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For those of you looking for an escape from what's left of the summer festivities, there are some great options on Amazon Prime. Last week, we offered you a selection of excellent, currently-airing TV shows consisting of three seasons or fewer, which were available streaming on Netflix. Today, we have a new list with the same criteria for shows that are not available to Amazon Prime subscribers. Those looking to get caught up on some worth-watching TV series ahead of their respective new seasons may want to give these a try.
What if the creepy fairytales your parents told you when you were young were real? Grimm explores that scenario in it's own fun, procedural way, centering on Detective Nick Burkhardt, a man who discovers he's a "Grimm," a descendant of a long line of hunters who track down the supernatural beings that inspired the classic (and in some cases, lesser known) fairytales. While these villainous monsters and beasts look just like regular people to the rest of us, Nick can see them for what they really are, and it's up to him to protect his community from the dangers they pose, while also keeping the nature of his calling a secret from his friends and co-workers. That includes his girlfriend Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) and detective partner Hank (Russell Hornsby). But Nick proves to be something of a modern Grimm, which means he's openminded enough to associate with some of the dark and dangerous beasts his kind occasionally hunts, including Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell), a "Blutbad" (or big-bad-wolf) who's sworn off his natural predatory diet and is living a clean life.
Nick, Monroe and their later-introduced Fuchsbau friend Rosalie (Bree Turner) make an unlikely trio, but a formidable one when it comes to facing off against dark and dangerous creatures. And it's the dynamic of this trio, added to Juliette and Hank's involvement, that makes Grimm work so well, particularly in the later part of the first season and throughout the second season when we really start to see the show and characters settling into a groove. Season 2 rewards viewers even further as it grows more and more serialized. Amazon recently added Season 2, so you can get completely caught up before the series returns for Season 3 this October.
You might have heard of this next one, if not the current contemporary adaptation of Sherlock Holmes from the BBC (that seems unlikely at this point), then certainly from the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the many previous interpretations to hit both the big and small screens. That makes it sound like the character is played out but Benedict Cumberbatch plays the resident of 221B Baker St. unlike any other we've seen and is an absolute joy to watch.
Of course, the socially inept for-hire practitioner of deduction is nothing without his partner in crime-solving and The World's End's Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson (military surgeon turned amateur blogger and sleuth/sounding board) is equally compelling. As are the rest of the ensemble, including several legit Inspectors who don't like the eccentric 'consultant' sniffing around their crime scenes. It's quite a delight, with the winning characterizations, endless amounts of enjoyable banter and impeccably structured, emotional storytelling.
The third series of Sherlock is gearing up to air on its native BBC (always a few months before surfacing on PBS in the US) so there's plenty of time to catch up with the six, 90 minute episodes. Yep, it's basically six Sherlock Holmes movie mysteries - all on Amazon Prime ready to be watched - and they're all better than a lot theatrical releases. Guy Ritchie's got nothing on Paul McGuigan. Created by Mark Gatiss and Steven Doctor Who Moffat, Sherlock stars Cumberbatch, Freeman, Una Stubbs, Rupert Graves, Louise Brealey and Andrew Scott.

subset: commoncrawl


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EV Energy Partners, (EVEP) is an upstream Master Limited Partnership (MLP) focused on acquiring and operating oil and gas properties within the continental United States. They have current properties which are located in the Barnett Shale, the Appalachian Basin, the Mid Continent area, the San Juan Basin, the Monroe field in Louisiana, the Permian Basin, Central and East Texas and Michigan.[1]
EVEP was formed by EnerVest Ltd., one of the largest and most successful managers of oil and gas assets for institutional investors, and which has a proven 18 year track record of successfully acquiring and operating oil and gas properties in a variety of basins.
In 2010 and 2009, no customer accounted for greater than 10% of their consolidated oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids revenues. In 2008, Southern Union Gas Services, Enbridge Marketing and CMS Energy Corporation accounted for 11%, 10% and 10% respectively of their revenues.
EnerVest's principal business is to act as general partner or manager of EnerVest partnerships that were formed to acquire, explore, develop and produce oil and natural gas properties. A primary investment objective of the EnerVest partnerships is to make periodic cash distributions. They have the experience and discipline from 18 year track record of demonstrated success.
Sizeable operating base and platform:
EVEP is an Master_Limited_Partnership_(MLP) and here is a review of how MLP's operate:
Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs) are unique investments that combine the tax benefits of a limited partnership (LP) with the liquidity of common stock. An MLP has a partnership structure but issues investment units that trade on an exchange like common stock. MLP's tend to have high dividend yields as they are required to return part of their operating cash flow to investors, without having the ability to reinvest the dividend into the company for more shares.
The main advantage of MLP's is to have the tax benefits. Tax implications for MLPs differ significantly from corporations for both the company and its investors. Like other limited partnerships, there is no tax at the company level. This effectively lowers an MLP's cost of capital, as it does not suffer the problem of double taxation on dividends. Companies that are eligible to become MLPs have a strong incentive to do so because it means a cost advantage over their incorporated peers.
While the MLP's income is passed through to its investors for tax purposes, the actual cash distributions made to unitholders have little to do with the firm's income. Instead, cash distributions are based on the MLP's distributable cash flow (DCF), similar to free cash flow (FCF). Unlike dividends, these distributions are not taxed when they are received; instead, they are considered reductions in the investment's cost basis and create a tax liability that is deferred until the MLP is sold.
Fortunately for investors, MLPs generally have much higher distributable cash flow than they have taxable income. This is a result of significant depreciation and other tax deductions, and is especially true of natural gas and oil pipeline and storage companies, which are the most common businesses to choose an MLP structure. Investors then receive higher cash payments than the amount upon which they are taxed, creating an efficient means of tax deferral.
Billions of Cubic Feet Equivalent (BCFE)
Millions of Cubic Feet Equivalent (MMcfe)
One million cubic feet equivalent, determined using a ratio of six Mcf of gas to one Bbl of oil, condensate or natural gas liquids.
EVEP operates in multiple properties throughout the United States, including:
Below explains each of their properties, divulging into when they were acquired, the estimated proven reserves, the working interest in the productive wells and what percentage of the fields contain natural gas reserves. This reveals, how diversified they are in their acreage and properties and where they have been expanding in recent years to gain some more market share in some of these assets.
Barnett Shale
EVEP along with certain institutional partnerships managed by EnerVest, acquired the Barnett Shale properties in December 2010. The portion of the estimated net proved reserves as of December 31, 2010 was 310.0 Bcfe, 70% of which is natural gas. During 2010, they drilled one well and are currently participating in the completion of three others. EnerVest operates wells representing 100% of EVEP's estimated net proved reserves in this area, and they own an average 30% working interest in 254 gross productive wells.[1]
Appalachian Basin
They acquired the Appalachian Basin properties at our formation, and also acquired additional properties in the Appalachian Basin, primarily in West Virginia, in December 2007, September 2008, November 2009, March 2010 and June 2010. The estimated net proved reserves as of December 31, 2010 was 123.5 Bcfe, 77% of which is natural gas. During 2010, they drilled nine wells, eight of which were successfully completed. EnerVest operates wells representing 96% of their estimated net proved reserves in this area, and EVEP owns an average 40% working interest in 8,260 gross productive wells.[1]
Mid–Continent Area
They acquired the Mid–Continent area properties in December 2006, August 2008, September 2008 and September 2010. The estimated net proved reserves as of December 31, 2010 were 79.7 Bcfe, 73% of which is natural gas. During 2010, they drilled 21 wells, all of which were successfully completed. EnerVest operates wells representing 43% of EVEP's estimated net proved reserves in this area, and they own an average 21% working interest in 1,647 gross productive wells.[1]
San Juan Basin
EVEP acquired the San Juan Basin properties in September 2008, July 2010 and December 2010. The estimated net proved reserves as of December 31, 2010 were 73.8 Bcfe, 58% of which is natural gas. During 2010, they drilled two wells, both of which were successfully completed. EnerVest operates wells representing 95% of the estimated net proved reserves in this area, and EVEP owns an average 75% working interest in 224 gross productive wells.[1]
Monroe Field
We acquired our Monroe Field properties at our formation, and we acquired additional properties in the Monroe Field in March 2007. The properties are located in three parishes in Northeast Louisiana. Our estimated net proved reserves as of December 31, 2010 were 64.7 Bcfe, 100% of which is natural gas. During 2010, we drilled two wells, one of which was successfully completed. EnerVest operates wells representing 100% of our estimated net proved reserves in this area, and we own an average 100% working interest in 3,939 gross productive wells.[1]
Permian Basin
The acquired the Permian Basin properties in October 2007, with estimated net proved reserves as of December 31, 2010 were 63.4 Bcfe, 38% of which is natural gas. During 2010, they did not drill any wells. EnerVest operates wells representing 99% of our estimated net proved reserves in this area, and EVEP owns an average 93% working interest in 160 gross productive wells.[1]
Central and East Texas
EVEP, along with certain institutional partnerships managed by EnerVest, acquired the Central and East Texas properties in June 2007, May 2008, August 2008, July 2009, September 2009 and October 2010. The portion of the estimated net proved reserves as of December 31, 2010 was 54.3 Bcfe, 43% of which is natural gas. During 2010, they drilled 20 wells, 19 of which were successfully completed. EnerVest operates wells representing 96% of EVEP's estimated net proved reserves in this area, and EVEP owns an average 17% working interest in 1,897 gross productive wells.[1]
They acquired the Michigan properties in January 2007, and also acquired additional properties in Michigan in August 2008. The estimated net proved reserves as of December 31, 2010 were 47.9 Bcfe, 100% of which is natural gas. During 2010, they did not drill any wells. EnerVest operates wells representing 99% of the estimated net proved reserves in this area, and EVEP has an average 86% working interest in 368 gross productive wells.[1]
All these assets and properties indicate how diverse EVEP is and they elaborate on what type of capital expenditures they have recently had when they have had to drill into new wells.
Here are a few of the acquisitions/interests during 2010 with main one being the Barnett Shale acquisition which closed at year end.
In March 2010 followed by a second closing in June 2010, EVEP, along with certain institutional partnerships managed by EnerVest, acquired oil and natural gas properties in the Appalachian Basin. They acquired a 46.15% proportional interest in these properties for $145.8 million.
In September 2010, they acquired oil and natural gas properties in the Mid–Continent area for $119.9 million, subject to customary closing conditions and purchase price adjustments.
Barnett Shale Acquisition
At the end of 2010, EV Energy Partners acquired a new interest in the Barnett Shale natural gas basin in northern Texas. The Barnett Shale natural gas basin is one of North America's most prolific basins with high Natural Gas Liquids(NGL) content. This acquisition was in a joint purchase with EnerVest, here are some reasons why its good for EVEP and some key facts:
Total purchase price: ~ $954 million
Proved Reserves: 310 Bcfe
Natural Gas has many factors which affect its production, prices, and supply & demand levels.
Natural gas prices are a function of market supply and demand. Due to limited alternatives for natural gas consumption or production in the short run, changes in supply or demand over a short period often result in large price movements to bring supply and demand back into balance.
Factors on the supply side that may affect prices include variations in natural gas production, net imports, or storage levels. Increases in supply tend to pull prices down, while decreases in supply tend to push prices up.
Factors on the demand side include economic growth, winter and summer weather, and oil prices. Higher demand tends to lead to higher prices, while lower demand can lead to lower prices.
Most of the Natural Gas consumed in the United States comes from domestic production and as we progress, more of our energy use will be from natural gas rather than oil. Thus, even as Obama has mentioned, U.S. oil imports are on track to be but by a third by 2025, just as the graph on the right illustrates.
In regards to the second graph on the right, U.S. shale gas production more than tripled between 2007 and 2010, and its share of total domestic natural gas consumption increased from about 5% to over 20%.[2]
This just gives some notes on the natural gas industry as a whole, but further analysis in the porters five forces and swot analysis, further down in the Wiki will help explain how the points above affect EVEP.
There are many natural gas & oil drilling companies which closely relate to EV Energy Partners, but it is mainly other MLP's which are directly comparable to EVEP.
Here is a list of a few Upstream MLP's:
There are a few advantages in investing into MLP's, One main fact is that the tax benefits are considerable, with 50% to 100% of partnership distributions tax deferred. Furthermore, individuals look to MLP's for cash flow, tax advantages, and even potential capital appreciation. Also, the industry seems to be under-covered in the financial press thus giving investors with knowledge of this sector an advantage.
To be more specific, I have compared EVEP to only two of its direct competitors to get a good understanding of the competitive nature of MLP's.
BreitBurn Energy Partners
BreitBurn Energy Partners L.P is an independent oil and gas limited partnership, focused on the acquisition, exploitation and development of oil and gas properties for the purpose of generating cash flow to make distributions to their shareholders. Their assets consist primarily of producing and non-producing crude oil and natural gas reserves located in the Los Angeles Basin in California, the Wind River and Big Horn Basins in central Wyoming, the Sunniland Trend in Florida, the Antrim Shale in Michigan and the New Albany Shale in Indiana and Kentucky.[3]
Vanguard Natural Resources
Vanguard Natural Resources, LLC is focused on the acquisition and development of natural gas and oil properties in the United States. The Company's properties are located in the southern portion of the Appalachian Basin, primarily in southeast Kentucky and northeast Tennessee, the Permian Basin, primarily in west Texas and southeastern New Mexico, and in south Texas.[4]
Both BBEP and VNR are again, upstream MLP's, thus only focused on the exploration and production of natural gas and oil properties in the United States. The revenues from upstream MLP's come from contracts with various midstream oil and natural gas companies which are focused on the transportation (pipelines), storage, and processing of these resources.
First off, the main difference in investing in MLP's and the key metric used by investors to decide which one out of the many to invest into, is the dividend. The tables below, compare the dividend payouts each quarter by BBEP, VNR, and EVEP, since 2007.
The average dividend yield for upstream partnerships is about 7.4%, while its at about 5.6% for midstream partnerships.
Since MLP's have to focus on returning investments to shareholders, a key financial metric which needs to be evaluated is of course their return on investment. An MLP, will typically raise their dividend yield, if they start reaping stronger benefits from their recent acquisitions into new properties. Furthermore, since these MLP's generate revenues based upon natural gas prices, if prices are weak then distribution growth will slow down in response to those prices.
Below is a chart comparing the return on investment and dividend yield of EVEP.
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As you can deduct from the chart above, from 2007 till about early 2009, they had a strong growth in dividends but as their return on investment fell dramatically they haven't been able to increase the yield, as the 1 year dividend growth rate is currently at about 0.53% while the 3 year growth rate is 12.64%. If they are not generating strong returns from their invested and acquired properties, then the cash flow distributable to shareholders either falls or does not continue to grow at steady rates.
The table below compares BreitBurn Energy Partners, Vanguard Natural Resources and EV Energy Partners based on financial ratios, efficiency metrics and operating metrics.
The business rivalry among firms is high because of the commodity based nature of this business. Furthermore, there is competition with other industries that supply coal and energy to industrial and individual customers. (Substitutes). In addition, since the oil & natural gas industry is a commodities market, the competitive advantage is primarily derived from the ability to produce products at a lower cost via operational efficiencies.
There are thousands of oil and oil services companies throughout the world, but the barriers to enter this industry are enough to scare away all but the serious companies. Barriers can vary depending on the area of the market in which the company is situated.The threat of new entrants is low because barriers to entry include high capital cost, economies of scale, distribution channels, proprietary technology, environmental regulation, geopolitical factors, and high levels of industry expertise needed to be competitive in the areas of exploration and extraction. Furthermore, in regards to industry expertise, a strong management team which has been in the industry long enough has to be formed to compete for new assets, engage in new contracts and midstream companies.
Substitutes for the oil and natural gas industry in general include alternative fuels such as coal, gas, solar power, wind power, hydroelectricity and even nuclear energy. Remember, oil is used for more than just running our cars, it is also used in plastics and other materials. The threat of substitutes are both high and low in this type of industry. For example, many power plants are able to switch from natural gas to coal or vice versa depending on the price of each commodity, allowing utility companies to substitute whenever they see necessary to generate heat and power. Thus, coal is a high threat to oil and natural gas consumption as a energy source due to the large abundance of domestic coal reserves globally. Additionally,even with government subsidies and grants for the development of clean energy there are high barriers to entry in that space, and even lots of other aspects which need to be solved before it can be a major threat.
The buyer power for oil is high since most of the world's oil is located in the OPEC countries, they control the oil prices and the market. In the natural gas space, the buyer power is controlled by both the customer and supplier. It all depends on the demand and supply for the commodity, and with coal and other energy sources gaining support from the government it is getting harder for natural gas producers to gain any pricing power. Natural gas prices in 2011 have even reached all time lows.
While there are plenty of oil companies in the world, much of the oil and gas business is dominated by a small handful of powerful companies. The large amounts of capital investment tend to weed out a lot of the suppliers of rigs, pipeline, refining, etc. There isn't a lot of cut-throat competition between them, but they do have significant power over smaller drilling and support companies. Smaller companies, hence some MLP's, encounter competition from major oil and natural gas companies, due to the fact that those large companies have a greater advantage into supplying more and have better economies to scale.
EVEP has many strengths compared to other independent oil and natural gas companies, but when it comes to MLP's there are a very limited number of strengths. In regards to independent companies, EVEP can take advantage of tax breaks and because of its structure, EVEP gets to pass its depreciation of assets and expenses through to investors, who may be able to use the pass-through expenses to reduce or eliminate the tax on the income received from that particular investment. Furthermore, EVEP is positioned heavily in the Barnett Shale, which is the second largest producing on-shore domestic natural gas field in the United States.
Also, as shown in the chart to the right, EVEP has been able to purchase new properties/assets a significant discount compared to its competitors in the MLP sector. Note that this chart was presented by management, so take it in to your own accord as it can sometimes be a bit aggressive. At the same time though, historically they have been able to purchase assets with gas and oil reserves much higher than projected at time of purchase.
Finally, EVEP of course operates in the commodity business which means that there is no such thing as product differentiation, thus its hard to then differentiate and gain advantages over competitors. There is a struggle for economic survival as sellers offer identical products to price-sensitive customers thus have to accept a lower than average level of profitability. Hence, efficiency is key into drawing investors to take positions in these types of businesses, and EVEP does a good job compared to its competitors as we can note from the comparison chart above, where the stock has risen over 55% in the last 6 months with the closest competitor only up about 27%. Investors have felt more confidence in EVEP then other MLP's in the space, and investors are even enjoying a strong dividend yield as well.
EVEP and its revenue is directly correlated with the price of natural gas and oil. Thus the prices it receives for oil and natural gas production are volatile and a drop in prices can affect the profitability and cash flow, which hence affects the distribution paid out to investors. Furthermore, the low prices results in EVEP having to make downward adjustments to the estimated reserves, which can significantly affect the cash flows due to accounting rules requiring them to write down the assets, as non-cash charge to earnings. Finally, EVEP operates in a highly capital intensive industry and they are required to continue to make substantial capital expenditures for the development and production of natural gas reserves. The capital expenditures are deducted from the revenues which then determines how much cash is distributable to shareholders.
EVEP always has opportunity to acquire and increase their current interests in natural gas and oil basins all over the United States. They also have the opportunity to increase the yield of their dividend as they start to reap the benefits of their recent Barnett Shale asset, which is supposed to generate revenue in the coming months. In addition, the rise in oil and natural gas prices will increase their revenues thus a stronger cash flow, which in turn can be distributed to shareholders. Furthermore, as Obama calls for a third of a cut in natural gas imports by 2025, EVEP has a strong opportunity to gain some new contracts with midstream firms, which of course can increase revenues. Also, with these new propositions, the value of their current reserves can potentially rise.
EVEP faces threats from larger oil and natural gas companies, such as Exxon, Andarko, and BP, which dominate the market in the U.S. The larger companies have the financial and technical resources and staff substantially larger than EVEP. They even have the ability to pay more for leases, or to evaluate, bid for and purchase a greater number of properties or prospects. Furthermore, EVEP also faces the challenge of keeping customers as their contracts are short-term, usually one year or less in duration. Even though they state that a loss of a customer will only temporary affect their revenues, with a very competitive industry landscape, they face an even stronger threat of other MLP's picking up their current customers.
The table below evaluates EVEP since their IPO in 2006 till end of 2010, on a profitability, liquidity and efficiency scale. There are a few key things that are highlighted which reflect how the company has performed over the past few years. The first thing to note is how liquid they have been, especially while taking a look at their quick ratio, which evaluates the short-term liquidity. They did hit a low point in 2007 but quickly recovered in 2008 and have steadily kept themselves liquid in recent years.
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The table above shows that EVEP's profitability in 2006 was lower than in 2007. Why a different story in the chart?
Economic Value Added (EVA) assesses the creation of shareholder value as it calculates the profits which remain after the costs of capital (Debt & Equity) are both deducted from the operating profit. All three company's (BBEP, EVEP, & VNR), over the past two years have had negative EVA spreads, thus the firm's have destroyed value during the last couple of years of operation. To generate positive EVA spreads, these MLP's need to generate IRR's of newly acquired assets which satisfy the rate of return required by equity shareholders. A declining EVA just reflects that the management cannot effectively operate the company to generate returns for its shareholders.
The senior management has had extensive experience in the oil and natural gas industry. Many of them coming from prestigious universities and focusing their studies on engineering tailored to the energy industry. Both Mr.Mercer and Mr.Gajdica have had experience in completing mergers & acquisitions which is a strong positive when EVEP is looking to continue acquiring new properties and assets.
John B. Walker: He is Chairman and CEO of EVEP and President and CEO of EnerVest. Prior to founding EnerVest, John was President and Chief Operating Officer of Torch Energy. During his tenure, Torch's assets grew from $200 million to $1 billion. Prior to that, John created Walker Energy Partners, an American Stock Exchange Company, which raised $136 million and participated in more than 1,000 wells. John was selected by Institutional Investor as an "all American" energy analyst for six years in a row. He holds a BBA (with honors) from Texas Tech University and a MBA (with distinction) from New York University.[5]
Mark A. Houser: He serves as President, COO and Director of EVEP, and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of EnerVest. He has been with EnerVest since May 1999. Prior to joining EnerVest, Mark was Vice President, United States Exploration and Production, for Occidental Petroleum Corporation ("Oxy"), where he helped lead Oxy's reorganization of its domestic reserve base, including the successful $3.65 billion acquisition of the Elk Hills Naval Petroleum Reserve. Mark began his career as an engineer with Kerr-McGee Corporation. He holds a petroleum engineering degree from Texas A&M University and a MBA from Southern Methodist University.[5]
Michael E. Mercer: He is Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. He has been a consultant to EnerVest Management Partners from 2001 to 2006. Prior to that, Mike was an investment banker for 12 years. He was a Director in the Energy Group at Credit Suisse First Boston in Houston and a Director in the Energy Group at Salomon Smith Barney in New York and London. He holds a BBA in Petroleum Land Management from the University of Texas at Austin and a MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.[5]
Ronald J Gajdica: He is Senior Vice President Acquisitions. Prior to joining EV Energy Partners, Ron served as Managing Director of Scotia Waterous in Houston where he was responsible for the Mergers, Acquisitions and Divestment technical advisory team for the U.S. and Latin America. Ron was at BHP Billiton Petroleum from 1999-2007 where he held the positions of Petroleum Engineering Manager, Americas Production Manager, Atlantis Deepwater Project Director and VP Global Planning and Evaluation. He began his career at Tenneco Oil Company in 1983 spending 5 years as a reservoir and production engineer.[5]
Competition Demystified by Bruce Greenwald, Copyright 2005, Paperback edition 2007


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Courtesy Destination Maternity
Let's face it: From sleepless nights to crying babies, the initiation into motherhood can be a little less than glamorous.
Or at least that was the case before Dita Von Teese waved her stylish wand.
The iconic fashion star has partnered with Destination Maternity to launch a limited edition capsule collection, Von Follies by Dita Von Teese, that aims to embrace a new mom's sexy side.
"Elegant underpinnings are a simple way to create everyday moments of luxury and beauty, and why wouldn't a new mother enjoy beautiful lingerie, too?" Von Teese says.
"The collection I created with Destination Maternity is designed to capture the spirit of retro glamour, while inspiring confidence and meeting the practical requirements and everyday needs of a new mother."
Ranging from $39 to $55, the lingerie line features retro-inspired underthings, including embellished lace bras (with and without wire) and matching underwear.
And, just as she promises, each piece is made with new moms in mind. Not only is the nursing wear equipped with clip-down tabs and detachable cups for added comfort, but the panties feature a discreet control panel for support.
Fashionable, flattering and functional? Count us in.
Courtesy Destination Maternity
— Anya Leon


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Capital is pouring back into the commercial real estate market, giving lenders and borrowers something to celebrate. Yet a volatile economic recovery, looming interest rate hikes and pending legislative changes are just a few of the issues putting a damper on that enthusiasm.
"There is a ton more activity in the marketplace, and the slope of activity has increased very positively over the last year," says Jack Cohen, CEO of Chicago-based Cohen Financial.
The total volume of U.S. commercial and multifamily originations reached $118.8 billion in 2010, a 44% increase compared with the $82.3 billion that occurred as the market hit bottom in 2009, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA).
In addition, loan origination volume jumped another 89% during the first three months of 2011 compared with the same period a year ago, according to the MBA's first-quarter survey (see chart).
The return of the commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) market has certainly played an important role in that improved liquidity. CMBS issuance through the first five months of 2011 totaled $12.6 billion, already surpassing the $11.6 billion that was recorded in all of 2010, according to industry newsletter Commercial Mortgage Alert.
Industry experts expect that CMBS issuance will reach between $35 billion and $50 billion this year.
"Every single day the box gets a little bit bigger, and the markets get a little bit bigger relative to what the lenders will finance," says John Pelusi, executive managing director and managing member of Houston-based HFF LP.
Life insurance companies started out at the beginning of 2010 offering 50% to 55% loan-to-value. That ratio has gradually crept higher to the current rate of 75% loan-to-value for best-in-class borrowers and properties.
"You've also seen an increase in the amount of mezzanine and preferred equity available to help capitalize projects," adds Pelusi.
However, it is also important to put that rebound into context. "We as an industry have a new normal, and the shrinking and comparison of stats is somewhat misleading," says Cohen.
Lending activity is still well off the pace of 2005 and 2006 when originations were at or above $400 billion per year. The $118.8 billion in commercial and multifamily loans originated in 2010 is less than half the $263 billion in loans that closed in 2004, according to the MBA.
Aversion to risk remains
Lending activity is continuing to be fueled by an appetite for trophy properties. There is a lot of capital, almost bidding wars, for best-in class properties in top markets. In contrast, there is almost no capital for troubled properties.
"The dominant trend is that the market still has no idea how to identify, assess and price risk, but rather they are pricing based on scarcity value," says Cohen.
Capital is flowing freely to trophy assets in top markets such as New York, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. "During the last 12 to 15 months, that has only been further emphasized. We see an abundance of capital looking for those kinds of assets in those markets," says Pelusi.
Intense competition for those top assets is prompting both debt and equity to expand to Class-A properties outside of top-tier cities into smaller metros such as a Dallas, Seattle or Miami.
It is no wonder that lenders remain wary of risk. The housing crisis continues to drag down the economic recovery. The industry also is facing monumental changes related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, as well as expected reforms to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
As the economy and the commercial real estate market continue to recover, lenders are adapting to the "new normal" and are trying to get comfortable with the many risks that remain in the market.
"By and large everyone's view is that we as an economy and we as an industry have turned the corner," says Cohen, "and we will continue to make progress."


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225. Re: Help with DX58SO2 Motherboard TroublesSwiss_Cheese Jun 3, 2011 2:11 AM (in response to mao)
Hi mao,
I'm very happy to hear that this thread has helped so many people. I'm finding the results that folks are getting on there RMA's very interesting as well. especially the parts about the BIOS I never did try reverting back to the 603 BIOS before I returned my board. as bgolden mentioned maybe you could check back in, in a couple of weeks and give us an update of how things are working out for you. good or bad that kind of information is valuable thanks.
Bgolden, I wonder how that 2000mhz RAM is going to work out for you on the older BIOS version? normally, I might say that would be fun to play around with.
but, at this point it actually seems more like a chore. I would love to hear how things go though.
226. Re: Help with DX58SO2 Motherboard Troublesmao Jun 3, 2011 7:03 AM (in response to Swiss_Cheese)
Hello again everyone,
(Advertisement) "This report is brought to you by: Intel Flaky(tm) - BIOS for top end products: if you got the cash, we can make it crash!" :P.
Anyway, back on track, I suppose no one is exactly laughing...
First night with the BIOS reverted to 603 and I *still* had a reset/reboot/restart, whatever. Bear with me though, maybe this is another, unrelated problem? I need to get to work but I'll keep doing some more tests, after all, worst case I'm still RMA'ing, right? And IIRC, no one else reported spontaneous restarts, yes? I might need help with that, though (not sure it might be Windows related, some friends suggested leaving the machine on with Linux running, just to check - I'm starting to think that's a viable test right there).
But just right now I did the sleep test, and it is indeed still working like a charm. I also did a power on after a shutdown and booted fine without issues - so far I'm running as stable as ever, considering just yesterday I was hardly getting any boots at all.
I'll leave the machine off and do the cold start test when I get back from work so I can report on the main issues most are having here.
227. Re: Help with DX58SO2 Motherboard Troublesmao Jun 3, 2011 4:04 PM (in response to Swiss_Cheese)
Hey everyone,
As promised, I just did a cold boot test 5 minutes ago. I left my rig powered off for about 9 hours straight; hit the power button...
Drum roll, please!
I'm really sad to say that this looks like a really bad batch (or worse, whatever). The mobo turned on with red LEDs flashing all over (I'm not sure I remember anyone here mentioning those; yesterday I had them turning on *a lot* during failed boots). Got a message telling me some BIOS config wasn't right (old news) and a prompt asking me if I wanted to reveiew anything or continue booting with the current settings - this was *after* the fans started blasting away merrily at 100% and hanging for a bit on 00.
So I guess I'll be RMA'ing then. Bummer. I can only hope everyone here (including me) can get out of this situation without spending another dollar, or tears, sweat, blood, whatever, because frankly, this is a fiasco for Intel, really.
I'm the proud owner of a top-of-the-line Intel Premium Sh*t mobo, only without the Premium, just the sh*t. As soon as I RMA to a new board and assemble the rig I'll post any news (good or bad) here to keep the sharing (and the hating, loathing, etc) going on strong. Just hoping searches on Google for DX58SO2 top out with this thread, so no one else makes this mistake.
228. Re: Help with DX58SO2 Motherboard Troublesbgolden0101 Jun 4, 2011 10:10 PM (in response to mao)
Sorry to hear about your experience. Please let us know how your RMA board works out. Since your board came with 0603 BIOS and you left it alone and have the same "00" Hang issue, this sort of blows the bad BIOS "upgrades" out the window, in my mind at least. I am joining the bad board or bad batch of boards camp.
So far, my score with Intel boards is 2 out of 3. Had a Badaxe 775 board that was flawless (until I killed it thru user error - now I wear my glasses before I plug anything in ) . I have had one bad DS58SO2 and one good DS58SO2. I am holding tight until this fall when the X79 chipset comes out before upgrading again. Then, I am going to have to think long and hard as to which manufacturer to go with. Every one of them has good points and bad points (either bad customer service or they can't seem to get things right to save their lives).
I am disappointed in Intel though. After all, it is their own Chipset. One would think that they could design a reliable high end board around it. Some of us do buy a high end board to do something besides playing solitaire.
At any rate, thanks for the updates!
229. Re: Help with DX58SO2 Motherboard TroublesNorton Jun 7, 2011 3:54 PM (in response to amunaor)
Wow, Misery loves company, but this thread borders on rediculous. hehe
I too, have woes with what I would now tag as the 'Infamous' DX58S02 board.
Boot failures with '1C' code. Irratic. But I can 'reproduce' problem.
specs first:
(1) CoolerMaster SilentPro 700W PSU
(1) Intel DX58S02 Motherboard (flashed to latest BIOS in atempt to solve, same issues))
(1) Intel i7-990x Extreme, 6-core 3.46GHz CPU
(4) Intel 320 series 40GB SSDs set up in RAID10
(1) CD/DVD drive
(1) HIS Radeon 4350 PCI-e vid card
(6) sticks of 2GB RAM, (2x TR3X6G1600C8D G RAM pkgs)
(1) Windows7 - 64bit
No over clocking. Auto/Manual/XMP tried for memory settings.
Tested all RAM sticks, all test ok, single, in slot#1.
System is stable when running (2) sticks, in slots 1,2 or 1,3 (dual channel)
Anything over 4GB (2 sticks), and the system balks. Error code 1C.
Also, if take power off PSU, will 'usually' get 1C-error.
If (1) stick installed, leave system off, power on PSU, add 2nd stick = boot OK (up and into Win7)
(power off the PSU and it does a BIOS boot recovery, and leads me into the BIOS (Y to BIOS)).
The following is the note to Corsair for their insights.
(Memory Settings - Have tried Automatic (SPD), Manual (RE: info found on forum), and XMP-1600.) None of these settings work with 6 sticks installed. All 'appear' to work with only one or two sticks installed.
Some Details:
System is not stable/will not start with 12GB installed. When it fails, if I remove (1) RAM stick, after a few 'reseting' reboots (mobo appears to 'reset' after (1) stick removed). Mobo comes up saying old settings didn't work, and I go into BIOS.
But even after removing (1) stick (now 10GB RAM onboard), it will still lock up on restart. (Mobo shows code '1C'.)
I remove another stick, and it will 'usually' restart again after 'resetting' itself.
The ONLY configuration that is stable, and passes 'burn-in', is (2) sticks (4GB) in the first two blue RAM slots (for dual-channel). If I add the 3rd stick in the 3rd slot, (attempting triple-channel), it might/might not work. Once I add this, it becomes 'unstable' again.
Any help would be great. I did enter the settings displayed on forum by Yellowbeard for the DX58S0 motherboard (not! the DX58S02)
They work with the (4GB)/two sticks, but any more and system becomes unstable. (Will not start, stops at Mobo code 1C)
I've substituted RAM sticks too, searching for a 'bad stick', but they all appear OK, except when all mounted/greater than 4GB/two sticks installed.
update:ran memtest on all sticks in many configs, all passed memchk, however, still some boot up problems.
Tested all slot #1 single stick - all PASSED
Tested (2) sticks, slots 1,2 - PASSED
Tested (2) sticks, slots 1,3 (dual channel) - PASSED
Tested (3) sticks, slots 1,3,5 (trpl channel) - Failed to boot up.
Seems, no matter the configuration, anything over (2) sticks (4GB), will fail to boot.
So if anyone knows of any help with this issue, it would be great..
My current status: Deliver system with 4GB RAM (still plenty quick), and wait for a future BIOS update fix.
It works 'perfectly' with 2 sticks/4GB RAM. I turned off Sleep and Hibernation, and it runs overnight without a hitch now. (It's 1st hibernation failed! eliminated that by 'throwing the baby out with the bath water', ie. Turn it all off. (Good thing it was designed and engineered just so we can turn around and shut it off, good grief)
Been an Intel customer for 20yrs+. Always used Intel boards and whatever other hardware they offered. This experience has shaken my 'beliefs' to the core. I'm agast at Intel for such a 'shody' product, released with such obvious issues, and as Amunaor stated, to remain so quiet on this forum with a staggering 228+ posts in this thread.
It reminded me of something I once heard, that an $8000 dollar bottle of wine is no better than a $2000 bottle of wine, so why spend the difference?
Why I chose to get this 'Extreme' board and not go with one of the more 'mainstream' products is beyond me now. A good 'cheap' board that works would by far had been a better choice than this 'hotrod' that likes not to work at times.
end rant. hehe
Amunaor - If you have same i7 CPU, then I would love to know how you got more than 4GB running in it. (We had same RAM). I don't get the '00' error/boot-lockup. And after reading all these posts. I might recommend to you to make sure you try a different monitor or two. Since it appears you guys issues ('00' boot-lockup) are related 'maybe' to vid.
Thanks for any help.
230. Re: Help with DX58SO2 Motherboard Troublesrboyd Jun 18, 2011 9:40 PM (in response to Swiss_Cheese)
Ok, received my replacement (RMA'd) DX58SO2 yesterday. Installed with a new i7 970 (6-core), new Corsair XMS3 (12Gb, 3x4Gb).
Spent nearly 4 hours attempting to load windows 7 ultimate before i finally gave up. This board is simply too unstable. I flashed back to bios ver 603, then back to 779, same results. Even with windows sitting at login, doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, it reboots. Sometimes it will go thru several reboots, initializing the RAM but failing to post the CPU, before it comes back up. I intended to use this machine for heavy graphic design. I cannot have it randomly rebooting.
I am returning this one to exchange for an older (tried and true) DX58SO. I know it isnt as fancy and feature-loaded as the DX58SO2, but I have 6 of these in play, some for nearly 2 years, all running RAID 1 arrays, and I have not had a single issue with any of them. According to Intel, the DX58SO will support the new 6-core CPUs, including the 970.
I wish all those who are choosing to stick with the SO2 and wait out the storm all the best luck. Intel should be ashamed to put out such an obviously flawed product, and let their customers debug it for them. A little too much like Microsoft, if you ask me.
P.S. I did have a thought, though. I did notice that there seemed to be two different reboots: First, running a particular software (chrome was one, resizing a chrome window would instantly cause a reboot, time and again.) The second seemed to perhaps be temperature related. If the machine was off for a period of time and then booted up, it would be several minutes before the first random reboot. If it had been running a while, the reboots became more frequent. I noticed that the bios was reading the CPU temp at around 54c. I am using the stock cooler that came with the CPU, and yes I did install the thermal paste. I am just wondering if the board in general is running hot. Design flaw?
231. Re: Help with DX58SO2 Motherboard Troubles
as mentioned on page 14 i have this problem-child board. (yes i meant 1.5 v not 5.1 v doh...apologies.)
for whatever reason my power supply blew up yesteday. the MB still showed the red "power" button lit and the green "reset" button glowing but no boot, nothing. I took the PS to two different stores, both reported PS as DEAD AS A DOORNAIL. perhaps it was supplying 5 v but not 12 v to the MB to get the small leds to glow, or whatever. PS was a 660w Zalman. Brought a 750 W Thermaltake to replace. spent my saturday nite rage party re-wiring the PS in my PC. what a thrill.
now, i get my DX58S02 booting but within a few minutes i get blackscreen and no response. on restart i get the dreaded 3 beeps and display 16 on the MB. this happens consistently, but especially as the PC is put under load.
my feeling about this MB and Bios is that Intel have screwed up the RAM sensing settings and this is why so many people are having so much trouble. Or this is just ONE of the problems of this bios/mb. it just senses the wrong RAM and chooses the wrong default settings.(or something)....
232. Re: Help with DX58SO2 Motherboard Troubles
Just let you know guys, ill be reading this thread and i dont have any sutch problem. My system is:
Processor: Core i7 990X
PSU: Antec 850W
Memory: Corsair Dominator-GT 2X2GB CMT4GX3M2A2000C8
All default and working fine, maybe that config helps someone.
233. Re: Help with DX58SO2 Motherboard Troublesfsofos Jun 19, 2011 9:58 AM (in response to Blackout )
Intel had a new bios for DX58SO2 (aka BIOS Version 0806), dated 9th of June, but it was pooled with no apparent reason before it was advertised. I managed to downloaded it and i have the release notes:
About This Release:
June 09, 2011
QPI Reference Code: Based on Revision 1.85
ICH10 SATA RAID Option ROM: v10.6.0.1091
Marvell* 9128 SATA Gen 3 Option ROM: 184.108.40.2067
Marvell 6121 SATA Gen 2 Option ROM: 126.96.36.199
LAN Option ROM: Intel(R) Boot Agent PXE GE v1.3.65
LAN Option ROM: Intel(R) Boot Agent PXE Base Code (PXE-2.1 build 089)
New Fixes/Features:
Changed Hyperboot string to Fast Boot.
Fixed issue where PCIe cannot restore to default in Extreme Tuning Utility (XTU) using F9 and F10 in BIOS.
Fixed issue where Processor Voltage Override Type in BIOS shows "None" when XTU applies non-default Dynamic CPU Voltage Offset.
Fixed issue where Turbo Boost, CPU VR Current Limit, Current/Power Limit, and X-cores Multiplier do not grey out in BIOS after disabling EIST compared to XTU.
Updated processor support.
Updated RAID Option ROM to version 10.6.0.1091.
Improved ICH PCI Express and EHCI performance with deep C-States enabled.
Fixed issue where proposed Host Clock value did not get updated.
Fixed ACPI _PSD error when running "POWERCFG -ENERGY" command.
Fixed the S3 resume hang issue under XMP profile.
Enhanced overclocking Memory Manual Override mode.
Fixed issue that caused continuous resets preventing the BIOS from finishing POST.
Fixed issue where CDROM doesn't automatically Boot from SATA6 connector.
I believe the bios probably brick the motherboards and that was the reason that it was pooled.
234. Re: Help with DX58SO2 Motherboard Troubles
hi all,
I have same randomly rebooting issue after I got below configurations:
Power Supply: Tt 650W
Intel DX58SO2 mobo, bios updated to 779 (04/06/2011)
CPU: i7-990x
Memory: Corsair CMZ12GX3M3A1600C9 4G*3
Display Card: Gigabyte GV-460OC-1GI
Hard drive Intel X25-M 80GB, connected to SATA 0 (not marvell or eSATA)
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit, pre-installed in X25-M before I setup this system.
As the operating system is pre-installed in hard drive from an old system, I didn't meet the installation issue.
the main issues I meet are:
1. Can not recover from S3 sleep if enable XMP profile;
2. randomly rebooting when working, even if the load for both CPU and GPU is very low. can not get steps to reproduce but got more rebooting with google Chrome.
I have an old system that use same box and same parts except CPU and MB (7-970 and GA-X58A-U3DR). the old system worked very well and never got a reboot during working.
235. Re: Help with DX58SO2 Motherboard Troubles
hi buddy,
how about your test result with the new 0806 BIOS? how can I get the new BIOS? the newest bios from Intel support is still 0779.
236. Re: Help with DX58SO2 Motherboard Troubles
Yup. this must be the most frustrating Intel MB ever produced. DX58SO was perfect and hassle free. Main issue seems to be mem controller. Hard to get it to run stably at 1333, even though ram is 1600 rated. At 1333, screen fails to resume from sleep. Won't even boot at 1600 XPM or Manual set. Defaults at 1066, yet same ram defaults to 1333 in DP67CL MB.
Strange that the older CL8-1600 ram accepted and runs fine in Tri Channel XMP mode. very stable without over clock CPU voltages. Though installing 1600 CL9 as per reccommended, has all sorts of hassle.
Spent 3 months on and off messing with this board prior to putting on my desktop. Reasonably happy with it now, just wish they would get the bios right. then again some restrictions may be imposed in the BIOS in order the higher end CPU's will sell.
237. Re: Help with DX58SO2 Motherboard Troubles
hi all,
i have spent many weeks on this mother$^&$&! board and several days at the store which i purchased it from, and they are as frustrated and confused as well.
running 0779 Bios.
when the MB is under load (ie when i am crunching video or audio) i get either a frozen screen or blackscreen. Upon reboot i get 3xbeeps (memory error) and the board shows "16" ...which is:
16 SMBUS driver init
the memory is 3x4Gig Samsung
Samsung M378B5273DH0-CH9 4 GB 1333 MHz
which the store was careful to purchase as per the certified memory list for the DX58S02 here:
memory has been tested....100% ok.
Tried other memory that was in the shop...Hynix....same problem.
I simply cant get any work done like this.
1:/ Why does the bios insist on making my Samsung memory 7-7-7 when it is 9-9-9 as per the spec sheet for this memory. Why is this bios sensing the wrong timing for the mem? did some kid program this Bios?
2:/ why does it keep defaulting the RAM to 1067mhz when it is 1333 as per spec.
3:/ why does it select 1.51 v when it should be 1.50 v.
4:/ why is it not good enough for RAM to be on the Intel list as certified for this MB for it to work what the hell are you doing Intel.
5:/ why was the recent Bios update pulled and when will we be receiving the new update.
6:/ has anyone had this problem and solved it by simply using Corsair Vengeance RAM (as everyone seems to be having success with using this RAM on this thread)
7:/ has anyone had this problem and solved it by flashing back to 0603 bios the newer the bios update the more stable you would think it is what the hell are you doing (again) Intel...
I cant give up on this MB i have gone too far with my massive audio software installation ...100s of plugins, authorisations, etc. This MB would be THE HELL OUTA HERE if it wasnt for the fact that i would have to re-install Windows and my plugins which would take me at least 4 weeks out of my life again.
Please help. Many Thanks!
238. Re: Help with DX58SO2 Motherboard Troubles
I think you must try another way to resolve your issue.
Try to download and install a bootable "clonezilla" to a USB drive, use it to boot another machine attached with the hard drive on which you don't want to lost 4 weeks work, and fully clone the hard drive to another place via network/usb drive (or mirror to another hard drive of same model & size if you have).
After that you can try to connect the backup drive to anther MB and see if the OS can wake itself up.
239. Re: Help with DX58SO2 Motherboard Troubles
ok i tried my own suggestion (and many others on this thread)...and flashed back to the shipping (and reviewed) 0603 Bios.
result: 0779 BIOS IS EVIL.


text:
Author: Evelyn Waugh
-Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966)(kirjasto)
-The Columbia Encyclopedia: Sixth Edition. 2000: Waugh, Evelyn Arthur St. John
-FEATURED AUTHOR: Evelyn Waugh (NY Times Archives)
-OBIT: Evelyn Waugh, Satirical Novelist, Is Dead at 62 (Special to The New York Times, April 11, 1966)
-TOP 100 CATHOLICS OF THE CENTURY: #97 Evelyn Waugh (DAILY CATHOLIC)
-BIO: Evelyn Waugh--Catholic Convert & Writer (St. Joseph Messenger)
-Doubting Hall : A Guided Tour Around Evelyn Waugh
-PROFILE : Evelyn Waugh : The Best and the Wost ( Charles J. Rolo, Atlantic Monthly, 1954)
-PROFILE : Evelyn Waugh : The Height of His Powers (L.E. Sissman, Atlantic Monthly, 1972)
from The Road to Damascus: The Spiritual Pilgrimage of Fifteen Converts
to Catholicism (Evelyn Waugh)
A Handful of Dust (1934) - Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) (Grade:B)
Scoop (1937) - Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) (Grade:B+)
Brideshead Revisited (1945) - Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) (Grade:C)
The Loved One (1948) - Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) (Grade:A)
Men at Arms (Volume One of the Sword of Honour Trilogy) (1952) - Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) (Grade:A-)
Copyright 1998-2015 Orrin Judd


text:
HOUSTON - Local 2 investigates the new way you could be giving away your most personal information.
With upgrades and new technology available almost every day, you may be tempted to sell your old smartphone or computer when you get a new one. Before you do, you'll want to know what you may be giving away by selling them.
These days, our smartphones operate more like computers than telephones. Local 2 Investigates polled people at random in downtown Houston to find out what type of business they're doing on their phones. Some said they store their personal passwords, banking information and business emails on their phones. One woman said she uses it as sort of a "life organizer," but she admitted it would be a life-changer if her personal information wound up in the wrong hands.
McAfee identity theft expert Robert Siciliano said that could easily happen because so many people sell or recycle their old electronic devices when they upgrade to the latest model.
He discovered that even when people believe they've done everything possible to clear their personal data off of an old phone, it can still exist. He bought 30 used computers, laptops, netbooks, tablets and almost every kind of smartphone on Craigslist. The sellers thought the computers and phones were reset to make sure all their information was deleted, but Siciliano found tax files, passwords, family photos and bank information on windows computers and laptops. Three out of every four Android phones he checked contained personal information.
"The Android operating system simply fails to reset the data when you do a factory reset," explained Siciliano. "Their software, the operating system itself, does not do an effective job of removing the data."
It's why Siciliano said not only would he never sell or recycle an Android, he recommends just smashing and destroying your old Android phone to make sure your information won't end up in the wrong hands.
"Your identity isn't worth the $50 you might get for that device," he said.
There is good news on the cellphone front. He said iPhones, iPads, Blackberries and Macs did the best job in erasing your information.
Siciliano also said almost all of the devices were loaded with viruses. If you do buy one used, make sure you install antivirus software to get rid of them. He said his advice for getting rid of old phones and computers is to sell or give them to a trusted friend who won't sell them to someone else.
Google makes Android phones. So far, the company has not commented on Siciliano's findings. Microsoft said it made considerable security and privacy improvements that protect user data for its new Windows 7 operating system.
If you have a news tip or question for KPRC Local 2 Investigates, drop them an e-mail or call their tipline at (713) 223-TIPS (8477). Copyright 2012 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
Contact us for information about using this image.
On May 19, 1815, an agreement of pasture boundaries was drawn up and agreed upon by Jonathan Arms (1735-1819) and Samuel Wells (1772-1816), farmers in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Judging by the reference point of 'Abijah's brook,' the land in question was in the meadows south of the village of Deerfield. The text reveals, also, that Mr. Wells's orchard was at the foot of the mountain, probably Mt. Pocumtuck; orchards were often planted on higher ground for better results.
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text:
Asturian thick soup
Ingredients: 400 gr. shoulder of pork, 400 gr. chosco (typical cured meat (pork) from Asturias), 200 gr. fabes (white beans), 1.5 kg. potatoes, 2 chorizos (sausages), 2 morcillas (blood pudding), 1 ham bone, 500 gr. cabbage, salt.
Place the beans, pork shoulder and ham to soak the day before. The following day, boil all the ingredients in a casserole, except the cabbage and potatoes. Finely chop the cabbage, boil separately, drain and place in the main casserole. Add the potatoes (peeled, washed and quartered) after one hour, and simmer everything together for half an hour. Finally, add the salt. This dish can be presented in two different ways: either all together in the same dish, or otherwise in one dish with the beans, cabbage and potatoes, and another with the chosco, pork shoulder, morcillas, chorizo sausages and the ham bone separately.
Meer informatie
Informatie over het recept
- Categorie: First course
- Kooktijd: Between 1 and 2 hours
- Prijs: Medium
- Seizoen: Autumn-Winter


text:
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Florida authorities are hoping good weather will improve their chances of tracking down a sailboat that may be carrying two boys kidnapped from their grandparents' home.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office says Joshua Michael Hakken entered his mother-in-law's house Wednesday, tied her up and fled with his sons Cole and Chase.
Authorities are searching for a boat Hakken recently bought. It's has a blue hull with the word "Salty" and a paw print in white on both sides.
Sheriff's office spokesman Larry McKinnon tells The Tampa Tribune (http://bit.ly/12xyjhY) that good weather means more recreational and boaters will be on the water and able to help in the search.
Storms had been moving along the west coast of Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico, but conditions are better Sunday.


text:
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text:
Kentucky has 87,500 farms, second only to Tennessee in the eastern United States.
Each farmer is responsible for feeding 152 people but the sacrifice to produce this bountiful food supply is immense.
On the surface, agriculture and nurses don't seem to have much in common, but as a nurse I have seen the "blood, sweat, and tears" of farming.
I have cared for farmers with amputated arms and legs, usually results of entanglement in farm machinery. One out of every 10 farmers has an amputation, most from working on machinery while it is in operation.
Simply shutting machinery down and taking the key before performing inspections or repair could prevent these life changing events.
Farmers have one of the highest suicide rates of all occupations and the number of suicides has already increased this year due to the drought and the stress it has produced. Farmers or family members experiencing stress should seek help.
Farming is a family way of life; one might call it a cradle to grave industry. Children learn farming early in life by observation and working alongside their families. They learn about life and death, about faith and endurance.
Each year more than 100 children lose their lives through exposures to farm work. When a child dies, some of the life of the family dies with that child. Free resources to keep children safer on the farm are available from the National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Safety at http://www.marshfieldclinic.org/NCCRAHS/.
Older farmers rarely retire and consequently suffer the highest fatality rates of any industry. Adult farmers have accelerated hearing loss due to years of noise exposure, arthritis made worse by working in cold weather and in awkward positions, and cataracts from sun exposure.
They claim "it just comes with the job" but in reality they may not know the best practices to slow these debilitating processes.
AgrAbility is a program located in the University of Kentucky's College of Agriculture whose purpose is to assist farmers with disabilities. Call 1-800-333-2814 toll-free for more information.
Men aren't the only farmers. Women now operate 30 percent of all farms. This frequently means running a household, holding an off-farm job, and performing farm work.
Multi-tasking is all in a day's work. As a matter of fact, about half of all farms in the United States are operated by persons holding at least one off-farm job. So, you may rub elbows every day with farmers and not even know it.
Most bi-vocational farmers state their farm job actually relaxes them from the pressures of their primary employment, a sort of therapy.


text:
Not bitter
Not bitter
I am not bitter about my ex-faith. I didn't lose it because of a trauma or because someone wasn't nice to me. I didn't leave it in anger or due to a fight.
I said, previously, that I took a lot from it that I can still use to this day, and I learnt a lot of valuable things.
I learnt about the use and dangers of different herbs and roots for teas and about plants in general. And I am truly sorry for those people who do not know about these herbs because they are easier on you, and they are not made in a laboratory. And the herbs are not that expensive if you actually think about it, they are cheaper but work just as well. Not saying I can heal cancer or HIV with it them, but for common things they are great, Bronchities, pneumonia, sours, fever, problems urinating, a cold, smaller infections, and many more.
When I lived in a shared place, my roommate and I both got Pneumonia at the same time (from a visitor). We both have Asthma so naturally it was really bad, we both had to stay in bed. I made myself a tea out of herbs and offered it to her as well. She drank one sip and told me that it tastes horrible, never touched it again. I had 5 cups a day and 3 days later I was well enough to work again (no running around or exhausting of course) while she was still in bed for 5 more days. These teas do not have to taste well, I told her that, they are medicine.
I used to have a doctor with exactly my approach, and it was a really good doctor. He told me a specific tea and 4 days later I was well. Sure, not for the really bad things, but just making a point here. It is not like this stuff is not serious. I had various doctors telling me to drink specific teas for specific things and it has always worked. Medicine does not have to be in form of a pill or drops.
2. I learnt about true respect. I have not met even one person in these circles that was not respectful. I am talking respect on all levels. Respect towards nature, respect towards all living creatures, respect towards other people's believes. Never has anyone been discrimnated or hated for their believes. I myself was pretty out of the line, not believing in the Gods, and it was respected. I rarely saw people fighting about their religious views, because normally everyone knew that witchcraft has too many branches to fight about it. Live and let live was basically a motto in the community and I loved it. When I left, I realized that not everyone is that way and it was like being punched in the face. All the ignorance and egoism out there, that I hated and had locked out of my religious bubble for a long time. Inside the community you get help, you always have someone to talk. A lot went online but most of the time you would actually exchange phone numbers, visit each other, help out with things. I remember once, I was in a chat room where I used to hang out, just mentioning that I had not money to get a new Asthma-Spray. So another witch, who knew me only from the chat, offered to send me some cash for it in an envelope and her bankdetails for me to transfer it back when I have money again. And we did that. That was trust and friendship that I have not found a lot on this planet.
3. Talking about respect. It was, as mentioned, also respect towards nature and every living thing. Every living thing includes plants, just saying. So yeah, you would use things that you need, but you would be thankful for it, and you would not slaughter an animal inhumanely. I personally paid attention where the meat I am eating is coming from because I did not want to help the companies that don't care about the animals they breed for food. I chose those I knew would kill the animal fast, not stress them more than nessasary, those who had the animals on floor, and not in wired boxes. Yes, it is a bit more expensive but it is humane and should receive the money so it can become a common practice and cheaper with time. Also for plants, to not just rip them out when I please, let the flowers in the garden, let the leaves on the trees. Not to litter. To keep you trash when you are hiking and find a bin or bring it home and throw it then. it seems so rational but so many people litter. From throwing the cigarette stump on the ground outside, to throwing you empty bottle on the ground in a forest. These things still bother me so much and make me so angry (mentioned that here). Respecting every living thing will for sure be a value that I will teach my kids as well. It is so important nowadays.
So no, I am not bitter. I left because logic took over. I started questioning why and how things are supposed to work. And the more I looked and searched, the more I found out that most stuff is only psychological, not supernatural. Most things, all the rituals, the candle lighting, the incense, the mindstuff, was and still is pure psychologic. It all gives you this sense of security and being special and having a gift that you mastered, when for real you just learnt something by heart and apply some riddiculus rules that make no sense whatsoever.
You got explanations for everything but nothing had a real foundation, no proof. Like how would you move something just by thinking at it > your thoughts are energy, if you bundle it and direct it you can move things because everything between you and the object is energy as well. It makes not fucking sense but it sounds so scientific that you just believe it until you research it.
Many things like that led me to dropping the believe piece by piece, but I have not been bitter, angry. I just felt weird and insecure, I was already depressed at that time, and this didn't help at all. BUT I got over it, and still no sign of anger or bitterness from my side. Not saying it was all flowers and butterflies and sunshine. Just like in every other religion there was a big fear factor and the knowledge that something will come after your death (here reincarnation) and even reincarnation had a fear factor to it just like hell in christianity.
But I was not unhappy in my faith (just like that new JW guy). I was very happy with it, and the more I learnt about it, the happier I felt, for connecting all my puzzle pieces. I even started a business, a small shop with hand made articles for witchcraft and such things.
Just that logic came in the way... I don't think I am still really mourning. I just see how many people report about them leaving faith, and how bitter they often are, how angry at the religion itself.
By now I am pretty anti religion, but not out of anger or frustration. I just think the world would be better off without it alltogether, because it causes too much trouble, too much fight and war and greed. This planet would be a lot more pieceful if religion would vanish > not be banned. Banning it makes no sense, because then it becomes an underground movement, and that can be very dangerous. But I hope that the human race will grow out of it at some point. I won't live anymore and it may take 1000 years but they might, and that will be great!
I try to have a positive attitute, you see. Towards my ex-faith as well as towards everything else. No bitterness, I am trying
The following 3 users Like Leerob's post:3 users Like Leerob's post
Erxomai (08-10-2012), KidCharlemagne1962 (08-10-2012), Misanthropik (12-10-2012)
RE: Not bitter
Me too...I'm trying.
I even think some days I'm better at it than others.
It was just a fucking apple man, we're sorry okay? Please stop the madness
The following 1 user Likes Erxomai's post:1 user Likes Erxomai's post
Leerob (08-10-2012)
RE: Not bitter
My only regret regarding religion is that I was so irrational as to believe it.
But when it comes to actually having been religious; I have no other reason to be bitter about it either. In fact, having had an extreme anxiety problem as a kid, I leaned on what I believed to be God to help me through it. I realize today it was simply the placebo effect, but back then, it was a true comfort. It was like I had a security blanket when I needed it, and as I grew older and could be strong on my own, I slowly let go of it. The timing couldn't have been better.
Plus, it gave me a first-hand, inside perspective of the mind of a true believer; which comes in handy when debating with theists.
Through profound pain comes profound knowledge.
Ridi, Pagliaccio, sul tuo amore infranto! Ridi del duol, che t'avvelena il cor!
The following 2 users Like Misanthropik's post:2 users Like Misanthropik's post
Leerob (12-10-2012), Erxomai (12-10-2012)
RE: Not bitter
I feel not bitter towards my fellow human beings that are so gullible as to fall for one of the world's most despicable cons, but I feel a bitter animosity to the founders and the ones who hold such people in high reverence. The Pope, for example, is a man I despise. A man who would go forth with his "infallibility" and use it in such a way as to discourage the usage of condoms in Africa.
I despise religion. I am angry, and frankly, I see nothing wrong with feeling such emotion towards something that stole fifteen years of my life away. Something that taught me to hate people, to ignore education, and to regress in my emotional development. Fuck. Religion. I respect no religious ideal, only tolerate it.
Occasional TTA returner then leaverer.
RE: Not bitter
Noone said it is wrong to feel angry or in any way negative towards religion or their ex faith. I do understand where you are coming from. But I, for my part, and for my exfaith, feel no bitterness. Though I am a little stunned that I did believe in all these things.
And generally I am anti relgion but that is a whole other topic.
RE: Not bitter
Why try to have said positive outlook?
Occasional TTA returner then leaverer.
RE: Not bitter
I think being bitter and angry takes a lot of energy that I can use in more productive ways I am not even surpressing it, I am just not getting angry at most things.
But when I look at my ex faith, there is simply nothing that could make even slightly angry. Is is bullshit to believe in these things? Yes. Does my exfaith hurt anyone? No! And that's the difference. The esotheric circles, all the witches, druids, and so on, they have never started a religious war. They were hunted down though. But they went into hiding instead of fighting. Christianity, Islam those are the ones that deserve to be met with anger. Not my anger though, as I dropped out of that as a kid.
Religion makes you ignore scientific proof, and a few religions caused a lot of war, that is why I am anti relgion. But not because of my very ex faith, not because of anger or bitterness.
RE: Not bitter
Occasional TTA returner then leaverer.
RE: Not bitter
I do take issue with #1. Just because something's made in a laboratory doesn't make it evil. The drugs used in hospitals and prescribed by doctors are used because they are effective. You may not believe it, but I guarantee every single herb you believe has beneficial effects has been investigated and tested for use on all sorts of diseases. And if it had actual curative power, it became used in the medical industry. See Aspirin, which is based on a chemical found in willow bark. If daffodils and rosemary and random herbs had beneficial effects on health they would be bottled and sold as such. To argue otherwise is to argue that drug companies aren't profit-obsessed evil corporations that will try to turn a buck on anything.
Maybe I'm assuming too much, but I've seen a lot of this anti-medicine crap and it's almost (not quite, but almost) as anti-scientific as Young Earth Creationism. In fact, it's closely tied to homeopathy and that whole multi-billion dollar con game. I'm sorry, but I have to strongly disagree with you on that viewpoint.
E 2 = (mc 2)2 + (pc )2
614C → 714N + e– + ̅νe
2 K(s) + 2 H2O(l) → 2 KOH(aq) + H2 (g) + 196 kJ/mol
It works, bitches.
The following 1 user Likes Phaedrus's post:1 user Likes Phaedrus's post
Logica Humano (14-10-2012)
14-10-2012, 08:15 AM (This post was last modified: 14-10-2012 08:30 AM by Leerob.)
RE: Not bitter
I did not take against medicine.
edit: Had a stomach emergency here...
continuing from beofre: I simply pointed out what I learnt, that this is one of the good things, and that is actually something you can not argue against. I like to know what I put in my body as much as possible. If I can make myself a tea that helps me just as well as a pill, I will drink the tea. And it is nothing like homeopathy. Homeopathy is bullshit because it talks about thinning something until it has only a trace of whatever was in there, so basically no healing power at all left in the water. Tea is not thinned out. depending on what herbs/roots you use and how you treat them you get different ways to treat stuff. And again, if I can I will do that instead of taking a pill. I don't care if companies put that stuff in their pills too, if I can, I will not take a pill.
But de facto, right now I just took a pill for my stomach > guess what, I have no herb at home that could help me with it right now, so I took a pill.
This thread is not about medicine, it is about bitterness concerning ex religion, it is about having gotten good things out of it. You can disagree on the use of herbs as much as you like, I still see that as one of the good parts. When I got kids, they will learn first hand what stuff out there, in the forests is useful and what isn't, just as I know it most of the time. You see, knowing about nature, and about the use of things in nature is good, not bad.
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-- ONLINE REGISTRATION IS CLOSED, SIGN UP AT RACE 4/12 6-8AM -- Presidio 10 Running Race
The Guardsmen
Sunday, April 12, 2015 from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM (PDT)
If you still want to run the race, come down to Sports Basement on Saturday 4/11 before 4pm or sign up on Sunday 4/12 before the race. Sign up and bib pick up opens on Sunday 4/12 at 6am.
The Presidio 10 is a fun, family oriented race in the Presidio of San Francisco. Runners can run either a 10 mile, 10 kilometer, or a 5 kilometer scenic course starting and finishing at Crissy field. The 10 mile and 10K run courses go over and back on the Golden Gate Bridge. Entertainment at the finish line with post race expo that includes awards for age divisions, hot breakfast, party tents from multiple sponsors, and live music.
6:00 AM Registration Opens
7:52 Warm-ups/Stretching for 10 Mile
8:00 Start 10 Mile Race
8:22 Warm-ups/Stretching for 10 Kilometer Race
8:30 Start 10 Kilometer Race
8:45 Music & Festivities Begin!
9:00 Start 5 Kilometer Race
10:00 10K Awards Ceremony
10:30 10 Mile Awards Ceremony
11:00 RRCA Awards Ceremony
Can I help fundraise?
The Levi's Presidio 10 is an all volunteer race and 100% of the proceeds are donated back to the community. For 31 years Presidio 10 runners have been sending underprivileged youth to summer camp. When you sign up for the race please consider also joining our Crowdrise fundraising team where if you raise $75 not only do you send a kid to camp but you'll also earn a sweet tech tee as a thank you! Check out our site to learn more.
Where are the course maps?
Course maps for the 10M and 10K races are here.
How do I get there and where do I park?
Please park in the East Beach Parking Lot, the Letterman Hospital Parking Lot, or the Marina Green Parking Lot and walk to the Start and Finish area. We encourage you to take public transit if possible.
Due to construction, the area between McDowell Avenue and Girard Road will be closed.
The Sports Basement parking lot will be closed to participants on the day of the event.
I have more questions!
Official race details can be found here.
Note: Fair market value for all ticket types (5K, 10K and 10M) is $40. We are sorry, no refunds are offered. All proceeds go to the Guardsmen, this all-volunteer organization, founded in 1947, provides access to high-quality educational and outdoor activities for inner-city youth.
Sweepstakes Rules:
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY or payment of any kind is necessary. Void where prohibited. Sweepstakes is sponsored by The Guardsmen, 1016 Lincoln Boulevard, Suite 205, San Francisco, CA 94129. Sweepstakes begins on 1/1/15 and ends on 4/11/15. There is only one (1) prize available to be won. One (1) entry per person. Open only to legal residents of California. Complete rules and instructions to enter may be found here.
The Guardsmen is a group of Bay Area men mobilizing their significant talents and resources to enhance and improve the lives of at-risk youth. This all-volunteer organization, founded in 1947, provides access to high-quality educational and outdoor activities for inner-city youth. The opportunities created through The Guardsmen's scholarship and campership programs mean that every year kids who otherwise would not have a chance at success are given the opportunity to excel as productive members of society. Each year The Guardsmen sends 2,500 youth to outdoor education programs and provides scholarship support to more than 250 students at Bay Area private schools.
The Guardsmen is committed to making sure that fundraising dollars are spent wisely, with the greatest need and highest returns always in mind. In fact, approximately 90 cents of every dollar raised goes directly to support programs for kids.
In order to purchase these tickets in installments, you'll need an Eventbrite account. Log in or sign up for a free account to continue.


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Thinking about Berry Berenson, who wore barefoot
By Jerry Tallmer
It is not possible to think one by one of 3,000 people none of whom you ever met. It is, however, possible to think of one human being youve met, even briefly, sometime in your life, and it is of that human being I have been thinking more and more through these past four years, and will be thinking about on this coming Sunday, September 11, 2005.
Her name was Berenthia (Berry) Berenson Perkins, a.k.a. Mrs. Anthony Perkins, and she, along with 91 other persons five of them mass murderers was aboard American Airlines Flight 11, Logan Airport, Boston, to LAX, California, when it crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center, New York City, at 8:46:40 a.m., on the beautiful balmy blue-sky Tuesday of September 11, 2001.
Berry Berenson Perkins was flying home from a summer holiday at Wellfleet, on Cape Cod. She was 53 years old, but my memory of her goes back to when she was in her gorgeous, vivacious mid-20s, and is stuck there. I would guess the woman of 53 was no less a knockout than the girl the newly married young mother to be of 25.
I interviewed her once, maybe twice, at her and Tony Perkinss upper-floor Chelsea brownstone apartment. She was three months married, seven months pregnant. My story would go on to mention what shed worn at their wedding in Wellfleet a granny dress, American Indian jewelry and pearls and when she and Perkins subsequently got remarried in Central Park, I would cheerfully write: The bride wore barefoot. A nice conscientious young copy editor changed that to The bride was barefoot, thereby letting the air out of the whole story.
But now, here in Chelsea, her husband the actor was somewhere unseen upstairs, calling down occasionally: Berry, telephone for you. His wife was with great good humor, despite her bulging prenatal discomfort, trying to keep command of a helter-skelter scene which included a collie named Murray, another collie (son of Murray) named Gregory, a number of cats, two unidentified girlfriends of Berrys and an all-purpose household maid named May.
Gregory, the younger collie, did No. 1 on the couch on which Mrs. Perkins was lounging, and then, removed to the floor, did No. 2 on the hooked rug, leaving May the maid and Mrs. Perkins, collapsing in laughter, to dash here, there and everywhere with paper towels. No pretense. No embarrassment. No side. No nothing. The interview how shed met her husband proceeded from there.
Shed met him at a party given by the actress Ruth Ford, a co-star of Perkinss in the film Play It as It Lays, and then had had the bright idea of getting to see him again by playing reporter and interviewing him for Andy Warhols newspaper.
Oh, oh, the Beautiful People. Well, yes, Berry Berenson writer, photographer, sometime actress was indeed a goldfish at swim in a sea of Beautiful People. It was her natural element. She was not only born to privilege, but to cultural privilege. The younger daughter of diplomat Robert L. Berenson her sister is actress/model Marisa Berenson Berry on her mothers side was the granddaughter of famed Paris designer Elsa Schiaparelli. She was also the great-great-niece of Bernard Berenson, the aesthete and art collector to whose villa in Italy the whole world of chic regularly repaired.
Yes, she was all that, but she was also the girl who set her cap for Tony Perkins, 15 years her senior, whom she must have known had had more than one of what Time magazine used to call a great and good friendship with, among others, Tab Hunter and Rudolf Nureyev. She set her cap for him, got pregnant by him, married him, had two children with him sons Osgood and Elvis Perkins and stayed loyal to him for the 19 years from the marriage in 1973 to his death of complications from AIDS in 1992.
This was the woman who was killed by Mohamed Atta al Sayed and his fellow fanatics on the morning of September 11, 2001. Killed by what somebody I forget who pegged as the fusion of 13th-century mentality with 21st-century technology and you know what? She was precisely in almost every way what Islamic fanaticists most hate, most dread, and would most destroy everywhere throughout the world: the free, bold, imaginative, competent, sexually aware, gay (in the original sense), courageous 21st-century woman.
Long before Psycho, or The Trial, or Pretty Poison, or Catch-22, or five dozen other movies, Tony Perkins starred in a picture called Fear Strikes Out. It was about a Red Sox baseball player named Jimmy Piersall who had a number of emotional problems he once hit a home run and ran the bases backwards, to make some sort of point but at this remove I like to think that that title, Fear Strikes Out, may have also applied to Berry Berenson Perkins as those bastards were taking over the plane, cutting throats and roaring at 700 miles per hour toward the north tower.
I dont know if she still had her shoes on or if the bride the wife, mother, widow wore barefoot. I only know that I am, four years later, even more goddamned angry.
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How to create a block in PHP-Nuke
In this article I'll show you how you can create a new block in PHP-Nuke, this will allow you to add several different types of content to your website.
PHP-Nuke block types
In PHP-Nuke there are 3 different block types that can be used to display content on your website.
|These blocks allow for information to be pulled in remotely from other sources and displayed on your website.
|A block of content simply allows you to enter in simple text or HTML to be displayed on your website.
|A file block allows you to execute a script such as grabbing information from the database to display on your website.
Creating a new block
Using the steps below I'll walk you through creating a new Content block to display a text notice on our website.
- Login to your PHP-Nuke admin dashboard.
- Click on the Blocks icon.
- Scroll down the page till you see the Add a New Block section, then you can begin entering in content.
In this case I'm naming my block Notice, and simply making it a Content block by just typing in some text of This is an important notice!.
I've also set the Position to Right, and left all the other options at the defaults.
You should see above the new block we're creating, all the previous blocks and their positions, because we're setting this new block's Position to Right it is going to be the 8th block on the right side, as the Information block was already number 7.
Finally click on Create Block at the bottom.
- Now if you go to your main PHP-Nuke site, you should see our new Notice block as the last block on the right-hand side.
You should now understand what a block is in PHP-Nuke, and how you can add a new one to get extra information to display on your website.
›Section 2: How to manage modules from the sidebar
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text:
In case anyone had any doubt, Bruce Cassidy had a bullet-quick answer to the final question of the 2016-2017 Bruins' season.
Do you want to be the coach?
"Absolutely," Cassidy said, "one hundred percent."
And with that Cassidy walked off the podium at TD Garden after Clarke MacArthur buried the Bruins by burying a power-play goal to lift the Ottawa Senators to a 3-2 overtime victory in Game 6 of the opening-round of the NHL playoffs.
There is no real reason why the "interim" designation shouldn't be erased from Cassidy's title. His team finished 18-8 down the stretch to get into the playoffs for the first time in three years. Unlike...


text:
Agamemnon Crassidis
Agamemnon Crassidis
Application Lead-Transporation Domain-PhD Engineering, Professor
Email: email@example.com
Phone: 585-475-4730
Office: GLE/2103
Dr. Agamemnon Crassidis received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Buffalo. Prior to arriving at RIT he worked for Calspan Corporation at the Flight Research Facility in Buffalo, NY as a Senior Aeronautical Engineer and Lead Systems Engineer for an experimental F-16 flight research aircraft (VISTA) used primarily as an in-flight simulator and advanced flight control law development.
Dr. Crassidis's current research focus is in the area Unmanned Vehicles (UVs) including ground and aerial vehicles. Current research projects include:
- A Low-Cost Mini-Inertial-Measurement-Navigation-System (MIMNS). The revolutionary new design for the MIMNS unit has significantly reduced cost and increased accuracy and capability compared to existing commercially available systems. The benefit and relative impact of the low cost MIMNS unit is to provide an enhanced measurement and guidance/navigation platform for future unmanned air, ground, and underwater vehicles. In particular, the MIMNS unit and resulting hardware can be used for robust individual flight control and navigation of coordinated teams of autonomous unmanned vehicles. It is expected that hundreds of mini vehicles would constitute a team. Therefore, navigation and measurement units are required for providing guidance information and control system (which would be adaptive) information for each one of these vehicles. The weight and size of the navigation and measurement units will be small and cost effective for providing a robust coordinated team system. Also, enhanced measurement capabilities of the MIMNS unit can be used by a flight control system to decrease computationally requirements with increased robust and performance capabilities. Currently, a prototype MIMNS unit has been constructed, data measurements have been taken, and the hypothesis is being tested.
- An Autonomous Robotic Mapping Robot. Currently, the MIMNS unit was incorporated in an autonomous robot that utilizes the MIMNS to record its path as it navigates through an unknown area where GPS is not accessible. The robot records its path in a 2-dimensional space at regular time intervals. The recorded data is used to create a map that is transferable in a file format readable by a computer for post-processing.
- Identification Update of Aerodynamic Models with Sensor Consistency Checks. This research focuses on the improvement of identification techniques in updating nonlinear aerodynamic coefficient models enhancing the efficiency of the parameter identification process. An aerodynamic parametric model (usually determined from wind tunnel tests) is assumed to be known. Time history analysis is used for the identification process. The algorithm develops and implements sensor consistency models to check the accuracy of flight data used in parameter identification. The newly developed models were tested on and experimental F-16 research vehicle (VISTA). Results of the improved identification technique indicate the effectiveness of updating a nonlinear aerodynamic model and determining sensor biases and scale factors independent of the aerodynamic parameter estimation. Currently the sensor consistency model is being developed for real-time applications to determine sensor failures and inconsistencies critical for advanced control law development.
- Nonlinear Autonmous Control Laws for Unmanned Vehicles. This research focuses on using modified versions of nonlinear control algorithms such as Sliding Mode Control to develop autonomous flight control laws. The control strategies incorporate robust features for various Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) requirements. Also, battle damage robustness is considered. Future plans include testing of the nonlinear control strategy on a UAV flight testbed.
- Integrating Unmanned Air Systems (UASs) into the National Airspace System (NAS) using a voice recognition type system.
Recent Publications
- Crassidis, A.L. and Komendat, A.J., "Center of Gravity Estimation of an Aircraft Solely Using Standard Aircraft Measurement Sensors", Proceedings of the AIAA Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Conference, AIAA-2012-4413, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2012
- Crassidis, A.L. and Gurbaki, A.J., "Feasibility Study of a Novel Method for Real-Time Aerodynamic Coefficient Estimation", Proceedings of the AIAA Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Conference, AIAA-2012-4411, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2012
- Crassidis, A.L. and Prosser, D., "The Applicability of Unsteady Vortex Panel Methods to the Design of Hovering Flapping-Wing Micro Air Vehicles", Proceedings of the AIAA Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Conference, AIAA-2011-1967, Portland, Oregon, 2011
- Crassidis, A.L., and Scorse, W.T., "Robust Longitudinal and Transverse Rate Gyro Bias Estimation for Precise Pitch and Roll Attitude Estimation in Highly Dynamic Operating Environments Utilizing a Two Dimensional Accelerometer Array", Proceedings of the AIAA Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Conference, AIAA-2011-2073, Portland, Oregon, 2011
- Crassidis, A.L., "Real-time Nonlinear Parameter Estimation Algorithm for Estimating Aerodynamic Models and Sensor Faults", Proceedings of the AIAA Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Conference, AIAA-2010-130461, Toronto, Canada, 2010


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3 rescued from crab boat off Oregon Coast
COOS BAY, Ore. - The Coast Guard rescued three fishermen Wednesday morning from a 39-foot crab boat that ran aground off Cape Arago.
The vessel Robert Henry ran aground approximately 400 yards off Cape Arago.
The Coast Guard received the report from the vessel's Emergency Indicating Radio Beacon and launched an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station North Bend, Ore., and a 47-foot motor lifeboat crew from Station Coos Bay, Ore.
A fire department crew from Charleston, Ore., also deployed on scene.
The boats were unable to reach the fishermen due to the surrounding rocks. At 3:30 a.m., the helicopter crew hoisted the members on board and transferred them to local EMS on shore.
Coast Guard pollution investigators are en route from Astoria, Ore., to assess the scene for potential pollution and work with the owner to develop a salvage plan.
The Robert Henry is reported to have approximately 4,000 pounds of catch and 400 gallons of fuel on board, the Coast Guard said.