St (who is not horrible), Hawaii, Nicholls St, Coastal Carolina (actually decent team), North Texas, Rice, Furman, UNC Asheville, Campbell, Samford, Jacksonville, Presbyterian, UAB...
I challenge to find another power conference with a group of teams that can boast losses of that caliber? So basically it becomes very evident that wins against those bottom 5 MEAN NOTHING!! So that means 8 of Bamas 10 conference wins MEAN NOTHING!!
Saying those wins mean nothing is going a bt far but, when seen in the proper context, they're about the same as winning games in most mid-major conferences.
Considering how many bad losses SEC West teams have to even low-majors, I don't even think you can say *that*
- mccscratch said...
Name a mid major with a current 10-2 (or thereabouts) record in conference with only 2 marquee wins at most and losses to teams like Iowa, Seton Hall, Okie St and Providence that is getting in if they don't win their conference tourney?
The closest MAYBE is... Oakland who is 15-1 (67 RPI) with its win over Tennessee @ Knoxville (just like Bama) and losses to West Virginia, Purdue, Wright St, Illinois, Mich St, Mich, Valpo and Ohio St... and even with a 23-10 record THEY WONT GET IN...
FTR...South Dakota St who sits 5th in Oaklands conference the Summit beat Iowa by 10... :o)
True but the SEC West is considerably better than the Summit League. You have to remember that SEC West teams play the East teams once each. That bolsters their conference SOS considerably.
I am not 100% sure the SEC West is all that much better than the Southern Conference... Auburn and LSU may be the worst Big Six teams in America (along with DePaul)... Imagine if Coll of Charleston does not win their conference... Should they still get in? I can promise you that a C of C vs Bama game would be a very close line in Vegas...maybe a bucket either way...
Big 12 bottom half bad losses... Northern Iowa, North Texas, Chaminade, San Francisco, Davidson, Harvard
(2 of those teams are good mid major programs and Harvard winning Ivy)
Big Ten bottom half bad losses... Northern Iowa, South Dakota St, Long Beach St, Maine
ACC bottom half bad losses... Stetson, Winthrop, UN Wilmington, Presbyterian, Kennesaw St, Siena, Seattle,
Pac 10 bottom half bad losses...(only one close to SEC poorness)
Seattle, Texas Southern, Utah Valley, Montana, George Washington
San Jose St, Idaho, Rider, Bradley,
Did a quick calculation for comparison:
Alabama's conference opponents have an average RPI of about 115.
Richmond's conference opponents have an average RPI of about 138.
- Timothy said...
A few questions about the ACC:
-How comfortable should FSU fans be if they get to 10-6 and go 1-1 in the ACCT?
-What about VT fans? Is Duke pretty much their season? Fail to win that and it would take a run to at least the ACCT Championship game if not winning it?
-Is BC going to feel Ok at 9-7? What about getting there but dropping their ACCT opener?
Any other team out of the ACC you see making a run to get themselves included? Any suprise thoughts for the ACCT as of now?
Richmond's win over Purdue was far more impressive on a neutral court than Bama's squeaker over Kentucky at home...
Richmond has a higher RPI by 14 places for a reason....
- Timothy said...
Oh and for Anon, the ACC has some pretty bad losses:
Kennesaw St, Auburn, SCar, Yale, Rhode Island, Harvard(questionable), UCF, Rutgers, Seattle, Sienna, Charlotte, Winthrop, UNC-Wil, Presbyterian, and add to it WF actually has a win in conference (they and Auburn are the two worst Big6 schools)
Wow the Oakland comparison to Alabama is a great one. And I haven't seen a single person saying Oakland has any chance to get an at-large.
While Alabama does have slightly better wins than Oakland, they've also had more good chances to get them. Out of Alabama's 7 games vs. top 100 opponents only 2 were on the road. Out of Oakland's 8 games vs. top 100 opponents, 6 of them were on the road. So Alabama had more realistic chances to pick up quality wins.
Besides that, Oakland doesn't have the bad losses that Alabama does. Against teams between 100-200 in the RPI, Oakland is 10-2. Against that same range Alabama is 5-5!
I just can't believe people can honestly say Alabama has anything that resembles a Tournament resume right now. The only reason they're playing so well is because they're beating up on pathetic SEC West teams, much like Oakland is beating up on pathetic Summit league teams.
I wasn't trying to say that Alabama is more deserving of a bid than Richmond. I was only looking at the idea that Alabama has a horrible conference slate and comparing and contrasting with an A-10 conference schedule.
explain how duke is a 1 seed?
Weak conference...blown out by mid teir big east team...had to have miracle shooting 2nd half to beat a good(not great) UNC...and lost to fla st...Duke will exposed badly in the tourney probably to the 8 9 winner...
- Bracketology 101 said...
Timothy -
The 'Noles should be safe with a 10-6 finish and one ACC tourney win.
Virginia Tech's season is pretty much on the line against Duke. If they lose, they'll have to win their last two regular season games and get to at least the ACC semis (maybe the final) to get a bid.
If BC finishes 9-7, they're going to have to win at least one ACC tournament game to feel safe.
Let's see, so far the early games don't have too many surprising results except for Coastal Carolina and Northern Iowa losing. It doesn't look like any bubble teams really stepped up--the wins by Southern Miss and Virginia Tech really aren't "resume builders."
- Rainmaker203 said...
Michigan State is pretty much locked up now with their road win tonight. Barring an 0-3 finish, they'll be dancing.
What do you do with Minnesota now? They're only 6-9 in conference play and have lost 6 of their last 7. The remaining schedule is soft (Michigan, @Northwestern, Penn State), but I haven't seen anything out of Minnesota the last 4 weeks to make me think they'll win all 3.
Say they go 2-1: that would leave them at 19-11 (8-10 Conference), and 5-7 in their last 12. I'm not sold they'd be in the field without making a deep Big Ten tournament run.
- give me the brandy said...
I don't think MSU is a lock at 9-9 in conference if they lose to Purdue and at Michigan, they'd still probably have to win a game in the tournament to feel safe. If they beat Purdue or Michigan plus beat Iowa, they're in.
If Minnesota doesn't win out, they'll have to make the Big 10 finals to get back in the mix.
- Bracketology 101 said...
Minnesota is in a world of trouble right now. Brandy is right - if they don't win out, they'll probably need to make the Big Ten final to get an at-large.
- Bracketology 101 said...
Huge win for Michigan State tonight. Not only was it on the road, but it completed a season sweep against a fellow Big Ten bubble team.
We think the Spartans have a better chance of finishing 10-8 than they do finishing 9-9, but if they do end up 9-9, winning their first round Big Ten tourney game is a must. They'd end up with 14 losses in that scenario and would likely be seeded on the 12 line.
- Howard Salwasser said...
On the Gophers situation, I don't think they're even an NIT team at this point. There's been so much shuffling of the lineup due to injuries, how can anyone tell how good they are? At this point it's not a question of can we stay healthy, but rather can we find anyone willing to suit up for us? If we continue to collapse, I think the best thing for this team is to rest up for next season.
It pained me to write this, since I do live in Minnesota.
Ken Pomeroy ranks Maryland as the #23 team right now. If they go 3-1 (beating Fla St and Virginia at home and Miami on the road), aren't they in regardless of what happens in the ACC tournament?
- Bracketology 101 said...
Maryland has a lot more work to do than that. If they go 3-1 (assuming at loss at UNC), they'd finish the season with a grand total of one Top 50 win and an RPI in the high 60s/low 70s. Under that scenarios, they'd need to make a very deep run in the ACC tourney to get consideration.
- sportnews said...
Penn states next three games are at northwestern home to Ohio state and at Minnesota considering they've had the toughest big ten schedule (only playing Indiana and Iowa once what exactly will they need to do to get in would 9-9 be safe considering their 9-9 is better than anyone else's 9-9
Thanks a lot
Penn State's 9-9 may be better than anyone else's 9-9, but their 7-4 is much worse than the OOC resumes of the other Big Ten bubble teams.
PSU 7-4 (best win: Duquesne, loss at home to Maine)
Minnesota 11-1 (neutral-site wins over UNC, WVU)
Michigan 10-3 (won @Clemson, vs. Harvard)
Michigan St. 8-4 (beat Washington at Maui, much better losses than Penn St.)
Illinois 10-3 (a loss as bad as Maine, but with wins vs. UNC, @Gonzaga, and vs. Maryland, who beat PSU by 23 in State College)
On the other hand, the in-conference wins are as impressive as anybody's. Personally, I think the home/road/neutral thing is a little overstated. If Penn State beats Ohio State and Minnesota, they'll have a collection of wins (OSU, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Illinois, Minnesota, @Minnesota) that, in my opinion, stands out over some of the other middling bubble teams.
Even if they finish 9-9 in conference, they'll have 14 losses. NO WAY a team gets in with 14 losses.
The SEC isn't "Awful", it's "top-heavy". Just because the worst team sucks doesn't mean the best team doesn't deserve a bid.
- sportnews said...
Well will you may be forgetting that Penn state I think will finish with the number 1 SOS so of all the 300 somewhat teams Penn st will have played the toughest losses so what's better the number 1 SOS with 14 losses or a not as good strength of schedule but 12 losses
Correct even Cheapest Diablo 3 goldso the SEC West is much better compared to the Summit Nfl. You need to know in which Second Western world groups take part in the Distance competitors once every single. That will increases gw2 goldtheir particular convention SOS noticeably.
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Monday, June 15, 2009
Dhoni ki dhulayi ho gayee
Don't Mess with the Press….
Media as Monster?? Take two recent high profile cases. Sheetal Mafatlal's and Mahendra Singh Dhoni's. Till very recently, both were the absolute darlings of fawning journos who behaved like greedy puppies in their presence. Suddenly, the two of them have dropped from grace and are being pilloried by the same presswallas who had propped them up in the first place. I am more interested in tracking the Dhoni saga, since Dhoni is a national figure with an international fan following running into millions. Sheetal remains a local celeb. A Mumbai society girl, who makes great pics ( in and out of jail). All it took for Dhoni's halo to lose its sheen, was one unguarded remark, a glare, and a sharp rebuke when questioned about Sehwag's shoulder injury. I watched that particular press conference carefully, and could anticipate what would follow. Dhoni's body language was aggressive, and his standard post-match charm was totally missing. Instaed, he chose to be belligerent and defensive by turn, and ended up putting both feet into his mouth. Mar gayaa, I said to myself. The guy's had it.
Sure enough, the press came down on him like a ton of bricks…. And I guarantee you, no amount of damage control can help after that single outburst. Whether or not Dhoni covers himself with untold glory from this point on, whether or not we clinch the T20 ( at the time of writing, we had still to make the semis), Dhoni is a marked man. Unfortunately, this is how the cookie crumbles. The press can be particularly harsh and unforgiving towards idols they themselves have created. Dhoni gave himself away when he briefly lost it and challenged the press (" You are accusing me of leaking news ?"). At that point there was no such accusation…. but he inadvertently gave the game away. Huge mistake. Countless tv debates followed with several experts voicing their two bits' worth on whether or not Dhoni should have said what he did. The consensus was that Dhoni should have kept his trap shut. Bishen Singh Bedi put it in the right context when he said, " A captain must always maintain his cool." Others agreed and added that it is imperative for a captain to remain in control at all times – particularly so during a crisis. I agree. But Dhoni is a young, hot- blooded athlete, not a paunchy, seasoned politician. He is human, he too can get provoked, and surely we can make some concessions for a sportsman who has otherwise conducted himself admirably?? Apparently not!!
Which brings me to Sheetal. Let me state it bluntly – I am on her side. Not her personally or specifically. I would have been on anybody's side who had been singled out for an offence that others have waltzed away from after paying a fine. Sheetal is no spring chicken. She is a businesswoman and she, more than most people, must know the rules. Ignorance is no defence. Even so… why detain and jail her?? That seemed a pretty vicious thing to do, vindictive, too. And perhaps it was an over- zealous interpretation of the law. Unless the authorities know something we don't. And they plan to go public with the damaging information\evidence at a later date. As of now, Sheetal stands accused of flouting gold import rules. In the past, even the Bachchans have been detained for non-declaration of dutiable luxury items to the tune of one crore of rupees and more. They weren't marched off to jail. They were fined. I can think of several others – Adar Poonawala, Suresh Hiranandani etc. So,why was Sheetal targeted for this extra special treatment?? Who was out to fix her? Mind you, I have no sympathy for her kind who often allow their arrogance to get the better of good sense and believe they are above and beyond the law. Sheetal will now get entangled in complex court proceedings, and chances are, her professional credentials as a brand ambassador for an international fashion house, will be damaged permanently. All for a few pieces of gold ( not even 24 –carat, as it emerges). Once again, it was the rottweiler –style mediawallas she ran foul of. Moral of the story?? Don't mess with the press. Or else…right Dhoni??
I am in a state of shock! Shiney? And rape?? I have always been a Shiney Ahuja fan. The guy is a far better actor than most of the duds hanging around. Better looking, too. Why would he rape an 18 year-old -maid working in his home as a temp? He has a lovely wife, a cute daughter... but then again, who knows what beast lurks beneath the veneer of a gentleman? His wife insists the man is being framed. The police say he has 'confessed'. The maid has added that he threatened to kill her. The story gets murkier by the minute. Chances are Bollywood biggies will turn their backs on Shiney. In their eyes he is a nobody. Shiney isn't a star son. Nor does he belong to any known camp. He hasn't sucked up to any of the Khans or Bachchans either. If anything, his co-stars have accused him of being distant and unfriendly. He has always stayed away from those typical filmi set ups - no partying-shartying, no groupies, no punch ups, no courting presswallas. That's why I liked the chap. Found him attractively aloof... a brooder. Troubled and intense. Our very own James Dean. And now this mess! Am hoping against hope the maid is a conniving b**** and not a helpless sexual victim of a star's passing fancy. Shiney is certainly not the first 'star rapist' in Bollywood. Let's see how many dirty secrets tumble out now that the Pandora's Box has been opened.
33 comments:
- kala said...
One bad game and one bad press conference will not make Dhoni a bad captain. But his decisions like selecting certain players for certain tasks will ultimately prove detrimental. Afterall it is only a game. Sheetal made all the others more careful. When a celebrity is punished, it sends a very strong message across. No celebrity will ever be kept in jail or judicial custody for more than a day or two except someone unfortunate like Parle Rajan. It is the poor and the ordinary people who are locked up for years without trial. Shiney and the maid. It may be a case of blackmail by the maid or Shiney might have actually committed the crime. Will the truth ever come out?
- June 16, 2009 at 12:04 AM
- varry said...
As for Shiney's case --- the question is will the truth be out? Be it Salmaan khan;s case or sanjay dutt's. At the end they all go scot free. Why shud Shiney be an exception ? Yes he might need to shell out some cash, I think this is precisely what the maid must hav asked him to do. But unfortunately , Shiney will have to do tat after the damage is done.
- June 16, 2009 at 12:13 AM
- krish said...
hy de....
" conniving bitch" to stong dear.....hold yr emotions ....end of the day if we are talking abt RAPE or to presume if it was an act of passion with consent .......tell how many men go sleeping with their maids......i find it amusing for women to be conniving..... for sex/men .(Rightly put one more story for the media which wud make or break many lives......end of the day shiney wud still shine after a few years in jail (lets not forget sanju baba)......wht abt the " conniving maid" ......
- June 16, 2009 at 10:14 AM
- krish said...
and before i forget .......am being a feminist like u......why cast a shadow over the girl.....just bec she is frm a diffnt background ????????
luv u
- June 16, 2009 at 10:17 AM
- gb said...
why don't u stop discussing people? u should put up your own experiences of life and the places u visit. discussing individuals threadbare is not good at all. i am a great fan of yours and love your books and articles but this part of your character i don't appreciate. I prefer Mr.Bachan's blog who always is with himself and puts forth his own emotions to his EFs. He tells about the places he visits, the people he meets, the shows that he attends etc.etc. but he does not operate the characters of people. i suggest u to stop operating people's character and image. make your writings more thoughful, motivational and ground to earth.
- June 16, 2009 at 10:39 AM
- kala said...
The facts are coming out. The maid may be the victim. Just because the actor is goodlooking and talented does not make him automatically Framed. You are a woman and yet how can you be so harsh towards that maid? Is it reverse discrimination on your part? We all hope that Shiney is not the rapist. Even if it is done with consent, it does not speak well of a much married man and that too with his own staff.
- June 16, 2009 at 11:12 AM
- pooja raathore said...
Dear SD,
I too feel the same about shiney Ahuja very good actor i was shocked to hear the news... let see what happens...let truth come out whatever it is.
- June 16, 2009 at 12:33 PM
- numerounity said...
That was a bad defeat...
In today's news the coach blamed it all on the fatigue rate of players who are still recovering from the IPL adventure!!!
Shiney Ahuja story is sad...BUt unlike u, i am not feeling if the maid is wrong. I guess she has been wronged.
Sheetal Mooh-fat-laal may loose her assignments and definitely a lot has been planted to bring her to hyper treatment but the actual fault is hers...Now don't tell she didn't knew the custom ka customs...sigh!!!
- June 16, 2009 at 2:22 PM
- VIVEK said...
Dhoni...the poor chap is paying the price for not being media-friendly... Media has grown to such heights that it can easily take one to the top of the world and send him down even faster. A couple of bad matches and all fingers are pointing at Dhoni. He has even apologized!! If the gambles you took had worked out, then the so called "experts" would have hailed Dhoni...Now questions would be raised at his batting, captaincy, endorsements etc etc....It reminds me of the hard days Sourav Ganguly had to face.
- June 16, 2009 at 2:54 PM
- Zeba Talkhani said...
Bechara Dhoni.
And I just found out about shiney ahuja thingy. Very sad actually. I was under the impression that he was the first to be accused of raping. Police found proof apparently.
- June 16, 2009 at 3:01 PM
- anamika said...
Sheetal Mooh-fat-laal case is surely over hyped but I heard one of her close relative complained of her smuggling gold which led to a bigger destruction rather then cheating custom authorities.
As far as Dhoni is concerned since the beginning of IPL i was noticing Dhoni being overburdened with his captain responsibility.Guy always believed that only he can make him team win.This was proved by his and sehwag altercation episode.Dhoni believe in his own capability more then his team.He was over expecting from himself,confused and heated up as things were not going his way.Guy really needs to re introspect now as now whole media is analyzing his fault.
Shiney is a big surprise and now as he has confessed having consensual sex then it really appalled me. An actor who can easily get girl outside why on earth he will resort to this thing that too in his home.
Either maid was so attractive that he lost complete control that really seems surprising to me.
- June 16, 2009 at 3:14 PM
if Dhoni is hounded by presswalahs then it is the media that is at fault, not dhoni. Dhoni is the only player who stood all challenges boldly and with humility....a defeat is a part of game....double standard journos (now u are sounding like that too)luves these situations. U quoted Bishen Bedi the most fincky of cricketers who put his foot in his mouth everytime he speaks. Media desrves what Dhoni said to them. What Big B usually do to them. These media persons who create hooop=hallah are the ones who r in media as they are not fit for anyother job. They are in media b'cause of mazbooori and not for the bettrment of 4th pillar of democracy.
- June 16, 2009 at 5:04 PM
- tejasonnet said...
I am regular reader of your blog. I am little surprised that still not any reply from you on "Surat Shameful gang rape." Waiting for your view on this shameful event
- June 16, 2009 at 5:43 PM
- Christine said...
Hi Shobhaa,
The Shiney sage is quite shocking.I agree with you and hope the maid's lying through her teeth for publicity or whatever.But, "breaking news" reports online state that the rape kit's come back positive.
If this is proved true, it would just show that you can never really judge a person's character- him of all people.. just never seemed that way.
- June 16, 2009 at 6:57 PM
- *Aham* said...
These are fashionable names. And its even more fashionable to always blame the media. No id not blame the media completely. yes, there are certain sections of the media that are funny. But i feel its more to do with the whole system than the media alone.
Sheetal, im with her too. Even if she did frisk away with all that heera and sona... she must have because this would be a commonality.
Ohh About "Shiney Being BaiSexual "
there is a chance that this guy is duped, agreed. but still, even if there is an iota of truth in what the Bai says. Im with her and so will you be I know.
Now that things are unclear, id trust the Bai more. I feel men with their libido, are capable of anything. And everything at times. Shiney would definitely walk off, dust himself and move forward. Irrespective of what the truth is.
Shiney, i believe has starry tantrums and antics too.
or let me put it this way, Id not stand against Shiney, but for the bai.
A lot of my friends have confessed in my growing up years that they have given a lot of Bai-Chara to do things with them. its a commonality. To have illicit relationships with Bai's.
- June 16, 2009 at 8:17 PM
- Vee said...
Well, I am no Shiney fan but I don't hate him either. I am just indifferent to him. But the reasons you have produced to call the maid a b**** are so flimsy. Just cuz he is all that you have mentioned makes the girl a b****. I am aghast at your reasoning. I am not favoring her or not making sides like you. One of them is lying and I wonder if we ever will get to know that; but how can some one of your stature could take a side without any concrete results.
Secondly, why did you say just cuz others were left off with a fine, Sheetal should have been too? What kind of statement is that? Its as good as sucking upto it.. She is not wrongly detained but once again your reasoning fails.
- June 16, 2009 at 9:35 PM
- Roshni said...
Dear Mrs De,
Even I was surprised to find out you taking the side of shiney ahuja......what if the maid' version is really the truth....Shiney is no God and he might have committed the rape....is it fair to be prejudgemental?
- June 16, 2009 at 9:55 PM
- mystiquedew said...
Sheetal shud not be accused? quite condescending!
As for calling the girl a bit**. Gawd! she is barely 18.
- June 16, 2009 at 10:32 PM
- Sidhusaaheb said...
Well, coming to think of it, Dhoni might actually lose an endorsement or two on account of recent occurrences. Beyond that, I don't see him or his career suffer any permanent damage on account of the negative press, provided he continues to attain cricketing success.
As for Ms. Mafatlal, it was unlucky for her that she had to be the one who had to be made an example of, but as you have written, the fines were not really enough of a deterrent to the rich and famous who choose to be smugglers as well.
In Shiney's case, forensic evidence, including but not limited to DNA tests, may help establish whether intercourse took place. However, if it did, there is no way to find out whether it was consensual or not and Shiney may be declared guilty solely on the basis of the maid's statement, irrespective of whether it is true or false.
- June 16, 2009 at 11:08 PM
- Riaz-NJ said...
May be another wrong judgement here, "maid is a conniving b****" !!!! what does the dna evidence say ? Oops... may be then THEY complain that enough number of women are not represented yet... (high time to go on another vacation...!!!)
- June 17, 2009 at 4:18 AM
- Balvinder Singh said...
Frankly speaking, i don't think that any single, unarmed man can rape a fully concious, able bodied female. He can molest but not rape in the real sense of the term. They say that a man is very weak when he is hard. So what stops the victim to hit him squarely in his ba..s when he is in the act.
Having watched Dhoni talking tough to the media during his press conference, i had concluded that he was going to have it from them for next couple of days. I think the safest words during any media questioning these days is "NO COMMENTS PLEASE".
- June 17, 2009 at 1:21 PM
- Nandini said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- June 17, 2009 at 1:38 PM
- Mystique said...
u hope the maid is a conniving bitch?? why just because he is a good actor. I am sure there are plenty of good actors who have committed crimes..
rape is a serious crime and if shiney is guilty he should be punished (though of course rich people can get out of anything so i don't think he'll be punished). I mean ya its possible that he didn't actually rape her and just had consensual sex with her but the guy could get any girl why is he sleeping around with the maid..
I am actually hoping Shiney gets busted i am tired of watching celebrities go free everytime..
- June 17, 2009 at 2:00 PM
- athi said...
I actually like shiney, the actor and the person, cos he isnt very much everywhere like everyone else. Probably a very self-involved person. I was shocked with the way shiney was dragged by the police. If he is wronged, I really hope he comes out unscathed. But I guess the harm is already done.
- June 17, 2009 at 3:01 PM
- athi said...
Another thing I would like to bring to the notice of everyone here whos cribbing is that this blog is independently shobhas. If you find it partial, you can choose not to read. And I think I would rather read what one has to say about others rather than a self-involved self-promoting commercialized blog.
- June 17, 2009 at 3:08 PM
- smooth and rippled.... said...
hellow..im an ardent reader of ur posts n articles..
but i have to admit i'm rather surprised at ur reaction to the whole shiney incident..
having been an admirer of the actor myself, i was sickened to know that an actor like him who is educated and married, did something as heinous as what he did to his 'helpless' maid.. i admire her courage to speak out against a star.. probably this is a beginning to justice finally percolating to the lower strata of the society..
- June 17, 2009 at 9:57 PM
This is my first time here.. I came across your blog and I was like.. 'Is this really SHOBHAA DE writing'?! And I must say, the blog certainly didn't dissapoint.. Like your books, they are just as witty, smooth and politically incorrect! The "signature" SD style! Very, very charming..
- June 18, 2009 at 1:23 PM
- kala said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- June 18, 2009 at 2:19 PM
- kala said...
Shobhaa is not always politically incorrect. She usually gives support to right causes like writing against attacks by Rama Sene on Mangalorean pub going girls, Australean race attacks, supporting wholeheartedly pink chaddie campaign, Mallika sarabhai and other such causes and people. She even criticised Sanjay dutt when he wanted to contest the elections. This time she was overcome by extreme emotion. It may be in our mindset. Maids are generally treated condescendingly like some necessary evil and celebrities are treated like demi gods who make mistakes which should be forgiven because they entertain us. And the saddest part is maids can be bought with lots of money and everything is forgotten and forgiven. As time passes every incident gets blurred and Shiney may shine in films or in politics. And most Indians cannot do without maids. From a family which earns a few thousand rupees to a family which earns crores, we cant do without maids. It is strange that even with all the modern gadgetry we still require maids and servants to take care of us, our homes, our children and elders sometimes with disastrous consequences.
- June 18, 2009 at 2:56 PM
- Jogeshwar said...
Good to know you are on my side as well, don't even think I have commited any offence. I was thrown out of my sport by my coach, that too after my Father passed away, she backed this with a lie, weak and a pathetic reason. I still wonder why?
It is a harsh reality in sports, as long as you performing well in sports people sing praises for you like anything, when you slip a little they think you are finished, you will never hit the peak again.
Lance Armstrong met with similar fate, when he had cancer he was written off by his team Cofidis, after his recovery he won tour de france seven times in a row. My point is that we must have faith in our sportsmen.
- June 18, 2009 at 9:49 PM
- curtainz_fire said...
I wonder why people are making a big issue outta it. He should be seen as others be done. deducting celebrity part he s just a human like us. So in a way to punish,criticize or any damn thing he should be treated like an ordinary chap!
- June 25, 2009 at 12:32 AM
- Mona said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- June 25, 2009 at 4:31 AM
- Siva Cool said...
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- July 4, 2014 at 10:38 AM

subset: commoncrawl


text:
A week ago, the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) voted to cut the media's long-controversial—and fortunately, not uniform—practice of calling people the dreaded and demeaning i-word. Surely, you know what word I'm talking about: "illegal," "illegal immigrants," "illegal aliens."
For years, the media have taken the liberty of constantly demeaning those folks who not only made this country but who continue to build it, drive it, nurse it, mow it, clean it, and feed it. The use of the i-word has gotten large swathes of the population up in arms—sometimes literally!—by fueling anti-immigrant sentiment. They come here to take our jobs! (No, they really don't). They are all criminals! (Hardly). They drain our public benefits! (Where do I even begin? "They" are typically ineligible for benefits, not that the U.S. is known for having any kind of magnanimous social safety net. Besides, many of "them" pay taxes on the insultingly low wages they earn doing some of the hardest and most dangerous jobs around.)
Meanwhile, for some of us, just reading the i-word in print is enough to make our stomachs turn—personally, hearing it spoken aloud makes my blood boil. I have a few choice words for the i-word lovers: what part of inappropriate, insensitive, insulting, and inhumane don't y'all understand? So today, I'm ecstatic that we should see the i-word being phased out of use in the media. This judgmental (not to mention usually misleading and often inaccurate) term never had a place in respectable media outlets, and it will be refreshing to see those outlets give the i-word its due.
We like to think America is great, and sometimes it really is. But immigrants are what made this country great in the first place and will continue to make us great, and we need to remember that. The media play an important role to play in keeping us informed and keeping us democratic, so thank you to SPJ for taking this initiative—it is truly inspired and truly inspiring.


text:
The KEF Celeste was the first ultra compact speaker system designed to give true high fidelity performance combined with good sensitivity and high power handling. Its introduction in 1962 revolutionised the whole conception of bookshelf speakers and many thousands of Celestes were sold all over the world - its superb qualities being praised by musicians, enthusiasts and technicians alike.
The outstanding features of the Celeste were its very smooth frequency response, transparency and wide treble dispersion, which set it apart from all other speakers of comparable size and price.
Two separate units were used to cover the entire audio frequency range, the B139 bass driver and the T15 tweeter, both of unique design and responsible for the outstanding performance of the system. The diaphragm of the B139 was formed from expanded polystyrene with aluminium foil laminated to the front and rear surfaces. The T15 tweeter used a hemispherical diaphragm of Melinex to radiate the high frequencies smoothly and with wide dispersion to beyond 20kHz. The two units were integrated at 1kHz with a printed circuit board crossover.
The cabinet was finished in hardwood veneer with a choice of American Walnut or Teak, with a coffee fleck Vynair grille made exclusively for KEF by ICI.
A mark 2 version was released in 1966 with the latest versions of the B139 and T15 drive units and the system stayed in production until 1972.
Specification: K2 Celeste
System type: Two-way, bookshelf
Enclosure type: Closed box
Size: 24 x 15 x 9.5 inches (610 x 381 x 241 mm)
Weight: 48 lb (21.8kg)
Input impedance: 15 ohms
Maximum input power: 15W rms, 30W peak
System resonance: 45Hz
Frequency range: 30-20,000Hz
Input connections: terminals
Drive units: B139 bass unit (Mk1), T15 tweeter (Mk1)
Download C Series 1965 Brochure


text:
Short story collections suffer when they are padded with ancillary materials (forewords, afterwords, story notes) and not-entirely-effective tales, because the energy of the better material gets sapped away and the reader's attention lags. What matters is the fiction, and a collection should be an opportunity for a writer to present, in more permanent form than a magazine offers, his or her best work, not just everything they happen to have gotten published, plus some cheerful hyperbole from pals.Being incapable of sticking to any strong opinion for long, the day after this review was published I received a copy of Jeffrey Ford's new collection, The Empire of Ice Cream, and proceeded to read nothing but the story notes. And to enjoy them immensely (I've read most of the stories from their original publications).
Now, Jeff Ford story notes are better than 96.8% of the story notes out there (yes, I've done a study), so I don't think the fact that I devoured them so joyfully undermines my entire argument, but it does at least undermine it a little bit. A foolish consistency being the hobgoblin of little minds and all, I'm not afraid to be inconsistent. I'd rather qualify my original point, though, inspired by Jonathan's diversion from complete agreement with me (how dare he!)--
In his collection Going Home Again Waldrop adds lengthy story afterwords, some as long as 3,000 words, to each story which are a critical part of the book as a whole, adding layers of meaning and experience for most stories. Harlan Ellison is also a master of the form, as can be seen in collections like Deathbird Stories, Shatterday, and Love Ain't Nothing but Sex Misspelled.Jonathan is absolutely correct here, and shows the Achilles' heel of my generalization, because there are writers who do a good job of mixing stories with notes about them into a coherent, cohesive whole. Some writers also benefit from the force of their voice and personality -- Ellison's story notes are often more interesting than his stories, and turn his books into autobiographies with stories included, and the fiction and nonfiction echo each other and make the book far richer than it would be were it merely either fiction or nonfiction. Because Waldrop's stories are so often built from esoteric historical backgrounds, the notes help the general reader understand the context. It also helps that both Ellison and Waldrop often collect material by theme and subject matter, and so the notes add to the whole reading experience rather than distract from it. The best of these books are unified, coherent, and thoughtfully constructed.
Where I disagree with Jonathan is something he says in a comment in response to another comment on the post:
Giving the reader some context, some background for a new writer is a worthwhile thing. And, if a reader doesn't like them, they can always skip the notes. You can't skip something that isn't there.Yes, context can be useful, but I'm wary of encouraging people to include more and more and more just because if readers don't like it, they can skip it. Jonathan himself states some basic criteria well at the end of his post:
I'd put it that the test for a collection shouldn't be whether it contains a particular element or not, but rather how well those elements are executed. You can have introductions, story notes, afterwords etc, as long as they're done well, and as long as you never compromise on the quality of the fiction.Exactly. The best collections aren't merely collections, they are books, and as books their elements work together to create a unified whole. What those elements are is irrelevant if they work together well.
Most writers are not Ellison, Waldrop, or Jeffrey Ford, though, and their fiction doesn't benefit from ancillary materials. It's interesting to note that the inclusion of so much nonfiction in fiction collections (and I'm speaking of collections not put together for historical or scholarly purposes, which are entirely different) is a tendency more common in genre collections than collections marketed as general fiction. I expect this comes from the reliance of genre fiction on fans -- introductions and story notes add a personal sense of the author and give anecdotes about the hows and whys of the writing, creating a sense of the writer not just as a byline but as somebody who might be fun to talk to at a convention, or somebody who has pearls of wisdom to offer aspiring writers, which is what many fans are. Notes and such in collections seem to be a legacy of the time when the path to becoming a professional SF writer was to start as a fan and work your way up the ladder; it was a way for the people at the top of the ladder to offer some crumbs of encouragement and insight to the people down below, and it was a very effective way for everyone involved in the SF community to create a sense of that community as a real and vital thing. (For me, it was the notes in Asimov's Hugo Winners books that did this. I tried rereading some of them recently and found them cloying, but when I was 13 they created a sense of a utopian world of fans and writers, a world I wanted to be a part of.)
I don't expect to win anybody's love by saying this, but the story notes and introductions in most books, the ones that are not integral to the book's conception and construction, add nothing but a sense of amateurism to the whole. Maybe amateurism is something we need more of, maybe it undercuts pomposity and reminds us that writers are ordinary human beings, but I'd rather see more books that were put together with care and selectivity rather than made to fit some template or obligation. Let's have fewer books with material that can be skipped and more where every word on every page is essential to the whole.


text:
In-memory data grid (IMDG) specialist ScaleOut Software has released its hServer IMDG product to enable Hadoop analysis of "grid-based" data.
More Insights
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- Architecting Private and Hybrid Cloud Solutions: Best Practices Revealed
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NOTE: By way of a definition: (in-memory) data grids combine distributed caching with in-memory analysis and management tools to provide a solution for managing fast-changing data in a server farm, compute grid, or in the cloud. This technology typically features powerful APIs for data access, query, and analysis along with supporting management tools.
ScaleOut hServer includes a specialized version of ScaleOut's IMDG plus open-source API libraries to give Hadoop programs access to fast-changing, live data held in hServer's IMDG.
ScaleOut hServer enables the storage of live data in an IMDG, where it can be updated directly by applications using hServer's APIs while simultaneously being accessed by Hadoop programs for analysis. Unlike conventional Hadoop usage, which analyzes static data sets, the ability to continuously perform Hadoop MapReduce analysis on live data enables important trends to be spotted as they occur.
"While it's a powerful platform for analyzing large, static data sets, Hadoop has always been limited by its inability to perform analytics on live data," said Bill Bain, ScaleOut Software CEO.
Hosting data in hServer's in-memory data grid reduces access latency in comparison to the use of file systems and database servers to hold data sets for analysis by Hadoop.
ScaleOut hServer also provides a transparent distributed cache for HDFS data, using memory-based storage to eliminate file I/O and accelerate data access for Hadoop's MapReduce. Tests have demonstrated an 11X reduction in access latency for benchmark data sets. ScaleOut hServer automatically retrieves and stores HDFS data as key/value pairs in its IMDG, enabling subsequent analyses to bypass HDFS and access data directly from the distributed cache. Only a two-line code change is required for a Hadoop program to use hServer as an HDFS cache.
A recent survey commissioned by ScaleOut Software determined that 93% of respondents felt that their organizations required or would benefit from real-time data analytics on the Hadoop platform. In addition, 83 percent of Hadoop users run analyses multiple times on the same data set, and more than 61 percent of the data sets being analyzed are smaller than 10TB. This survey data supports the need for products like hServer that help Hadoop perform real-time analytics.
ScaleOut hServer will be available in both a free community edition and in several commercial editions. The community edition enables up to a four-server combined Hadoop/hServer grid for analyzing memory-based data sets of up to 256GB.
NOTE: Another player in the grid-based data game is GridGain. The company says that In-Memory Data Grid is the core technology behind its capability to process large data sets with low latency in real time context.
"Scaling from a single computer to terabytes of data and thousands of nodes, GridGain In-Memory Data Grid technology provides capability to parallelize the data storage by storing partitioned data in in-process memory — the closest location the data can theoretically reside in relation to the application using it," says the company.


text:
Rams have big night in first home dual meet; Raiders rack up pins at Bishop Ward
Like a cat playing with a trapped mouse, Pleasant Ridge's Jared Johnson kept taking down his Onaga opponent Thursday night, only to let him back up.
It was obvious the 3A state runner-up was polishing his arsenal, but even so the sheer dominance of the Ram wrestler stood out.
Though the 182-pounder couldn't get a pin, he did capture a major tech fall to tally one of his three wins on the night. The performance was one of the many PR highlights from the evening, which saw seven of the team's grapplers finish 2-1 on the night.
"We started a little slow, maybe a little cautious and kind of got out wrestled against Doniphan," Rams coach Darren Weber said. "But when it counted we stepped up and wrestled better. The kids got the win, responded with another win over Onaga and then came up just short against Silver Lake."
The team totals went as follows: Pleasant Ridge dispatched Doniphan West 45-24; edged Onaga 35-33, but then suffered a close loss to Silver Lake 40-36.
Johnson was the only Ram to go 3-0, moving his season record to a perfect 8-0. Still, PR had a bushel of other wrestlers end with winning marks.
At 106 Clayton Gum went 2-1, as did Tony Weber (113), Blake Hadley (132) and Ethan Payeur (160). Aaron Brown (195), Logan McKinney (220) and Robert Caya (285) each finished 2-1 as well.
"Jared looked very impressive and dominant again," Weber said. "Logan was one of the standouts on the evening as well with the way he competed all night. We had a lot of guys go 2-1, which was good to see."
On Saturday, PR will compete at the Sabetha Tournament starting at 9 a.m.
Raiders earn five pin wins at Bishop Ward
With a smaller squad than most, the Immaculata wrestling team will not win many team competitions this year.
But that won't keep the Raiders from improving individually, and Thursday was another sign of that progression.
Competing at Bishop Ward against Harmon and the host school, five Imac grapplers recorded pin wins including Paul Gilbert at 120, who finished 2-0 on the evening.
"I think the effort was great tonight," Imac coach Bobby Hancock said. "That's definitely what I was needing to see. We made some early season mistakes, but their consistent effort allowed us to overcome those and gain some wins."
Max Campbell (145) and Bruce Stanley (152) each completed the night 1-0, both pin wins. Sam Linder (160) and Dakota Fricke (182) finished 1-1 also, both wins in pin fashion.
At 132, Corey Holcomb finished 0-1.
"Max Campbell had a great match and made very few mistakes," Hancock said. "Bruce Stanley looked really good. He was actually taken down in the first period, which caught him off guard. But then he battled back and finished really strong."
Imac will participate in the Onaga Tournament Saturday.


text:
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text:
Guys, this appeared in Bombay Times today. I have been feeling uncharacteristically lethargic. Let's blame it on the heat. Or maybe I am just missing my daughter Arundhati desperately. I've been watching the news on television but not really connecting. It all sounds depressingly phoney - sanctimonious politicians recycling tired thoughts. The ads are worse. The one I find very offensive shows a little 'chasmis' girl asking her father, " Dad, am I pretty?" He assures her she is. Cut to a classroom where she is being royally ignored - till her Dad drives up in a brand new car, and the little girl's low self- esteem soars skywards!! What are we saying through such communication to our children??? Talk about pushing blatant materialism in these recessionary times. Just awful.
( White ) Ants in my pants….!!
Hritik Roshan deserves an international award for originality! Wow!!What an excuse – white ants. Termites! What's next? Cockroaches and lizards?? Whether or not his marriage is on the rocks, let's hand it to him for coming up with an amazing explanation as to why his wife and kids had moved out – but not exactly moved on. Explained the couple, " Our flat needed treatment for white ants." So urgent was this treatment that nobody bothered to inform the man of the house, who happened to be overseas and was forced to rush back from a foreign location to deal with the emergency– the ants. The crisis was so critical that he and his worried wife spent the entire night talking about it. By the next morning, the problem had been amicably resolved ( the ants must have co-operated), for the couple to issue a joint statement and claim they were enjoying a 'picnic' with the kids and in-laws. The ants were clearly not invited to this happy event. As always, they also had a 'good laugh' over the nasty rumours and found them ' most funny' ( zero originality ,here). The family is very much together, and blissfully happy. So there!
Unfortunately, one of the downsides of stardom is the pact you make with the devil (media!). Privacy goes out of the window once you opt for showbiz, and every gesture is scrutinized, like it or not. Deal with it, guys. This is the transaction you make when you voluntarily jump into the fishing bowl. It is no use claiming later that this wasn't what you'd bargained for. The perverse logic of star arguments is that they want the media to play ball when it suits them and on their terms. Right now, with the on-going multiplex crisis, the main players will make themselves readily available to presswallas and pose happily for cosy pictures (Srk- Aamir), quite forgetting old animosities. Similarly, a complete non-entity called Amrita Arora will provide the most intimate details of her wedding, to friends in the media – and then do a 360 degree turnaround if things go wrong later. Hritik has always been a pretty smart player, staying aloof and doing his thing quietly, while working hard at the 'perfect family man' image. Well…. things happen. They can happen to anyone. But nobody is interested in what happens to Mr. and Mrs. Joshi's marriage. But everybody wants to know what wrecks a celeb –shaadi. Look at the trouble Brad Pitt is in!! I mean, come on…. it's Brad Pitt. And Jolie is giving the man absolute hell for a whole lot of misdemeanours – like giving the nanny a back massage, and more recently, setting up a lunch date with his ex. Pitt actually gets slapped around and yelled at by Jolie! All this is reported in vivid detail by world media. That's a star's life – take it or leave it. Maybe Pitt should call Roshan and get a few tips from him. From white ants to white lies – it's all a part of the game.
'Mera Joota Hai Japani…" could soon become the favourite song of protestors across India. There will be many more shoes getting hurled at netas as D-Day draws near. We are a nation of copy cats. Worse, a lot of media mad people have realized the easiest way to make it on national television is to indulge in an outrageous act. Chappal throwing is not new to our culture. Parliamentarians are experts at the sport. But ever since Jarnail Singh hit the headlines with his shoe attack on Chidambaram, an epidemic has followed, with Naveen Jindal being the newest victim. By the time we are done, there will be many more shoe attacks, I guarantee you.In fact, second hand shoe dealers in Chor Bazaar have been stocking up in anticipation of the demand and have reported brisk sales. Perhaps our netas should arm themselves with beach umbrellas to ward off future attacks??
Sachin Tendulkar wearing blue cosmetic lenses? Sporting a trendy, spiked haircut? Wearing a mawali-style checked scarf? And displaying loads of attitude?? Why not, boss?? The entertainment show is about to begin, and anything to grab those eyeballs. I liked the Mumbai Indians' ad. The team looks menacing. Now let's hope the performance to follow is equally impressive.With so much money riding on it, the IPL had better provide a big bang for the buck – or else – khallas!!
Please educate me : Why would any political candidate want to be endorsed by a gangster called Arun Gawli?? Any answers??


text:
Older Babies and Toddlers: Keep all snaps open
Infants: Snap to second rise adjustment
Newborns and Small Babies: Snap to smallest setting
* Why choose Haute Baby Products?
I wonder if these have a slimmer fit than some of the other pockets? I am currently using bG's 3.0's and they seem a little bulky on my chunky 7 month old. Can anyone let me know what their experience is between the two?
This is one of the diapers I have never tried. They look pretty neat though. :)
Just curious is anyone has ever tried the Haute bamboo prefolds? Are they 100% natural or do they have synthetic material in them? I currently use cotton prefolds and just wondered how these would compare. They sound very appealing!
I love one size diapers! Almost our whole stash is composed of one-size, and I would love to try Haute Pockets!
I love pockets but that bamboo prefold sounds so awesome! I'm going to have to check that out for the next newborn we welcome to the family...
These look awesome! I would love to try them... or maybe win them:)
I haven't used Haute Pockets before, but they look great. I'd like to try them.
Our stash is all pockets and mostly one size. Would love to try these.
I just started CDing back in April and soon after our 9+ lb at birth chunky girl began to grow out of the prefolds. We have a special fold to use them still as we were awaiting our layaway'ed order of BG 3.0 OS pockets. I have 2 that I am using now for night and have a dozen coming. We also have a HH OS which I am not as fond of. I would love to see if these are as nice as the BGs bc I am getting ready to place another 1-2 dozen diaper OS order (I have a toddler and also a bed wetter that I want to get for). I hope someone posts on this as far as their experience...or if I win I can post myself ;P
I've never tried these before but I love the BG 3.0 pockets. I may have to give these a try. =)
I just purchased my first one!! Should be here tomorrow! Can't wait to try it out.
I love the color choices! I'd love to give these a try, we don't have any of these!
I have tried one snap and one velcro version of these. I looove the snap, but for some reason the velcro version leaks around the legs everytime I use it. I've had to retire it for now. =\
In response to Beth E. who was wondering about the trimness: I have two Haute Pockets diapers, and I find they are actually very similar to the Bumgenius. In fact, I use a BG insert in them. I'm no expert, but maybe it's the BG insert that is giving you trouble. Have you tried other ones? Some of them look very thin. I hope this helps!
I would also love to hear how these compare to BG's 3.0s. With baby 3 on the way and #2 still in diapers I am always on the lookout for good one-size diapers!
I would love to try these. I love that they come in snap and velcro. I have a bunch of BG 3.0 onesize and while I initially loved the velcro for ease of use, I wish I had snaps because the velcro isn't really holding up after a year and my daughter can undo the velcro. I think I will have to keep these in mind next time I order diapers.
dannyscotland, thank you for your response. I haven't tried any other inserts so far. I do have some hemp little weeds and I've used them in my pockets. It still seems bulky. Anyone have suggestions on some good inserts that are trim????
I would love to see how well these work, because I am currently using Bumkins contours with a diaper cover. They work excellent, so I would like to see how these hold up.
We like haute pockets. I have the older model. I have more BG's and favor them at night, but the HP's are great. I would love to try some of the newer colors... red, for example! Why are cloth diapers so addicting?
And in response to questions of how they compare to the BG 3.0... almost identical. The only thing I can say about the HP is that it wicks the moisture away a little better than the BGs, but releases some of it through the PUL (perhaps they changed this with the newer "model", tho...) so baby can feel damp. Not a huge issue, and it actually reminds me to change more often.
I wonder if these run bigger than the BG's. I am using the BG's 3.0 and they never fit my 2 year old, but now my 5 month old is at the largest setting. She's not very chubby, but I guess she has chubby thighs. I've read that the Happy Heiney's run bigger. If these run larger I'd like to give them a try.
I only use OS pockets and Haute Pockets are by far my favorite. I just bought a few more with the Fathers Day sale at Kelly's! I've never had leaking and baby has been wearing them from newborn to now 4 months with no problems! Highly recommend them!
A friend of mine just ordered one and said the velcro is much better than that on the bumGenius one-size dipes. Definitely makes me want to try them!!
Beth E and MaryAnne:
These diapers are actually really great! While I LOVE my bumGenius diapers and appreciate the stretchy tabs, I actually found to get a great fit with the Haute Pockets. They are very similar, although the Haute Pockets do have a squared off tab which makes it easier to grab them (the BG tabs are a bit small).
I really do prefer snaps to aplix (hook and loop) and I love that these are available in both snaps and aplix (hook and loop). They also come in a great color selection too!
The micro-terry inserts are also cut amply in the back - not quite contoured but they do extend in the back to provide more covered for the back instead of the the standard rectangular inserts.
So, while they're similar to BG's they're different too! If you like BG then you'll like the Haute Pocket! (IMHO)
I hope this helps!
EFalls: Excellent question. The bamboo prefolds are made from Bamboo Terry. Bamboo Terry is typically made from bamboo and cotton which would make it 100% natural. However, I'd double check with the manufacturer to be sure. We don't current carry these items so I can't speak for how well they work or not but in my experience bamboo terry works really well!
I hope this helps!
oh, i love my Haute Pockets. I love how stretchy and "big" it is compared to other pockets. I do think that even though they are bigger, they are slimmer than BGs. Next baby will be in ALL Haute Pockets, i think. Love them.
I just adore haute pockets! They are the most wonderful diapers ever! I have just a few, but use them for my 15month old and they fit her the best! I need to get some more so I have enough for my newborn come July!
I've never had the pleasure of trying these. When we went to build our stash in the beginning they seemed to be out of stock EVERYWHERE we looked! They sound pretty awesome though.
I am so glad these are back! I had the pleasure of borrowing one from a friend and I loved it! Just as good as BG OS, in a wider array of colors, and a little less expensive! I never had any leaks (I didn't use them at night) and it seemed to fit a little trimmer under clothes.
I love the look of these diapers, and I'm a sucker for that Ruby Red, pretty! I love the idea of one-size diapers, and simple to use. These have definitely been on my list to try!
Thanks Serena. I may just have to buy some to try them out but I can't find a retailer in the states that carries them. Oh well! That's ok...my husband probably wouldn't be too thrilled with me buying more diapers! We have plenty...I'm just addicted.
I have 3 Haute diapers that I bought used, and I love them. LOVE them. I can't afford them new, but if I ever see them on Craigslist again, I will definately try to buy them. GREAT diapers.
they sound great!im currently switching my stash all over to pockets and leaning towards os for my 3 month old and 2.5 yr old. im trying to get one of each kind so i can try them all out!
I have two of these and love how soft they are! They are up their on my favorites. I'd love to add to my stash.
Beth E: Finding ultra thin inserts is a bit tricky because usually there's a hand-of/sacrifice involved - thinner insert typically means less absorption (unless you're going with 100% hemp inserts).
BabyKicks makes a great hemp insert that is really trim (1/8" thick) and very absorbent (6 layers of hemp jersey) called BabyKicks Hemparoo Joey Bunz. This sounds like a great option for you since you're trying to avoid bulkiness!
They look really thin and that is something I like!
I really like that they are offered in both velcro and snap!
these look great, maybe I'll win some and then try them out!
Serena, thank you for your tip on inserts. I think I'll give the Babykicks hemp inserts a try :)
i love these diapers :) i have 2 of them and want more :)
I would love to try these - they look great!
Love the colors...do they run larger than bG 3.0?
I like the one-size diapers I will have to give these a try.
I heard a lot of good things about the absorbency of these diapers. The indigo blue is beautiful too!
I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
These were a disappointment from the start. First some of the snaps wouldn't work and then they leaked all the time, both the snap and velcro. My sister-in-law even tried stripping them despite their newness to no avail. The inner fabric is so think I can practically see through it, not much of a wetness barrier, and the inserts are horribly thin. There is no laundry tab so I get long diaper chains or it snags on the outer fabric of the PUL and I get horrible looking snags. I'm not sure what to do. I've been struggling with these for almost a year and several times I almost gave up because of these issues.


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Elon Hartley Eldred
COLDWATER Ś Elon Hartley Eldred, 96, passed away Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013, at Maple Lawn Medical Care Facility in Coldwater. He was born April 15, 1916, at home in Tekonsha, to E. Robin and Belle Hartley Eldred. Elon was the eldest of five children.
He attended the Grub Oak Grade School and graduated from Tekonsha High School in 1934. After high school, Elon took a Greyhound bus trip, which included two WorldÆs Fairs (New York and San Francisco). In 1962, he took his family to the Seattle WorldÆs Fair, and he always enjoyed sharing about the trips with everyone. Elon was a sweet and gentle man who loved traveling, bird watching and his family and friends.
While employed at RandallÆs Chicken Products in Tekonsha, Elon met his bride of 58 years, Mildred Roush Eldred. They were married on Jan. 25, 1941, in her parentsÆ home in Union City. Elon was also employed at Union Steel in Albion. He was a long time dairy farmer in Union City, as well as being the city mail carrier. He retired from the Union City Post Office as a rural carrier.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Mildred, on Jan. 6, 2000, daughter, Alice Kay (Lloyd) Green, his parents, brother, Russell A. and sisters; Amelia B. and Bessie (Melvin) Johnson.
Elon is survived by three daughters; Sandra (Ed) Grooms of Harvest, AL, Linda (Ron) Whitcomb of Union City, Joy (Tom) Sweitzer of Coldwater, brother, Douglas (Loralee) Eldred of Union City; grandchildren; Lesa Erb, Lori Cosco, Lance Grooms, Jennifer Copp, Matthew Grooms, Sara Henry, Hollie Oursler, Darrin Whitcomb, Tracy Bowers, Kristin Stanfill, Kellie Sweitzer, 15 great grandchildren, and a few great great grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013 at 1 p.m. with two hours of visitation prior to the service at the Putnam Funeral Home in Union City, with Pastor Robert Tharp of the Coldwater Church of the Nazarene, officiating.
Memorial contributions may be made to either Maple Lawn in Coldwater or the United Methodist Church in Union City. You may leave an online tribute by visiting www.putnamfuneralhome.com. The family was assisted by Putnam Funeral Home 517-741-9333.